a/n: Xifa doesn't own FF8! Squenix formerly Squaresoft does! Go them! And go Nobou Uematsu, who's like the ULTIMATE in video game music composition! Go him! I wanna go see him in concert…sighs
Chapter Six
It's been exactly six months since I had my first encounter with Laguna Loire. He's been recovered for quite awhile now, and has been living alone. He's been searching for job applications like an addict searches for their object of addiction, which makes Elle and me a little nervous. One winter day he came in just to tell me that he'd gotten a job as protector of the town or something strange like that. He's on monster extermination duty, and has proclaimed Elle and me as General and Assistant General or something like that. He takes his job so seriously that it almost looks like he's not serious at all. He's a hard character to figure out, but I'm thinking that I'm getting closer.
As for how he got here, I still have yet to figure that out, but I think I'm getting closer to learning. There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding Laguna though, more than just how he arrived at my doorstep almost dead. Like, how old is he really? How long does he plan on sticking around? What is so funny that he and Elle laugh at me every time they're alone and then see me, and why do I feel so strange around him?
…I really think I'm getting close to solving these mysteries, though. I've got a good feeling about it, one I haven't had in a long, long time…
I finished up the dishes warily, staring out my window. Freezing rain drizzled down on the road, and the restaurant was closed since my stove wasn't working and I wasn't sure how to fix it. Elle was at a friend's house, and I was personally bored to tears. The sun was just beginning to set, and I sighed. It'd only get colder after it did. My heater wasn't working very well either, so I was glad that Elle had stayed the night at her friend's. If it still wasn't fixed by the time she got back, I'd probably let Laguna watch her. He jumps at a chance to babysit her anyways, and I didn't want her catching a cold.
I folded the wet dishrag over the sink to dry and realized that I couldn't accomplish anything without a stove, and maybe if Laguna could fix it, he could fix a heater as well. I glanced at my clock. I'd waited a little late, granted. It was almost 8 o'clock. I knew Laguna was still up, but I did feel kind of guilty about just walking over and begging him to fix my heater. I reminded myself of all the good things I'd done for him over the past six months and told myself he wouldn't mind. He never does.
I grab my coat and pull my gloves on even though I'm just walking across the street. They're not very warm, but I'm freezing cold despite the fact I'm wearing three shirts and my warmest pair of pajama pants. I hate winter. I hate it even more when my piece of crap heater goes out. I make my way over to Laguna's, knocking on the door. My gloved hands make soft thuds on it, and I don't get a reply, so I just let myself in. I don't feel bad about this at all—Laguna's completely oblivious to the outside world sometimes. I walk in and walk into the living room, where he was reading a newspaper before apparently falling asleep while doing so. I sigh and he opens one eye.
"Ah, just you. I figured it was that crazy soldier guy again," he grins, sitting up and stretching. "Figured if I was asleep the guy would leave me alone."
"Laguna, I need your help," I say simply, cold and ready to get to the point.
"What's wrong?" he goes from joking to serious in less time than it takes to blink.
"My heater's broken, and so is my stove. Are you good at fixing stuff?"
"Wish I could say I was…" he trailed off, and cold and tired as I was, I felt like just punching a wall or something right there. "I'll look at it."
So we walk back across the yard to my house and Laguna takes a look at my stove. I don't bother taking off my coat or my gloves—I'm freezing and don't care what people say. I don't feel good, either. I'm tired and frozen from the inside out. Laguna kneels beside the stove, pulling it away from the wall. He blinks, staring at it, and I sigh. This is pointless. He does something, and suddenly the lights on the stove come on again.
"I thought you said you weren't good at fixing things!" I exclaim. Well, one thing down, another to go. "What was wrong with it?"
"It was unplugged," he says quietly, looking at me worriedly.
I blink, staring at him as if he's speaking a foreign language.
"Unplugged?" I echoed.
"Raine, you don't look so good," Laguna takes a few steps over towards me. I just lean against the wall, unable to explain why I feel like crying all of a sudden. I take a deep breath and try to calm down, but my eyes are burning and I hope Laguna just leaves. Unplugged. I'm such an idiot. "Do you feel okay?"
"I'm okay," I say hoarsely. He shakes his head and takes a step closer to me, brushing his fingertips across my face. I shiver, even though I didn't think it was possible for me to get any colder than I already am. Maybe this isn't because of the cold.
"Raine, you're burning up. Why are you wearing that huge coat and stuff?"
I don't know. Right now I don't feel like I know much of anything.
"Raine, you're sick. You need to go to bed."
"Okay," I say, not feeling like arguing with him. Sleeping is about all I feel like. I walk towards the stairs.
"Raine, it's like an igloo in here. Trabia's warmer than this."
"So?" I glare back at him. "It's not like either of us know how to fix the stupid heater, do we?"
I feel guilty about snapping at him. He walks over to me, taking my hands in his.
"You can't stay here. You'll just get sicker."
"Well, where do you suggest I go? Winhill's beautiful overlooking-the-ocean resort?" I laughed hollowly.
"Yeah. That sounds like a nice place," Laguna nods, and before I even see what's coming, he's picked me up and is carrying me across the street. I don't fight back. I'm freezing cold and I just want to feel okay again. I can't get anything done when I'm sick. He carries me up the stairs in his warm house and sits me down on his bed.
"What about you?" I ask vaguely, the words not really seeming to make a lot of sense.
"I'm couchin' tonight," he smiles sadly. "Um, if you need to change or anything, go ahead. I'll be right back."
He walks out, and I take off my shoes, coat, and gloves. I sit perched on the edge of his bed, trying to think straight. There's a couple of knocks and Laguna peeks through the door.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes," I nod, and he walks in with a glass of water and two pills.
"Tylenol," he explains, handing them to me. I take them gratefully. "Don't worry about anything, since I know that's what you'll do. Just lie down and go to sleep, okay, Raine? You deserve a break."
I stretch out across his bed. It's not very comfortable, but it is warm, and the blankets smell nice, like a mixture between laundry detergent and the cologne that Laguna sometimes wears when he thinks about it. He covers me up and hits the light switch, turning to walk out. I grab his hand and yank him back over to me.
"Laguna, how did you get here?" I ask him seriously.
"I told you, I es—"
"I want to know."
He closes his eyes, and then kneels by my bed. I can barely see him from a light that's on in the hallway.
"You've heard of the Lunatic Pandora, right? The big box they built around the Crystal Pillar? Well, my friends Kiros and Ward and I were out on a job. I can't even remember what we were supposed to be doing. But anyways, we end up lost, and it's 'cause I brought the wrong map. We end up in this crystal place…the Crystal Pillar. It's an interesting place, and we're fascinated at what all we find…but…but…then it happens. We get caught. We're backed up against the edge of a cliff, Esthar soldiers threatening to kill us, the cliff behind us threatening to accept our deaths. We're…taught to die valiantly in the army," he said vaguely, sad eyes staring past me at something else, as if he could see the entire scene replaying someplace just outside the window. "I didn't want to lose our lives to the enemy. I just wanted a chance…so I shoved Kiros and Ward over the edge…and jumped myself."
"Laguna…"
"Is there anything else you want to know?" he asked me, an almost painful tone in his voice.
"No," I whispered, and he nodded, standing up.
"Good night, Raine," he said, walking out my door. The light in the hallway disappears and all fades to darkness.
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a/n: This chapter was to bring out the realness of Raine. I think every character needs to have a real side…and real people make stupid mistakes . At least they do where I come from. So tell me…did Raine seem real in that chapter? sighs I'm listening to 'Hallelujah' by Rufus Wainwright right now. It's a beautiful song, guys, go download it -
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except…no, wait, I don't own that either.
Xifa