NOTE: Well here I am again, and I'm sorry for delaying this chapter for so
long. I tried to write it several times and it just never sounded right.
But here it is! And we've only got two chapters to go!!! HUZZAH!
This story has grown a lot longer than I anticipated it to, so it's going to be divided into two separate stories, kind of like a series but a little shorter ^_^ Part two will be up within the next couple of months, once I finish up the last of Part One. So, without any more babbling or delay, here's chapter 19. You all know I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, so nyah. = P ^_^ enjoy!
Chapter 19: Things Get Ugly
The wind tossed his unruly chocolate colored hair from his high vantage point atop a pillar of Balamb Garden's outer fence. He stood some six feet off of the ground, watching the white clouds roll over the green fields that stretched to the edges of the mountains, casting long shadows among brightly lit patches of green as rays of sunshine danced alongside them. It was a strange dance of weather, slightly warm and breezy, yet just enough to need a jacket. It was Junior's favorite time of year. Autumn.
The colors never changed much in Balamb. Things were always green, always perfect. But in places north, the leaves would turn strange shades of red and yellow, brighter than the sun on a clear day. Junior didn't get to travel much at that age. At eight years old, the proud son of Squall Leonhart was better trained than most children his age at Balamb Garden. And while Squall himself knew Junior could handle himself well enough, he still insisted in keeping the boy within the confines of Balamb. Junior never complained about it much, save the occasional moping fit whenever someone else his age got to leave. But Squall knew that too much too soon could be a potential danger to his son, and he wasn't taking a single chance. Not with the letters he'd been getting.
A strong gust of wind rattled the pillar a bit, making Junior focus a little harder on just how he was balancing. Not that it took a whole lot of effort. He readjusted his feet easily on the small platform, taking a moment to grin at his own prowess. He'd been taught well, no doubt about that. Junior had a love for training that almost matched his father's, but he tended to be a little less serious. Sometimes it seemed the child took more enjoyment in mussing up his hair and dirtying his clothes than training. Selphie herself constantly said that Junior lived for messing up his hair, and Squall never argued. Though he would jest occasionally, when the mood took him, that Junior got it from her side of the family.
She never won that argument.
Something moved off on the horizon, or so Junior thought as he squinted his already well-trained eyes on the source, but whatever it had been was apparently gone. Although a new source of movement had caught his attention, one he recognized from a mile off. His heart pounding, Junior watched as the blue car made it's way down the winding road to Garden, grinning from ear to ear. This was what he'd been waiting for half the morning, why he'd posted himself at that exact spot more than three hours ago. And as the car pulled up to the gate and came to a halt some twenty feet away, Junior lunged from his platform as soon as the door had opened.
"Gran'pa!"
Laguna visibly winced as his grandson landed with a soft thud on the ground, his knee wanting to give way just thinking about it. "You should be careful when you do that kiddo," he said with a strange look as the boy sprinted to the car with unnatural speed. Junior, that statement apparently lost in the boy's excitement, had rushed to the older man's side and thrown his arms around Laguna's waist.
"No way!" he said, his smile so big Laguna half thought it would break the boy's face in half. "I'm good at that kinda stuff anyway."
Laguna grinned at the child. "So you are. Lot better than I was at your age." He knelt down on his 'good' knee and rumpled Junior's hair a bit, not that it needed it. "How ya been kiddo?"
Junior beamed. "I beat two other kids in my class to the finals the other day," he said with a hint of pride as he let go of Laguna's jacket. "Dad says I'm gonna be able to beat up uncle Zell soon if I keep it up!"
Laguna smirked, standing and grabbing a backpack from the car and closing the door. "You could've done that four years ago." Reaching into his pocket, Laguna withdrew a small napkin, folded neatly into a square, and handed it to his grandson. "Here, I brought you something," he said with a smile as Junior tenderly took the napkin into his small hands. "Just be careful with it. I went through a lot of trouble to make sure it made it here okay."
Junior blinked, his bright green eyes dancing with excitement as he carefully grabbed one corner of the pressed napkin between his thumb and forefinger and peeled it back. A bright peak of yellow showed, and Junior tore away the rest of the napkin to reveal the brightest yellow leaf he had ever seen in his life. The color was so vivid, so amazing, that it was all the boy could do to tear his eyes from it and offer his grandfather a large smile. Laguna ran one hand through his slightly graying hair and smiled.
"I know you like yellow," he said absently. Junior nodded, then looked back at the leaf in amazement.
"Uh huh!" he confirmed breathlessly. "It's amazing!" And that, Laguna thought to himself, was precisely why Squall avoided his father like the plague. Laguna was an outsider to Garden, a man who always brought things from the outside world that Squall constantly tried to shelter his only son from. He brought these baubles with him every time, a polished stone from this part of the world, a pressed leaf from that garden, a small cat from Trabia.it didn't matter. Laguna loved to give the child gifts. And while Laguna's reasons in his own mind were just and sentimental, Squall merely saw it as a pathetic ploy to win the boy's heart. Selphie had tried to make the two see eye to eye for so long now that it had almost become routine. And though the heartache it caused her hadn't lessened over time, Selphie knew that only one thing would change Squall's opinion of his father, and that was time. Now if only she could get the Commander and Headmaster of Balamb Garden to open his eyes long enough to give him a chance.
"Come on," said Laguna with a short chuckle. "Let's get it inside and I'll help you put it in that scrap book your mom keeps everything in. Sound good?"
Junior made a face, falling in step with Laguna as they headed for the main gate. "I don't get why she keeps putting stuff in there. It's not like the pictures an stuff are gonna get up and walk away."
Laguna laughed one of his signature laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Your mom is a sentimental person, that's all," he said, watching a slight grin tug at the boy's lips as his emerald eyes gazed up at Laguna through wisps of his hair. "She just likes to keep things. It makes her happy."
Junior nodded, spinning on one heel and walking backwards in time with his grandfather, his hands propped behind his head in a carefree gesture that would never have been seen on the boy's father. "Dad says she's a pack- rat, whatever that means." Laguna laughed at that, nodding.
"For once, I'd have to agree with him," he spoke, taking note in Junior's slowing steps. Laguna paused to look at his grandson, who had stopped walking completely and was staring back out the front gate just feet behind them. "What is it? You see a ghost or something?" chided Laguna, though the comment was only meant in half jest. The older man's eyes drifted upward to where his grandson was staring, and Laguna had to blink a moment just to make sure his eyes were seeing correctly.
Moving fast over the horizon was a swarm of ruby dragons, and they didn't look happy.
"Junior, run." It was an order, spoken so softly the boy almost didn't hear it correctly and had to take a good three seconds to register the words. Finally, with a short nod, Junior took off at a sprint toward the entrance of Balamb Garden's halls, desperate to reach the shelter of the indoors. Laguna propped open his bag and frantically searched for a weapon, anything that would aid him in fending off the approaching enemy. But there was nothing. He would have to reach the school's armory room and hope to Hyne that there was a confounded gun in there. Giving up on the bag altogether, Laguna shot off after his grandson, the shooting pain in his knee all but forgotten in a rush of adrenaline.
He reached the child before too long, and without even thinking about it picked Junior up in one fluid movement without bothering to stop. Junior's grip loosened on the brightly colored leaf he'd been holding onto, and he almost cried out, wanting to retrieve it. But any sound that was ready to emit from his lips was forgotten when the screeching of dragons filled his ears like the sound of thousands of nails on chalkboards. Laguna shivered. They were getting close, and it was still a good thirty feet to the turnstiles and low ceiling that would at least offer some sort of protection from the monsters.
Gritting his teeth, Laguna put all of his effort into running, his only thought of getting the boy out of harms way. Several of the dragons were coming over the main gates, and Junior let out a panicked whimper. "Close your eyes!" was all Laguna could manage as they approached the turnstiles quickly. Junior's eyes clamped shut, his grip tightening on Laguna's jacket as the man's body tensed. The dragon swarm let out another shattering cry, and Laguna screamed out as he leapt over the barriers, tucking Junior's head in and landing on his own body to save the boy from the impact. They rolled a few feet before coming to a stop, Laguna's body now aching from the hard concrete and marble contacting with his body. But Junior was safe, and the two watched as several of the dragons shot straight upward, not wanting to risk coming in through the narrow space. Ruby dragons were mean, but not stupid.
Junior still clung to Laguna's clothing, watching the dragons advance on the school with wide eyes. Laguna stood, fists clenching.
"What the hell is going on?
This story has grown a lot longer than I anticipated it to, so it's going to be divided into two separate stories, kind of like a series but a little shorter ^_^ Part two will be up within the next couple of months, once I finish up the last of Part One. So, without any more babbling or delay, here's chapter 19. You all know I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, so nyah. = P ^_^ enjoy!
Chapter 19: Things Get Ugly
The wind tossed his unruly chocolate colored hair from his high vantage point atop a pillar of Balamb Garden's outer fence. He stood some six feet off of the ground, watching the white clouds roll over the green fields that stretched to the edges of the mountains, casting long shadows among brightly lit patches of green as rays of sunshine danced alongside them. It was a strange dance of weather, slightly warm and breezy, yet just enough to need a jacket. It was Junior's favorite time of year. Autumn.
The colors never changed much in Balamb. Things were always green, always perfect. But in places north, the leaves would turn strange shades of red and yellow, brighter than the sun on a clear day. Junior didn't get to travel much at that age. At eight years old, the proud son of Squall Leonhart was better trained than most children his age at Balamb Garden. And while Squall himself knew Junior could handle himself well enough, he still insisted in keeping the boy within the confines of Balamb. Junior never complained about it much, save the occasional moping fit whenever someone else his age got to leave. But Squall knew that too much too soon could be a potential danger to his son, and he wasn't taking a single chance. Not with the letters he'd been getting.
A strong gust of wind rattled the pillar a bit, making Junior focus a little harder on just how he was balancing. Not that it took a whole lot of effort. He readjusted his feet easily on the small platform, taking a moment to grin at his own prowess. He'd been taught well, no doubt about that. Junior had a love for training that almost matched his father's, but he tended to be a little less serious. Sometimes it seemed the child took more enjoyment in mussing up his hair and dirtying his clothes than training. Selphie herself constantly said that Junior lived for messing up his hair, and Squall never argued. Though he would jest occasionally, when the mood took him, that Junior got it from her side of the family.
She never won that argument.
Something moved off on the horizon, or so Junior thought as he squinted his already well-trained eyes on the source, but whatever it had been was apparently gone. Although a new source of movement had caught his attention, one he recognized from a mile off. His heart pounding, Junior watched as the blue car made it's way down the winding road to Garden, grinning from ear to ear. This was what he'd been waiting for half the morning, why he'd posted himself at that exact spot more than three hours ago. And as the car pulled up to the gate and came to a halt some twenty feet away, Junior lunged from his platform as soon as the door had opened.
"Gran'pa!"
Laguna visibly winced as his grandson landed with a soft thud on the ground, his knee wanting to give way just thinking about it. "You should be careful when you do that kiddo," he said with a strange look as the boy sprinted to the car with unnatural speed. Junior, that statement apparently lost in the boy's excitement, had rushed to the older man's side and thrown his arms around Laguna's waist.
"No way!" he said, his smile so big Laguna half thought it would break the boy's face in half. "I'm good at that kinda stuff anyway."
Laguna grinned at the child. "So you are. Lot better than I was at your age." He knelt down on his 'good' knee and rumpled Junior's hair a bit, not that it needed it. "How ya been kiddo?"
Junior beamed. "I beat two other kids in my class to the finals the other day," he said with a hint of pride as he let go of Laguna's jacket. "Dad says I'm gonna be able to beat up uncle Zell soon if I keep it up!"
Laguna smirked, standing and grabbing a backpack from the car and closing the door. "You could've done that four years ago." Reaching into his pocket, Laguna withdrew a small napkin, folded neatly into a square, and handed it to his grandson. "Here, I brought you something," he said with a smile as Junior tenderly took the napkin into his small hands. "Just be careful with it. I went through a lot of trouble to make sure it made it here okay."
Junior blinked, his bright green eyes dancing with excitement as he carefully grabbed one corner of the pressed napkin between his thumb and forefinger and peeled it back. A bright peak of yellow showed, and Junior tore away the rest of the napkin to reveal the brightest yellow leaf he had ever seen in his life. The color was so vivid, so amazing, that it was all the boy could do to tear his eyes from it and offer his grandfather a large smile. Laguna ran one hand through his slightly graying hair and smiled.
"I know you like yellow," he said absently. Junior nodded, then looked back at the leaf in amazement.
"Uh huh!" he confirmed breathlessly. "It's amazing!" And that, Laguna thought to himself, was precisely why Squall avoided his father like the plague. Laguna was an outsider to Garden, a man who always brought things from the outside world that Squall constantly tried to shelter his only son from. He brought these baubles with him every time, a polished stone from this part of the world, a pressed leaf from that garden, a small cat from Trabia.it didn't matter. Laguna loved to give the child gifts. And while Laguna's reasons in his own mind were just and sentimental, Squall merely saw it as a pathetic ploy to win the boy's heart. Selphie had tried to make the two see eye to eye for so long now that it had almost become routine. And though the heartache it caused her hadn't lessened over time, Selphie knew that only one thing would change Squall's opinion of his father, and that was time. Now if only she could get the Commander and Headmaster of Balamb Garden to open his eyes long enough to give him a chance.
"Come on," said Laguna with a short chuckle. "Let's get it inside and I'll help you put it in that scrap book your mom keeps everything in. Sound good?"
Junior made a face, falling in step with Laguna as they headed for the main gate. "I don't get why she keeps putting stuff in there. It's not like the pictures an stuff are gonna get up and walk away."
Laguna laughed one of his signature laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Your mom is a sentimental person, that's all," he said, watching a slight grin tug at the boy's lips as his emerald eyes gazed up at Laguna through wisps of his hair. "She just likes to keep things. It makes her happy."
Junior nodded, spinning on one heel and walking backwards in time with his grandfather, his hands propped behind his head in a carefree gesture that would never have been seen on the boy's father. "Dad says she's a pack- rat, whatever that means." Laguna laughed at that, nodding.
"For once, I'd have to agree with him," he spoke, taking note in Junior's slowing steps. Laguna paused to look at his grandson, who had stopped walking completely and was staring back out the front gate just feet behind them. "What is it? You see a ghost or something?" chided Laguna, though the comment was only meant in half jest. The older man's eyes drifted upward to where his grandson was staring, and Laguna had to blink a moment just to make sure his eyes were seeing correctly.
Moving fast over the horizon was a swarm of ruby dragons, and they didn't look happy.
"Junior, run." It was an order, spoken so softly the boy almost didn't hear it correctly and had to take a good three seconds to register the words. Finally, with a short nod, Junior took off at a sprint toward the entrance of Balamb Garden's halls, desperate to reach the shelter of the indoors. Laguna propped open his bag and frantically searched for a weapon, anything that would aid him in fending off the approaching enemy. But there was nothing. He would have to reach the school's armory room and hope to Hyne that there was a confounded gun in there. Giving up on the bag altogether, Laguna shot off after his grandson, the shooting pain in his knee all but forgotten in a rush of adrenaline.
He reached the child before too long, and without even thinking about it picked Junior up in one fluid movement without bothering to stop. Junior's grip loosened on the brightly colored leaf he'd been holding onto, and he almost cried out, wanting to retrieve it. But any sound that was ready to emit from his lips was forgotten when the screeching of dragons filled his ears like the sound of thousands of nails on chalkboards. Laguna shivered. They were getting close, and it was still a good thirty feet to the turnstiles and low ceiling that would at least offer some sort of protection from the monsters.
Gritting his teeth, Laguna put all of his effort into running, his only thought of getting the boy out of harms way. Several of the dragons were coming over the main gates, and Junior let out a panicked whimper. "Close your eyes!" was all Laguna could manage as they approached the turnstiles quickly. Junior's eyes clamped shut, his grip tightening on Laguna's jacket as the man's body tensed. The dragon swarm let out another shattering cry, and Laguna screamed out as he leapt over the barriers, tucking Junior's head in and landing on his own body to save the boy from the impact. They rolled a few feet before coming to a stop, Laguna's body now aching from the hard concrete and marble contacting with his body. But Junior was safe, and the two watched as several of the dragons shot straight upward, not wanting to risk coming in through the narrow space. Ruby dragons were mean, but not stupid.
Junior still clung to Laguna's clothing, watching the dragons advance on the school with wide eyes. Laguna stood, fists clenching.
"What the hell is going on?