The 41st Maguanac aka Galatea
Disclaimer: Ooh, I forgot to put a disclaimer on part 1… never mind. This story is mine, but the characters and the place belong to the spiffy people at Squaresoft.
Kiros sat looking out of the Presidential Palace window at the sun setting over the glassy blue rooftops of Esthar City. It had been a slow day, a lot of papers had been signed and there had been numerous 'Monster Drills' throughout the afternoon, when the guards practiced getting the President and his officials to the underground shelter. Esthar was a huge city, and as a result, monster attacks were very common. Kiros sat back and continued to polish the edge of his blade. His attention was caught as a paper plane whizzed past his ear. He was about to reprimand whoever was responsible, when he realised that it had been thrown by President Laguna, who was leaning back in his chair, his feet up on the desk, with an official looking document in several pieces on his desk.
"Laguna, what are you doing?" Laguna sat forward, his long, grey streaked, brown hair falling carelessly over one eye, as always.
"I'm bored." Kiros rolled his eyes.
"Shouldn't you be doing something presidential, like filling in papers, or something, rather than tearing up treaties with unpredictably violent countries?"
"Probably."
"Are you depressed?"
"No."
"Tired?"
"No."
"Incompetent?"
"What?"
"Never mind…" At that moment, Ward, another of Laguna's friends walked in. He had had his throat damaged in a fight with Esthar soldiers when they had been working in the Galbadian Army, but since then, Laguna had put research into the invention of a new voice box. The only problem was that it made him sound more like Fujin…
"GREETINGS!"
"Ward, you've got the volume up too high again, have you been instructing the soldiers?"
"APOLOGIES," said Ward, as he fiddled with the buttons on his neck. "Better?"
"Much."
"Erm, guys?" Ward and Kiros turned around to see Laguna leaning forward on his desk and looking at them pleadingly.
"Oh no."
"I was just wondering…"
"Whatever it is, the answer's 'no'."
"Aaw, but…"
"No 'buts' Laguna. The last time you asked for something, Ward ended up dressed in a white beard and red coat, and I had to wear a pixie hat…"
"But, I'm the President!"
"Don't give me that presidential crap Laguna. The answer's still 'no'." Laguna leant forward and sprawled out on the desk in front of him.
"I could have you arrested, you know, for defying my commands!" Laguna received such a killer look from Kiros at this remark, that he put his head in his hands and sulked, muttering, "Aaw, you are so unfair…"
"You know who you remind me of when you do that?"
"Do what?"
"That sulking, brooding thing, where you act like the whole world is balanced on your shoulders some how, even though, really, no one gives a shit."
"I am not sulking! I'm thinking."
"I expect that's what he always says. Just grown up a little Laguna, we're not in Winhill now, and you're a damn-sight older than he is."
"… Whatever…"
"By Bahamut! You did it again!"
"What?"
"That is so freaky!"
"What?!"
"You remind me of that SeeD boy… the one with the gunblade… and the sorceress… and the scar… and the really bad temper…"
"Seifer?"
"No Ward, the other one…"
"Have you been equipping GF's again?"
"No… his name… something to do with the weather… Cloud? Is that it?"
"Cloud, that rings a bell…"
"Isn't he really famous?"
"Cloud? No, he owns a bookshop in Esthar."
"SQUALL!!! That's the one. Now I come to mention it, you two are similar in a way…" Laguna smiled at this.
"You mean because we're both thoughtful, strong and brave?" Kiros looked at Ward. Ward looked back at Kiros, and shrugged.
"Erm, I guess you're not that alike after all. We know that for sure."
"How's that?"
"Because Squall's not a complete moron…"
"Oh… hey?!" Laguna was surprised to hear such a comment from his second in command, and having leant rather too far back in his chair as it was, he fell over backwards and knocked his head on the windowsill.
"I rest my case. Someone call a doctor. I believe his Excellency has knocked himself out… again…"
"Urgh?!"
"It's okay, Laguna, you're on your bed, you took a nasty bump on your thick head."
"Thank you for your kind concern Kiros. Your bedside manner is fantastic I'm sure. How did your last patient die?"
"Very painfully."
"I was thinking…"
"Not again… Did it hurt?"
"Hear me out, okay. I think we should invite those SeeDs back to Esthar for a big Christmas celebration. After all, they did save the world, time and space and all that stuff."
"Can it be possible that his Excellency has actually made an intelligent suggestion?"
"Oh, hah hah, very funny, I'm sure."
"I wasn't joking…" Laguna scowled at Kiros from under his ice pack.
Sensing the warning signs, Kiros said, "I'll have the invitations written up straight away." On his way back to the door, Kiros almost walked into the pretty Doctor Trotter.
"Sir? I have the warm milk you asked for, and some of those warm cookies from the kitchens, but they may be a little cool by now. I brought up a plate so you don't get crumbs on your clean sheets, and your favourite hot water bottle with the little ponies on it…"
Kiros hastily withdrew to his room, trying to fight a wave of nausea washing over him.
To Be Continued.