Chapter 15
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured in this fic. Squaresoft does and they refused to sell them to me, even though I offered them US$1m and I kneeled like a statue @ their office door for a week, showered with humiliating stares. Sob. *Blush*
Zell's POV (at the cafeteria)
I was on duty at the engines in the basement. God, Squall was so worried about the engines being sabotaged that he made all the qualified SeeDs go on guard duty once a week, in blocks of 8 hours. Oh well, I can't blame him for that. It is, after all, for the safety of the rest.
I leaned against the wall of the corridor leading to the engine room and read Combat King No.008, trying to learn a new attack called Wrath of the Dead, which was very complicated. But given the result I got from trying out on a T-rexuar, it is way better than "My Final Heaven", since the poor lizard was killed in one stroke.
I was about to see what was the best knuckle I can use to get the best result possible when I heard footsteps coming from the walkway a few levels above. I recognised the voices of the person, no, two persons in an instant. Who could forget Seifer's voice, especially when he used it to offend me in any way possible? And Quistis' bossy tone? I darted into a spot that was not visible from their point of view, since I thought that they would want some privacy given the fact that they came all the way down here, which is totally deserted. They went into the control room and started a conversation.
Though it was totally impolite, I eavesdropped on them anyway. All I can say about what I heard is, the crazy plans which were devised by Irvine was totally unneccessary. Why, the lovebirds have already gotten their asses moving! Maybe, the plans won't be wasted after all, since it can be used to intensify their "experience". Plus, they would really appreciate it, given their close relationship. God, I can't wait till Irvine and the rest hear about this. I'm amazed that each and every one of us are such good secret keepers! I sure hope that they are good at acting as well, since we'll have to pretend that we don't know anything about Seifer and Quistis' relationship.
******* (Seifer's POV, 12 noon)
The hotel was roped off, just as I'd expected. I went to the hotel owner who was always outside the hotel and asked him to let me in.
"You don't know how glad I am to see you. My wife had such a great shock when she came and opened the hotel. The jewelled accessories gone, sercurity guard dead, had I been the one who discovered this first, I would have fainted."
I stepped over the red tape and requested that I am allowed to do some investigations by myself. The hotel was left in the same state as it had been when the local police visited the scene. I did the grid and recorded all the new discoveries I found. I found that the culprit had probably commited the crime in order to gain the attention of the authorities. There was no record of a similar crime that had the same situation. This monstrous person moust have stolen the jewels as a symbol of something. As for who this person is, why she did this and what the jewels represented, I'll most definitely have to find out. Since it was only 2 pm when I finished the hotel, I decided to scout for clues at the sleasier bars in Balamb in order to get a rough idea who the criminal might be.
******* (Irvine's POV, 4 pm)
I went to the cafeteria like a good little boy when Zell's shift was ending, just as I'd promised him. I was the first one there and I almost had my butt bored off me. I was so very tempted to get to know a raven haired girl, whose name was Belle unless my ears were playing tricks on me. Plus, she was egging me on. Why else was she raising her skirt hem, crossing and re-crossing her legs? When I was about to move my ass onto the vacant chair next to her and get really up close and personal, an annoyingly familiar voice went, "Irvine, I believe that you were asked to come here for the meeting regarding the matters of you-know-who, rather than to come here in an attempt to break your promise to Selphie." Great. Zell's here. Time for serious buisness and a total loss of a chance to know more females before I pop Selphie the question. I satisfied myself by saying "What about your rendezvous with.Ummph!"
Zell had stuffed his fist into my mouth before I could say anymore words. (Personal Note from Zell: Is my hand too small or his mouth too big? From the writer: My guess is that Zell has an unexpected gain in accuracy, though he already had quite a good one to begin with. He wasn't half as klutzy as Laguna.) His fist was accompanied by "I thought we had a deal? If you leak out mine, the Garden would soon know yours too!" He tried to pull his hand out of my mouth, but after exerting himself half to death without any avail, he gave up. (Irvine's note: Much to my relief. I thought that he would pull half my teeth out along with his fist.) I could see half the cafeteria rolling about on their sides. God, what is going to happen to me? I cannot let the pretty leprecauns see me in such a state! How am I ever going to have a date if Selphie ditches me?
I signalled to Zell that I wanted a piece of paper and a pencil, which he got for me from the few who weren't rolling on their sides. I drew, with much difficulty, that he should unclench his fist just a slight bit and try again. This time, his fist came out with a loud pop. I massaged my jaw and said "Don't you ever stick your fist into my mouth again. I know that it's very kind of you to pave the pathway for Selphie's tongue, but I don't need any adjustment so that I can look like a toad!"
"What's the commotion all about?"
I turned and waved at her upon seeing that Rinny had just entered the cafeteria. Zell simply stayed in his seat, vaguely acknowledging her presence,since he was reading the ideas we've discussed so far(I guess he's too busy with being in charge of our mission.) While we waited for the rest to come, I had a short, non-sexual-harassment chat with Rinoa.
"So, Rinny, was your request to Matron successful?"
"Yes. She said she understood that I need to have a longer vacation before she begins her tutelege. I think that she knows about our plan. She is, in any case, the previous sorceress, isn't she?"
"I would be surprised if she didn't."
"Back to the question, what was the commotion about?"
I had no choice but to tell her what happened. She was laughing so badly that she had tears rolling down her cheek. Just as she rubbed away her tears of mirth, the rest of the group appeared. She ran towards the male figure and leapt into his arms. He spun her around and set her down onto her feet before leading her towards the table where the other three members included on the mission where grinning at the site of the lovebirds.
"So, when can we get your wedding invitations?" asked Selphie teasingly. She was answered by a playful smack on her arm, courtesy of Rinoa of course.
"Look, are we here to discuss the 'action plan' suggested by Irvine and Zell or are we here to discuss my personal relationship? If you were intending of the latter, you can expect me to leave in this instant."grumbled Squall.
I stated in a matter-of-fact tone"Fine. Squall, you said that you have a job that requires 7 SeeD members, which is supposed to start in 5 days time, with the starting point in Dollet, right? My idea is to let all of us, Quistis and of course Seifer to go on this mission. After all, this job is eyed by all the other mercenary forces and we don't want to make a mess of this job by using the new SeeDs, do we? After all, we are supposedly the best among the Gardens. With the exception of Rinny, but she is still a half SeeD, given the fact that she has fought the sorceress along with the rest of us."
"And who will take charge of Balamb Garden while we are gone? Don't you dare suggest the new SeeDs." was Squall's immediate retort.
"Squall, can you please stop commenting about the new SeeDs in this manner? They are quite capable, despite the fact that they are new." complained Selphie, setting down the pen which she had been using to record the things mentioned.
"I've already thought of that. Well, here's a transmitter unit which can be connected to the mainframe and wrist transmitters which I got Xu, Zell and Nida to help me rig up. With this baby around, we will have constant contact with Balamb Garden and other SeeD members on the mission. They also act as a daily planner, perfect for people like Squall." Was my reply.
"Nice plan. But what if the other forces decide that they should eliminate us while we are far away, at places such as the Centra Continent?" asked Squall with a frown on his face.
"Oh honey, can you stop being such a spoil-sport? After all, the plan is there to benefit all of us."whined Rinny in a purry voice.
"Ah, I've also solved that question too. Well, while we travel in the Ragnarok, Balamb Garden can follow us. In a slightly further distance, such as 50 miles away. At least it won't be too far away. We would be able to get back within 15 minutes, since the Ragnarok's greatest speed is 200 miles per hour."came my expected reply.
"Fine. Just like any other mission, the information is classified, so I will have to brief you officially. I will ask you to come to my office in 4 days, so be prepared."replied Squall, finally giving in to the others with a slight hint of exasperation in his voice.
"Thanks, Commander. I will make sure that you get the biggest piece of Quistis and Seifer's wedding cake."said Irvine with a grin.
Just as everyone wondered why Zell was so silent that day, he suddenly piped "Actually, I would say that they would love Squall for the opportunity to bond."
"Why is that so?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Thus Zell told the entire group what he saw in the basement. His tale ended with the amused faces of the rest. I too was totally overthrown by the tale. I remarked "Whoa, the dream couple has already started before the plan even began to unfold. Are they that eager?"
"Actually, I felt that they might already have feelings for each other. Remember how he rescued Quistis at the end of the final battle? And his enimity towards me? And how concerned Quistis was when he decided to attack the president? In fact, I have a feeling that their fondness has already begun at the orphanage. Quistis might have already forgotten about what exactly happened since she's the only one who did not keep a diary. And Seifer was not with us when we talked about the past at Trabia Garden. Plus, there is the pill that we took when we left the orphanage. That pill was meant to surpress the memories in our heads. I've already taken the pill which will gradually restore my memories. If you guys intend to know your past, go get the pill from Matron. I believe that she would be willing to give you the pill, so long as you are not afraid of your memories."said Squall, suddenly turning into a spring of knowledge.
"Why in the world did you not tell us?"scolded Zell.
"I simply didn't think that the knowledge would matter to you. If you'd asked me, I would have gladly told you what you needed to know, unless I had a very good reason not to!"was Squall's simple reply.
"Chill out, both of you!"yelled me, Rinoa and Sefie in complete unison. The effect was immediate, both of them stopped speaking as though they were on different mountains. The sudden attention from the others in the cafeteria probably aided in cooling the heads of the two angry bulls. The tension was gone when someone suddenly stepped onto someone else's foot and his try of food went flying all over the room.
"Errm. you know what? I think that we should end the meeting already. I've got to go and tutor the junior classmen at 5 pm and I only have 5 minutes left to get to the training center.
"Dismissed."I said, raising from my seat myself.
#################################################### Well, that was a long chapter. For me that is. Hope you guys like it. I've lengthened the chapters, just as some of you have requested. As you can see, the mystery is of extreme importance to the story. As for how it will relate to the story, you'll have to read on, though the more intellectually enabled ones would be able to have a slight idea of what the story will be like. Anyhow, though the story is definitely getting darker, you will definitely enjoy the date in the next chapter. The date could have been in this chapter, but the dialogue between the other characters had to be this long. Some of you are also anticipating the steamy scenes. Well, here's a spoiler. The scene would occur in the Ragnarok. Yes, the Ragnarok. A big thank you to all those who've reveiwed so far. As for the rest of you who have read this fic, pls review. Don't simply put me as one of your favourite authors and not review. Harle ;_;
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured in this fic. Squaresoft does and they refused to sell them to me, even though I offered them US$1m and I kneeled like a statue @ their office door for a week, showered with humiliating stares. Sob. *Blush*
Zell's POV (at the cafeteria)
I was on duty at the engines in the basement. God, Squall was so worried about the engines being sabotaged that he made all the qualified SeeDs go on guard duty once a week, in blocks of 8 hours. Oh well, I can't blame him for that. It is, after all, for the safety of the rest.
I leaned against the wall of the corridor leading to the engine room and read Combat King No.008, trying to learn a new attack called Wrath of the Dead, which was very complicated. But given the result I got from trying out on a T-rexuar, it is way better than "My Final Heaven", since the poor lizard was killed in one stroke.
I was about to see what was the best knuckle I can use to get the best result possible when I heard footsteps coming from the walkway a few levels above. I recognised the voices of the person, no, two persons in an instant. Who could forget Seifer's voice, especially when he used it to offend me in any way possible? And Quistis' bossy tone? I darted into a spot that was not visible from their point of view, since I thought that they would want some privacy given the fact that they came all the way down here, which is totally deserted. They went into the control room and started a conversation.
Though it was totally impolite, I eavesdropped on them anyway. All I can say about what I heard is, the crazy plans which were devised by Irvine was totally unneccessary. Why, the lovebirds have already gotten their asses moving! Maybe, the plans won't be wasted after all, since it can be used to intensify their "experience". Plus, they would really appreciate it, given their close relationship. God, I can't wait till Irvine and the rest hear about this. I'm amazed that each and every one of us are such good secret keepers! I sure hope that they are good at acting as well, since we'll have to pretend that we don't know anything about Seifer and Quistis' relationship.
******* (Seifer's POV, 12 noon)
The hotel was roped off, just as I'd expected. I went to the hotel owner who was always outside the hotel and asked him to let me in.
"You don't know how glad I am to see you. My wife had such a great shock when she came and opened the hotel. The jewelled accessories gone, sercurity guard dead, had I been the one who discovered this first, I would have fainted."
I stepped over the red tape and requested that I am allowed to do some investigations by myself. The hotel was left in the same state as it had been when the local police visited the scene. I did the grid and recorded all the new discoveries I found. I found that the culprit had probably commited the crime in order to gain the attention of the authorities. There was no record of a similar crime that had the same situation. This monstrous person moust have stolen the jewels as a symbol of something. As for who this person is, why she did this and what the jewels represented, I'll most definitely have to find out. Since it was only 2 pm when I finished the hotel, I decided to scout for clues at the sleasier bars in Balamb in order to get a rough idea who the criminal might be.
******* (Irvine's POV, 4 pm)
I went to the cafeteria like a good little boy when Zell's shift was ending, just as I'd promised him. I was the first one there and I almost had my butt bored off me. I was so very tempted to get to know a raven haired girl, whose name was Belle unless my ears were playing tricks on me. Plus, she was egging me on. Why else was she raising her skirt hem, crossing and re-crossing her legs? When I was about to move my ass onto the vacant chair next to her and get really up close and personal, an annoyingly familiar voice went, "Irvine, I believe that you were asked to come here for the meeting regarding the matters of you-know-who, rather than to come here in an attempt to break your promise to Selphie." Great. Zell's here. Time for serious buisness and a total loss of a chance to know more females before I pop Selphie the question. I satisfied myself by saying "What about your rendezvous with.Ummph!"
Zell had stuffed his fist into my mouth before I could say anymore words. (Personal Note from Zell: Is my hand too small or his mouth too big? From the writer: My guess is that Zell has an unexpected gain in accuracy, though he already had quite a good one to begin with. He wasn't half as klutzy as Laguna.) His fist was accompanied by "I thought we had a deal? If you leak out mine, the Garden would soon know yours too!" He tried to pull his hand out of my mouth, but after exerting himself half to death without any avail, he gave up. (Irvine's note: Much to my relief. I thought that he would pull half my teeth out along with his fist.) I could see half the cafeteria rolling about on their sides. God, what is going to happen to me? I cannot let the pretty leprecauns see me in such a state! How am I ever going to have a date if Selphie ditches me?
I signalled to Zell that I wanted a piece of paper and a pencil, which he got for me from the few who weren't rolling on their sides. I drew, with much difficulty, that he should unclench his fist just a slight bit and try again. This time, his fist came out with a loud pop. I massaged my jaw and said "Don't you ever stick your fist into my mouth again. I know that it's very kind of you to pave the pathway for Selphie's tongue, but I don't need any adjustment so that I can look like a toad!"
"What's the commotion all about?"
I turned and waved at her upon seeing that Rinny had just entered the cafeteria. Zell simply stayed in his seat, vaguely acknowledging her presence,since he was reading the ideas we've discussed so far(I guess he's too busy with being in charge of our mission.) While we waited for the rest to come, I had a short, non-sexual-harassment chat with Rinoa.
"So, Rinny, was your request to Matron successful?"
"Yes. She said she understood that I need to have a longer vacation before she begins her tutelege. I think that she knows about our plan. She is, in any case, the previous sorceress, isn't she?"
"I would be surprised if she didn't."
"Back to the question, what was the commotion about?"
I had no choice but to tell her what happened. She was laughing so badly that she had tears rolling down her cheek. Just as she rubbed away her tears of mirth, the rest of the group appeared. She ran towards the male figure and leapt into his arms. He spun her around and set her down onto her feet before leading her towards the table where the other three members included on the mission where grinning at the site of the lovebirds.
"So, when can we get your wedding invitations?" asked Selphie teasingly. She was answered by a playful smack on her arm, courtesy of Rinoa of course.
"Look, are we here to discuss the 'action plan' suggested by Irvine and Zell or are we here to discuss my personal relationship? If you were intending of the latter, you can expect me to leave in this instant."grumbled Squall.
I stated in a matter-of-fact tone"Fine. Squall, you said that you have a job that requires 7 SeeD members, which is supposed to start in 5 days time, with the starting point in Dollet, right? My idea is to let all of us, Quistis and of course Seifer to go on this mission. After all, this job is eyed by all the other mercenary forces and we don't want to make a mess of this job by using the new SeeDs, do we? After all, we are supposedly the best among the Gardens. With the exception of Rinny, but she is still a half SeeD, given the fact that she has fought the sorceress along with the rest of us."
"And who will take charge of Balamb Garden while we are gone? Don't you dare suggest the new SeeDs." was Squall's immediate retort.
"Squall, can you please stop commenting about the new SeeDs in this manner? They are quite capable, despite the fact that they are new." complained Selphie, setting down the pen which she had been using to record the things mentioned.
"I've already thought of that. Well, here's a transmitter unit which can be connected to the mainframe and wrist transmitters which I got Xu, Zell and Nida to help me rig up. With this baby around, we will have constant contact with Balamb Garden and other SeeD members on the mission. They also act as a daily planner, perfect for people like Squall." Was my reply.
"Nice plan. But what if the other forces decide that they should eliminate us while we are far away, at places such as the Centra Continent?" asked Squall with a frown on his face.
"Oh honey, can you stop being such a spoil-sport? After all, the plan is there to benefit all of us."whined Rinny in a purry voice.
"Ah, I've also solved that question too. Well, while we travel in the Ragnarok, Balamb Garden can follow us. In a slightly further distance, such as 50 miles away. At least it won't be too far away. We would be able to get back within 15 minutes, since the Ragnarok's greatest speed is 200 miles per hour."came my expected reply.
"Fine. Just like any other mission, the information is classified, so I will have to brief you officially. I will ask you to come to my office in 4 days, so be prepared."replied Squall, finally giving in to the others with a slight hint of exasperation in his voice.
"Thanks, Commander. I will make sure that you get the biggest piece of Quistis and Seifer's wedding cake."said Irvine with a grin.
Just as everyone wondered why Zell was so silent that day, he suddenly piped "Actually, I would say that they would love Squall for the opportunity to bond."
"Why is that so?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Thus Zell told the entire group what he saw in the basement. His tale ended with the amused faces of the rest. I too was totally overthrown by the tale. I remarked "Whoa, the dream couple has already started before the plan even began to unfold. Are they that eager?"
"Actually, I felt that they might already have feelings for each other. Remember how he rescued Quistis at the end of the final battle? And his enimity towards me? And how concerned Quistis was when he decided to attack the president? In fact, I have a feeling that their fondness has already begun at the orphanage. Quistis might have already forgotten about what exactly happened since she's the only one who did not keep a diary. And Seifer was not with us when we talked about the past at Trabia Garden. Plus, there is the pill that we took when we left the orphanage. That pill was meant to surpress the memories in our heads. I've already taken the pill which will gradually restore my memories. If you guys intend to know your past, go get the pill from Matron. I believe that she would be willing to give you the pill, so long as you are not afraid of your memories."said Squall, suddenly turning into a spring of knowledge.
"Why in the world did you not tell us?"scolded Zell.
"I simply didn't think that the knowledge would matter to you. If you'd asked me, I would have gladly told you what you needed to know, unless I had a very good reason not to!"was Squall's simple reply.
"Chill out, both of you!"yelled me, Rinoa and Sefie in complete unison. The effect was immediate, both of them stopped speaking as though they were on different mountains. The sudden attention from the others in the cafeteria probably aided in cooling the heads of the two angry bulls. The tension was gone when someone suddenly stepped onto someone else's foot and his try of food went flying all over the room.
"Errm. you know what? I think that we should end the meeting already. I've got to go and tutor the junior classmen at 5 pm and I only have 5 minutes left to get to the training center.
"Dismissed."I said, raising from my seat myself.
#################################################### Well, that was a long chapter. For me that is. Hope you guys like it. I've lengthened the chapters, just as some of you have requested. As you can see, the mystery is of extreme importance to the story. As for how it will relate to the story, you'll have to read on, though the more intellectually enabled ones would be able to have a slight idea of what the story will be like. Anyhow, though the story is definitely getting darker, you will definitely enjoy the date in the next chapter. The date could have been in this chapter, but the dialogue between the other characters had to be this long. Some of you are also anticipating the steamy scenes. Well, here's a spoiler. The scene would occur in the Ragnarok. Yes, the Ragnarok. A big thank you to all those who've reveiwed so far. As for the rest of you who have read this fic, pls review. Don't simply put me as one of your favourite authors and not review. Harle ;_;