Clash of the Gardens

Involvement

Later on that day that Squall caught the train to Timber. The trains were up and running again after the horrific bombing of Timber took place. It was amazing how many people had come out to help clear the train tracks of debris that was scattered farther away from Timber.

Squall looked out of the window as he waited to arrive in Timber. As the Train traveled underneath the ocean, darkness filled the windows. He decided to take a seat in the SeeD Cabin, even though the darkness hadn't bothered him.

Why would he suddenly call me for a job? An investigating job at that… He thought to himself as he took a seat in the SeeD cabin. Well, It's not like I won't get any action at all. I'm just glad I'm out of Garden for a change. He looked at his Gunblade and smirked. Just you and me…

The Griever carving on the side of his gunblade seemed to glow in a silvery ray, which shot to his ring, a ring that he had kept for a long time. He turned the ring on his finger round and smiled slightly. It was the only thing that ever gave him comfort.

The Griever, a symbol of strength and pride, it was the only thing that he had ever entrusted his own feelings to. The passion, the secrets, and the regrets were all cast in this ring. His precious ring would never leave his hand, and it would be the only thing that would have his heart.

The train ride came to a close, stopping earlier than the intended stop. He stepped out of the SeeD Cabin and looked through the window. Half of Timber was a mess and people were everywhere. He wasn't sure what these people were doing, mostly crying aloud and holding bloody corpses. My God, these people were grieving. Not only were they crying for the lost souls, but also they were being driven away by the Galbadian Army. It looked as if the G-Army had not allowed them to properly begin burial for these bodies. It seemed as if they would probably never have a chance to do say their goodbyes.

Just as the Train stopped, it was met by a few military troops who had gathered to check each of the cars. Squall sheathed his gunblade and quickly got off the trains as the conductor released the doors. He managed to sneak by a few soldiers who were checking the identification cards of others who were onboard and traveling from Balamb City. Quickly, Squall disappeared into the crowds of Timber's mourning civilians.

Within seconds he witnessed the G-Army push an old woman from her dying husband with unnecessary force. If there was one thing that he cared about, it was defenseless people being preyed upon by pathetic soldiers. He soon realized that there were too many soldiers around, and if he had carried out an attack, he would be killed instantly. He turned away from the scene and soon lost himself amongst the crowds.

Around the sights of the destroyed Pub were a few soldiers ordered to search through the remainders for anything that would prove that the Factions were planning an attack against Galbadia.

"I don't see anything but blood!" One soldier called out.

"Yeah, this is truly a terrible sight."

"Quit your whining and keep searching!" Ordered the Captain.

The soldier soon became occupied again after thinking about some terrible things that he could do to the captain; He was so tempted to turn around and spit at the man's shoes, but he looked back and saw the captain glaring at him. The thought melted away quickly, and he continued to look through the pile of rubble. Suddenly, there was something that dangled and caused the Sun's ray to shine brightly into the working soldier's eyes, and he looked up quickly while blocking his face. In an instant, the sun's ray had vanished. He looked toward the quick flash curiously and thought he saw a few fingers from behind a broken wall that once was the backdoor way of the Pub. The soldier wiped his eyes and made questionable sigh. When The Captain heard him, he threw a piece of brick at the man's head.

"Ow!" The soldier cried.

"Get back to work and stop daydreaming!"

"I'm not daydreaming, sir! I think I just saw someone!"

"Where?" The Captain dropped his tone.

"Over by that there wall."

"…" The Captain became quiet and looked back at his men. He raised three of his fingers and nodded to his men. Three of the Soldiers standing guard nodded along with him then quietly parted from their Captain.

On the other side of the wall stood a young woman who had grabbed a ring that dangled on a chain she wore. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes that were closed as she realized the soldier had seen her hiding. Not now! She thought to herself. I was so close…No. I'm not giving up, yet. I have to find the others!

Before she could move, three soldiers appeared surrounding her. She gasped and took off running. One soldier grabbed her and the other pointed a gun directly near her face. She looked at the gun and then to the man who had aimed it to her. She smirked as a bolt of lighting struck the soldier. He fell down quickly. As he fell, she moved her arm up and aimed her weapon at the other soldier who was right across from the fallen soldier. "Let me go, or else!"

The man released her from his arms and she backed away, still aiming her Pinwheel at the two of them. Quickly, she glanced back and found that no one was behind her; now would be a good time to run.

She cast a sleep spell on the soldier who had once held her, and she glared at the other before turning back to run away. To her surprise, the Captain stood right behind her this time. She cursed herself for not looking back a second time to ensure her own safety.

The captain held her arms and began walking up the stairs away from the Pub. He smiled while looking at his prey, and for a mere second she could see that impish grin of his. Her stomach cringed in agony. "Let go of me! Now! I demand that you let go of me!"

"I'm afraid I cannot. You are clearly a member of the Notorious Resistance Factions. You are to be placed under arrest, and sent to the D-District Prison, right away."

"Please. I can't go there! Help! Help!" She began to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Shut up! – Ugh!"

"Huh!" That was the only thing to leave her mouth, as she was surprised at the Captain's sudden cry.

He had been walking and observing the bodies on the ground. Even though he was apart of a war no longer than a year ago, this was a more gruesome sight. Was it because these people were innocent? They were mere citizens; whereas, the lifeless bodies on the plains of a battlefield were soldiers, they were prepared to die.

These men, women, and children were scattered everywhere. It was like seeing a massacre, a horrible sight, and one that he would never want to witness again. Looking at around at all the bodies made him wonder about the survivors. It seemed like the survivors had no reason to remain living at all. The soldiers took what pride it meant to be a survivor, and through it away. Beating, shoving, and starving them, this was no way to treat anyone. Squall looked at these people and sighed, wanting to smite all those soldiers to their graves in an instant. From afar he could hear another cry, a scream of a young woman being tormented by a soldier. It was enough, no more of these people being harassed by these weak soldiers. They weren't soldiers at all, and they had no right to be labeled that way.

Quickly, Squall ran over to the Soldier holding the woman's hands behind her back. He brought forth his gunblade and struck the man to the ground. Instantly the man fell down without another word. Squall looked at him and took a deep breath. No more. He thought to himself and turned away from the woman. He didn't want anything to do with these people, but he couldn't go about letting them receive this kind of punishment from these heartless soldiers. Was it heartless of him to think this way? No, it wasn't heartless at all. Squall was only here to fulfill his mission. He would move on to his the next target. And since the Soldier was dressed in a red uniform, he seemed to be a soldier of greater power than the standard blue.

His gripped tightened around the handle of his gunblade, as he looked at all the remaining soldiers while walking away from the female who was now grabbing his hand and crying.

He looked back at her and took his hand back. He never enjoyed being touched by anyone.

"Thank you…" She said in a small voice.

"…" He never looked at her face, but he saw her kneeling down. "It was…" He sighed and walked away from her. "It was nothing." She looked up from the ground and saw him walking away from her. Who was he? He wasn't in any type of uniform. She suddenly saw where he was headed. He was walking into the direction of the Pub, and waiting there were at least five soldiers. She had to do something to warn him. Quickly, she got to her feet and ran behind him.

"Hey, you!" She shouted and ran around to see his face, his blank face. For a second, his face seemed to disturb her. She could tell that for only a second, she was bothering him.

"…What is it?" His voice was calm. Calmed? Like he hadn't just taken the life of a soldier. She couldn't believe how a man would remain calm after just striking a person down with ease. She realized that he had to have done this before. Even though he hadn't been in uniform, he had to be something. Never minding the fact that he had some skill as a warrior, she realized that he was still heading into a death trap. She had to warn him.

"Don't go that way. There are more soldiers down there."

"Near all that rubble?" He pointed to the destroyed Pub, and to all the soldiers that he clearly saw standing around guarding the area.

"Yeah." She hadn't realized that he could see the danger that lied ahead until she turned to conform where his hand was pointing.

"Okay." He ignored her warning and headed directly into the pit of soldiers. Most of them ran off to attack first, but were quickly struck by magical forces coming from the young man's mouth. The girl stood in amazement as he battled the soldiers. He ran through, slashing them one at a time. Only one remained and he was too frightened to do anything. Squall looked down at him and saw that he wasn't equipped with anything. This man was only digging through the rubble trying to uncover facts about Timber's Factions.

"P-Please, don't kill me!" He cried out. Squall kept his gunblade out, but stared at the man. He could tell in this soldier's eyes that he did not have what it took to reach for any weapon or explosive and take the life of anyone else.

"…What are you doing here?"
"J-just trying to find documents or evidence that Timber and Trabia were joining forces! It's all I know, I swear! Please, don't kill me!"

"I heard you the first time." Squall looked down at the ground and then to the man. Perhaps Timber hired Trabia…? They were probably going to fight back using Trabia's help. The attack on the Headmaster was made in order to slow down this plan. Still…so many people died in this attack and they weren't even certain that this rumor is true. Galbadia…

Squall was becoming annoyed just as he stood in the sight of this soldier. "Stand up." He ordered the terrified man. "Stand up, now!" The soldier rose slowly and looked at this angry man. Squall looked him in the eyes. "Is this the last attack on Timber?"

"H-honestly, I don't know!"

"Get out of here!" Squall pretended to slice the man, but the soldier ran before that slice became real. Quickly, the soldier ran down the train tracks that were next to the Pub. Squall watched as the man became a little speck in the distance, and was sure that he was in the hills far away from Timber by that time. There, present on his face, was a tiny smirk. Despite all the bodies and smells, Squall had found something about Timber to smile about.

He wished he could see all of the Galbadian Soldiers running away for their lives. As he turned around, the smirk on his face slowly faded away. He saw the same young woman whose life he had just spared now crying and holding the hand of someone she clearly seemed to know. She was kneeling and crying in agony, almost like she was dying as well. For a moment, he felt like he could cry right along with her, but he shook his head at the thought and turned away from this horrible sight.

"Zone…Watts…I'm sorry. I knew this was a bad idea. I should have never suggested this plan! I'm sorry!" She cried and rose to her feet. After wiping her eyes, she took a great deep breath. She quieted quickly and left the bodies of her fallen comrades on the ground.

I'll get them. I swear it. If it's the last thing I do with the last bit of strength in my body, I will defeat Galbadia. Only then, will I find true peace. For you all and myself, this battle isn't over yet! I will not die! She turned around to see that the man, who helped her just a few moments ago, was nowhere in sight.

As she walked around the town, it seemed like the soldiers were disappearing as well. Then there were a few dying cries and a few bodies dropping, and then there he was. Like a professional with his sword, he was slicing and shooting the men. Shooting? How in the world could he shoot with his sword?

"Gunblade?" She thought aloud. He gave a loud cry and ran toward the charging soldiers, leaping and bringing down his blade in full force. Quickly recovering from the leap, he turned and swung the sword in a circle to knock the soldiers away. Before he could finish them off, he was surprised to see them screaming and being blown away with a wind spell he hadn't cast.

Squall turned around to see that the young woman was standing behind him.

She ran before him and shot her Pinwheel. Like a boomerang, the blade sliced the two soldiers in mid air and returned to her, making contact with its original position. She turned to him and gave a big smile that made him freeze where he stood. She then turned around and saw that there weren't any more soldiers who survived the attack. She sighed and fell to the ground, taking a seat on the bricked streets of Timber. He looked down at her and sheathed his gunblade for the first time in a while. My objectives are complete; Now to return to Balamb.

Before he could leave the woman who sat on the ground, he heard a light whimper coming from her. He inwardly sighed and turned away from her. There was no way he would listen to any more depressing cries to the dead. He left her as she sat facing the opposite direction. There might be more soldiers just above the rim of Timber's North Exit. I should go there. The sound of his footsteps running away caught her attention. She hadn't realized he stood behind her for as long as he did. Once again, she got to her feet and followed this man.

Through the streets he ran, but to his surprise there were only civilians on the streets. The last of the soldiers were leaving on new orders. He hid behind the nearest alley between the stores by the exit of the town. The Galbadian vehicles were on the move and there was nothing else he could do about it. He decided to walk through the back alley of the buildings. He could hear more footsteps on the main street of Timber, and when he turned his attention toward them, he saw her.

She stopped, unaware that he was in the back alley, with her face toward the backs of the vehicles traveling amongst the plains. She dropped to her knees like she had done so many times before. Who knew what was going through her mind at that time.

He looked away and found himself on the outskirts of Timber. Because Timber was filled with Train stops and routes, he found himself sitting at the edge of a track. The sign above him said that these tracks would lead the train to East Academy Stop, and another place that was blurred on the side also. He had given up reading it, and decided to look at the sky.

The air in Timber was terrible, and for a moment, he found himself thinking that he would rather sit in the Fire Cavern for eternity, before staying in Timber for a few days. Staying in Timber for a few days would prove to be difficult because of its air. "I wonder if the Galbadian's Soldiers will return to this place? There's nothing else for them here. They've demolished the lives and homes of those who once lived here. These people don't have anything left. Cid…why did you send me here?"

He sighed and twisted his ring once again for the entire day. "What do I do now?" He asked aloud while rising to his feet. There was no way he would stay in this town. Squall walked until he made sure that the pollution had cleared from his nostrils.

By nightfall he managed to find a spot in the remaining forests surrounding Timber's hills and plains. He looked down on the city as if a guardian. "I wonder when the Train to Balamb is leaving, and if I should take the next one back to Balamb?" He leaned back and closed his eyes hoping to get a good nap before the new day would start.

With his eyes closed, his other senses became stronger. He could sense if there was any danger near by. Listening with his ears, smelling any scent of a predator with his nose, and feeling any vibrations from the ground with his body. He could sense someone approaching, and his eyes quickly shot open. He pretended to be asleep, though his eyes were wide open. Slowly he rose from the grass and hid behind the same tree he lied underneath. Suddenly, he saw a quick flash of what seemed like a person pass him by. Without hesitation, he grabbed the person and put them into a chokehold with one arm and grabbed their hand while placing it behind their back. The scream from this person was that of a woman, a familiar woman; in fact, the same woman who screamed when the soldier held her in almost the same position earlier.

"Please, wait!" She spoke aloud almost in a cry. He held her for a second more, not sure if he could trust her. Who was she and why would she follow him? After all, he helped her back there. Wouldn't that be enough for her? Besides, it looked like she could take care of herself.

"…Who are you?" He spoke into her ear while squeezing her hand. She yelled out in pain, and it was at that moment that he let her go. He hadn't realized his hand released hers, nor did he understand why until after he had made the action. She grabbed her hand and massaged it, trying to hold back her cries. She was beginning to believe that following this man was yet another one her bad ideas. "Answer me!" He demanded. Frightened by his tone, she swallowed her breath and spoke.

"My name is Rinoa Heartilly. You helped me back there and I just wanted to thank you."

Even through the darkness, he could still see the nervousness on her face. He looked away from her for a second and then turned his face back to her.

"…But you already thanked me before. One time is enough." He turned away from her realizing that she was of no threat.

"I know, but…you don't understand. You really helped me back there. If you hadn't have been around…I would've been one of those bodies lying on the ground. Please…"

"…It doesn't make a difference whether you thanked my a million times or not, just go back home and give your friends a proper burial."

"I can't…" She fell to her knees and placed her hands on top of his black boots. She cried softly and grabbed his leg. "You don't understand. I can't go back there. I just can't!" Squall didn't know what to do. He sat and watched the woman cry her eyes out. He didn't know what he could do.

Author's Note:

Well, I'm trying...

StardustRay