Sorry I've been ages updating, but I was seriously considering whether I
was going to carry on writing for FanFiction or not. Well, I made my
choice, so here's a brand spanking new chapter for my two faithful
reviewers Hiasha and FanFiction Queen, and the rest of you of course.
Respect to y'all. Enjoy...
As Zell, Selphie and Irvine stood patiently next to the elevator, waiting for the Commander of Balamb Garden to make his dramatic entrance, it was difficult for them not to be astonished by the sight that lay before them. This was not what the world was used to. SeeD was no longer a scattered, disorganised group of rag-tag mercenaries. The army with no nation to call their own, and no real enemy left to fight. The people of the world would no longer see them as standardised packets of three soldiers, dispatched to fight alone in all the corners of the globe. To the three of them, still looking down on the rest of their kind with a mixture of pride and utmost awe, that was the image of SeeD that they had grown up with. That was the SeeD that Zell and Selphie had fought and conquered a ten-foot high mechanical spider to be a part of. What they saw now would change that picture forever.
Stretching from the Cafeteria entrance, all the way to the library on the opposite side of the hall, was a solid sea of sharp, green uniforms. Rows upon rows of solid, expressionless faces, as the soldiers continued to stand to attention. Once the fountains had been shut off and the pools thoroughly drained, it was amazing how many people could be fitted into Balamb Garden's main entrance. One thousand and fifty-seven, to be precise; it seemed that Squall's previous prediction of SeeD's total fighting force was a slight underestimate.
There were some who would say that SeeD was a large, experienced, but ultimately powerless group; a patchwork of many soldiers, with different beliefs and ideals, loosely sewn together by an ineffective chain of command. There were others who would say half the members of SeeD probably had no idea of what they were really fighting for, or even what SeeD was originally made to fight for. Sure, their members were highly trained since their childhood, and maybe SeeD had played a minor part in upholding the peace these past few years. But, still, they were unreliable and faithless – they only supported those who had the wealth to fund their next paychecks. Just another random bunch of roughneck and hero wannabes, fighting to get their share of the world. Well, it was widely known that the old SeeD had had its flaws. And maybe the old SeeD had been guilty of supporting some, or even all, of these statements. But if these critics could stand, right now, on the topmost steps of Balamb Garden's entrance hall, and look down at the SeeD that Zell, Selphie and Irvine were seeing, then they would at least agree on one thing. The new SeeD was here, it was together – and it was ready to raise the roof.
'I tell you what, Sefie,' smirked Irvine, with a look of satisfaction on his face, 'I wish Aifel Massery was standing next to us right now. I wish he could see what we've got waitin' for him. Come on, you've gotta agree with me. It'd be fun to watch him wet himself.'
Selphie briefly considered telling her boyfriend that it was that kind of thinking that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. She quickly realised, however, that it was pointless – he wouldn't be listening to a word she said. She decided instead that she would tease him for now, punching him lightly in the arm. Irvine was always in the mood for a contest of insults.
'Well, looky who's feeling all confident today!' she smirked back at him. 'Hey, Zell, best double-check the rookie's tied his boots on this time. It'd be embarrassing to see him kissing my shoes when he gets out there!'
Zell smirked in unison. Selphie was obviously referring to Irvine's little incident at the beginning of his SeeD practical exam. Any conversation between the two that had taken place since was bound to include that memory at some point. After spending two hours bouncing off the walls of his designated carrier ship in excitement, his entrance onto the battlefield had been... well, less than spectacular. With Zell, Selphie and Quistis all cheering him on from behind, he had just managed to take two steps across the battlefield before he fell, face first, into the sand, losing his shoe in the process. It had taken him a full five minutes to pull himself together again (while suffering the endless mirth of his supposed friends from behind his back) before he was able to join the rest of his team at the meeting point. Selphie couldn't have cared less that Irvine's performance was described in his report as 'flawless and courageous'. It was that memory that she loved to reminisce on the most – by fate, the one that Irvine tried to remember the least.
Irvine couldn't help wincing. It was obvious the memory was still losing him sleep.
'Ah, Selphie, my sides!' he retorted in mock humour. 'When will the comedienne sit down and write a few newer jokes for us not to laugh at?'
His expression, however, suddenly changed from one of mental anguish to one of shock. He sharply raised his arm to point to something that was behind Selphie's back.
Selphie was slightly put off balance. 'Irvy? What is it?'
Irvine's mouth and eyes widened in fear. 'Selphie!' he cried, 'Watch out! There's a big spider behind you! Looks like you couldn't kill it the first hundred times you fought it! Selphie! Quick!'
Selphie rolled her eyes. 'You idiot, Irvine Kinneas! If you'd have had to fight that thing when we did, you'd know what we all meant. It was a monster!'
'No, wait! It's down! It's dead! Oh no, wait, it's back up again! Oh my God! Is Selphie ever going to finish it off!? Will it ever –'
'Irvine, be a good boy, for once, and shut up now.'
Irvine grinned widely in satisfaction. 'Ahh,' he replied, 'the shameful retort of the defeated! You'd think you'd get used to the feeling of victory after this many times... but Sefie, it only seems to get better.'
'No, seriously, man, she's not jokin',' Zell cut in, 'Jus' look!'
Slightly put out at the fact that his verbal victory was going ignored and unappreciated, Irvine quickly spun on his heels to find out what his two companions had ceased their mockery of him to pay attention to. Both pairs of eyes were staring, unblinkingly, at a point on the shining metal wall that he had just been leaning against. Irvine followed his girlfriend's line of vision to see what could possibly deserve their attention more than him – it didn't take him long to raise his eyebrows in surprise.
The elevator, the only method of reaching the two raised levels of Balamb Garden, was suddenly on the move. For the last three hours, it had been stationary at the topmost level – the area consisting of the control bridge, Squall's office and Squall's quarters. Neither Zell, Selphie nor Irvine had any idea of what business had been conducted there since they had last spoken with Squall. To be perfectly honest, they were content to be ignorant. Despite being both Squall's subordinates and his closest friends, the three seemed to have silently agreed amongst themselves that Squall was in no condition to be unnecessarily bothered. What was left of his concentration needed to be spared for the situations that needed his counsel the most. None of them felt that they were being neglectful, or inconsiderate, of his feelings. They knew that he was caught in a situation where most people would have openly welcomed a little dose of comfort and compassion. They also knew, however, that most people were in no way similar to Squall Leonhart. He was not a man who ached for idle banter, especially when he was only two hours away from unleashing open war upon a town of innocent people. He had serious problems to deal with at the moment, problems that they had neither the mind nor the experience to deal with. If Squall had wanted their company, then he would have asked for it – if he didn't, it was a wise idea to avoid getting under his feet.
Their last brief conversation with Squall had not done anything to raise their hopes. In fact, it had only secretly saddened them all to see their close friend being continuously dragged further into the depths of weariness. His smile, his grin and his confident stance might have fooled others into thinking he was in prime condition, but the pained gleam in his eyes and the heavy bags underneath them told the story of a man who would happily collapse to the floor and fall into an endless sleep, if fate so much as allowed him to.
'Everyone... thank you for coming,' he had begun in an exasperated tone. 'I don't what I would've done without you all with me. I can't say how grateful I am... I guess I'm just too tired. You've stood next to me as friends when I've offered you nothing but coldness in return. I still don't know why you did.'
'Hey, Squall,' Irvine replied, 'we did it because we all cared about you, mate. We knew you were one of the good guys underneath, no matter how much of a jerk you could be. And we know that you're not just an ordinary guy. If you ever our help, all you gotta do is just ask. And if you want us to get the hell out of your way, we'll always be ready to run.'
'Irvine, your absolute subtlety is a quality I've always admired in you,' Quistis mocked coldly from the other side of the room.
Irvine threw a malicious grin back at her – he wasn't one to let Quistis get the better of him so easily. 'You just thought this pretty-boy was all muscles and no heart, didn't you, sweetie?' he replied in his trademark husky voice. 'I can always warm up your soul... the same way I warm up your body each time we meet...'
'Oh, for God's sake, Irvine Kinneas, why can't you –'
'Yo, guys,' Zell cut in, 'Can ya give us a little less talkin', an' a little more 'shut the hell up'? Squall's got somethin' to say.'
The commander of Balamb Garden smiled a weary smile as he wondered how the six of them had ever ended up becoming best friends. 'Thank you, Zell,' he began again. 'Perhaps now that round one's finished, I can continue.'
Irvine and Quistis quickly realised their uncomfortable positions, and immediately withdrew into their respective corners.
'As I was saying, I can't put into words how thankful I am for the support you've given me since we first met. I really can't. Every one of you has done more for me than I ever would've dared to ask – Zell, Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, and R – err –'
It wasn't fun for the other four people in the room to watch their commander stutter and fumble around for the right words, desperately trying not to make any mention of his girlfriend. In his current state, any thoughts of her might destroy him completely. None of them dared to mention their feelings to each other after the meeting, but they were all deeply saddened – sickened, even – to see what the man who's gunblade had twice felled a Sorceress in battle had slowly been reduced to.
It's alright, Squall, thought Quistis, hoping with a trace of absurdity that she had suddenly developed telepathic abilities. You haven't got long to go before she'll make everything right again. She promised me that she would. I truly believed what she said, and I still do. You've got nothing to worry about anymore.
'A – anyway, as I was saying... you've all put in so much effort to help me over the years, and I'm eternally grateful for all you've done. But - I'm afraid that this is the time that I'm going to have to ask for all of your help again. No, Zell... let me finish. I've had a bad day so far, and I'd give almost anything right now to be rid of it. But I know that's not going to happen. I think I've finally realised, after all that's happened today, and everything that will happen, that I'm not as all-powerful as I thought. Ha... it sounds stupid of me to say it even now.'
Squall paused in his plea only to take a deep breath and cover his grimace with a smile.
'I used to think... that I was capable of doing anything. I thought that I could put my body through anything. What a fool I was. I've realised now that I'm only capable of taking only so much pressure – and I think... I think I've finally exceeded that.'
Selphie suddenly felt that Squall was going too far to punish myself.
'Listen, Squall, you don't have to –'
But Squall swiftly raised a hand to indicate that nothing was going to stop him clearing his head of his feelings.
'No, please, Selphie, let me say what I have to. And that's why I'm going to have to ask you to do anything you can now to help. If you don't do it for me, then do it for the people who are going to die in the battle that I'm about to start. Please - do what you can, because... because I don't think I can do any more right now. I don't like having to put burdens like this on people. And I especially don't like having to put it on you guys, after all you've done for me. But I'm afraid... I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice right now. Just, do what you can to help.'
After their brief and unhappy meeting had finally ended, Squall having been swept away by his assistants to deal with another immediate problem, the four remaining friends were unable to break the curtain of silence that had fallen over them again. Each of them was struggling to find a single positive thought to share with the group. They also quickly parted company, preferring not to exchange farewells and desperately trying not to catch one another's gaze. The thought was in front of their faces, and on the tips of their tongues. None, however, had the courage to make that thought audible.
So Irvine, Zell and Selphie had unanimously made a silent agreement to do whatever they could to help share Squall's burden and make his path easier to tread, in any small way possible. This was a delicate operation at best. To have any chance of success, it had to be done without any communication occurring between either Squall himself or, even worse, Squall's all- seeing, all-knowing troupe of advisors, assistants, admirers... whatever they wanted to call themselves. The six friends usually referred to them in private conversation as 'the suits', which was a perfect analogy for encapsulating their ideologies of how operations should be run around the Garden. Consistency and regulations make for excellent efficiency. Facts and numbers are the only sources to be used and trusted. There isn't enough space in the whole of this story to stress just how passionate the friends' hatred of the suits had become. None of them ever wanted to imagine a time when the decisions of Balamb Garden were made by a committee, who's members had never wielded a weapon at another human being, or even set foot on the bloody terrain of a battlefield.
Nevertheless, they were efficient, tireless, organised and oh-so watchful. If any of them, from the highest-ranking SeeD to the youngest first-year student, became aware of any small operation that the three companions were attempting to carry out in the absence of their supervision, the consequences would end up hindering Squall instead of helping him. Whoever they were to deal with would, should such a situation arise, almost certainly be shocked that their actions hadn't been 'fully documented, approved and endorsed by the appointed Balamb Garden Commander'. Just as the one falling domino brings its hundreds of brothers toppling down with it, the situation would have quickly caused nothing less than an explosion of outrage from amongst the ranks of the suits. They would insist on informing the Commander of the 'impending situation' immediately, Squall would have another problem to focus his weary mind onto, and... well, let's just say that it would be better for everyone, especially the man who needed it the most, if they managed to work in secret.
As the elevator continued to descend towards the ground floor and an army of twelve hundred restless men, the three friends felt their prides collectively swell as they realised what they had managed to accomplish under such conditions. The gauntlet had been thrown down to them – and they had answered with vigour. They had been the ones to greet the SeeD force from Trabia Garden, some four hundred of them, as soon as they had set foot onto their Balamb counterpart – they had made their leaders feel welcome. Without further ado, they'd quickly escorted the soldiers into the main hall of the Garden and somehow, Selphie still wasn't sure quite how, had managed to organise a rowdy and restless crowd of over a thousand SeeD men (and women) into what closely resembled an orderly fashion. They'd succeeded in stealthily 'borrowing' the necessary documents, from right under the suits' noses, that told them all they needed to know about Squall's plan of action for defending Timber against Aifel Massery. Finally, they had used this information to organise the entire SeeD army into the different teams, units and battalions that Squall had requested. Thanks to them, a gigantic weight had already been taken off Squall's shoulders in the two hours since their last meeting - time that the suits had spent bustling around the third floor office, hastily producing table after table of meaningless figures and processing minutes.
Squall would definitely be proud of them when he finally saw what they'd done. Selphie, however, wasn't going to allow her ego to make her forget the traces of dread and uneasiness that lay around her heart. Neither she, nor any of Squall's closest friends, had seen or talked to him in the last three hours, through either lack of opportunity or lack of wanting. They could only have made guesses as to how he had used that time. Had he chosen to leave everything in the many hands of his advisors, and took the time to rest his weary body? Or had he continued to work at the same scurrying, frantic pace that he'd managed to keep up for the last twenty-four hours? And most importantly, what sort of condition would both choices leave him in? What effect would his condition have on the many events that were just waiting to fly straight into his face?
Selphie briskly shook herself free from all the negative thoughts that had just bombarded her soul. She knew that she still had a job to do. After exchanging brief nods with the two men on either side of her, the three of them smartly stood to attention and Irvine cleared his throat importantly.
'Soldiers of SeeD!' he called at the top of his voice. Selphie was stunned at how Irvine's normally clear, soothing tone could suddenly be made to echo around every corner of the main hall. 'Stand to attention for your Commander!'
Within seconds, the murmurs of conversation that had begun to float back and forth over the crowd were effectively silenced. A thousand pairs of legs were brought together in unison; a thousand pairs of arms became rigid at the soldiers' sides; and a thousand pairs of eyes were fixed pointedly onto the main platform, where Squall would soon be making his appearance. It was true to say that some of the faces in the crowd were about to get their first glimpse of their personal idol.
Selphie, however, was beginning to feel the wave of sickness gush coldly up to her throat and mouth. The elevator was now mere seconds away from reaching the ground floor - but which Squall Leonhart were they going to see step out onto the platform? Would it be the tall, confident Squall Leonhart, who had lead SeeD to victory before against the overwhelming might of Seifer and Galbadia Garden? Or would it be the Squall Leonhart that they had seen more of in the near past than they'd have ever wished to?
Irvine senses, when it came to Selphie's emotions, seemed to be extremely sharpened. 'Well,' he said, turning his head towards hers, 'here goes nothing.'
His warm smile that followed was detected, appreciated... but unfortunately not returned. Selphie's nerves seemed to have finally gotten the better of her. It seemed that all she could do now was pray for the best... but what were the chances of her prayers being answered?
'Don't worry, Sefie. This is Squall we're talking about here. Aifel Massery must have got a screw loose if he thinks a bunch of his messenger boys are gonna lay a scratch on our man.'
The elevator was coming into view now, descending swiftly like the guillotine that could perhaps put her hopes to sleep. The pulleys and levers began to whine as the brakes came into effect. The metal control panel chimed monotonously. Clunk. The elevator had drawn to a stop with an ominous, hollow thud. Just like the axe does, thought Selphie, when it hits the floor. The doors hissed menacingly as they opened.
The first man to exit the elevator was Squall, strolling calmly out onto the main platform. Apart from the hollow echoes made by his confident footsteps, the entire hall was deathly silent. You could have heard the pin as it fell through the air.
It took Selphie a few seconds to look Squall up and down before she breathed a huge sigh of relief. The man that was stood before her was not the same person that she had seen so far that day. Good God, she thought to herself, what had those suits done with the real Squall Leonhart?
Nevertheless, the real Squall Leonhart was definitely back – and he looked as though he was ready to take on the entire G-Army himself. Everything about him as he strode to the front of the platform, from the shine of his boots all the way up to the gleam in his eyes, projected an image of power and confidence. He was no longer slouched over as though his nose were tied to his feet, but stood tall and straight-backed, using every inch of his height to its full advantage. He had his hands on his hips and one foot on the topmost stair, as though he were stood on the topmost peak of the world's tallest mountain, free to look with awe upon every corner of the globe. His mouth was slightly curved into a cocky half-smile, the bags had disappeared from under his eyes and the fire that had burnt within them had been rekindled. He had the aura of a man with the world at his feet - a man who's immeasurable passion and energy couldn't be, or wouldn't be, stopped by any force in the world, no matter how powerful or intimidating that force could be. He looked like the man that he had been born to be; the son of Esthar's president; the Commander of Balamb Garden - no, even better... the undisputed leader of SeeD.
An' if they ever get round t' makin' a statue of that guy, Zell thought, I'll be damned if that ain't what it looks like.
'Irvy,' Selphie whispered excitedly, 'it's lookin' like you were right! I knew it! Squall's back in business!'
Irvine cocked his head at her and smiled knowingly. 'Hey, calm down, spaz,' he joked, placing one gloved hand firmly over her mouth. 'You don't want to miss the speech that he's about to make. Something tells me that this is going to be a moment to remember.'
As it was, it turned out that as soon as he had finished his last conversation with Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine, Squall had finally chosen to obey his voice of sense, and give himself a much-needed break. It wasn't long before he'd had the chance to fall asleep. He had made his intentions immediately clear to his helpers. He had told them to continue with the excellent work that they were already doing. And then, as a final farewell salute, he had threatened anyone with the mind or the guts to disturb him to 'answer to the gunblade that'll no doubt be pressed against your windpipe'. It wasn't a surprise to find that nobody had chosen to debate with him on that particular policy.
It might be difficult to imagine a person who had the ability to stay awake and alert for twenty-seven hours, and then suddenly spring out of bed again, feeling totally refreshed, after a mere three hours' sleep. It was, in fact, a common skill among most of the members of SeeD that were now patiently waiting for their Commander's speech to begin. Common, yes, but definitely not taken for granted. It was a remarkable skill, one that can only possibly be developed from spending years of sleepless nights, always in fear of a passing shadow and the assassin's knife, aboard the passenger trains of Galbadia. It took a tremendous amount of will power to keep your chin up and brace your eyelids; perhaps the only line of defence that existed against the ever-growing assault of drowsiness.
But every veteran of SeeD had managed to hold out against the barrage. They'd passed the test of staying alive for another day. Squall, Zell, Selphie, Quistis, even Rinoa and Irvine, had all managed to dig deep and outlast the pain, even when it seemed as though every part of the body was falling asleep, one after another. It was that kind of mysterious power and will in its members that had made SeeD the feared force that it was. It was another of those well-respected traits that they claimed were handed out to its members after the field exams, just like the smart uniforms, the prestigious medals and the optimistic payrolls. Sure, they'd all got it. It was a standard thing, if you were good enough to bunk in a single dorm in Balamb Garden. But, on the other hand, so were the scars and the bruises and the cuts and the broken bones that every student had had to endure during their gruelling years of training at the Garden (or, in Squall's case, the gruelling years of picking fights with a certain red-haired egomaniac). They were equally as standard. In fact, so were all the other respectable qualities that a member of SeeD possessed. They were standard as well. But they definitely hadn't come easily to any of them. And it had taken hundreds of days like today to mould Squall Leonhart into the strong and wilful Commander that he was right now. Quite frankly, everybody in that room should have been thankful for the strength that had allowed him to endure the hardships of the day so far. That strength, also, was standard among them – but for a moment, that shouldn't have meant it should go unappreciated.
Squall continued to survey the orderly columns of his army with a look of immense satisfaction on his face. He then broke out of his cocky stance, and began to calmly stroll up and down the length of the platform. When he spoke, his sharp, commanding voice rolled around every corner of the hall, and echoed dramatically as it shot to the high roof above and down again. Except for the times when he was forced to use the intercom, Squall had never had to use a megaphone to make his voice heard to a crowd. Judging by the attention that he was receiving from this particular crowd, it seemed as though he only had to mutter his speech for everybody to hear it.
'This is the greatest chance that SeeD has ever been given!' he shouted at the top of his voice. The hungry gleam in his eyes was shining once again – it was too long since he had last set foot on a battlefield. 'Today is our day! This is the day when we prove to the rest of the world what our force is really made of! SeeD was made to show the world that greed and anger couldn't win the day over justice – and this is the day that we do that with honour! We've all sat on the sidelines for too long. This is the time for us to stand up, and show all the crooked armies out there that they can't ignore us any more! Are we just going to sit back and let a few generals push around the hard-working people and just take the land that they want? Are we!?'
'No!' roared the crowd together, playing their part in Squall's speech with the utmost enthusiasm. Irvine smirked smugly, and shot Selphie a quick wink.
'Today is one of those days that SeeD was born for! Today is one of the reasons for all the hard years of training that we've lived through! And I don't think we came through all of it to just let another power-mad leader like Aifel Massery walk all over us. We have to send the message to the world - to tell all of the generals and leaders out there to think twice before they get any evil intentions. They'll have us to answer to if they do. And as long as we all believe in our victory, we will win the day with honour!
'The G-Army that we're about to go up against has a total of twelve hundred men behind it – we will have a force of fifteen hundred. And I know that most of you have fought against the G-Army before. Some of those kids can't even hold their weapons the right way round, let alone last a second in a hand-to-hand fight with a SeeD! So I think I can say we have a great advantage already, before the battle has even begun. Never think that we are walking into a fight we cannot possibly win! Hope can only exist in our hearts – if we choose to give it up, we will die. But today, you will have no reason to give up hope! For I know that within the walls of Timber, we will give Aifel Massery a small taste of SeeD's true power... and we will outlast him.
'I know that some of the faces I look upon now will not be seen again after the fight is over. Death is an unfortunate part of war that we may have to meet with courage. But I do have a small consolation to give to any of you unlucky enough to meet that fate. It is this – you will have died in the name of SeeD. You will have met your end standing on the side of a worthy cause. You will have died bringing honour to your name! You will have fought to the last breath against tyranny and oppression, and died in the name of justice! And I believe that, if a man's time to die has finally come, he should pray for a death as glorious as that. And that is what you will receive – you will finish life as a hero, and you will receive a hero's death to equal that!'
A fair number of SeeDs in the crowd began to whoop and cheer as Squall finished uttering those last words. Squall took a second to watch and laugh as the volume of the response began to rise, before holding up a hand to indicate that there was more to come. The noise quickly, but regretfully, died down.
Irvine marvelled at how easily Squall's words had roused the army into a state of high morale. Anybody who believed that the outcome of a battle was always decided by the numbers of troops on either side, or by the power of the weapons that each army used, had obviously never played a part in one. There was a force that lay in the hearts of the men on a battlefield, immeasurable by any machine, which could in an instant mean the difference between victory and defeat. A thousand men armed with six-foot long chain guns could easily tremble with shame and fear as they turned their sights onto their enemies. Likewise, a single man with only his gunblade in his hands could cause far more damage, if his heart were armed with the same fearlessness that Squall had just been talking about. The soldiers that stood before Irvine now would all be fighting for a honourable cause, which is more than can be said for their enemies. It was important that they knew what this could mean.
'There's no way,' Squall concluded, when the crowd had calmed down again, 'that we can afford to sit back and choose the easier path through life. Many others will die if we don't. We all know that there is a job for us to do, and I hope that all of you will find it in your hearts to do it with passion. We were made for days like today, and it will be an honourable day for all of you. It'll be a day when SeeD will fight together for the first time in history! It'll be the day when we stand tall against Aifel Massery and his G-Army! And I promise you that it'll be the day we send them to hell and back!'
As his speech drew to its climactic finish, a tumultuous mix of cheering, shouting, stamping, whistling and clapping immediately rose up to create an infectious wave of noise that spread to every corner of the hall. Aifel Massery might not have trembled in fear, had he heard the response of the crowd to Squall's rallying speech – but his soldiers definitely would have. In Squall's opinion, that particular moment was nothing short of breathtaking. This was the outcome that he had been dreaming would happen. Every soldier in the room had to find some way of freeing themselves from the nerves that any human being would develop before stepping onto a battlefield, and he couldn't help but feel his opening words had done the trick. He now had his own loyal army of over a thousand experienced men and women fired up to face whatever enemy may come before them. They were feeding off the energy that his words had sent out into the air; they were worshipping him as though he were something greater than just a mortal man. And for that minute, as he stood at the front of the platform and basked in the wave of noisy attention being directed towards him from every person in the room, he finally felt like a true leader again – he felt like the god of SeeD.
His confident eyes briefly rested upon his three companions at the side of the stage, and he let out a hearty laugh that was unexpected of him. Their own individual responses couldn't have been more predictable. Irvine was, naturally, playing it cool, leaning his back against a marble pillar, clapping softly and slowly with a knowing smirk written all over his face. Selphie was being her usual enthusiastic self by jumping up and down on the spot, clapping her hands high above her head and yelling something incomprehensible at the top of her lungs. Zell was madly hopping from foot to foot while chanting 'Go Sq-uall! Go Sq-uall', using both hands as an imaginary megaphone. And Squall was surprised to see that the four other commanders of SeeD, who had followed him out, unnoticed, from the elevator, also couldn't stop themselves from showing their utmost respect for the younger leader. All four of them – the experienced Reiken, the inexperienced Beasley, the thoughtful Gilmore and the arrogant Simons – clapped until their hands would've stung from any more clapping.
It was a good two minutes before Squall raised his hand again to silence the crowd, and a further minute after that before the noise had completely died down. The moment had been uplifting, definitely, but there were still countless numbers of orders that had to be given out to ensure that Squall's final sentence came true.
'All SeeD members must be ready to move out at 0800 hours,' he continued. 'This gives us only over half an hour to get our act together, so make sure you move fast and think even faster. Look... I know what great soldiers you all must be – I mean, come on, you're SeeDs - and the last thing I'd want to do is patronise any of you. So, instead, prove to me that I won't have to. Remember to make sure that all of your GFs, abilities and magic are junctioned to suit your techniques. This means I'm talking about normal junctions, elemental junctions and status junctions – you never know what tricks the G-Army are going to try and pull next. And make sure that you can junction as many different magic types to both elemental and status defence as possible – you'll find that Cerberus, Alexander and Doomtrain are the best for doing this, if you're lucky enough to even have them. And if anyone feels they need any advice on an area of the junctioning system, don't be afraid to ask anyone else for help.'
Squall couldn't stop himself from wincing as that last sentence left his mouth. This was SeeD, after all, not a first-year primary school class. He could feel the eyes of everybody in the audience collectively rolling, and hear a thousand pairs of feet shift from side to side with impatience. He hated having to subject an army of experienced warriors to Squall's Top Five Tips For Improving Your Battle Skills, especially when some of them may, in fact, have known more about the effects of GFs and junctioning than he did. His advisors, however, wouldn't have let him hear the end of it had he not done so. It was far easier for everybody if the babies got their rattle. But, still, it was embarrassing. He could also hear the other commanders chuckling away quietly behind him, which secretly caused him far more discomfort than his audience's disapproval.
'Well, I'm glad that's over with. Sorry about that. I also know that many of you from Trabia Garden were caught slightly unexpected at having to come here so soon. That's why a temporary shop has already been set up in the cafeteria, and will continue to sell the best items that money can buy, at very competitive prices, for the next thirty minutes. And if any SeeDs from Trabia Garden haven't got the money to afford the items that are on stock – then I know you're lying, and you're not scrounging a single gil from me.'
At least half of the SeeDs in the crowd laughed out loudly at this comment, and a smile rose on the faces of most of the others. It was common knowledge in the outside world that financial ruin would never be a fear among the members of the elite organisation.
'I've been told,' Squall continued, turning towards Selphie, Zell and Irvine and nodding his head in acknowledgement, 'That our total number here today runs to a grand total of one thousand and fifty-seven. Believe me, I'm impressed. It seems that you will all be part of the largest single force that SeeD has ever managed to gather together in its history. That's something for all of you to be proud of.'
'I can also see that you've already been divided into six different units. My people have taken a long time to organise all of them correctly, so I don't want to see any last minute swapping going on. Each unit will have its own commander to lead it in battle, and will act independently of other units' orders. I wish I didn't have to say this as well – but I've seen many people lose their heads on the battlefield, in more ways than one, and I don't want to see it happening to any good soldiers today. Your commander's orders are final. If anybody feels like playing the lone wolf today and going solo, you'll have me to answer to afterwards, if I'm not zipping you up in a body bag. All six of the commanders are intelligent, experienced, and would gladly give you a sore beating for disobeying them – so don't give them a reason to. They're the men, and women, that'll keep you alive today.'
'Unit Alpha will be lead by me. I'm sure I'll be proud of whomever it is I've got. Unit Beta will be lead by Commander Gilmore of Trabia Garden. Unit Gamma will be lead by Commander Simons, formally of Galbadia Garden – so go easy on him today, boys.' Squall paused again to allow the brief flutter of laughter to pass over the crowd. He could hear the steady grating of Simons' teeth from a metre away, but he just couldn't have resisted the opportunity. 'Unit Delta will be lead by Commander Reiken, also of Trabia Garden. Unit Theta will be lead by Commander Beasley, also of Balamb Garden. And last, but by no means least, Unit Kappa will be lead by Balamb Garden's very own... Quistis Trepe.'
The Trabian SeeDs in the crowd were clueless as to why the mention of the last commander caused such a response among the rest of the soldiers. Quite a few male members of the other five units were shaking their heads in disappointment. Their counterparts in Unit Kappa seemed to be overcome with pleasure. Zell, Selphie and Irvine, on the other hand, were left with their mouths hanging open.
'What the!?' Selphie hissed to Irvine when she had gathered her senses. 'Since when did this happen!? Why the – why didn't Squall say anything to us? Why didn't Quisty say anything to us!?'
'Probably to stop you having the kind of mental breakdown you're having right now,' Irvine replied quietly. Despite his usual calm persona, he was secretly taken aback by Squall's decision. 'Don't worry, you're not the only one who's shocked by that. I guess I'm reeling a bit here as well. It seems this guy's always full of tricks.'
'But seriously!' Selphie continued to babble in protest. 'What does Squall think he's do – not that I think –'
'Not that you think that our beloved Quistis would be anything less than a perfect commander?'
'Irvine Kinneas!' The man in question recognised Selphie's 'angry voice' right away. 'Stop tryin' to act so damn cool about this! Squall's just put one of our best friends in charge of three hundred SeeDs! For a battle that's gonna start in two hours! Please tell me you're a least a bit shocked by that! You know Quisty's got no experience doing stuff like this! What's Squall playing at!?'
'Well,' Irvine replied calmly, 'I guess there must be a good reason for it. Squall wouldn't have done it if there wasn't, right?'
'Like what, exactly?'
'Hey,' Irvine sighed in exasperation, turning his full attention towards his girlfriend, 'am I suddenly Squall? Do you see me wearing a fur-lined jacket? Am I now dating Rinoa Heartilly?'
'Okay, okay. I get your point, but –'
'But what, Sefie, dear?'
'Irvine!' Selphie hissed again in frustration. 'This is serious! Can't you see that!?'
'Of course it's serious, my love. I understood that from the way you seem to be shouting at me right now. Don't think you're the only one surprised by this. I'm just as shocked as you are - underneath, of course. I mean, Quisty's my friend, and all that, but I'm not sure at all if she'd make good commander material. The only bit of leadership she's ever had to do before was back when she was an Instructor, and she even got kicked out of doing that. So maybe I'm clueless as well as to what game that guy's playing. But I also know Squall, and I know that he thinks smart – and I know that whenever he does something, he does it for a good reason. Of course, I'm not quite sure what that is right now. It looks like you don't know either. But don't stress over it – we've still got time. I tell you what; we'll take it up with Squall first thing after this speech finally gets finished. Okay?'
Selphie still looked as though there was a traffic jam of words quickly forming inside her head. She stuttered, trying desperately to find the right way of expressing these feelings into a meaningful sentence. She eventually conceded, however, and lowered her eyes to the floor. She batted her eyelashes dolefully.
'I guess you're right,' she sighed, leaning her weary head softly against Irvine's ever-available shoulder. 'Okay – I'll let it go until after this. Thank god I've got you to sort things out for me, Irvy. I don't know what I'd do sometimes without you around.'
Irvine wrapped his arm around her opposite shoulder, drew her closer to him gently and kissed her softly on the top of the head. 'My pleasure,' he smiled. 'It just comes naturally.'
Meanwhile, just as the couple were kicking off with their mild disagreement, it was obvious that Squall hadn't intended to stand around and watch – he still had a long list of orders that needed to be dispensed. By the time that Irvine and Selphie had settled their differences and returned their attention to the speech, Squall was just getting ready to describe exactly what was going to happen in half an hour's time, when the board was finally set for the game to begin.
'At exactly 0800 hours,' he continued, his echoing voice showing no signs yet of growing weary, 'Balamb Garden will be about to pass directly over the centre of Timber, and we should be getting ready to make our first move. I'm going to need everybody to assemble orderly at the front entrance to the south at that time. Yes, we will be entering the city by air - so I hope that none of you are afraid of heights. Besides, who doesn't want to make a dramatic entrance when they can?'
A much briefer, quieter response of laughter rose from the audience.
'I will need all soldiers to assemble in the units that you've already been put into, and form an orderly queue in rows of five each. Unit Alpha will be at the front, lead by me, of course. Unit Beta will be behind us, and so on, all the way to Unit Kappa. As you should all have already guessed, being the great SeeDs that you are, you'll need at least one Float spell in your magic stock if you want to make the jump without us having to clean you off the ground with a sponge. If you don't have any Float spells in your inventory, then don't worry. You can get some from one of the Draw Points we've nicely set up for you in the cafeteria area. You can also ask anyone else to Exchange a spell to your inventory, if you like. Just make sure that you all have at least one before you make your way to the south entrance – because I'll be personally checking everyone's inventory later on.'
Squall quickly turned his back to the audience to confer with Commander Reiken, via the use of sign language. Seconds later, both men nodded to each other, and Squall immediately turned his full attention back to his waiting crowd.
'That's all that I have to say for now,' he concluded. He had judged that a significant portion of the troops was beginning to show signs of impatience. It was time to end his speech on a high. 'I hope that you've enjoyed this as much as you can. More orders will be given out to you all a bit later. In the meantime, make sure you prepare for battle, and prepare well.
'Let me just end by saying what a pleasure it is for me to be the leader of such a fine army. So I want to make sure it stays that way. I don't want to see any playing around from any of you on the battlefield today. Don't forget that any one of those G-Army kids could still take your head off with a good swing. Don't forget to fight the best fight that you can. And, above all else, don't forget to give them a reason to fear SeeD! You're a part of the most dangerous, ass-kicking army on the planet – so go out there today and show it! Make them bleed!'
Another wave of applause, much quieter than the previous response at the end of Squall's opening rally, rose respectfully from the crowd. A few of the more enthusiastic SeeDs were heard to whoop and shout encouragingly at their leader, including, of course, a certain blonde-haired youngster. A group of friends towards the back of the audience began to stamp their feet in an orderly rhythm, hoping that the people next to them would catch on and that the domino effect would come into play. Their efforts, however, failed miserably. The time for morale building had already come, been enjoyed, and gone. Squall's speech was now over - now was the time for the members of SeeD to begin preparing themselves for battle. It was time for their unavoidable fear to settle in.
Was it right for all of Squall's soldiers to feel at least a little worried, or even a little scared, about the dangers that the upcoming battle would bring? Squall believed so. He believed it was always important that the soldiers of any army were not over-confident. Fear would make a person's soul healthy – but only when it came in small doses. Too little fear could make a man become lazy and overestimate his own abilities; both of which were tell tale signs that his name would soon be engraved on a tombstone rather than a medal. Equally, too many nerves could be just as bad on the battlefield, if not worse. A man could suffer a total breakdown from the fear of death and pain that went hand in hand with war. Squall had already seen it happen too many times. And if he didn't succumb to that so easily, it would be difficult for him to swing a gunblade accurately at the enemy, if his limbs were acting as though he'd just downed a pint of coffee.
Fear in the right doses, however, was good. It was healthy. It would keep the soldiers of SeeD alert and wary in the face of danger without causing their bodies and brains to totally seize up. Fear would help to keep them alive today. Now was the time for all of them to begin accepting that fear.
'Zell, Selphie, Irvine,' Squall said, beckoning to his three friends with an outstretched hand. The applause was beginning to die down, and the crowd was showing signs of dispersing. 'I was hoping that you guys would be around here somewhere. What did you think?'
'Listen, Squall, mate,' Irvine began honestly, 'I'd just like to say that I thou –'
'You were great, Squall!' Selphie exclaimed, running over to him and throwing her arms around his neck in a warm, friendly hug. 'It was better than what you did at the Galbadia Garden battle! I am so-so-so sorry that I ever doubted you!'
'Yeah, right on!' Zell agreed, punching the air with his fist.
'Yeah, yeah, whatever it was they said,' Irvine muttered darkly. 'Seriously, Squall. That was great. Five and a half stars to you.'
Squall, his face now buried deeply into Selphie's right shoulder, smiled once again as he marvelled at how he had ever managed to become the trusted friend of such great people.
'Thanks, you guys,' he grinned warmly as Selphie finally let him go. 'I heard about what you did - all the help you put in while I was away. I can't imagine you doing anything greater. Thank you so much. I won't forget what you've done for me.'
'No problem, mate,' Irvine replied calmly. 'Listen, I know this might not be the time for this, I know you're gonna be busy. But me and Selphie were thinking...'
Squall caught on to what it was Irvine was thinking about right away.
'I think I know what you're talking about,' he interrupted smoothly. 'Listen, I've got some business to take care of in the cafeteria, but I'll have a little free time after that. I hope it'll be enough time to explain myself. Can you come with me now?'
Squall didn't wait for an answer from any of his three friends before he began his descent of the main stairs. He could feel the heat of a thousand pairs of eyes burning into him as he did, a thousand concluding expressions forming on a thousand faces. What he didn't know, however, was that they were mostly looks of respect. He didn't know that he was the reason that some of the faces in the crowd had first come to Garden, didn't know that they had endured the trials of passing into SeeD as part of a hopeful dream to one day be like him. He was probably better off not knowing; the thought might only have irritated him. It seemed that he was happy enough knowing that he had just delivered a speech that had made a thousand people stand up and unite in celebration, and had given them a new reason to risk their lives in warfare.
He briskly stepped off the bottom stair, and walked through a line in the crowd with his eyes firmly pointed straight ahead. Irvine, Zell and Selphie shrugged, and quickly raced down to follow him.
More will be on its way soon. Cheers to everyone who's reviewed this.
As Zell, Selphie and Irvine stood patiently next to the elevator, waiting for the Commander of Balamb Garden to make his dramatic entrance, it was difficult for them not to be astonished by the sight that lay before them. This was not what the world was used to. SeeD was no longer a scattered, disorganised group of rag-tag mercenaries. The army with no nation to call their own, and no real enemy left to fight. The people of the world would no longer see them as standardised packets of three soldiers, dispatched to fight alone in all the corners of the globe. To the three of them, still looking down on the rest of their kind with a mixture of pride and utmost awe, that was the image of SeeD that they had grown up with. That was the SeeD that Zell and Selphie had fought and conquered a ten-foot high mechanical spider to be a part of. What they saw now would change that picture forever.
Stretching from the Cafeteria entrance, all the way to the library on the opposite side of the hall, was a solid sea of sharp, green uniforms. Rows upon rows of solid, expressionless faces, as the soldiers continued to stand to attention. Once the fountains had been shut off and the pools thoroughly drained, it was amazing how many people could be fitted into Balamb Garden's main entrance. One thousand and fifty-seven, to be precise; it seemed that Squall's previous prediction of SeeD's total fighting force was a slight underestimate.
There were some who would say that SeeD was a large, experienced, but ultimately powerless group; a patchwork of many soldiers, with different beliefs and ideals, loosely sewn together by an ineffective chain of command. There were others who would say half the members of SeeD probably had no idea of what they were really fighting for, or even what SeeD was originally made to fight for. Sure, their members were highly trained since their childhood, and maybe SeeD had played a minor part in upholding the peace these past few years. But, still, they were unreliable and faithless – they only supported those who had the wealth to fund their next paychecks. Just another random bunch of roughneck and hero wannabes, fighting to get their share of the world. Well, it was widely known that the old SeeD had had its flaws. And maybe the old SeeD had been guilty of supporting some, or even all, of these statements. But if these critics could stand, right now, on the topmost steps of Balamb Garden's entrance hall, and look down at the SeeD that Zell, Selphie and Irvine were seeing, then they would at least agree on one thing. The new SeeD was here, it was together – and it was ready to raise the roof.
'I tell you what, Sefie,' smirked Irvine, with a look of satisfaction on his face, 'I wish Aifel Massery was standing next to us right now. I wish he could see what we've got waitin' for him. Come on, you've gotta agree with me. It'd be fun to watch him wet himself.'
Selphie briefly considered telling her boyfriend that it was that kind of thinking that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. She quickly realised, however, that it was pointless – he wouldn't be listening to a word she said. She decided instead that she would tease him for now, punching him lightly in the arm. Irvine was always in the mood for a contest of insults.
'Well, looky who's feeling all confident today!' she smirked back at him. 'Hey, Zell, best double-check the rookie's tied his boots on this time. It'd be embarrassing to see him kissing my shoes when he gets out there!'
Zell smirked in unison. Selphie was obviously referring to Irvine's little incident at the beginning of his SeeD practical exam. Any conversation between the two that had taken place since was bound to include that memory at some point. After spending two hours bouncing off the walls of his designated carrier ship in excitement, his entrance onto the battlefield had been... well, less than spectacular. With Zell, Selphie and Quistis all cheering him on from behind, he had just managed to take two steps across the battlefield before he fell, face first, into the sand, losing his shoe in the process. It had taken him a full five minutes to pull himself together again (while suffering the endless mirth of his supposed friends from behind his back) before he was able to join the rest of his team at the meeting point. Selphie couldn't have cared less that Irvine's performance was described in his report as 'flawless and courageous'. It was that memory that she loved to reminisce on the most – by fate, the one that Irvine tried to remember the least.
Irvine couldn't help wincing. It was obvious the memory was still losing him sleep.
'Ah, Selphie, my sides!' he retorted in mock humour. 'When will the comedienne sit down and write a few newer jokes for us not to laugh at?'
His expression, however, suddenly changed from one of mental anguish to one of shock. He sharply raised his arm to point to something that was behind Selphie's back.
Selphie was slightly put off balance. 'Irvy? What is it?'
Irvine's mouth and eyes widened in fear. 'Selphie!' he cried, 'Watch out! There's a big spider behind you! Looks like you couldn't kill it the first hundred times you fought it! Selphie! Quick!'
Selphie rolled her eyes. 'You idiot, Irvine Kinneas! If you'd have had to fight that thing when we did, you'd know what we all meant. It was a monster!'
'No, wait! It's down! It's dead! Oh no, wait, it's back up again! Oh my God! Is Selphie ever going to finish it off!? Will it ever –'
'Irvine, be a good boy, for once, and shut up now.'
Irvine grinned widely in satisfaction. 'Ahh,' he replied, 'the shameful retort of the defeated! You'd think you'd get used to the feeling of victory after this many times... but Sefie, it only seems to get better.'
'No, seriously, man, she's not jokin',' Zell cut in, 'Jus' look!'
Slightly put out at the fact that his verbal victory was going ignored and unappreciated, Irvine quickly spun on his heels to find out what his two companions had ceased their mockery of him to pay attention to. Both pairs of eyes were staring, unblinkingly, at a point on the shining metal wall that he had just been leaning against. Irvine followed his girlfriend's line of vision to see what could possibly deserve their attention more than him – it didn't take him long to raise his eyebrows in surprise.
The elevator, the only method of reaching the two raised levels of Balamb Garden, was suddenly on the move. For the last three hours, it had been stationary at the topmost level – the area consisting of the control bridge, Squall's office and Squall's quarters. Neither Zell, Selphie nor Irvine had any idea of what business had been conducted there since they had last spoken with Squall. To be perfectly honest, they were content to be ignorant. Despite being both Squall's subordinates and his closest friends, the three seemed to have silently agreed amongst themselves that Squall was in no condition to be unnecessarily bothered. What was left of his concentration needed to be spared for the situations that needed his counsel the most. None of them felt that they were being neglectful, or inconsiderate, of his feelings. They knew that he was caught in a situation where most people would have openly welcomed a little dose of comfort and compassion. They also knew, however, that most people were in no way similar to Squall Leonhart. He was not a man who ached for idle banter, especially when he was only two hours away from unleashing open war upon a town of innocent people. He had serious problems to deal with at the moment, problems that they had neither the mind nor the experience to deal with. If Squall had wanted their company, then he would have asked for it – if he didn't, it was a wise idea to avoid getting under his feet.
Their last brief conversation with Squall had not done anything to raise their hopes. In fact, it had only secretly saddened them all to see their close friend being continuously dragged further into the depths of weariness. His smile, his grin and his confident stance might have fooled others into thinking he was in prime condition, but the pained gleam in his eyes and the heavy bags underneath them told the story of a man who would happily collapse to the floor and fall into an endless sleep, if fate so much as allowed him to.
'Everyone... thank you for coming,' he had begun in an exasperated tone. 'I don't what I would've done without you all with me. I can't say how grateful I am... I guess I'm just too tired. You've stood next to me as friends when I've offered you nothing but coldness in return. I still don't know why you did.'
'Hey, Squall,' Irvine replied, 'we did it because we all cared about you, mate. We knew you were one of the good guys underneath, no matter how much of a jerk you could be. And we know that you're not just an ordinary guy. If you ever our help, all you gotta do is just ask. And if you want us to get the hell out of your way, we'll always be ready to run.'
'Irvine, your absolute subtlety is a quality I've always admired in you,' Quistis mocked coldly from the other side of the room.
Irvine threw a malicious grin back at her – he wasn't one to let Quistis get the better of him so easily. 'You just thought this pretty-boy was all muscles and no heart, didn't you, sweetie?' he replied in his trademark husky voice. 'I can always warm up your soul... the same way I warm up your body each time we meet...'
'Oh, for God's sake, Irvine Kinneas, why can't you –'
'Yo, guys,' Zell cut in, 'Can ya give us a little less talkin', an' a little more 'shut the hell up'? Squall's got somethin' to say.'
The commander of Balamb Garden smiled a weary smile as he wondered how the six of them had ever ended up becoming best friends. 'Thank you, Zell,' he began again. 'Perhaps now that round one's finished, I can continue.'
Irvine and Quistis quickly realised their uncomfortable positions, and immediately withdrew into their respective corners.
'As I was saying, I can't put into words how thankful I am for the support you've given me since we first met. I really can't. Every one of you has done more for me than I ever would've dared to ask – Zell, Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, and R – err –'
It wasn't fun for the other four people in the room to watch their commander stutter and fumble around for the right words, desperately trying not to make any mention of his girlfriend. In his current state, any thoughts of her might destroy him completely. None of them dared to mention their feelings to each other after the meeting, but they were all deeply saddened – sickened, even – to see what the man who's gunblade had twice felled a Sorceress in battle had slowly been reduced to.
It's alright, Squall, thought Quistis, hoping with a trace of absurdity that she had suddenly developed telepathic abilities. You haven't got long to go before she'll make everything right again. She promised me that she would. I truly believed what she said, and I still do. You've got nothing to worry about anymore.
'A – anyway, as I was saying... you've all put in so much effort to help me over the years, and I'm eternally grateful for all you've done. But - I'm afraid that this is the time that I'm going to have to ask for all of your help again. No, Zell... let me finish. I've had a bad day so far, and I'd give almost anything right now to be rid of it. But I know that's not going to happen. I think I've finally realised, after all that's happened today, and everything that will happen, that I'm not as all-powerful as I thought. Ha... it sounds stupid of me to say it even now.'
Squall paused in his plea only to take a deep breath and cover his grimace with a smile.
'I used to think... that I was capable of doing anything. I thought that I could put my body through anything. What a fool I was. I've realised now that I'm only capable of taking only so much pressure – and I think... I think I've finally exceeded that.'
Selphie suddenly felt that Squall was going too far to punish myself.
'Listen, Squall, you don't have to –'
But Squall swiftly raised a hand to indicate that nothing was going to stop him clearing his head of his feelings.
'No, please, Selphie, let me say what I have to. And that's why I'm going to have to ask you to do anything you can now to help. If you don't do it for me, then do it for the people who are going to die in the battle that I'm about to start. Please - do what you can, because... because I don't think I can do any more right now. I don't like having to put burdens like this on people. And I especially don't like having to put it on you guys, after all you've done for me. But I'm afraid... I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice right now. Just, do what you can to help.'
After their brief and unhappy meeting had finally ended, Squall having been swept away by his assistants to deal with another immediate problem, the four remaining friends were unable to break the curtain of silence that had fallen over them again. Each of them was struggling to find a single positive thought to share with the group. They also quickly parted company, preferring not to exchange farewells and desperately trying not to catch one another's gaze. The thought was in front of their faces, and on the tips of their tongues. None, however, had the courage to make that thought audible.
So Irvine, Zell and Selphie had unanimously made a silent agreement to do whatever they could to help share Squall's burden and make his path easier to tread, in any small way possible. This was a delicate operation at best. To have any chance of success, it had to be done without any communication occurring between either Squall himself or, even worse, Squall's all- seeing, all-knowing troupe of advisors, assistants, admirers... whatever they wanted to call themselves. The six friends usually referred to them in private conversation as 'the suits', which was a perfect analogy for encapsulating their ideologies of how operations should be run around the Garden. Consistency and regulations make for excellent efficiency. Facts and numbers are the only sources to be used and trusted. There isn't enough space in the whole of this story to stress just how passionate the friends' hatred of the suits had become. None of them ever wanted to imagine a time when the decisions of Balamb Garden were made by a committee, who's members had never wielded a weapon at another human being, or even set foot on the bloody terrain of a battlefield.
Nevertheless, they were efficient, tireless, organised and oh-so watchful. If any of them, from the highest-ranking SeeD to the youngest first-year student, became aware of any small operation that the three companions were attempting to carry out in the absence of their supervision, the consequences would end up hindering Squall instead of helping him. Whoever they were to deal with would, should such a situation arise, almost certainly be shocked that their actions hadn't been 'fully documented, approved and endorsed by the appointed Balamb Garden Commander'. Just as the one falling domino brings its hundreds of brothers toppling down with it, the situation would have quickly caused nothing less than an explosion of outrage from amongst the ranks of the suits. They would insist on informing the Commander of the 'impending situation' immediately, Squall would have another problem to focus his weary mind onto, and... well, let's just say that it would be better for everyone, especially the man who needed it the most, if they managed to work in secret.
As the elevator continued to descend towards the ground floor and an army of twelve hundred restless men, the three friends felt their prides collectively swell as they realised what they had managed to accomplish under such conditions. The gauntlet had been thrown down to them – and they had answered with vigour. They had been the ones to greet the SeeD force from Trabia Garden, some four hundred of them, as soon as they had set foot onto their Balamb counterpart – they had made their leaders feel welcome. Without further ado, they'd quickly escorted the soldiers into the main hall of the Garden and somehow, Selphie still wasn't sure quite how, had managed to organise a rowdy and restless crowd of over a thousand SeeD men (and women) into what closely resembled an orderly fashion. They'd succeeded in stealthily 'borrowing' the necessary documents, from right under the suits' noses, that told them all they needed to know about Squall's plan of action for defending Timber against Aifel Massery. Finally, they had used this information to organise the entire SeeD army into the different teams, units and battalions that Squall had requested. Thanks to them, a gigantic weight had already been taken off Squall's shoulders in the two hours since their last meeting - time that the suits had spent bustling around the third floor office, hastily producing table after table of meaningless figures and processing minutes.
Squall would definitely be proud of them when he finally saw what they'd done. Selphie, however, wasn't going to allow her ego to make her forget the traces of dread and uneasiness that lay around her heart. Neither she, nor any of Squall's closest friends, had seen or talked to him in the last three hours, through either lack of opportunity or lack of wanting. They could only have made guesses as to how he had used that time. Had he chosen to leave everything in the many hands of his advisors, and took the time to rest his weary body? Or had he continued to work at the same scurrying, frantic pace that he'd managed to keep up for the last twenty-four hours? And most importantly, what sort of condition would both choices leave him in? What effect would his condition have on the many events that were just waiting to fly straight into his face?
Selphie briskly shook herself free from all the negative thoughts that had just bombarded her soul. She knew that she still had a job to do. After exchanging brief nods with the two men on either side of her, the three of them smartly stood to attention and Irvine cleared his throat importantly.
'Soldiers of SeeD!' he called at the top of his voice. Selphie was stunned at how Irvine's normally clear, soothing tone could suddenly be made to echo around every corner of the main hall. 'Stand to attention for your Commander!'
Within seconds, the murmurs of conversation that had begun to float back and forth over the crowd were effectively silenced. A thousand pairs of legs were brought together in unison; a thousand pairs of arms became rigid at the soldiers' sides; and a thousand pairs of eyes were fixed pointedly onto the main platform, where Squall would soon be making his appearance. It was true to say that some of the faces in the crowd were about to get their first glimpse of their personal idol.
Selphie, however, was beginning to feel the wave of sickness gush coldly up to her throat and mouth. The elevator was now mere seconds away from reaching the ground floor - but which Squall Leonhart were they going to see step out onto the platform? Would it be the tall, confident Squall Leonhart, who had lead SeeD to victory before against the overwhelming might of Seifer and Galbadia Garden? Or would it be the Squall Leonhart that they had seen more of in the near past than they'd have ever wished to?
Irvine senses, when it came to Selphie's emotions, seemed to be extremely sharpened. 'Well,' he said, turning his head towards hers, 'here goes nothing.'
His warm smile that followed was detected, appreciated... but unfortunately not returned. Selphie's nerves seemed to have finally gotten the better of her. It seemed that all she could do now was pray for the best... but what were the chances of her prayers being answered?
'Don't worry, Sefie. This is Squall we're talking about here. Aifel Massery must have got a screw loose if he thinks a bunch of his messenger boys are gonna lay a scratch on our man.'
The elevator was coming into view now, descending swiftly like the guillotine that could perhaps put her hopes to sleep. The pulleys and levers began to whine as the brakes came into effect. The metal control panel chimed monotonously. Clunk. The elevator had drawn to a stop with an ominous, hollow thud. Just like the axe does, thought Selphie, when it hits the floor. The doors hissed menacingly as they opened.
The first man to exit the elevator was Squall, strolling calmly out onto the main platform. Apart from the hollow echoes made by his confident footsteps, the entire hall was deathly silent. You could have heard the pin as it fell through the air.
It took Selphie a few seconds to look Squall up and down before she breathed a huge sigh of relief. The man that was stood before her was not the same person that she had seen so far that day. Good God, she thought to herself, what had those suits done with the real Squall Leonhart?
Nevertheless, the real Squall Leonhart was definitely back – and he looked as though he was ready to take on the entire G-Army himself. Everything about him as he strode to the front of the platform, from the shine of his boots all the way up to the gleam in his eyes, projected an image of power and confidence. He was no longer slouched over as though his nose were tied to his feet, but stood tall and straight-backed, using every inch of his height to its full advantage. He had his hands on his hips and one foot on the topmost stair, as though he were stood on the topmost peak of the world's tallest mountain, free to look with awe upon every corner of the globe. His mouth was slightly curved into a cocky half-smile, the bags had disappeared from under his eyes and the fire that had burnt within them had been rekindled. He had the aura of a man with the world at his feet - a man who's immeasurable passion and energy couldn't be, or wouldn't be, stopped by any force in the world, no matter how powerful or intimidating that force could be. He looked like the man that he had been born to be; the son of Esthar's president; the Commander of Balamb Garden - no, even better... the undisputed leader of SeeD.
An' if they ever get round t' makin' a statue of that guy, Zell thought, I'll be damned if that ain't what it looks like.
'Irvy,' Selphie whispered excitedly, 'it's lookin' like you were right! I knew it! Squall's back in business!'
Irvine cocked his head at her and smiled knowingly. 'Hey, calm down, spaz,' he joked, placing one gloved hand firmly over her mouth. 'You don't want to miss the speech that he's about to make. Something tells me that this is going to be a moment to remember.'
As it was, it turned out that as soon as he had finished his last conversation with Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine, Squall had finally chosen to obey his voice of sense, and give himself a much-needed break. It wasn't long before he'd had the chance to fall asleep. He had made his intentions immediately clear to his helpers. He had told them to continue with the excellent work that they were already doing. And then, as a final farewell salute, he had threatened anyone with the mind or the guts to disturb him to 'answer to the gunblade that'll no doubt be pressed against your windpipe'. It wasn't a surprise to find that nobody had chosen to debate with him on that particular policy.
It might be difficult to imagine a person who had the ability to stay awake and alert for twenty-seven hours, and then suddenly spring out of bed again, feeling totally refreshed, after a mere three hours' sleep. It was, in fact, a common skill among most of the members of SeeD that were now patiently waiting for their Commander's speech to begin. Common, yes, but definitely not taken for granted. It was a remarkable skill, one that can only possibly be developed from spending years of sleepless nights, always in fear of a passing shadow and the assassin's knife, aboard the passenger trains of Galbadia. It took a tremendous amount of will power to keep your chin up and brace your eyelids; perhaps the only line of defence that existed against the ever-growing assault of drowsiness.
But every veteran of SeeD had managed to hold out against the barrage. They'd passed the test of staying alive for another day. Squall, Zell, Selphie, Quistis, even Rinoa and Irvine, had all managed to dig deep and outlast the pain, even when it seemed as though every part of the body was falling asleep, one after another. It was that kind of mysterious power and will in its members that had made SeeD the feared force that it was. It was another of those well-respected traits that they claimed were handed out to its members after the field exams, just like the smart uniforms, the prestigious medals and the optimistic payrolls. Sure, they'd all got it. It was a standard thing, if you were good enough to bunk in a single dorm in Balamb Garden. But, on the other hand, so were the scars and the bruises and the cuts and the broken bones that every student had had to endure during their gruelling years of training at the Garden (or, in Squall's case, the gruelling years of picking fights with a certain red-haired egomaniac). They were equally as standard. In fact, so were all the other respectable qualities that a member of SeeD possessed. They were standard as well. But they definitely hadn't come easily to any of them. And it had taken hundreds of days like today to mould Squall Leonhart into the strong and wilful Commander that he was right now. Quite frankly, everybody in that room should have been thankful for the strength that had allowed him to endure the hardships of the day so far. That strength, also, was standard among them – but for a moment, that shouldn't have meant it should go unappreciated.
Squall continued to survey the orderly columns of his army with a look of immense satisfaction on his face. He then broke out of his cocky stance, and began to calmly stroll up and down the length of the platform. When he spoke, his sharp, commanding voice rolled around every corner of the hall, and echoed dramatically as it shot to the high roof above and down again. Except for the times when he was forced to use the intercom, Squall had never had to use a megaphone to make his voice heard to a crowd. Judging by the attention that he was receiving from this particular crowd, it seemed as though he only had to mutter his speech for everybody to hear it.
'This is the greatest chance that SeeD has ever been given!' he shouted at the top of his voice. The hungry gleam in his eyes was shining once again – it was too long since he had last set foot on a battlefield. 'Today is our day! This is the day when we prove to the rest of the world what our force is really made of! SeeD was made to show the world that greed and anger couldn't win the day over justice – and this is the day that we do that with honour! We've all sat on the sidelines for too long. This is the time for us to stand up, and show all the crooked armies out there that they can't ignore us any more! Are we just going to sit back and let a few generals push around the hard-working people and just take the land that they want? Are we!?'
'No!' roared the crowd together, playing their part in Squall's speech with the utmost enthusiasm. Irvine smirked smugly, and shot Selphie a quick wink.
'Today is one of those days that SeeD was born for! Today is one of the reasons for all the hard years of training that we've lived through! And I don't think we came through all of it to just let another power-mad leader like Aifel Massery walk all over us. We have to send the message to the world - to tell all of the generals and leaders out there to think twice before they get any evil intentions. They'll have us to answer to if they do. And as long as we all believe in our victory, we will win the day with honour!
'The G-Army that we're about to go up against has a total of twelve hundred men behind it – we will have a force of fifteen hundred. And I know that most of you have fought against the G-Army before. Some of those kids can't even hold their weapons the right way round, let alone last a second in a hand-to-hand fight with a SeeD! So I think I can say we have a great advantage already, before the battle has even begun. Never think that we are walking into a fight we cannot possibly win! Hope can only exist in our hearts – if we choose to give it up, we will die. But today, you will have no reason to give up hope! For I know that within the walls of Timber, we will give Aifel Massery a small taste of SeeD's true power... and we will outlast him.
'I know that some of the faces I look upon now will not be seen again after the fight is over. Death is an unfortunate part of war that we may have to meet with courage. But I do have a small consolation to give to any of you unlucky enough to meet that fate. It is this – you will have died in the name of SeeD. You will have met your end standing on the side of a worthy cause. You will have died bringing honour to your name! You will have fought to the last breath against tyranny and oppression, and died in the name of justice! And I believe that, if a man's time to die has finally come, he should pray for a death as glorious as that. And that is what you will receive – you will finish life as a hero, and you will receive a hero's death to equal that!'
A fair number of SeeDs in the crowd began to whoop and cheer as Squall finished uttering those last words. Squall took a second to watch and laugh as the volume of the response began to rise, before holding up a hand to indicate that there was more to come. The noise quickly, but regretfully, died down.
Irvine marvelled at how easily Squall's words had roused the army into a state of high morale. Anybody who believed that the outcome of a battle was always decided by the numbers of troops on either side, or by the power of the weapons that each army used, had obviously never played a part in one. There was a force that lay in the hearts of the men on a battlefield, immeasurable by any machine, which could in an instant mean the difference between victory and defeat. A thousand men armed with six-foot long chain guns could easily tremble with shame and fear as they turned their sights onto their enemies. Likewise, a single man with only his gunblade in his hands could cause far more damage, if his heart were armed with the same fearlessness that Squall had just been talking about. The soldiers that stood before Irvine now would all be fighting for a honourable cause, which is more than can be said for their enemies. It was important that they knew what this could mean.
'There's no way,' Squall concluded, when the crowd had calmed down again, 'that we can afford to sit back and choose the easier path through life. Many others will die if we don't. We all know that there is a job for us to do, and I hope that all of you will find it in your hearts to do it with passion. We were made for days like today, and it will be an honourable day for all of you. It'll be a day when SeeD will fight together for the first time in history! It'll be the day when we stand tall against Aifel Massery and his G-Army! And I promise you that it'll be the day we send them to hell and back!'
As his speech drew to its climactic finish, a tumultuous mix of cheering, shouting, stamping, whistling and clapping immediately rose up to create an infectious wave of noise that spread to every corner of the hall. Aifel Massery might not have trembled in fear, had he heard the response of the crowd to Squall's rallying speech – but his soldiers definitely would have. In Squall's opinion, that particular moment was nothing short of breathtaking. This was the outcome that he had been dreaming would happen. Every soldier in the room had to find some way of freeing themselves from the nerves that any human being would develop before stepping onto a battlefield, and he couldn't help but feel his opening words had done the trick. He now had his own loyal army of over a thousand experienced men and women fired up to face whatever enemy may come before them. They were feeding off the energy that his words had sent out into the air; they were worshipping him as though he were something greater than just a mortal man. And for that minute, as he stood at the front of the platform and basked in the wave of noisy attention being directed towards him from every person in the room, he finally felt like a true leader again – he felt like the god of SeeD.
His confident eyes briefly rested upon his three companions at the side of the stage, and he let out a hearty laugh that was unexpected of him. Their own individual responses couldn't have been more predictable. Irvine was, naturally, playing it cool, leaning his back against a marble pillar, clapping softly and slowly with a knowing smirk written all over his face. Selphie was being her usual enthusiastic self by jumping up and down on the spot, clapping her hands high above her head and yelling something incomprehensible at the top of her lungs. Zell was madly hopping from foot to foot while chanting 'Go Sq-uall! Go Sq-uall', using both hands as an imaginary megaphone. And Squall was surprised to see that the four other commanders of SeeD, who had followed him out, unnoticed, from the elevator, also couldn't stop themselves from showing their utmost respect for the younger leader. All four of them – the experienced Reiken, the inexperienced Beasley, the thoughtful Gilmore and the arrogant Simons – clapped until their hands would've stung from any more clapping.
It was a good two minutes before Squall raised his hand again to silence the crowd, and a further minute after that before the noise had completely died down. The moment had been uplifting, definitely, but there were still countless numbers of orders that had to be given out to ensure that Squall's final sentence came true.
'All SeeD members must be ready to move out at 0800 hours,' he continued. 'This gives us only over half an hour to get our act together, so make sure you move fast and think even faster. Look... I know what great soldiers you all must be – I mean, come on, you're SeeDs - and the last thing I'd want to do is patronise any of you. So, instead, prove to me that I won't have to. Remember to make sure that all of your GFs, abilities and magic are junctioned to suit your techniques. This means I'm talking about normal junctions, elemental junctions and status junctions – you never know what tricks the G-Army are going to try and pull next. And make sure that you can junction as many different magic types to both elemental and status defence as possible – you'll find that Cerberus, Alexander and Doomtrain are the best for doing this, if you're lucky enough to even have them. And if anyone feels they need any advice on an area of the junctioning system, don't be afraid to ask anyone else for help.'
Squall couldn't stop himself from wincing as that last sentence left his mouth. This was SeeD, after all, not a first-year primary school class. He could feel the eyes of everybody in the audience collectively rolling, and hear a thousand pairs of feet shift from side to side with impatience. He hated having to subject an army of experienced warriors to Squall's Top Five Tips For Improving Your Battle Skills, especially when some of them may, in fact, have known more about the effects of GFs and junctioning than he did. His advisors, however, wouldn't have let him hear the end of it had he not done so. It was far easier for everybody if the babies got their rattle. But, still, it was embarrassing. He could also hear the other commanders chuckling away quietly behind him, which secretly caused him far more discomfort than his audience's disapproval.
'Well, I'm glad that's over with. Sorry about that. I also know that many of you from Trabia Garden were caught slightly unexpected at having to come here so soon. That's why a temporary shop has already been set up in the cafeteria, and will continue to sell the best items that money can buy, at very competitive prices, for the next thirty minutes. And if any SeeDs from Trabia Garden haven't got the money to afford the items that are on stock – then I know you're lying, and you're not scrounging a single gil from me.'
At least half of the SeeDs in the crowd laughed out loudly at this comment, and a smile rose on the faces of most of the others. It was common knowledge in the outside world that financial ruin would never be a fear among the members of the elite organisation.
'I've been told,' Squall continued, turning towards Selphie, Zell and Irvine and nodding his head in acknowledgement, 'That our total number here today runs to a grand total of one thousand and fifty-seven. Believe me, I'm impressed. It seems that you will all be part of the largest single force that SeeD has ever managed to gather together in its history. That's something for all of you to be proud of.'
'I can also see that you've already been divided into six different units. My people have taken a long time to organise all of them correctly, so I don't want to see any last minute swapping going on. Each unit will have its own commander to lead it in battle, and will act independently of other units' orders. I wish I didn't have to say this as well – but I've seen many people lose their heads on the battlefield, in more ways than one, and I don't want to see it happening to any good soldiers today. Your commander's orders are final. If anybody feels like playing the lone wolf today and going solo, you'll have me to answer to afterwards, if I'm not zipping you up in a body bag. All six of the commanders are intelligent, experienced, and would gladly give you a sore beating for disobeying them – so don't give them a reason to. They're the men, and women, that'll keep you alive today.'
'Unit Alpha will be lead by me. I'm sure I'll be proud of whomever it is I've got. Unit Beta will be lead by Commander Gilmore of Trabia Garden. Unit Gamma will be lead by Commander Simons, formally of Galbadia Garden – so go easy on him today, boys.' Squall paused again to allow the brief flutter of laughter to pass over the crowd. He could hear the steady grating of Simons' teeth from a metre away, but he just couldn't have resisted the opportunity. 'Unit Delta will be lead by Commander Reiken, also of Trabia Garden. Unit Theta will be lead by Commander Beasley, also of Balamb Garden. And last, but by no means least, Unit Kappa will be lead by Balamb Garden's very own... Quistis Trepe.'
The Trabian SeeDs in the crowd were clueless as to why the mention of the last commander caused such a response among the rest of the soldiers. Quite a few male members of the other five units were shaking their heads in disappointment. Their counterparts in Unit Kappa seemed to be overcome with pleasure. Zell, Selphie and Irvine, on the other hand, were left with their mouths hanging open.
'What the!?' Selphie hissed to Irvine when she had gathered her senses. 'Since when did this happen!? Why the – why didn't Squall say anything to us? Why didn't Quisty say anything to us!?'
'Probably to stop you having the kind of mental breakdown you're having right now,' Irvine replied quietly. Despite his usual calm persona, he was secretly taken aback by Squall's decision. 'Don't worry, you're not the only one who's shocked by that. I guess I'm reeling a bit here as well. It seems this guy's always full of tricks.'
'But seriously!' Selphie continued to babble in protest. 'What does Squall think he's do – not that I think –'
'Not that you think that our beloved Quistis would be anything less than a perfect commander?'
'Irvine Kinneas!' The man in question recognised Selphie's 'angry voice' right away. 'Stop tryin' to act so damn cool about this! Squall's just put one of our best friends in charge of three hundred SeeDs! For a battle that's gonna start in two hours! Please tell me you're a least a bit shocked by that! You know Quisty's got no experience doing stuff like this! What's Squall playing at!?'
'Well,' Irvine replied calmly, 'I guess there must be a good reason for it. Squall wouldn't have done it if there wasn't, right?'
'Like what, exactly?'
'Hey,' Irvine sighed in exasperation, turning his full attention towards his girlfriend, 'am I suddenly Squall? Do you see me wearing a fur-lined jacket? Am I now dating Rinoa Heartilly?'
'Okay, okay. I get your point, but –'
'But what, Sefie, dear?'
'Irvine!' Selphie hissed again in frustration. 'This is serious! Can't you see that!?'
'Of course it's serious, my love. I understood that from the way you seem to be shouting at me right now. Don't think you're the only one surprised by this. I'm just as shocked as you are - underneath, of course. I mean, Quisty's my friend, and all that, but I'm not sure at all if she'd make good commander material. The only bit of leadership she's ever had to do before was back when she was an Instructor, and she even got kicked out of doing that. So maybe I'm clueless as well as to what game that guy's playing. But I also know Squall, and I know that he thinks smart – and I know that whenever he does something, he does it for a good reason. Of course, I'm not quite sure what that is right now. It looks like you don't know either. But don't stress over it – we've still got time. I tell you what; we'll take it up with Squall first thing after this speech finally gets finished. Okay?'
Selphie still looked as though there was a traffic jam of words quickly forming inside her head. She stuttered, trying desperately to find the right way of expressing these feelings into a meaningful sentence. She eventually conceded, however, and lowered her eyes to the floor. She batted her eyelashes dolefully.
'I guess you're right,' she sighed, leaning her weary head softly against Irvine's ever-available shoulder. 'Okay – I'll let it go until after this. Thank god I've got you to sort things out for me, Irvy. I don't know what I'd do sometimes without you around.'
Irvine wrapped his arm around her opposite shoulder, drew her closer to him gently and kissed her softly on the top of the head. 'My pleasure,' he smiled. 'It just comes naturally.'
Meanwhile, just as the couple were kicking off with their mild disagreement, it was obvious that Squall hadn't intended to stand around and watch – he still had a long list of orders that needed to be dispensed. By the time that Irvine and Selphie had settled their differences and returned their attention to the speech, Squall was just getting ready to describe exactly what was going to happen in half an hour's time, when the board was finally set for the game to begin.
'At exactly 0800 hours,' he continued, his echoing voice showing no signs yet of growing weary, 'Balamb Garden will be about to pass directly over the centre of Timber, and we should be getting ready to make our first move. I'm going to need everybody to assemble orderly at the front entrance to the south at that time. Yes, we will be entering the city by air - so I hope that none of you are afraid of heights. Besides, who doesn't want to make a dramatic entrance when they can?'
A much briefer, quieter response of laughter rose from the audience.
'I will need all soldiers to assemble in the units that you've already been put into, and form an orderly queue in rows of five each. Unit Alpha will be at the front, lead by me, of course. Unit Beta will be behind us, and so on, all the way to Unit Kappa. As you should all have already guessed, being the great SeeDs that you are, you'll need at least one Float spell in your magic stock if you want to make the jump without us having to clean you off the ground with a sponge. If you don't have any Float spells in your inventory, then don't worry. You can get some from one of the Draw Points we've nicely set up for you in the cafeteria area. You can also ask anyone else to Exchange a spell to your inventory, if you like. Just make sure that you all have at least one before you make your way to the south entrance – because I'll be personally checking everyone's inventory later on.'
Squall quickly turned his back to the audience to confer with Commander Reiken, via the use of sign language. Seconds later, both men nodded to each other, and Squall immediately turned his full attention back to his waiting crowd.
'That's all that I have to say for now,' he concluded. He had judged that a significant portion of the troops was beginning to show signs of impatience. It was time to end his speech on a high. 'I hope that you've enjoyed this as much as you can. More orders will be given out to you all a bit later. In the meantime, make sure you prepare for battle, and prepare well.
'Let me just end by saying what a pleasure it is for me to be the leader of such a fine army. So I want to make sure it stays that way. I don't want to see any playing around from any of you on the battlefield today. Don't forget that any one of those G-Army kids could still take your head off with a good swing. Don't forget to fight the best fight that you can. And, above all else, don't forget to give them a reason to fear SeeD! You're a part of the most dangerous, ass-kicking army on the planet – so go out there today and show it! Make them bleed!'
Another wave of applause, much quieter than the previous response at the end of Squall's opening rally, rose respectfully from the crowd. A few of the more enthusiastic SeeDs were heard to whoop and shout encouragingly at their leader, including, of course, a certain blonde-haired youngster. A group of friends towards the back of the audience began to stamp their feet in an orderly rhythm, hoping that the people next to them would catch on and that the domino effect would come into play. Their efforts, however, failed miserably. The time for morale building had already come, been enjoyed, and gone. Squall's speech was now over - now was the time for the members of SeeD to begin preparing themselves for battle. It was time for their unavoidable fear to settle in.
Was it right for all of Squall's soldiers to feel at least a little worried, or even a little scared, about the dangers that the upcoming battle would bring? Squall believed so. He believed it was always important that the soldiers of any army were not over-confident. Fear would make a person's soul healthy – but only when it came in small doses. Too little fear could make a man become lazy and overestimate his own abilities; both of which were tell tale signs that his name would soon be engraved on a tombstone rather than a medal. Equally, too many nerves could be just as bad on the battlefield, if not worse. A man could suffer a total breakdown from the fear of death and pain that went hand in hand with war. Squall had already seen it happen too many times. And if he didn't succumb to that so easily, it would be difficult for him to swing a gunblade accurately at the enemy, if his limbs were acting as though he'd just downed a pint of coffee.
Fear in the right doses, however, was good. It was healthy. It would keep the soldiers of SeeD alert and wary in the face of danger without causing their bodies and brains to totally seize up. Fear would help to keep them alive today. Now was the time for all of them to begin accepting that fear.
'Zell, Selphie, Irvine,' Squall said, beckoning to his three friends with an outstretched hand. The applause was beginning to die down, and the crowd was showing signs of dispersing. 'I was hoping that you guys would be around here somewhere. What did you think?'
'Listen, Squall, mate,' Irvine began honestly, 'I'd just like to say that I thou –'
'You were great, Squall!' Selphie exclaimed, running over to him and throwing her arms around his neck in a warm, friendly hug. 'It was better than what you did at the Galbadia Garden battle! I am so-so-so sorry that I ever doubted you!'
'Yeah, right on!' Zell agreed, punching the air with his fist.
'Yeah, yeah, whatever it was they said,' Irvine muttered darkly. 'Seriously, Squall. That was great. Five and a half stars to you.'
Squall, his face now buried deeply into Selphie's right shoulder, smiled once again as he marvelled at how he had ever managed to become the trusted friend of such great people.
'Thanks, you guys,' he grinned warmly as Selphie finally let him go. 'I heard about what you did - all the help you put in while I was away. I can't imagine you doing anything greater. Thank you so much. I won't forget what you've done for me.'
'No problem, mate,' Irvine replied calmly. 'Listen, I know this might not be the time for this, I know you're gonna be busy. But me and Selphie were thinking...'
Squall caught on to what it was Irvine was thinking about right away.
'I think I know what you're talking about,' he interrupted smoothly. 'Listen, I've got some business to take care of in the cafeteria, but I'll have a little free time after that. I hope it'll be enough time to explain myself. Can you come with me now?'
Squall didn't wait for an answer from any of his three friends before he began his descent of the main stairs. He could feel the heat of a thousand pairs of eyes burning into him as he did, a thousand concluding expressions forming on a thousand faces. What he didn't know, however, was that they were mostly looks of respect. He didn't know that he was the reason that some of the faces in the crowd had first come to Garden, didn't know that they had endured the trials of passing into SeeD as part of a hopeful dream to one day be like him. He was probably better off not knowing; the thought might only have irritated him. It seemed that he was happy enough knowing that he had just delivered a speech that had made a thousand people stand up and unite in celebration, and had given them a new reason to risk their lives in warfare.
He briskly stepped off the bottom stair, and walked through a line in the crowd with his eyes firmly pointed straight ahead. Irvine, Zell and Selphie shrugged, and quickly raced down to follow him.
More will be on its way soon. Cheers to everyone who's reviewed this.