Disclaimer: Squall and his little buddies all belong to Squaresoft
Chapter 2 D-day
She looked quite out of place; her bright yellow dress wasn't exactly inconspicuous for three o'clock in the morning in the silent city. The streets of Esthar were littered with vagrants, poking through trash and looking up at the cheerful brunette threateningly. Selphie was walking in the shadows, like Squall had told the Ground Unit to, but was just as hidden from view as was the neon sign above the stores she was walking towards.
Selphie was hoping to find a dark alley or stoop to rest by, not wanting to attract attention by checking into a hotel. She finally found what she was looking for, and plopped down onto the ground, leaning her back against the wall of what looked like a pet store.
Reaching into her brown suede bag, Selphie sorted through her items for lack of anything better to do. Her bag was cluttered with potions and such, along with her nunchakus and a picture of Irvine.
She smiled as she took out the picture. Though she couldn't see very well in the dark alley, she could imagine his face in the picture. He had on his funny little smirk and was tipping his hat to the camera.
"Irvy…" whispered Selphie with a wide smile on her face. Her sweet thoughts were interrupted when she heard a garbage can tip in the darkest corner of the alley. With a speed which surprised even herself, Selphie jumped into a defensive position, her nunchakus in hand.
"Hey there," she said, trying to sound friendly, trying to lure out whatever had made the sound. "Come on now, I won't hurt you…" she lied. She would break the kneecaps of the first thing she saw.
That was her plan, simple but effective, until she felt the barrel of a gun against her neck. The attacker cocked the gun, the tiny click reverberating loudly in the cramped space.
"Phooie," she said, dropping her nunchakus and raising her hands above her head. "What do you want?"
The attacker pressed the gun more harshly to her neck. "That purse looks quite expensive, may I ask what you have in it?" came the deep, gruff voice of the assailant as he edged towards Selphie's purse.
Taking the risk that the man was now vulnerable to an attack, Selphie spun, wrenching the attackers arm. The man fired once at Selphie, missing, before she kicked him in the gut. Selphie reached for the gun, but another assailant grabbed Selphie from behind, pinning her against the pet store wall.
"No fair…" she mumbled as the attacker rammed her against the wall hard, not only winding her, but breaking a rib. Selphie groaned in pain as the other man turned her around and punched her sensitive ribs, breaking another, and released her. The injured girl slid to the ground, in too much pain to notice that she had fallen into a pile of garbage. As she lay, the other man kicked her in her face. "Damn bitch," he grunted, before turning and walking away. The second assailant picked up her purse, sifting through it.
"What's this? Looks like you're in SeeD...hehe, maybe this'll get the cops off my case..." the man wondered aloud, hoping to further anger the young SeeD, but he spoke to deaf ears, as Selphie had already gone unconscious from the pain.
* * *
"Hey, Selphie, that's your name, right? Okay Selphie, I think we are going to need to have a little talk," came a gentle, if not impatient voice. The girl opened her eyes, groggy with sleep and tears. Focusing, she looked up at an unfamiliar man staring down at her.
"You're…Esthar soldier," realized Selphie, heart sinking. 'Darn, they caught me,' she thought, wishing someone would knock her unconscious again.
"Yes," came a second voice, which sounded less than lenient with the girl. "Come on, the advisor wanted to waste no time."
"Advisor? Wait, what does the advisor want with me?" she asked, though she already knew the unpleasant answer.
The soldier that had been impolite with Selphie earlier replied, "You know why. Hell, SeeD knows all about interrogations, don't they?"
Selphie decided that to lie would be the best course of action at the moment. "Ummm, oh yeah! Geez, I'm so sorry. I'm on vacation, just went on a mission, the commander decided to give me a week off, and, well, I guess I couldn't find a hotel, so I went into the alleyway, and then I got mugged..."
"Yes, well, don't tell us, tell the advisor," interrupted the nicer soldier, afraid that if he didn't interrupt her she would never stop talking. He picked her up, no longer being patient and gentle, and shoved her ahead. "Get walking."
Rinoa looked at the huge group, the Ground Unit, most looking back at the girl nervously, who could only offer them a courageous smile.
'How am I courageous?' she thought. 'All I have to do is sit around and connect Squall to whoever he wants to talk to on the phone lines.' She felt guilty, even though Squall made a good point, that she should remain safe because she was what Loire wanted.
"Okay, you guys. Just a quick briefing of the events that will be coming." Rinoa looked up from the paper she was reading from to see if the SeeDs were still paying attention to her, or if they were too lost in their own thoughts to care about what she was saying. She continued, "Today, we will be invading Esthar, but the attack will be low key, just to remind Esthar that we are the dominant force in this conflict. There is to be a minimal amount of...casualties."
Rinoa hated to think of the deaths of the SeeDs, the death of her friends, the death of Squall...
"Anyways, you guys will be serving as a distraction for the commander and his squad to go in and take the president as hostage. According to a predictions, the whole operation should take no longer than thirty minutes," she read, looking back up at the all but confident faces.
"Don't worry," she added, hoping to make the tension lessen. "This is nothing. You are SeeD, right? Go get 'em!" she finished, expecting a loud, sure chant, but getting only a small grunt, if anything at all.
Rinoa sighed and began to walk away, only to be tapped on the shoulder by Irvine. "Hello, there, how are you?" he asked, trying to make polite conversation.
"Eh," she said, trying to sound as though she wasn't worried. "I guess I'm worried about you guys."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. We killed a sorceress, they're hard to kill!" he joked.
"Hello there, do I look that difficult to take down?" Rinoa asked, playing along with his little joke.
"Well, there's that dog of yours...and your knight could kill with one of his evil glares..." he continued, chuckling.
Rinoa looked back at him, rolled her eyes, and informed him quite rudely that he had a battle to prepare for. She smiled. The small conversation had been enough to lift her spirits from her downcast mood. 'Maybe it will all be alright," she thought, though she couldn't shake the bad feeling she had about the attack.
* * *
Squall looked up from the looming stack of papers that seemed to have engulfed his now unrecognizable desk. The black standard-issue phone rang in its shrill tone, demanding to be answered.
"Hello," grunted Squall, as he looked over the paperwork that had the statistics of the Garden's current funds, and how much money the raid was eating up. 'Too much…' he thought, being jerked back to reality by a panicked voice on the other line.
"S-Sir! We have a slight, uh, problem!" stuttered what sounded like a young man. "Spit it out," instructed Squall, growing impatient of the young SeeDs reaction to what he figured was a minuscule difficulty.
"Commander Leonhart, I, I saw Tilmitt being taken away by an Esthar patrol. They kept addressing her as a SeeD. I think our cover's been blown!" he spat out so quickly, that it took a second or so for Squall to soak in all of the information. "Shit," he said, breathless. "Anything else you know?" he said, now a vulture for information. "No, Sir!" the young SeeD said.
Squall hung up without a formal good-bye, just a grunt and a heavy sigh. He got up, knowing that somebody had to tell Irvine. 'Maybe Rinoa…' he thought, trying desperately to get out breaking the news. 'She's good with that.'
There was no telling to how Irvine would take the news. He was a strange one. He would get very emotional, Squall knew that much, but what emotion the gunmen would feel, he had no idea. Him and Selphie had begun to get very serious. Irvine had stopped flirting with other girls like he used to, and people had seen them sneak into eachother's rooms past curfew.
Squall mentally criticized himself for being worried about the issue so much, for being so…soft. Selphie would not divulge any of the Garden's plans, she was quite stubborn. The attack would go on as planned. He would not worry about Irvine—how he coped was his business.
Squall rammed into Rinoa, who also seemed to be deep in thought, and both nearly fell. He put his hands on her waist to steady her; she was about to fall backwards, and her arms were flailing. "Whoa, thanks," she said, smiling, thankful for the support. Once she was steadied, the couple crouched down to pick up the reports she had been carrying at the time.
"Uhh, Rin, could I ask you for a favor?" ventured Squall, unsure of how Rinoa would feel at the news of her friend being captured. "Sure, what is it?" she asked, curiously. "Uhh, I need you to tell Irvine something."
Rinoa could tell that Squall was uncomfortable. He always got uncomfortable in sensitive situations. "What happened, hon?" she asked, trying to help Squall pull himself out his awkward state.
"Selphie was caught by Esthar police. I need you to tell Irvine, because, your better at it, or, whatever…" he trailed off, helping her up and brushing imaginary dust particles off of his pants. Rinoa was disappointed that he didn't have the courage, but ultimately agreed. 'Someday,' she thought wistfully, 'he'll be compassionate. He'll, smile a lot, and he'll maybe even cry… a little,' she added, hoping the day would come, though she really didn't see any of her hopes occurring anytime soon.
* * *
Irvine looked up from his shotgun to see Rinoa peering over him. He was cleaning the barrel, trying to pass time. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Hello, didn't I just see you?" he asked, wondering what caused her to return after only ten minutes. "What's up?" he asked innocently, turning back to his shotgun. "Okay, I'm just gonna tell you," she said, to unimaginative at the moment to continue with a casual conversation. Irvine looked up, slightly concerned at the dramatic change of tone. "Selphie was seen being taken into Esthar custody. They know she's SeeD. We don't know much else. Sorry," she finished, breathless and waiting for a response.
"Really?" he asked, slightly disbelieving. "They actually captured her," he continued. His face was pained, but he instantly turned carefully emotionless. "All the more reason to kick Estharian ass, right?"
'He's angry…' she thought, considering the other path he could have taken. 'It's better than being depressed. I just hope he isn't reckless…'
"It'll be all right," she said, not knowing how to respond to that comment. She absently pat his back and walked in the direction of Squall's office.
Selphie was dragged into the presidential building, to be questioned by some of the president's toughest interrogators. She already had it set in her mind. She would not say a word, perhaps opening her mouth every couple of minutes to say something extremely rude about Esthar or about her interrogators suit.
"Sit down," ordered one of the officers, who went over to the door to her right and, after a moments questioning by the doorman, stepped inside. The other officer stood near where she sat on the hard metal chair. "So, really, what is SeeD here for?" he asked casually, though Selphie could see that he was really eager for information.
"I'm tired," she stated simply, making it clear that she wasn't answering any questions.
"Listen, you gotta tell anyways, might as well tell me," the officer stated in his high, stringy voice.
"Do you have any water?" she asked irritably. She was about to take this guy out, handcuffs or not. She wriggled in her chair, trying to find the most comfortable position in the hard, plastic seat.
"Stop being a little…" the officer began, but he was interrupted by a voice on the radio. "Send her in," the voice said, and it sounded like it belonged to a middle aged man.
The officer looked at Selphie, his face twisted into disgust. "C'mon, SeeD scum."
Rinoa looked around the empty office that Squall had just occupied moments ago. "Hmm, wonder where he went?" she thought, closing the door and walking towards one of the massive windows in the hall. 'I hope we're all okay…'
Squall was in the infirmary with Dr. Kadowaki. "Squall, these are my best assistants. They can fight, if need be," the middle aged woman looked over the ten young men and women with pride. "I'll take your word for it, Dr." Squall said, looking over to the students. "You guys are prepared, for anything, right?"
The group nodded, if not hesitantly. This would be all of their first battles in which they would be medics.
"Good, meet with the Air unit at 1300 hours. That is about four hours away. Get some rest, but don't be late," he commanded, before leaving to go to his room. He had a space in his schedule, so he decided he would take a nap.
As he walked into his room, which had been neglected the past couple of days, he found Rinoa in the kitchen area, making something. Her she had her hair pulled back, and she was piling lunch meats and vegetables onto a slab of bread.
"Oh, Squall, hi, I made you a sandwich," she said as she saw him. She lifted the finished product up and onto a plate, which she gave to him.
"Thanks," he said, eating the for the first time in what seemed like centuries to him.
Rinoa sat down for a moment, but stood up with urgency. She washed her hands and began to clean his room, his curious eyes on her.
"What are you doing?" he chuckled, nearly choking on his sandwich. "What does it look like…keep eating, you'll need your strength,"
"Yeah, okay mom," he said sarcastically, piling another bite into his mouth. "What's up with you?"
"I'm just helping you out. It's disgusting, how you live, you know. So messy!"
"Well, I haven't had time!" he defended through a full mouth. "I'm busy…"
"Well, that's no excuse…" she replied, throwing some dirty shirts into a laundry basket he assumed was hers. He didn't own one. "Squall, how risky is this?" Rinoa asked, not wanting to seem too worried.
"There's no telling," he said calmly. His coolness made her feel better. If Squall was afraid, she got terrified.
"Okay, alright," she said. She wasn't used to not being there with him in battle. It was too much of a risk this time though.
"Want some?" Squall asked, lifting up the remnants of his sandwich for her to see. "I'm full." She took the last bite and popped it into her mouth while throwing a pair of dirty underwear on his head.
Selphie walked slowly into the room she was beckoned to. She noticed a cut on her leg that had dried blood on it. 'Ewww…' she thought as she sat down in the proffered seat. The other guard cuffed her to the back of the seat. She sat back, looking around for her interrogator.
"Hello, Selphie," came a voice from a dark corner behind a desk. The voice was smooth, not deep, but not high, either. It was cool, confident.
"Wait, you can't be…you bastard!" she said, just as calmly as she could. She thought about her odds of incapacitating him. 'Nope,' she thought. 'Won't work.'
"Is there something you want to tell me?" the voice asked patiently.
"Damn you," she whispered. "Your own son!"
"Yes, I have my reasons. But you have not answered me. Anything?"
"Go to hell…" she said, trailing off into her own thoughts. 'The nerve…'
"You have no reason not to tell me. You have already been captured, you've already failed. There is nothing more you can do."
Selphie looked down for a moment, but stubbornly refused to let him get her. "I guess your right…" she bluffed. "I'm a failure."
"Yes, you are, but we can help you here. You will find help here. We will rule the world," he said quietly but passionately.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, eager for the information. "Loire, I need to know if I'm going to tell you about SeeD…"
The shadowed man laughed, deeply and heartily for long moments. "Do you?" He stepped out of the shadow into a small light in the middle of the office.
"Oh…" Selphie gasped.
Irvine walked slowly towards the training center, looking down at his watch. 'One hour 'til we meet…" he though. 'Plenty of time.' He walked into the training center and was immediately attacked by a group of Grats. "Too easy!" he taunted, shooting at the groups forerunner. The monster immediately dropped, dead. He laughed and ran to the group shooting.
As he ran, a Grat swung at him, and he avoided the clumsy attack by skillfully skidding under the extremity and shooting the Grat with a behind the back shot. He continued on his killing spree until each was dead and he was surrounded by carcasses. Irvine was tired, and decided that his rage was spent. For now.
Irvine slung his gun over his shoulder and made his way to the meeting spot. He would be early, but he needed time to just sit around before battle. He stopped by a soda machine and bought a bottle of water with the small amount of gil he had on him, and made his way to the front of the Garden.
Squall put on his jacket and combed his fingers through his chestnut hair. He walked over to where Rinoa was and got her attention by clearing his throat.
"I'm going up to meet the Air unit," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek and beginning to walk away. "What, you still have 45 minutes?" she protested.
She grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back. "What kind of kiss was that?" she asked, pressing her mouth to his. She hugged his body against her own and slid her tongue into his mouth. Squall began to give in, but pushed her away. "I gotta go…I'll be late," he protested.
"Who cares…" she said, kissing a now unresisting commander. She grabbed the handle of the door he had left propped open and pushed it shut.
Ellone looked out of the window of her house in Winhill. The blue sky dotted with clouds was cushioned by the rolling green hills in the distance. She smiled and looked back down to the tea she was making.
"I'm so glad you're here, I just want to tell you…again," she said to the man sitting at her table. She stirred the boiling water and put the tea leaves in. "You need to take more vacations; its so nice here! You barely here about the rest of the world's problems."
"Relax, I've only been here a week. I'm not leaving anytime soon. I agree, it is nice," the man replied, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head.
"How is that, uhh, thing your writing?" she asked, not sure what it was. Ellone knew he had been writing in his little notepad day in and day out. She didn't quite know what it was.
"Oh, hehe, that's going well. It's a short story, by the way. I've never written anything like that before."
"Yeah, big branch off of what you usually do, isn't it?" she inquired, hoping to learn more about the short story.
"I guess. I just it goes over well with the newspaper's editor. That tea done yet?"
Yay! I updated! Finally! I'm so sorry to my four fans out there, I've been busy with school starting and writer's block. I'm sorry, I really have no excuse. I was torn between updating or not, but I have decided that I will finish this damn story for my own personal satisfaction…yay!
I hope you guys enjoy, though I know that this chapter is pretty uneventful, it will get better! (And I will start posting more often, maybe once every couple of weeks.) Please please please read and review! This is my first story, so any criticism is welcome!
Oh, and forgive me for sucking the past few minutes out of your life :D