This is my first ever piece of writing on fanfiction.net, so I'm pretty
interested in seeing how the story unwinds . . . even if I do know what's
going to happen. I don't own SquareSoft or any of their characters or
stories. SquareSoft is the prettiest of all the rainbows, etc. Now let's
get to the damn story.
* * * * * * *
As the sky began to darken and the stars appeared in the night, like diamonds on a black tablecloth, Squall Leonhart sighed deeply and lowered his head in exhaustion. He had been awake for twenty-six hours now and a fever of tiredness was spreading over his whole body. He was a leader, and he knew that he had to be strong to savor the morale of his students, his advisors and, especially, his beautiful girlfriend, Rinoa Heartilly. Nevertheless, he could slowly feel the stress, the anxiety and the constant reliance on him by his associates slowly grating his nerves down to a stump.
He felt as though his desires, his emotions and his wellbeing were being stifled by his responsibilities as the Commander of Balamb Garden. For a man as tidy and business-like as Cid Kramer, Squall's old superior and dear friend, the job had fitted like a glove. Squall's hands, however, were too fierce and unpredictable for it to be a perfect match.
What he wanted, what he desired in his life, was to feel the heat of combat again. Just like how it had been in the wars that he had fought against Edea and Sorceress Ultimecia. The fear, the anger, the passion that had truly given his existence a breath of life. He wanted to stand between Rinoa and Irvine Kinneas, an old war buddy of his, as the three of them held strong together against an almost invulnerable enemy. He wanted to stand on the bridge of Balamb Garden, with his friends standing faithfully beside him, as he rallied his soldiers to their feet with a speech that would echo throughout the annals of his life.
'It's a grueling battle, and I'm sure you guys are all exhausted. But I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you've got! For yourselves and for me!'
'Squall?'
He needed to live again, just as she had once taught him to.
'Squall? Are you ok?'
Squall jerked his head out of its slumber and slowly turned around. There was only one person with a voice as angelic as the one he had just heard, and he couldn't show any sort of weakness in front of her.
Rinoa Heartilly was standing in the doorway that led out onto the second- floor bridge. She was wearing her familiar blue cardigan and an expression of genuine concern. Her sleek black hair was now tousled and there were prominent bags under her eyes, but they were invisible to Squall. Whenever he laid eyes on her, he saw only the woman that he had carried on his back down the long road to Esthar and rescued from the dark silence of space. To Squall, she was nothing short of an angel.
'Is something wrong, Squall?'
Squall tried his best to stand tall and gaze thoughtfully at the moon.
'No,' he replied, 'I'm fine. Are the commanders ready to see me yet?'
'The commanders will wait as long as I make them,' said Rinoa. She walked slowly up to Squall, still facing the stars, and placed her hand upon his, 'And I didn't come out here to talk about that, anyway. What I really want to know is why Squall Leonhart, the unchallenged leader of Balamb Garden, is standing out here looking like Seifer Almasy was just declared the Ultimate-Master-Of-The-Universe.'
A small smile began to creep across Squall's face. He quickly smothered it with a stern expression and continued to look away.
'I'm alright, Rinoa,' he said tonelessly, 'You don't need to worry about me. I just needed a bit of fresh air.'
Rinoa sighed, but it was without exasperation. Slowly, she turned him towards her, linked her fingers together behind his back and gazed up into his dark, youthful eyes.
'You know,' she smiled dreamily, 'just then, you really reminded me of how you were when I first met you. Are you going to tell me now that you can't dance too?'
Squall couldn't help but smile now. He had thought a long time ago that moments like this would come to everybody but him. He believed, no, he knew, down in his heart beneath the cold exterior of his SeeD training, that he had found his partner for eternity. His soul mate. Someone that could strike out the darkness, the fear and the worry in his life with nothing more than a smile and a few sweet nothings.
Rinoa quickly noticed the smile breaking out onto his face, and giggled softly with happiness.
'Now that's the Squall Leonhart that I want to see,' she smiled, running one hand seductively through his hair, 'The real Squall Leonhart. That's the man that I love - that I know loves me.'
Suddenly, Squall's headache felt a lot better.
'Thanks,' he whispered back, 'And I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I'll make it up to you, when I finally get the chance.'
Rinoa giggled softly again.
'Squall,' she said, suddenly serious, 'I don't need to see a candlelit table or an expensive wine to forgive you. I love you too much for that.'
The couple's eyes were locked together for what seemed like an eternity. Rinoa was the first to break away. She smiled sweetly, and started to smarten up the collar of Squall's fur-lined jacket.
'So, what's been going on, Squall? Is something really huge happening? You've had lots of meetings behind closed doors lately.'
Squall cleared his throat. This was the easy part for him. He had never had a problem dealing with facts. People could be unstable, irrational or unpredictable, but the facts and the numbers of a thing were constant and emotionless. They existed for one purpose alone - to inform whoever needed to be informed.
The sort of information that Squall, even now, was preparing orderly in his mind wouldn't normally be dispensed freely like packets of sugar at a café. But the notion that he could do anything but trust Rinoa implicitly was, to him, simply insanity.
'Do you remember the time when Matron was possessed by Sorceress Ultimecia?' he began, 'Just before the two Sorceress Wars began, and she killed Vinzer Deling at her celebration parade?'
'How could I ever forget?'
'Well, after we killed Ultimecia and ended the war, Galbadia was in a terrible state. Their old president had been overthrown and killed, many citizens had fled the continent in fear of the Sorceresses' power - the whole system had grinded to a halt. Chaos, panic, confusion. That was how the situation continued to unfold, until about two months ago.'
'What happened then?'
'A new leader was appointed,' Squall continued, 'He was chosen by the highest ranks of the remaining Galbadian military to take on the responsibility of leadership. It was General Caraway, in fact, who eventually appointed him.' Squall felt Rinoa distinctly stiffen at the mention of her father's name. 'Colonel Aifel Massery. He was only a young boy when he joined the Galbadian Army, and he's grown to become one of the greatest military commanders of all time. Age and experience give a man wisdom, and Aifel Massery is apparently the perfect example of this testament. He's determined, he's powerful and he's extremely popular with the people. The military council was convinced that he had the power and the mind to rebuild Galbadia to its former prosperity, and he was chosen as a leader very quickly.'
'Have you ever met him?'
'No, I've never even spoken to him. Massery thinks that Garden and SeeD are hostile towards Galbadia and always have been. To be fair to him, he does have a point. The SeeD force has already fought against the G-Army many times. It seems that he is effectively trying to shut off Galbadia from the rest of the world and refuses to co-operate with Garden.'
'Is that a problem?'
'Well, it wasn't until a week ago. It appears that Massery wants to unite the whole continent and everybody in it. He wants to dominate it, to rule it with an iron fist.'
Rinoa stared intensely at Squall, her brown eyes suddenly timid and serious.
'Why does he want to do that? Does he just want power?'
'Massery believes that he needs absolute control over the entire continent to try and establish any form of order,' Squall continued, 'and he is willing to gain that control by any means necessary. He originally thought that the people would support his plans, but, now, some are resisting. Timber, Winhill and all the other country villages to the south don't want to be part of his plan for Galbadia. Massery knows this. He's apparently plotting already to solve this little problem of his.'
A sudden curtain of silence fell between the two lovers.
'Squall, what do you mean by 'solving the problem'?'
'A request for SeeD was received from Timber at exactly 0333 hours last night,' Squall sighed, 'According to the message, a large unit of the G- Army is making its way across the plains of northern Galbadia and through Roshfall Forest. It's an invasion force, Rinoa. Massery's plans have already been put into action.'
There was a long pause for thought.
'What's going to happen about it, Squall?'
Squall sighed heavily and gazed deeply into Rinoa's eyes.
'I won't lie to you,' he began seriously, 'There've been dark times before and there may well be many more ahead. I'm going to need the full support of both Gardens if I want any chance at all of fighting Massery.'
'Don't worry, Squall,' Rinoa whispered softly, 'We all support you. Everybody here does.'
'I'm not worried. You have to understand, we can't turn a blind eye to this. Wrong is wrong, whoever does it or how much support he has behind him.'
There was a sudden silence between the two as Rinoa recognized, perhaps, the cold glimmer that was now in Squall's eyes and the seriousness of things to come. She had never had the insight or the will to understand the distinct subtleties that lay beneath politics, and her father's constant involvement in the subject had only fuelled her rebellion against it as a little girl. However, the hard lines on Squall's otherwise handsome face and the message in his eyes could say more to her in a second than any of her father's lectures could in a lifetime.
'I wasn't made Commander to shake hands and speak into an intercom. I've fought wars before and I'll fight them again if I have to.'
'Such a big, strong man.' said Rinoa, leaning her head against Squall's chest, 'Don't worry too much about the commanders. You'll get their support - they all respect you. Everybody here does.'
'I hope so.'
'I'll always be here for you too, when you need me. You know that, don't you?'
Squall sighed heavily again. He placed both hands onto Rinoa's shoulders and gazed down into her caring eyes.
'I do know,' he said softly, 'But there are some things that I have to face on my own. It's my responsibility as everyone's leader.'
'Even leaders need help sometimes, Squall.'
Squall smiled, but his eyes weren't smiling along with his mouth. They remained impassive and as cold as steel, and Rinoa knew that he was only trying his best to reassure her.
'Perhaps you're right,' he finished, 'and I'm glad that you came out here to talk to me. I'm ready for the commanders now. Let's go.'
* * * * * * *
As the sky began to darken and the stars appeared in the night, like diamonds on a black tablecloth, Squall Leonhart sighed deeply and lowered his head in exhaustion. He had been awake for twenty-six hours now and a fever of tiredness was spreading over his whole body. He was a leader, and he knew that he had to be strong to savor the morale of his students, his advisors and, especially, his beautiful girlfriend, Rinoa Heartilly. Nevertheless, he could slowly feel the stress, the anxiety and the constant reliance on him by his associates slowly grating his nerves down to a stump.
He felt as though his desires, his emotions and his wellbeing were being stifled by his responsibilities as the Commander of Balamb Garden. For a man as tidy and business-like as Cid Kramer, Squall's old superior and dear friend, the job had fitted like a glove. Squall's hands, however, were too fierce and unpredictable for it to be a perfect match.
What he wanted, what he desired in his life, was to feel the heat of combat again. Just like how it had been in the wars that he had fought against Edea and Sorceress Ultimecia. The fear, the anger, the passion that had truly given his existence a breath of life. He wanted to stand between Rinoa and Irvine Kinneas, an old war buddy of his, as the three of them held strong together against an almost invulnerable enemy. He wanted to stand on the bridge of Balamb Garden, with his friends standing faithfully beside him, as he rallied his soldiers to their feet with a speech that would echo throughout the annals of his life.
'It's a grueling battle, and I'm sure you guys are all exhausted. But I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you've got! For yourselves and for me!'
'Squall?'
He needed to live again, just as she had once taught him to.
'Squall? Are you ok?'
Squall jerked his head out of its slumber and slowly turned around. There was only one person with a voice as angelic as the one he had just heard, and he couldn't show any sort of weakness in front of her.
Rinoa Heartilly was standing in the doorway that led out onto the second- floor bridge. She was wearing her familiar blue cardigan and an expression of genuine concern. Her sleek black hair was now tousled and there were prominent bags under her eyes, but they were invisible to Squall. Whenever he laid eyes on her, he saw only the woman that he had carried on his back down the long road to Esthar and rescued from the dark silence of space. To Squall, she was nothing short of an angel.
'Is something wrong, Squall?'
Squall tried his best to stand tall and gaze thoughtfully at the moon.
'No,' he replied, 'I'm fine. Are the commanders ready to see me yet?'
'The commanders will wait as long as I make them,' said Rinoa. She walked slowly up to Squall, still facing the stars, and placed her hand upon his, 'And I didn't come out here to talk about that, anyway. What I really want to know is why Squall Leonhart, the unchallenged leader of Balamb Garden, is standing out here looking like Seifer Almasy was just declared the Ultimate-Master-Of-The-Universe.'
A small smile began to creep across Squall's face. He quickly smothered it with a stern expression and continued to look away.
'I'm alright, Rinoa,' he said tonelessly, 'You don't need to worry about me. I just needed a bit of fresh air.'
Rinoa sighed, but it was without exasperation. Slowly, she turned him towards her, linked her fingers together behind his back and gazed up into his dark, youthful eyes.
'You know,' she smiled dreamily, 'just then, you really reminded me of how you were when I first met you. Are you going to tell me now that you can't dance too?'
Squall couldn't help but smile now. He had thought a long time ago that moments like this would come to everybody but him. He believed, no, he knew, down in his heart beneath the cold exterior of his SeeD training, that he had found his partner for eternity. His soul mate. Someone that could strike out the darkness, the fear and the worry in his life with nothing more than a smile and a few sweet nothings.
Rinoa quickly noticed the smile breaking out onto his face, and giggled softly with happiness.
'Now that's the Squall Leonhart that I want to see,' she smiled, running one hand seductively through his hair, 'The real Squall Leonhart. That's the man that I love - that I know loves me.'
Suddenly, Squall's headache felt a lot better.
'Thanks,' he whispered back, 'And I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I'll make it up to you, when I finally get the chance.'
Rinoa giggled softly again.
'Squall,' she said, suddenly serious, 'I don't need to see a candlelit table or an expensive wine to forgive you. I love you too much for that.'
The couple's eyes were locked together for what seemed like an eternity. Rinoa was the first to break away. She smiled sweetly, and started to smarten up the collar of Squall's fur-lined jacket.
'So, what's been going on, Squall? Is something really huge happening? You've had lots of meetings behind closed doors lately.'
Squall cleared his throat. This was the easy part for him. He had never had a problem dealing with facts. People could be unstable, irrational or unpredictable, but the facts and the numbers of a thing were constant and emotionless. They existed for one purpose alone - to inform whoever needed to be informed.
The sort of information that Squall, even now, was preparing orderly in his mind wouldn't normally be dispensed freely like packets of sugar at a café. But the notion that he could do anything but trust Rinoa implicitly was, to him, simply insanity.
'Do you remember the time when Matron was possessed by Sorceress Ultimecia?' he began, 'Just before the two Sorceress Wars began, and she killed Vinzer Deling at her celebration parade?'
'How could I ever forget?'
'Well, after we killed Ultimecia and ended the war, Galbadia was in a terrible state. Their old president had been overthrown and killed, many citizens had fled the continent in fear of the Sorceresses' power - the whole system had grinded to a halt. Chaos, panic, confusion. That was how the situation continued to unfold, until about two months ago.'
'What happened then?'
'A new leader was appointed,' Squall continued, 'He was chosen by the highest ranks of the remaining Galbadian military to take on the responsibility of leadership. It was General Caraway, in fact, who eventually appointed him.' Squall felt Rinoa distinctly stiffen at the mention of her father's name. 'Colonel Aifel Massery. He was only a young boy when he joined the Galbadian Army, and he's grown to become one of the greatest military commanders of all time. Age and experience give a man wisdom, and Aifel Massery is apparently the perfect example of this testament. He's determined, he's powerful and he's extremely popular with the people. The military council was convinced that he had the power and the mind to rebuild Galbadia to its former prosperity, and he was chosen as a leader very quickly.'
'Have you ever met him?'
'No, I've never even spoken to him. Massery thinks that Garden and SeeD are hostile towards Galbadia and always have been. To be fair to him, he does have a point. The SeeD force has already fought against the G-Army many times. It seems that he is effectively trying to shut off Galbadia from the rest of the world and refuses to co-operate with Garden.'
'Is that a problem?'
'Well, it wasn't until a week ago. It appears that Massery wants to unite the whole continent and everybody in it. He wants to dominate it, to rule it with an iron fist.'
Rinoa stared intensely at Squall, her brown eyes suddenly timid and serious.
'Why does he want to do that? Does he just want power?'
'Massery believes that he needs absolute control over the entire continent to try and establish any form of order,' Squall continued, 'and he is willing to gain that control by any means necessary. He originally thought that the people would support his plans, but, now, some are resisting. Timber, Winhill and all the other country villages to the south don't want to be part of his plan for Galbadia. Massery knows this. He's apparently plotting already to solve this little problem of his.'
A sudden curtain of silence fell between the two lovers.
'Squall, what do you mean by 'solving the problem'?'
'A request for SeeD was received from Timber at exactly 0333 hours last night,' Squall sighed, 'According to the message, a large unit of the G- Army is making its way across the plains of northern Galbadia and through Roshfall Forest. It's an invasion force, Rinoa. Massery's plans have already been put into action.'
There was a long pause for thought.
'What's going to happen about it, Squall?'
Squall sighed heavily and gazed deeply into Rinoa's eyes.
'I won't lie to you,' he began seriously, 'There've been dark times before and there may well be many more ahead. I'm going to need the full support of both Gardens if I want any chance at all of fighting Massery.'
'Don't worry, Squall,' Rinoa whispered softly, 'We all support you. Everybody here does.'
'I'm not worried. You have to understand, we can't turn a blind eye to this. Wrong is wrong, whoever does it or how much support he has behind him.'
There was a sudden silence between the two as Rinoa recognized, perhaps, the cold glimmer that was now in Squall's eyes and the seriousness of things to come. She had never had the insight or the will to understand the distinct subtleties that lay beneath politics, and her father's constant involvement in the subject had only fuelled her rebellion against it as a little girl. However, the hard lines on Squall's otherwise handsome face and the message in his eyes could say more to her in a second than any of her father's lectures could in a lifetime.
'I wasn't made Commander to shake hands and speak into an intercom. I've fought wars before and I'll fight them again if I have to.'
'Such a big, strong man.' said Rinoa, leaning her head against Squall's chest, 'Don't worry too much about the commanders. You'll get their support - they all respect you. Everybody here does.'
'I hope so.'
'I'll always be here for you too, when you need me. You know that, don't you?'
Squall sighed heavily again. He placed both hands onto Rinoa's shoulders and gazed down into her caring eyes.
'I do know,' he said softly, 'But there are some things that I have to face on my own. It's my responsibility as everyone's leader.'
'Even leaders need help sometimes, Squall.'
Squall smiled, but his eyes weren't smiling along with his mouth. They remained impassive and as cold as steel, and Rinoa knew that he was only trying his best to reassure her.
'Perhaps you're right,' he finished, 'and I'm glad that you came out here to talk to me. I'm ready for the commanders now. Let's go.'