A Knight's Promise

Chapter 34: Chocolate Marshmallows?

Author's Note: Thanks leonhartilly and Snowell 111 for the cool reviews and suggestions to this fic!

You know, right now I'm confused on which format to write, some say "stay with this format" and some say "change it back to my traditional 'conversation-type' format". If I were to be asked, it's ok whichever format I use; I mean....I'm comfortable using any format. The only thing that worries me is the impact of that format to the reader. Maybe for others, my traditional format is easy to read and they kinda get used to it, though others think otherwise; that's why I decided to try this new format they're suggesting me to do.

It's really impossible for me to write or post here both formats isn't it? So please do tell me whether I'll stay with this new format or I'll stick to my old format and please do include the reason for choosing that option. I'm doing this 'small survey' Coz your opinions and suggestions mean a lot to me. So please do inform me on what format you prefer. Thanks.

SeeD salutes

Here are the some notes for this format

Italics means the character's thoughts

Bold means the setting.

With that all settled let's start this journey with the ff8 gang. By the way, the characters here are all created by Squaresoft (now Square-Enix) the character, Leon came from Kingdom of Hearts—which was of course another work of this mammoth company I only own this computer I'm using today (he he he) and the plot.

Winhill Shore

Near Winhill Hotel

"Jealous?" Leon vehemently smashed his right fist to the giant rock near the shores creating a hole to it; his eyebrows met in dismay as he thinks of the scenario he left at Room 501, "I can't believe that she trusted that stranger so easily! Dang!" he strikes the rock once more creating an even more immense 'crater' to it, "...and not only that, she actually believed that he is...!" He said with a sigh then he leaned to the giant rock that he's been hitting like a punching bag, "Who's that psycho anyway?" Leon looked at his bloodied fist. "Darn! Who cares whether he's Squall or not? It's none of my business anyway!"

"You do care don't you?" the voice was as serene but striking like the waves from the Winhill Sea; engulfing his whole being, drowning his soul with it. He turned his head to see who's delivering such insensible words at him. "Aren't you tired of walking through the shadows, boy?" the voice continued. Leon's eyes widened as the distorted-face man approached his way. The said 'being' stretches his hands to grab Leon's shoulders, "Don't run away from who you really are!" the man said with a grin.

Loire's Residence

Living Room

"What is this 'result' Seifer was talking about a while ago, huh Fujin? Zell asked naively. The topic popped-out suddenly when the gang sensed the 'un-Seifer-like-behavior' to their 'green-eyed' friend. "Seifer wouldn't just be infuriated over a piece of envelope, would he? I bet that's serious Fu", Zell insists as he sits next to Fu trying to convince her to speak.

"SECRET", she simply replied, shrugging her shoulders. Fujin promised Seifer that she'll never let anyone know about it, about their 'little secret'. "We must be careful not to reveal the 'result', not now...the info inside that envelope is too delicate and too shocking for everyone to comprehend. Though I haven't seen the result itself, I bet it would tell so much about this dilemma we are all into"

"Ohhh come on Fu" her friends said in unison, pleading her to just give them even just an 'itsy-bitsy' hint on what's the ever-so-famous 'SECRET'.

"OH No...don't tell me..." Irvine exclaimed, covering his mouth. "Geez I've never seen Fu act this way...wait a sec, I knew it! Seifer and Fu.....at the beach?!"

"Irvine?" The albino girl stared at him in disbelief. "Did he know about it? What am I going to say to the gang, to Mr. and Mrs. Loire....a-and to Seifer?" She asked herself nervously.

"Are you serious Irvine? Do you really know what's inside that envelope?" Quistis crossed her arms and looked at him from the eye, searching for answers. "If he's really telling the truth then that would be great! But how on earth did he know about it?"

"You know that Irvine always thinks green" Zell uttered. "Don't waste your time on him"

"Hey! That's quite mean of you guys!" Irvine replied defensively, "What's wrong with my speculation that 'Seifer and Fujin' were hiding some crucial info from us that they've found out while they were on the beach...ahhh oh well maybe I'm wrong" Irvine just scratched his head and puts out his tongue to his comrades. "he he he" was all he can say. His comrades just rolled their eyes in annoyance.

Quistis rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her albino friend, "Please for goodness sake Fu, just tell us or just....let us know what's happening? Zell's right, this must be something very serious!"

"PROMISE IS A PROMISE", is all she can utter. She pauses for a while then she started to speak in a natural tone "Don't worry my friends; we're going to reveal the content of the letter soon, until then ....have patience. Today is not the right time, please understand us", with that, she left her friends who were still in shock with her behavior and change of tone.

??? Shore

"Where am I this time?" Leon was lying half of his face touching the wet sand. He rubbed his eyes to scan the new environ that he's in, hoping that he would recognize it. Above him, the crimson sky battles for its throne from the dark and gloomy shade that is starting to overpower it; only time will tell who's going to dominate the heavens. In front of him, was an endless sheath of water; the waves look like numerous hands struggling to grab the sands on where he is situated. "There's only one thing for sure ......"he murmured, "....... this is not Winhill" still disoriented, he tried his best to stand firmly to ground but failed.

All of a sudden, he felt an agonizing pain from his back as if he was pressed by a giant bear. He then heard voices, they were laughing and mocking him; though he tried to move and speak, it seems like he was immobilized, helpless, and he was overpowered by the extreme pain caused by 'whoever' was on top of him, hitting him with something hard on the back at the same time.

"Darn it! What the heck are they doing to me? Who are these people? I ....I can't move! Dang! That hurts! STOP IT! Arghh you're all going to pay for this! You're all dead meat when I.....arghh" He almost lost consciousness with that hard blow but instead of suffering that even more favorable consequence, he savors every excruciating moment. "Am I unlucky or what?" He said to himself.

"Sorry kid, we have to dispose you; it's the boss' order. You should've injured our boss' pet in the first place. That's your fault acting like a superhero, now you have to pay the prize" the unidentified man stabbed him with a sharp tool at the back, it might be a blunt sword of some sort but who cares, whatever it is ....it hurts, really bad.

"Same fate goes to your black friend ha ha haha!" said another, "And to the rest of the passengers" The man said laughing hysterically at him.

"Let's leave him there and let the Fastitocalons and Tonberries (See my author's note below for their descriptions) feast to his flesh" another voice said in a cold tone.

"What the heck are they talking about? Where am I? Why the heck am I here, being tortured and all? arghh I bet those poltergeists did this to me!" Leon complained. He looked with the corner of his eyes to see his oppressors as they leave him lying helplessly on the mud; bleeding to death and on the mercy of the monsters that are now getting curious at him, investigating him if he can be a potential food source. He managed to lift his head at one side and gazed at the 'goons' as they hop into their vehicle, he saw a very familiar sign at the side of it. "I know that logo! I've seen it somewhere before.... Darn! Stop nibbling my arm! I don't want to be a part of your food chain! He said as he was distracted by the Fastitocalon.

Minutes after that incident, he mysteriously found himself drifting to the strong currents of the sea and finally felt bumping into a big rock, "Am I dead?" was all he can think of that time.

Deep Sea Research Centre

Scientist's Quarters

"Come on Madam, we can't stay here for long. We need to get out of here immediately. I bet they've found out about our 'jail-break'!" Roger said nervously at Mrs. Julia. It's been a couple of hours since they've 'ransacked' the scientist's room. They've found out so many books and documentations, not to mention the diary about Odine's 'menacing' and dirty experiments.

"He's truly a mad scientist! I can't believe that he's been cross-breeding these poor animals...." Julia complained but before she can add that sentence, Roger butted in.

"Correction Madam, monster is a right term, they're not just ordinary animals. He's been planning to use these monsters for his evil schemes" he said while packing some of the books, important papers and blueprints of the centre. "These things are what I'm after. It would provide enough evidence to shut down this area and for our commander to hack this loud-mouthed lunatic into molecules" he said grinning. "I bet he would be proud of what I've accomplished. You know, I've been a big pain to him since my day one as a SeeD" he sighed then continues on packing the last papers. "He's been very patient in shaping me.... us, his comrades to be elite, you know the 'crème de la crème' mercenaries" he smiled at Mrs. Julia who is now smiling back at him.

"Yes you're right, lad. Judging from your skills and abilities, he must've trained you...gash" her dialogue has been cut off by an abrupt pain from her shoulders. She clutched her left shoulder and leaned to the cabinet near them.

Roger was startled with her sudden change of facial expression, "W-what's wrong Mrs. Julia?" He said while observing Mrs. Julia's shoulders. All of a sudden a streak of red fluid flows from Julia's right arm. "Ohh no! Shoot! They've found us!" he exclaimed and with that he grabs her right arm and take cover from the wall next to them.

"W-what's happening?" Julia asked anxiously to the lad. She looked at her left shoulder and found a wound. "Oh! GOD!"

"Snipers" he said under his breath. He immediately rips a piece of his shirt and straps it around Julia's wounds. "Madam, I want you to take cover, I'll try to beat the enemy" he said whispering to the panic-stricken woman. "Can you see that vent over there", he pointed the air-duct that they've been into a while ago. "Please use that as an escape route"

"H-how about you?" She said with a worried face. "I can't just leave you...."

"GO! We don't have enough time..." he pauses for a sec. remembering his manners "uhh sorry...but"

She just stared at him shocked with his behavior. Her face becomes pale after she heard the lad's change of tone. "And what will you do if I don't follow your orders huh Mr. crème de la crème mercenary?

"Um...I'm so sorry Mrs. Julia, forgive me for my manners" he said with a calm voice. "Don't worry about me, I'll catch up with you later....I promise" he assured to Mrs. Julia. "Please bring this bag with you" he said handing the bag over to the wounded woman, "Madam, please promise me that whatever happens to me, you'll continue to fight your way out of this building" he said with a worried eyes, "Those papers and documents much reach our Commander no matter what"

"What are you babbling about young man?" Julia complained "We're both going out of this building! I'm not leaving without you!"

"Please understand madam the scenario at hand! We don't have enough time!" he exclaimed, "Oh no he's close!" He felt the enemy's presence in the room so he immediately pushed the hesitant woman to the air-duct and closed it, locking Julia in it "Sorry Madam" was all he can say and sprinted to the nearest wall for cover as the sniper's bullets started to dart towards him.

"ROGER!!" Julia exclaimed "I'm not leaving you! Open this thing!"

"MRS. JULIA! GO! FOR GOODNESS SAKE! SAVE YOURSELF! I'll catch you up later! NOW GO!" The young man was obviously in pain. "Shoot! I've been hit!" He felt a warm blood flowing from his head, "But I'll be dead for sure if he didn't miss that shot!"

Julia was now too shocked at the present situation and obediently obeyed the lad. She nervously makes her way to the dark and cold duct, "He will make it here....we can both escape this centre" she said comforting herself.

Meanwhile, the elite SeeD turned to the other corner and shouted at the hiding adversary, "I'M HERE YOU COWARD! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!" At that instant the opponent revealed itself from the shadows, an opportunity he's been waiting for.

The opponent wears a black suit with an Odine Corp logo on his shoulders; he was really mean-looking fellow about 6 feet in height. He is now investigating the air-duct where Julia was in. Without hesitating, the brave SeeD jumped at the adversary and gave him some hard blows to the stomach making the opponent holler in pain. They both struggle to outsmart each other in this hand-to-hand combat by giving all they've got. To end the battle, Roger gave a quick jab at the foe's nape to stun the enemy making the six feet 'Goliath' fall unconsciously to the ground.

"It's all over now, I can ....ugh" He felt his whole body starting to numb maybe because of the wound from his head, not to mention that he is really exhausted from running and hiding. He fell on his knees as his vision became blurred. He struggled to stand with his feet but with no luck. "What's happening ...t-to me?" he asked himself.

"You should've killed him when you got a chance!' A man in the same black suit appeared in front of him. "Maybe before he got unconscious, he pressed the alarm button that gives us a clue on your whereabouts"

"DANG!" Roger said to himself. "I'm getting really dizzy here....ughh"

"And oh ... that thing that hits you kid? That ....is not just an ordinary bullet" The man explained, "It is a poison-bullet meant for sneaky RATS like you! But I'm impressed that you've last this long kid, coz we've tested that bullet to a ....behemoth and it died in just 10 seconds" he added.

"Stop calling me kid. What is he babbling about? I can't hear his words clearly...must be this wound" Roger told himself. He is now leaning against the wall, holding his aching head.

The man scans his stats and exclaimed, "Ohh what do you know, your mentor must've taught you to use support magic to your stat-def. junction! That was very impressive of him, you should thank him for teaching you that" the man then laughs hysterically, "But you know, there's a remedy for that....I mean if that poison-bullet would.... by coincidence fails........this shotgun bullets will be a good back-up"

Loire's Residence

Guest Room

"Wait, I think I've seen that envelope you're all talking about" Raine suddenly remembered the white envelope that she took from the mailbox the morning they went to the picnic. "Yes, I've remembered it all now" she said smiling to the teens.

"Really?" They said in unison smiling from ear to ear.

"I remember putting it ....uhh yeah I put it on top of fridge" Raine added.

"Oh no! You mean ....the white envelope beside the basket of fruits on top of the fridge?" Quistis exclaimed. "Ohh is that the one? Coz if that's the 'secret' envelope um.....I...I.."

"HUH?" They all said in unison.

"You see....I left the keys inside the girl's room and accidentally locked it....when I realized what I've done, I've searched for something to open it and fortunately I saw this hard and thin white envelope and I said to myself well...it's perfect, I can use it to open the door so....I ...used it and after I unlocked the door, I placed the envelope ....... on top of the drawer" she shyly confessed. "Yes! That's it! we just have to look...."

"Ahhh d-don't tell me that y-you're referring to that e-envelope on t-top of the bedroom d-drawer!!!!" Zell shouted cutting Quistis' dialogue. He fell from his seat out of shock. "Dang!"

"WHAT?!! You've seen it too Zell?" They all uttered in unison.

"OH NO!!! DON'T TELL ME ....." Irvine butted, covering his mouth in shock. "Yikes we're in big trouble now!"

"Unfortunately yes..." Zell sighed, scratching his head, "We're dead meat for sure!" He shivered at the thought of Seifer decapitating them with his Hyperion. "YIKES!!!"

"What did you do to that envelope?" Raine calmly said to the two lads.

"Well... while we're waiting for dinner, I challenged Irvine for a triple triad....but we get bored of it so Irvine suggested a new game...tic-tac-toe to be specific" Zell explained.

Irvine continues the story saying, "Then of course, practically we need a pad or a paper for the game so we searched for ballpens and a piece of paper, Zell looked for a writing pad or any scratch paper and I, for ballpens. In no time I've found the ballpens we needed and Zell on the other hand ..."

"I saw a not so crumbled envelope and I guess you know what's next" Zell shrugs as he narrates what happened.

"Oh gosh.....I've must've .....unintentionally, crumbled the envelope when I used it to unlock the door" Quistis is now blaming herself for using it as an alternative key.

"That's ok Quistis, it's our fault anyways" Zell said to Quistis. He sat near Ellone who is now looking at him.

"So where is it now?" Ellone finally got the chance to speak. She's been awfully quite for a while, perhaps still surprised with her Uncle's unexpected arrival from their family after how many years.

"Uhh Irvine is really a bad loser so ...he threw it outside the window" the tattooed lad replied.

"YOU DID WHAT?", Quistis is now surrounded by flames of fury.

Loire's Residence

Living Room

"Something's bothering you my friend?" Kiros asked Laguna who was still looking outside the window.

"You know I'm just worried about the kids, I mean Rinoa and Leon" Laguna replied, still gazing at the bare streets of Winhill.

"Rinoa?" Kiros was now overwhelmed with joy, "The daughter of Caraway and Julia? That cute little girl...ohh how was she? I bet she's grown into a lovely young lady, just like her mother ha ha ha"

"Yes she has grown into a stunning young lady, I bet if my son was here today....if my son...." Laguna can't help but to wear a gloomy face at the thought of his son, "...if he's here today..." the words we're too painful for him to speak.

"...if he's here today, I'm sure he'll be a top-notch SeeD as he had promised you a long time ago" his black friend reassured. "and I.... I'm liable ..." Kiros started to shed tears.

Laguna wrote something on a piece of paper and place it at the fridge then he opened the door and said "Would you like to stroll around for a while and look for the kids? At the same time, you can tell me what happened back there"

Kiros just nods at his friend and followed him outside.

???? Shore

"I can't breath...ughh...somebody....anyone......hel...p" he tried to reach the surface but the currents pushed him downwards.

"Hey what are you doing there?" a child's voice said to him.

"What on earth are you talking about? Can't you see I'm drowni.... Huh?" he found himself sitting at the Winhill shore, soaking wet.

"Geez, adults these days!" the boy said to the young man. The boy was wearing a white shirt with a navy collar. He got blue-green eyes and a golden hair; maybe he's about Squall's age when the incident took place.

"Who are you? What ...." Leon questioned the boy who is now sitting at the rock he was punching a while ago. "Wait......a minute, I think I know you" he said at the grinning boy.

"Oh really? Are you sure?" the boy said sarcastically then he laughed at Leon. "How can you say you know me, when.......you don't even know who you are?" the boy outsmarted Leon with that question.

"Now I get it...you're one of them...am I right? You're that boy who wants to kill.... er I mean play with me when I was lost in the hotel...hmmm" Leon defended, smiling sarcastically.

"Hey! Do I look like a creepy little child from a horror film?" he uttered. He looked at himself "Geez are you telling me that I'm ugly?" he protested "Oh well, I guess these things makes a person creepy" he said while getting the white cone-shaped paper.

He cautiously approached the boy who is now eating something. "Still insisting that I'm one of you guys? Welp you know, forget it....why don't you all just ......give up! If you're looking for him, then why don't you go to that building" he exclaimed while pointing the hotel, "The room is 501, that's the person you've all supposed to be bugging, not me!"

"Ohh will you stop that buddy, ohh I get it! Maybe you're just hungry? Why don't you take some?" the boy offered Leon. The boy stretches his hand downwards so Leon can have a good look on what was he eating. Leon saw some brown and rounded thing inside the cone-shaped paper the boy was holding. "Believe me, these were awesome! Even a 'fussy and hard-headed lion' would agree with me" the boy said with a grin then he jumped from the rock and handed the food over to Leon.

"Geez thanks" Leon said with an obvious fake smile. "Is this my reward for surviving all the spooky things that you've all been doing to me since my day one here in Winhill? Heck, I'm flattered!" he said in mockingly throwing the cone-shape paper at the boy. Most of the contents scattered from the ground. "Now go away!!! Leave me alone!!!"

The boy stared sadly at the scattered food. His dress becomes tattered and blood- stained; he turned into the figure he once was, a spooky specter. "Well then....." the boy softly muttered, ".....If you cannot do a favor to yourself, then do it to your friends" and with that he disappeared in thin air leaving Leon dumbfounded.

Loire's Residence

Guest Room

"Uhh Quisty..." Ellone suddenly interferes with her 'deadly-stare' glare, "I have a confession to make...uh"

"What's that Elle?" Her fiery eyes suddenly become tranquil. "What do you want to tell us?"

"When I was in the backyard enjoying a cup of tea and some chocolate mallows that I've bought from the bakery, I saw this flying....thing; curious with it, I tried to catch it and realized it was actually a crumbled and partially thorn envelope, not to mention that there were lots of scribbles in it ..." Ellone explained.

"Goodness gracious! That must be it!" Zell said frantically. He almost devoured all of his fingernails in great fear; fear on what Seifer will do to them if he found out the truth.

"As I was saying, while I'm enjoying my afternoon alone at the backyard, some kids arrived and saw me eating the mallows, they seems to be hungry so I decided to give them my mallows, putting it in an improvised container" she confessed.

"Improvised container?" Zell asked nervously, still thinking about their 'death penalty'.

"I've got some pieces of paper beside me that time, coz I'm also doing a sketch of the flowers in the backyard... uh that's a different story I guess. Um anyway I used it all as a container that time uh maybe I accidentally include the envelope there..."she shyly said, covering her face in embarrassment.

"WHAT?!" they all said in unison

"Seifer is so gonna kill us Irvine" Zell gloomily utter.

Winhill Shore

"I....I'm a Kramer.....am I? Son of the famous headmaster.....Mr. Cid Kramer" he said doubting his own words. He sat on top of the rock where he found the boy munching the brown sweets. "The real Squall was up there with ....her. I bet she's jumping in joy and kissing that guy all over...dang!" He pauses for a while thinking how ridiculous he was, skeptical about his identity and thinking about her. "Oh God, I dunno what's happening to me? What are these dreams or hallucinations that I've been experiencing these past few days? Arghh is it because of.....choco mallows?" he by chance saw the scattered sweets below him. "was that chocolate mallows?", he jumped from where he was and looked at the fallen food. "huh? What do you know, there some left inside the paper...what the?" He said as he picked the cone-shaped paper, "This is ....." he unfolds paper "...an envelope?"

Author's Note: Ok time to wrap things up! Will Leon open the sealed envelope and find out about Seifer and Fujin's little secret? What will happen if Laguna and the rest of his family found out about this lad who claims to be the deceased boy? What will be the fate of Julia now that she's all alone, struggling to escape from the menace that she's in? What will be Caraway's next plan now that his men know about the whereabouts of his daughter? And when will Leon and Rinoa solve this ultimate riddle that will be the key to their past? Find all the answers to these questions on the next chapter of A Knight's Promise (that is...if there would be a next chapter he he he)

Ok folks, if you were wondering about what kind of monsters are the two that I've mentioned here, here's the brief description of them (welp if you haven't seen or played FF8):

Tonberry- is a green turtle-who's-out-of-the-shell-walking-in-two (he he he) like monster in Final Fantasy 8 that crawls out of his hole in the ground and proceeds to walk over to an enemy and stab them with the chef's knife dealing non elemental damage. They're all found at the Centra Ruins and some might be found at Ultimecia's Castle.

Fastitocalon – is a big yellow fish monster from FF8 that attacks anyone near the beach. They're kinda like piranhas. (Found at any beach in FF8, I believe)

Behemoth - it is a large horned-beast that looks like a bull that casts powerful magic to its foes. It is found at the Deep Sea Research Centre, Outside of Esthar, Lunatic Pandora, and at Ultimecia's Castle. Of course this is another FF8 monster.

Until then thanks for reading and reviewing this fic.

SeeD salutes