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All You Wanted
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( Please
can you tell me, )
( So I can finally see, )
( Where
you go when you're gone. )
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TO ALL READERS Sorry for not updating in a while! I went on a trip to Garner State Park in Concan, Texas. I had meant to post up to chapter 9, but I ended up getting into an argument with my mother the day before we left and I didn't get a chance to. Sorry! Well, here they are, 8, 9 and 10's coming up soon!
Warning: Fluff.
-- *Chapter 8: Running Away* --
"I wanted to be home so badly. You gave me a glimmer of hope."
"Did I?"
"Yes. I was positive that if anyone could take me back, it would be you. But...I wasn't sure anymore."
"Sure of what?"
"Anything."
-- ** --
Squall woke up. He looked around, and he saw that Minako was still asleep. He looked out the windows of the Ragnarok. It must've been extremely early or he hadn't slept for very long, because it was still dark and stars were still in the sky. He didn't want to wake Minako- she was a very crabby girl at times, and he was sure she would start an argument over some trivial thing. Their relationship was like that. They had such a huge problem with each other. Minako was too bouncy and bubbly for Squall's taste; Squall was too quiet and serious for Minako's.
His eyes raked her small form as it was sprawled over the chair. She sniffed in her sleep. Minako was pretty, very pretty, Squall noticed. When she was asleep, she wasn't so bad, he thought. He smirked, still staring at her.
"I can feel you looking at me," a groggy voice said. Squall nearly flinched, but he stayed perfectly still. Minako moved and stretched. "I had the strangest dream...Why are you awake?"
Squall shrugged. "Can't sleep."
"Yeah. It's kind of hard. These seats aren't that comfy to sleep in..." Minako yawned loudly. She pressed a button on the side of the seat and the back moved forward. They sat in silence.
A bleep.
Minako froze. Her communicator. Squall was bound to hear it. The Ragnarok was absolutely silent- except for the bleep.
She had a huge decision to make. She could go to the bag and take out the communicator, on the off chance she would be able to speak to Usagi or Makoto again. Squall would ask questions she would be forced to answer. Another bleep.
"What's that noise?" Squall asked, sitting up.
Or Minako could ignore it. She wouldn't be able to speak to Usagi or Minako. Squall would track the bleep to her bag and still ask questions. Usagi and Makoto might give up on her.
"I-I-I d-don't know," Minako stammered. She reached for her bag. Squall had a feeling she would take out her compact.
"It's coming from your bag," he pointed out. "What's in there, Minako?"
"C-could you leave for a second?" Minako asked stupidly. Squall gave her a rather pointed glare. "O...kay...close your eyes maybe?" He was glaring daggers at her now. "Please?"
Squall stood perfectly still. Minako didn't pull it out of her bag. She kept her communicator as covered as she could, but she flipped it open. Squall saw the light project onto her face. He heard a lot of static. He got up and walked over to her and looked to see what was in her bag. The compact was on, and the screen was covered in static. He could make out a face, just barely. It seemed to be trying to say something. A tear fell onto compact, and Minako hastily wiped it away.
"Makoto? Usagi?" she said. "Can you hear me? I'm ok! Rei and Ami are fine! Can you hear me? Don't give up on us! We're alive, just don't give up on us yet!" With a buzz, the communicator clicked off- the static and everything was replaced by a blank screen. She closed it and put it back in her bag.
There was a very long and awkward silence. Minako thought that maybe Squall wouldn't ask questions after all.
"What the hell was that?" Squall asked, abruptly breaking the silence.
Minako didn't move.
"Minako- answer me," he said. He got in front of her, and crouched down so he was even with her knees. He was looking up at her and he asked again, "Tell me what's going on."
Minako looked like she was crying. He couldn't tell in the darkness, but he thought he saw a tear falling down her face. She looked down at him, a sad expression on her face. She shook her head.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. It's got nothing to do with you anyway- why do you care?"
Squall looked slapped. Why did he care? Minako saw a look she had never seen pass his face. She cleared away a tear and shifted her weight. Squall looked away for a minute, and then back at Minako.
"If you're in danger- I'm Commander of Balamb Garden. Part of my job is to make sure students and SeeDs are safe."
Minako rolled her eyes. "And that's all I am. For a second, I thought you cared. But I was wrong, it's just your job. Do you think about anything else? What happened to you? You couldn't have always been this way..."
Squall stood up and turned away from her. "What was in that compact?"
"Don't try to change the subject-"
"Don't you try to change the subject. Answer me. What was in that compact?" Squall turned to face her now, a stern look in his face.
"What are you hiding?" she asked.
Squall stared at her hard for a long time. He said, "What am I hiding?! I think you've got a helluva lot more to explain than I do! You say your lost your memory- but I don't believe one fucking word of that! Not one fucking word, because you're a terrible liar. Your eyes betray you every time."
"Everytime...," Minako began calmly, "...every time I annoy you, you get so angry- and for a moment or two, you forget you're hiding something. I look at you and I make you hopping mad, and you drop your shield and let your emotions show. And I think that I've got you cornered, that I'm about to discover you- and you turn back into a cold asshole again. I'm looking at you, and I'm about to see what's inside of you, and you cover yourself up at the last scond. Why?"
He fingered his scar. "I can't believe you're turning this around on me. You have a lot of nerve, woman. If you don't start answering some things, I'll go to Ami or Rei. I'm sure I could talk it out of one of them."
"Then why haven't you?"
Because I want you to tell me the truth. I want you to trust me that much.
"Because you're right here."
"Right here. Right in front of you. Look at me, Squall," Minako ordered. Squall looked up at her. Her eyes were wet with a few tears. Light reflected in them, but they seemed to be penetrating him. Was she doing it again? Was she seeing through him?
"What?" Squall asked angrily. "What the heck do you want?" He was ticked off, frustrated.
Minako got up and straightened out her shirt. She went right up to Squall and stared him down. Her eyes met his, they were flaring with anger. She knew his eyes well- they were a window into him, a great big one. She didn't think he knew it, but his eyes betrayed him as much as hers did her. Minako could see. He was angry, confused, and terribly curious. She could understand why. For a moment, she considered telling him everything. She didn't see what trouble it would cause...none at all. He might even help her get back home.
Maybe that was the problem?
She had adapted to Balamb, to Gaea. Every now and then, she caught herself saying, "Thank Hyne!" instead of "Thank God!" She was...she was forgetting. Minako felt guilty all of a sudden.
-- ** --
How come I am so damn transparent to her? And why is she staring at me like that? Like she's trying to mentally rip my head off for a look at my brain. She's staring at me, and she's seeing through me and I can't fucking stand that!
He looked down at her, still. His fists were curling beside him. Squall mentally cursed himself- he could look away, but he would lose this little staring game Minako had initiated, and he was too proud for that. Her lip was starting to quiver, and Squall thought she might start to cry. Not again... He didn't want her to cry- he hated it when anyone cried. It was stupid, pointless and a big waste of time. His fists were so tight he thought he might explode with anger at any instant.
This girl, how she was infuriating him!
"Do you ever give up?!" Squall shouted suddenly.
Minako replied coldy, "No. I can be just a relentless as you, Squall Leonhart."
"Relentless....."
Before he knew what he was doing, Squall's eyes were closed. He was leaning over her, his lips ready to meet hers for a kiss. They came down softly onto Minako's full lips. Minako gasped, and Squall's tongue pushed past her teeth. His fists uncurled, and he unleashed his pent up energy on Minako. Minako's head was swimming, and she was stiff at first. She gradually loosened up, and her hand found its way to Squall's hip. His tongue explored her mouth, setting her on fire. His own blood seemed like it was liquid heat at the moment.
This girl, how she was delighting him!
It hit him like a bus, the realization of exactly what he was doing. Squall pulled away from her and turned his back to her angrily.
"That shouldn't have happened," Squall said.
-- ** --
Minako collapsed in a chair. He was mad again. She almost had him, and he did it again. He covered himself up and became cold. Minako thought she was about to understand him, and she lost him at the last second. She took a deep breath.
"You did it again."
"Did what?" Squall asked peevishly.
"You were kissing me, you were letting me in- and you ran again. Why? What's so terrifying about people?"
Squall sat in a chair. He put his head in his hand, like he did whenever he was in thought.
"What happened to her?" Minako asked quietly. "Selphie told me you had a girlfriend. Rinoa. What happened to her?"
Squall waited a long time before answering very slowly, "She was sent on a mission with Selphie, Zell and Seifer. Monsters were getting close to Balamb- they were supposed to kill them off. I shouldn't have let her go. She had only been a SeeD for few weeks. I didn't want her to go, but she insisted she would be fine. She hated it when I was overprotective. A group of T-Rexaurs had taken over the creature space near Balamb, pushing the other creatures nearer to the city. She was back attacked. Selphie and Zell were busy with another one, and Seifer couldn't handle it on his own. It got her, and he tried to save her, but the thing nearly killed Seifer too."
"He thinks it's his fault," Minako said.
Squall nodded.
"When Rei was Poisoned- she had an allergic reaction to Gastric Juice- Seifer thought it was his fault, too. That guy's got a big burden on his shoulders, huh?"
"More than you know."
"So how does this explain your problem of not getting close to people?"
"Everyone I've ever loved has been taken away from me," Squall replied bitterly. "Everyone. Ellone. Rinoa. I didn't even get to know my parents! And when you're a SeeD like I am, killing is everywhere, a constant reminder that one day, someone won't come back! You're going to call out, and they won't answer! Love? Family? It's all so-" He was sitting on the edge of his seat, looking beyond angry and sad. Minako wanted for him stop. She wanted him to laugh, to forget.
"Squall?"
"What...?!"
"I found another good thing about you."
"I'm not in the mood for your-"
"You're a great kisser," Minako interjected, smiling. "Now go to sleep. And if you...need me- just call me. I'll answer you. I promise."
-- ** --
Minako turned off the lights and went to sleep without another word. Squall was sitting in darkness. His fists kept curling up to the point of pain. He was angry and he was mad and he was so damn fed up with everything- life, Minako, missions, Minako, sleeping in the Ragnarok and Minako. He wanted to scream, he wanted to let out everything.
He sighed.
Squall leaned back in his chair and tried to calm himself. It sort of worked- he still wanted to break something, but his blood had slowed down and that pounding in his temples has disipated. He was still sitting up, so he reclined his chair and tried to fall asleep. It didn't come easily, but he ended up drifting off, having pointless dreams that he didn't remember in the morning.
-- ** --
The next morning, Minako was gone again. Squall figured she had gone early to tell Rei and Ami about her compact. He cursed himself aloud. He had meant to get some answers from her, and instead he got none. In fact, he ended up kissing her. Squall left the Ragnarok somewhat angrily. He stormed back to Shumi Village, to find his team waiting just outside. Ami threw him an uncertain look, while Rei glared. Minako, however, acted like she hadn't seen him. Zell and Seifer were bickering about someone snoring, but they stopped when Squall came into view.
"We ready?" Squall asked peevishly. A few groggy nods. "Let's go then."
He led them back to the Ragnarok and flew them to a snowfield. They got off and stretched a little and work started. It was unending boringness. Their mission was to walk, pretty much.
"If I don't lose twenty pounds on this mission," Rei commented, "then it's impossible."
"What's that?" Minako asked, squinting. She pointed to a reddish blob in the far distance. The wind was kicking up snow, so it was hard to see. "Over there."
Ami flipped on her visor. She looked around. She spotted something and the visor beeped. She said, "I don't know. My visor is only picking up snow. There are bits of heat in between, so there's definitely something there- but I can't tell you anything else." She put it up and squinted. Minako closed her eyes. Her ears, then her face, then her arms and the rest of her body felt like they were on fire. It was burning like nothing she had every felt before. When the burning subsided, she didn't feel as weak as she had when she had sensed Meltdown- but the burning- oh the burning had been painful.
"That was hot! That was really, really hot," she said. "It has to be Fire elemental."
"This is Trabia, Minako," Seifer snorted. He lifted his gunblade and aimed it in the direction of the red thing. He fired the gun. A second later, a creature roard. Something big was emerging from the snow. And were they ever surprised when they saw a Ruby Dragon.
"Hey!" Zell exclaimed when he saw it, "That's a Ruby Dragon!"
"No shit, Chicken Wuss. But what's it doing here?" Seifer said. "This is Trabia."
Squall shrugged. He remembered a time when Ellone had taken him into the past as Laguna. He fought off a Ruby Dragon in Trabia Canyon. That was a little while from here, but maybe it had come from there. He told the girls to stand back. Rei snorted. She had been using a Ruby Dragon for quite some time, and she was rather comfortable with hers. Other Ruby Dragons couldn't be too much different.
It was running at them, and Squall summoned Doomtrain. It attacked the dragon, causing it to stop. It was about to hit them with an attack when Zell and Seifer cast Blizzaga on it one after the other. The Ruby Dragon roared. Ami was looking at it through her visor, a puzzled frown on her face.
"It's weak against Ice magic...it's very high level, so watch out," Ami called as Seifer charged at the animal with a fury. Zell popped his neck and ran right up to the Ruby Dragon, delivering a hard punch to his jaw. Ami cringed. Zell is so powerful, thank Hyne-
Ami stopped thinking, her eyes downcast.
She had done it again.
She had said, 'Thank Hyne.' Rei noticed the downed expression on Ami's face and gave her a puzzled look. Ami shook her head and inhaled deeply.
Minako had told them about her communicator, how she had seen Makoto. A twinge of guilt nagged at her stomach, but she looked up into the battle. The Ruby Dragon looked ticked off, the guys were really doing a number on it. She watched as Squall cast something on it, and Zell gave it another good smack. Seifer cast Blizzaga, and the Ruby Dragon seemed to hiss at him. The dragon's head fell low to the ground, but it wasn't dead yet. Suddenly, a black wave of energy exploded from the Ruby Dragon. A black little abyss seemed to form in the center of the three fighters.
Ami's mind exploded. Her heart was pounding so loudly she heard it in her ears. She blinked her eyes, because she hadn't done that and her eyes were beginning to burn. She looked to Rei and Minako, who were also standing, staring and wide eyed. Ami hadn't hallucinated- she had really seen it.
Two years ago, they were attacked by an unknown monster.
That is what it attacked them with. When they first arrived at Balamb Garden, Ami and the girls had spent a lot of their free time looking up powerful Time spells that could cast them back home. They were never able to reproduce that exact spell- Demi was the closest they ever got, and that only hurt. Rei had even pestered Seifer, asking him what the most powerful magic spell she could cast was. All he came up with was Demi.
When the attack was over, all the of the boys looked significantly hurt. Zell unleashed a limit break. Squall and Seifer were talking, concerned and somewhat puzzled expressions on their faces. Rei was shaking her head.
"Ruby Dragons can't cast that. Th-they've got Demi, sometimes," Rei muttered disbelieving, "but they don't have that. What is that attack? It could throw them into another time!"
But it didn't, the boys were still perfectly whole. Minako grimly reflected on the horrible experience of watching two of your closest friends dissolve into nothing. Squall finished it off, and the three cured themselves until they were in considerably better shape. Seifer and Squall were still talking furiously about something, and Zell had joined in on the conversation, until he noticed the entranced looks on the girls' faces. He tapped the guys and gestured to the girls.
Rei shook out of her trance first, asking, "Wh-what was that?"
"Gravija," Seifer replied grimly. "It was Gravija- but I don't know how."
"Y-you don't know how? What's that supposed to mean?" Minako asked, walking to the guys, Rei and Ami behind her.
"It means," Seifer replied meanly, "that Ruby Dragons can't normally cast Gravija- it's a specialized attack. Ruby Dragons can't- they just don't attack with something that powerful."
"Yeah. You think that's what's been killin' all the Blue Dragons?" Zell asked, scratching the back of his head.
Squall shook his head. "I think that could be it- but even with Gravija, a Blue Dragon would still do a significant amount of damage to a Ruby Dragon. Might not kill it, but it would damage it. The Ruby Dragon wouldn't be able to kill off so many....it doesn't make sense."
"B-but how did the Ruby Dragon get Gravija? Can any of you cast it?" Ami asked hopefully.
Zell eyed her curiously, but Seifer answered, "No. It's extremely Forbidden-Time magic. Only high-level creatures can use it."
"So you don't know anyone who could probably cast it?" Rei questioned.
Squall and Zell shook their heads, but Seifer asked, "Why do you want this spell so much?"
Zell and Squall seemed to have just noticed their eagerness for it, and now they were suspicious, too. Zell was still eyeing Ami- she looked sad and confused. He had a feeling that Gravija was somehow related to her sudden 'memory loss'. He waited patiently, but the girls said nothing. In fact, Minako changed the subject.
"If it wasn't the Ruby Dragon, then what is it that's killing off all the Blue Dragons?" Minako asked thoughtfully.
Ami and Rei seemed suddenly interested in the mission again, too. Ami said, "What other powerful creatures lurk around in Trabia?"
Rei shrugged. "Show Lions...? Blue Dragons, but they don't count. Umm..."
Seifer crossed his arms and gave Rei a rather pointed look.
"What?" Rei asked innocently.
Seifer shook his head and suggested they start moving again. Ami and Zell walked off, following Seifer and Rei. Minako started to go, but Squall grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"What was that about?" he asked.
Minako shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing you would understand. We're going to lose them- let's go." She jerked her arm away and ran off to join Zell and Ami. Squall stared after her a while before jogging off to his team.
Home, Rei thought, As if the world weren't confusing enough already...
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| End of Chapter 8 |
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