A Knight's Promise
Chapter 35: Trick or Treats?
Author's Note: Happy Halloween folks! So wazzup? Hope all of you have a nice costume to wear this evening. Bahh don't bother asking me that question.
Thanks folks for the great reviews and sorry to keep you all waiting for this chapter. (still busy with a lot of things you know)
A billion thanks to setokaiba1515 ( Thank you for your 3 in a row review—Er...You'll find out soon what's up with these characters as we go on with the story) , Jared Godby (I guess you and setokaiba are the same person) Thanks for the review again and thank you for correcting me, I'll try to look for my typos (SeeD salutes too) , Noelle (what's up Noelle? How's your fanfics? Sorry for not reviewing your fics for a while. And one more thing, have you manage to know what happened to your missing fics?), MyNameIsMoe644 (you and Ai are the same person?) --Goodness! Everyone here got a second name and I'm still stuck with this pen name!—ok... to MyNameIsMoe644...thanks for your short but astonishing review, and to others that I haven't mentioned (I'll try to add you here too, don't worry) Let me give you a big .... (SeeD salutes) Hope you'll enjoy this few remaining chapters of this fanfic.
From the last chapter...
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?"
Continuation...
Winhill Shore
Leon inspects the unopened envelope, "address to.... Mr. Almasy ..heck this one belongs to..."
"Me!" a taller figure appeared from the shadows behind him.
"What'd ya know, here comes the careless Homo sapiens" Leon threw the letter back to the figure behind him.
The tall figure caught the letter and puts it inside his trench coat "How the heck did you get this thing Kramer?"
"I think you should be asking that question to yourself, Almasy" still with his back turned, Leon starts to walk away from his comrade, and soon fades with the shadows.
"HEY! Arghh dang that Kramer! I'll make him apologize when he hears what's inside this envelope" he said grinning, "Better go to my albino girl" he said with a smile.
"SEIFER! RUN!!", a familiar voice hollered at him.
A pale-face girl emerged in front of him.
"FUJIN!" Seifer exclaimed. "WHAT THE HECK?!"
"I will not do that if I were you", a man dressed in black coat and spectacles appeared from Fujin's back. "Not...if I know that my girlfriend is going to die just coz of it" and with that, he points his magnum at the albino's temple. "You know, she has suffered these bruises from her stupidity...I'm expecting a different behavior from an elite like you"
Fujin refused to shed a tear though it's obvious she's shaking out of fear, "DON'T LISTEN! GO!" was all she can say. Her face was even whiter than her previous complexion.
Seifer widened his eyes in disbelief of what's happening, "DANG!"
Winhill Streets
"I guess I'm ready to hear you out pal", Laguna prepared himself for the 'bad news' he's about to hear.
Kiros just nods and starts to tell what's on his mind, "Ok, if you insist..."
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"Squall! Squall! Squall!!!!!!!!!!"
"Will you stop calling me that STUPID name?!"
"You know I've been following you for uh..."
"30 minutes"
"Yeah thirty minutes! .... still, you're not paying attention to me"
".................."
"Squall, Squall Squalllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"I'm not listening to you"
"SQUALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!"
".................."
The clever brat grins and shouted, "RINOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"OK! OK FINE What's your problem?" Leon was so fed up by this 'poltergeist' brat and decided to listen to him. "What is it this time?" he said reluctantly to the child.
"AT LAST!" The boy sighed, "...got your attention there huh? I knew I can knock you off your senses with your lovey-dovey he he he
"Whatever.." Leon replied hardheartedly.
"Ok anyway back to the real topic, I've got this message from Mr. Fuji..." the boy said ignoring Leon's 'whatever'.
"You mean, the other annoying ghoul with the hole in his stomach?" Leon asked.
"Ohh Squall stop kidding around, I'm serious here man!" the boy protested. "Anyway, he said he wants to talk to you at the Winhill Cave...you know, the one with that decaying reptile?"
"Why not here?" Leon shows a wary face. "...and don't you dare call me that name!"
"Do I look like a kid who will play some kinda lousy tricks on you? Err I mean I may look like a kid but I'm 17 now! Uhh that is ...if I'm alive. Geez! I'm not going to do that to you! Man, read my lips I-M S-E-R-I-O-U-S! Trust me please!" the boy pleaded. "Please Mr. Fuji will kill me if you don't go!"
".........you're already dead" Leon said as the kid scratches his head. Leon pauses for a while to think "I guess I have nothing to do and I must tell this ghoul to stop haunting me once and for all"
"Well?" the boy looked at him, searching for answers.
"FINE" and they both proceed to the Winhill cave.
Winhill's Hotel
"I better check Leon, I should've said those things to him...ohhh I hate myself!!!" Rinoa sighed and closed the door behind her " He's sleeping now...my Squall....no.... Leon's right....he's a still a stranger...I ....I can't just claim that he's my Squall...not until I have a solid evidence that his him"
Deep Sea Research Centre
Shivering from the cold place that she's in, Julia hugged herself and sat at the corner of the duct sobbing "...hu ...hu hu..." she started to cry as the shocking scenario reverberates from her mind "No!!! It can't ....be..."
------ Flash back ------
"....But you know, there's a remedy for that....I mean if that poison-bullet would.... by coincidence fails........"
"OH NO!!! I must save this lad!" She hurriedly backtracks to the opening of the duct but before she reaches it....
"........this shotgun bullets will be a good back-up" BANG!!!
-- end of flash back --
Tears start to race her pale face, "...I ...I'm so sorry ....Roger...I'm so sorry..." hu hu hu.
Winhill Streets
".... Then both of us fell into the sea. I frantically searched for him and dragged him out of the water...after that I ...dunno what happened....I must've fainted out of exhaustion" The black man shook his head. "...I woke up in a cell, a huge and cold cell..." he sighed and continue narrating every scenes, "I felt my arms and feet having this cold ...a-and heavy knuckles....I scanned the area for Squall and to my dismay, I didn't find even his shadow"
Even da Vinci cannot paint Laguna's expression upon hearing this, "W-what could've happened to him? And ....who could've done that to you? I bet that LUNATIC...." Before he can finish his dialogue Rinoa showed up in front of them.
"You're right I'm a Lunatic" She said sighing.
"Ohh Rinoa it's you...ohh my dear little Rinoa, I'm not referring to you!" he said scratching his head.
"Rinoa?! HO HO I'm glad to see you again!" Kiros exclaimed
"Uncle Kiros?" Rinoa gasped in disbelief.
Kiros answered her with a nod. Rinoa hugged him and cried to his shoulders.
"Uncle Kiros hu huhu" She said, still crying to his shoulders.
"Ehem" Laguna clears his throat, "Just save those hi's and hello's later, ok Rinoa? By the way..." he said changing the subject "We're worried sick at home looking for you and...." He looked around to look for the other teen "...where's Leon?"
"Ohh...umm I'ts a longgggggggg story...uhh" Rinoa looked down and starts swirling her feet to the ground. She explained the whole incident and the "stranger" that they've found near the beach.
"WHAT?!!!" both man said in unison. They're having a hard time believing what Rinoa just said to them about the stranger claiming that he's the missing boy.
"You can't be serious Rinoa?" Laguna said.
"Unfortunately I'm serious Mr. Laguna" Rinoa protested. "I'm telling the truth, this man could've been Squall our Squall!"
"I see" Laguna sighed "Rinoa never lied to us before... however...."
"I can't believe you're telling us this Rinoa, It's impossible for a young boy to survive that plunge.....I don't want to discourage you all...but ..." Kiros closes his eyes, recalling the dreadful event.
"Oww that's bad...." Rinoa said in a sad tone, "First, my father then the two of you! Nobody ever listens to me! You're all meanies!!!!" she said shouting at the two men.
"We didn't say that my lil' angel" Laguna said. "It's just that....." he sighed "ok...Kiros, please accompany Rinoa, I'll just wait for you guys here...Owww" he grabbed his aching leg and sat at the hotel's fence.
"Ok" Kiros said smiling "I can see you're too anxious to meet your son"
-- FF8 Trivia --
If you happen to play Final Fantasy 8, Laguna got this weird mannerism (his leg aches) whenever something or someone makes him feel nervous.
Winhill Cavern
"I'm glad to see you again Squall" Mr. Fuji greeted him as he entered the cave.
"..........."
"Still as cold as this reptile?" Mr. Fuji points at the carcass.
"What the? Didn't that 'gremlin' ..." Leon asked the ghost.
"Well it's enough proof that he didn't take this carcass with him, and that's very fortunate to us" the ghost said smiling.
"Fortunate? I think that's not the right term for it...." Leon frowned at the ghost "It'll jeopardize the health of the Winhilllers and all the animals, if this reptile will rot here."
"Please listen to him first before you complain ok?" the kid said to Leon
"Bahh ignore the kid Squall.." before he can continue Leon cut his sentence.
"Please stop calling me Squall" Leon protested
"Ok, I don't want to argue with you right now bout that, but please lend me your ear just for a few minutes ok?" Mr. Fuji explained. "I want you to know what I've found out bout this dragon"
"Carry on" Leon said
"You see a while ago, a man in uniform came here and ........"
Loire's Residence
"He said what?" Zell said anxiously. They've been alarmed by an unexpected call from the Headmaster.
"He said we should head back to Balamb as soon as possible" Quistis said while packing up her things. "Angeline got some weird signals coming from different continents"
"We better call on our Commander!" Irvine exclaimed. He immediately loaded his shotgun with a couple of powerful bullets.
"Who's Angeline?" Ellone ask innocently at Zell "...tell me about this weird signals"
"It's SeeD stuff sweety" he said patting Ellone's shoulder "We're leaving now ASAP and uh I've got a favor to ask ....If you happen to see Seifer, please do tell him to go to our Garden ASAP and oh please say thanks to your mom, tell her she's the best cook in the universe!" he said winking at Ellone
"No problem!" she replied. "Please do tell me you're all going back here at Winhill after the SeeD stuff" she said pleading her friends. And with that they all nod and bid farewell to their worried friend.
Winhill Streets
"Where could he be? I hope he's ok. That boy never fails to amuse me, aside from being elite in Balamb Garden..." Laguna recalls his conversation with his son.
--- Flash back ---
"....and... I'll be popular, admired, well-liked commander in the whole wide world?" his son said excitedly but all of sudden changes his expression "and....will never ...gonna see..........Rinoa again?
--- end of flash back ---
He sighed at this thought,"Oh how I've missed my son....None of these would ever happened If I didn't forced him to go to Balamb in the first place.... Hmm back to to think of it, he got a great resemblance to my deceased son....Hmm if I've been given the privilege to choose for a another son, I bet he's the one that I'll be choosing. He was so preoccupied with these thoughts when....
"HEY FOOL!!!", A harsh voice yanked him to the real world.
"Huh?" Laguna turned to his back to see who spoke to him in a brusquely manner but he was greeted by a raging blow on his face that knocked him hard down to the ground.
"WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER!!!" the man is now standing in front of him "GET UP THERE AND HAND OVER MY DAUGHTER!!!" he said while kicking the poor man to his side.
Still disoriented with the devastating blow he manages to have a glimpse of his opponent, "...Cara...Caraway?" and with that he fainted.
"WAKE UP YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING......" he dragged Laguna to the shore of Winhill and threw him there "WAKE UP!!! WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER LOIRE!!!
The cool water of Winhill brings him to his senses "ughh..."
Caraway grabs him by the collar and yanked him vigorously "I SAID WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER !!!!"
Almost inaudible he replied "....pissed...off ....Caraway..."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!!" Caraway asked furiously
"I said.........." Laguna gathered his remaining strength and reciprocated the blow that was given to him by his friend with his fist.
Author's note: Whoa another Royal Rumble? he he he. Again I will leave you with the ever so famous 'What will happen' questions ....here goes... What will happen to Fujin and Seifer, now that they're in the claws of unknown fiends? What will be the fate of Julia now that she's all alone, struggling for her life inside the duct? What did Mr. Fuji find out about the dragon? Is the man claiming Squall really is the Squall we're all been looking for? What will be the destiny of these characters now that the shadow of Catastrophe tracks them down one by one?
Again, Happy Halloween