Chapter 2-The Meeting
Squall woke early the next morning so he decided to go for a run before breakfast. He got up, dressed in a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a grey hoody, collected his gunblade and left.
Although he was only going for a run, Squall knew better than to leave Garden without a weapon; many unarmed students had been savaged by monsters whilst out on the Alcould Plains.
Squall did not meet many obstacles as he ran through the cold forest near the Fire Cavern. This was probably because it was so early none of the monsters were awake yet. He met his first real challenge as he jogged past a small rocky outcrop near the outskirts of the forest. It seemed he had stumbled across a t-rexaur's nest. The beast was still asleep so he crept past it and continued on his way.
After a few more minutes Squall stopped in a clearing to rest and leant against the trunk of a large oak tree. This annoyed a couple of red bats that were roosting in a small cave-like hollow underneath the tree's immense roots. The startled creatures took to the air, screeching and trying to fly at Squall. They swooped low over his head but when they did Squall slashed out at them quickly. The bats were no more than a nuisance to him.
Squall was just about to turn home when there was a loud crashing sound behind him and the t-rexaur he had passed earlier came charging through the trees. It let loose an ear-splitting roar and launched itself at Squall, who quickly dodged to the side and out of range of its tail. He suddenly noticed how much bigger it looked now it was standing up.
By the time the beast was ready to attack again Squall had drawn his gunblade and was in a position where he could quickly move out of its way in any direction. T-rexaurs were amongst Squall's least favourite monsters and ranked fairly high on his 'Pain in the Backside' list; at the front a huge mouth containing hundreds of dagger-like teeth, at the back a long whip-like tail which could kill an adult with one blow.
When the beast next attacked, Squall was ready for it. It lowered its head and charged. Squall waited until the last minute to make his move. He jumped into the air and pushing off the top of its head with his feet, vaulted right over it. As soon as he landed he spun round and attacked the t-rexaur from behind, aiming to disable the tail. Just as he was about to deliver the blow that would sever the tail completely, it flicked its tail around and hit him in his left shoulder. Squall abandoned his attack as he felt blood seeping from the wounded area; the tails of t-rexaurs had extremely sharp edges. The wound stung but Squall didn't think it was serious and it certainly didn't stop him from fighting, it just made him angry. Squall's anger was a dangerous thing as the monster was about to find out.
Squall could feel the blood coursing through his veins. He could hear it in his ears. His grip tightened on his gunblade and he felt a sudden surge of energy as Lionheart began to glow brightly. He ran at the t-rexaur and began slashing at every part of it he could get at. The beast tried to turn and run but Squall leapt on its back. It turned its head snapping at Squall as it ran, but it couldn't quite reach him. It took its eyes off the path in front of it for too long and crashed headlong into a tree, hurling Squall high into the air to land in a bush many metres away.
Squall was dizzy from his fall but his strict training told him to get back up again. He scrambled out of the bush clumsily and began to search for his foe. He found the t-rexaur lying on the floor between two trees, struggling to get up. It was a sad sight, the most powerful predator for thousands of years unable to stand. It seemed it had come off worse in the collision, its leg was bleeding heavily and the bone was sticking out. Squall couldn't leave it like this; it would be torn apart by scavengers. He shifted his gunblade into an overhand grip and brought it back above his head. The creature moaned softly as if it knew what was coming and closed its eyes. In one swift moment Squall stabbed Lionheart down into the back of its head, killing it instantly.
Squall turned around and, sheathing his gunblade started to run back to Garden.
It was 8:00 by the time Squall got back to Garden. He headed straight to the cafeteria for breakfast, not bothering to change. He queued up for cereal and toast then found an empty table in a corner. He had just finished his toast and was about to start on the toast when Rinoa sat down opposite him.
"Hi," she said, "Where were you, I looked all over the place?" She sounded worried and pleased to see him at the same time.
"Morning," Squall said, "I just got back – I went for a run."
"You could have told me before you went."
"I didn't think you'd like to be woken up at 5:00am." Squall replied.
"You were up that early?" Rinoa was shocked – she usually found it hard enough to get up in time for classes. Today she just happened to be up early.
"We're not all so fond of a warm bed, you know Rinoa." Squall said this because he knew it would annoy her – she hated to be called lazy.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Rinoa asked, a touch of threat in her voice.
"Nothing," Squall said quickly, "I just mean you're not used to getting up as early as us."
"Yeah right, it's not my fault I like sleep." Rinoa said defensively.
Squall thought this was a bit of an understatement. Rinoa was late for nearly every lesson but she'd get used to Garden's timetable after a while. He decided to change the subject before they ended up in an argument.
"So, how did med go yesterday?" He asked.
"OK." Rinoa said with a sigh.
"It doesn't sound like it was OK." Squall prompted her to carry on.
"It's just so much easier with magic." She said, "I know I have to learn what to do in case I run out of magic, but I haven't had the chance to use any at all.
"Just talk to Doctor Kadowaki about it." Squall suggested.
"I don't know, it seems like a lot of people are reluctant to let me use magic." Rinoa sounded sad as she said this.
"Well that's something that'll have to be discussed when Cid gets here." Squall comforted, "Come here."
Rinoa got up and went to Squall's open arms, bringing her feet up and snuggling down in his embrace. She loved just being close to Squall, she loved his smell and the warmth of his body. Squall stroked the top of her head with his free hand and leant down to kiss her on the forehead. He knew things were tough for her just lately – everyone had now found out that she was a sorceress and many people were less than comfortable with it. Some people avoided her, some were in different and many pitied her. Rinoa did not want to be feared or pitied, she just wanted to lead a normal life. It was hard to live like this for a person who was so lively and always in the middle of things.
Eventually, to Rinoa's disappointment Squall shifted and got up. Rinoa made a small noise of protest.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I need to go get a shower." He answered, "Do you want to come to my dorm for a bit?"
Rinoa was taken aback by Squall's invitation but she nodded and got up. Squall grabbed her hand as she came nearer and they made their way back to his dorm.
When they got there Squall took out his key card and swiped it through the reader on the door. He pushed the door open and the two of them stepped inside. Rinoa had very rarely been in Squall's room before – only once or twice when they had returned to Garden after escaping from the D-District prison. This was a topic that no one talked about, not wanting to remind Squall of his ordeal. Apart from that there was only one other thing no one discussed around Squall.
Everyone knew that Squall had had a rough time when they had defeated Ultemecia and gone through time compression. Squall had almost been forgotten because everyone had more important things to think about than him. He had been transported to a barren landscape completely empty of life. Not knowing where he was he had just walked hoping to find some way back home. He had walked until he couldn't walk any more and collapsed hopelessly. Images flashed before his eyes mostly containing Rinoa, although there were some strange things that he didn't really understand. If it wasn't for the hints Kiros and Ward had been dropping he still wouldn't understand now.
Squall had seen Laguna Loire standing in a meadow in the starlight. He had been with a woman who Squall recognised from the dream state he had entered many times as a result of Elone's power. The woman was Raine, Squall had seen her when he had witnessed Elone's childhood. Laguna had put a ring on her finger in the vision. Squall had guessed by then that Laguna was his father so Raine must have been his mother. Squall was confused and he felt strange knowing who his parents were.
The visions Squall had seen of Rinoa had all been painful. In every one she was walking towards him but whenever she got near the vision would rewind and she would again be far away from him. The last vision had been of Rinoa floating in space but Squall couldn't get to her. He was still trying to figure out what was going on and wondering if he had finally lost his sanity when suddenly the image changed. The glass in Rinoa's helmet shattered abruptly causing a single tear to roll down Squall's cheek. He couldn't remember ever crying in his life before that moment and the emotion was almost frightening to him.
Squall gave up hope of ever getting out of the prison-like place and the last of his strength left him.
Rinoa found him. She had remembered him unlike the others and stepped into the world he was trapped in to search for him. She found him in an awful state – he appeared to be dead but somehow they had both made it home alright. Rinoa didn't know how but they were transported to the flower field behind the orphanage and Squall's seemingly lifeless body had stirred, a ragged breath shaking his chest. Rinoa had never been so happy in her whole life.
Squall showered and changed into a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. He had time to kill so he sat down on the edge of his bed and was soon deep in thought. Rinoa lay down on the bed and rested her head on his lap while he stroked her hair. They stayed like this for an hour discussing their problems and planning what to say to Cid.
It was 11:15 and the five SeeDs and Rinoa were gathered in the third floor office and were growing impatient. Trust Cid to be late for the only meeting in a month. Squall was trying to control his temper but wasn't really succeeding. He was pacing up and down, throwing an icy glare at the office door every now and then. Zell was performing his usual little shadow boxing routine in a corner, Selphie and Irvine were chatting in another, Rinoa was watching Squall's pacing and Quistis was sitting in one of the many chairs around the large desk in the middle of the room. The chairs were positioned in this way so that no one felt inferior - Squall thought it would seem arrogant to be seated behind the desk with Cid in one of the visitors' chairs, like he had already taken over the Garden.
The lift beeped and everyone stopped what they were doing. The door to the office opened and there was Cid. He looked different somehow, older and more like a normal person. He'd lost the headmaster type presence he used to have. Usually when he walked into a room he received a certain respect, he still did but the SeeDs thought of him differently now. Cid smiled at them nervously when none of them said anything or showed any signs of welcome. They realised they had been rude and all rushed to greet him. All six of them saluted then went to talk to him one at a time, enquiring about his trip and asking whether he was in good health.
When all the socialising was over with everyone sat down around the table. Squall was the first to speak.
"You know why we asked you to come Sir? To discuss Balamb Garden's management." He asked.
"Yes, of course" Cid said, "Let's get down to business.
"Well, first of all we'd all like to know whether or not you are still in charge." Squall said. The nods from his friends showed that this was what they all wanted to know.
"Yes I am but I don't plan to be for much longer. If I can find someone to take over I will quit right away."
"Have you any idea who that someone is going to be?" Squall asked.
"Well if you agree I would like it to be you Squall." Cid had an expactant smile on his face.
Cid's answer left Squall shocked; it was such a big responsibility. The old frown returned to Squall's face. Many people would jump at the chance to be the ruler of the most powerful military academy in the world but if he accepted it, all of the years Squall had spent training in order to become a SeeD would have been for nothing. Squall wasn't willing to give up his life as a mercenary for a boring desk job.
"No." Squall answered. The smile faded from Cid's face.
"No? Why not?" He asked, confused.
"Because I want to be out in the field not doing a desk job. I was willing to be the Commander because I still did a job that had something to do with battle but I draw the line there." Squall explained.
"But I can't think of anyone else suitable for the job, everyone here is busy."
"My answer is no." Squall was firm this time; he wasn't going to let Cid talk him in to this.
There was an uneasy silence in the room while everybody thought of the available options. Quistis broke the silence.
"What if Squall could stay in his position as Commander and someone else could take care of the administrative side of things?" Quistis' idea was clever but there was one problem.
"Who could fil that post?" Cid asked, "We might have a hard time finding someone for the job."
"I was thinking I could do it." Quistis said quietly, "I'm not too busy with my teaching."
"Hmmm...If you two feel comfortable with it...I think that it's a good idea" Cid said.
Squall nodded his approval.
"It's settled then. Squall you will remain in your position as Balamb Garden's Military Commander and Quistis shall be in charge of recruiting new cadets and handling calls from clients. Umm we'll have to think up a title for you." Cid added with a grin on his face.
Both Quistis and Squall shook hands with Cid who stood up to leave.
"Sir, do you need to leave now or would you like to stay the night? We have some spare dorm rooms available." Squall offered.
"Yes, why not? It is not urgent that I return home." Cid said, "I shall take you up on your offer." He decided.
"I'll show you to your room." Squall said.
"Thank you. Now we'll be able to arrange things properly before I leave."
Everyone left the office.
A/N: I'd like to thank the 2 people who reveiwed my first chapter.
Moogle-mog-mistress: Thanks for the encouragement and for reassuring me that I am not poo at writing. (Thanks Faye)
Dragons Fly2: How'd you like the 2nd chapter.
Please continue to review.
Squall woke early the next morning so he decided to go for a run before breakfast. He got up, dressed in a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a grey hoody, collected his gunblade and left.
Although he was only going for a run, Squall knew better than to leave Garden without a weapon; many unarmed students had been savaged by monsters whilst out on the Alcould Plains.
Squall did not meet many obstacles as he ran through the cold forest near the Fire Cavern. This was probably because it was so early none of the monsters were awake yet. He met his first real challenge as he jogged past a small rocky outcrop near the outskirts of the forest. It seemed he had stumbled across a t-rexaur's nest. The beast was still asleep so he crept past it and continued on his way.
After a few more minutes Squall stopped in a clearing to rest and leant against the trunk of a large oak tree. This annoyed a couple of red bats that were roosting in a small cave-like hollow underneath the tree's immense roots. The startled creatures took to the air, screeching and trying to fly at Squall. They swooped low over his head but when they did Squall slashed out at them quickly. The bats were no more than a nuisance to him.
Squall was just about to turn home when there was a loud crashing sound behind him and the t-rexaur he had passed earlier came charging through the trees. It let loose an ear-splitting roar and launched itself at Squall, who quickly dodged to the side and out of range of its tail. He suddenly noticed how much bigger it looked now it was standing up.
By the time the beast was ready to attack again Squall had drawn his gunblade and was in a position where he could quickly move out of its way in any direction. T-rexaurs were amongst Squall's least favourite monsters and ranked fairly high on his 'Pain in the Backside' list; at the front a huge mouth containing hundreds of dagger-like teeth, at the back a long whip-like tail which could kill an adult with one blow.
When the beast next attacked, Squall was ready for it. It lowered its head and charged. Squall waited until the last minute to make his move. He jumped into the air and pushing off the top of its head with his feet, vaulted right over it. As soon as he landed he spun round and attacked the t-rexaur from behind, aiming to disable the tail. Just as he was about to deliver the blow that would sever the tail completely, it flicked its tail around and hit him in his left shoulder. Squall abandoned his attack as he felt blood seeping from the wounded area; the tails of t-rexaurs had extremely sharp edges. The wound stung but Squall didn't think it was serious and it certainly didn't stop him from fighting, it just made him angry. Squall's anger was a dangerous thing as the monster was about to find out.
Squall could feel the blood coursing through his veins. He could hear it in his ears. His grip tightened on his gunblade and he felt a sudden surge of energy as Lionheart began to glow brightly. He ran at the t-rexaur and began slashing at every part of it he could get at. The beast tried to turn and run but Squall leapt on its back. It turned its head snapping at Squall as it ran, but it couldn't quite reach him. It took its eyes off the path in front of it for too long and crashed headlong into a tree, hurling Squall high into the air to land in a bush many metres away.
Squall was dizzy from his fall but his strict training told him to get back up again. He scrambled out of the bush clumsily and began to search for his foe. He found the t-rexaur lying on the floor between two trees, struggling to get up. It was a sad sight, the most powerful predator for thousands of years unable to stand. It seemed it had come off worse in the collision, its leg was bleeding heavily and the bone was sticking out. Squall couldn't leave it like this; it would be torn apart by scavengers. He shifted his gunblade into an overhand grip and brought it back above his head. The creature moaned softly as if it knew what was coming and closed its eyes. In one swift moment Squall stabbed Lionheart down into the back of its head, killing it instantly.
Squall turned around and, sheathing his gunblade started to run back to Garden.
It was 8:00 by the time Squall got back to Garden. He headed straight to the cafeteria for breakfast, not bothering to change. He queued up for cereal and toast then found an empty table in a corner. He had just finished his toast and was about to start on the toast when Rinoa sat down opposite him.
"Hi," she said, "Where were you, I looked all over the place?" She sounded worried and pleased to see him at the same time.
"Morning," Squall said, "I just got back – I went for a run."
"You could have told me before you went."
"I didn't think you'd like to be woken up at 5:00am." Squall replied.
"You were up that early?" Rinoa was shocked – she usually found it hard enough to get up in time for classes. Today she just happened to be up early.
"We're not all so fond of a warm bed, you know Rinoa." Squall said this because he knew it would annoy her – she hated to be called lazy.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Rinoa asked, a touch of threat in her voice.
"Nothing," Squall said quickly, "I just mean you're not used to getting up as early as us."
"Yeah right, it's not my fault I like sleep." Rinoa said defensively.
Squall thought this was a bit of an understatement. Rinoa was late for nearly every lesson but she'd get used to Garden's timetable after a while. He decided to change the subject before they ended up in an argument.
"So, how did med go yesterday?" He asked.
"OK." Rinoa said with a sigh.
"It doesn't sound like it was OK." Squall prompted her to carry on.
"It's just so much easier with magic." She said, "I know I have to learn what to do in case I run out of magic, but I haven't had the chance to use any at all.
"Just talk to Doctor Kadowaki about it." Squall suggested.
"I don't know, it seems like a lot of people are reluctant to let me use magic." Rinoa sounded sad as she said this.
"Well that's something that'll have to be discussed when Cid gets here." Squall comforted, "Come here."
Rinoa got up and went to Squall's open arms, bringing her feet up and snuggling down in his embrace. She loved just being close to Squall, she loved his smell and the warmth of his body. Squall stroked the top of her head with his free hand and leant down to kiss her on the forehead. He knew things were tough for her just lately – everyone had now found out that she was a sorceress and many people were less than comfortable with it. Some people avoided her, some were in different and many pitied her. Rinoa did not want to be feared or pitied, she just wanted to lead a normal life. It was hard to live like this for a person who was so lively and always in the middle of things.
Eventually, to Rinoa's disappointment Squall shifted and got up. Rinoa made a small noise of protest.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I need to go get a shower." He answered, "Do you want to come to my dorm for a bit?"
Rinoa was taken aback by Squall's invitation but she nodded and got up. Squall grabbed her hand as she came nearer and they made their way back to his dorm.
When they got there Squall took out his key card and swiped it through the reader on the door. He pushed the door open and the two of them stepped inside. Rinoa had very rarely been in Squall's room before – only once or twice when they had returned to Garden after escaping from the D-District prison. This was a topic that no one talked about, not wanting to remind Squall of his ordeal. Apart from that there was only one other thing no one discussed around Squall.
Everyone knew that Squall had had a rough time when they had defeated Ultemecia and gone through time compression. Squall had almost been forgotten because everyone had more important things to think about than him. He had been transported to a barren landscape completely empty of life. Not knowing where he was he had just walked hoping to find some way back home. He had walked until he couldn't walk any more and collapsed hopelessly. Images flashed before his eyes mostly containing Rinoa, although there were some strange things that he didn't really understand. If it wasn't for the hints Kiros and Ward had been dropping he still wouldn't understand now.
Squall had seen Laguna Loire standing in a meadow in the starlight. He had been with a woman who Squall recognised from the dream state he had entered many times as a result of Elone's power. The woman was Raine, Squall had seen her when he had witnessed Elone's childhood. Laguna had put a ring on her finger in the vision. Squall had guessed by then that Laguna was his father so Raine must have been his mother. Squall was confused and he felt strange knowing who his parents were.
The visions Squall had seen of Rinoa had all been painful. In every one she was walking towards him but whenever she got near the vision would rewind and she would again be far away from him. The last vision had been of Rinoa floating in space but Squall couldn't get to her. He was still trying to figure out what was going on and wondering if he had finally lost his sanity when suddenly the image changed. The glass in Rinoa's helmet shattered abruptly causing a single tear to roll down Squall's cheek. He couldn't remember ever crying in his life before that moment and the emotion was almost frightening to him.
Squall gave up hope of ever getting out of the prison-like place and the last of his strength left him.
Rinoa found him. She had remembered him unlike the others and stepped into the world he was trapped in to search for him. She found him in an awful state – he appeared to be dead but somehow they had both made it home alright. Rinoa didn't know how but they were transported to the flower field behind the orphanage and Squall's seemingly lifeless body had stirred, a ragged breath shaking his chest. Rinoa had never been so happy in her whole life.
Squall showered and changed into a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. He had time to kill so he sat down on the edge of his bed and was soon deep in thought. Rinoa lay down on the bed and rested her head on his lap while he stroked her hair. They stayed like this for an hour discussing their problems and planning what to say to Cid.
It was 11:15 and the five SeeDs and Rinoa were gathered in the third floor office and were growing impatient. Trust Cid to be late for the only meeting in a month. Squall was trying to control his temper but wasn't really succeeding. He was pacing up and down, throwing an icy glare at the office door every now and then. Zell was performing his usual little shadow boxing routine in a corner, Selphie and Irvine were chatting in another, Rinoa was watching Squall's pacing and Quistis was sitting in one of the many chairs around the large desk in the middle of the room. The chairs were positioned in this way so that no one felt inferior - Squall thought it would seem arrogant to be seated behind the desk with Cid in one of the visitors' chairs, like he had already taken over the Garden.
The lift beeped and everyone stopped what they were doing. The door to the office opened and there was Cid. He looked different somehow, older and more like a normal person. He'd lost the headmaster type presence he used to have. Usually when he walked into a room he received a certain respect, he still did but the SeeDs thought of him differently now. Cid smiled at them nervously when none of them said anything or showed any signs of welcome. They realised they had been rude and all rushed to greet him. All six of them saluted then went to talk to him one at a time, enquiring about his trip and asking whether he was in good health.
When all the socialising was over with everyone sat down around the table. Squall was the first to speak.
"You know why we asked you to come Sir? To discuss Balamb Garden's management." He asked.
"Yes, of course" Cid said, "Let's get down to business.
"Well, first of all we'd all like to know whether or not you are still in charge." Squall said. The nods from his friends showed that this was what they all wanted to know.
"Yes I am but I don't plan to be for much longer. If I can find someone to take over I will quit right away."
"Have you any idea who that someone is going to be?" Squall asked.
"Well if you agree I would like it to be you Squall." Cid had an expactant smile on his face.
Cid's answer left Squall shocked; it was such a big responsibility. The old frown returned to Squall's face. Many people would jump at the chance to be the ruler of the most powerful military academy in the world but if he accepted it, all of the years Squall had spent training in order to become a SeeD would have been for nothing. Squall wasn't willing to give up his life as a mercenary for a boring desk job.
"No." Squall answered. The smile faded from Cid's face.
"No? Why not?" He asked, confused.
"Because I want to be out in the field not doing a desk job. I was willing to be the Commander because I still did a job that had something to do with battle but I draw the line there." Squall explained.
"But I can't think of anyone else suitable for the job, everyone here is busy."
"My answer is no." Squall was firm this time; he wasn't going to let Cid talk him in to this.
There was an uneasy silence in the room while everybody thought of the available options. Quistis broke the silence.
"What if Squall could stay in his position as Commander and someone else could take care of the administrative side of things?" Quistis' idea was clever but there was one problem.
"Who could fil that post?" Cid asked, "We might have a hard time finding someone for the job."
"I was thinking I could do it." Quistis said quietly, "I'm not too busy with my teaching."
"Hmmm...If you two feel comfortable with it...I think that it's a good idea" Cid said.
Squall nodded his approval.
"It's settled then. Squall you will remain in your position as Balamb Garden's Military Commander and Quistis shall be in charge of recruiting new cadets and handling calls from clients. Umm we'll have to think up a title for you." Cid added with a grin on his face.
Both Quistis and Squall shook hands with Cid who stood up to leave.
"Sir, do you need to leave now or would you like to stay the night? We have some spare dorm rooms available." Squall offered.
"Yes, why not? It is not urgent that I return home." Cid said, "I shall take you up on your offer." He decided.
"I'll show you to your room." Squall said.
"Thank you. Now we'll be able to arrange things properly before I leave."
Everyone left the office.
A/N: I'd like to thank the 2 people who reveiwed my first chapter.
Moogle-mog-mistress: Thanks for the encouragement and for reassuring me that I am not poo at writing. (Thanks Faye)
Dragons Fly2: How'd you like the 2nd chapter.
Please continue to review.