Chapter Three
Irvine ran into Edea moments later, she had felt Squall's blast and came running, and now the two were in the parking lot, Irvine still holding Squall. Irvine was near panic; Squall had inferred that someone else was in his head, but who else could be in his head? Edea said Squall was exceptionally strong in his powers, so who? Or Why?
"Irvine, stop pacing, you're making it difficult to think." Edea held up her hand to stop the restless teenager and his cargo.
"What are we gonna do? What happened to Squall? What's going on?" Irvine burst. "I'm scared for him." He mumbled.
Edea smiled maternally at the cowboy. "I think it is best we head to Balamb Garden. Dr. Kadowaki is the only doctor I trust enough to take Squall to." She decided.
"Seifer, what happens when you leave?" Squall asked.
Seifer turned to his best friend. "Who says I'm leaving?"
Squall frowned and sank to the soft sand. "Everyone leaves once they turn thirteen. They all get sent to Garden."
Seifer sat beside him and took him into his lap. "If I do get sent away, I'll go to Garden and become the strongest. Every knight has to be strong for their sorceress." Seifer told him.
Squall huffed. "Seifer, I'm not a girl!"
"I never said you were a sorceress." Seifer replied.
Squall turned to face the twelve-year-old blonde. "I don't want you to go."
Seifer smiled down at him and hugged him tightly. "I don't want to go either."
"What if you forget me? Like 'Sis?" Squall asked fearfully.
"I will never forget you, 'coz I love you!"
"But-"
"No buts Squall, I'll love you and I'll NEVER forget you."
Squall woke up with a dull, medicated headache, stiff joints, and no clue where he was. He hated it when he had dreams of Seifer. Because Seifer DID forget. He DID leave him. And he never came back, or wrote, or called, or anything. He was just like 'Sis.
He sat up quickly, and soon regretted it as his head protested by leading a marching band though his skull. He was in a small white room on an even smaller cot with a window that looked out across a courtyard with kids his age in uniforms. Uniforms? Squall gasped as he recognized the same uniform Irvine wore. Garden. Why was he at Garden? Edea would never have taken him to Garden! Garden was training SeeDs to kill sorceresses!
"I see you're awake." A kind voice greeted him.
Squall examined the middle-aged doctor with a pleasant smile. "Who are you?" He asked suspiciously. Squall remembered vaguely blowing up half the mall in order to get rid of the voice in his head; the government hadn't turned him over, had they?
"I am Doctor Kadowaki of Balamb Garden. Edea Kramer brought you to me." She informed him.
Balamb? But Seifer was in Balamb! No, he wouldn't think about… him. "Why am I here?" He asked.
"You do not remember?" She asked curiously.
"Vaguely." He answered.
"Squall! You're awake! Man, if you EVER scare me like that again, I'll…" Irvine never finished his threat as he burst into the room and hugged his friend.
"Hey Irvine." Squall greeted as Irvine squeezed harder.
"Irvine, we should be letting Squall rest." Squall looked up at Edea's voice. She stood in the doorway with a faint smile.
"I'm fine." Squall assured Edea. He stood slowly, to prove his point. "Now get me out of here." He demanded. He hated doctors. Doctors just wanted to study and test his powers.
"Now Squall, don't be rude—"
"It's okay Edea, I understand his fear." Dr. Kadowaki smiled warmly. "Just take it easy." She told Squall.
'You try to take it easy when a creepy voice is trying to take over your mind.' Squall thought dryly. "Will do." He replied.
The three walked out of the small cubicle and out of the infirmary. Squall stopped to look out the huge glass windows in the hall. "What happened to the mall?" He asked mildly.
"It'll be closed for a month or two for repairs." Irvine answered.
"Squall, what happened?" Edea asked, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"I… don't really know. There was a voice in my head, she was trying to take over my mind." Squall squeezed his eyes tight as memories of the voice filtered through. "So I forced her out."
Edea looked worried. "A voice?"
"That explains a lot." Irvine commented slapping Squall on the block. "Here I thought you had gone mental!" He laughed.
Squall glared at Irvine causing the cowboy to stop laughing.
"I must talk to Cid about this, see if he knows of any other sorceresses." Edea told them. "Stay in garden while I talk to him, don't you two even think about leaving." She ordered sternly.
"Yes ma'am!" Irvine saluted.
Squall watched Edea walk off slowly towards the main elevator. "I hate Garden." He muttered quietly.
"Can't say I blame ya! Now let's go see if we can get anything to eat!" Irvine rubbed his stomach before dragging Squall over to the directory to learn where the cafeteria was. They stopped in front of the board and Squall glanced around warily as Irvine mused over the directory. "Look at this! No hockey rinks, no basketball courts, not even a chocobo stable! So glad I wasn't sent here." Irvine muttered.
Squall watched a spiky blonde bouncing with energy, charge into the entrance hall shouting about 'hotdogs'. Squall stopped short as he recognized the ball of energy. Zell. What was Zell doing in Garden? He was one of the few that was adopted. He wasn't mercenary material.
"Zell?" Squall asked worriedly. "Whas' the matter?"
Zell's tearstained face turned towards him. "Seifer ripped off Chubby's head." Zell held up the head and the body of his stuffed chocobo.
"Why?"
"'Coz I called you a freak." Zell mumbled.
Squall grabbed the head and the body, and concentrated some energy. Zell watched in awe as stitching appeared, sewing the head back on the body. Squall tossed the yellow bird back to Zell. "I am a freak."
"Irvine." Squall nodded towards the blonde as he walked towards them. "Look familiar?"
Irvine turned from the board to see whom Squall was talking about. He noticed a grown up Zell with a tribal tattoo covering half his face walking their way. "Isn't that Zell?" He asked.
Squall nodded.
"Think he'll recognize us?"
"No, he forgot." Just like Seifer, Squall added mentally.
Zell paused a few feet away from the two and looked at them oddly. It wasn't every day you saw civilians in Garden. He looked as if he was about to comment to them when a voice rang out:
"Hey chicken wuss! I'm surprised you didn't wet your pants!"
Irvine and Squall both didn't need to think about who the tall blonde in the gray trench coat was.
"Why you! What did you say?" Zell yelled back, shaking with anger.
Seifer smirked, stopping a few feet away. "I'm surprised you lasted through the test. You just might pass, after all, I am the best cadet in Garden and you were on my team!" He smiled arrogantly.
"Maybe we should head to the cafeteria now." Irvine turned to Squall, fearing what might happen if Squall decided to take out some pent up anger on Seifer, or if Seifer and Zell got in a fight.
Squall nodded, but they only took one step before Seifer noticed them. "Hey, hey! Look what he got here! Civilians! Now what brings you two in to Balamb Garden? Wishing you had joined?" Seifer grinned at them. "You two wouldn't have lasted too long, you're both too pretty."
Irvine smirked at Seifer and glanced at Squall before replying, "If only you knew."
"What's that supposed to mean, cowboy?" Seifer asked.
"C'mon Irvine, let's go." Squall still had his back to the tall blonde.
"Scared little boy?" Seifer taunted.
Before Seifer could blink he had a blade pressed against his neck and a pair or burning silver eyes glaring at him. "No, Seifer, just want you to live a little longer." Squall told him in a dead voice.
Seifer narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Well, looks like pretty boy has a few guts after all, and good taste in weaponry." Seifer pushed Squall away and drew his gunblade as well, and met Squall's with a 'clang'.
"And how do you know my name?" Seifer asked, still holding his position.
Squall smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He replied bitterly.
Squall drew back to charge again, thrusting his gunblade. Seifer met each attack and threw some of his own in.
"Wow, I've never seen anyone last this long against Seifer." Zell commented.
"They've only been fighting for a minute." Irvine pointed out.
"Yeah, that's a record."
"What?" Irvine asked in disbelief.
Seifer smirked down at the pretty brown haired man. He hadn't had a fight this good since he beat Ifrit so many months ago. This boy knew how to handle the toughest weapon to handle with ease. Seifer felt an excitement well up in him at the prospect. He made a mental note not to scar the boy, he was a gorgeous specimen and Seifer wanted a taste of him.
Squall grunted as he blocked another blow, Seifer was good. But what else would be expected from him? Seifer had told him he would train strong enough so he could protect him from everyone.
He forgot you, didn't he?
Squall stumbled back as he heard the voice. Irvine frowned as a wild look came into his friend's eyes.
How sad, a knight forgetting about his sorcerer. I could change that...
Squall dropped to the ground as the headache began to come on again. No! He thought. Not again, LEAVE ME ALONE!
Seifer frowned as his opponent dropped to the floor. "Giving up already?" He sneered.
"Oh no." Irvine gasped.
Squall clutched his head as the pain intensified. He closed his eyes tight as he tried not to let the voice have her way.
You cannot fight me forever, little lion it whispered. This is your fate, to rule the world
The throbbing tripled and his mind began to get hazy again.
"No! GET OUT! GET OUT!" Squall cried.
"Squall!" Irvine crouched next to his friend and he could feel the air getting colder.
"What's wrong with him?" Seifer asked anxiously. He felt protective of the boy for some reason, and didn't want to see him in this much pain.
Irvine felt helpless, if Squall let loose his power again, SeeDs would attack him, and take him away. He didn't want that to happen. He looked up at the hovering Seifer and noticed how worried he was.
"MATRON! MAAAATRON!" Irvine screamed. She would be able to stop Squall, but what if the voice did take over Squall? What would happen then?
No one noticed the elevator 'ding' and Edea and Cid hurrying out of it and rushing down the stairs. "Squall!" Edea cried.
Imagine a future we could create together, my lion. Seifer would stand by your side, he would be you lover and your protector
A vision of him and Seifer curled up in bed together filled Squall's mind. He did desperately want that, but there was such much pain in his head, it was cutting into him, scarring him.
The pain will end if you stop fighting the voiced soothed.
"Squall!" Through his haze he heard Edea. "Squall, you can't give in to the voice! Please!" She cried.
'The pain will end if you are gone.' Squall told the voice. 'That future isn't possible. He forgot me.'
I could make him remember
Squall could feel himself slipping away, and the pain was easing. But he felt himself losing control and he didn't want that voice controlling him. Squall gathered what little energy he could, and pushed the voice.
"NO!" Irvine cried as Squall fell to the floor unconscious.
TO Be Continued!
It seems that Squall has a penchant for falling unconscious! tell me what you all think, this is where my brain starts running low on ideas!
Thanks to: Redrum (thats no typo, you'll see in the next chapter!), The Lady Griever, Phoenix 3:16, Cayenne, JillyBean3, and Ramaon! Thank you soooo much!
Review Please!