By NightsDawne
Chapter 17: Into the Garden
Irvine sat in the back of the truck, staring at the dust behind them. He felt numb. It was happening again, all over again. He could hear Fujin and Raijin bickering up in the front of the truck.
"ROCK!"
"I see it, ya know, Fuu?" The truck swerved, the four in the back sliding helplessly to the side.
"DUMB!" This was followed by a painful sounding smack.
"OW! Fuu! I'm tryna drive, ya know?!"
"POTHOLE!"
"What?" The truck took a rough bounce. "Well, ya know, I woulda seen it if you hadn't been hitting me, ya know?"
"DESERVED!" Another smack.
"OW! Fuu, stop it, ya know? You wanna drive?"
Irvine went over his junctions in his head. They had been able to draw spells from the Red SeeDs they'd taken prisoner, their GFs absorbing the magic from the Red SeeD GFs. Curagas, the most powerful healing spells, had restored his and Seifer's health. More Curagas and other spells had been used to junction, giving the GFs the ability to increase their strength, defense, and spellcasting powers. They had collected nine new GFs that would be studied at Balamb Garden and assigned to new cadets, providing there was a Balamb Garden left. Fujin had been able to find a working landline and had placed a frantic call to Squall, warning him of the missiles en route, but they'd had no word since. Away from any microwave towers, their cell phones were useless. All they could do was travel as fast as they could to the Garden's last position and hope they got there in time to help defend against the Red SeeD attack.
"DITCH!" The truck jerked, military shocks providing no protection. Irvine slammed hard into the tire well. Quistis let out a yell, her arms flying up as she bumped onto Irvine's lap. His arm went around her reflexively and he hugged her tightly as the back tires went through the ditch, sending them both into the tailgate. He gripped it with his free hand to keep from falling out.
"You okay?" He looked down at Quistis, her hair falling loose around her shoulders, her barrette having slipped out.
"I bit my tongue, but other than that I'm fine. Thank you, Irvine." She gave him a brief smile.
"Your hair's all messed up." Irvine couldn't help thinking how much softer it made her look, more vulnerable.
"Irvine?" Her deep blue eyes were mesmerizing.
"Yeah?"
"You can let go of me now."
Irvine reluctantly loosened his hold on her tiny waist. His chest and legs felt suddenly colder as she pushed away from him and moved to the other side of the truck again, brushing her hair out of her face. Seifer's luck was quite the opposite. Selphie curled up against him tightly, her head on his chest, both his arms around her petite frame in masculine protection. Irvine looked away from them and turned his face once more to the dusty road falling away behind them.
"Do you think they're alright?" Selphie's voice was full of worry. It had been her friends in Trabia who had suffered the worst of Caraway's attack, unwarned and vulnerable, only a handful of survivors left by the time the team had gotten to the shattered remains of the Garden to find themselves surrounded by tragedy and pain.
"I don't know," answered Quistis quietly. "I hope so."
"Squall can take care of the Garden." Seifer kissed Selphie's hair. "It's going to be okay."
"We'll find out how okay it is when we get there." Quistis flashed an accusing look at Seifer.
"Fuck you, Instructor. Don't lay it on me. Irvine and I were the only ones in there trying to stop it."
"If you'd obeyed orders," returned Quistis, her tone icy, "we could have all gone in and you wouldn't have been in that control room outnumbered."
"We didn't have time!" Seifer leaned forward, jaw tightening. "We had to do something right then!"
"STOP IT!" Three pairs of eyes turned towards Irvine, the cowboy holding his hands over his ears. "Stop fightin'. People are gonna die, are already dead, and you two have ta gripe at each other like you're enemies instead of part of the same team! We gotta stick together!" Irvine lowered his hands, looking pleadingly at his friends. "Please. For the Garden. Just drop the blame game and focus on our friends and helpin' them?"
"Irvy's right." Selphie reached up and stroked Seifer's cheek softly. "Let's just forget what happened at the base. Can't we all just get along?" She looked from Seifer to Quistis. Seifer slowly relaxed, leaning back and closing his eyes.
"He'll never make SeeD if he can't follow orders, Selphie."
"Quisty... please?" Irvine sighed.
"Fine." Quistis pulled out her cell phone, concentrating her frustration on the flashing 'No Signal' on the LCD screen.
The white walls of the Garden reflected the sun, making it seem to glow against the red sand around it. Irvine clenched his teeth seeing the slight angle to its resting position, black plumes of smoke rising from one side. Quistis shouted instructions even as Raijin pulled up to a stop at its base.
"Fujin, you and Raijin go in from the parking lot. Take the medpack with you and help anyone you can."
"AFFIRMATIVE!" came Fujin's reply.
"Selphie, you're with me. We'll take the left side. Irvine, you and Seifer take the right. We'll meet up at the elevator and go up from there. Seifer, Irvine makes the calls."
Irvine looked back at her as he jumped over the tailgate. "What? Quisty, I ain't no commander. 'Sides, Seifer's got rank on me as a cadet."
Seifer swung himself over the side of the truck, shouldering his gunblade. "You heard her, Irvine. Don't argue."
Selphie leaned out of the truck to kiss Seifer's cheek before dropping down next to him. "Be careful."
Quistis joined her, uncoiling her whip. "Let's go."
Irvine clenched his rifle in both hands, looking to Seifer, but his friend's piercing eyes only hardened. Irvine swallowed and turned to follow Quistis and Selphie into the building as Raijin gunned it for the parking lot.
Inside was a scene of confusion. Black and White SeeDs were grouped around the large hub of the Garden's first floor, battling Red SeeDs. GFs flashed in and out of existance, roars and screeches filling the air. The scent of fire, thunder, and ice spells invaded Irvine's nostrils, his mind falling into acute focus for combat. Large plant-like monsters called grats, escaped from the Garden's training center, swished around on their root-like tendrils, creating more havoc as they randomly attacked anything that got too close to their snapping clawed leaves.
"Haste!" Seifer flung his palm out, the red glow of a spell surrounding Irvine as the world around him slowed. He quickly turned and returned the casting on Seifer, who seemed to wind up from slow motion to join him. Adrenaline pumped through them as they sprinted past the open door of the library, hearing the distorted shouts and clangs of battles within. Shards of ice flew towards them. He dove in front of Seifer to block them, relying on his junction to his defense to cut down the damage. He always kept ice on his defense, the fire GF Ifrit having a particular resentment towards the spell. Cold burned into his arms and stomach, but the shards shattered against his skin rather than piercing it. Raising his rifle, he fired at the magic caster, the Red SeeD falling to the floor motionless. Behind him he heard Seifer's gunblade go off, a twitching severed grat claw skittering past his boot.
"Thanks, buddy." Irvine flashed a grin at Seifer. Seifer returned it.
"That's my job."
Irvine ran forward again, diving out of the way of weapons and clearing a path for Seifer, getting off as many shots as he could before he ran out of ammunition. He knelt to reload, Seifer spinning to cover him from behind. The floor shuddered under their feet. "Quake spell?" Irvine glanced up at Seifer, who shook his head, looking toward the training center. SeeDs of all colors in the vicinity stopped their fighting, suddenly choosing to scatter in panic. Irvine swallowed, following Seifer's stare.
"Big Al." Seifer flipped his gunblade to a horizontal position, a smirk touching his lips. The floor shuddered again and a gigantic orange and black striped head ducked down into the double doors of the training center, a hundred razor sharp teeth gleaming as the mammoth reptile opened his mouth for an angry roar and started forcing his way against the steel. Irvine felt a small whimper escape him. Big Al was the largest of the Garden's rexaurs, a creature so violent he was only allowed out of his paddock for fights against groups of at least three veteran SeeDs. Scars marred his bumpy skin from the training sessions. Irvine's fingers fumbled to slam in a fresh clip before Big Al could break his way out to rampage. Already the joist above the door was creaking, a crack forming along it vertically. The doorway bowed as Big Al's shoulders pounded against them.
"Ifrit, junction sleep ta my attack, now!" Irvine stood, feeling the slight tremble of the spell being sent through his fingers to his weapon, infusing the bullets with magic. He flinched as the steel of the doorway snapped with a violent bang, then raised his rifle and fired at the charging rexaur. The bullet didn't even slow the beast down, but his massive back claws stumbled, red eyes fogging for a moment as the spell took hold. Irvine and Seifer dove to opposite sides as the rexaur crashed to the ground between them, the tip of his tail twitching as his eyes fell closed. Seifer rolled back to his feet quickly. Big Al was a notoriously light sleeper and even magic wouldn't keep him down for long. Seifer rammed his gunblade into the tough hide of the rexaur and fired into its shoulder. Irvine rolled to one knee, aiming at Big Al and ready to drop him again. Big Al roared in fury and heaved himself upright, slamming a tree trunk sized tail at Seifer, who hurriedly jumped, taking a step on the sweeping appendage as it sailed under him. Irvine fired again. Big Al's head tipped back, weaving, and down he fell once more. Irvine tried to get out of the way, but the massive head crashed onto his right leg. He let out a scream of agony as he felt the bones shatter under the impact.
"Irvine!" Seifer ran to him, grabbing him under one armpit with his free hand and pulling. Irvine's head swam with pain and his breath rasped. Big Al's eyes started to flicker with life. Irvine's stomach dropped as his mind filled with images of how easy it would be for that head to roll to the side. A quick snap of Big Al's jaws would easily relieve him of his leg, defense junction or no. The pain made it difficult for him to think. He tried to call Ifrit, but only a croak escaped his tight throat. Hypnotized, he stared at the teeth the size of his fist as Big Al twitched, his eyes opening fully.
"Fuck this!" Irvine felt Seifer let go of him, for a moment panic seizing him as he thought he would be abandoned. Seifer jumped to straddle Irvine's pinned leg, slamming the gunblade with full force into the opening mouth of the rexaur, the black blade sinking into the cavernous ridged roof of the upper jaw. Irvine felt the concussion of the explosive gunblade firing once, twice, three times. Big Al shuddered, his head rolling backwards off of Irvine's leg, his tail slamming hard against the floor. Seifer lunged to keep up with the beast, firing again. Big Al roared weakly, then went still. Irvine dropped his head back, the ceiling far above spinning. He closed his eyes and groaned.
"Irvine, wake up!" He felt Seifer's arm slide under his shoulder, pulling him off the floor. He opened his eyes to see the alarmed look on his friend's face. Seifer looked down at his leg, gulping. "It's a compound fracture. You're bleeding, Irvine." Irvine tried to give a faint nod as Seifer dragged him to the wall, laying him back down. He sucked in his breath sharply as he felt Seifer's hand on his leg. He felt like he would pass out any second. "I have to set it before I can heal you. This is going to hurt like hell." Irvine closed his eyes, wondering if anything could hurt more than the fracture already did. He felt Seifer's hands grip his boot, then sharp agony. His own scream drowned out the sounds of battle around him. Bile filled his throat and he choked. More pulling dimmed everything as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, then a hand pressed to his chest. "Curaga!" Soothing cool light fluttered over him, easing the pain into numbness. He exhaled in relief, feeling the bones knit together and heal. Seifer's hand slid under his neck, lifting him into a sitting position. He opened his eyes and laughed. Seifer was covered in blood from the rexaur and Irvine, only compounding the disheveled look he'd picked up in the desert and at the base.
"What?" Seifer frowned at him.
"You look like shit." Irvine snickered.
Seifer rolled his eyes and pushed away from Irvine. "Speak for yourself. Let's get moving."
