Battle of the Vampyres
Chapter 2: The MeetingRinoa glanced about the room, seeing her sleeping boyfriend and his scattered garments. She spotted the note on the closed door behind her and read it, smiling at the joke. For she knew Squall wasn't one to crack a joke so unexpectedly. Normally, with Squall, one saw it coming, because he normally debated with himself over whether to tell it or not. Usually, he was too late and the point of it was missed, and then he would slink off quietly and embarrassed, to be alone. Rinoa left him alone most of the time, because she knew she wouldn't get anywhere with him anyway.
(He looks so sweet asleep like that…)
She focused herself on the task at hand. After glancing at the black digital clock next to Squall's bedside, which read 1030 hours, she decided to wake him up now. Then she and him could maybe walk together before lunch, and then maybe walk afterward, too. The ocean was one of his favorite spots to walk lately.
She shook him gently, seeing his face stir slightly. He opened his eyes and shifted toward Rinoa. He looked at her, then towards the clock. It was now only 1031 hours.
"Why now?" He asked.
"I want to take a walk with you. And since you're drowsy, it might take a little time for you to get ready." Rinoa replied. "And, of course, I'm willing to help you, n any way that I possibly can."
"So help me." He smiled and rubbed his eyes, holding an arm up for her to pull. She did so, a little too hard, and he fell into her, his lips 'accidentally' bumping into hers. They lingered like that, getting more and more intimate…until, at the last second, Squall pulled away, his face turning scarlet with embarrassment. For the couple was at Squall's open window, for all the public to see.
The brunette quickly walked away, facing the door quietly.
"I have to get a shower." He said quietly.
"I can help!" Rinoa volunteered readily, jumping up with glee. Squall shook his head, however.
"I really don't think Headmaster Cid would approve. And besides, I don't have all day."
"All day?" Rinoa wrinkled her nose disapprovingly. "No, we would get all pruney! Maybe just a few hours." She smiled, leaning towards Squall and kissing him.
"Ah, I suppose I have a few." Squall grinned and shut the window.
"…" Rinoa smiled and jumped onto the bed. Squall smiled, climbing onto her. He collapsed as the door was knocked upon. After gazing at each other for a moment, Squall climbed over to the plain oak door, opening it into Nida's face. The boys heard Rinoa giggle, and Squall couldn't help but smile. Then Nida looked up, a large red mark on his face. He smiled too. They all burst out laughing, even Squall, who, of course, was trying to hide his it, successful only in making his scarlet face redder.
"What do you want?" Squall regained his composure and stood up straight.
"Oh yeah. Um…those new students…they're coming at 1700 hours. Apparently one of them wants to come as soon as possible." Nida laughed, holding his stomach from the earlier events. "Never thought anyone would be so anxious to come here."
"Yes, at 1700 hours." Squall repeated, rolling his eyes at Nida's disbelief in their school. He nodded, marking the time in his mental calendar.
"Should I send Xu or Quistis to get you an hour before they come?"
"…" Squall cocked his head, deep in thought. "No."
"Alright." Nida stood for a moment, as if waiting for something.
"Dismissed." Squall saluted the taller man, who mirrored the reaction. Then Nida left, nodding at both his leader and Rinoa before closing the door.
"We still have a little time." Squall offered, his face bent and twisted into remorse.
"It's okay. Maybe a little later." She smiled, but Squall knew what she was thinking.
(She's probably wondering why she even bothers to date me. My work interferes with everything, and we still haven't lost our virginity to each other. I wish I could take a vacation. Then she and I could have some private time, without the tiny room, without the people disrupting us and all of the gossip and the public. I wish I could do something…)
"Should I wait here?" Rinoa asked.
"If you want…" Squall frowned.
"I'll clean your room!" She volunteered.
(What's there to clean…?)
"I'll be right back. I just need a shower."
"Okay." Rinoa seemed enthused and glanced around the room. She headed right for the bed, picking up the covers from the floor. She wrapped herself in them, jumping onto the bed. She looked up, sprawling her body over the semi-soft mattress, trying to look sexy. She stuck her bottom lip out and widened her soft brown eyes. Squall smiled at her effort (and her appeal!), walking over to her. He leaned down and kissed her, craning his neck toward her ear.
"Maybe tonight." He breathed. Rinoa kissed his cheek swiftly.
"I'll be here…" She whispered. Squall stood up and smiled, walking to the door and leaving.
Sion smiled. He couldn't wait to get back to Balamb Garden, back to see Dominique.
Dominique Cross was his girlfriend, and Sion considered her to be the sweetest girl there ever was. Since four years ago, the two had been dating. Kou and Volt had been brutally murdered by a man named Neo, who was the Vampyre killer of each Garden-Trabia, Galabedia, and Balamb. Squall Leonhart had assigned Neo to kill them, actually. Kou and Volt had once been former residents of Galabedia Garden, and they had gone to investigate a hidden castle near the Centra Ruins. They came back and took Aeris Gainsborough, one of the students at Galabedia. At first, Sion and the rest of the students had presumed her dead. But then she was spotted at the pub in Dollet and a few places in Deling City. Also, a few residents had been killed in Dollet, and one in Deling. The current president of the Galabedian empire, Rinoa's father, had done nothing to stop these murders, so Squall had sent out Neo to find Aeris, if she was still alive, and Sion to investigate the Vampyres battlefield. So far, he had discovered that the Vampyre's leader, Sir Haaviy, had been killed by a cadet from Trabia, Sora, but he couldn't seem to find the boy, who had reportedly asked for help after a message was received at Balamb. Which is why Sion was deployed in the first place.
So far, there was nothing. There was no castle, no Vampyres, nothing. And all Sion wanted to do was go back to Dominique. He had been about to sign a vacation form when Quistis Trepe had come to his dorm, reporting that Squall wanted to see him. And so Sion had come here, by way of Nida and the Ragnarok.
He knew that if he gave up now, it would make no difference. He would still be alive, and he would be praised for finding out the news that he had. But he wouldn't be happy. He wouldn't be satisfied knowing that he had only done half the job for twice the pay he normally received.
(I should stay. For Dominique!)
If he could get enough information, then he would deserve a good vacation. Up until now, he hadn't done anything significant in Balamb. He was a normal student, having a girlfriend, attending classes, having a normal group of friends, going on normal assignments, and visiting his parents in Fisherman's Horizon. Nothing significant had come upon him until this. As a boy, he had wanted nothing more than to be famous, to have everyone know his name. And now, he had that opportunity.
(I'm not going to discard it now! I want to be known! I want to be famous! I'm not going to give up!)
A noise erupted from behind Sion. A strange noise…someone's face was right up to his. He got a glimpse of pale white skin and raven black hair before something bit hard into his neck…rendering him helpless. Three pale skinned attackers carried the limp body off, leaving the blood leaking from the neck.
Rinoa sat at the Cafeteria table, her eyes closing out of boredom.
"Rinoa!" Her eyes popped open at the mention of her name and she saw Squall walking towards her, avoiding the students who gave him strange looks.
"Hey." Rinoa smiled and flashed her brown eyes as her boyfriend sat down.
"Sorry I'm so late. There's so many problems I have to care for…" He seemed out of breath, and his face was slightly crimson. "I ran down here from the Bridge. Xu had found me, and she said something about the low supplies on hot dogs."
"What did you do?"
"I let Quistis handle it. All she had to do was call Balamb and tell
them we need more hot dog ingredients.
Then she's done."
"Why doesn't Nida just fly over to Balamb and get some more supplies?" Rinoa asked, thinking of the most logic.
"The Ragnarok is strictly forbidden from performing under any other circumstances besides emergencies."
"Oh…" The raven-haired girl lifted her perfect eyebrows, her eyes twisted in confusion.
"It means that the Ragnarok is here for emergencies, and emergencies only. If we let it go out for little things, then an emergency came up, we have no quick way to get wherever we need to go."
"I like it better the short way."
"Me too."
They were silent for a little, their eyes connecting once in a while. Occasionally, Rinoa would smile and Squall would mirror her, but the couple mostly stayed to their food. For the cafeteria was rapidly filling with students, all of whom were visibly interested in their Commander's relationship. You could easily see the questions in their faces, the gossip waiting in their mouths, and the mockery and curiosity in their eyes. Each waited for a simple sign of a serious relationship-a kiss, or hand-holding. Maybe laughing. Or the two of them running off together, assumably heading for the Dormitory. But, after a few moments of complete and utter silence between Squall and Rinoa, they took the hint and went back to their business.
"Squall…can we go for a walk now?" Rinoa asked, sipping her coffee. Squall nodded, gathering up his things. He had seemed somewhat tired and distant during their lunch. Rinoa decided to only go for a short walk, and then she would let him rest.
Their walk didn't last long, anyway. A cadet named Yuna found Squall and reported to him that Xu and Quistis had some more news of the Vampyre situation, this time from Neo. She refused to state anything important because she was ordered to find Squall and report the critical spots to him, and to him only. She said she wasn't permitted to reveal too much. Rinoa was fine with that, and she smiled at Squall, still slightly worried about his lack of sleep. He nodded to her, signaling that he was alright. Rinoa reluctantly nodded and walked away.
It was 1700 hours and Balamb Garden's Commander sat waiting in his dark office. It was nightfall, and the two students had not yet arrived.
(Damnit! I'm not going to have time for Rinoa now…because when they get here, and after they leave, I'm going to be too tired to do anything. And I forgot to clean my gunblade…)
The boy sighed and added the task to his mental list of things to do. The door opened and Xu walked in.
"The students have arrived, sir." She announced, biting her lip nervously. Squall knew that she despised the formalities. But something else appeared to be bothering her. A moment later, she mouthed the words 'Good luck' to him and left, her boss confused and open-mouthed.
As she left, two people stepped in. They were more like shadows, really, because most of their bodies were in the shadows. One of them stepped out, a male, it appeared. He donned a black leather trenchcoat, black leather pants, and black boots, most likely real leather. His hair was extremely short, black, and spiky. There were a few thick pieces of hair near the front, about shoulder length and face-framing. Bangs, Squall presumed.
His face was slightly hidden by his hair, and his eyes were hidden by the dark black glasses he wore high on his nose. His skin was pale, but perfect, not a scratch or a scar to be seen.
The second figure appeared to be the female, although an awkwardly assembled female she was! Her outfit resembled the male's, only hers was more diverse in the detail and the materials, and she had fingerless leather gloves as well.
Her hair was black, as was the other's, but it was longer and darker. Overall it was chin length, with choppy layers cut all around her head. Squall guessed that if she straightened out her heavy spiral curls, her raven colored locks would be at least shoulder length, if not longer.
Her face was barely visible, as her curls swarmed over her face, hiding the left side. She also wore black glasses high on her nose, hiding her eyes. Her skin was as pale and as perfect as the male's, perhaps a bit paler. But her skin appeared softer, more inviting. Her lips were pursed into a scowl that resembled Squall's almost perfectly.
The 20 year old glanced at the pair, analyzing them, envisioning them in battle. He couldn't think much of them, though, because whatever muscles they possessed were hidden beneath their leather outfits and their weapons were sheathed and hidden from view.
"I presume you to be Adam Minamoto." Squall stood in from of the male, then moved over to the female. "And Tessa Chuck."
After a slight pause, the male burst into laughter-in a high pitched tone only fit for a female.
"I'm Tessa Chuck!" 'He' laughed. "This is Adam Minamoto!"
Adam removed his black glasses, putting them in an unseen pocket and unsheathing obvious male oriental eyes. They were surprisingly a light, pale blue. They matched Squall's almost exactly. He actually shivered, and Adam looked up, directly into Squall's eyes. Squall felt a chill run throughout his body, a cold chill that drove fear into his mind and rattled his bones.
Squall fought to regain his composure, and he saw Adam's eyes fill with sorrow.
"Show me your fighting stance." Squall commanded Tessa. She immediately sheathed her daggers, settling down into a standard short sword stance, narrowing her scowl and lowering her head.
"Good…" Squall said. He didn't like the way she looked down at the ground, and he made yet another mental note to have Quistis fix that, if Tessa would get in, of course. There was no doubt that she would, as she appeared to have serious previous training.
(Now all she has to do is pass the physical examination by Doctor Kadowaki…)
"Adam." Squall turned. "Your fighting stance."
The boy immediately widened his feet and sheathed a long, heavy gunblade. It glinted brilliantly under the overhead light, casting a shining silver light on the wall. As Adam fell back and relaxed into his position, Squall knew something looked familiar about it. And then it just washed over him. That was his stance! His weapon! This boy appeared to be a mirror to Squall's personality and his appearance.
"O-okay." Squall tried to make his stutter as inaudible as possible, but Adam's ears picked up on that and he lowered his eyes, returning to normal.
As the students and the Commander stood motionless, Tessa pulled out a stack of papers.
"The physical evaluations of Adam and myself at our old academy, sir." She saluted and handed him the stack. He glanced them over, seeing that both of the recruits were in top condition.
"Adam…it says here that you were born in 3015. Is that correct?"
"Yes, sir." This was the first time the boy had spoken during the entire hour they had been here, and Squall was shocked to hear a deep voice fit only for a man about 20 or so. Now granted, it wasn't superiorly deep; it was maybe light or medium; but it was definitely deep for a 15 year old.
Tessa, on the other hand, was 18 and sounded like she was 3 or 4. Her fighting stance was almost perfect and according to the e-mail Squall had received from their former school, her grades were great, but judging from her behavior during the meeting, she seemed like yet another Selphie.
"You will be back here tomorrow?" Squall asked, speaking mainly to Adam. He handed the papers to Tessa.
"Yes." The girl replied for Adam, since he made no effort to reply. "At 1700 hours."
"Good. I'll see you then." Squall smiled at Adam, but the boy only lowered his head and walked away. Tessa grabbed his hand and smiled at Squall, then she left.
(How strange…)
Squall figured that Adam and Tessa were dating, but he couldn't seem to find their similarities.
Finally he gave up and left his office, locking the door. He smiled to himself and headed to his dorm room, preparing himself for a long nap.
Author's Notes: This was a load longer than my usual chapter. I guess I just got caught up in it, and so I had to expand. Yeah, so the third chapter isn't going too well. I was expecting it to be much easier to write, but it isn't. Oh well. See you next time!