Squall's Christmas Tale
A fic for the Holydays by Vick330 the MadScientist
* Disclaimer & Foreword *
I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, but if Squaresoft wants to give it to me as a Christmas present I won't say no ^_^
Squall might be a little OOC, but I tried to keep it to a minimum so please be gentle – It's the Holydays after all, peace on Earth and all that.
I express my gratitude to Cathy the Boff, for encouraging me to continue writing fan fiction. Don't miss her really hilarious We Wish You A Zelly Christmas, it is sure to put you into the Holydays spirit… or is it to get visited by the Christmas spirits? O.O
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*** Twas The Night Before Christmas ***
"Humbug!" exclaimed Commander Leonhart, as he signed yet another report. "Darn reports never stop coming, at least we're making good Gil out of the missions."
The voice of his personal assistant interrupted his thoughts, "Huh, Squall? Your girlfriend is here to see you…"
"Zell, I told you that I wanted peace and quiet." Replied the dark-haired man in exasperation.
Rinoa entered the office and looked at her man gently, "Please, Squall. Don't be mad at poor Zelly, I insisted to see you…"
"What do you want, Rinoa?"
The hazel-eyed woman went around the desk and sat on the Commander's lap, much to his annoyance.
"Oh, Mr.Leonhart." She said, "Is that your Gunblade or are you just happy to see me?"
Squall's eyes bulged in pain, "It IS my Gunblade. And get off me, it hurts!"
As she stood up he let out a sigh of relief and inquired, "Was there something you wanted?"
She was unruffled by his grumpy attitude, "Well, it's Christmas Eve you know, and it would be nice if you came to the party."
Squall massaged his temples before answering, "Rinoa, to function the Garden needs Gil. To get Gil I have to bill our clients, and to do that I have to go through mission reports. I do NOT have time for parties."
"But Squally-Poo, you promised…"
"No, I didn't."
"All right, all right." She conceded, "You didn't, but it was worth a shot. Come to the party, please?"
"Rinoa, which part of 'I do not have the time' is not clear to you?"
"You don't have to be such a big meanie…" She said sadly.
"Whatever."
After the raven-haired woman had left, Zell came in and addressed his Commander, "Huh. Squall?"
"What is it Zell?"
"Well, you see, it's Christmas Eve and I wanted to leave to get ready for the party…"
"Mr.Dincht! This is a serious business! I need you to file all these reports!"
"But, Squall, you promised…"
"No, I didn't."
"All right, all right." Confessed the blond guy, "You didn't, but it was worth a shot. Let me go? Pweeeeesh?"
Squall put his face in his hand, "Very well, Zell…"
"WOO HOO!" Exclaimed the martial artist, "You are the BEST! You are the MAN! You…"
"…But I want you here tomorrow at first light." Completed the broody guy.
Zell was quite deflated by that, "But, Squall, tomorrow is Christmas."
The look Squall gave him convinced Zell that there would be no point in arguing, and so he left as quickly as possible. 'He really is a sourpuss! Selphie is right about that!' thought our energetic friend.
"Humbug!" blurted out Squall and resumed his perusing of the mission-reports.
He came across an expense report that made his eyes widen, "What? 10 000 Gil for hot-dogs? No wonder Zell didn't want to stick around to explain this!"
*Ominous voice*: "Squaaaalllll…"
"Huh? Who's there?" Demanded our broody friend, but there was no response.
Squall squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake away the weariness that was claiming him. He fought to stay awake, but his head fell on his desk and he started snoring softly.
The sound of chains was heard, and the ominous voice called again, "Squaaaalllll…"
The SeeD Commander jumped from his seat, Gunblade at the ready. "All right! Who… Seifer?"
"Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy buddy! Don't shoot the messenger! I just took this job to pay for Christmas gifts." Replied Seifer.
"Seifer, what are you doing in my office covered in chains, painted white all over and hovering above the floor?" Demanded to know Squall.
"Listen, I was hired to deliver a message to you." Explained the blond guy, "The special effects is because the guys from Mission Impossible had a garage sale, and I'd really like to get this over with so I can go back to the party."
Squall put his face in his left hand, "Oh, brother…"
Seifer then announced in an ominous voice, "Squall Leonhart, thou hast forgotten the meaning of Christmas… Thee will receive the visit of three ghosts tonight, may Hyne take pity on thy soul…"
"Wait a minute, Seifer!" Ordered the dark-haired man, "What is this crap about ghosts and my soul!"
"How should I know?" Said Mr.Almasy, "And I just thought that that soul thing was a nice touch. By the way, the mechanism of this gizmo that secures me to the ceiling isn't working properly. Could you cut these wires, please?"
Squall cut the wires with a swift slashing of his Gunblade, making Seifer fall heavily to the floor.
"OOF!" Complained the tall man, and then added, "I'll have to have to have a little talk with that Tom Cruise guy! And you could have been gentler about it, you know."
The dark-haired guy was quickly running out of patience. "OUT!" He ordered the blond man.
"I'm going, but don't forget the… ghosts! Mwa ha ha!" – and then Seifer left in a hurry because Squall didn't look amused, not one bit.
Commander Leonhart went back to his chair, after making sure the door to his office was properly locked. He read a few reports, and he sighed in annoyance when he reached a particular one, "These manicurist's fees are getting out of hand! I'll have to have a serious conversation with Irvine!" He said aloud to no one in particular.
Our friend dozed off again. A soft light started shining in the middle of the room, and from it emerged a middle-aged man with long flowing hair.
"Wake up, Squall..." Ordered a portentous voice.
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A/N: Oh my Hyne! Who could that be? Stay tuned for more!
