Chapter Two
Promise of Speeches
A/n: There it is, chapter two. How many years now? You'll just have to see.
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. Almighty (not really) Square owns them.
A door banged open with force.
"OHHHHH YEEEAHHH!!!!" Someone shouted. "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!! GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!"
A groan came from the room.
"Get promoted, Zell?"
"You know it!" Zell gave a giant laugh and approached the desk. "So C'MON!!!! Let's PARTTYY!!!!!" He slammed his hand on the table, which shook violently. Zell tried to look innocent.
"Hehehe, sorry man."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He yawned. It had been a long morning.
"So guess what Squall? If you don't want to celebrate with me and Irvine, you can just hear the news-" He jabbed his own chest, then winced, rubbing it affectionately. "-straight from the source itself."
"And?" Squall raised an eyebrow.
"We're gonna be workin' together! Came from the boss-man himself!"
Boss man? Ugh...that idiot formally known as father.
"Is that all?"
"Well....yeah...I guess...BUT AREN'T YOU EXCITED!!!" Zell jumped up and down like a chicken with it's head cut off.
No wonder people call him chicken-wuss.
"I'm glad to see you are. Now, since you're here. I need you to deliver these to Dr. Odine. He wanted-"
"Squall?! I just got promoted! Can't you at least be happy for your best friend?"
Is that what Zell is? My best friend? What a joke.
"Ok. That's great. How's this. I'll try to make it to wherever you and Irvine are going tonight. Is that good enough for you?"
"Yeah, it's great!"
"Ok, now, get these files to Dr. Odine and tell him, 'Hell, no.'"
Hmm? I feel a little deja-vu...
"Isn't that a little harsh man? Cause I could ju-"
Did I say that before, well, obviously, but...man I feel strange....
"-Squall? You listening? Hellooooooo?" Zell snapped two fingers in front of his face and Squall flinched.
"Yeah, whatever. Now, get out, please, I have work to do."
"Tch! Workaholic. You're only 23 man." Zell jumped out of the large office.
Workaholic. Yeah, maybe. Who cares.
"Zell? Squall's not here!" A man with long auburn hair yelled over the loud club music.
"So? He said he'd be here! Just give him time, man!"
"ZELL!?! Did you even tell him where we were going?!?"
"Uh...yeah! Sure I did. We're at Clububonga right?"
"Are you crazy man? That club is in Timber! Not to mention it was closed down 4 years ago! We're at Club Esthar!"
"What? I knew that! That's why I didn't tell Squall- oh...."
Irvine Kinneas shook his head. Zell was a natural at being stupid. And he really was happy for the poor guy. Happy that he had gotten what he'd been searching for 4 years, militial stability. And Irvine? He chuckled slightly to himself. There had been a time when he had considered joining the prestigious army to make his father, who wanted it for him, proud. But after 2 years of basic training in Galbadia, he had shamefully ran away and came to Esthar. Now, he was just a mechanic. And a lousy one at that.
There was a plopping sound as someone sat down next to him. Irvine turned slowly.
"Hey." A redhead winked at him, leaning forward as much as she could to show her cleavage. "Interested? I'm a 300 gil per night kinda girl."
Oooo....foxy lady.
"Oooo....foxy lady."
"Glad to see we're on the same page." She winked. "I've got somewhere I-" She stopped and smirked. "-need to be- out back. Care to join me?"
"Would I ever turn down an invitation?"
She giggled.
"I'll see ya..."
Irvine took a deep breath in and grinned. Tonight was his chance to get lucky, whatever the 'cost'. He grabbed Zell's shoulder.
"Hey hey hey! Don't touch me man!"
Irvine sighed impatiently.
"If Squall comes, tell him hi. Because-" He straightened his hat and cleared his throat. "Duty calls."
"Tch! Whatever, man. Go do your thing. Just don't get me involved."
"Like you'll ever be invited!" Irvine chuckled and walked out, his boots clicking against the plastic floor in mock laughter.
Zell narrowed his eyes and stood up so fast he almost knocked the table over.
"Friggin' hell...."
Squall tapped his pencil against the new table that was just brought in, testing it. It was more like testing his patience. His joke of a father was supposed to come in 25 minutes ago. But, as always, he was very very late.
The young man leaned back in his chair and heaved a heavy sigh. Joining the military was a smart move, he was sure of that. Nothing else would drive him like this ever would. Always thinking about where he was going to be tomorrow and the work that had to be done today took his mind off the 'simple' things of life, as Irvine called it.
There was a knock on the door, a brief pause, and someone banged in almost as loudly as Zell.
"Hey son!" Laguna tripped over the mat at the doorway.
"Hello."
The both stared at each other a bit before Laguna came over and sat on a chair directly across from Squall.
"Sorry I'm late. You'll NEVER guess what I got!"
"A new cat?" Squall sighed.
"No! Of course not! A letter from Ellone!"
At this his son looked up with a faint interest.
"I knew that would get your attention!" Laguna gaffawed and Squall winced at the sound.
"So what's the big news?"
"She's getting married!"
Ellone was his older sister whom he had not seen in 10 years. She had immediately moved to Centra upon graduation to take care of the environment and help the endangered animals there. In fact, she had helped set up a base-type town for all the new members that were coming in. Squall had never been there, since he didn't care much for helping the great Nature. However, she wrote every few months, describing her life and new people she met. Well, of course she would get married eventually. Squall had heard that all of the married couples eventually settled down in the small town, which weren't many, as far as he knew.
"That's....great?"
Laguna rolled his eyes.
"She just got engaged a month ago-" And she's telling us NOW? Can't she communicate online like normal people? "And there's really no set date yet. But she DOES want us to join her in planning the wedding!"
Me, plan a wedding. Yeah, right.
"Maybe I'll just visit when the wedding arrives. I don't really like planning things like Weddings."
"But you're my top protocol commander!"
"So?"
The matter was over.
"I'm happy for my sister. I am. And I'll be sure to visit her when the time comes."
His father's face fell, when suddenly came up 2 seconds later.
Idiot.
"Look, I'll talk to your mother. She'll be able to convince you."
No, I don't think so.
"Whatever."
"Get up sleepy-head!" A deep voice called right into her ear.
"ACK! Whosit?" A black haired woman in her early twenties waved her arms around until she found herself smacking someone in the face.
"Your loving husband, dear."
He laughed and got up from on top of her.
"You're going to be late if you don't get up."
"Selphie can wait for me. She's been used to it for 17 years..." She murmured groggily.
"That one? No, I doubt it. In high school, she probably blew a fog horn in your ear or something. Come on Rinoa, didn't you tell me you had some sort of important appointment today?"
That shot her straight up.
"OH!!! I can't believe I almost FORGOT!" Rinoa jumped out of bed in an instant, knocking over her table lamp, which fell at her feet, missing her big toe by centimeters.
"I'm the Palm Pilot you never had, hon."
She mock glared at him.
"Yeah, that's only cause YOU never run out of battery."
"I don't think now is the time to test that."
She chuckled.
"Don't get your hopes up."
A/N: So there is chapter two. Hmm? Rinny is engaged? Well,
it obviously looks like it! No Rinoa is not Ellone in genetic make-up.
FloralBlackMoon: A Mary Sue is someone whom the author makes up. A cliched original character. She is beatiful, and tends to show up when the heroine is either dead VERY suddenly, or the author made some stupid excuse to break the two up. Mary Sue is very crucial to the plot. Very, and the hero falls deeply in love with her and forgets almost all about the Heroine. Not to mention Mary Sue's character is suspiciously like the author... Her male counter-part is Gary Stu.
Sounds like (except for the last two points) a Quall.
I hope I don't have to duck flames for that comment, since if you are
reading this you heeded the SQUIONA in the summary.
And I don't think there is going to be a love triangle, maybe though.
Don't Forget to Review if you think I should continue.
