Author's Note: I'm back! YAY! *cheers* Aren't ya all glad to have the
next chapter of this wonderful fic? Okay, maybe not, cuz I only have one
reviewer. Oh well. *Hugs ettain* Thank you soooooo soooooo much for
reviewing! I'm glad you like my fic! Newayz, here's the next chapter.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - Danger in Galbadia
"Hey Squall!" Selphie had just burst into Squall's office. It was four days after Zephyr Masters had come, and only two before the SeeD test. "Hey Squall! Have you seen what's been on the news?!" She flipped on his TV before he could say a word and pulled up a chair.
"Selphie . . . I deserve an explanation!"
"Listen, and you'll get one."
The news anchor was talking about the latest story, but not in the drone that usually signified the newscasters, but he actually seemed excited, and scared, by what was going on. A red banner across the top of screen was scrolling, 'Galbadia Latest.' Squall heard the anchor start again. "The latest is in! We have just had reports that the revived army of Galbadia is splitting their forces. It is speculated that they are going to try and take over Timber and Dollet in one fell swoop. The towns have next to no defense, seeing as there has been relative peace, on a large scale, ever since the Sorceress War. Where these troops are coming from, we do not know. But it has been rumored that they are being led by a genuine Sorceress. There is no evidence to support these . . ." The voice stopped as Squall turned off the TV.
"Good."
"Good? Squall, are you crazy?! There's a war in the making going on out there, and you say it's a good thing?!"
"Selphie, face the facts. We're SeeD's. We make a living out of killing. A war means more jobs, and more SeeD's in business, and more money coming into Garden. A war is good for us, no matter how I dislike the fact."
"But . . . but people are dying!"
"People die every day. We can't stop it. We have to live."
"How can you be so cold-hearted? We have to find a way to stop it!"
Squall sighed and tried to figure out a way to calm down Selphie. "Remember our SeeD test? It was at the very beginning of a war, the Sorceress War, to be exact. This will provide a perfect mission for our new SeeD candidates. Depending on how many SeeD's they want, because we will get a call, I can assure you, we put 1-2 SeeD's in a group with 1-2 candidates, we have 8 this time, right? Then everything will work out fine. Don't worry Selphie. Peace can't last forever, you know."
"Yeah, I guess so. Anyhow, I have to go. Me and Irvine and Quistis are doing a demonstration for new students on some of the finer points of long- range weapons handling. See ya later!" She left the office with more spring in her step, and more like the happy, perky Selphie that they all knew and loved.
(I really hope she can get past this phobia of war. I'm going to be relying on the old crew for most of this. Ah, who am I kidding? She'll be fine.) He turned back to his desk and finished the paper on top of the rapidly decreasing stack in front of him. (Only about 10 more, thank God.)
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
A six-foot-tall young man with short, blonde hair dressed in a gray trench coat sat in a plush chair in his office. He looked the same as he had four years ago. His Hyperion model gunblade was hanging at an easy height to reach on the wall opposite him, but he wasn't so stupid as to go around unarmed. He had gained some semblance of skill with a pistol.
He pressed a button on his videocom, and the blank screen flashed and came alive. He pressed a number of different buttons quickly, and a head showed on the screen. It was the head of a young woman with tawny brown hair streaked with blonde. Her face was hidden in the shadows. The man sighed slightly as he looked at her. He wished she could come back . . .
"Commander Almasy?" The young woman's voice came through a scrambler, but it didn't bother Seifer in the least. If that was how he had to talk to her, that was how he would do it. "How go the plans? It's getting humongous publicity over here."
"Good, good. That's what we want. The more publicity over there, the better for us. And the more SeeD's that get hired out from Balamb Garden." Seifer chuckled evilly. "Have you managed to penetrate them yet?"
"Of course not! I haven't had much time. I have to gain their trust first. Why would they trust me, a newcomer? Give me a little time, Commander. I'm starting to win over the Headmaster, and a few Instructors as well. Most of the students ignore me, though."
A slow smile spread over Seifer's face. "Winning over Squall? God, you must be playing the part really well. Either that, or he's just gotten soft. Knowing you, probably both. And please, how many times have I told you, my name is Seifer. Don't call me Commander unless other people are around."
"Yes sir, Seifer, sir," came the brunette's savvy reply.
"Oh, and one more thing . . ." Seifer stopped the woman before she turned off her videocom. "Any chance that there's a SeeD test coming up soon? It would be great to have a SeeD in the ranks."
"As a matter of fact, there is. Two days time. You timed this just perfectly, you know. A call will probably be coming in in the next day or so. That's somewhere probably between 24 and 18 hours. The perfect time to strategize and plan a counter with the rookies. You can be sure that I'll be there."
"And you'll pass."
"I think so. Leonheart and Kinneas have both said that I have potential, and I'm supposed to be starting self-defense, karate, so on and so forth with Dincht this after noon. I should be fine."
"That wasn't a question. That was an order." Seifer's tone was stern.
"I will do my utmost to follow your order, sir. But one can't be too overconfident. I believe that was your problem." She flashed Seifer a wry smile.
" . . . Whatever . . ." But despite the fact that Seifer was trying to make it look and sound like he didn't care, he had started to blush. He was embarrassed by the fact that he had never passed the SeeD test, and he tried not to show it to his underlings.
"Whatever yourself. I have to go now. I have a bunch of studying to do if you want me to pass that test."
"You already took the written part." Seifer was confused. Why did she want to stop talking to him?
"Well, I guess you caught me on that one . . . Actually . . . I have to go help that Leonheart woman with some things, then I get to meet Instructor Dincht, a.k.a. 'Chickenwuss.' "
"Don't get caught," Seifer cautioned.
"Don't worry. Have I gotten caught yet?"
"There's a first time for everything, don't forget that."
"Yes sir." Seifer's videocom went dead. (Damn that woman. If she keeps acting like that, she's going to get caught!) The thought filled Seifer's heart with dread. She was the only woman he had ever found equal to himself. And not only on the battlefield. He had taught her the rudiments of using the Hyperion, and she, in turn had shown him how to use a pistol. He thoughts turned from their experiences together on the battlefield to their experiences together . . . elsewhere . . . He shook his head as he tried not to turn down that train of thought.
He stood up suddenly, walked over to the wall and punched it as hard as he could. He needed to hit something. He wasn't bothered as little bits of plaster rained down on him. He collapsed against the wall, letting his forehead bang against it. He felt so helpless! And whose idiotic idea was it to send her off by herself, anyway? He started sinking to the floor as the door opened. A man in a blue and silver uniform peeked in.
"Are you okay, Commander?"
"No, I am not fucking okay! But there's nothing anyone can do about it! So just leave me alone!" He shouted at the unlucky soldier who was just concerned about his Commander's safety. The soldier quickly left, knowing that a delay might cut his pay for that month. He left Seifer alone in that room with his regret and sorrow.
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
"Bring it on! I can take you any day, short man!" Lance was taunting Zell, hoping to provoke him into a 'training' fight. It was easy enough to use the techniques against a immobile bag full of sand, but he was bored and needed a challenge. And what better way than to rile up the emotionally overcharged Zell?
"Feeling better?" Lance just raised his eyebrows. "Okay, stupid question. Have you given her a black eye yet?" Zell dropped into his fighting stance.
"Nah, but I'm not going to let it bother me anymore. The way I see it, I'm going to be testing for SeeD the day after tomorrow, and she's still going to be stuck as a student. Her and Laura both. So they're the ones that are losing out."
"That's my man. Now why don't we have a little sparring match?"
"You're on! C'mon Zell, bring it on!" Lance dropped into a defensive stance, waiting for Zell to make the first move, carefully scanning his stance for a weakness. They looked quite the mismatched pair. Lance had a 6" height advantage over Zell's 5' 6", making him an even 6'. He also had about 30 pounds more in his favor too. But Zell was smaller and could get under his lower defense easier, and was a little faster on his feet.
Zell dodged in now, hoping to strike a reverse punch to Lance's solar plexus, but Lance knocked it away by sweeping his arm perpendicular to the floor at chest level (a/n middle block), and countered with an uppercut to Zell's jaw . . . just as there was a knock on the door. The knock distracted Zell, and Lance's punch landed.
"Holy shit, Lance!" Zell exclaimed as he staggered away. "You definitely pack a punch!"
"Ha, ha," Lance laughed sarcastically. "Don't you think you'd better answer the door?"
The person on the other side of the door knocked more urgently, and a female voice called through the door. "Hello? Instructor Dincht? Are you in there?"
"Yeah!" Zell yelled in return. "Come on in, the door's open." He was rubbing his jaw, where a red area was quickly coming up. Lance saw it and tried not to laugh.
"Uh . . . sorry about that, Instructor."
" . . . Whatever . . ."
The door opened and Zephyr Masters walked in. She set her books on the floor next to the door and took in the scene. "Instructor?" she asked, not quite sure which of the two young men was her Instructor. She thought it was the short, blonde one, but he was the one with the rapidly rising bruise on his jaw. Aren't the Instructors supposed to be the experts?
"That'll be me," the short, blonde one replied. She had been right. "Sorry about the, uh . . . mess in here right now."
Zephyr scanned the room to see sand bags of all different sizes around the edges of a large circle, drawn with duct tape of all things, in the center of the room.
"Me and Lance here," Zell motioned to Lance, "were having a little sparring match before you came in."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
"No harm done," the irrepressible Instructor continued. "Headmaster told me you were coming, and I sort of . . . well . . . forgot." He extended a hand as Zephyr walked towards the ring. "I'm Instructor Dincht, but you can call me Zell if we're in a small class like this." He winked at Zephyr. "Lucky you, you get to be in a class all by yourself. Headmaster says that even though you're just starting he think you'll be able to pick it up quickly, so you get to come here during Study Hall and whenever you've got the time, or want to drop by."
Zephyr entered the ring slowly, as if unsure whether she was violating some sort of rule or not. "Please to meet you, Instr . . . uh, Zell. My name is Zephyr Masters." She took his hand and shook it.
Lance came in closer and offered Zephyr his hand. "Lance Summerton. You'll probably be seeing a bunch of me if you come round here often."
Zephyr flashed him a smile as she shook his hand. "I hope to get to know you better. I'm new here, and I don't have any friends as of yet."
"First time for everything, eh?" Lance returned her smile.
"Yeah, yeah, that's enough you two. We need to get started if Zephyr . . . you don't mind me calling you Zephyr, do you?"
"Of course not! I prefer it that way."
"Okay, good. Like I was saying, if Zephyr's gonna be as good as Squall thinks she can be, then we're gonna have to get our asses in gear teaching her, right Lance?"
Zell walked over to his desk and disappeared under it. He returned with a small pad. He tossed it to Lance, who had to step away to catch it. Zell walked over to Zephyr.
"Right, the first thing I'm gonna teach you is proper fighting stance. You right handed or left?"
"Okay. Put your left foot forward and stand sideways on." She did so. "Put your left hand up about chin level and keep your right hand at your waist. Bend your knees a little." He curled the fingers of her left hand into a fist. "Keep your hands like that. If you don't, you may get some fingers broken. That's not cool. I know from experience." Lance chuckled from behind his pad. "Shut up, you! You've broken fingers before too."
" . . . Whatever . . ."
Zell sighed and turned his attention back to Zephyr. "Now I'm gonna show you the techniques I want you to have down before you leave today." Zell stood in his fighting stance in front of the pad. He punched the pad with his left hand, then his right with simple punches. "That's a jab-cross combo. A good basic move." He switched his feet so that his right foot was in front. He stepped with his left foot behind his right, then kicked out straight with his right. "That's a step behind sidekick. The most effective move when you're in danger of being rushed is a step behind sidekick to the knee. Hit it right, and that guy's knee is shattered, or dislocated, at the very least." He switched his feet back to his normal fighting stance. He punched the pad again with his right hand, but Zephyr noticed that the formation of his hand was slightly different. His thumb was bent on top of his fist, making a very lethal looking point. "That's a vertical punch. Get someone at the part where the ribs join, and that's one hell of a punch. Last one now." Then he muttered something to Lance, who turned the pad so that it was facing up. Zell kicked up with his right leg, totally missing the pad on the left side, then brought his heel down forcefully on the top of the pad. "Axe kick. Very effective for breaking noses. Oh, and before we start, you might want to take off your glasses . . ."
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
"Tired yet?" Lanced called to Zephyr from behind the pad.
"No! Stop asking me that!" Zephyr launched a fierce hook-uppercut-axe kick combo on the pad. She had gotten a lot farther than Zell had expected she would, and she already had strength and determination behind her blows. She stepped back a few paces and stopped for a minute. She was breathing heavily, her face was pale, and Lance could see that she was on the point of exhaustion.
"Hey, Zephyr, don't ya want to stop?" Zell asked cautiously.
"No! I'm fine. I want to get this last combo you taught me down. What was it again?"
"Jab-cross-spinning sidekick. Stop it! You're overexerting yourself. If you keep this up, you won't be able to come back tomorrow."
Zephyr sighed. She was starting to feel tired. "I guess you're right."
Lance put down the pad. "Finally! It's about time someone talked some sense into you. Now c'mon, you'd better get something to drink. You look like hell."
"Oh, I feel so much better. Thank you very much," Zephyr retorted. She started to walk towards the large cooler of water that always seemed to be in supply is Zell's training room. But she hadn't gotten more than three steps before her legs collapsed. Lance's long legs carried him the short distance between them easily, and he caught her before she hit the ground. He scooped her up unceremoniously in his arms and carried her to the cooler of water.
"Let me down! I can walk by myself! I'm fine! Let go of me!" Zephyr protested even as she grabbed hold of his neck from fear that he would drop her. But Lance wasn't having any of it. She was so exhausted she could hardly protest, and a little squirming didn't bother him all that much. He set her down gently on a folding chair near the water cooler, and got her a drink.
He handed her a Styrofoam cup almost full of water. She took it from him and drank it all in one gulp. She couldn't bring herself to meet Lance's eyes. He saw a slight flush rise in her cheeks.
"You taking the test day after next?" Lance asked her to try and get her to look at him. He was disappointed. All she did was nod without raising her eyes. Zell was watching the whole scene play out in a corner, half hidden behind a punching bag.
"You?"
"Yep." There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a couple seconds. "You better get back and get some rest. You need to be in top physical condition for the test. We have no idea how hard it's gonna be." Again, the silence. (Maybe she's just not the talkative sort . . . It would be a pity.)
"Sorry." Zephyr's voice was barely more than a whisper. "I was an ass. If I'm going to become a SeeD, part of a team of SeeD's, I need to learn how to work together better. And how to accept help . . ." Her gray-blue eyes flicked up to meet his green ones momentarily.
"You need some help getting back to the dorms?"
"Nah, I'm fine. See, I can walk again." Zephyr stood up and walked to the door. "See ya later!" She walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.
After Zell was sure she was well out of earshot, he walked over to Lance and nudged him in the ribs. "A little shameless flirting, eh?"
Lance flushed and hurriedly denied it. "No, don't be an idiot." He smiled wryly and tried to inject a little humor into his situation. "But it would have been fun to. She's a real looker. Did you see her ass?"
"Yeah, whatever. You're getting as bad as Kinneas."
"Hey! That's mean. And rude. Speaking of Kinneas . . . I know you've got your heart set on Selphie . . . so I'll tell you. I heard earlier this morning that Selphie and Irvine are no longer SephieandIrvine." He laughed when Zell punched him playfully.
"Yeah, I wish."
Author's Note: There ya have it! Chapter 2! Okay, so it was a little longer than the first. So shoot me! Actually, don't shoot me, cuz then you'll never know what happens! MWAHAHAHAHA! And nobody else out there knows what's going on in my head.
Knight-of-Valhalla (a very good friend of mine): Too right. Don't even try to go there. DAY: Hey, that's insulting! KOV: But it's true! DAY: I guess so . . . But what about the time you . . . KOV: Don't even go there! DAY: Yes, sir.
Okay, now I'm babbling on for no good reason. I guess that's what I get for losing three hours of sleep last night. Oh well. Now, off to write Chapter 3! Don't forget to review! And feel free to put down any thoughts, feelings or ideas in your reviews. I like to know what my reader (/s when I get more, cuz I will, even if I have to beg, borrow and steal them) are thinking. Okie, I'll shut up now. Buh-bye!
Chapter 2 - Danger in Galbadia
"Hey Squall!" Selphie had just burst into Squall's office. It was four days after Zephyr Masters had come, and only two before the SeeD test. "Hey Squall! Have you seen what's been on the news?!" She flipped on his TV before he could say a word and pulled up a chair.
"Selphie . . . I deserve an explanation!"
"Listen, and you'll get one."
The news anchor was talking about the latest story, but not in the drone that usually signified the newscasters, but he actually seemed excited, and scared, by what was going on. A red banner across the top of screen was scrolling, 'Galbadia Latest.' Squall heard the anchor start again. "The latest is in! We have just had reports that the revived army of Galbadia is splitting their forces. It is speculated that they are going to try and take over Timber and Dollet in one fell swoop. The towns have next to no defense, seeing as there has been relative peace, on a large scale, ever since the Sorceress War. Where these troops are coming from, we do not know. But it has been rumored that they are being led by a genuine Sorceress. There is no evidence to support these . . ." The voice stopped as Squall turned off the TV.
"Good."
"Good? Squall, are you crazy?! There's a war in the making going on out there, and you say it's a good thing?!"
"Selphie, face the facts. We're SeeD's. We make a living out of killing. A war means more jobs, and more SeeD's in business, and more money coming into Garden. A war is good for us, no matter how I dislike the fact."
"But . . . but people are dying!"
"People die every day. We can't stop it. We have to live."
"How can you be so cold-hearted? We have to find a way to stop it!"
Squall sighed and tried to figure out a way to calm down Selphie. "Remember our SeeD test? It was at the very beginning of a war, the Sorceress War, to be exact. This will provide a perfect mission for our new SeeD candidates. Depending on how many SeeD's they want, because we will get a call, I can assure you, we put 1-2 SeeD's in a group with 1-2 candidates, we have 8 this time, right? Then everything will work out fine. Don't worry Selphie. Peace can't last forever, you know."
"Yeah, I guess so. Anyhow, I have to go. Me and Irvine and Quistis are doing a demonstration for new students on some of the finer points of long- range weapons handling. See ya later!" She left the office with more spring in her step, and more like the happy, perky Selphie that they all knew and loved.
(I really hope she can get past this phobia of war. I'm going to be relying on the old crew for most of this. Ah, who am I kidding? She'll be fine.) He turned back to his desk and finished the paper on top of the rapidly decreasing stack in front of him. (Only about 10 more, thank God.)
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
A six-foot-tall young man with short, blonde hair dressed in a gray trench coat sat in a plush chair in his office. He looked the same as he had four years ago. His Hyperion model gunblade was hanging at an easy height to reach on the wall opposite him, but he wasn't so stupid as to go around unarmed. He had gained some semblance of skill with a pistol.
He pressed a button on his videocom, and the blank screen flashed and came alive. He pressed a number of different buttons quickly, and a head showed on the screen. It was the head of a young woman with tawny brown hair streaked with blonde. Her face was hidden in the shadows. The man sighed slightly as he looked at her. He wished she could come back . . .
"Commander Almasy?" The young woman's voice came through a scrambler, but it didn't bother Seifer in the least. If that was how he had to talk to her, that was how he would do it. "How go the plans? It's getting humongous publicity over here."
"Good, good. That's what we want. The more publicity over there, the better for us. And the more SeeD's that get hired out from Balamb Garden." Seifer chuckled evilly. "Have you managed to penetrate them yet?"
"Of course not! I haven't had much time. I have to gain their trust first. Why would they trust me, a newcomer? Give me a little time, Commander. I'm starting to win over the Headmaster, and a few Instructors as well. Most of the students ignore me, though."
A slow smile spread over Seifer's face. "Winning over Squall? God, you must be playing the part really well. Either that, or he's just gotten soft. Knowing you, probably both. And please, how many times have I told you, my name is Seifer. Don't call me Commander unless other people are around."
"Yes sir, Seifer, sir," came the brunette's savvy reply.
"Oh, and one more thing . . ." Seifer stopped the woman before she turned off her videocom. "Any chance that there's a SeeD test coming up soon? It would be great to have a SeeD in the ranks."
"As a matter of fact, there is. Two days time. You timed this just perfectly, you know. A call will probably be coming in in the next day or so. That's somewhere probably between 24 and 18 hours. The perfect time to strategize and plan a counter with the rookies. You can be sure that I'll be there."
"And you'll pass."
"I think so. Leonheart and Kinneas have both said that I have potential, and I'm supposed to be starting self-defense, karate, so on and so forth with Dincht this after noon. I should be fine."
"That wasn't a question. That was an order." Seifer's tone was stern.
"I will do my utmost to follow your order, sir. But one can't be too overconfident. I believe that was your problem." She flashed Seifer a wry smile.
" . . . Whatever . . ." But despite the fact that Seifer was trying to make it look and sound like he didn't care, he had started to blush. He was embarrassed by the fact that he had never passed the SeeD test, and he tried not to show it to his underlings.
"Whatever yourself. I have to go now. I have a bunch of studying to do if you want me to pass that test."
"You already took the written part." Seifer was confused. Why did she want to stop talking to him?
"Well, I guess you caught me on that one . . . Actually . . . I have to go help that Leonheart woman with some things, then I get to meet Instructor Dincht, a.k.a. 'Chickenwuss.' "
"Don't get caught," Seifer cautioned.
"Don't worry. Have I gotten caught yet?"
"There's a first time for everything, don't forget that."
"Yes sir." Seifer's videocom went dead. (Damn that woman. If she keeps acting like that, she's going to get caught!) The thought filled Seifer's heart with dread. She was the only woman he had ever found equal to himself. And not only on the battlefield. He had taught her the rudiments of using the Hyperion, and she, in turn had shown him how to use a pistol. He thoughts turned from their experiences together on the battlefield to their experiences together . . . elsewhere . . . He shook his head as he tried not to turn down that train of thought.
He stood up suddenly, walked over to the wall and punched it as hard as he could. He needed to hit something. He wasn't bothered as little bits of plaster rained down on him. He collapsed against the wall, letting his forehead bang against it. He felt so helpless! And whose idiotic idea was it to send her off by herself, anyway? He started sinking to the floor as the door opened. A man in a blue and silver uniform peeked in.
"Are you okay, Commander?"
"No, I am not fucking okay! But there's nothing anyone can do about it! So just leave me alone!" He shouted at the unlucky soldier who was just concerned about his Commander's safety. The soldier quickly left, knowing that a delay might cut his pay for that month. He left Seifer alone in that room with his regret and sorrow.
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
"Bring it on! I can take you any day, short man!" Lance was taunting Zell, hoping to provoke him into a 'training' fight. It was easy enough to use the techniques against a immobile bag full of sand, but he was bored and needed a challenge. And what better way than to rile up the emotionally overcharged Zell?
"Feeling better?" Lance just raised his eyebrows. "Okay, stupid question. Have you given her a black eye yet?" Zell dropped into his fighting stance.
"Nah, but I'm not going to let it bother me anymore. The way I see it, I'm going to be testing for SeeD the day after tomorrow, and she's still going to be stuck as a student. Her and Laura both. So they're the ones that are losing out."
"That's my man. Now why don't we have a little sparring match?"
"You're on! C'mon Zell, bring it on!" Lance dropped into a defensive stance, waiting for Zell to make the first move, carefully scanning his stance for a weakness. They looked quite the mismatched pair. Lance had a 6" height advantage over Zell's 5' 6", making him an even 6'. He also had about 30 pounds more in his favor too. But Zell was smaller and could get under his lower defense easier, and was a little faster on his feet.
Zell dodged in now, hoping to strike a reverse punch to Lance's solar plexus, but Lance knocked it away by sweeping his arm perpendicular to the floor at chest level (a/n middle block), and countered with an uppercut to Zell's jaw . . . just as there was a knock on the door. The knock distracted Zell, and Lance's punch landed.
"Holy shit, Lance!" Zell exclaimed as he staggered away. "You definitely pack a punch!"
"Ha, ha," Lance laughed sarcastically. "Don't you think you'd better answer the door?"
The person on the other side of the door knocked more urgently, and a female voice called through the door. "Hello? Instructor Dincht? Are you in there?"
"Yeah!" Zell yelled in return. "Come on in, the door's open." He was rubbing his jaw, where a red area was quickly coming up. Lance saw it and tried not to laugh.
"Uh . . . sorry about that, Instructor."
" . . . Whatever . . ."
The door opened and Zephyr Masters walked in. She set her books on the floor next to the door and took in the scene. "Instructor?" she asked, not quite sure which of the two young men was her Instructor. She thought it was the short, blonde one, but he was the one with the rapidly rising bruise on his jaw. Aren't the Instructors supposed to be the experts?
"That'll be me," the short, blonde one replied. She had been right. "Sorry about the, uh . . . mess in here right now."
Zephyr scanned the room to see sand bags of all different sizes around the edges of a large circle, drawn with duct tape of all things, in the center of the room.
"Me and Lance here," Zell motioned to Lance, "were having a little sparring match before you came in."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
"No harm done," the irrepressible Instructor continued. "Headmaster told me you were coming, and I sort of . . . well . . . forgot." He extended a hand as Zephyr walked towards the ring. "I'm Instructor Dincht, but you can call me Zell if we're in a small class like this." He winked at Zephyr. "Lucky you, you get to be in a class all by yourself. Headmaster says that even though you're just starting he think you'll be able to pick it up quickly, so you get to come here during Study Hall and whenever you've got the time, or want to drop by."
Zephyr entered the ring slowly, as if unsure whether she was violating some sort of rule or not. "Please to meet you, Instr . . . uh, Zell. My name is Zephyr Masters." She took his hand and shook it.
Lance came in closer and offered Zephyr his hand. "Lance Summerton. You'll probably be seeing a bunch of me if you come round here often."
Zephyr flashed him a smile as she shook his hand. "I hope to get to know you better. I'm new here, and I don't have any friends as of yet."
"First time for everything, eh?" Lance returned her smile.
"Yeah, yeah, that's enough you two. We need to get started if Zephyr . . . you don't mind me calling you Zephyr, do you?"
"Of course not! I prefer it that way."
"Okay, good. Like I was saying, if Zephyr's gonna be as good as Squall thinks she can be, then we're gonna have to get our asses in gear teaching her, right Lance?"
Zell walked over to his desk and disappeared under it. He returned with a small pad. He tossed it to Lance, who had to step away to catch it. Zell walked over to Zephyr.
"Right, the first thing I'm gonna teach you is proper fighting stance. You right handed or left?"
"Okay. Put your left foot forward and stand sideways on." She did so. "Put your left hand up about chin level and keep your right hand at your waist. Bend your knees a little." He curled the fingers of her left hand into a fist. "Keep your hands like that. If you don't, you may get some fingers broken. That's not cool. I know from experience." Lance chuckled from behind his pad. "Shut up, you! You've broken fingers before too."
" . . . Whatever . . ."
Zell sighed and turned his attention back to Zephyr. "Now I'm gonna show you the techniques I want you to have down before you leave today." Zell stood in his fighting stance in front of the pad. He punched the pad with his left hand, then his right with simple punches. "That's a jab-cross combo. A good basic move." He switched his feet so that his right foot was in front. He stepped with his left foot behind his right, then kicked out straight with his right. "That's a step behind sidekick. The most effective move when you're in danger of being rushed is a step behind sidekick to the knee. Hit it right, and that guy's knee is shattered, or dislocated, at the very least." He switched his feet back to his normal fighting stance. He punched the pad again with his right hand, but Zephyr noticed that the formation of his hand was slightly different. His thumb was bent on top of his fist, making a very lethal looking point. "That's a vertical punch. Get someone at the part where the ribs join, and that's one hell of a punch. Last one now." Then he muttered something to Lance, who turned the pad so that it was facing up. Zell kicked up with his right leg, totally missing the pad on the left side, then brought his heel down forcefully on the top of the pad. "Axe kick. Very effective for breaking noses. Oh, and before we start, you might want to take off your glasses . . ."
/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/*-*/
"Tired yet?" Lanced called to Zephyr from behind the pad.
"No! Stop asking me that!" Zephyr launched a fierce hook-uppercut-axe kick combo on the pad. She had gotten a lot farther than Zell had expected she would, and she already had strength and determination behind her blows. She stepped back a few paces and stopped for a minute. She was breathing heavily, her face was pale, and Lance could see that she was on the point of exhaustion.
"Hey, Zephyr, don't ya want to stop?" Zell asked cautiously.
"No! I'm fine. I want to get this last combo you taught me down. What was it again?"
"Jab-cross-spinning sidekick. Stop it! You're overexerting yourself. If you keep this up, you won't be able to come back tomorrow."
Zephyr sighed. She was starting to feel tired. "I guess you're right."
Lance put down the pad. "Finally! It's about time someone talked some sense into you. Now c'mon, you'd better get something to drink. You look like hell."
"Oh, I feel so much better. Thank you very much," Zephyr retorted. She started to walk towards the large cooler of water that always seemed to be in supply is Zell's training room. But she hadn't gotten more than three steps before her legs collapsed. Lance's long legs carried him the short distance between them easily, and he caught her before she hit the ground. He scooped her up unceremoniously in his arms and carried her to the cooler of water.
"Let me down! I can walk by myself! I'm fine! Let go of me!" Zephyr protested even as she grabbed hold of his neck from fear that he would drop her. But Lance wasn't having any of it. She was so exhausted she could hardly protest, and a little squirming didn't bother him all that much. He set her down gently on a folding chair near the water cooler, and got her a drink.
He handed her a Styrofoam cup almost full of water. She took it from him and drank it all in one gulp. She couldn't bring herself to meet Lance's eyes. He saw a slight flush rise in her cheeks.
"You taking the test day after next?" Lance asked her to try and get her to look at him. He was disappointed. All she did was nod without raising her eyes. Zell was watching the whole scene play out in a corner, half hidden behind a punching bag.
"You?"
"Yep." There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a couple seconds. "You better get back and get some rest. You need to be in top physical condition for the test. We have no idea how hard it's gonna be." Again, the silence. (Maybe she's just not the talkative sort . . . It would be a pity.)
"Sorry." Zephyr's voice was barely more than a whisper. "I was an ass. If I'm going to become a SeeD, part of a team of SeeD's, I need to learn how to work together better. And how to accept help . . ." Her gray-blue eyes flicked up to meet his green ones momentarily.
"You need some help getting back to the dorms?"
"Nah, I'm fine. See, I can walk again." Zephyr stood up and walked to the door. "See ya later!" She walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.
After Zell was sure she was well out of earshot, he walked over to Lance and nudged him in the ribs. "A little shameless flirting, eh?"
Lance flushed and hurriedly denied it. "No, don't be an idiot." He smiled wryly and tried to inject a little humor into his situation. "But it would have been fun to. She's a real looker. Did you see her ass?"
"Yeah, whatever. You're getting as bad as Kinneas."
"Hey! That's mean. And rude. Speaking of Kinneas . . . I know you've got your heart set on Selphie . . . so I'll tell you. I heard earlier this morning that Selphie and Irvine are no longer SephieandIrvine." He laughed when Zell punched him playfully.
"Yeah, I wish."
Author's Note: There ya have it! Chapter 2! Okay, so it was a little longer than the first. So shoot me! Actually, don't shoot me, cuz then you'll never know what happens! MWAHAHAHAHA! And nobody else out there knows what's going on in my head.
Knight-of-Valhalla (a very good friend of mine): Too right. Don't even try to go there. DAY: Hey, that's insulting! KOV: But it's true! DAY: I guess so . . . But what about the time you . . . KOV: Don't even go there! DAY: Yes, sir.
Okay, now I'm babbling on for no good reason. I guess that's what I get for losing three hours of sleep last night. Oh well. Now, off to write Chapter 3! Don't forget to review! And feel free to put down any thoughts, feelings or ideas in your reviews. I like to know what my reader (/s when I get more, cuz I will, even if I have to beg, borrow and steal them) are thinking. Okie, I'll shut up now. Buh-bye!