Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the wait. Had computer problems. .
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy Series or else I wouldn't be writing about them. I'd be making a sequel to Final Fantasy VIII where Squall will run around buying gifts for Rinoa and getting 'how-to-act-like-a-human' lessons from Selphie and Irvine. Yeah, won't happen. And I don't think it'll sell very much either. -
Chapter Two:
"Squall!" someone called as the four SeeDs came out of the garage, Quistis' unconscious student in tow.
"Hey, Nida," Squall nodded at his fellow SeeD in greeting. "Do you know if Dr. Kadowaki is busy at the moment?"
Nida shook his head. "No, I don't think she is," he said. "Anyway, the Headmaster wants to see you, all of you, in his office,"
Quistis sighed and turned to the martial artist of the group. "Alright. What did you do now?" she asked him.
"I didn't do anything!" Zell protested. He would have held up his hands as a gesture of his innocence but they were currently full right now. Of course, dropping this heavy guy on the floor was starting to sound like a good idea.
Squall nodded to his companions and Zell eagerly pushed the student into Nida's arms and headed to the elevator with the others.
"Hey!" Nida called after them. "What in Hyne's name am I supposed to do with him?"
Selphie winked at him. "He could use a dip in the fountain if you don't feel like going to the good doctor," she said cheerfully before the elevator doors closed.
Squall chuckled to himself and leaned against the elevator's walls as he waited for them to reach their destination. He closed his eyes and sighed, remembering how he had come to be here in Garden.
Flashback"Mommy and daddy are going to be gone for a while, alright, Squall?" Raine Loire whispered to her five-year-old as she hugged him in front of the Kramer's orphanage. She smiled sadly and brushed her son's hair away from his face.
The boy hugged his mother as tight as he could. "Where are you and dad going?" he asked, trying to fight the tears that usually came with parting.
Laguna kneeled down beside them, Ellone holding him in a death grip. "Mommy and daddy are going to save a country from a mean, old sorceress with Uncle Kiros and Ward," he said, ruffling his little boy's hair affectionately. It left him upset to think that he wouldn't be able to do that again for a few months.
"Why can't I fight with you, too?" sniffled Squall.
Ellone smiled even through her tears. "Because you might scare the ugly, old lady and Uncle—dad won't get any credit," she told him. Even at nine, she was already smart, knowing exactly the right words to say to her brother.
Despite herself, Raine laughed. "That's right. And we can't have that," she said, kissing his forehead. "You'll have your own time to save the world, Squall. But let daddy have his chance now."
"I'll be the strongest warrior ever, mommy," he murmured.
"Laguna, Raine, we're ready to go," said Kiros from behind them.
The couple nodded and hugged and kissed their children goodbye.
"We'll take care of them, don't worry," a woman dressed in an elegant, flowing dress, known as Edea Kramer, assured the young parents.
"Thank you, Edea. We don't know how we can ever repay you," said Laguna, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder, whether to support her or to assure himself, no one knew.
Cid Kramer grinned. "Give Adel hell from us and all debts are cleared," he told them.
"Cid! There are impressionable children about!" Edea reprimanded her husband, though not quite as forceful as she wanted it to be.
As if on cue, a hyperactive blonde ran out of the orphanage. "Yeah! Give her hell!" he said enthusiastically, pumping his fists into the air.
"Maaatrooon! Zelly said the H word!"
"Aww, Selphie! You're such a tattler!"
"Zell! Don't call her names!"
"Quisty, ya sound like a old lady!"
"Shut up, Seifer! Don't call her that!"
"Irvine, why are you always sticking up for the girls and the girls only?"
Laguna and Raine exchanged a glance. Yes, Squall and Ellone would fit in here nicely.
End of FlashbackAfter four months at the orphanage, Squall had made the best of friends with the kids there and his parents hadn't wanted to take him away from his friends so they had sent him to the same school as them. And ironically enough, Cid and Edea Kramer were running it. It was the orphanage all over again, though with much cooler and bigger toys.
"Squall! Yo, man! Are you in this universe?"
He was jolted out of his thoughts by Zell's voice. He blinked, recalling where he was. "What? What is it?"
The martial artist rolled his eyes. "Nothing. You were waaay out of it, man."
Selphie giggled as the elevator slowed to a halt. "Zell's right, you know."
"Now that's something you don't hear everyday," someone drawled lazily as the doors slid open.
"Say that again, Almasy!" Zell demanded playfully as they stepped out of the elevator. He took on his fighting stance, making small jabs at the air.
Seifer Almasy raised an eyebrow at him before turning to the other SeeDs, who had already filed out of the cramped space.
"Seifer,"
"Hey, Seify!"
"Hello, Seifer,"
The blonde swordsman turned to Quistis. "What? No hug? No kiss? I think I should be insulted."
"What are you doing here?" asked Squall, stepping forward.
"Cid gave me another chance. This is the briefing of my special SeeD field exam," Seifer replied, trying unsuccessfully to slip an arm around Quistis' waist.
Selphie grinned widely. "So we're supposed to supervise you? Alright!"
"Something like that," came an elderly voice.
Everyone turned to look at the Headmaster. They did their mandatory salute before relaxing again.
"Four SeeDs supervising just one cadet?" Squall questioned, wincing slightly. "Isn't that overkill, sir?"
Cid smiled. "We'll get to that later, Squall," he told the young man.
"Where's Matron?" Zell asked, sitting down on one of the many chairs situated around the cozy office. It looked more like a coffee place than an office, actually.
"Fixing coffee. Sit, sit, sit," he gestured to the other chairs.
The SeeDs sat, Selphie sitting on one of the beanbags.
"Like I said, I'll brief you on the mission soon," said Cid. "Once my darling wife arrives with the coffee, we can start. You know how I am without any caffeine intake in the morning."
"Like the Faculty?" Selphie guessed.
The elderly man looked absolutely horrified. "Dear Hyne. I'm not that bad, am I?"
Quistis let out a small laugh. "Don't worry, Headmaster, you aren't," she assured him. "We just had a weird conversation about caffeine and the Faculty on our way here."
Seifer rolled his eyes as everyone else laughed.
A side door opened and Edea came out, billowing robes and all, carrying a tray of cups, saucers and a plate of oatmeal cookies.
"There we go," Cid said, taking a small sip. "Thank you, dear,"
"Hello, Matron," everyone greeted the woman who was like a mother to all of them (a second mother to Squall).
"Good morning, my children," said Edea Kramer, smiling in her usual majestic way at them. "Zell, are you eating enough? You look slightly thinner."
Seifer smirked. "Of course, he's eating enough. He's been jamming as much hotdogs into his mouth every time he can."
Edea chuckled. "And Squall, is Ellone still dating that Tristan fellow?"
"Yes, Matron, she is," replied Squall, taking a cup of coffee for himself.
"And you haven't threatened to castrate him, yet?" quipped Seifer dryly. "Wow. That's a new record."
The SeeD just gave the blonde swordsman a small glare.
Cid cleared his throat and everyone's attention turned back to him.
Right. The mission, Squall thought sheepishly.
The Headmaster pressed a button on his desk and the lights began to dim. "Two days ago, an attempt was made on President Caraway's life," a hologram of a bullet hole in the windshield of a limo with the Galbadian crest on the side hung above the mahogany desk. Cid looked over his glasses at the teenager's anxious faces. "We've confirmed that it wasn't Irvine Kinneas," he said and Selphie and Quistis let out sighs of relief while the boys visibly relaxed.
"Well, of course, it wasn't Irvine. He actually knows how to hit a target, you know," said Zell.
"He's a SeeD, too," Quistis contributed and the others nodded.
Long ago, just a few months after Garden had been established, Cid had made a strict rule that no SeeD was allowed to participate in a mission that involved assassination. SeeDs were strictly for defense and capture.
"Moving on, Seifer's job is to find the assassin and capture him," said the Headmaster. He turned to the young man. "Seifer, don't kill him."
"Hey! Who said I was going to?" he held up his hands as if to show his innocence.
"If you succeed in capturing the assassin, you become a SeeD," said Edea as she stood by her husband, her hand on the back of his chair.
"And where do we fit into all this?" Zell voiced out exactly what had been on Squall's mind.
"You are to serve as personal bodyguards to the President and his family until the assassin is caught," said Cid, leaning back. "Irvine will be joining you in Deling City, where the First Family is currently residing."
Selphie pumped her fists into the air. "We get to see Irvy again!" she rejoiced.
"Selphie, we just saw him at the Garden Festival two weeks ago," Squall reminded her, an amused expression on his face.
Seifer smirked. "Looks like someone's got a crush," he said out loud for everyone to hear.
"Ugh. Seifer, act your age, please," Quistis told him.
"Do you think the First Lady will give us autographs?" asked Zell as he stared up at the ceiling in wonder.
"I hope so. I have all of her CDs and I really want them signed," Selphie said excitedly, almost bouncing in her seat, Seifer's remark already forgotten. "Maybe she'll even sing to us.
The Headmaster looked around the room with pride. They had grown up so much since the orphanage. He took his glasses off and wiped the lenses with the bottom of his shirt. He put them back on and everyone was already quiet, waiting to hear more about the mission.
"There's one more thing," said Cid, smiling at them. "Squall is mission leader."
The young man raised his eyebrows, surprise evident in his gray orbs. "Me? Not that I'm turning down the position, sir, but wouldn't Quistis make a better leader?"
Quistis shook her head. "Leader just isn't my position, Squall. You'd certainly make a better one."
Cid nodded in agreement. Among his 'children', he didn't like to choose one over the other but there were just some things that were quite obvious.
"Well, thank you very much. I'm deeply honored and—"
"You assure them you won't fail. Yada, yada, yada and all that jazz." Seifer finished dryly with a small wave of his hand. "Can we get going now?"
"The train for Deling leaves in thirty minutes. You best leave now if you don't want to miss it," said Edea, glancing up at the clock on the other side of the room.
The SeeDs and Seifer stood up and saluted the Headmaster.
"Goodbye, sir, Matron," they chorused before leaving the office.
End of Chapter Two.
I hope you liked it! Next chapter, the train ride, we find out more about Rinoa and the gang meet up with Irvine!
'Til the next chapter!