Cowboy
By NightsDawne

[Sorry about how long it's taken for this chapter to come out. Had a serious case of writer's block over a couple of plot points and wanted to get them right before posting.]


Chapter 20: Redeemed

Irvine heard the distant crash of the Garden ramming into the Galbadian destroyer, but had no time to think about it. He raised his rifle, focusing on the hatch of the incoming Red SeeD attack boat. To his right he heard Seifer shift, gunblade coming up to the ready. To his left Quistis snapped her whip out in front of her, catching the weighted end in one hand, poised to strike. Behind him Marek, one of Ellone's two White SeeD bodyguards, shouted out a Shell spell, protective magic flashing over the three. On the other side of the deck and to the back he could hear the other teams shouting instructions to each other as boats broke off to come at the ship from other directions. Irvine's finger tightened slowly against the trigger as the boat blasted toward them at full speed. At the last minute it spun sideways, engines cutting as it came alongside. The hatch was flung open and Irvine squeezed the trigger, blowing off the top of the first head that emerged. The Red SeeD tumbled back down inside, but another soon replaced him. Irvine squeezed the trigger again, at the same moment feeling himself falling forward, the entire deck lurching with a sound like thunder as they were rammed from the port side. He knew without looking that his shot had been thrown off, even as he felt the deck slide out from under his feet, saw the dark blue of water thirty feet below. Something gripped his wrist and he watched his rifle tumble from his grasp to splash into the water, vanishing in its murky depths. He looked up, Seifer's strained face above him as the other cadet leaned over the railing, one gloved hand holding the dangling gunslinger tightly. Irvine felt himself slipping, a sickening drop of only two inches before his hand seized Seifer's in a desperate clasp. Seifer threw his gunblade to the side, reaching over to get a second hand on Irvine and pull him back up to the deck. Irvine kicked his foot against the side of the ship, scrambling back up to fall over the rail again.

"That's two." Seifer lunged to grab his gunblade again. Irvine pushed himself up to his feet, unarmed, to see red uniforms scrambling over the stern. Selphie was on her back, Fujin on one knee next to her and casting a Curaga, Zell covering them both, one calf slicked with blood as fire shot from his fingertips at the oncoming enemy. He heard Quistis's whip crack with Thundaga magic and turned his head to see a Red SeeD fall from the side of the ship. The acrid smell of gunblade powder and magic spells cut into his mind, sharpening all thought into the single instinct to survive. He fell in next to Marek, switching over to magic using mode.

He focused on a Red SeeD, throwing his hand out and sensing the spells his GF carried. "Draw Thundaga!" Light flashed from the Red SeeD to his hand. A moment's search told him he'd gained enough power to cast the spell seven times. The Red SeeD spun, feeling the energy go out of him, his hand snapping out in front of him.

"BISMARK!" The Red SeeD's body became transparent, impervious to damage as the GF absorbed any injury. Seifer and Quistis both attacked the ethereal form of the Red SeeD, hoping to injure the GF enough to shock the connection and prevent it from answering, but it was too late. The Red SeeD vanished along with two of his companions. The sea suddenly seemed to churn off the bow. Irvine turned, seeing the flash of a massive silver body in the water, rushing towards the ship. The body rose, then splashed down into the ocean, flukes as wide as the ship itself slamming the water behind it. A wall of water fifty feet high rushed at them.

"Grab something!" Irvine screamed at the top of his lungs, diving to the deck to wrap his arms around a cargo hook. He had no time to see if the others heeded his warning. The wave slammed over the deck, the roar of it deafening him before the ice cold water hit him, sending him into shocked numbness. He couldn't feel the hook in his arms but clenched them tighter anyhow, knowing to let go would mean being swept overboard. It seemed as if he were being buried under the tremendous weight, then pulled apart as it swept past him, yanking at his legs.

He gasped for air, every part of his body screaming in pain from the vicious pummelling. He heard Seifer choking, retching. Moans assured him that there were other survivors. He rolled to his side, feeling as if his arms would break off. Only the three Red SeeDs who'd been sucked into the GF's void stood, preparing to cast spells on their drenched and wounded foes. He struggled to get his arm up, his burning lungs to suck in enough air to call for Ifrit or Carbuncle.

"Meteor!" Cid's voice from behind him surprised Irvine. His mind struggled to place his father on the deck, in battle, even as the three Red SeeDs turned their heads in unison, equally surprised. A storm of flaming rock rained down on the Red SeeDs. They threw up their arms to protect themselves, but the barrage overwhelmed them. Screams echoed between the sharp explosions of the stones slamming into the deck, then faded to nothing.

Irvine collapsed, his body unwilling to go through more exertion. He felt a hand slide under him, lift him from the deck, a hand touch his cheek. "Son?" He forced his eyes open, looking into irises the same color as his, filled with worry and... love. "You're alright. Just rest." Irvine nodded, closing his eyes and letting his head fall against Cid's shoulder. His father's shoulder.

He awoke in his own bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, wondering if it had all been a nightmare. The ache that shot through his arm as he tried to lift it to his face told him it wasn't and he let it fall back down with a groan.

"You're awake." He bit back another moan of pain as Quistis sat on the side of the bed. She smiled softly and reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes. "I was worried you were going to miss your graduation."

"Graduation?" Irvine squinted at her in confusion.

"Well, somewhat of a formality. You still have to pass your written exam, although Cid says he'll give that to you himself and fully expects you'll pass."

"Where's Seifer?"

"Moving his things into his new room in the SeeD dorms. Relax, we all made it. A little sore, perhaps, but all in one piece."

"The Red SeeD?"

"Aren't we just full of questions. They surrendered when the Esthar naval ships arrived. The Galbadian Army quickly withdrew after that."

Irvine relaxed, a pained grin pulling his lips. "So I'm gonna be a SeeD."

"Mmhmm." Quistis touched his lips with a slender finger. "And that means I'm not your instructor anymore."

Irvine sighed. "No long nights of studyin'."

Quistis laughed, leaning down to brush her lips against his forehead. "Maybe we can find something else to fill the time. Oh, I almost forgot." Irvine looked down as she dropped something on his chest. "We found your hat."

Irvine laughed, ignoring bruises as he wrapped his hand around her waist. "Guess ever'thing's perfect then, darlin'. Ever'thing's just perfect."


[Again, thanks to those who gave me all those wonderful and supportive reviews. There may be short stories to come following up on Cowboy. After all, we'll have to cover Irvine getting used to having a father and Cid learning how to be a real father, and Caraway and Martine are still out there... and let's not forget Quistis.]