Eye For An Eye.
I hit the bottom, you don't understand' Pain...hate...pain. To be born again, arise again, I believe is the only way.
Soulfly, Eye for an Eye.
Squall jumped in his chair as his door burst open and Selphie fell into the room panting.
'Now what?' Squall groaned to himself.
Garden had not long recovered from the attack of Crave a couple of months ago. Thinking of that made Squall shrug guiltily as he had told everyone that Crave had been killed when in fact he had simple returned to where he belonged, whenever that was.
'Squall... Sir Laguna!!!' Selphie said in between gulps of air.
Squall's eyes narrowed and his heart jolted at the mention of his supposed father. 'Calm down... breathe.' He said to Selphie, standing up.
Selphie bent over, resting her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths, her back rising and falling slowly as she regained her composure.
She looked up at Squall, her red cheek blanching in seriousness, her blue eyes still moist from tears of shock.
'Sir Laguna is in intensive care after an assassination attempt. He's asking for you.' Selphie said seriously, chilling Squall to the bone.
He wasn't sure why he was here now besides out of a sense of duty. Sure he was his biological father but he'd never known him until recently. Squall could feel no regret in how he had acted the last time he had seen Laguna, the man had abandoned him to his so-called destiny.
Well Laguna had left him to become the man that would defeat Ultimecia so as far as he was concerned that's the man he would be, cold and withdrawn. Now as he walked along the sterile white halls of the Esthar hospital, he locked away all his emotions from his face, approaching the heavily guarded room where Laguna was being treated.
Squall entered the room with little trouble from the guards and his eyes lit upon a bed at the far side of the room covered in shafts of sunlight where he expected to see a pale-faced Laguna. What he got was an empty bed and a seemingly fine Laguna pacing the room.
'What the hell?' Squall growled, his eyes flashing with shock and anger.
'Squall...' Laguna said softly, smiling weakly.
'You were supposed to be seriously injured.' Squall said in a low voice, shaking with rage.
'Just listen...' Laguna started to say hoping to get a word in before his son stormed off.
'Is this some sort of trick to get me here again?' Squall snapped, clenching and unclenching his hands.
'No, sit down. I have to explain.' Laguna said pointing to a chair.
Squall glared defiantly at Laguna and remained standing.
'Fine.' Laguna sighed noting his stubbornness. 'What you heard was half true. Yes there was an assassination attempt, but as you can see I wasn't really injured. We put out that bulletin to hopefully draw out the assassin which is why I want you here.' Laguna told him.
'Why? In case it goes wrong and you really do get killed, you want a sweet deathbed reunion?' Squall retorted scornfully.
Laguna's body flinched as if struck, pained by the bitterness of his son.
'No, I want you as my bodyguard.' He answered solemnly.
'What's in it for me?' Squall asked, voicing his disagreement to that idea subtly.
'Esthar will pay your fee.' Laguna said exasperated.
'If you want SeeD then we can arrange a team for you.' Squall replied in a businesslike manner.
'I want you Squall. Even though I know you hate me, I also know you will do your job regardless... that's why I trust you.' Laguna said making Squall cringe.
'Fine, I guess I'm here now so I may as well take the mission.' Squall relented hoping Laguna would shut up if he agreed. Laguna smiled brightly thinking he was finally making progress.
There was a splintering of glass as the window by Laguna shattered, a metal fragment thudded into the ground by Laguna's feet and a black clad figure flipped into the room, a bladed weapon in hand.
Squall growled, tearing Lionheart from the straps on his thigh, catching the assassin's blade against his own and pressing his advantage. The figure stumbled back, caught off guard by the attack and fell to the floor, his blade falling from his hand.
Squall kicked the fallen weapon across the room and placed the point of Lionheart at the figure's chest, tearing off his mask. The face that was revealed was unfamiliar to him and had no striking features, a plain masculine face with pale green eyes and a mop of blond hair.
'Who are you? Who sent you?' Squall demanded his blazing eyes focused on the blank ones of the assassin.
'I will not answer.' The figure replied dryly.
Squall boiled inside with anger, curiosity but couldn't bring himself to inflict pain on his new prisoner to find out, the idea brought back painful memories of the torture he had suffered at the hands of Seifer oh so long ago.
Instead he grabbed the figure by the scruff of his top and slammed him up against the wall.
'If you don't answer me I can soon think of ways to make you talk. And believe me you will talk because I'll never let you die, or lose consciousness. All you'll know is pain.' Squall snarled.
'You're bluffing.' The figure retorted but there was a quavering in his voice.
'Try me... I'm sure you're aware of who I am.' Squall replied his grey eyes burning.
'Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden.' The figure rasped.
'Good. Well I'm sure President Loire here will take you somewhere comfortable while we work out what to do with you.' Squall said evenly.
Laguna who had stood there watching all this in stunned silence gave a brief nod in reply. As the guards came into the room belatedly and Squall dragged the figure to put into their custody Laguna saw black markings on the back of his neck through his hair that made Laguna involuntarily touch his neck.
'Pain for Pain.' He said softly.
The figure froze on the spot and automatically replied. 'Death for Death.'
Squall looked between the two puzzled.
'Name and rank soldier!' Laguna bellowed.
The figure saluted instinctively. 'Lands, Nathen. Sergeant, Black Ops.' He snapped in reply and grimaced as he realised what he'd done.
'He's a Galbadian soldier?' Squall asked.
Laguna nodded in reply. 'Well Sergeant Lands who sent you on this mission?' he asked Nathen.
'Information classified, sir.' Nathen replied still tightly held by Estharian guards.
'This is a fellow and superior Prosecutor asking you Sergeant!' Laguna bellowed.
Nathen gulped. 'With respect sir I still cannot divulge my mission. I will not betray my Commander!' he replied indignantly.
Laguna's face paled. 'Commander huh?'
Nathen once again cringed, he could survive any physical torture it had been in training but coming across another Prosecutor made him flustered. You had to be loyal to members of your own regiment... hell they drilled that into you as much as any other training.
Squall watched as Laguna sank down onto the bed his hands shaking imperceptibly.
'Take him away.' Squall told the guards who dragged a slumped and defeated Nathen out the room.
'I should have realised sooner.' Laguna said softly.
'Realised what?' Squall asked still puzzled by what had just gone on between Laguna and Nathen.
'That this would happen one day.' Laguna sighed and saw his puzzled face.
'It's a military thing okay? Like Kiros, Ward and Me, we look out for our buddies.' He explained.
'I get that but he was too young for you to have known him personally.' Squall said.
'Well I suppose it's the same for you SeeDs. You all help each other out regardless of age right?' Laguna said putting it another way.
Squall shrugged. 'So who's this commander? You went white when he mentioned him.' he then asked.
'The same guy who was my commander, someone who I have a personal history with, as do you.' Laguna said cryptically.
'Who?' Squall asked unable to conceal his curiosity.
'I think we'd better go to Deling City and ask him.' Laguna replied standing.
Ragnarok landed on the plains just outside Deling City. It was now a city of renewal after the death of President Deling and General Caraway, Rinoa's father, was the main source of change.
'Caraway... damn I never thought to see him after Rinoa died... Cid told him straight away but he never asked for me.' Squall thought to himself as he and Laguna walked to Caraway's mansion.
They walked past the guard who after recognising Squall let them pass without a word.
Laguna followed Squall to Caraway's study. The room hadn't changed since he was last there, being told of his mission to assassinate the Sorceress.
'Funny how things come full circle.' He mused as they approached the desk.
Caraway looked up and saw the both of them his face becoming steely with the effort of concealing his surprise and rage.
'President Loire, Commander Leonhart. To what do I owe the pleasure?' he said with forced cheerfulness.
'I think you know why.' Squall said softly.
'Why?' Laguna said simply looking into Caraway's eyes pleadingly.
Caraway stood. 'I don't know what you're talking about! Guards!' he bellowed.
Two guards burst into the room only to be frozen in the doorway by a blast from Shiva. Caraway stood in shock as Shiva faded away and Squall and Laguna returned.
'Now I'll ask again. Why did you send one of your men to kill me?' Laguna asked.
Caraway collapsed into his chair defeated. 'You don't get it do you. You've took everything away from me. First my wife then my daughter.' He said sadly.
'What?' both Squall and Laguna said together.
'Julia still only had her heart set on you. That blasted song tore me to bits every time I heard it. Sure she loved me in her way but never completely. If you'd only died Loire!' Caraway growled.
Squall and Laguna both stood in silence watching the pitiful form of Caraway.
'Then maybe my beautiful daughter would never have been caught up with this son of yours and she'd still be alive!' he continued pointing emphatically at Squall.
'So you thought it'd make it all better if you killed Laguna?' Squall growled slamming his fists on the desk in front of Caraway. 'Do you really think you're the only one who feels lost without her?' he demanded.
Caraway looked up at him in shock. 'You wouldn't understand.' He muttered.
'Really?' Squall glanced at Laguna momentarily and turned back to Caraway. 'We've all lost people we've loved deeply here. Killing the people you blame for that won't bring them back. Trust me I did just that and all that you get from it is more emptiness. Julia loved you enough to give you a daughter. You can remember that or you can let this bitterness eat away at you until you're a mere shadow of the husband and father you used to be.' Squall told him never breaking eye contact.
'But I have nothing now.' Caraway said softly, blinking as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
'You have this city, you have the future.' Laguna said softly.
'Which is more than what you will have if you continue this treachery.' Squall threatened making both Laguna and Caraway look at him in awe.
'Deal with the pain Caraway.' Squall said briskly and turned away, walking through the frozen guards, leaving a sunken Caraway and a surprised Laguna to look at each other mutely.
I hit the bottom, you don't understand' Pain...hate...pain. To be born again, arise again, I believe is the only way.
Soulfly, Eye for an Eye.
Squall jumped in his chair as his door burst open and Selphie fell into the room panting.
'Now what?' Squall groaned to himself.
Garden had not long recovered from the attack of Crave a couple of months ago. Thinking of that made Squall shrug guiltily as he had told everyone that Crave had been killed when in fact he had simple returned to where he belonged, whenever that was.
'Squall... Sir Laguna!!!' Selphie said in between gulps of air.
Squall's eyes narrowed and his heart jolted at the mention of his supposed father. 'Calm down... breathe.' He said to Selphie, standing up.
Selphie bent over, resting her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths, her back rising and falling slowly as she regained her composure.
She looked up at Squall, her red cheek blanching in seriousness, her blue eyes still moist from tears of shock.
'Sir Laguna is in intensive care after an assassination attempt. He's asking for you.' Selphie said seriously, chilling Squall to the bone.
He wasn't sure why he was here now besides out of a sense of duty. Sure he was his biological father but he'd never known him until recently. Squall could feel no regret in how he had acted the last time he had seen Laguna, the man had abandoned him to his so-called destiny.
Well Laguna had left him to become the man that would defeat Ultimecia so as far as he was concerned that's the man he would be, cold and withdrawn. Now as he walked along the sterile white halls of the Esthar hospital, he locked away all his emotions from his face, approaching the heavily guarded room where Laguna was being treated.
Squall entered the room with little trouble from the guards and his eyes lit upon a bed at the far side of the room covered in shafts of sunlight where he expected to see a pale-faced Laguna. What he got was an empty bed and a seemingly fine Laguna pacing the room.
'What the hell?' Squall growled, his eyes flashing with shock and anger.
'Squall...' Laguna said softly, smiling weakly.
'You were supposed to be seriously injured.' Squall said in a low voice, shaking with rage.
'Just listen...' Laguna started to say hoping to get a word in before his son stormed off.
'Is this some sort of trick to get me here again?' Squall snapped, clenching and unclenching his hands.
'No, sit down. I have to explain.' Laguna said pointing to a chair.
Squall glared defiantly at Laguna and remained standing.
'Fine.' Laguna sighed noting his stubbornness. 'What you heard was half true. Yes there was an assassination attempt, but as you can see I wasn't really injured. We put out that bulletin to hopefully draw out the assassin which is why I want you here.' Laguna told him.
'Why? In case it goes wrong and you really do get killed, you want a sweet deathbed reunion?' Squall retorted scornfully.
Laguna's body flinched as if struck, pained by the bitterness of his son.
'No, I want you as my bodyguard.' He answered solemnly.
'What's in it for me?' Squall asked, voicing his disagreement to that idea subtly.
'Esthar will pay your fee.' Laguna said exasperated.
'If you want SeeD then we can arrange a team for you.' Squall replied in a businesslike manner.
'I want you Squall. Even though I know you hate me, I also know you will do your job regardless... that's why I trust you.' Laguna said making Squall cringe.
'Fine, I guess I'm here now so I may as well take the mission.' Squall relented hoping Laguna would shut up if he agreed. Laguna smiled brightly thinking he was finally making progress.
There was a splintering of glass as the window by Laguna shattered, a metal fragment thudded into the ground by Laguna's feet and a black clad figure flipped into the room, a bladed weapon in hand.
Squall growled, tearing Lionheart from the straps on his thigh, catching the assassin's blade against his own and pressing his advantage. The figure stumbled back, caught off guard by the attack and fell to the floor, his blade falling from his hand.
Squall kicked the fallen weapon across the room and placed the point of Lionheart at the figure's chest, tearing off his mask. The face that was revealed was unfamiliar to him and had no striking features, a plain masculine face with pale green eyes and a mop of blond hair.
'Who are you? Who sent you?' Squall demanded his blazing eyes focused on the blank ones of the assassin.
'I will not answer.' The figure replied dryly.
Squall boiled inside with anger, curiosity but couldn't bring himself to inflict pain on his new prisoner to find out, the idea brought back painful memories of the torture he had suffered at the hands of Seifer oh so long ago.
Instead he grabbed the figure by the scruff of his top and slammed him up against the wall.
'If you don't answer me I can soon think of ways to make you talk. And believe me you will talk because I'll never let you die, or lose consciousness. All you'll know is pain.' Squall snarled.
'You're bluffing.' The figure retorted but there was a quavering in his voice.
'Try me... I'm sure you're aware of who I am.' Squall replied his grey eyes burning.
'Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden.' The figure rasped.
'Good. Well I'm sure President Loire here will take you somewhere comfortable while we work out what to do with you.' Squall said evenly.
Laguna who had stood there watching all this in stunned silence gave a brief nod in reply. As the guards came into the room belatedly and Squall dragged the figure to put into their custody Laguna saw black markings on the back of his neck through his hair that made Laguna involuntarily touch his neck.
'Pain for Pain.' He said softly.
The figure froze on the spot and automatically replied. 'Death for Death.'
Squall looked between the two puzzled.
'Name and rank soldier!' Laguna bellowed.
The figure saluted instinctively. 'Lands, Nathen. Sergeant, Black Ops.' He snapped in reply and grimaced as he realised what he'd done.
'He's a Galbadian soldier?' Squall asked.
Laguna nodded in reply. 'Well Sergeant Lands who sent you on this mission?' he asked Nathen.
'Information classified, sir.' Nathen replied still tightly held by Estharian guards.
'This is a fellow and superior Prosecutor asking you Sergeant!' Laguna bellowed.
Nathen gulped. 'With respect sir I still cannot divulge my mission. I will not betray my Commander!' he replied indignantly.
Laguna's face paled. 'Commander huh?'
Nathen once again cringed, he could survive any physical torture it had been in training but coming across another Prosecutor made him flustered. You had to be loyal to members of your own regiment... hell they drilled that into you as much as any other training.
Squall watched as Laguna sank down onto the bed his hands shaking imperceptibly.
'Take him away.' Squall told the guards who dragged a slumped and defeated Nathen out the room.
'I should have realised sooner.' Laguna said softly.
'Realised what?' Squall asked still puzzled by what had just gone on between Laguna and Nathen.
'That this would happen one day.' Laguna sighed and saw his puzzled face.
'It's a military thing okay? Like Kiros, Ward and Me, we look out for our buddies.' He explained.
'I get that but he was too young for you to have known him personally.' Squall said.
'Well I suppose it's the same for you SeeDs. You all help each other out regardless of age right?' Laguna said putting it another way.
Squall shrugged. 'So who's this commander? You went white when he mentioned him.' he then asked.
'The same guy who was my commander, someone who I have a personal history with, as do you.' Laguna said cryptically.
'Who?' Squall asked unable to conceal his curiosity.
'I think we'd better go to Deling City and ask him.' Laguna replied standing.
Ragnarok landed on the plains just outside Deling City. It was now a city of renewal after the death of President Deling and General Caraway, Rinoa's father, was the main source of change.
'Caraway... damn I never thought to see him after Rinoa died... Cid told him straight away but he never asked for me.' Squall thought to himself as he and Laguna walked to Caraway's mansion.
They walked past the guard who after recognising Squall let them pass without a word.
Laguna followed Squall to Caraway's study. The room hadn't changed since he was last there, being told of his mission to assassinate the Sorceress.
'Funny how things come full circle.' He mused as they approached the desk.
Caraway looked up and saw the both of them his face becoming steely with the effort of concealing his surprise and rage.
'President Loire, Commander Leonhart. To what do I owe the pleasure?' he said with forced cheerfulness.
'I think you know why.' Squall said softly.
'Why?' Laguna said simply looking into Caraway's eyes pleadingly.
Caraway stood. 'I don't know what you're talking about! Guards!' he bellowed.
Two guards burst into the room only to be frozen in the doorway by a blast from Shiva. Caraway stood in shock as Shiva faded away and Squall and Laguna returned.
'Now I'll ask again. Why did you send one of your men to kill me?' Laguna asked.
Caraway collapsed into his chair defeated. 'You don't get it do you. You've took everything away from me. First my wife then my daughter.' He said sadly.
'What?' both Squall and Laguna said together.
'Julia still only had her heart set on you. That blasted song tore me to bits every time I heard it. Sure she loved me in her way but never completely. If you'd only died Loire!' Caraway growled.
Squall and Laguna both stood in silence watching the pitiful form of Caraway.
'Then maybe my beautiful daughter would never have been caught up with this son of yours and she'd still be alive!' he continued pointing emphatically at Squall.
'So you thought it'd make it all better if you killed Laguna?' Squall growled slamming his fists on the desk in front of Caraway. 'Do you really think you're the only one who feels lost without her?' he demanded.
Caraway looked up at him in shock. 'You wouldn't understand.' He muttered.
'Really?' Squall glanced at Laguna momentarily and turned back to Caraway. 'We've all lost people we've loved deeply here. Killing the people you blame for that won't bring them back. Trust me I did just that and all that you get from it is more emptiness. Julia loved you enough to give you a daughter. You can remember that or you can let this bitterness eat away at you until you're a mere shadow of the husband and father you used to be.' Squall told him never breaking eye contact.
'But I have nothing now.' Caraway said softly, blinking as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
'You have this city, you have the future.' Laguna said softly.
'Which is more than what you will have if you continue this treachery.' Squall threatened making both Laguna and Caraway look at him in awe.
'Deal with the pain Caraway.' Squall said briskly and turned away, walking through the frozen guards, leaving a sunken Caraway and a surprised Laguna to look at each other mutely.