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All You Wanted
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( If you
want to, )
( I can save you, )
( I can
take you away from here. )
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-- *Chapter 5: Dreaming of Warmth* --
"I used to have dreams about her."
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm. This was before you and me, though. I think...I think they scared me."
-- ** --
Ami woke up to the sounds of her dorm door opening. A girl with three huge bags was clambering in. Ami rubbed her eyes and nearly fell of her bed. It was 6:26, just four minutes till her alarm would go off. She rolled off her bed and put on a pair of Garden slippers. From the doorway of her room, she greeted, "Hello!"
"Oh!" the girl said, dropping a bag. "I'm sorry, you startled me. You must be Ami? I'm Alexis." She extended her hand, and Ami accepted it with a polite shake. "I'll be staying here for while. My parents are moving all over the place. Would you believe I've been to three Gardens in the past year?"
"Wow. You must be pretty good at making friends by now," Ami commented lightly.
"No, actually. I think I've gotten worse!" Alexis laughed. Ami rubbed her eyes and withdrew back into her dorm to get ready for the day. It wasn't until after she was dressed that she remembered she had many of her books in the other room.
Ami knocked on the door. Alexis opened up and smiled.
"Um, I think kept a few things in there," Ami said. Alexis left the door, and then she returned with a stack of books, notepads and a few pens. "Oh! I see you have it all together. Um....this is it, thank you!" She took the stack from Alexis and returned to her dorm. As she leafed through her stuff, she found the pamphlet she had looked through her first day at Garden. The Library was circled. Ami smiled to herself, and decided to go get some more reading material.
-- ** --
Ami was browsing through books at library when the pigtailed girl came up from behind her and tapped her.
"Hello!" she greeted cheerily. Ami turned around
"Oh, hello," she said. "Abby, right?"
The girl nodded her head, and her pigtails waggled. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Zell told me," Ami replied. At his name, Abby's face turned grim.
"Oh. I see. Well, I just wanted to...::sigh::..meet the girl," Abby said.
Ami questioned, "What...girl?"
"You," Abby said. It looked like her eyes were beginning to tear. She looked a little angry, and Ami wondered why. "The girl that Zell comes to see all the time."
"Oh, no," Ami laughed, "I'm afraid you've made a mistake!"
"No. No. I haven't. Do you really think that knucklehead come for the books?" Abby said forcefully. A little tear made its way down her cheek. Ami didn't quite know what to do.
"If you want to know, Zell comes to see you," Ami confessed. "He told me so the day I met him."
Abby rolled her eyes and cleared the tear away from face. "He stopped coming to see me a long time ago, hunny. Well, you better not...::choke::...take too long getting him. Or he'll....::sob::...go and find someone...::sob::...else." Her tears were flowing freely now, and Ami did the only thing she could do. She put her arms around the girl in a great big hug.
"What did I do wrong?" Abby sobbed. "Was I playing too hard to get? Did I push him away?"
Ami shook her head. "Oh, I think he's still very interested in you," she said. "Like you said, he doesn't come for the books-"
"He comes for you!" Abby accused. "What have you got that I don't? Is it the hair? Maybe I should go for a short cut, too?"
"Oh, no! Don't do that! Your hair is just lovely," Ami consoled. "I think you should give Zell another chance."
"Another chance? I want him to give me another chance!" Abby sobbed. She was clearly heartbroken over Zell. Ami wondered what about Zell could make Abby so sad over losing him- if she lost him in the first place. As far as she was concerned, Zell was still coming to the library girl to talk with Abby.
Zell's a great guy. He's cute, definitely cute. He's got a great body and a wonderful smile. That tattoo is so...well, it's just plain adorable. Maybe it was an attempt to seem manly, but I think it worked the other way around. But there's got to be more to a guy than that to make a girl this heartbroken over him. Zell's so full of energy. He's very kind, and caring, and all around helpful. I would know. I would've gotten so frustrated with myself many times...I still don't think he's something to cry about though. Ok....so why am I trying to convince myself he's not?
"Whoa, why's everyone crying?" a voice exclaimed. Ami looked up. Zell was there, looking at Abby and Ami. Suddenly, Ami laughed aloud. Abby pulled away from her embrace and stared at her hard. Then, Abby burst out laughing, too. Zell scratched the back of his head and gave both of them questioning looks.
"Hello, Zell," Abby spat, "we were just talking about you. G'bye Ami. Nice to meet you!" She waved and went back to her position behind the counter.
"Well...Hi Zell!" Ami greeted uncomfortably. "I'd love to stay and talk...but I have to go." She didn't know what to do- the situation was so awkward all of a sudden. She embraced Zell in a hug, and then held him at shoulder's length, scanning him up and down. Zell gave her a look that clearly asked 'What are you on?'. Ami waved and left the library at a running pace.
On her way out, Seifer waved her over. He was standing outside with Rei and Minako. They waved to Ami also.
"Oh my God, Ami- are you blushing?" Minako asked.
Oh. So that incredibly heat Ami had felt just a minute ago was still there? Damn.
Rei quizzed, "What's the matter? What happened?"
Ami laughed. "Nothing. Umm...it's a long story-"
"- and we don't have time for that," Seifer interjected. "You three can have your girl talk later. You've got to pick your weapons first."
"Huh?" Ami asked.
Rei replied, "Instructor Hui sent Seifer to track the three of us down so we could pick our weapons."
"What are you, some kind of parateacher?" Ami asked.
Seifer shrugged. "Not really. I just have a lot of spare time on my hands. Teachers notice, so they send me on stupid errands. All right, let's get going. I'm gonna take you to the Garden weapon room."
-- ** --
Instructor Hui was waiting there for them. He gestured for them to enter, and Seifer left once they did.
"All right, ladies, you've been stalling for long enough. Time to pick something," he told them. He unlocked a huge drawer mounted on the wall. In it was a lot of deadly looking weapons.
"Wow. I can pick any one of these?" Minako asked, scanning the collection.
Hui nodded. "Just make sure you can handle it." Ami crossed her arms and stepped up.
Rei began jumping up and down excitedly. "Oooh! Oooh! A bow-and-arrow!" She was gesturing to a bow-and-arrow that was inside the case on one of the shelves.
"You'd want to use that? They're expensive," Instructor pointed out. "Once you get your SeeD license, you'll be OK, but until then, you'll probably have to get a job to replaces arrows. It's a pretty tough weapon to master."
"I don't think I'll have much luck at anything else," Rei said. "I'll pick the bow-and-arrow." She took the bow and quiver that had a few arrows in it. They were low grade, but Rei figured they would work. She didn't plan on much fighting anyway. Rei leaned against the wall, examining her new weapon.
Minako took a look at all the shelves and spotted a Revolver gunblade. She grabbed it and admired it at once. "Wow...I've never held one of these. Instructor Hui, could I use a gunblade? I would really, really like to."
Hui looked uncertain as he answered, "I'm not sure you can handle that. A bow is one thing, a gunblade is another. It's a particularly hard weapon to master. I'll have to get you private lessons. I don't think-"
"It's settled then. I'm going to become a gunblade specialist."
Ami laughed, remembering Seifer's words. She went to the shelf and picked off a simple looking pistol. She hefted it in her hand a few times, then she replaced it. "I- I don't know! Any suggestions?"
Instructor Hui shrugged and examined a few of the weapons on the shelf. He withdrew an oddly shaped tube.
"Blowgun? It's not as weak as it looks. With the right kind of darts, you could Poison enemies or even kill them."
Ami took the blowgun from Instructor's hands. It was light, and she could probably keep it in her pocket. It would be good if she were ever going to go on an undercover SeeD mission somewhere. She took one last look at it before nodding to Hui. A blowgun, then. The three girls left the room with their new weapons, feeling somewhat empowered.
-- ** --
Rei said goodnight to Minako and retired into her room. She undressed and got into her bed. She pulled the covers over her and floated off to sleep.
-- * ZZzZzzzZzZz * --
There was a shadow in the corner of the room, the silhouette of a woman. In the other corner there was a girl, sitting in a chair. Rei had never seen her before.
"He'll be the Sorceress' Knight, you know that," the shadow said.
The girl looked down. She stood up, fist curled and seeming resolute. "I know. But he's not now. I can change him-"
"There you go again. Always looking for someone to change. Will you ever really love? Sometimes, I swear you're so concerned for everyone else, you'll forget about your own heart."
"If he can be saved, then I will save him."
"But that's just it, my dear, he can't be. He's already so far gone..." The girl standing fell back into her chair, looking discouraged. She looked down at her knees and mumbled something.
"I'm his only hope."
-- * ZZzZzzzZzZz * --
When Rei woke up, her breath was ragged and she was sweating. Sitting straight up in her bed, she wiped away the beads of perspiration that had formed on her brow. What a strange dream that was...Rei shrugged it off and fell back to sleep.
-- ** --
The next day, Minako walked into class feeling groggy and a bit out of it. She took a seat at the study panel and tapped a few keys. A message from Instructor Hui was waiting for her. It said:
Report to the Training Center during study period for gunblade lessons.
Minako looked at her watch. She had plenty of time, and she decided on going to lunch after the lesson. It was on GFs. She had surprisingly gotten the hang of it- all three girls had. She guessed it was because of their training as senshi, but all three of the girls were finally beginning to catch on, much to their delight. Ami, Rei and Minako were top students in all of their classes, thanks to the extra help they had gotten from Seifer, Zell and Quistis. Instructor Trepe entered the room, and the lesson began.
-- ** --
Minako ran down the main hall of Balamb. Her study period had started twenty minutes ago, and she was not at the Training Center. She hoped Instructor Hui wouldn't be too angry with her. The guy had a very short temper. She hustled down the hallway, surprised to find no one there. She thanked her stars that she wasn't any later than the Instructor was. A loud noise from inside the Training Center piqued her attention. She grabbed her new gunblade closer to her chest and inched inside the steel doors.
Squall was tearing up a T-Rexaur.
On his own.
She watched as he slashed at the thing with a fury, causing massive damage. He bounced away from it, a strange glow emitting from his body. Then, as if completely recharged, he dived at the humongous dinosaur and slashed at it several times with a fury that seemed the pulsate from the gunblade. He was striking so fast and hard that the momentum kept him in the air. When he finally finished slashing at it, the T-Rexaur died. Squall landed on the floor with a certain amount of grace. He was breathing heavily, and there were a few bruises on his body.
"Whoa, that was awesome- are you ok?" Minako asked.
Squall looked up, seemed to have just noticed her. "You're late," he said.
Minako smiled nervously. "Oh. Yeah. Sort of."
Squall cast three spells on himself- Minako recognized them as Curagas- and stood up. He walked over to her and grabbed her gunblade from her hand. He examined it closely.
"Hmm. A Revolver gunblade. I started out with one of those."
"Really? Maybe one day I'll have on as nice as yours..." Minako sighed.
"Whatever," Squall said. "First off, you're holding it wrong. Grip it like this." He showed her how on his own gunblade. Minako tried to replicate his grip, but she found her hands too small to hold the whole thing.
"My hands are too small," Minako said.
Squall shrugged. "You'll have to get the handle custom made, then. I'll take you to Balamb later to get it fixed. For now, you can use mine. It's lighter, but it's also a lot more powerful. Be. Careful." He handed her his Lion Heart gunblade. Minako took it and reveled in how much lighter and smaller it was. Just for kicks, she fired the gun and was nearly blown off her feet. She had done that with the Revolver, and it wasn't nearly as powerful as this!
"Watch it, watch it!" Squall said, looking more worried for Lion Heart than Minako. "The ammo's not cheap. Don't waste it."
"Sorry. Wow, that thing packs a lot of power," Minako commented.
"No kidding. Ok, when you're standing by, it's best if you hold it like this," he instructed.
He showed her how she should hold it, but Minako asked, "Why can't I hold it like this?" She took on a corny pose, intended to make Squall laugh. But he didn't, instead he gave her a somewhat exasperated look. He then demanded that she take things seriously.
"I am. I'm just asking a question. You're rather peevish, aren't you?"
"Whatever. Hold it like this," he demanded.
Minako tried, but Squall told her she wasn't getting it right.
"I don't know what you're doing. What am I doing it wrong?"
"Your arms- You're doing- Lift it a little- You know what? I'll show you."
Squall set the Revolver gunblade onto the floor and walked behind Minako. He put his arms around her and his hands over hers. It was pretty easy; his frame was considerably larger than hers. He molded her arms until she was in the correct position. When Squall moved in front of her to see his work, he was amused to see her blushing.
"S-so this is right?" Minako asked. Squall nodded.
"When you're waiting for your turn to attack, straighten your back and hold the gun out a little."
Minako tried to do so, but Squall said, "No, you're not holding the gunblade out for someone to take. Hold it in closer. And straighten up your back more." She tried again, but Squall walked over to her and pushed her back in, causing her to straighten up. He adjusted the angle of the gunblade.
"There."
"Why do I have to hold it this way?"
"Because it saves energy. You ask too many questions."
"Thank you," Minako replied, sticking out her tongue. Squall rolled his eyes.
"Now for some drills...to help you build strength." There was a devilish smile in Squall's face that Minako didn't quite understand. She shuddered visibly and took a deep breath.
-- ** --
By the end of the period, Minako's was lying on the ground, feeling half dead. Squall crouched over her, that same smile on his face.
"You look tired."
Minako propped herself up and pointed the tip of the gunblade to Squall's chest. Her arms were so sore, though, that she dropped it in a matter of seconds. "You're terrible," she said, "really, really terrible! I don't think I've ever hurt so much in my life! I feel like I've run a 10k marathon- and lost. That gunblade it takes work."
Squall laughed.
"I've been trying this whole training session to get you to laugh! And you crack up at me being in pain- Oh, I get it. You're sadistic. Next thing you know, I'll find handcuffs and fuzzy thongs in your room."
The brunette's smile faded, and he offered a hand to help her up. Minako stumbled forward a bit, crashing into Squall. He took a step back, but he supported Minako, for she was leaning against him with all her weight.
"You are such an asswhole for putting me through that," she whispered. "I cannot feel my legs." She began to bang on Squall's chest lightly. "You're so mean."
"It gets worse," Squall replied honestly.
Minako finally stood on her own. She lifted Lion Heart off the ground and handed it back to Squall. "You could never be a teacher. You're way to honest. No consolation? You know, sometimes that's all people want. A little comforting."
Squall gave her a calculating look. He stared at her a long time, seeming to go into a trance-like state. Suddenly, he 'snapped' out of it and told her, "That's enough for today." He waved to Minako absentmindedly and started to leave the Training Center.
"Hey wait!" Minako called out. Squall turned and looked at her with an expectant face. "I'm half dead- don't you have some spell or something you can cast on me to make me feel better?"
Squall rolled his eyes, looking extremely ticked off. He began to cast something when Minako stopped him.
"You know what? Just forget it. I wouldn't want you to waste one of your precious spells on me. After all, I'm only a fellow human being," she said meanly. "Just stay close to me."
-- ** --
Squall froze. Minako gestured for him to start moving. He had obviously pissed her off. That didn't bother him. It was what she had said that did.
-- ** --
That night, Squall walked into his dorm and sat down on the edge of his bed. It had been a long day, and he felt a headache coming on. He subconsciously fingered his scar before rolling over onto his bed, not bothering to take off his clothes. Sleep came quickly, but it came with dreams.
-- * ZZzZzzzZzZz * --
The lion waited patiently. It had been such a long, long time since he had seen his dearest angel. The little dinosaur- well, it wasn't much of anything anymore. The lion used it as a chewtoy. The doll, however, was a gift from his angel, and therefore a treasure to him. He was looking at it again now. He looked at it whenever he got lonely, and boy, he was feeling lonely right about now. And suddenly, a little ray of sunshine seemed to fall over him. He looked up into the sky. It seemed like the clouds were parting.
"She's coming back to me. She's finally come back to me."
-- * ZZzZzzzZzZz * --
Squall's eyes opened slowly. He hadn't had a dream like that...since Rinoa died. He sat up and hugged his knees a bit. What in a million years was he going to do without her? Every step he took in life seemed harder to take than the last. It wasn't like that with her around.
Life was good when she was around.
Too bad she wasn't.
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| End of Chapter 5 |
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