Chapter 6
Disclaimer: Me no own, no matter what me say. Personal thanks at the end of the chapter! Also, sorry for the lack of updates for awhile, I've been a bad authoress (
Rinoa squinted her eyes tightly against the large amount of sunlight that assaulted her eyes, allowed her chocolate-coloured pupils to contract and adjust to the invading light. She held up one hand to visor her eyes from the sun, and gazed at the plains of Centra that stretched out before her. Although the Garden had the capability to send out students whilst it was parking in a forest, it was decided that they should stop on the plains, so that it would have optimum visibility to those who might find themselves lost.
She heard a soft click at her right elbow, and she turned her head slightly to glance at Irvine through her peripheral vision. He had taken the safety off of his rifle, and was not gazing at the plains with a hardened look in his eyes. He was tired of this, Rinoa knew. They all were. Not one of them had asked to play heroes for the world the first time, and they weren't so anxious to sling themselves into that role a second.
At that moment, Rinoa felt an almost overwhelming feeling of déjà vu sweep through her, knocking out her hearing for a brief instant in time. Ever since that fateful day when she had received her sorceress powers from Edea, Rinoa had trusted each and every one of her feelings, none of them ever leading her wrong once. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the southern continent and hoped that no one else noticed her discomfort.
None had, as it were, for they were all pre-occupied with their own inner dialogue, each of them reluctant to take a single step outside. Squall, ever the fearless leader, was still mulling over the bouquet of flowers, not seriously worried about a flare that perhaps some kid had popped off thinking they were funny. Neither Nida nor Xu had heard anything about recent student deaths inside the Garden, and as a critical Virgo mind, he had to puzzle over it. Squall himself didn't care much for horoscopes and tried not to think using description as such, but Rinoa was fascinated with them and would read his to him everyday, whether he wanted her to or not.
Irvine stood quietly, watching as some of the more eager students ran out of the Garden past them, brandishing their weapons with a relish for imminent violence and -for the lucky few- the sweet taste of victory. The once empty plains were now filled with people running around in pandemonium like kids on Easter trying to find the hidden eggs. It deeply disturbed him somehow: somewhere deep within his subconscious memory crying out at the irony of it all.
He just brushed the feeling aside and grinned lazily. Maybe there would be a pretty lady somewhere in need of rescuing.maybe even his precious Selphie might get in a jam. Irvine loved playing hero.
Zell was fidgeting nervously, bouncing in place on the balls of his feet, wanting to get out and in the action so as not to be standing around anxiously anymore. He began to throw imaginary punches in the area, getting himself warmed up for whatever beasties might be lying in wait for him on the plains. He checked his junctioning too, making sure that he was equipped optimally and could cure himself should the need arise.
Selphie twirled her nunchaku around in a bored fashion, wanting like Zell to get out into some action. It had been awhile since Selphie had participated in a real battle, what with planning social activities for the Garden all the time. She patted the upside of one of her curls, a subconscious gesture that she wasn't aware of in her state of suspended interest.
Quistis looked grimly about the plains, watching as many of her students yelled challenges and threats to each other, as well as many illegally betting on who would obtain whatever made the flash of light first. She closed her ice-blue eyes for a moment, then opened them again and watched her pupils as though she were just watching them for the first time. Although she and many others taught in the classroom, Quistis knew that the real education began out here.
"So when are we going to fight already?" Zell asked in a slightly whining voice, breaking the silence that had seemed to descend upon the small group of comrades. Selphie visibly perked up at the idea, a small, barely concealed smile flirting with her lips.
Rinoa picked up on the small smile that Squall was also trying to hide, and chuckled to herself. No matter what anyone said, she and everyone else who had been there knew that Squall had changed for the better from the Second Sorceress War. "Yeah, let's go!" She giggled, and then charged off to the plain, her early trepidation about this event forgotten.
Quistis shared a smile with Selphie before she took off to catch up with Rinoa. Zell and Irvine took off as well, hoping to beat the two females at their own game. She turned her attention to Squall, who was apprehending her with a questioning gaze. "C'mon, just for this once, act like a kid again." With that she reached over and grabbed Squall's arm, pulling him out into the daylight.
At first he resisted, but then Quistis was surprised when she let go of Squall and he ran on his own, matching his stride with hers, a wild grin upon his face. It seemed that for this one glimmer of time, he had given in to reckless abandon.
Squall glanced ahead and saw the backs of their four companions, and nodded to them so that Quistis could see. "I'll race you." He immediately put on a burst of speed, not waiting for an answer from his old teacher.
Not to be outdone, Quistis upped her own pace, although it was too little compared to the head start that Squall had taken, and he beat her as they reached their comrades, falling into a slower pace beside them and gasping for breath. They all laughed and continued onward, the whole gang in perfect harmony once again for an all-too-brief moment in time.
Some students paused in their steps to give the heroic group a moment's reflection, some stopped altogether and stared whilst the rest merely glanced at them and nodded silently to themselves. It was as it once were: the whole gang, fighting again against some other form of the darkness. But there was a noticeable feeling of unease as they watched the group, a chill snaking it's way up their spines as they somehow knew this darkness was different; something that lay beyond Ultimecia and Time Compression and made them seem as inconsequential as the imaginary monster under the bed. No, this was something worse. Far worse.
By this time the gathering of heroes had reached the shade of the closest forest across the plains, worn out yet exhilarated from their run and more than a few of them doubled over in order to catch their breaths. There was a smile upon everyone's faces though, and as soon as they slowed their collective breathing to a more normal pace, they slunk slowly into the forest, most of them making ready their respective weapons.
The forest closed in around them, blocking out most of the sun's rays through the overhanging foliage of the trees. The air smelled sweetly of fresh, untrodden earth, and Rinoa inhaled deeply, silently rejoicing in the newness of this place and hoping to imprint the memory on her brain. As fate would have it, she would remember this day until she drew her last breath.
The bubbly brunette was still on an artificial high from her run and she was quickly losing it, the feeling exiting her body rapidly as the lack of monsters or anything else to fight was starting to irritate her. Selphie wanted to see if she still could take down some bad-ass creatures with just a swing of her nunchaku.
Suddenly, there was a crackling sound of some branches being broken not far ahead of them. Squall motioned for silence, and the group around and behind him obeyed, everyone clutching their weapons tighter. Adrenaline rushed through her brains, and they started to hear everything in sharper focus: the birds chirping the tree, the distant laughter and cat-calls of the students still wandering behind them and almost all of them could pick out the three separate pairs of footsteps approaching them.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion -as things do whenever one looks back on dangerous situations- and when Seifer, Fuijin and Rajin jumped out of the undergrowth, there were six sets of weapons cocked and ready to blow, chop or slice them to pieces.
At first confusion flashed upon the trio's faces, but it was quickly remedied. Fujin was the fastest of the three and had her pinwheel ready and cocked, her single eye gazing at the group defiantly. She wouldn't go down without a fight. Seifer was next, followed closely by Rajin, the gunblade and enormous staff out in a flash and ready to do battle.
"What do you want Seifer?" Squall hissed through his teeth, twisting his fists slightly on the hilt of his gunblade. He moving his right foot backward slightly, making ready to charge if the blonde man decided that this wasn't a conflict that could be solved with words.
Seifer grinned, showing his alignment of perfect teeth. "Probably the same thing you want, Commander," Seifer sneered the last word, the utter distain for Squall's newest title clearly visible upon his face. "But the difference between us would be that my little group will probably find it first."
"Oh yeah!?" Zell cried, his right fist extended and shaking with pent up rage for the man who had made a mockery of SeeDs everywhere.
Squall shot an irritated look at Zell, who quickly clamped his mouth shut, although he still trembled in anger. He then coolly turned his gaze on his childhood rival, assessing the man and his two companions as one would look over a racehorse that they were considering betting upon. "Alright Seifer, I'll take you up on your challenge. Whoever finds the cause of the flare first, wins."
A huge grin split the former man's face, and Squall saw out of the corner of his eyes Rajin and Fujin clench all the more tighter on their weapons, their lips pulled into a tight smile that didn't reach their eyes. The members of Squall's team, however, grinned all the more openly, not very subtly twirling their assorted weapons and showing off their prowess.
"It's on Leonhart." Seifer grinned, amused that he would at least have some fun despite the fact that he wasn't one hundred percent sober at the moment. "C'mon guys, we have a challenge to win."
With that, Seifer ambled off into the forest once more, Fujin and Rajin tailing after him and shooting nervous glances back at the team assembled. Their footsteps could be heard as they crashed noisily through the undergrowth, making enough racket that everything in the immediate area could hear.
"Well," Quistis commented dryly, "that was interesting."
~*~*~*~ A/N: Yay! I could actually come up with something after so long of nothing! *Applauds self. Anyway, just a personal shout out to all that reviewed the last chapter that was posted:
Kali Randone: Great, I'm glad to see that it inspired you! ^_^ Hope you come back and check up on it from time to time!
FantasyTrepie14: Thank you! ^_^
Divine Sorceress: Yeah, updating would be the only problem with this story.well, the lack of updates, anyway. Glad you're sticking with it, and just remember: I know where you live ^_^ Wait, but you know where I live too..o_o
Disclaimer: Me no own, no matter what me say. Personal thanks at the end of the chapter! Also, sorry for the lack of updates for awhile, I've been a bad authoress (
Rinoa squinted her eyes tightly against the large amount of sunlight that assaulted her eyes, allowed her chocolate-coloured pupils to contract and adjust to the invading light. She held up one hand to visor her eyes from the sun, and gazed at the plains of Centra that stretched out before her. Although the Garden had the capability to send out students whilst it was parking in a forest, it was decided that they should stop on the plains, so that it would have optimum visibility to those who might find themselves lost.
She heard a soft click at her right elbow, and she turned her head slightly to glance at Irvine through her peripheral vision. He had taken the safety off of his rifle, and was not gazing at the plains with a hardened look in his eyes. He was tired of this, Rinoa knew. They all were. Not one of them had asked to play heroes for the world the first time, and they weren't so anxious to sling themselves into that role a second.
At that moment, Rinoa felt an almost overwhelming feeling of déjà vu sweep through her, knocking out her hearing for a brief instant in time. Ever since that fateful day when she had received her sorceress powers from Edea, Rinoa had trusted each and every one of her feelings, none of them ever leading her wrong once. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the southern continent and hoped that no one else noticed her discomfort.
None had, as it were, for they were all pre-occupied with their own inner dialogue, each of them reluctant to take a single step outside. Squall, ever the fearless leader, was still mulling over the bouquet of flowers, not seriously worried about a flare that perhaps some kid had popped off thinking they were funny. Neither Nida nor Xu had heard anything about recent student deaths inside the Garden, and as a critical Virgo mind, he had to puzzle over it. Squall himself didn't care much for horoscopes and tried not to think using description as such, but Rinoa was fascinated with them and would read his to him everyday, whether he wanted her to or not.
Irvine stood quietly, watching as some of the more eager students ran out of the Garden past them, brandishing their weapons with a relish for imminent violence and -for the lucky few- the sweet taste of victory. The once empty plains were now filled with people running around in pandemonium like kids on Easter trying to find the hidden eggs. It deeply disturbed him somehow: somewhere deep within his subconscious memory crying out at the irony of it all.
He just brushed the feeling aside and grinned lazily. Maybe there would be a pretty lady somewhere in need of rescuing.maybe even his precious Selphie might get in a jam. Irvine loved playing hero.
Zell was fidgeting nervously, bouncing in place on the balls of his feet, wanting to get out and in the action so as not to be standing around anxiously anymore. He began to throw imaginary punches in the area, getting himself warmed up for whatever beasties might be lying in wait for him on the plains. He checked his junctioning too, making sure that he was equipped optimally and could cure himself should the need arise.
Selphie twirled her nunchaku around in a bored fashion, wanting like Zell to get out into some action. It had been awhile since Selphie had participated in a real battle, what with planning social activities for the Garden all the time. She patted the upside of one of her curls, a subconscious gesture that she wasn't aware of in her state of suspended interest.
Quistis looked grimly about the plains, watching as many of her students yelled challenges and threats to each other, as well as many illegally betting on who would obtain whatever made the flash of light first. She closed her ice-blue eyes for a moment, then opened them again and watched her pupils as though she were just watching them for the first time. Although she and many others taught in the classroom, Quistis knew that the real education began out here.
"So when are we going to fight already?" Zell asked in a slightly whining voice, breaking the silence that had seemed to descend upon the small group of comrades. Selphie visibly perked up at the idea, a small, barely concealed smile flirting with her lips.
Rinoa picked up on the small smile that Squall was also trying to hide, and chuckled to herself. No matter what anyone said, she and everyone else who had been there knew that Squall had changed for the better from the Second Sorceress War. "Yeah, let's go!" She giggled, and then charged off to the plain, her early trepidation about this event forgotten.
Quistis shared a smile with Selphie before she took off to catch up with Rinoa. Zell and Irvine took off as well, hoping to beat the two females at their own game. She turned her attention to Squall, who was apprehending her with a questioning gaze. "C'mon, just for this once, act like a kid again." With that she reached over and grabbed Squall's arm, pulling him out into the daylight.
At first he resisted, but then Quistis was surprised when she let go of Squall and he ran on his own, matching his stride with hers, a wild grin upon his face. It seemed that for this one glimmer of time, he had given in to reckless abandon.
Squall glanced ahead and saw the backs of their four companions, and nodded to them so that Quistis could see. "I'll race you." He immediately put on a burst of speed, not waiting for an answer from his old teacher.
Not to be outdone, Quistis upped her own pace, although it was too little compared to the head start that Squall had taken, and he beat her as they reached their comrades, falling into a slower pace beside them and gasping for breath. They all laughed and continued onward, the whole gang in perfect harmony once again for an all-too-brief moment in time.
Some students paused in their steps to give the heroic group a moment's reflection, some stopped altogether and stared whilst the rest merely glanced at them and nodded silently to themselves. It was as it once were: the whole gang, fighting again against some other form of the darkness. But there was a noticeable feeling of unease as they watched the group, a chill snaking it's way up their spines as they somehow knew this darkness was different; something that lay beyond Ultimecia and Time Compression and made them seem as inconsequential as the imaginary monster under the bed. No, this was something worse. Far worse.
By this time the gathering of heroes had reached the shade of the closest forest across the plains, worn out yet exhilarated from their run and more than a few of them doubled over in order to catch their breaths. There was a smile upon everyone's faces though, and as soon as they slowed their collective breathing to a more normal pace, they slunk slowly into the forest, most of them making ready their respective weapons.
The forest closed in around them, blocking out most of the sun's rays through the overhanging foliage of the trees. The air smelled sweetly of fresh, untrodden earth, and Rinoa inhaled deeply, silently rejoicing in the newness of this place and hoping to imprint the memory on her brain. As fate would have it, she would remember this day until she drew her last breath.
The bubbly brunette was still on an artificial high from her run and she was quickly losing it, the feeling exiting her body rapidly as the lack of monsters or anything else to fight was starting to irritate her. Selphie wanted to see if she still could take down some bad-ass creatures with just a swing of her nunchaku.
Suddenly, there was a crackling sound of some branches being broken not far ahead of them. Squall motioned for silence, and the group around and behind him obeyed, everyone clutching their weapons tighter. Adrenaline rushed through her brains, and they started to hear everything in sharper focus: the birds chirping the tree, the distant laughter and cat-calls of the students still wandering behind them and almost all of them could pick out the three separate pairs of footsteps approaching them.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion -as things do whenever one looks back on dangerous situations- and when Seifer, Fuijin and Rajin jumped out of the undergrowth, there were six sets of weapons cocked and ready to blow, chop or slice them to pieces.
At first confusion flashed upon the trio's faces, but it was quickly remedied. Fujin was the fastest of the three and had her pinwheel ready and cocked, her single eye gazing at the group defiantly. She wouldn't go down without a fight. Seifer was next, followed closely by Rajin, the gunblade and enormous staff out in a flash and ready to do battle.
"What do you want Seifer?" Squall hissed through his teeth, twisting his fists slightly on the hilt of his gunblade. He moving his right foot backward slightly, making ready to charge if the blonde man decided that this wasn't a conflict that could be solved with words.
Seifer grinned, showing his alignment of perfect teeth. "Probably the same thing you want, Commander," Seifer sneered the last word, the utter distain for Squall's newest title clearly visible upon his face. "But the difference between us would be that my little group will probably find it first."
"Oh yeah!?" Zell cried, his right fist extended and shaking with pent up rage for the man who had made a mockery of SeeDs everywhere.
Squall shot an irritated look at Zell, who quickly clamped his mouth shut, although he still trembled in anger. He then coolly turned his gaze on his childhood rival, assessing the man and his two companions as one would look over a racehorse that they were considering betting upon. "Alright Seifer, I'll take you up on your challenge. Whoever finds the cause of the flare first, wins."
A huge grin split the former man's face, and Squall saw out of the corner of his eyes Rajin and Fujin clench all the more tighter on their weapons, their lips pulled into a tight smile that didn't reach their eyes. The members of Squall's team, however, grinned all the more openly, not very subtly twirling their assorted weapons and showing off their prowess.
"It's on Leonhart." Seifer grinned, amused that he would at least have some fun despite the fact that he wasn't one hundred percent sober at the moment. "C'mon guys, we have a challenge to win."
With that, Seifer ambled off into the forest once more, Fujin and Rajin tailing after him and shooting nervous glances back at the team assembled. Their footsteps could be heard as they crashed noisily through the undergrowth, making enough racket that everything in the immediate area could hear.
"Well," Quistis commented dryly, "that was interesting."
~*~*~*~ A/N: Yay! I could actually come up with something after so long of nothing! *Applauds self. Anyway, just a personal shout out to all that reviewed the last chapter that was posted:
Kali Randone: Great, I'm glad to see that it inspired you! ^_^ Hope you come back and check up on it from time to time!
FantasyTrepie14: Thank you! ^_^
Divine Sorceress: Yeah, updating would be the only problem with this story.well, the lack of updates, anyway. Glad you're sticking with it, and just remember: I know where you live ^_^ Wait, but you know where I live too..o_o