Clash of the Gardens:
Part II: Complication
Adrenaline
"Almasy! Report your status!" The General called out to the man wearing the brown coat, but for right now, his weapon was no wear to be found.
"Easy there…I don't answer to shouts." He grinned at Caraway and looked away. "I know you're eager to hear about her, but don't be taking it out on me." Almasy looked at the man, continuing to smile knowing that the General could have him put away for life. However, that was before the President realized how powerful the young man was. Now, Almasy held one of the highest ranks, and the General dared not to challenge him. The older man could only growl.
"Listen, Almasy, I'm only going to say this to you once." He said while pulling the boy to the side, but Almasy continued to smirk. "You may be here on behalf of a 'good word' someone else put in for you, so let's not forget that regardless of how much 'power' you may have over any of us, you still have to gain our respect!"
"Oh, and I'm sure these soldiers just love you." Seifer replied quickly.
"Just remember, kid, as quickly as you got here…you can leave the same way."
"I'm not a kid, I'm a Lieutenant…Maybe not as great in title as a General, but let's not forget, shall we, that I have just enough power and respect to get rid of you. Trust me, General, you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes when you're not around."
Once again, the old man grunted and looked away from Almasy. "Well, I'll take that as the end of our date. I'll see you, Caraway, at the next meeting." Seifer smiled and walked away from General Caraway.
"Who does that kid think he is? Ever since Deling recruited him from the Garden, he's been acting like some celebrity! He doesn't even take this army seriously! That is why Gardens and Militaries ought to be separated. We hold different values! Kids lack integrity, and commitment! Before soon, we'll all, including Deling, take orders from that wretched kid!" The General found him self slamming his fist into the stone wall, and seeing pieces of it's crust falling to the floor. "I'm going to Deling City, and back to my headquarters." He looked over at a few soldiers sitting around. "You there, inform the President of my leave!"
"Yes, Sir!" The soldier saluted him and ran off. The General left in haste, and Seifer looked at his vehicle pull off onto the road from Galbadia Garden. Seifer smiled again and shook his head.
"Bad nerves only get you killed…" He said to himself and walked into the quiet Garden. He had always been here, and to him, the place had never changed. Galbadia Garden was rumored as being one of the best military academies around. It was wide and held many training grounds around, and there were courses and instructors for just about everything pertaining to battle. Galbadia: Warrior's Paradise, Seifer's Heaven.
He approached the tennis courts that were surrounded by gates, and almost started laughing. Who had ever actually played tennis out here? Everyone was too busy focusing on fighting to remember to loosen up. Because the Garden was combined with the Military, it posed a great threat to many nations. Many students were actually drafted straight from the Garden and into the military, as Seifer had also.
Seifer grew up in the Garden and studied hard. He had found himself inspired to become the master of his weapon choice: Gunblade. His own gunblade was named Hyperion, a named he had depended his life upon since the day he first wielded its blade. He knew of one other person to wield the same weapon of choice; he even had the pleasure of fighting him once before. It was only a year ago, but the memory of his battle with the fellow opponent was still fresh in his mind. Seifer took a seat on a bench outside and closed his eyes, beginning to think back on that bloody day. A smile slowly crept upon his lips, and never had he wanted a rematch so badly.
Dark and raining, perfect disturbing weather for a raging war. Noises, screeches, squeals, bombs, gunfire, smoke, and every possible distraction at once, nothing could stop him as he ran through the crowds. Hyperion held high, constantly being summoned upon by its mad wielder. Seifer charged against the hordes of soldiers, not caring whose side they were on or whom they fought for; it was only a game to him. It was also his test. Whether he knew it or not, there were more eyes on him than he could have ever imagined, not that it would have been bad for him to know, he probably would've enjoyed the attention. But nothing was better than going against thousands of men, and not having to worry about looking after others.
He had been sent in, like so many others, to make himself a space with the elite squad of Galbadia. It was his duty to show the President of Galbadia just how strong he could be. Seifer found that there were quite a few others who were also trying to make that same cut. There was another young man with longer hair, almost bony figure, who seemed to be a little nervous. Seifer didn't want to look at him. If he saw someone else become nervous, it would make him feel the pressure rise too. He didn't need that, and decided to focus his attention elsewhere.
Arriving at the scene of the battlefield proved to be one of the most gruesome sights, despite his bloody past, he had ever witnessed; however, it wasn't long before all his past was forgotten and a grim smile formed upon his lips.
"MOVE OUT!" The Captain called out, just the words Seifer wanted to hear. He saw the other nervous brunette hesitate before charging, and then ran ahead. Seifer took charge, only after hearing a few gunshots fire from his left and a bomb explode on his right. The explosion hit most of the men who followed him. Having no time to panic, Seifer continued running until he reached a few soldiers. With a battle cry, Seifer slashed through the Estharian soldiers. He had made swift progress in the midst of the intensely heated battle. He fought as if the war were for himself, as if it were for Galbadia.
The battle truly belonged to Esthar and Balamb, fighting over the rights of Fisherman's Horizon. Never had Galbadia been allowed to enter. In the end, Seifer and the other troops were only there to test out there strength, and it was the perfect opportunity to battle. As he made his way through the crowds, he saw more and more of Balamb's SeeDs. They were fighting together, and taking down many Estharian Soldiers. They seemed to be making so good a progress, that Seifer had wondered who was leading them. When he looked over the crowd, he saw one dark-haired man, probably about the same age as he, who was conducting every move, as if he were the leader. He looked too young to be guiding some people who were obviously so much older than he. Instantly, Seifer hated him. How could this guy have so much power than Seifer? That wasn't fair.
There he was, trying to prove himself to a bunch of older men, and this guy was leading some troops on freehand. Seifer felt his teeth grind together as he approached quickly toward the group of SeeDs. He noticed that the guy had seen him on his way, and made a few of the SeeDs attack other soldiers.
Seifer knew that this person could tell that he was no ordinary soldier, as the dark-haired man was prepared to engage in combat. The brunette charged at Seifer and gave him no other choice but to attack first. The shattering sounds of the swords colliding, was what caught both their attentions. Seifer looked at his opponent's sword and saw that it was another version of his own weapon, the Gunblade. But that Gunblade looked shinier and made finer than his own gunblade, there was a carving of some beast on his blade also. Seifer couldn't help but to speak aloud, "Gunblade?"
The man pulled back on his attack and looked at Seifer, Seifer could see that there was no expression on his face, only darkness in his eyes. He had probably been fighting all day and had taken down countless men. There was no way he would be an easy victory for Seifer. Still confident, Seifer was smirking and standing himself in defense.
The guy hadn't taken a breath before charging at Seifer again. He slung his sword sloppily, but accurately connecting to Seifer's blade. For a moment, Seifer felt his feet slide back on the ground. He looked at the trail his feet made and gritted his teeth together, giving his arms all of his strength. With a shout, he knocked his opponent off and proceeded to become the attacker again. There was a constant chime and spark each time their gunblades met. The battle was far from over. This man seemed to match him in every way possible. They both were becoming annoyed by the second, as the fight grew increasingly complicated. This opponent would not give up, and he stood his ground very well. Seifer understood why this person was in charge of strategically planning attacks on Esthar.
As they both felt nature's gravity taking its toll on their overworked bodies, they fought harder not to show each other they were tired. Finally, Seifer managed to push him to the side, the man had lost his balance, and with that, Seifer saw that now was the perfect time to strike. With all his strength left, he managed to pull his Hyperion down and slice across his opponent's face. To his surprise, there was only a short moment of a cry. The brunette stood up swiftly and countered the attack, and in one quick swing, managed to slice Seifer's face in the same manner. Seifer kneeled and put his hand on his face. Both too proud to admit defeat, both to tired to continue. Seifer looked at his glove, now stained in his own blood and smirked. Slowly he stood to his feet and pointed his gunblade toward the brunette, he only watched him.
"This isn't my war, but this is our battle. You better not die today, or tomorrow, or for as long as this stupid war goes on!" He waved his blade in front the man's face, and surprisingly, he didn't flinch. "My blade will be the one to end your life." With a grimacing smile, Seifer turned away; confident that this man wouldn't strike him with his back turned, he was no coward. Seifer respected him.
"Hey, hey, hey! Seifer, ease up!" Seifer was brought back to reality by none other than the nervous brunette, himself, Irvine Kinneas.
"Move, move!" Seifer said while fanning the nuisance away.
"Hey, you were doing it again! Still reminiscing about that great war, eh?"
"Hah, I'm sure there was nothing great about that war to you. You almost wet your pants." He laughed.
Irvine muttered under his breath, "Almost…"
"That's why you and I could never be on the same level. Your heart is not into this kind of stuff. A guy like you should settle down and have kids."
"I'm no momma's boy, although the though of gettin a good woman ain't so bad…"
"You see…there's no time to think about stuff like that. I'm telling you to get out of here. That's an order, Kinneas!" Seifer said, sounding serious.
"…For a second there, I almost believed you. Oh, and speaking of orders, I was called a few moments ago. Perhaps I should go before he sends one of those hovering machine guys after me again, like last time."
"That was hilarious. Yeah, it is a little boring around here, so do something stupid like shooting that thing you call a weapon."
"Valiant, it's a shotgun, and you know it. Your weapon only mocks my precious masterpiece! Think about it, it doesn't even know which weapon it wants to be for crying out loud. Sword, Gun, pick something!" Irvine pointed at Seifer's gunblade while laughing slightly, and Seifer sighed while drawing it and slowly swinging it through the air.
"That's the beauty of it. It's unique, and I'm the only one who can wield such a classic thing. The Hyperion, slashing through flesh, just like I cut through the General's skin every time I look at him-"
"Yeah, and you both give people the creeps just by the sight of you!"
"Get out of here, Momma's boy!" Seifer said while chasing after him with his raised gunblade. Irvine ran inside of the Garden quickly while laughing, it was only a few moments later that he was pulled to the side and given demerits along with forty pushups for laughing and running in the hallway, two very hard-learned-lesson rules of Galbadia that should never be broken. Seifer looked at him and laughed.
It shouldn't be too much longer now, should it? Squall thought to himself, and as if on queue, Rinoa stretched her arms and smiled confidently while speaking.
"Not too much longer now!" She continued to smile knowing that he wouldn't speak. In fact, he had been more quiet than usual for a long time. Ever since she embraced him, he was silent. She started to wonder if this was how he always became around others. She wondered if she could ever get him to talk about something other than what was going on around them. She looked at him and stared at his face now, something she hadn't really done before.
As cruel as he was to her, his face looked so innocent. He looked like a little boy behind the scar across his nose and forehead. His hair bounced up and down as he walked, looking as soft as ever as the wind blew through his strands. She saw him look at her through the corner of his eye, and then a small sigh followed. He was aware that she was staring at him, and he became annoyed. "Sor-I mean, uh…" She said quickly and smiled again, "…I was just wondering how old you are."
"Nineteen." He said simply. She found herself chuckling at his seriousness. "What?"
"Wow, you make yourself seem so much older, although I can tell that you're still a kid just by looking at your face."
"What are you getting at?"
"What do you mean?"
"…Forget it."
"Oh, come on, tell me. I don't mind. What, you were wondering why I asked?" She said. He could only nod. "Just curious, that's all." There was silence. "…I'm eighteen, but I'm guessing you probably already knew that."
"…That explains why you're so-" He had to catch himself from insulting her. Whiney! Is what he wanted to say to her, that and everything else he wanted to say to her but couldn't because she would probably cry all over him again. He sighed after hearing her laughing again. "What's so funny?"
"Why don't you tell me what you were going to say? I don't mind, really."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I was going to say that you are too immature, and you look like it." He prepared his ears and moved himself away from her. To his surprise, Rinoa had begun laughing out loud. She held her stomach and laughed louder than before. He didn't know why, but something inside made him want to laugh too. He shook off the thought to laugh and wondered if he had sounded that stupid to her.
"I'm sorry." She finally managed to get her laughter under control. "Ahem, there. I'm done." She saw him shaking his head in an annoyed way, and she smiled again. "Live a little, it's good to laugh from time to time."
"What's there to laugh about?" He said angrily.
"You know what? I really don't care what's funny or not, it's just the point that I'm laughing, you should laugh too."
"Leave me alone." He said, still in his angry tone.
"Why are you so grumpy all of the time?"
"I'm a SeeD! I'm not some jester with a funny hat! I'm not here to make jokes! I'm not even here to protect you!" His pace quickened. She sighed and followed behind him slowly. If only he could tell her what was bothering him. If he wouldn't open up, then she would. At least to help him get a good idea of how to open up to someone, but then again, would this guy even pay attention? No, it wouldn't matter what he did. She would go on talking as if there were no tomorrow!
"Whenever I laugh, I feel like there's hope, you know?" She said quietly as she followed him, but loud enough for him to hear. He heard her but only continued to walk.
"…I didn't really get out much when I was growing up, 'cause my dad had me locked inside. I was a sheltered kid, and when I did have a chance to go out, things weren't that great on the other side. I never blended in with the other kids well…everyday, every week, every month, and every year; it was always the same. I hated growing up with that guy. So I ran away…moved to Timber, met some people who became my friends, and joined a Faction. It was the most fun I ever had in my life. For the first time, I felt like I belonged, and I was a part of something, I felt important. I could make a difference in Timber! It was my life! But then…you know." She went quiet for a small moment and took a breath. Squall knew that she meant the tragedy with her silence; he understood.
"But I do remember those moments I had with them all. I laughed, we all laughed! I will always remember them. That's why I want to laugh. That's why I may seem immature to you. I laugh because I have to. It's the only thing that can bring me through these rough times! Why can't you see that? What happened to you to make you so dull about living? You think work is the only thing that you have to worry about? You'll complete an assignment, and before you know it, those who helped you complete that same assignment, are gone! You won't even be able to tell them 'thanks!' You won't even get to tell them anything! They're just gone! And it's miserable!" She kicked dirt at him for ignoring her, but little had she known that Squall's eyes were watering as she talked. She reminded him of all the people that purposely left him to be alone in his life, to be where he was now. He had no support at all.
"That's why it's best not to depend on them so much." He said seriously.
"What?"
"If you don't rely on them, then you won't miss them when they've left." He continued. She stopped walking and looked at him.
"How can you be so casual? 'When they've left?' Are you serious!"
"As serious as I am about leaving if you don't quit this meaningless chatter."
"You make me sick! You make me sick to my stomach!"
"Fine." He stopped walking and sighed. "I'm glad I do, now will you shut up?"
"Nope! I'll never be quiet! I'll ramble on all day long! I'll talk a hole into your head, slowly drilling a hole right into your thick skull that will seep out blood and squirt all over the place."
I'd hope it squirt into your eyes and blind you, too. He found himself chuckling to himself as he thought.
"Aaah!" Instinctively, she closed her eyes and shot at the figure running to attacking his side.
"Arf!" It was a dog's howl. She quickly opened her eyes and saw an injured dog on the ground. Squall turned back to her and then looked at the ground. He was surprised at how he hadn't heard the animal approaching. Silly thoughts of Rinoa were beginning to cloud his mind and ruin his focusing training.
"Oh, no!" Rinoa said running over to the dog as it whined on the ground. There was a small wound across its front leg, but the dog seemed to be more shocked about being attacked. She touched the dog and realized that it looked extremely familiar. Before she could do anything else, Squall touched the dog and cast a cure spell on it. The spell managed to stop the bleeding, but the mark was still there. She watched him and smiled, surprised at how sensitive he had been toward the animal, but never seemed to care about her, her smile vanished. She was about to speak on the bizarre situation, but he stood quickly and began to walk.
The dog continued to whine, causing her to look down. "Angelo." It barked again. Suddenly Squall stopped and looked back to her.
"That's your dog?"
"Yeah, but I haven't seen her in days."
"How did it get here?"
"She! 'How did "she" get here!'"
"Err…right-whatever." He said while shaking his head. She smiled.
"She must've wandered around after that horrible day. I told her to run away, and she listened to me. She's very smart!"
"If she were that smart, then she'd stay the heck away from you…" Squall smiled to himself. "Okay, well."
"You don't mind if she comes along, do you?"
"You didn't ask if I mind if you came along, why should you even have the right to ask about her-"
"Alright, alright! Do you have to be so difficult?"
"I don't have to, I just choose to." He said while turning around to face Dollet.
"Why?"
"Because the sooner a person is ticked off, the sooner they'll leave."
"Okay, Squall, I understand; however, I'm not leaving!"
"What a surprise." He said sarcastically.
"I'm serious."
"Yes, I'm fully aware of that."
"What is it that makes you think that way? What drives you?" He was silent now. Rinoa realized that she spoiled the fun. She was beginning to have fun with the last person who wanted her around; at least, that's what he wanted her to believe. Rinoa was no idiot. She knew that he was hiding something. There was no way a person could be so cold without having a reason for it, even if that person wasn't aware that there was a reason, something had to have happened to him a long time ago that still haunts him this very day. She jogged to catch up with him, and was now walking side by side with Squall.
He hadn't come to realize it, but he was starting to enjoy having her with him. This trip would've been so…dull…had she not chase after him. What would happen to her once they reached Balamb? Would the Headmaster allow her to enter? He kept quiet and looked at the dog that was happily jogging beside Rinoa with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. He tilted his head to the side and smiled, thinking how life was for this dog. How could "she" put up with Rinoa all the time and still like her? She nearly took off my arm in an attempt to help Rinoa, stupid mutt. He looked back ahead and smiled slightly.