Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1
Taunt
Chapter Nine
Three SeeDs and one man, the man with the machine gun. To save one friend. One loved one. One son. All together they will go, heading out into the unknown areas, where the enemy, the Galbadians laid waiting like cats. Four wolves will enter tonight, three SeeDs and one man, all so special yet all so ordinary. The skies cloudy and a storm can be smelt. The scent of this storm comes to them strong. Thunder will sound their arrival, lightning will sound their exit.
Laguna loaded himself up with as much ammunition as he could carry; he hugged his gun to his chest. This'll be the last time I will need to use this. The last, my fighting days were over. Now, this will be my final battle! The last one, no more after this. I promise you this Raine. The father of Squall closed his eyes and all those images of Raine came flooding back. Love and despair, all those wonderful happy moments turned into loss. He didn't regret any of it though. He would rather or had a single second with Raine as his wife, then a life time without. "I'll do this for you Raine, not just for myself, Rinoa and all Squall's friends. I'll do this for you, for our son! I'm here now, I'm there for him. You don't have to worry about him anymore for he will come back alive. I'll see to that. Thank you Raine, for guiding our son to me, for I would never of been able to have found him myself," Laguna said out aloud and tucked his gun under his jacket.
"Laguna," came Quistis's un-mistakable voice. Laguna turned and smiled shyly at her, waiting what she had to say. "Squall needs us now," she said, "we leave in two hours time," she said, her hand fluttered up to her throat nervously, her sharp voice had turned into one of fear.
Laguna suddenly felt the impulsive urge to go up and hug the young beautiful woman, but he resisted this urge. What he felt was so strong though, it was as if he had to do it. Quistis stared at him for a while, she held onto a table for support for she felt so weak all of a sudden, as if she could faint. Laguna seemed to hold her though; deep within his gaze he was holding her firmly in his arms and supporting her. If only he really was Quistis thought silently to herself. Get a hold of yourself Quistis; he's your closest friends father!
"Right, two hours. It seems like years, Quistis," Laguna finally said, breaking the thickening silence. "I better go and see Kiros and Ward, I suppose, they're worried about me," he said and gave out a slight laugh, "sometimes I could mistake them as my mother and father," he smiled at Quistis who returned a small smile. Laguna went past her, his arm brushing past hers; the touch might have only been a few seconds, but the sensation seemed to last for hours.
Irvine sat down upon his bed. Two hours. Two hours and we'll be out there, finding Squall and saving him. Selphie, be strong for me. Out of all the girls I've seen and talked to, you've always been the one for me. The young man sighed quietly and went to look at himself in his mirror. Taking of his hat he stared at himself. Long brown hair...a handsome face? Irvine let his hair down, so it flowed around his shoulders. I wonder if some see me as a girl? I look totally weird with my hair like this. I don't know. I do look pretty masculine. Irvine smiled to himself slyly and tied his hair back behind his head. I wonder if I could grow a beard...
Vanity, something Irvine had never cherished, but something he had always retained along with all of his self-confidence. Rinoa had almost ruined that part of him when she had scratched his eyes out and booted him back into the car and down a staircase back when he had taken her from the prison a couple of years ago. She was one woman he had decided not to mess with. Then again, she was a daughter of a general. Irvine grinned, he would never forget that moment.
"Hey, Irvine, you almost ready?" came Zell's voice. Irvine looked up to see the over-energetic young blonde man standing in the door, biting his finger nails, a habit which irritated Irvine.
"Zell, we have two hours to go, before we bust in and rescue Squall! I am ready, I've been ready for days," Irvine replied. Zell shrugged and invited himself into Irvine's room.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just bored," Zell moaned. "Squall did a lot for me you know," he said sounding nostalgic.
"He put up with a lot from you too, we all did," Irvine said, sounding even more irritated.
"Yeah...!" Zell frowned; people still always looked down upon him, even Irvine. They were quite good friends now though. "What do you think Seifer's doing'?" he asked.
"Who knows? I hope Squalls strong enough to fight Seifer, for I suppose that's what Seifer wants… a final battle, to end this war between them, the two rivals," Irvine said quietly. Should they let Squall fight Seifer? Should they interfere, what? Maybe a fight was what Seifer wanted, maybe that would end this stupid war.
"Squall will win!" he said, sounding confident.
"How do you...!" Irvine caught himself and went quiet. There was no point in arguing. You better be able to fight Seifer, Squall, I hope the hell that you're up for it. "I hope he does, Irvine said finally after a few minutes of pausing. ."I hope he does."
Kiros greeted Laguna who walked into their private room. "Good day my friend, you look ill," he said. Ward showed a look of deep worry. Laguna smiled.
"Nervous. I have to save my son. What if I can't, what if we're too late?" Laguna said, expressing some of his fears. "I would have failed Raine," he whispered quietly. Raine, if Squall dies because I couldn't get to him in time, will you forgive me? Could you?
"Laguna wake up, stop thinking like this. Squall isn't dead, not yet, we would have known about it by now if he was. Stop worrying about it. Raine won't hate you, she'll never hate you, she will understand. You put too much worry upon yourself," Kiros said, putting a hand on his friends shoulder. "Thanks," he smiled, "thanks a lot guys. Your the best friends a guy could have," Laguna felt stupid, why all this sudden nostalgia? Kiros patted him heftily on his back and Ward broke into a huge smile, showing all what he felt in one expression.
"Laguna, one more hour," Kiros reminded him, "we'll be here, looking after everybody else if the Galbadians attack us, which I hope they don't," Kiros said, his face a look of seriousness.
"I appreciate this Kiros, I hope this will be the last time you have to do this, the last time I have to fight, I gave all that up ages ago, for Raine, looks like..." Laguna was about to say that he had failed her/
"Laguna, shut up, go down there were you're needed," Kiros said. Ward gave Laguna a friendly, warm and reassuring smile of complete faith. The ex-Galbadian soldier and father of Squall left the room feeling a lot more confident. Squall, we will save you!
Quistis went to the young blonde Mischa and sat down by his side. "Mischa, Reene and Javri will be safe; we'll get them back for you. Don't you worry about that," she said. Mischa lifted his sad face from the palms of his hands. His cheeks were red and tear stained, his eyes were also bright red and puff, the poor man must of being crying for most of the time. Quistis found herself impulsively lay her hand softly on his shoulder. "Why can't I come, Quistis? Why? I have to save Reene myself...please, let me come, please?" Mischa begged. Quistis felt her face fall and her heart sink deeper into her chest with sympathy for this young man of seventeen.
"It's too dangerous Mischa," she said, trying her best to explain. "We have to save Squall, Mischa and Reene, we've been in this job a lot longer Mischa and we've been through so many things. It would be un-ethical if we let you come, you are too young...too inexperienced," Quistis said, knowing she had just stuck her foot deep into her mouth.
"And?! Most of you all were seventeen when you went to fight against the evil Sorceress Ultimecia! Were you too young then? You were all strong enough!" Mischa felt his emotions explode like gunpowder within him. Quistis maintained her posture and calm expression, though her thoughts were racing.
"I had been a SeeD since I was fifteen, but even then I can't really say I was ready for it. None of us were. Zell, Selphie, Irvine Rinoa and definitely not Squall. No way was he ready for it. We all had all the knowledge for it, yes. We knew what to do, how to act, but what happened, we weren't really ready for, but we accepted it because we had to do it. Mischa, you might think you are ready for this but you are not. You don't have to do this and truthfully, you're going to be jumping straight into a huge battle, one that you are not prepared for. By the time we had come to now what we had to do, what our lives actually meant in this, we had learned a lot and experienced many things. You Mischa, compared to what we have experienced, have seen nothing," Quistis told him firmly and seriously.
Mischa stayed silent, he respected Quistis for this, he respected all of the six hero's and heroines who had saved the world from a terror beyond words. He would not give them the disrespect he would of if he went to save his Reene. "Very well Quistis, just promise me one thing, if you find Reene dead, place this ring upon her finger and if you find her and she is alive, give her the ring and tell her it's from me, yeah? Please Quistis. I know she doesn't know about the way I feel about her, but, do it anyway, please?" he said, his big blue eyes pleading.
"If it is what you want, then I will, Mischa. Reene is a lucky young woman to have a man such as you to love her," Quistis said, feeling on the verge of tears for the young man. Mischa handed her a little box that contained the platinum ring with a single little sapphire embedded in the centre. Quistis stared at it with long eyes. Will a man ever want to do this for me? Will a man ever want to love me? Who though? Who would love me, nobody.
"Thank you Quistis, this means a lot. It's time for you all to go now you know. Good luck, I don't think I need to say anything else," Mischa sniffed. Quistis squeezed his shoulder and turned to see that the others were waiting for her outside in the hall.
Irvine greeted Quistis with a touch to his hat. Quistis smiled and shoved the ring box into her pocket. "Guys, it's time we leave to save Squall," she said, amazed that her voice was once again strong and confident. She checked her whip was comfortable in place, clipped to her waist, in a position easy to pull out in an instance if attacked by surprise. I'm ready. Yes, I am read you Galbadians! I am ready Seifer! We are coming. Your worst nightmare is about to come!
"I've been waiting for this a long time. Let's not disappoint anyone. Come on!" Laguna said, a mad grin flew across his face. His last battle was going to be a good one!
The four brave people marched out into the cool outside; the smell of the storm was strong. They were all ready for this, all of them, nothing, not even death would deter them. Squall was coming back with them, Squall, Javri and Reene. Dead or alive. Preferably alive. Let the night come alive, let the battle go ahead...
Am I going to die? What will happen to me, or will it be just another chapter of my life. I can only hope I can turn the next page...
Squall had been waiting in vain, Seifer had not returned as he had been hoping. The SeeD let his eyes droop until they closed. The air of the room was even staler then it had been before, a damp staleness and Squall was sick of it. He was sick of being tied up in this room, he was tired of everything. Seifer, I know what you want. Let's fight, let's fight now, while I'm stronger. Are you such a coward that you will fight a weak person, who is starving..? Squall hadn't eaten since yesterdays morning; it was late at night now.
Squall forced his eyes open; it was not the time to sleep now! I have been here since hell knows. Rinoa I can't die yet, not until I know that Rinoa truly loves me I need to know. Rinoa, why didn't you say that you'd marry me? I want to be your husband, isn't it enough that I had asked you? I'm prepared for marriage, to settle down maybe. I know your a sorceress, that doesn't bother me, I'm kind of proud that I'm your knight. Can't your knight marry you, Rinoa..? I wish I could say all this to you.
Squall rested his chin upon his chest and thought about all the times he had spent with Rinoa, the ones which had meant something. When he had carried her on his back...he had loved that closeness. He had managed to admit that Rinoa meant more to him then anything else had ever done in his life. She meant more then actually being a SeeD. He had even told her his secret, something he had never managed to tell anybody before. That he was scared of what people actually thought of him. If people perceived him out to be a cold, unfriendly kind of guy, nobody would want to bother him. He was so insecure of himself, he had lacked all the self-confidence he had always actually wanted. So afraid of losing people he became close to and now it was going to happen again. He would lose every single one of his friends, his girlfriend, his father even Laguna he would miss, he would lose his life he would die!
"And I'll miss you the most Rinoa forever," he whispered aloud.
"Oh, how sweet, he'll miss his little girlfriend," came a taunting voice. Squall shot his head up, locking his eyes on the speaker. Seifer.
"Seifer..!! What do you want?" Squall hissed.
"Nothing, just came to see how my old friend was," he smiled, though his smile was more of a sneer. "You know Squall, me and you; we're very much the same. Both have scars, we're both strong soldiers well; I'm the strongest but hey. We can't win them all, can we Squall? We were even brought up in the same orphanage as each other, weren't we? What I find so strange thought, Squall, is that we both have the same taste in women. Rinoa. I went out with her you know, first. Well, until you came along," Seifer said, his voice edged with a strange coldness.
"Wrong Seifer. It was until you became what you are now, an even more pig headed idiot then you were before," Squall spat back. Seifer put on a fake look of hurt.
"Awe… Squall and I thought we were friends! How can you say such hateful things," Seifer said and laughed, "oh well Squall, it looks like it's going to have to be you and I again. What do you say huh? A death match. If I die, you go free and the Galbadians will leave Dollet alone. If I kill you however, well, let's say, Rinoa will be warming a spot in my bed," Seifer grinned evilly.
"You bastard! You'll never get at her, my friends won't let you!" Squall yelled struggling against the wiry binds that bound his wrists.
"I won't have to go to her Squall; she'll be over here before your pathetic little friends take you back to your miserable old Garden in your black coffin. Don't you forget Squall, Rinoa's a sorceress, she won't need a car to get over here. I'll have her and I'll be her knight. Squall, you see, I don't like people taking my women from me and that's exactly what you did," Seifer laughed.
"I'll kill you, you bastard! You son of a bitch! I never took her! Your pride will be the death of you Seifer," Squall shouted, never had his vocal cords been used to such an extent.
"Tut Squall. Such bad language, quite good for you, for a little kid who killed his mother. Yeah Squall, I know about your father and your mother. You killed her by living. You..." Seifer spat before Squall shot his leg up into Seifer's groin. "You mother fu..."
Squall breathed hard. I will kill you Seifer!! I will kill you! You will die! I'll plunge my blade into that black heart of your blood before I let you touch a hair on my Rinoa's head!
