Time's Scars
Chapter Twenty: Fatherhood
Quistis paced impatiently back and forth through the office. She was back at Garden, while Squall was still comatose. Of course, this was the exact wrong time for Squall's leadership to be absent. She was summoned because of a dire situation in Garden.
They'd been infiltrated. Spies from Galbadia were very much present as students. This was only discovered recently, and it had to be taken care of in a quiet manner. If they alerted the spies, it would cause severe consequences.
Why is Galbadia trying to gain power again? We defeated them. Are they trying to figure out a different way to destroy us? Is Squall's condition related to this? They know we are weak without him…
But she could only wonder. Her questions still had no answers, and she'd been thrown in to take over for Squall very unexpectedly. Sure, she could lead, but for the whole Garden? She knew Squall was much better at this than she was. If she failed, anything that came afterwards would be her fault. She'd be responsible for every death.
And there was also a good possibility of Squall being unable to take a leadership role when he was back in good health. Now that the secret about his true identity was out, there was a risk that students would not listen to him. Even though prejudice was frowned upon and the story of the Elf extinction exposed for the filthy thing it was, many people still shunned Elves.
Garden needed Squall, not her.
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"That's it, Squall. Now get up." Rinoa whispered.
He weakly grasped a bar, and brought his frail body into a standing position. Now that Rinoa could see him, she realized how close they'd really been to losing him. She was shocked that he was even able to stand.
"We have to get out of here, and quietly." She said, taking his hand into hers.
Please let this work.
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Laguna watched Squall and Rinoa's sleeping bodies. He could tell there was a struggle, and he could only hope they were winning. He'd believed for a long time that Squall was his son, and the truth about his identity made his whole world cave in upon him. Did he have a son out there, not knowing who his father was?
"No, no! You cannot be here!" Yelled Doctor Odine.
Laguna stood up, only to watch helplessly as Odine was thrown across the room like a ragdoll.
A group of four soldiers stepped into the room, armed and ready to fight. Their uniforms were Galbadian.
"Move it, old man." Commanded one of them.
"No. I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to be in here."
"Really?" Smirked another soldier, "You think we didn't figure that out? Jeez, why did they put a moron like you in charge?"
The young man came and tried to push Laguna aside, but it did not work. Laguna grabbed him by the back of the neck and landed a punch right-on into his face. The other three boys immediately advanced on him.
He had to act fast, or Squall and Rinoa's lives would be on the line.
But the soldiers were not expecting him to be so agile and swift. His fighting lessons had served well. Surprisingly, the soldiers were not too well trained in hand-to-hand combat.
After only a few minutes, all of them were on the ground, unconscious.
Laguna quickly ran to the beds that Rinoa and Squall lay upon. Since Ellone and the others had left, he needed to come up with something on his own. One thing was certain, he could not keep them here. The Galbadians would surely try again, and he may not survive an attack by skilled soldiers.
He grabbed one of the wheelable gurneys and moved it to them. He disconnected both of them from all monitors and other equipment, and dragged Squall onto the gurney. He placed Rinoa on top of Squall. Though it was more than awkward looking, it was the fastest way for him to get them to safety.
Suddenly, biological fatherhood did not matter. Squall was still a son to him. And, like a good father, he would protect his son, even if it cost him his life.
A/N: Sorry, I know it is short. Plus, this update is beyond overdue. School's been rough. I'm trying to update when I can. But, I WILL finish this story!
I want to say a HUGE thanks to all my readers/reviewers. I love the input I get from you. Thank you for reading, and for taking the time to give me some feedback! It makes a great difference to me!