Daystar - 2 - Cold

"Alright, thanks for coming on time everyone."

Cid looked at every SeeD member through his glasses. They made his eyes appear larger than they really were.

"Your mission will be explained to you, on the bus."

"The Bus?! We don't get a special car or anything?!"

Zell whined, as the other students let out a couple moans also. Who wants to ride a bus with no heat at 2:00 in the morning?

Squall covered his eyes, he was tired and very frustrated. He didn't care how they got there, he just wanted to get the stupid mission over with. Nova walked by, and sat on a bench next to him.

-

"Is uh...is something wrong?"

Squall looked up quickly. Nova was there eyeing him. The way she was sitting...it didn't look very lady like. There was something about it. Hunched over resting her arms on her knees, while wearing a skirt.

He muttered something under his breath, and turned his back to her.

"What?"

"MAN! This sucks Squall! They call us out and expect us to ride on a damn bus?! This is an OUTRAGE!"

"What'd you expect? A limo? A car made out of gold?"

Squall was beginning to get annoyed by Zell.

Nova snickered into her hand. He could hear her, but he just ignored her.

"Don't forget, this is Balamb Garden sending us on this damn mission."

Zell stepped back, shocked to see that Squall's moody attitude was returning. He scratched his head, shrugged it off, and approached some other students. Although he was kind of far away, you could hear what he was saying. "What do you guys think about riding a bus?!"

-

Everyone piled out of the building into the cold air. Nearby "street" lamps shined onto the pavement. The ray of light made the whole world look foggy and damp. The group of students walking in disarray made the exit to the buses a bit noisier than it should've been.

Kramer stood by the entrance of the bus, and began shaking the hands of the nervous and excited SeeDs.

"Thanks for agreeing to go, I'll see you soon. Good Luck!"

When Squall approached his outstretched hand, he stared at it for a bit. He finally gave in. It was surprising to feel Cid also give him a little pat on the back, and tell him that he was a "good guy", as he stepped onto the bus.

Zell was in the front bench. He was chatting away with a petite blonde girl who laughed at everything he said. Looking at Squall, he gave a guilty look, and shrugged.

"Sorry man!"

Walking farther to the back of the bus, there was one empty booth left. Of course there were some students who still needed a partner to sit with, but Squall's plans were to find a seat all to himself. That way, he could fall asleep without worrying about accidentally leaning his head on someone's shoulder, or taking up too much room.

-

"Is this seat taken?"

Squall looked away from the window, and glared at Nova, hoping she would leave. She didn't. Smiling, she continued standing there, holding her bag more loosely instead of closely.

"You could always say yes."

Without saying anything, Squall moved closer to the window, making room for her. They weren't sitting close enough to feel their upper thighs brush up against each other. They couldn't even hear each other's breaths due to all the talking, and the bus engine fighting the cold air.

-

"Do they usually do things like this?"

Squall sighed, hoping that she wouldn't try talking to him. He continued looking out the window at the nearby cities they were passing. The entrances to them were empty. In the distance the front porch lights of houses were turned on. It looked so quiet and undisturbed. Everyone was asleep. How lucky they were.

"My old Garden used to send us on missions. Well, not in the middle of the night, more like twice every month. I loved it. It really gave me a chance to work on my fighting skills."

"A girl that actually likes fighting?"

Nova looked up at Squall. He was still looking outside. It was hard to tell whether he was interested in what she had to say, or if he was trying to shut her up. She didn't realize when she saw him in the morning how good-looking he was. There was something about him.

His head was leaned against the dirty glass. Arms still crossed. Dirty white fur hugged his neck, and flowed behind him, due to the windows that were opened a crack. Brown strands of hair fell over his eyes, but she could still see the scar that most people would call unattractive. It was obvious that he was upset about the mission.

She smiled, and gave a little laugh.

Realizing that he didn't want to be talked to, she turned her back to him. She rested her head on the cold leather seat, and listened in on some of the SeeDs conversations. It wasn't hard to understand what they were speaking of, since they talked over the gentle hum of the rubber tires on the street, and the silent breathing of sleeping students.