Chapter 9- Laguna's Struggles

That night, Laguna laid in his bed wide awake. He couldn't manage to fall asleep. He remained still for a long period of time with his eyes closed, hoping sleep would come. After a while, he realized that it was useless to try. The clumsy soldier opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling blankly. He raised his head up momentarily and slid his hands behind it. It was cold in the room, even being under the covers, and Laguna shivered.

(I can't believe Julia left with Lancera…Why would she wanna be with him anyway? I just blew whatever chance I might've had with her, if any. Now I'll never know if she would've been interested in me. I lost her to the last guy I would've wanted her to be with, but as long as she's happy…I guess. Who am I kidding? I don't want Julia to be happy with him! I want it to be…me, but now it's hopeless.)

The Galbadian got out of bed and walked over to his window. He looked out only to be greeted by blackness. It was completely dark except for the lampposts and neon signs of business shops. Even the moon and the stars provided no light. The clouds blocked them out. "Sure is dark outside," he muttered to himself.

(What does it matter if she's with him anyway? We'll probably get sent off to war in Esthar, and I'll never see her again. But I don't want that to happen! I wanna stay here…and see Julia. That's it! Tomorrow I'm gonna give Lancera a piece of my mind!)

"But not too much. You don't have much to spare, Kiros would say."

However, his new resolve didn't make it any easier for him to sleep. He still didn't feel tired at all. He walked back over to his bed and sat at the end. He scuffed his feet along the carpeted floor in boredom. Laguna ran his hand through his jet-black hair and sighed. One woman had brought him so low, but that was all it took.

Usually, he was a carefree, adventure-seeking individual, which was what led him to want to become a journalist. But he knew that he didn't have the qualifications, so he decided to join the Galbadian Army as an alternative. One way or another, he wanted to see the world, and nothing was going to stop him from accomplishing that dream.

However, he didn't expect it to be so cruel and gruesome due to the war, but yet at the same time it managed to retain its beauty in spite of that. Some day, he hoped to return to the places he'd seen under more favorable circumstances. At least he'd be able to travel with his new buddies, Kiros and Ward, next time.

Laguna fell backwards and flopped onto the bed, causing it to squeak loudly. He dragged himself back up to the pillows and slipped under the covers again. The soldier rolled over onto his side and curled up in an attempt to warm himself up. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep and gain some much needed rest. However, his time of slumber seemed to end as soon as it began.

The clumsy soldier woke up with a feeling of wetness on his right cheek. He rubbed his face and realized he had been drooling. The Galbadian rose up from his pillow. He looked down and noticed that it was covered with drool as well. The man with the machine gun lazily stumbled out of the bed and picked up his jacket from its spot on the floor. Laguna put on his pants tiredly, accidentally putting them on backwards before realizing his mistake. He quickly corrected his mistake and then proceeded to slide on his boots.

He decided to take a walk around the capital city of Galbadia by himself. During the early morning hours, cars filled the streets as workers rushed to their jobs. The impatient drivers incessantly honked their horns during traffic jams when everything came to a complete standstill. Laguna didn't let any of the commotion bother him. He strolled along the streets with his hands in his pockets, whistling cheerfully.

He glanced into the windows of shops as he passed by, not paying attention to the path in front of him. The Galbadian soldier inadvertently bumped into a very large man. "Hey! Watch where you're goin', punk!" a gruff voice exclaimed.

He quickly turned his head to look at the man, and noticed that he towered over his short frame. He was at least a foot taller, with muscles rippling on his exposed arms. The individual also had a tattoo of a burning skull on his left bicep. Looking up at his face, Laguna gulped worriedly. His teeth were clenched in anger, with various gaps where some had been knocked out. He was completely bald, with eyes that were almost black, and an eyebrow ring.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…" he stuttered.

The gargantuan stranger laughed boisterously. "You didn't mean to? That's too bad for you, punk! I gotta teach you a lesson!" he said as he cracked his knuckles.

"A-A lesson? Why?" Laguna asked, frightening.

"Because nobody bumps into McGraw and gets away with it! Get ready for a beating!"

"I don't think so!" a voice called from behind the clumsy soldier.

He turned around to see Kiros and Ward running to his aid. "What are you guys doin' here?"

"We saw you leave the hotel and decided to follow you. We thought you might get into trouble," Kiros replied.

Ward stood in front of McGraw. They were almost the same height. "Ya wanna go at it, punk?"

The Galbadian soldier turned his head away and coughed loudly. "Man, your breath stinks! What have you been eatin'?"

His eyes lit up with rage. "Why you…!!!"

He threw a punch at Ward, who ducked and punched him in the stomach. As he was bent over, the Winhill native lifted his knee and hit him in the nose. McGraw fell unconscious onto the cold, hard pavement. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Thanks buddy!" Laguna said appreciatively.

"No problem. Even you could've taken this guy. He's all talk."

They wandered the streets of Deling City until late in the day, and then returned to the hotel. "Time to hit the lounge, guys," Laguna said.

They walked downstairs and sat down at their usual table. The waitress brought over their drinks without them having to order them first. "I think I've got it down," she said with a laugh. Then she returned to serving her other customers.

A short while later, General Lancera entered the room. Laguna stood up from his seat. "What are you doing?" Kiros asked.

"I'm gonna confront Lancera about Julia," he replied.

"Good luck."

He walked over to the general with a look of determination on his face. "What were you doin' with Julia last night?!" he demanded.

"What? Are you her boyfriend or something?" he asked with an amused laugh.

"…No, but…"

"Then why do you care, Loire?" Lancera interrupted. "You got the hots for her?" The man with the machine gun didn't respond.

"It's none of your business, but I'll tell you anyway, just for fair warning. After we got back from Esthar, President Deling was very displeased with my performance. So he told me that I was gonna be demoted and had to remain stationed here. All thanks to you and your friends, I'm stuck here! So I asked Julia if she needed a bodyguard to protect her, since Deling City is a dangerous place for a woman to be alone. She agreed that it was a good idea, and so here I am. I protect her from scum who would take advantage of her…Especially you, Loire! I know you got a crush on her. You better not come anywhere near her or you will suffer severe consequences! Do you understand me?!"

An enraged Laguna walked off silently, avoiding the temptation to knock Lancera out. He plopped down in his seat next to his friends.

"What's the word?" Ward inquired curiously.

"He's her bodyguard," he replied simply.

"Oh…Well, don't be so upset. It could be worse," Kiros stated.

"I guess so, but now this means I'll never have a chance to get close to Julia."

At that moment, the pianist entered the lounge in a sparkling, dark green dress. She sat down and began to play melodies that soothed Laguna's soul. The anger faded away as he listened intently to her music, forgetting about everything else.