Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy VIII characters belong to Squaresoft.
A/N: OK, Chapter Two is a bit longer. Many thanks to:
Maia's Pen: Long time no see! (I'd put a smiley, but it doesn't come up) You're the first to review my story. (hugs) Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated. (insert smiley here). And yes, FF8 is also another obsession of mine too. Go Squall! Hope you like this chappie.
Verdanii: Thanks for your review. I hope you'll like this chapter as well.
What Times Are It: You make a good point. I suppose Squall probably would be more shocked than anything else. I can't change the first chappie now, but I'll take that in to consideration. Thanks a lot for the advice.
hibeki: I've updated now! Thanks for reviewing.
Chapter 2:
Decisions:
Kiros walked into his friend's office only to find him standing and staring out of the window again. He'd been like that all week. Leaving his desk in the middle of paperwork to reflect, think and reminisce. It had started to become a constant ritual for him, with less and less work being done, and the pile of papers growing bigger and bigger with every day that passed. However, Kiros knew that after their talk today, Laguna would be staring out that window more than ever. He cleared his throat.
"Laguna?"
Laguna turned at the sound of his friend's voice. He made an attempt to smile but failed miserably.
"Kiros. . . . . . um. . . how are things going?"
Monsters had stared to over-populate the Esthar region again, especially near the Sorceress Memorial and the Lunar Gate, and it becoming a hassle for those that wanted to get from one place to another. They had sent soldiers out to try to fight off the monsters, but with little experience over the past seventeen years and many of the soldiers having been injured from the Lunar Cry, it was getting harder to maintain things under control.
"Things aren't looking too good."
Laguna ran a hand through his hair before eventually slumping down in his chair near the desk. He closed his eyes for a moment pensive, but when no ideas came to mind he turned his glance to his friend.
"What do you propose we do?"
Kiros looked away for a moment.
"I wouldn't call it proposing. . . . . I came to tell you what we've already done."
Laguna gave a puzzled stare.
"What do you mean?"
Kiros sighed. Both he and Ward had made the decision that morning. It was the only option they really had that would have the best chance at working. And it might help resolve another problem that didn't involve fighting off monsters.
"Laguna, this problem is getting worse and worse. . . . .we need people who have experience with these situations."
The President froze suddenly. He didn't. . . . .
"I called Balamb Garden. . . . they can send us some Seeds for tomorrow."
Laguna cringed and got up quickly from his desk making his way towards the window. How could he do this to me? Squall's going to hate me even more now. He's going to think that I called Balamb to drag him here. He leaned on the windowsill, feeling his leg begin to cramp up.
Kiros watched his friend silently for a moment before deciding to go and lean on the sill next to him. They remained silent for a few minutes more until Kiros eventually spoke.
"You know it's for the best. . . for Esthar at least."
Laguna sighed and nodded sadly.
"Yeah. . . .I know. . . ." He looked to his desk vacantly. "But he's not going to like it."
Kiros moved away from the window.
"You guys need to talk. . . .properly."
"He won't listen to me. . ."
"Try to make him listen."
"He won't!"
"So you're giving up?"
"No, it's just. . . . .it's just so damn hard!"
Laguna banged his fists on the windowsill and stared at the city that was now under his control. He knew that without Kiros and Ward he would've never been able to make it this far. They had always helped him, supported him. But now, with his problems with Squall, he needed to deal with them alone. And it wasn't easy.
No, it's not easy. He thought to himself. It was never going to be easy. He looked at the city again. But I've never given up.
He looked towards Kiros then sat at his desk.
"I'll meet with them here tomorrow and explain the situation."
Kiros smiled.
"I'll let them know."
---------------
"Squall! Squall!"
Squall awoke to the sound of knocking and a bright, bubbly voice calling his name. He didn't need to open the door to know it was Selphie.
"Headmaster Cid wants to see you in his office. Something about a mission."
Mission? Squall's face hardened and he quickly got himself out of bed and left the Dorms. As he walked around the passages his mind sparked with curiosity. He hadn't been called on many missions since the defeat of Ultimecia, and the recent mission he had returned from was out of his own free-will.
Must be important. He thought as he entered the elevator.
As Squall went up to the third floor his mind went back to a month ago. Things had changed a lot since then. Balamb Garden had earned itself a good reputation with the defeat of the sorceress and more and more students were applying to become Seeds. However, it didn't make exams any easier, and many still failed. But it was good to see most of them trying.
He exited the elevator and saw Cid Kramer waiting for him. The Headmaster welcomed him with a smile.
"Squall. I heard all went well with your mission yesterday."
Squall suddenly remembered something. I haven't given him my report. . .
As if reading the young teenager's mind Cid shook his head.
"Quistis has already told me everything." He reassured him "I called you up here because I have an important mission for you."
Squall nodded.
"I'm sending Zell and Quistis to accompany you. It may be a bit strenuous, but I'm sure you'll get the job done."
Another nod came from Squall.
"What do you want us to do?"
The Balamb Headmaster paced around his office.
"I received a call from Esthar this morning. . . ."
At the mention of the place, Squall stiffened slightly. The memories of the week before came crawling back into his mind.
"There are having problems keeping control of the monsters in the region. I want your team to go there and help their soldiers fight off these monsters. . . ."
Monsters? He remembered the amount of monsters he had seen during the Lunar Cry and imagined that many of them had remained since then. He sighed angrily and looked to the side. I suppose I'll have to see him again. His thoughts were interrupted by Cid's voice.
"I want you and your team to leave this afternoon in order to arrive there by tomorrow morning." He looked at Squall. "I'm sure you have no problems."
Squall had all the urges to tell Cid that, yes, he did have a problem. That he didn't want to go to Esthar. That he didn't want to see Laguna again. But he couldn't. He hadn't told anyone about the events that had occurred the week before. Not even Rinoa, although she had suspected something had happened. She had confronted him more than once, but he didn't tell her anything. He didn't want anyone to know. At least not yet.
"We'll leave as soon as possible."
And with that, Squall made his way to the first floor to find his comrades.
To be continued. . .