Squall looked out across to the continent of Trabia, it would take them only half an hour to reach Trabia garden and he swallowed. He had just been out in the corridors, everywhere he looked were people practising with weapons, it had occured to him just how young everybody was. He shook his head, it reminded him of that battle with Galbadia garden so much. He had caught a look of sorrow that passed breifly across Seifer's face, their eyes had locked and he had suddenly realised that someone else actually knew how he felt. If he and Seifer had not loathed each other he would have thought that they could have been good friends. The guy had changed, he admitted that much.
Squall shook his head and looked down at the hastily constructed battle plans, it was unfortunate that Trabia was in such a secure location between two mountain ridges, they couldn't flank it on either side, there was only one way in to attack. Through the front. He had agreed with Quistis and Xu that the only way was to have both gardens get as close to that entrance as they could, then have the best SeeDs and students spill out the front. He was certain they could overcome whatever resistance was there, Trabia had the highest student population but in this battle it was divided, and even at full capacity it couldn't outweigh both garden's. He tapped slightly on the map in the location of Shiva's cave. Bahumut had told the Guardian force where Selphie was being held, he was glad that she was conscious enough to have figured out where she was. That gave him some hope that they could save her. Why it had been decided that he and Seifer should go on this mission never really made sense to him, except that Quistis had insisted, when Rinoa had backed her up, he couldn't really argue. Their main reason was that Irvine wasn't up to it and that the pair of them could easily co-ordinate the battle. But both men had heard the 'you are both soceresses knights, you should be able to deal with him' undercurrent to the conversation, they had looked at each other with mutual distress, until they realised who it was they were staring at.
So he and Seifer would head off to the caves, Shiva had declined to go with them, but Diablos was all to eager. He claimed that he wanted to see 'the pokey little hole that Shiva had settled on calling home', the guardian forces arguements grated more on his nerves than anyone elses. Mainly because their voices couldn't be drowned out, they rang in everybodies heads clear as a bell, until Rinoa had complained of a headache. Seifer was busy sharpening his gunblade, they would slow down the gardens enough to drop them off at the trail to the caves, then speed up. 'Putting a lot of effort into that.' Squall observed and he blinked when Seifer gave him a rueful shrug.
'Haven't needed to keep it that sharp, the kids you're teaching tend not to like having huge cuts in their bodies.' He said wryly, Squall caught himself nearly smiling. 'What about you, keep it sharp?'
'Yeah, but only because of Rinoa.' He said and sat down opposite Seifer with his feet on the table. Seifer looked at him specutively.
'You know I never thought I'd get tired of fighting.' He told him, Squall raised his eyebrows.
'Is that with me or generally?' Seifer looked down at his blade and grinned.
'You made a joke, well done.' He said smoothing the whetstone up and down in even strokes. 'I think it's generally, I have too much of a talent for winding you up to let you get away with anything.' Squall blinked and tried to make sense of that, Seifer looked at him and sighed. 'I was joking Squall... and you said I was the one that hadn't changed. A sense of humour stands you in good stead.'
'Well let me know when you've said something moderately amusing and I'll remember to laugh, just to show that I can.' Seifer grinned at him slightly shocked.
'Things do change I guess.' He shook his head and stood. 'You think we should go? The garden's beginning to slow.' Squall stared at him.
'How can you tell?' Seifer shrugged.
'Just a talent, developed it about ten years back.' He winked at the stupified Squall. 'Remember, I'm not going to be saving your butt today, but maybe, we can save each others. Let's hope that this true knight isn't as powerful as Matron seems to believe he is.' As he walked out of the room he could feel Squall's stare at his back, he'd always had a talent for putting Squall into a state of unease, but why had he done it today, he had never meant to.
*
Selphie was watching Badier with a triumphant look on her face, he had let her wake up, but if he had known what was going to be transmitted on his radio he would have kept her under. He had shut his eyes and appeared to be concentrating on something he could barely hear. When he flicked open his eyes he stared at her, his eyes were burning hot, but somehow it no longer scared her, when someone has pushed you so far down that you have reached the bottom, what was the worst they could do to you. 'I wouldn't get your hopes up.' He told her and the bright, weak smile she gave him was totally involuntary.
'Why not face it, you aren't ever going to get one over on Zell.' She told him.
'Why, just because you couldn't? I'm not planning to get one over on him, I'm planning to kill him.' The coldness in his voice made Selphie pause with uncertainty. The bright grin that broke onto his face chilled her more than the block of ice she lay on. 'Don't worry I was going to kill you too, the fact that you killed a sorceress is completely disgusting.' Selphie cast her face down, when she figured out what he really wanted she lifted her eyes to him.
'Rinoa will never be yours you know.' She said and he laughed.
'We were meant to be together, I know a bit more about sorceresses than you do.'
'I know a bit more about Rinoa than you do.'
'Yes, but you don't know me... the very fact that you're the one lying on a block of ice proves that.' She couldn't refute that, she bit her lip.
'Roo told me that Squall was your hero... What are you going to do to him?'
'I'll kill him, he took what was mine. Reguardless of what you say the sorceress belongs to me. The fact that he is my hero doesn't mean that I have to spare his life.' He said it so matter of factly she nearly gagged.
'Yes it does, that's exactly what it means. Why did you tell them not to come, if all you really wanted was to have them near you?'
'Oh, god! Are you really that stupid? Why did I think I chose to capture you and not Zell? You inspire confidence and love in everybody you meet, you had me fooled for a bit. If I were to threaten his life yes they would be a bit upset but I doubt that they would form the same kind of resistance I'm getting for you. Also, I couldn't be sure if Rinoa would come for him... women stick together.' He laughed at her and turned back to the moniters.
'We defeated a soceress, we can finish off you.' She exclaimed. He turned round to her with a sigh.
'Maybe, but you knew quite a lot about sorcesses, nobody knows what I can do. Not in any great detail. You can't lie to your soul for very long, once you see them kneel to me, you'll know.' She shook her head. 'After you know the truth, then I'll kill you. Everybody deserves to know the truth before she dies.'
'And what is the truth, if you're so all knowing tell me that.'
'The truth? What makes you think you deserve a truth you haven't worked for?' He knelt next to her and smiled obsiquieously into her face. 'You belong to me now, you know that.'
'I belong to myself.' He smiled knowingly and shook his head.
'Yes, carry on believeing that. We'll be leaving soon, I have to see the new people if I want to control them...' he glanced at her face. 'What? You thought I couldn't control Balamb and Galbadia's students as well as I could Trabia's?' He walked away and Selphie felt a gentle salty tear sliding down her face. Her insides were turning over in anxiety, suddenly her world had become so much darker, how can one man have that much power over her? Then she realised just what she was thinking... Zell had that power over her as well... Selphie would be damned before Badier could lay claim to anything she gave to Zell, she strengthened her resolve, she would survive.
'There's a storm brewing Badier, I think you are going to find it very hard not to get caught in the lightening.'
*
Zell grinned at Trabia's schematics, the run of the whole garden was his now. After joining his students to Delta's it had been an easy task to pick off the small groups of red bands that wandered confidantly around the corridors. He had ended up locking them in the gym, one or two SeeD guards to look after four hundred people that were tied all over the monkey bars in the gym. He grinned at Rathi, the guy had woken up a little while ago to find out about Zell's victory, the look of discust on his face had been the best present Zell had ever gotten. Jill bounced into his room, for some reason it had been her that people had come to for permission to talk to him, she'd slotted into the role of his second in command so easily that he had be loath to change her, besides, he liked her, since she had been patched up she said she was able to fight again. But her crossbow's pull would keep on breaking her wound open, so he had found a gun for her, it had amused him when she'd looked at it with distaste. 'One weapon of violence is much like any other.' He had told her.
'You wouldn't understand, you are your weapon, there is no skill in using a gun. Point and bang... yay.' The sarcasm in her tone made him laugh.
'I don't think anybody will understand someone elses choice of weapon.' He had replied with a shrug.
She saluted him sharply. 'Problems Sir.' She said simply.
'It's Zell. And what?'
'The people that Badier posted outside just seem to have figured out that the garden is yours now. They're trying to get in.' He raised his eyebrows. 'There are well over six hundred and garden's aren't exactly secure.'
'So a big fight at the front gate?' She nodded and he smiled. 'Well then, what's gonna happen next is going to terrify them, Galbadia and Balamb will be arriving in the next five minutes. You think we can survive that long.' A beautific smile lit her face.
'I think that with you here we can survive as long as we need to.' She looked into his eyes as she said it, not afraid of speaking her mind was this girl. he grinned back at her.
'Well let's go to the front gate. I have a penchant for welcoming some old friends.'
*
Melaya Corsair watched her fellow students try and batter down Trabia's defences. There just wasn't enough room for them to cast out a full on battle, which their superior numbers dictated that they would win. Trabia was the defensable position, and they didn't hold it. She watched her compatriots try and climb up the walls of the garden only to be knocked off by bullets and arrows from the upper levels of her home. She held her shinobu across her shoulders and sighed, nobody in this group had any battle sense, they weren't even supposed to be trying to get Trabia back, but everybody had panicked when they had realised that Rathi had failed. She trusted in Badier, she wasn't quite sure why she did but she did.
Melaya felt the thrumming through her legs before she consciously realised that something was wrong. She turned around in confusion and saw the two bright spots closing in from the horizon. She swallowed and fear clasped at her throat. 'Balamb garden!' She yelled, those near her turned to where she pointed and froze. The cry soon picked up, with the odd shout of 'Galbadia comes' mixed in for good measure. The two garden flew so close together, their downdraughts blowing up large clouds of snow. What could she do? She had to get to safety. She turned and plunged into the melee at the gate. They were no longer fighting to take back Trabia, they were fighting so that they didn't get ground up against the walls of it, they were fighting for safety. The gardens stopped around one hundred metres from the fighters, when SeeDs and students began pouring from the gates Melaya began to scream. They had to get back into Trabia, they just had to, it was her last thought as she was clipped on the back of her head, she went down like a tonne of bricks. Melaya didn't feel the panicked footfalls of her companions as they drove her helpless body into the mud.
*
Seifer looked at Squall as he drew alongside him to the entrance of the cave. Seifer wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but he was terrified. Nobody knew what this Badier character could do... he had always known the ablities of whoever he fought beforehand. 'You ready?' He asked Squall who nodded shortly. 'Glad one of us is.' He muttered. He looked to Diablos, the guardian force stepped in front of them eagerly.
The cave glittered with a pale blue light, Seifer saw the names carved in the ice and smiled. Nice touch Trabia. Diablos stopped and sniffed the air. *I smell blood. This way.* He moved away down the corridor.
'You know I wish he hadn't said that.' Squall said quietly. 'What do you say, if we survive this, we don't fight any more?'
'I haven't fought with you in a long time, that was the reason I was at Galbadia remember? But yeah, deal.' They rounded the corner and saw Diablos finishing off some guards. They hadn't even heard the fight.
*Gravity can crush the throat enough to stop any sound escaping, it's a shame humans need to breathe.* Seifer felt himself go cold and not just from the fact he was surrounded by ice.
'We're nearly there.' Said Squall tightly, he pointed to the doorway in the cavern wall. Soft noises and a subdued light came from the doorway. 'That should be Shiva's cave.' They looked at each other and gave a quiet nod. With wordless shouts both men ran for the door, gunblades blazing in the dim light.
Author's note~ As you may have guessed, heading towards the end of the story now, but although it's only got a few chapters left, it might take a while for me to get em out because I have Uni work to do, hope that's okay with you guys?