Chapter 8: Where We Stand
Disclaimer: FF characters are not mine. Bah. I apologize for taking so long to update. This fic is 6 chapters too long '. Might as well give it my all coz this might as well be the last fic I'll ever write. I honestly prefer reading fan fictions than writing them :P
The town, set ablaze and the endless cries of the women and children echoed in the background. The deafening sound of metal clashing against metal competed with the cries. The stench of blood and the ashes of the once marvelous town that was Dollet filled the air.
"Get out of the way you idiot!"
A powerful blast of fire from the back, the smell of burning leather, the petrified expression of steel blue eyes beneath the crimson brown hair, the loud sound his gunblade made when it fell on the cobbled street, these were the last things Squall's senses perceived before everything went dark.
"I think he's regaining consciousness." A young woman exclaimed.
"Yeah, I think you're right." an excited man continued.
A woman with a more mature voice commanded "Get doctor Kadowaki immediately."
Squall could make out the sound of footsteps running about. When he briefly opened his eyes he could vaguely see the face of the familiar doctor.
"He still needs rest. No need to worry." The doctor assured the people in the room.
After hearing those words, Squall lost consciousness once again.
The young leader of the Balamb SeeDs saw himself walking on barren land. He heard nothing but the sound of his own footsteps, saw nothing but the endless dry sandy earth before him that lead to nowhere. "I'm having this dream again." The young man walked for what seemed to be miles but he saw no end to this desolate place. Finally, he fell to his knees. He was tired. Tired of this endless road, he was tired of being alone. Suddenly, the scenery changed. The grayish mist that covered the dark gray sky unveiled a bright blue atmosphere. The warm light that was the sun revealed the luscious grassland filled with colorful and fragrant flowers that replaced the dreary barren plains. "This place…" Squall stood up and realized he could see a familiar house made of stone that overlooked the cerulean sea. "The orphanage…No…I know what happens next in this dream. No matter how much I wish for it, nobody will be here to find me." In his dismay, the young man buried his face in his hands and wept. Knowing how this dream would end, he waited for the darkness to engulf him in his grief but to his surprise, a warm figure came and comforted him with a warm embrace. When he finally lifted his head to see who this person is, everything became hazy except for those charming blue eyes. The one who provided him comfort smiled and everything around him grew bright.
"Squall! I'm so glad you're awake." Selphie exuberantly said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Zell was in the verge of tears as well but he was not about to show the women in the room how soft he really was. Quistis was in high-spirits as she spoke "We're all glad you're ok."
The brunette looked around and realized that he was in the Balamb Garden infirmary. He could not deny that he was glad to be back in Garden and to see the faces of his comrades but something…someone was missing. Squall sat up from the bed then without hesitation, asked the gang "Where's Irvine?" His three companions where dumbfounded by the sincere concern the man before them showed.
"He's talking with Esthar's president in the office." a woman in her SeeD uniform replied as she entered the room.
"Xu!" They all exclaimed.
The woman continued by saying "Squall I know this isn't a good time but we need you to head to the office now."
Squall got off the bed and seeing the concern in his friends' eyes he assured them by saying "I'll be fine." Xu was about to leave the room when the brunette asked her "By the way, what happened back in Dollet? How did I end up in the infirmary?"
Xu replied "Thanks to your report about the suspicious men in Dollet, we sent some of our SeeDs to investigate. One of our informants said that there was going to be an attack that night so we sent our troops there. Unfortunately, majority of Dollet had already been destroyed when we arrived. We found you severely injured and Kinneas was fending off a human-like creature. I believe Irvine can fill you in with the details on that. Selphie cast her Full-Cure on you and that's the reason you were able to make it here in the infirmary."
"What do you know about the creature that caused havoc that night?" Squall asked as he put his shoes on.
"That's what they're discussing in the office right now." Xu answered.
From outside the 3rd floor office, several men can be heard talking in a very serious tone. When Squall and his comrades entered the room, they were all surprised to see Headmaster Cid, as well as Laguna and his colleagues, discussing what seemed to be a battle plan.
"Squall, I'm glad you're here. Garland just declared war against Balamb for interfering in Dollet.
We need to discuss our strategy now." Cid said with such urgency.
"Our informants have told us the attack will begin tomorrow." Kiros said as he looked over some papers.
"We're not exactly sure why Garland is hesitating. He could easily destroy Garden with his new weapon, Kadaj." Ward added.
"Maybe he's underestimating us? That's why he's giving us time to prepare for battle" Xu said from behind Squall.
From the corner of the room, Squall had not noticed the cowboy who silently listened to the discussions that when on in the office. Upon hearing Xu's remark, Irvine finally spoke "He's nothing like that. Garland is the type of person who'd kick the enemy when they're down."
Laguna had a grave expression on his face as he added "In any case, reinforcements from Esthar will arrive tomorrow." The president looked at the silent sniper and asked "Irvine can you tell us anything about Garland's new weapon? Was Esthar's technology successful at making a man that strong?"
"He looked human but I don't think any man who had a GF junctioned can create such an inferno. What's more terrifying was the fact that…" Irvine took a moment to recall the events that took place a couple of nights ago. "…his body was engulfed in flames yet his skin remained as pale as death. His body didn't burn at all."
Laguna was having a migraine at this point as he said "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have allowed such research to begin in the first place."
"This is not the right time to know who's at fault here. Our priority is to protect the people in Balamb town as well as the Garden. The SeeDs as well as the classmen with high rank have to be ready for the attack tomorrow. Xu already told me about the situation of Garden and about the SeeDs who were injured in Dollet so this is the plan…" Squall spoke with such authority that he surprised everybody in the room. Even the cowboy was left to awe in the young leader's determined person. Squall discussed his plan thoroughly to his comrades and all were in agreement with the proposed tactic.
Balamb Garden was restless that night. SeeDs were still running around the halls, making last minute preparations before resting for the big battle the next day. A certain cowboy was standing at his own silent little corner at the back of the empty classroom on the second floor. Irvine was in to deep in thought to notice the young brunette observing him from the doorway. Curious, Squall walked up to the preoccupied man.
"Don't tell me you're nervous about tomorrow?"
Irvine snapped out of his trance. He took a moment to regain his composure then replied "Me? Nervous? Nah, of course not."
The cowboy tried to act cool and even forced a smile on his face but Squall could tell that something was bothering the other man. The brunette moved in closer to Irvine, caressing the sniper's soft cheek. The taller man avoided Squall's gaze and just stood still. Seeing no response from the auburn-haired man, the brunette moved even closer for a kiss but Irvine avoided the kiss as well by looking away.
"Something the matter?" Squall asked.
"I…I can't do this anymore, Squall."
"What?"
"…I can't…I don't want to be just a friend with benefits…not anymore."
Squall took a few steps back, keeping some distance between them. Irvine looked at the other man but the brunette was now the one avoiding eye contact.
"Where do we stand at this point?" Irvine cried out.
"What are you saying?"
Tension was building up between them and neither of them wanted this conversation to continue but they both knew they can't just leave it as it is. The cowboy was very confused. He had been thinking things through all day and he thought he knew what he had to say to Squall but standing before the person he loved made it more difficult for him to think with each passing second.
"…Why…why did you save me from Kadaj's attack? You pushed me away from danger and used your own body as a shield. It doesn't make sense."
Squall looked at the other man and said "You were with me during that time on the Lunar Base and I remember you asking me why I decided to go into space without having the slightest idea on how to get back."
"It's because…you wanted to save Rinoa…" The light in Irvine's eyes grew dimmer, sadder.
"…then why do you think I jumped between you and a blazing inferno without hesitation?"
"…it's because you wanted to…" Irvine couldn't bring himself to hope that Squall cared for the cowboy the same way he once did for Rinoa. Squall loved Rinoa. Irvine's mind hissed.
The brunette turned his back on his comrade and continued talking "It's hard to admit but I do make people worry even if I didn't ask them to. I don't understand why they would worry about someone who could care less about how they feel. I honestly think that it would make my life a lot simpler if people didn't know me at all that way they don't have to think about me and my well-being. Rinoa was different. She could easily say what she wanted and express herself freely without hesitation. I guess that kinda rubbed off on me for a bit…while it…while we lasted anyway." Squall paused.
Why are you telling me this now? Is Squall having second thoughts about Rinoa NOW?
"…but that's beside the point. What I really want to say is that it's odd that people show concern for someone who doesn't want it. But it's really something when a person like me who could care less about anybody could actually care for an idiot like you so much that it almost got me killed."
Irvine was speechless. The cowboy thought that whatever Squall and he shared had always been one-sided but he was overjoyed to be proved wrong that moment.
"Let's just have fun for tonight. Tomorrow is a big day for all of us." The brunette said as he walked up to the taller man and untied Irvine's auburn locks. Squall had never looked so seductive, the cowboy thought.
"But I haven't told you everything about Garland and Locke-"
Squall silenced Kinneas with a deep and passionate kiss. "Tell me later" the brunette mumbled as he continued kissing the cowboy.
Irvine allowed himself to feel the brunette's smooth skin from beneath Squall's shirt. The cowboy's hand caressed Squall's firm chest the down to his back. In the meantime, the other hand slowly unzipped Squall's dark leather pants. By the time the cowboy had reached this point, the brunette had already discarded the taller man's coat and had moved on to removing Irvine's vest and pants. Both men felt bliss with their time together alone in the classroom that night. Irvine felt happiest this particular night now that he knew that what they did wasn't just for pleasure anymore.
Without them noticing, dawn had come. The sun slowly rose, its' warm light illuminating the empty room they were in. From what they could hear from the room, the Garden had already come to life with the sounds of several loud footsteps and the voices of the students. Balamb Garden was now preparing for the battle against Garland.
Squall still in his arms, Irvine spoke "I think you should go out there now. They're all waiting for you to lead them."
"I guess you're right" the brunette replied as he released the cowboy from his embrace.
The two men got dressed and were on their way to the door when Irvine said
"I've just realized. This room isn't usually empty. Some of Quistis' groupies normally hang out here."
Squall shrugged the idea off and opened the door. To the men's surprise, Zell fell on his back right before them. Apparently, the blond had been sleeping outside the classroom. He had been leaning on the door.
"I guess that solves the mystery eh Irvine?" Squall said softly to the cowboy.
Irvine smiled at this then helped the disoriented Zell to his feet.
"You guys should go to the front gate now. Everybody has been asked to assemble there." Zell said as he massaged his aching back.
The men rode on the elevator to the 1st floor then walked toward the front gate. The battle ahead won't be easy and they knew that. Irvine was going to fight against the only father he ever knew and Squall was going to battle against a powerful monster in a man's form. They were both excited to test their skills yet nervous at the same time. When the men basked beneath the rays of the morning sun, they realized that they were not alone in their endeavors. Squall and Irvine had each other, their comrades, as well as the entire Garden with them in this battle. The battle will be tough but they had no choice but to keep moving forward.
center END /center
Author's Notes: I just want to thank those who reviewed. Thanks so much for talking the time to 'encourage' me to write more. I'm currently playing FF8 again and it was the first time I took Irvine to the Lunar Base. The conversation between Squall and Irvine in Ragnarok was really interesting. While I was playing the other day I had the urge to write another fic (it's short, promise Dim Contemplations ). Please take the time to read it as well. Thanks for reading my fic :D