((Chapter Four! Unlike the others, I'm updating as I write, and with college apps and all, it's taking way too long, but I'm trying. And this story will be finished before the second anniversary of Final Call (June 14th, 2003). Anyway. Enjoy this chapter. It's a bit of a break, and has a nice surprise.))
As the sun overthrew the darkness and bought in a rule of light, the sleeping crew awoke inside the house of Squall and Rinoa Leonheart.
Peter shook his head as he spun around and landed his feet on the ground, slowly pushing off of the couch. He had no clue where he was. He took a quick notice of his surroundings. There was the couch, a small coffee table, radio, and lamp. The room was devoid of decoration. He stepped through a door into another room, where he found everyone sitting around a couch.
"Everyone" entailed Miles, Lance, Julia, Neos, and Squall and Rinoa Leonheart. Peter was shocked to see the couple, having slept through the arrival, and through the period when he was carried into the room.
They all looked up at him, and he weakly raised one hand, waving, "Hi."
Squall nodded, "Peter."
Peter stumbled over a few words before Miles stood and guided him to a seat, "We stopped here for the night. We've been discussing the war."
A familiar topic, "The war, right."
Miles laughed as Peter sat, "Yes. The war."
"Actually," Squall said, standing up, "I think I should have a chat with Peter."
Miles looked up, nodded slowly, and then got back to his coffee. Peter struggled back to his feet and followed along.
The couple stepped into Squall's bedroom, and Squall shut the door, approaching Peter, "Peter. Sit down. What I'm about to tell you is very important."
Peter slowly sat on the edge of the bed as Squall shut his eyes and looked down. This pause lasted a moment, before Squall looked up again.
"Okay, Peter. You're going into combat against a sorcerer. A very powerful sorcerer."
Peter nodded, "That's the eventual plan. You going to give me advice?"
"I'm going to give you victory."
Squall slammed his palm to Peter's head. Despite his age, Squall was still quite strong. Though, Peter had little time to consider this, as he was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of energy. The rush lasted a few seconds, and then disappeared. Peter collapsed backwards onto the bed.
Squall effortlessly lifted him up, "Peter Animus, I'd like you to meet Shiva."
-"Hello, Peter."-
Peter shook his head, "A GF?" You gave me a GF?"
Squall nodded, "I know, you probably don't want it, but…"
Peter stood and paced, "I like my memory! My memory is all I have! Damnit, Squall! My mother is dead, my friends are dead, and everything I had has been lost. I don't want to forget them!"
-"You won't."-
Peter yelled upwards, "What do you mean, I won't?"
Squall gripped Peter's shoulders, "You don't need to talk. Just think."
-What do you mean, I won't?-
-"You won't. Once we've familiarized ourselves with each other, I'll unjunction myself. You won't need to activate the link until you face Reist."-
-You can do that?-
-"Yes."-
Peter looked at Squall, "Why not your son? Why not Neos, or Julia?"
"Julia is too pacifistic. And Neos has another role to fulfill."
"Another role? I don't buy into that fate crap."
"You don't have to. You lost a lot more at Lee's hands."
Images of Jasmine flashed through Peter's head as he collapsed back down towards the bed.
"It's the only hope."
Is it?
"I'm afraid so."
"Wait." Peter stood, "Wait one minute. I know my history. Laguna Loire defeated Alexian Harket without a Guardian Force."
"He was in an infirmary at the time. The magic barrier effectively eliminated Harket's powers."
Peter sat again, "It's the only hope."
Squall sat alongside him, "It's tough. The decision I made to continue using GFs was one of the hardest of my life."
"It will help me defeat Alex?"
"Yes."
Peter summoned the images of destruction he witnessed. Balamb flashed through his mind again, in its final moments. He slowly nodded, "Okay. Let's do it."
Squall smiled, "Great. First lesson, magic."
***
"What made you do that?"
Lance Derikson cocked his head to one said, "Do what?"
Julia Leonheart slowly sighed, "Rescue us, Lance."
The two were alone outside the Leonheart's home. They had silently split off from the group in the living room at Julia's invitation. She stood now, leaning against a wall, while Lance kicked some dirt a few yards away.
He paused at the comment, "Why wouldn't we have done it? Rescuing you all was an absolute necessity. If not because you're our friends, because you are huge morale boosters to the resistance."
"Oh that's it? Morale?"
Lance smirked, "No. You are our friends."
"You're so heroic."
"Ah, it wasn't my idea. Miles and Peter decided on it, I just got everything together."
"But I hear you're leading the army now."
"Someone had to. Miles hid himself, and Peter was MIA for a long time."
Julia began to approach him, "Oh, you don't give yourself enough credit."
Lance raised an eyebrow, silently wondering what game she was playing. He decided to keep her on her feet, "So what was with you in D-District?"
Julia stepped back, "What?"
"Well, normally, you're the pacifist of the group. In the District, you went buck wild. I thought we would have to tie you down."
She went back against the wall, "I…" Slowly, she slid to the ground, sitting, "It was too much."
"Balamb?"
She looked up, her face suddenly streaked with tears, "Yeah. Just, remembering everyone who was killed because… …because of nothing. Murder. Mass murder."
Lance sighed and approached her, "I know. It's been tough on all of us."
"It's not just Balamb…"
Lance paused again.
"That prison. There were daily torture sessions. Interrogation…"
"Brainwashing?"
She nodded, "And worse." Lance paused, a flood of possibilities in his mind. He dared not push. Julia broke into another fit of crying. Then, as suddenly as it had started, she looked back up. Her face was burning red and a distant fire was barely recognizable in her eyes; "I just wasn't going to take it anymore! There wasn't going to be any more. Not to me, not to anyone."
Lance quickly knelt down beside her, and held her hands, calming her clenched fists. The two pairs of eyes met. Lance spoke, softly, "I'm sorry. We should have come sooner. But it's over now. Now we're going to fight them. We're going to stop them. I promise."
She looked down and sobbed again, but was stopped when Lance silently placed his lips on her forehead. Looking back up, she stared into his eyes, and allowed him to bring his lips to hers.
((Next: WAR.))
As the sun overthrew the darkness and bought in a rule of light, the sleeping crew awoke inside the house of Squall and Rinoa Leonheart.
Peter shook his head as he spun around and landed his feet on the ground, slowly pushing off of the couch. He had no clue where he was. He took a quick notice of his surroundings. There was the couch, a small coffee table, radio, and lamp. The room was devoid of decoration. He stepped through a door into another room, where he found everyone sitting around a couch.
"Everyone" entailed Miles, Lance, Julia, Neos, and Squall and Rinoa Leonheart. Peter was shocked to see the couple, having slept through the arrival, and through the period when he was carried into the room.
They all looked up at him, and he weakly raised one hand, waving, "Hi."
Squall nodded, "Peter."
Peter stumbled over a few words before Miles stood and guided him to a seat, "We stopped here for the night. We've been discussing the war."
A familiar topic, "The war, right."
Miles laughed as Peter sat, "Yes. The war."
"Actually," Squall said, standing up, "I think I should have a chat with Peter."
Miles looked up, nodded slowly, and then got back to his coffee. Peter struggled back to his feet and followed along.
The couple stepped into Squall's bedroom, and Squall shut the door, approaching Peter, "Peter. Sit down. What I'm about to tell you is very important."
Peter slowly sat on the edge of the bed as Squall shut his eyes and looked down. This pause lasted a moment, before Squall looked up again.
"Okay, Peter. You're going into combat against a sorcerer. A very powerful sorcerer."
Peter nodded, "That's the eventual plan. You going to give me advice?"
"I'm going to give you victory."
Squall slammed his palm to Peter's head. Despite his age, Squall was still quite strong. Though, Peter had little time to consider this, as he was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of energy. The rush lasted a few seconds, and then disappeared. Peter collapsed backwards onto the bed.
Squall effortlessly lifted him up, "Peter Animus, I'd like you to meet Shiva."
-"Hello, Peter."-
Peter shook his head, "A GF?" You gave me a GF?"
Squall nodded, "I know, you probably don't want it, but…"
Peter stood and paced, "I like my memory! My memory is all I have! Damnit, Squall! My mother is dead, my friends are dead, and everything I had has been lost. I don't want to forget them!"
-"You won't."-
Peter yelled upwards, "What do you mean, I won't?"
Squall gripped Peter's shoulders, "You don't need to talk. Just think."
-What do you mean, I won't?-
-"You won't. Once we've familiarized ourselves with each other, I'll unjunction myself. You won't need to activate the link until you face Reist."-
-You can do that?-
-"Yes."-
Peter looked at Squall, "Why not your son? Why not Neos, or Julia?"
"Julia is too pacifistic. And Neos has another role to fulfill."
"Another role? I don't buy into that fate crap."
"You don't have to. You lost a lot more at Lee's hands."
Images of Jasmine flashed through Peter's head as he collapsed back down towards the bed.
"It's the only hope."
Is it?
"I'm afraid so."
"Wait." Peter stood, "Wait one minute. I know my history. Laguna Loire defeated Alexian Harket without a Guardian Force."
"He was in an infirmary at the time. The magic barrier effectively eliminated Harket's powers."
Peter sat again, "It's the only hope."
Squall sat alongside him, "It's tough. The decision I made to continue using GFs was one of the hardest of my life."
"It will help me defeat Alex?"
"Yes."
Peter summoned the images of destruction he witnessed. Balamb flashed through his mind again, in its final moments. He slowly nodded, "Okay. Let's do it."
Squall smiled, "Great. First lesson, magic."
***
"What made you do that?"
Lance Derikson cocked his head to one said, "Do what?"
Julia Leonheart slowly sighed, "Rescue us, Lance."
The two were alone outside the Leonheart's home. They had silently split off from the group in the living room at Julia's invitation. She stood now, leaning against a wall, while Lance kicked some dirt a few yards away.
He paused at the comment, "Why wouldn't we have done it? Rescuing you all was an absolute necessity. If not because you're our friends, because you are huge morale boosters to the resistance."
"Oh that's it? Morale?"
Lance smirked, "No. You are our friends."
"You're so heroic."
"Ah, it wasn't my idea. Miles and Peter decided on it, I just got everything together."
"But I hear you're leading the army now."
"Someone had to. Miles hid himself, and Peter was MIA for a long time."
Julia began to approach him, "Oh, you don't give yourself enough credit."
Lance raised an eyebrow, silently wondering what game she was playing. He decided to keep her on her feet, "So what was with you in D-District?"
Julia stepped back, "What?"
"Well, normally, you're the pacifist of the group. In the District, you went buck wild. I thought we would have to tie you down."
She went back against the wall, "I…" Slowly, she slid to the ground, sitting, "It was too much."
"Balamb?"
She looked up, her face suddenly streaked with tears, "Yeah. Just, remembering everyone who was killed because… …because of nothing. Murder. Mass murder."
Lance sighed and approached her, "I know. It's been tough on all of us."
"It's not just Balamb…"
Lance paused again.
"That prison. There were daily torture sessions. Interrogation…"
"Brainwashing?"
She nodded, "And worse." Lance paused, a flood of possibilities in his mind. He dared not push. Julia broke into another fit of crying. Then, as suddenly as it had started, she looked back up. Her face was burning red and a distant fire was barely recognizable in her eyes; "I just wasn't going to take it anymore! There wasn't going to be any more. Not to me, not to anyone."
Lance quickly knelt down beside her, and held her hands, calming her clenched fists. The two pairs of eyes met. Lance spoke, softly, "I'm sorry. We should have come sooner. But it's over now. Now we're going to fight them. We're going to stop them. I promise."
She looked down and sobbed again, but was stopped when Lance silently placed his lips on her forehead. Looking back up, she stared into his eyes, and allowed him to bring his lips to hers.
((Next: WAR.))