Disclaimer : I don't own anything.
Note : Yeah, the dream sequences are fairly confusing. Sorry. I couldn't think of how better to describe them.
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(Balamb Garden Bridge, Normal POV)
It took the group a while of sailing around blindly before anyone remembered roughly where the orphanage was. And even then, all they knew was that it was near the Centra ruins.
So, from Trabia Garden, they'd sailed south until they came to dark, barren lands all around them. They passed the formidable ruins that supposedly held the GFs Odin and King Tonberry, and to a small island with a tiny house, small forest nearby, and a large red Garden in front of it.
"Shane, take a look." Xander called, looking through a set of binoculars. Turning to their new Commander, he held them out for Shane to take, and watched as the leader looked through them and frowned deeply.
Damn! Shane thought with a mental groan.
"What do you think?" the pilot asked nervously.
Shrugging, Shane sighed and shook his head. Chances are, if we've seen them, they've seen us. There's no getting around it, this time. This really wasn't what he was looking forward to, but there didn't seem to be any other choice now. "The battle is inevitable." he finally said.
"The sorceress is with them, huh?" he asked with a shudder. Shane nodded and Xander sighed. "So this is going to be the final battle?"
"I hope so." Shane admitted truthfully. But something tells me it isn't going to be that easy. With a sigh, he looked at the mic he was handed and pondered. What should I do first? I have to give orders to everybody. It's my duty. I have to try and keep it simple, or I'll only end up confusing the students. What should I say?! The possibilities were endless. Come on! Think!
They drew closer to the enemy Garden and paused as Xander waited for the order to move ahead.
There's no time! Shane tugged his hair and sighed, deciding to wing it. Flipping the switch, he closed his eyes.
"This is Shane speaking. This is an emergency, so listen carefully. We're going into battle against Galbadia Garden. As you may all know, Blake is with them. I plan to settle everything, once and for all, with this battle. The Garden will proceed straight ahead, set the speed to 50 percent, in case we need to take evasive maneuvers. 1st and 2nd class sabers, assemble in the parking lot. Those with MG ranks 3 or above, head to the second floor deck and wait for instructions, make sure to warm up."
Looking thoughtfully at the enemy Garden, Shane had no doubt they, too, were preparing for battle. "The enemy will probably come aboard. We must concentrate our forces at the front gate and the Quad. If your student ID number is even, report to the Quad, if it's odd, report to the front gate. Tori, Dustin and Marah, please report to the bridge." I don't think including Kapri would be a good idea after her little speech in Trabia. "Those of you with student ID numbers ending in 8, take care of the junior classmen."
With a sigh, he flipped the switch again and placed the mic down carefully.
"I think that was a little unnecessary. People tend to get a bit wild in battle." Xander informed Shane with a raised eyebrow. "They just need to hear what's necessary."
"Hey, hey, hey!" came Hunter's voice from the office below the bridge. "What's up? I'm not invited?"
Nodding to Xander, Shane took the elevator to the floor below and noticed that Tori, Marah and Hunter were there, waiting for him. But... Where was Dustin? And why wasn't Kapri standing here, giving him an earful for not calling her?
"I thought I was part of the gang." Hunter stated with an insulted pout.
Shane shrugged. ...Whatever... "Sorry about that." he said simply.
Shaking his head, Hunter sighed. "Man, why am I always the odd man out?" he whined to himself.
"What do you want us to do?" Tori asked grimly.
Looking at her, Shane changed his glance to the bridge above. "I want you guys to help me lead the others. When Dustin gets here, we'll divide into two teams."
Marah's eyes went wide and she looked around quickly. "Dustin?" she asked nervously, placing her hand on her chin in thought. "Umm, I think he's taking a nap. Yeah, he said he hasn't slept all day."
"What...?" Tori looked at her in confusion before her own eyes widened and she turned to Shane and nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah."
"What're you guys talking about?" their leader demanded in confusion.
Tori began to grin a little and shrugged. "Nothing. It's our little secret."
...What's he doing?! Shane was certain it wasn't just 'taking a nap' like Marah suggested. Their behavior was much too suspicious. We don't have any time! The battle was about to begin, and Dustin was off, fooling around somewhere, doing god-knows-what! "I'm going to the Quad!" he stated with a glare at the girls. "Who's coming with me.
Before they could answer, Shane groaned and raised his hand, stalling their words. "Never mind. Marah, go find Dustin and work together to lead the team at the front gate."
She nodded and Shane sighed. Turning to the others, he nodded. "Alright, let's go."
"Wait!"
Turning to Marah, he raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.
"What about Kapri?"
Blinking or a moment, he wasn't sure about involving her, but to be honest, he didn't see a way to avoid it. Pursing his lips, he figured that Marah would likely run into her before him. "You take care of her."
Leaving the office, Shane made his way to the 2nd Floor and spotted a group of SeeDs milling around in confusion. I guess Xander was right. Walking up to them, he remained silent as they all stood at attention and saluted. "What are you doing? What's your status?"
One student replied right away. "Indirect Magics Operative, sir!"
"You're a first class MG. Report to the deck immediately!" he ordered calmly.
"Yes, sir!" the student rushed off.
Turning to three more, he raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"
One man saluted and stood up straighter. "Fire Platoon, level 3 trainee, sir!"
The other nodded. "Fire Platoon, level 1, sir!"
The girl in the group looked almost afraid. "Rescue Team A, medic, sir!
Pointing to the two men, Shane sighed. "You two head for the deck. Medic, report to the defense team!"
"Yes, sir!" they chorused before taking off.
(Quad)
It took a little while to travel all over the Garden and make sure everyone was ready, but once that was done, Shane ran to the Quad, and was shocked to find Dustin ordering some SeeDs around, fully awake.
"You guys are over there. Backup the advance guards. Alright, listen up! This is the big one, guys! We gotta win, no matter what!" he ordered sternly. As the SeeDs ran off, he turned and jumped a little to see Shane, Hunter and Tori behind him before nervously scratching the back of his head. "S'up Shane? I got this place covered!"
Raising an eyebrow, Shane rossed his arms over his chest. So much for being asleep. "I thought you were sleeping..." He stated suspiciously.
Looking blank for a moment, his eyes soon widened and he laughed nervously. "Oh...! Yeah, y-your announcement woke me up. My student ID is even, si I'm supposed to be here, right?" Pausing, he seemed to think about something before walking a little ways away and motioning for him to follow him. "Yo, Shane, come here for a sec."
Shane walked over and waited patiently for him to continue.
"It's about your ring."
Looking to his hand, he noted his Griever ring on his right hand, index finger. "What about it?" he asked warily.
"This might not be the time, but..." he trailed off as he looked uncertain.
Rolling his eyes, Shane tapped his foot, showing his impatience. What is it...?
"Give me your ring, will ya?" he just blurted out. "I just wanna borrow it for a little while. I won't lose it or anything. C'mon, what do you say?"
His gaze transferred to the ring he was wearing. "Why do you need it?"
"Uh, I can't tell you that." he admitted with a blush. "C'mon, just give it to me. You can trust me." he pleaded.
What the hell...?! Shane frowned as he stared uncertainly at the ring he'd had for so long. I like this ring. Looking at Dustin, he saw the earnest stare and sighed. I...guess it's alright if he just wants to borrow it... Fiddling with the ring, it took some prying to get it off his finger, and hesitantly, he handed it to the brunette martial artist. "Don't lose it!"
"YEAH! THANKS MAN!" Dustin cried happily, gingerly taking the ring and holding it tightly. "I didn't think you were gonna give it to me. Kapri's gonna be so happy!"
Huh? "Kapri?" Shane asked hesitantly. What's she want with my ring?
Shaking his head, Dustin forced a big grin. "Alright, Shane! Leave this place to me!"
Suddenly, Marah and Kapri came running up, out of breath and Marah glared a little at Dustin.
"Geez...there you are!"
Kapri looked uncertain as she checked to make sure her crossbow was secure and then looked at Shane sincerely. "Guys, I'm gonna fight, too. I don't wanna just hide." she said firmly. "I know I can fight. I want to fight along side everyone."
Frowning, Dustin looked around the packed Quad and sighed. "I hope this is the last time we have to fight in our home."
"...Take care of yourself." Shane said to the others, mostly directing his statement to Kapri.
The PA beeped, and Xander's worried voice carried through loudly. "Shane! Get back to the bridge immediately!"
Turning to Dustin, Shane sighed and shook his head. "Dustin, I'm counting on you! Good luck, everyone!" he called to the entire group of SeeDs and trainees.
Running off, Shane left the others to their work and made his way to the bridge with Hunter and Tori in tow.
(Bridge)
"Look!" Xander called, tossing Shane the binoculars as soon as he stepped foot on the bridge.
Doing so, Shane noticed right away the sudden burst of movement on Galbadia Garden. Zooming in, he watched as hundreds of soldiers rushed around, some mounting bikes that were set on ramps to allow them a massive jump. And amidst them...
Blake stood in the middle of the deck, grinning at them as he held his gunblade resting against his shoulder.
Pulling the binoculars away from his face, Shane frowned as he noticed Galbadia Garden heading their way and sighed, knowing the final battle with Sorceress Miko was almost upon them.
"Blake is in charge over there." Xander informed him gravely. "They're heading right for us!"
Nodding, Shane's eyes narrowed at the approaching Garden. "Just keep going."
He looked through the binoculars again and watched helplessly as the bikes rode up the ramps, flying high into the air and towards Balamb Garden. The bikes released dozens of missiles which hit and minorly wounded the Garden, before they landed, some on the decks and others craching through windows and into rooms.
"We're gonna crash!"
"Go right!" Shane ordered quickly, staggering as Xander pushed the steering mechanism on the right, hard.
The ship lurched to the right, but it was too late, and with a resounding crash, the Garden's collided. The rings around the bases of the Gardens clashed and rolled off of each other, ausing both Gardens to shudder as they scraped by each other.
(Quad, Kapri's POV)
It was sheer panic.
So many SeeDs and students rushing around, engaging any bike-riding Galbadians that approached. There was a massive shudder through the Garden, as well as what sounded like an explosion, and we all staggered to try and keep our balance.
Hearing something coming by from the ledge of the Quad, I spun to watch in shock as the red armored body of Galbadia Garden brushed past us, metal squealing on metal an the high pitched ripping sound, causing me to wince as I covered my ears.
"The enemy's right beside us! Quad team! Be careful!" Shane's voice called over the PA.
With a frown, I turned back to Dustin, being extremely scared for being right here at the moment. I really just wanted to be on Shane's team, but he sent me here. Why? I didn't know, but I felt something really wasn't right.
"Go straight ahead, to the left!" Dustin ordered grimly. "We gotta stop them from comin' in!"
Running towards the ledge more, we fought some soldiers and could easily tell Dustin was getting worked up. "C'mon, c'mon! They're dead ahead!" Then, he paused. "///Oh yeah!" Turning to me, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a ring with the image of a lion engraved into it. "Here! I got it from Shane. Like I said, I'll make you one just like it. 'Til then, hold on to it for me, will ya?" he stated with a grin, handing me the ring.
Taking it carefully, I held it to my chest with both hands and nodded to him gratefully. "What did you say to him?" I asked quietly. It seemed really embarrassing for me to ask Shane if I could get a copy made of his ring, but speaking to Dustin about it, was I surprised to find he was good with metal engraving, so he insisted he'd take care of it.
Slipping the necklace off, I placed the ring beside the other one on the chain, wincing when I realized it was Blake's, and bit my lip as I put the necklace back on. Part of me wanted to remove the other ring, but another part of me argued that it should stay. With such chaos going on at the moment, I didn't have time to think about it, so I just left it.
Shrugging, Dustin waved a hand dismissively. "I just told him to hand it over."
Unlikely. Shane wouldn't just 'hand it over' if ordered. I thought dryly. "It looks cool...but it's too big." I muttered out loud.
"Guys! C'mon!" Marah called from just ahead.
We were standing really close to the ledge when the Garden rocked violently again, and I staggered away from Dustin. He moved farther away from the ledge, but I staggered backwards, closer to it. Falling to my knees, I noticed with horror as the ground began to break apart right in front of me. No... Standing up quikly, I tried to walk forward, bu the ledge I stood on gave away and I was seen sliding down the soil on the side of Garden.
I'd hit my arm pretty hard on a ledge, and I felt a sharp pain run through it, but luckily, I managed to catch on to a small ledge of dirt that was sticking out, and dangled there, helplessly, right above the rotating rings at the bottom of the Garden.
Looking down, I gasped at how far the ground was, and watched as a large rock fell, hitting the ring and shattering into tiny pieces of gravel. No, no, NO! My mind repeated in a frenzy. It can't end like this!
I changed my gaze to above me, far above me, and saw Dustin reaching down as far as he could, terror written across his face, and Marah holding onto his waist with the same expression. Help... Help me!
"DAMMIT! I CAN'T REACH HER!" Dustin screamed loudly as he pounded his fist into the ground and backed away.
"Don't go..." I whispered, feeling pain in my chest as I hung onto the little ledge with all my might. Shifting a little, the pain was relived, but some of the dirt gave way, and I held my breath, fearing that moving was going to send me to my death. When the ledge held, I sighed and closed my eyes. Shane, please...help me... I mentally pleaded.
(Quad, Normal POV)
"We gotta pull her up somehow!" Marah cried as Dustin walked through the Quad, furiously looking around for something, anything to use to help her.
Running back to the ledge, Dustin leaned down. "KAPRI! HOLD ON! WE'RE GONNA BE RIGHT BACK!" he yelled down before standing and nodding to Marah, taking off out of the Quad as they sought out help.
(Main Hall, Shane's POV)
Exiting the bridge, I decided to run around and see what I could do to help. Sitting around helplessly wasn't my style. Cam ran off ahead of me, to check some troops and I checked the wounded, healing some and giving others items to help heal them.
I made my way to the east side of the hall, bypassing the Training Center and smirking to myself. We'd left that place unguarded because with the monsters inside, they would take care of the soldiers themselves.
"Shane! They're coming in from the front gate!" Cam called over the PA.
I guess he made his way back to the bridge. I thought with a raised eyebrow as I ran to the front gate. Seeing that most of the main troops were down, I frowned and dispatched a small squadron of Galbadian soldiers before grabbing a SeeD by the arm. "Call for backup!" I ordered, running to a group of injured students and healing them up the best I could.
"Shane!"
Turning my head, I groaned as Dustin and Marah ran up to me. What now...?! Then, I frowned. Where's Kapri...?
Dustin looked incredibly guilty and Marah looked terrified. "Kapri's in trouble!" Dustin cried.
Marah nodded quickly, panting from the run. "Yeah, she's gonna fall of Garden!!:
Fall of Garden? How was that even possible? The meaning of their words hit me and I started, standing up slowly and staring at them with wide eyes. ...Damn!!
"Shane, listen up!" Xander's voice called from the bridge. "The enemy is attacking the classroom. The junior classmen are there. We have to do something, fast!"
Hearing something bahind me, I spun to find a large squadron of Galbadian soldiers marching towards the front gate and felt my eyes grow even wider.
"The enemy's heading this way!" Cam called over the PA.
My head was spinning. We were surrounded, enemies were coming at us from all angles, Kapri was hanging on for dear life, and it was up to me to decide what to do. Damn!! I thought furiously, shaking my head as my heart pounded heavily in my chest. What do I do?!
"Shane, did you HEAR ME?!!" Dustin yelled with a glare.
I snapped. "YEAH!" I shouted right back. "But she's not the only one in danger!" As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I couldn't bite back the wince. I hadn't meant for it to sound so cold-hearted. It's just, with everyone in danger, I couldn't just abandon my post as leader to run off and save one person. Not when thousands were counting on me.
"I didn't think you could be so heartless!" Hunter stated angrily, marching up and getting right in my face. "Kapri is gonna die! Don't you care?!?"
Closing my eyes, I staggered back a step and put my hand on my forehead. We have to divie into 3 groups. Who's gonna do what?! "Marah, you go with Cam!" I ordered. One problem down...hopefully. "Tori and Hunter, you're with me. We're going to the 2nd Floor classroom. Dustin, you go help Kapri. Do whatever it takes, understand?"
They all nodded and Marah ran off to the elevator, just as Cam came down. They spoke for a moment before running back towards us and past us to the gate. Dustin frowned deeply but sighed and ran off with a shake of his head, heading right back to the Quad.
Tori, Hunter and I ran to the elevator and took it to the 2nd Floor classroom.
Running through the door, we paused when we noticed green mobile armors floating in the air. The disappeared from the window, but after a moment, I heard a punching sound and realized they were grounding themselves on to the side of the Garden. Four paratroopers came sliding down on stabilizer cables and jumped far away from the windows, using their momentum to bring them back and smash the glass.
They ran straight over to a single female SeeD that was protecting two children.
Shaking my head, I ran over to them and blocked one of their attacks with my gunblade.
"Dispose of Garden, as planned!" one of the other troopers called.
"Dispose?!" Hunter cried incredulously.
"Get them!"
Jumping away from the trooper, I waited as Tori used her Blue Magic to cast Mighty Guard on us, basically, casting Protect, Shell, Regen, which allowed us to heal quickly over time, and Nullified all elemental magics cast on us. She then attacked with her whip, lashing it out and letting it wrap firmly around a guard's neck before pulling sharply, causing him to spin and the whip to break his neck.
As he fell, Hunter shot a volley of powerful, exploding shots at another trooper, taking him out.
I cast Double and then soublecast Thundaga on the last two, taking them out, as well. Turning to the wounded SeeD as I sheathed my blade, I knelt beside her. "Good work." I said softly. "Take them somewhere safe."
"Come on you guys! Let's go!" she ordered, standing up shakily as she saluted to me and took off.
"Shane! Shane!"
Frowning, I sighed and raised my head to the ceiling, wondering what Xander wanted now.
"Come to the bridge immediately! Dr. Shayla is here!"
Heading straight to the bridge, I frowned deeply in worry when I noticed a good portion of Balamb Garden's SeeDs laying on the ground or limping by weakly. It seemed that most of our forces were being completely decimated, and the outcome didn't look good!
As I took the elevator to Headmaster Kanoi's former ofics, I noted Shayla standing by the elevator to the bridge, frowning deeply asshe stared at me.
"What's the situation?"
Shaking my head, I saluted wearily. "We were able to stop the first two waves of the attack, but our forces aren't looking too good. Many of our forces are injured. If they send another wave, I don't know if we can hold them." I answered gravely.
Marah came rushing in with a worried look on her face as well, and I knew things weren't good on her part, either.
"How's your team doing?" Dr. Shayla asked her as she rubbed her temples.
"Not good!" Marah was pale and sweaty, panting as she held a gash on her side and treated a deep bruise on her arm. "They're barely holding them off."
"So... Looks like this is it." Shayla mused thoughtfully.
Tori nodded with a groan. "Their Garden has more experienced fighters. Whereas most of our troops are students who are still in training. Like Shane said, one more wave and we might not make it."
Looking at the ground, I thought about what she said and felt a horrible guilt building up for leading the entire Garden, who depended on me, into a suicide mission. Maybe I should've concentrated our forces on offensive instead of defensive... I bit back the urge to shake my head as I realized how futile that would've been. Fighint an army on our turf wasn't working, fighting them on their turf would've been even worse.
"Blake's with them, right?" she continued thoughtfully. "You said it yourself, you can't just run away... Looks like now's the time to face him. You've come this far already. What is there to think about? You're not going to run away, are you?"
Never! Glaring at her, I shook my head firmly. "I'll never run away from him! Besides, attacking them might be our only chance. The only problem is, how are we gonna board their Garden?" Suicide or not, it was our only chance left. We had to make a direct attack. Go for Blake or Sorceress Miko. If we could take them out, the other troops would lose morale and give up.
"Say, how about we crash into their Garden? I know it sounds crazy, but at least we'll be able to get in! Their pilot's been ramming us all along, I'm sure Xander can do it, too!" Hunter suggested after a moment of silent thought.
Shrugging, I nodded. "We have no choice. Let's do it."
That's when Dustin entere,d looking frantic.
Looking around as my worry grew, I noticed that Kapri still wasn't there. "Where's Kapri?"
His head fell. "Sorry, man. There's nothin' I can do! There's no way to get to the Quad! Those bastards have the area barricaded! Man! The only way we can get to her is goin' over the roof or flyin' there."
...Kapri... I thought sadly. It all seemed so hopeless. I didn't want to give up hope, but what could I do? our forces were being decimated. Chances of us winning or even just surviving this battle, were slim to none, and now the possibility of rescuing Kapri just went out the window. Damn it all!
Hunter's eyes widened as he looked at me before he shook his head and once again got up into my face. "Whoa! Wait a minute! You just gave up on her, didn't you?!" he demanded angrily. "Listen...do me a favor. You go help Kapri. It may be too late, but don't give up until you're certain there's nothing more you can do!"
"I..." Swallowing heavily, I knew he was right, but I couldn't just abandon my post! "I have to lead the attack..." I cursed myself for how weak my voice sounded.
His glare grew. "I don't care what you have to do, or how you feel! Just do it!" Sighing, he closed his eyes and backed off. "Please, do it for Kapri."
"Listen to Hunter, Shane. She's one of us." Tori said quietly. "A SeeD in her own right."
Marah stalked forward and glared at me. "What're you waiting for?! I can't believe you!" she demanded loudly.
Dustin gave me a pleading look. "C'mon, Shane! Please! It's gotta be you! You're the only one who can save her!"
Hunter began to go on about how he could lead the infiltration of Galbadia Garden and how he knew the place like the back of his hand. He even decided on leading the attack personally. Surprisingly, Tori readily backed him up. She insisted that they, themselves, would clear a path into Galbadia Garden, and then wait for Kapri and I to join them.
Then Dr Shayla cleared her throat and looked at me sternly. "You're forgetting something, Shane. Something very important."
What? What could it be, now?
Motioning or me to follow her, we used the elevator and went to the bridge. Walking over to the mic, Shayla took it and handed it to me with a gentle look in her eyes, her hand poised over the switch. "Talk to your men, Shane. Encourage them. As their leader, it's your duty. You probably never knew, but everyone in Garden looks up to you, they like you." With that being said, she flipped the switch.
Hesitating for a moment, I let her words run through my mind. Everyone in Garden looks up to you. They like you. Then, I raised the mic to my lips. "...Everyone, this is Shane." I felt my heart beating painfully, filled with guilt and worry for all the students who blindly followed my orders, all because they 'looked up to me'. "How's everyone doing?" Stupid question. "You're all probably too sore to even stand after all this fighting. But..." Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, feeling tears leak out of me eyes as I knew they were all ready giving so much.
They were giving their all, risking their lives, and for some, losing them. All to help me take down the sorceress. Matron. "But I want everyone to listen to me. We still have a chance to win and I need your help." How can I possibly ask for more from them? "This is going to be our final battle. We're going to attack them before they come in again. To do that, we're going to head straight into their Garden."
Dr Shayla was giving me an encouraging smile and Xander was looking at me with a new respect in his eyes as he saluted me with a look of pure determination crossing his face.
"So I want everyone to prepare for a major collision. Take care of all the junior classmen. Tori, Dustin, Marah and Hunter will be leading the attack into Galbadia Garden. As for the rest, I want you to report to them, if you can. SeeD was formed to fight the sorceress; at least, from what I heard. And Garden was created to train SeeDs, so this battle is kinda like Garden's destiny. Our destiny." I wanted to throw the mic out of the bridge and run back to my room and cry. I felt like a villain, ordering these people to give up their lives. And for what? Destiny?
Sighing quietly, I thought again to Kapri and mentally begged her to be ok and hang in there a little longer. "It's a gueling battle and I'm sure you're all exhausted, but I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want anyone to look back and regret this day. So..." This is it... "Just this once... I want everyone to give everything they've got. For themselves and for me."
Dr. Shayla flipped the switch off and I sagged against a pillar, letting her take the mic as I brushed away a few stray tears on my face. "You did great." she said softly. "That was wonderful." Turning to Xander, she nodded as her face turned grim. "Ok! Let's bash into them!" she ordered grimly.
Pulling away from the right steering mechanism, Xander quickly moved to the left one and leaned forward, pressing all his weight against it. The Garden lurched violently to the left and bashed hard into Galbadia Garden, locking against them and allowing the troops a chance to board.
Leaving the bridge, I took the elevator down to the 2nd Floor and frowned when I saw a female SeeD kneeling on the fllor, holding a cut on her leg. Running over to her, I pulled out a potion and handed it to her.
"Please help me! I can't find Justin! Justin's gone!" she cried before downing the potion.
Damn! I thought furiously. This so wasn't what I needed right now.
"Please! I can't find him! Help me find Justin!" she begged.
There's no choice. Nodding a moment, I sighed. "Stay here. I'll find him." I said firmly.
She nodded in relief. "Oh, thank you!"
Walking along the hall, I looked around and paused when I saw a boy, about 12 years old, running down the hall towards the deck. Running after him, I saw that he was standing in the middle of the hall with a confused and frightened look in his eyes. "Hey, kid. You alright?" I asked, kneeling beside him.
He nodded to me slowly. "Yeah."
"Listen, there's a person waiting for you down the hall. I want you to go to her." I instructed gently.
He nodded again and ran off, meeting up with the woman and the two of them left. Standing up slowly, there was a loud crash behind me and I spun to find a paratrooper come crashing through the deck door in his flying armor. I backed against the wall and glared at him as I discreetly looked for a way out of there.
Damn! I'm trapped! I gotta find another way out of here!
The paratrooper sneered at me and I rolled my eyes as I felt along the wall behind me. Feeling a bump, I looked at it carefully and noticed it was the emergency button for the door I was leaning against. Pressing it, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and a pressure against my back that released after a moment.
I looked forward and noticed that the soldier had rammed me. Glaring at him, I punched him in the face, holding tightly to the rope that descended from the machine as he slid down to fight me better.
The armor circled around both our Gardens as we fought, exchanging blows. He kicked me in the stomach after punching me in the chest, and I punched him in the face before blocking another kick and kneeing him in the stomach. I began to get dizzy from the altitude, as well as the blows, but also noticed the guard wasn't going to last much longer, either. Timing a strong kick carefully, I punched him in the face before kicking him and holding on to the rope tightly as he fell to his death far below.
Grabbing the remote, I saw that the armor was quickly descending to the rotating rings below and directed it back up before climbing up the rop and to the cockpit. Sitting there, I controlled the armor, taking it around the Garden until I came to the Quad section and noticed a blonde figure hanging from the side. As I approached, she turned her head to me and gave a relieved smile as I swung the rope in her direction.
Kapri grabbed the rope and we flew away from Garden, landing close by to the main gates, and avoiding the fighting soldiers. She smiled at me and stayed close as she panted and rubbed her arms. "Thanks."
I nodded, speechless. I hadn't noticed until just now just how scared I'd been that I almost lost her. "It was...uh, nothing." I answered awkwardly.
"There's the entrance!" Her face had turned from me as she looked around. "Come on!"
Following after her, we avoided many Galbadian and Balamb SeeDs as we ran across the battlefield. Where ever I could, I used my gunblade or a spell, to take our a soldier and give our troops the upper hand. Seeing a Blizzage spell hit a trooper, I looked ahead to see Kapri wink before casting a Firaga at another troop as she ran.
I couldn't help but grin.
Finally making it to the back entrance, we took a moment to catch our breaths.
"You know something, I couldn't afford to fall of that cliff and die." she said with a thoughtful look on her face as she held her necklace tightly in her hand. "I have something very important that belongs to you. I can't die until I give it back!" She opened her hand and showed the ring on her necklace. Or rather, the rings. One, I clearly recognized as my Griever ring, and I raised an eyebrow. "Dustin gave it to me, see? I've been holding onto it."
Biting back a grin, I masked my face in a cold glare. I'm gonna kill him. I thought in slight amusement. "That's my favorite ring." I told her in a deadly calm voice. "You better give it back."
"I'm sure it is." she replied, grinning openly at me. "It's really cool-looking. What's the monster on it, anyways?"
Is the design that bad? I wondered briefly. "It's not a monster. It's a lion. Lions are known for their great strength and pride."
She looked at the ring closely before recognition flashed across her face. "Hmm...great strength...and pride... Sounds kinda like you, Shane."
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "I wish..." I muttered quietly.
"Hmmm...so this LION of yours...does it have a name?" she asked with a grin.
"Griever."
"So that's what you call it. You know, Dustin said he'll make me one exactly like it. Who knows? Maybe I can become like a lion, too. That'd be crazy, huh?!" she began to laugh as her face turned a deep red. "I mean, everyone might, y'know, get the wrong idea about us." she explained as she chuckled nervously and her face turned even redder.
If it's so crazy, why do you sound so delighted? I wondered with a raised eyebrow. Everyone is trying to get us together. It's so obvious, even I can tell. Sighing, I looked to the sky. "Sounds like you want everyone to get the wrong idea." I muttered as I felt my face heating up. Would that be such a bad thing?
Her face paled before turning a red that put her previous blushes to shame. "What?!" Blinking a couple of moments, she began to shake her head quickly. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" She raised her hands and waved them wildly.
"Well, everyone's waiting. Let's go." I said firmly, walking to the entrance of Galbadia Garden.
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Sorry for the humungous chapter, but there was no place I could think of to break it without messing it up. This marks the nearing the end of the second part of the script. I'm almost halfway done this fic...
Hope you like it.
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...Kapri? What's wrong with Kapri?
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R+R please.
Thank you.
Tenshi.