Chapter 4: After Timber

After Squall and Ifrit's first night together, Squall and Zell were accepted as SeeD's and honorably noted Seifer wasn't. After the inauguration party that ensued acceptance, Squall was deemed captain of his group and hired for a mission by the 'Timber Owls' in Timber. Whose leader was man named Zone, and his partner Watts and a young lady named Rinoa. After a failed attempt at kidnapping the Galbadian President Vinzer Deling, who they found to be a fake. The real President announced the return of the sorceress and the strange disappearance of Seifer.

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After escaping Timber, the 5 of them headed to Galbadia garden, where they received an order from both Balamb and Galbadia Garden to assassinate the sorceress. They added another member to there team to aid in the mission, A sniper named Irvine Kinneas. After words they took the train to Deling city where they met Rinoa's father General Caraway, and they were given the plans to defeat the sorceress. They were divided into two teams, who would trap the sorceress in a gate during the parade (the gateway team.) while the second team would take her down from a safe distance. Honorably mentioned, Irvine acquired the Brothers GF in the Tomb of the unknown king.

Being denied permission to help, Rinoa snuck out of her home and tried to seal the sorceress's power herself. But it didn't work out as she planed, she was captured and attacked by two monsters, given the power of reflect by the GF Carbuncle that was sealed inside of them by Edea, the sorceress. After being defeated and Carbuncle being drawn out, the GF was Junctioned to Zell who he and his team (the gateway team) had come a problem of there own.

Now Squall and Irvine were on the roof of the presidential palace, after a small motivational talk from Squall, Irvine was ready to take the shot. "Alright, here we go." The two of them watched as the gate closed around the sorceress's float, and Irvine lined up his scope, waiting until he got her just in the perfect alignment and pulled the trigger... And on target bullet tore through the air, but the Sorceress used a protect spell at the last second to block the shot, the sniper riffle just wasn't strong enough to do any damage against a protect spell from that range.

"…I'm sorry" Irvine lifted his head to his forehead and sighed in disappointment,

"It's ok, your aim was perfect, just leave the rest up to me." Squall reassured him, but his voice did have the ring unwillingness, but being the leader... "I'm goin' in for the sorceress, Irvine, Rinoa, just be ready to back me up." Squall drew his gunblade and Junctioned Ifrit, throwing back one last word to Irvine as he leaned over the edge. Quickly scouting out his plain of attack... "Take care of Rinoa."

'Are you ready?' Ifrit asked.

(Yes.) Squall gave a small nod to himself before jumped off of the roof, landing one level below on the balcony where the sorceress had just given her speech. With out fear he ran to the edge, kicked off the white marble railing and jumped over, landing just past the front gate.

Ifrit kept a surveying watch over the places he couldn't 'Squall, watch your left.' Squall quickly pivoted to the side, swinging his gunblade to the left and slashing a Galbadia solder across the chest hard enough to knock the man back. It gave him enough reprieve to relocated a blue car that he'd surveyed from the roof earlier, luckily it was still running. Forcing his way through the startled crowd he managed to make it to the car, quickly jumping in and pushing the gas.

People dashed out of the streets as Squall raced down the paved road, weaving through any obstacle in his path until he came upon the closed gate entrapping his target. He slammed down on the brakes and turned the steering wheel sharply. The car veered to the left sharply, enough to make the vehicle spin out of control and slid in to the gate. As close as he was going to get that way, Squall jumped out of the car, sliding in between the bars of the gate and ran to the front of the isolated float.

Squall climbed to the top, ready to take on the sorceress himself...but he found somebody in his way… Seifer was waiting, both hands resting on his Gunblade. "We'll this is how it turned out…" He said with an arrogant smirk as he lifted his sword.

It took a second, but Squall finally understood. "So..." Squall narrowed his eyes, speaking in a mocking tone. "You've become the sorceress' lap dog?"

Seifer looked at him with mild amusement. "I preferred to be called her knight, this has always been my dream."

Squall lifted his hand, holding the gunblade over his shoulder with the other. A trail of fire traveled along the ground, rushing out from under Seifer's in a small whirl of lames in the form of a Fira spell. Seifer stumbled back with his arm over his face, then regained his footing and charged at Squall.

He sung the gunblade forward, Squall steeped back but not far enough to evade completely, the tip of the blade slashed through the white t-shirt, cutting his stomach. Squall countered, bringing the gunblade above his head and bringing it down on Seifer. He strifed to the side, but the blade cut his shoulder.

Seifer didn't miss a beat, following up while Squall's defenses were down, brushing past his side, lifting his sword over his shoulder and slashing him across the back. Squall nearly fell but caught himself with a few steps forward, wincing from the pain of moving the damaged muscles across in his back. Squall turned around towards Seifer, thrusting hand out again.

Seifer's eyes widened, he wasn't expecting this... "!" Seifer's body began to rise in the air, surrounded by a blue haze, he had to stop himself from gasping he was suddenly surrounded by water. The bubble filled with water rose higher in to the air, bearing down on his body from all sides with a water pressure greater then the amount should have allowed, then dropped down to the ground, sending a greater rush of pressure over his body.

Seifer rose up on to his hands and knees, dripping wet "Your going to pay for that Lionhart." Seifer grunted, grabbing his sword and rising on to his feet with an uppercut, slashing Squall across the chest again. Squall clinched the blade, mainly from the pain, planting his foot back ready to counter. A golden light rose over his body from the ground, washing over him in a shining aura as he reached his limit break.

Squall shouted, ignoring the pain in his back as he attacked "You first!" Squall rushed at Seifer, who tried to anticipate the advancing Squall and counter, thrusting his sword outward... but missed. Squall held his weapon to his side low enough to drag it along the ground, then he swing his blade upward at Seifer, slashing him across the chest. He tried to defend him self by lifting his blade, but Squall stuck the sword on it's side and knocked it away, cutting him across his hand in the process.

Squall drew his blade back over his shoulder, striking Seifer powerfully in the shoulder with a rush of out pouring blood...(Ifrit?) Squall felt a strength pouring into him, was this why his attacks were doing so much power? Deciding to think about it later, Squall held his sword down to his side again, lifting his foot to kick Seifer in the chest and knock him backwards and then raise the sword upward with another uppercut. Seifer was knocked on to his back, his sword falling of the float. "I…Lost…?"

Squall looked down at him... "Your losing it Seifer."

'Squall.' Ifrit prompted.

Squall looked away from Seifer to the Sorceress, who'd been watching idle all this time, rose from her seat. Squall lifted his sword, unsure of what to expect...Edea continued watching for the moment, studying him and Ifrit to size them both up. "A Seed…planted in a run-down garden."

"Squall!"

Squall looked back with light surprise when he saw Rinoa and Irvine climbing up to the top of the float and to his side. "I can fight if I'm with you! That's why I'm here!" Rinoa told him, getting into a ready position on his left.

Irvine opened the chamber of the shot gun, quickly loading in shells two by two until it had reached it's capacity, then with a small flick of his wrist he snapped the chamber shut and pulling the slid "I have to redeem myself."

"…The accursed SeeD." The sorceress lifted her hand above the her head, causing Rinoa's body to become cold. She was suddenly coved in ice, which branched out into in a chrysalis, then shattered into ice shards. Rinoa dropped her knees from the sudden attack but rose with her arm outward, launching the saw like projectile from her arm. The projectile missed, just barely cutting grazing the sorceress's cheek. "Hmph."

She retaliated with a Fira aim at Squall, the burning whirl of fire rising around him knocked him to the ground, almost forcing him off the float.

(Ready?) Irvine asked.

'Let's do it!' Carbuncle took over, taking the damage of the Thunder spell that came down on him. Zell had let him junction Carbuncle before heading off to battle, figuring that he'd need him more readily.

Squall charged at the Sorceress, knowing her low defense to physical attacks would ensue. He lifted the gunblade about to strike, when the sorceress lifted her hand into the air again and the blue barrier of a protect spell blocked the attack, letting only the tip of the blade graze her chest.

Before another round of attacks could follow, a strange hole opened in the ground between them and the Sorceress, she seemed a little surprised at this... Carbuncle jumped out of the hole, flipping in mid air curled in to a ball, he unrivaled himself, the large jewel like form on his head glowing, sending rays of light shining down from the over the three...Carbuncle allowed himself to fall back down into the whole and the lights turned in to a reflect barrier.

A Thundaga spell came down on Squall from the Sorceress, but reflected back on her. Giving the perfect opening... (Now!) Squall told Ifrit, right before he was pulled in the sub-dimension... Ifrit came bursting out of the ground in their place with the same attack as before, but the meteor burned hotter this time then last. Squall was boosting his attack mentally by the junction.

The hot ball of fire and brimstone was hammered down on the sorceress, attacking her with great strength and mixture of being pelted by a heavy weight and scorched by intense flames. She stumbled backwards as Ifrit faded away, forced to use a water spell to wash away the flames engulfing her body. "!"

Her glare intensified..."Impudent SeeDs." she grunted, lifting her hand into the air again.

A mass of ice began to form above her palm, compacting on to itself until it formed a thick spear. 'Holy crap!' Carbuncle shouted in surprise. 'Get out of the way!' On Carbuncle's prompting Irvine dived out of the way as the Ice sickle launched forward, Rinoa stumbled back in surprise, leaving on Squall in it's path.

He never was very quick, quickness was usually Zell or Seiphie's suit... (Squall! No!)

All he heard was Ifrit's voice before it slammed through his chest...He gashed from the pain, trying to cry out but no sound came forth...the force of the long projectile sent him flying backwards off of the float, everything started to slow down, his whole perception of the world became slow'd down, almost as if he was watching from outside his body, he didn't even feel the blow after that transgression. He looked over and saw Rinoa staring back at him trying to reach out to him, Irvine looking on horror and uncertainty...He called out to the only person his mind could think to call.

(Ifrit!...Ifrit! Where are you? Ifrit!)

'Squ...Squall...' His voice sounded strained, roar out in pain...

(Ifrit! What's happening...)

'Squ..all...'

Everything just faded after that.

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When Squall finally awoken, he was back in a familiar place...but looking through the eyes of some one else.

This was...new. 'Where am I?…' He called out to the first person his mind went to. 'Ifrit?' He didn't get an answer, unlike last time he remembered being awake, Ifrit wasn't with him. Diablo's took his place, this time...

He looked around, he was in a small room with wooden furnishings laying in a small bed... A small girl in a blue dress ran into the room. "Uncle Laguna! There's someone here to see yoo." She said

"Huh? Me? What's this person look like?" The man deemed Laguna rolled over to the side of the bed and pushed himself up on to his feet, stretching lightly and speaking with a yawn.

"He was wearin' funny clothes. He's tawking to Raine right now." the girl told him.

"Hmm? Is he at the pub?"

"Yup. That's why I came over to get you, Uncle Laguna! Am I a good girl?" She asked innocently.

"No, you're not!" Laguna scolded. "It's dangerous to be out there by yourself.

What if a monster comes and attacks you?"

"It's only next door. It's ok."

"It's still dangerous! And since you're such a cute little girl, the monsters will especially be after you Ellone!" Laguna gave her a small poke to the head. "They'll catch you and then they'll suck your blood out! If anything like that should happen, Uncle Laguna's gonna cry…"

"I'll be ok. I'll just call yoo, Uncle Laguna! You'll come rescue me, right?" Ellone said, turning to running out of the room and head downstairs.

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