A/N-Thank you for the reviews! I hope that this story is doing good! Please please please always review once you finish reading a chapter! I'll be VERY happy! ^___^ hee hee. Onward! Oh yeah, is Rajin spelled Rajin or Raijin?!
THE FIRST FINAL FANTASY VIII KINGDOM STORY EVER!
MOSHI MOSHI MAI
Chapter Two
TREPE
KINGDOM:
BALAMB
"Can you believe this, Zell?!" Quistis said for the third time, covering her miserable face with her hands. Zell frowned and patted his friend consolingly on the back.
"It'll be ok, Quis. Don't worry so much. If it makes you feel any better, your parents decided to let me come along so that you won't feel lonely," the blonde martial artist replied. Quistis looked up at him and grinned.
"Really? Well, that's one plus. My best friend is coming with me." Zell smiled in return.
"Well, since we're leaving in two days, let's start packing!" he said, pumping his fist into the air. Quistis laughed and nodded.
"Ok, then. Hey, Zell? Do you know anything about this Seifer Salary?"
"It's Almasy, Quis. Well, I heard that they're the second most powerful kingdom in the world, next to the Esthar Kingdom, of course. The two kingdoms are rivals. They're always neck and neck. Well anyways, Esthar's king is called Laguna Loire, his wife is Raine Leonhart, and their son's name is Squall Leonhart. They say that he's not really a social butterfly, kinda creepy, weird, and uncomfortable to be around, you get my drift? And then there's the Almasy Kingdom. King Almasy, AKA Erif Almasy, and his queen, Blaize Almasy. And of course, your future pain-in-the-ass hubbie, Seifer Almasy," Zell responded, making a face. Quistis laughed.
"Why's he a pain in the ass?" she questioned.
"Don't you read the Balamb Chronicles, Quis? He's a spoiled brat. Very mean, haughty, arrogant, and for some reason, he's number two on the Centra Hottie Rankers Show. Despite all that, he's famous because one, he's a prince, and two, he wields a gunblade named Hyperion. Not many people use that weapon anymore besides him and Squall Leonhart. Which reminds me, they fought against each other once when they were enrolled at Balamb Garden. Each got one hell of a nasty scar that mirrors its brother right smack dab between the eyes. Freaky, eh?" Zell finished.
"Well then. That assures me that my life is officially going downhill," Quistis said sadly, stopping her packing. Zell gave her a sympathetic look. Suddenly, Quistis grabbed her precious Save the Queen off of her drawer and turned to Zell.
"H-hey! Don't take your anger out on me!" Zell said frantically, knowing just how drastic of a blow her whip could do.
"Silly, I'm going to go work out. You coming?" Quistis said, rolling her eyes. Zell laughed, relieved.
"Alright, Ice Queen. Just let me get Ehrgeiz he replied, leaving her room. As soon as the door closed, Quistis fell back onto her creamy peach bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Man, life's a drag," she whispered, closing her eyes. She stayed like that for a few minutes, waiting for her friend to come back inside. Deciding to start packing while she waited, she opened her suitcase and shoved in her casual wear and battle outfits. After a few minutes passed, Zell reentered the room, grinning.
"Let's go, Quis! I already packed!" he said cheerfully, sprinting down the long hallway, down the stairs, and through the golden glass doors. Laughing, Quistis followed her energetic friend outside and walked with him towards the beach. They fought side by side all day, working on new moves that they read in the Combat King magazines and drawing magic spells. At the end of the day, the two collapsed on the sand, spraying the brown diamonds all over the place.
"Oof! What a day!" Zell said tiredly, in a spread eagle position, staring up at the darkening sky.
"Hmm," Quistis replied, sighing as the wind cooled her sweaty face. The sun disappeared from view and stars sprinkled the sky, suspended in thin air. The two shared a comfortable silence and after a few more minutes, Zell stood up and reached down to help his friend up, grinning.
"We better go! We don't want your parents to throw a cow if you're home before curfew, now do we?" he teased, laughing. Quistis smiled and slapped his hand away, dusting herself off.
"Yeah, yeah," she said playfully. Quistis took one last look at the sky. She then noticed a twinkling constellation in the shape of a heart.
"Hey, Zell! Look! It's the True Love Constellation. Hey, how does that superstition go again?" she questioned, staring at the twinkling heart with her blue orbs. Zell looked up at the sky and grinned.
"Just remember it's like mistletoe. When two people look at that constellation at the exact same time and they're soul mates, the constellation is supposed to twinkle a whole bunch, so you know that your true love really is somewhere out there," he said. Quistis smiled also, and then turned to Zell.
"Hey, did you look at it the same time that I did?"
"W-what?! No, I didn't. You don't think that-"
"NO! I was just wondering!"
"Riiiight. Quistis, you weirdo, you!"
"Who ya calling 'weirdo', rooster head!"
"ROOSTER HEAD?!" And the two continued to bicker as they walked towards the castle.
ALMASY KINGDOM:
DOLLET
Fuujin and Raijin followed quietly behind Seifer who was still fuming, shoving maids and butlers who were in his way. He reached his room and grabbed Hyperion, swinging it around furiously. Raijin backed away considerably, nervously watching the gunblade. Seifer then held his weapon at his shoulder, stomping out of the room before turning around and glaring at his posse.
"Do you need an invitation?! C'mon!" he yelled. The two obediently followed the blonde man, sympathetic looks on their faces. Seifer walked towards the beach and sat down on the shore, sinking Hyperion to the soft sand and silently watching the ocean as the breeze's fingers combed his hair.
"Why do I have to get married?! I don't even know her?! She's probably a girly-girl who's afraid of some dumb T-Rexaur! Tch. I'm not getting married. I'M NOT GETTING MARRIED! YOU HEAR THAT JUSTICE TRIP!" Seifer screamed, hearing his voice echoing over the waves.
"QUISTIS TREPE," Fuujin corrected, waving her index finger.
"Psh. Potato, Potato, Tomato, Tomato," Seifer replied, grunting
.
"Besides, you're yelling in the wrong direction, ya know?! Balamb is east to Dollet, ya know?!" Raijin said, waving his finger also. At the same time, Raijin received a kick to his shin and a very loud " SHUT UP!" from Seifer. As Raijin wailed in agony, Seifer turned back towards the waves, watching the sun slowly sink below the surface of the water. Deep in his thoughts, Seifer started to picture his fiancée. What did she look like? What was she like? He scratched his head, erasing all the possibilities.
"DARK," came Fuujin's soft voice behind him. Seifer looked up at the sky, and sure enough, stars started to appear in the sky. A bright show of stars caught his attention and he stared at it. He could make out a picture of a heart. Weird.
"Hey, do you guys see that heart constellation?" he asked roughly, pointing in its direction.
"Oh, ya! I know what it is, ya know?! It's the True Love Constellation, ya know?!" Raijin replied, smiling broadly.
"TRUE LOVE TWINKLES," Fuujin added. Seifer looked at the constellation again, and sure enough, it was brightly twinkling. Who could be watching that constellation with him? He felt an odd sensation bleed through his veins and his heart felt warmer. Weird.
"You okay, Seifer? It's only a superstition, ya know?!" Raijin cut through his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, whatever. Yeah," Seifer responded, getting up. He dusted the sand off of his tall form and turned to his posse. "Let's go, guys. I'm starving."
"AGREED."
"Yeah, ya know?!"
HEARTILLY KINGDOM:
TIMBER
"Let's go inside, Rinoa. Maybe you can change your parents' minds?" Selphie asked, hoping to cheer up her best friend. Sniffling, the raven-haired beauty looked up and sent the brunette a watery smile before nodding. Standing up, the two walked out of the garden and inside the huge castle. The sweet aroma of food was wafting through the air as the two entered the dining hall. Caraway and Julia were seated across from each other, deep in discussion. They sensed Rinoa's presence and immediately turned in her direction.
"Come, sit, my dear. Your father and I have something to tell you," Julia spoke softly. She was wearing an elegant ruby red grown with a see-through matching sash. Her hair was fashioned into a simple bun, decorated with crystals that looked like shimmering water. Sensing that there would be an argument, Selphie excused herself from the room, telling Rinoa that she forgot to get something.
"I already know," Rinoa said dully, slumping into her seat. Caraway observed his daughter carefully. She looked like she had been crying for quite some time. Her eyes were puffy and red, the tear stains were clearly visible, and her eyes told everything.
"So, you know about our arrangement with Esthar's prince?" Caraway asked folding his arms. Rinoa sent him a disgusted glance.
"How could you do this to me?! You didn't even have the decency to ask me! Out of all the nerve!" Rinoa nearly yelled, her voice shaking.
"Now, my dear. We had no choice. I'm—" Julia started, but she cut herself off, deciding not to burden her daughter more.
" You're what, Mom? How could you be so selfish?!" Rinoa continued, fresh tears slipping from her eyes. Julia gave her daughter a hurt look, looking away. Caraway frowned.
"We're not being selfish, my daughter. This is important. We wouldn't do this to you if it wasn't for...We have no choice," Caraway said, staring straight in her eyes. Hiccupping, Rinoa looked down, the shadows covering her face. She felt slightly ashamed about yelling at her mom. Fisting her hands, she looked at her father with a determined face.
"When do I leave?" she asked quietly. Smiling like there was no problem, Caraway spoke.
"Ah, that's better. You leave in two days. I suggest you start packing." Rinoa felt like slapping her father. He had no idea just how much this hurt her to be married off without choosing who she loved. Sucking in her emotions, she stood up and left the room.
"Aren't you going to eat, Rinoa?" Julia asked softly, clearly still upset.
"No. I lost my appetite," Rinoa replied coldly, leaving the room.
LEONHART KINGDOM:
ESTHAR
Irvine could tell that something was wrong. Squall didn't come back inside the dining hall, so he was left to eat by himself. After he finished his dinner, he left to go find his friend. After half an hour, Irvine finally found him training with his gunblade in the Training Area, fighting off some Grats and Glacial Eyes. After Squall finished them off, Irvine ran up to him before he could walk off and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Dude, what's wrong?" the cowboy asked concernedly. Squall stared at Irvine blankly before walking ahead.
"My parents arranged for me to marry a princess in the Heartilly Kingdom," Squall said emotionlessly. Irvine almost fell to the ground, grabbing Squall's shoulder for balance.
"W-what?! That's crazy!" Irvine said, staring wide-eyed at his friend. Squall shrugged carelessly.
"I don't think anyone cares what I think. It's my parents' decision anyways. I must stand behind them
always, no matter what," Squall finished staring at the trembling bush in front of them. Standing in stunned silence, Irvine recovered a few seconds later in time to see a T-Rexaur emerge from the maze of trees.
"Wait. You mean you don't care squat about who you marry?! You're twisted!" Irvine said, bringing out his Exeter from his side. Squall made a fighting pose also and lurched forward, hitting the beast square in the eye, ignoring Irvine's protests. The T-Rexaur screamed in agony, bringing its hands to its face.
Irvine took the chance to shoot the dinosaur in the chest, turning to face Squall as the T-Rexaur roared, attacking blindly.
"C'mon, Squall! Don't you feel anything? Angry?! Your parents just married you off to some Heartilly chick and you don't care?!" Irvine yelled over the ruckus. Squall replied by slicing the T-Rexaur's neck wide open with such force that blood sprayed everywhere.
"See?! You are angry! You're fucking killing that T-Rexaur! And it's only been your second turn!" Irvine cried out, making a disgusted squeak as the blood covered him. Squall didn't seem to mind the blood, focusing on his target. His eyes had turned an unnatural, frightening color, white mist swirling with the shadows in his eyes. He jumped back from the T-Rexaur, impassively watching it stomp around in pain. The dinosaur finally screeched one last time and fell to the ground, dead.
"Damn," Irvine breathed. He started to claw at his face and hair, complaining. "I got all this blood stuck to my face!" Squall chuckled, bringing his right arm up to clear some blood away from his face also.
"I guess I'm just a little angry," he spoke quietly, staring at the red goop in his right glove.
"Well, I'd like to see you raging mad," Irvine replied sarcastically.
"So, are you going to her palace or is she coming to yours?"
"Ours, of course. The prince always has to stay at his residence while the princess arrives. It's tradition," Squall replied nonchalantly, turning around to leave the Training Area.
"Oh right. My bad," Irvine said, rolling his eyes. " Well, I'm gonna wash this crap offa me, so I'll see ya later." Squall nodded as Irvine walked away before continuing his trek towards his room. Opening the door, he entered his room and walked into the palatial bathroom. It was almost as big as his room. The walls, tub, and floor were made from white marble. The mirror was made from Shiva's crystal shards, and the towel rack was golden, shimmering elegantly. He tossed his clothes off and stepped into the shower. A maid would be coming up to change his clothes.
Grabbing his custom-made shampoo, he lathered up his hair and washed out all the blood. After cleaning himself until the smell was fully gone, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a soft white towel from the golden rack. After he finished drying himself off, he slipped into his silky pajamas and combed his unruly chestnut hair. It gleamed healthily under the light's glow. He gave a satisfied grunt and walked out of the bathroom, tossing himself onto his bed. He slid under the covers and sighed softly, staring up at the glass dome ceiling. The stars were shining brightly on the blue night sky, casting a dreamy affect. Closing his eyes, Squall tried to picture what this Heartilly girl would look like. Would she be snobby? Pretty? Weird? Stupid? Hell, why did he care? Shaking his head, he clapped his hands. The lights turned off and he was blanketed with darkness. Turning over in his bed, he noticed a small pink note on his nightstand. Picking it up, he read:
Hey Littly Bro!
I heard about the whole marriage arrangement! So sorry! But I heard that Princess Heartilly is really pretty and nice. She has a stubborn heart, though, just like you! ^_^ Hope you two get along fine! I won't be here when she comes because Dad's making me go to some Centra conference as a representative, but I'll get to see her! Good luck!
Love,
Ellone
Smiling slightly, Squall placed the note back on the nightstand and closed his eyes, falling asleep.
A/N- Woot! Please review! Thanks a bunch!
Moshi Moshi Mai