--Chapter One--
She was running through the halls of Balamb Garden, her long skirt billowing in the movement. She had just gotten in from Esthar, where she had been visiting her father. Now she had to find the headmaster.
"Mr. Kramer!" she cried out, seeing him just getting in the elevator, "Cid!"
He held the door and let her get in the elevator with him. She stumbled up the stairs, always in a hurry for some reason or other. "Welcome back, Ellone. I trust you had a good time in Esthar?"
She brushed the hair from her face, and looked at Cid. He was a short, stalky man, not even as tall as she was, and wore old-fashioned steel-rimmed glasses. "Yeah, I had a great time in Esthar," she said to him, smiling, "Is my room still open?"
"Yes, of course it is," he laughed, "You rushed over to me to ask that?"
"Well." she hesitated, "Yes, and no. That was one of the things, but the other. Is Squall still here? I should like to talk to him."
"He, Selphie, and Zell are off on a mission for SeeD. Something or other in Galbadia. They should be back by the end of the week."
"Well," she said, smiling, "I guess I can wait that long." By now the elevator was already to Cid's office, and she had to ride it down again. Cid stepped off, and told her to have a good time at the Garden, and not to get in any trouble. She said she wouldn't and went back down to the main level again.
On the elevator ride, she was deep in thought, and almost forgot to get off before the doors closed. They lived in a dangerous world, and Squall, her half-brother, was in amazing danger, even now. The life of a SeeD was a perilous one, she thought, for it is the life of a soldier. But she had faith in Squall, she knew that he could make it through whatever he faced. She had seen him fight. The others, though. Zell, and Selphie, she wasn't too sure of them. Zell was too cocky, too sure of himself. And Selphie, she just wasn't fit to be a soldier. They were going to get themselves killed one of these days.
Now the door was closing, and she stuck her hand out to get it to stop. She walked out of the elevator, down the stairs, and looked at the Garden. This was her home, this glorified Battle Academy, and she was used to it. She walked around, watching the young men and women talk, play cards, or what have you, some of then not even 14 yet. It was a school, a home, an academy, to hundreds of people, from around the globe. All these children, some with no other home, that Headmaster Cid has taken in and given shelter, it was really a beautiful concept. And a beautiful building.
She was now walking trough the grayish hallway that led to the dorms. She had a large, second-level dorm, the same place that the SeeDs now stayed. Her dorm was in between Nida's and Selphie's, and across the hall from Squall and Rinoa's. It was a good, clean, room, but it was nothing compared to the lavish bedchambers where she had spent the last month, in the Esthar Presidential Palace. She would adjust back to these smaller quarters, in no time at all. It was her home, after all.
"Ellie?" came a female voice from the sitting area, just off the walkway to the dorms, "Ellie, you're back!"
Ellone turned just in time to see Rinoa running up to her, and she hugged her with a force that nearly knocked her over. "Good to see you again, Rinoa."
"I've had nothing to do for the last week. When Squall, Selphie and Zell left, I had no one even to talk to, except the two of them," she pointed a thumb back to the table where Quistis and Trepie #024 sat, "And that's no fun. I don't get along with Quistis, and that idiot going on about how wonderful she is is no help."
"Well," Ellone said with a smile, "I'm glad to be back, too. I was just heading up to my dorm, to unpack my things. Someone's already brought them up."
"Yeah, I saw this guy going by with three huge suitcases," Rinoa laughed, "Need some help unpacking?"
"Well, I do have a lot of clothes to get unpacked," she said, "Dad and his friends gave me even more than what I brought."
Rinoa laughed, and the two of them walked up the stairs to Ellone's dorm.
~~~---~~~---~~~
Being here, in what remained of the Timber Forests, brought Squall back to his first SeeD mission, and when he met the love of his life, Miss Rinoa Heartily. But now was not the time for reminiscence, now was the time
for concentration. Their mission was nearly over, working for another
Timber resistance factor, the Black Foxes, ambushing a Galbadian Supply Force, before they can get to Timber. The three of them had been waiting here for four hours, and Zell was getting bored. A bored Zell is not a good
thing.
"Man, how long are we gonna hafta wait for this G-Army?" he asked impatiently.
"Whoa, Zell! Calm down! Just sit tight, we'll be home in no time flat," said Selphie.
Squall sat up against a tree, in silence, his gunblade gripped tightly. Footsteps were heard coming up the road, the advance watch for the Galbadian Army's supply caravan, most likely. Four soldiers, garbed in blue uniforms, sub-machineguns in their hands, came into Zell's line of sight. He jumped at them before Squall could stop him, downed three of them with punches to the head or throat, but the last one was too quick for him. The gun caught him in with a line of bullets, in the gut. Squall and Selphie both jumped up, after their presence was made known, and Squall took the last one down, slicing his arm clean off, then firing into his face. He was gone and there was almost nothing left. Zell was on the ground, clutching at his wound.
Squall stood watch on the path while Selphie, the group medic, tended to Zell's wound. "Am I gonna make it, doc?" he said, and cracked a smile.
"If I've got anything to say about it, you do," she said, and ripped off a part of her blouse to use as a bandage.
"As if that blouse wasn't short enough already," he laughed, "Now I deserve a slap."
"You always deserve a slap, Zell," she said to him, "But you never get one. Why is that?"
"What can I say? The ladies love me."
"No, we don't," Selphie said, "We pity you. But nonetheless, I'm gonna try to save you." She bandaged his would and helped him up.
"Here they come," said Squall, and they were coming. A whole platoon of soldiers was guarding this, how were they going to ambush that? There were three of them, and one was wounded! He aimed his gunblade at them and began firing, picking some of the soldiers off where they stood. Then, when they got closer, he rushed in and started hacking away. Selphie finished with Zell, set him where he couldn't be easily spotted, and joined Squall in the fray.
Somehow the two of them managed to take out all the soldiers that they came up against, and none got by, or so they thought. They killed all the soldiers, and when Squall went back to the site to get the explosives, to destroy the truck, he found one last soldier, wounded, standing over Zell. Zell was bloody and more bullet-ridden than ever. Squall jumped on the G-Soldier and hacked him to pieces with his gunblade, but Zell was already gone.
He picked up the explosives, went back to Selphie, and the truck, and planted them in silence. "Squall?" she asked him, "How was Zell?"
"He's dead, Selphie. A soldier got by us and killed him. We were careless."
"Dead.Zell's dead.Oh, Hyne." she said, sullen, "Four years serving in SeeD with him, in the same squad, and now he's dead." a tear formed and ran down her cheek, "Zell! How could you be so damned careless!"
"Crying will do you no good, Selphie," Squall said, in his same, emotionless tone, "He's gone, and nothing can be done. I'm torn up about it, too. But we have a mission."
"You're right," she said, and held her head up, looking at Squall, "Let's finish this, so we can get home."
The two of them walked over to where Zell's body was, and Squall pressed the detonator he held in his hand. Down the road, the truck exploded. "Mission accomplished," he said, and picked up Zell's body, slung it over his shoulder, and started walking toward the Black Foxes' camp.
~~~---~~~---~~~
Kurozawa Toshiro, leader of the Black Foxes, met Squall and Selphie when they returned from the mission. He eyed Zell's body, and said "I'm sorry we've caused you this grief. We will give you another 500 gil, for the loss. It's just our way of compensating your friend for the ultimate sacrifice."
"Thank you, I guess, Colonel," said Selphie, looking away from his eyes. Colonel Kurozawa had dark, emotionless eyes. Like Squall's, when she had first met him. Squall's eyes had defrosted, though. The Colonel's were cold as ice.
He was a tall man, clean-cut black hair, well-built. He raised through the ranks of the Timber Army, before it had been disbanded, and commanded a militaristic group of Timber's citizens, many former police officers, soldiers, and the like. He didn't seem to know how to pay, though. He was only giving them 2000 gil for the job, and another 500 because Zell had died. Why the Headmaster had agreed to do this job, Squall would never know.
He took the gil from the Colonel, and got in the car that the three of them had rented. He set Zell's body on the back seat, and drove back to the train station.
~~~---~~~---~~~
Author's Note: I hope the lot of you enjoy this, it's my first attempt at fan-fiction. (I normally write original fiction) And I could use some help, figuring out what I've done wrong in this world of fan-fiction, or in the Final Fantasy 8 world, if I have made any mistakes. I look forward to your comments.
Chapter two will be done in no time at all.
Still looking for a title for this fic.Input is welcome!
-Weav
She was running through the halls of Balamb Garden, her long skirt billowing in the movement. She had just gotten in from Esthar, where she had been visiting her father. Now she had to find the headmaster.
"Mr. Kramer!" she cried out, seeing him just getting in the elevator, "Cid!"
He held the door and let her get in the elevator with him. She stumbled up the stairs, always in a hurry for some reason or other. "Welcome back, Ellone. I trust you had a good time in Esthar?"
She brushed the hair from her face, and looked at Cid. He was a short, stalky man, not even as tall as she was, and wore old-fashioned steel-rimmed glasses. "Yeah, I had a great time in Esthar," she said to him, smiling, "Is my room still open?"
"Yes, of course it is," he laughed, "You rushed over to me to ask that?"
"Well." she hesitated, "Yes, and no. That was one of the things, but the other. Is Squall still here? I should like to talk to him."
"He, Selphie, and Zell are off on a mission for SeeD. Something or other in Galbadia. They should be back by the end of the week."
"Well," she said, smiling, "I guess I can wait that long." By now the elevator was already to Cid's office, and she had to ride it down again. Cid stepped off, and told her to have a good time at the Garden, and not to get in any trouble. She said she wouldn't and went back down to the main level again.
On the elevator ride, she was deep in thought, and almost forgot to get off before the doors closed. They lived in a dangerous world, and Squall, her half-brother, was in amazing danger, even now. The life of a SeeD was a perilous one, she thought, for it is the life of a soldier. But she had faith in Squall, she knew that he could make it through whatever he faced. She had seen him fight. The others, though. Zell, and Selphie, she wasn't too sure of them. Zell was too cocky, too sure of himself. And Selphie, she just wasn't fit to be a soldier. They were going to get themselves killed one of these days.
Now the door was closing, and she stuck her hand out to get it to stop. She walked out of the elevator, down the stairs, and looked at the Garden. This was her home, this glorified Battle Academy, and she was used to it. She walked around, watching the young men and women talk, play cards, or what have you, some of then not even 14 yet. It was a school, a home, an academy, to hundreds of people, from around the globe. All these children, some with no other home, that Headmaster Cid has taken in and given shelter, it was really a beautiful concept. And a beautiful building.
She was now walking trough the grayish hallway that led to the dorms. She had a large, second-level dorm, the same place that the SeeDs now stayed. Her dorm was in between Nida's and Selphie's, and across the hall from Squall and Rinoa's. It was a good, clean, room, but it was nothing compared to the lavish bedchambers where she had spent the last month, in the Esthar Presidential Palace. She would adjust back to these smaller quarters, in no time at all. It was her home, after all.
"Ellie?" came a female voice from the sitting area, just off the walkway to the dorms, "Ellie, you're back!"
Ellone turned just in time to see Rinoa running up to her, and she hugged her with a force that nearly knocked her over. "Good to see you again, Rinoa."
"I've had nothing to do for the last week. When Squall, Selphie and Zell left, I had no one even to talk to, except the two of them," she pointed a thumb back to the table where Quistis and Trepie #024 sat, "And that's no fun. I don't get along with Quistis, and that idiot going on about how wonderful she is is no help."
"Well," Ellone said with a smile, "I'm glad to be back, too. I was just heading up to my dorm, to unpack my things. Someone's already brought them up."
"Yeah, I saw this guy going by with three huge suitcases," Rinoa laughed, "Need some help unpacking?"
"Well, I do have a lot of clothes to get unpacked," she said, "Dad and his friends gave me even more than what I brought."
Rinoa laughed, and the two of them walked up the stairs to Ellone's dorm.
~~~---~~~---~~~
Being here, in what remained of the Timber Forests, brought Squall back to his first SeeD mission, and when he met the love of his life, Miss Rinoa Heartily. But now was not the time for reminiscence, now was the time
for concentration. Their mission was nearly over, working for another
Timber resistance factor, the Black Foxes, ambushing a Galbadian Supply Force, before they can get to Timber. The three of them had been waiting here for four hours, and Zell was getting bored. A bored Zell is not a good
thing.
"Man, how long are we gonna hafta wait for this G-Army?" he asked impatiently.
"Whoa, Zell! Calm down! Just sit tight, we'll be home in no time flat," said Selphie.
Squall sat up against a tree, in silence, his gunblade gripped tightly. Footsteps were heard coming up the road, the advance watch for the Galbadian Army's supply caravan, most likely. Four soldiers, garbed in blue uniforms, sub-machineguns in their hands, came into Zell's line of sight. He jumped at them before Squall could stop him, downed three of them with punches to the head or throat, but the last one was too quick for him. The gun caught him in with a line of bullets, in the gut. Squall and Selphie both jumped up, after their presence was made known, and Squall took the last one down, slicing his arm clean off, then firing into his face. He was gone and there was almost nothing left. Zell was on the ground, clutching at his wound.
Squall stood watch on the path while Selphie, the group medic, tended to Zell's wound. "Am I gonna make it, doc?" he said, and cracked a smile.
"If I've got anything to say about it, you do," she said, and ripped off a part of her blouse to use as a bandage.
"As if that blouse wasn't short enough already," he laughed, "Now I deserve a slap."
"You always deserve a slap, Zell," she said to him, "But you never get one. Why is that?"
"What can I say? The ladies love me."
"No, we don't," Selphie said, "We pity you. But nonetheless, I'm gonna try to save you." She bandaged his would and helped him up.
"Here they come," said Squall, and they were coming. A whole platoon of soldiers was guarding this, how were they going to ambush that? There were three of them, and one was wounded! He aimed his gunblade at them and began firing, picking some of the soldiers off where they stood. Then, when they got closer, he rushed in and started hacking away. Selphie finished with Zell, set him where he couldn't be easily spotted, and joined Squall in the fray.
Somehow the two of them managed to take out all the soldiers that they came up against, and none got by, or so they thought. They killed all the soldiers, and when Squall went back to the site to get the explosives, to destroy the truck, he found one last soldier, wounded, standing over Zell. Zell was bloody and more bullet-ridden than ever. Squall jumped on the G-Soldier and hacked him to pieces with his gunblade, but Zell was already gone.
He picked up the explosives, went back to Selphie, and the truck, and planted them in silence. "Squall?" she asked him, "How was Zell?"
"He's dead, Selphie. A soldier got by us and killed him. We were careless."
"Dead.Zell's dead.Oh, Hyne." she said, sullen, "Four years serving in SeeD with him, in the same squad, and now he's dead." a tear formed and ran down her cheek, "Zell! How could you be so damned careless!"
"Crying will do you no good, Selphie," Squall said, in his same, emotionless tone, "He's gone, and nothing can be done. I'm torn up about it, too. But we have a mission."
"You're right," she said, and held her head up, looking at Squall, "Let's finish this, so we can get home."
The two of them walked over to where Zell's body was, and Squall pressed the detonator he held in his hand. Down the road, the truck exploded. "Mission accomplished," he said, and picked up Zell's body, slung it over his shoulder, and started walking toward the Black Foxes' camp.
~~~---~~~---~~~
Kurozawa Toshiro, leader of the Black Foxes, met Squall and Selphie when they returned from the mission. He eyed Zell's body, and said "I'm sorry we've caused you this grief. We will give you another 500 gil, for the loss. It's just our way of compensating your friend for the ultimate sacrifice."
"Thank you, I guess, Colonel," said Selphie, looking away from his eyes. Colonel Kurozawa had dark, emotionless eyes. Like Squall's, when she had first met him. Squall's eyes had defrosted, though. The Colonel's were cold as ice.
He was a tall man, clean-cut black hair, well-built. He raised through the ranks of the Timber Army, before it had been disbanded, and commanded a militaristic group of Timber's citizens, many former police officers, soldiers, and the like. He didn't seem to know how to pay, though. He was only giving them 2000 gil for the job, and another 500 because Zell had died. Why the Headmaster had agreed to do this job, Squall would never know.
He took the gil from the Colonel, and got in the car that the three of them had rented. He set Zell's body on the back seat, and drove back to the train station.
~~~---~~~---~~~
Author's Note: I hope the lot of you enjoy this, it's my first attempt at fan-fiction. (I normally write original fiction) And I could use some help, figuring out what I've done wrong in this world of fan-fiction, or in the Final Fantasy 8 world, if I have made any mistakes. I look forward to your comments.
Chapter two will be done in no time at all.
Still looking for a title for this fic.Input is welcome!
-Weav