Predestined

Writted for Secret Santa Event

THEME: AU: Squall being a rebel and Rinoa a Seed, but retaining their personalities. + Hot cocoa after a day of hard work (Squall's idea). I've tried to mix both ideas in a way that they make some sense. I hope you like it!

I

"Laguna, Laguna!"

There was too much sound, please be quiet. He could barely form the thought, it was only a cluster of sensations that made their way into consciousness.

"Laguna." There were soft, muffled steps near his head and the shrill voice screamed again that word that, although it sounded somewhat familiar, his brain couldn't remember what it meant. "Laguna!"

But Squall just wanted to sleep. He was tired and all his body was sore.

Were that gunshots that he was hearing? He didn't know, he hardly even cared. He ignored the noises in the hallway, just as he had ignored the voice calling out that vaguely familiar name.

"Oh God, it's a torture room." A female voice was speaking somewhere near him "We have to help him!"

"What?" answered a man's distant voice "We don't have the time for that."

Slowly, as Squall's consciousness made its way into the surface, he was able to better recognize his surroundings. The voices. The cold ground under his face. Was he on the ground? Had he passed out? When? Why?

"But they have tortured him, we cannot leave him here to his fate" Replied the woman.

Squall opened his eyes. The effort it took to focus his vision was overwhelming. What was he doing on the ground? He remembered, he was at the prison and someone had released him from the chains on the wall after the Galbadian guards tortured him. The Moombas, it was them. He must have passed out on the floor after that.

"Laguna!" A Moomba that was looking at him a few inches from his head shouted again at him. "Laguna, Laguna."

Squall coughed, sending an intense stab of pain throughout his body. Against the light that was filtering from the corridor, he could distinguish the figure of the girl who had spoken. She was watching him from the entrance of the cell.

"He's badly injured!" She raised her voice, demandingly, and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not going to leave him here so they can keep hurting him! Or kill him! Or both!"

As the haze clouding his head cleared, Squall realized she was talking to someone in the hallway. He put the palm of his hands on the ground and slightly pulled himself up. He couldn't retain a gasp of pain. He was barely able to move and that made him feel exposed and weak. He hated that feeling, even if the intruders weren't his enemies, a fact he really wasn't sure.

"Irvine!" The girl demanded.

He heard footsteps of a pair of heavy boots hitting the metal floor, approaching and entering the room with his companion.

"Rinoa, my dear, you are a walking problem" the man complained "The guards are looking for us, we cannot waste time freeing everyone just because of your idealis..."

His words were cut off mid-sentence and his footsteps stopped as his eyes fell on Squall.

"Irvine?" Rinoa looked at him with curiosity but the guy didn't answer her, he kept looking at the prisoner with a confused expression on his face.

After a few awkward seconds of silence, the guy finally spoke.

"Let's get him out of here." he said in a severe tone. Without waiting for an answer, he entered the room and knelt before the stranger. "Could you cast a cure for him? Let's see if he can walk."

The girl quickly approached and obeyed. Squall was relieved to feel the warm sensation of the healing magic run through his body.

"Can you stand up? We are in a hurry" She explained, helping him up with a comforting smile. "Don't worry, we will get you out of here."

II

The three fugitives managed to sneak onto a cargo train at the station closest to the prison and as soon as the train began to move the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. While Rinoa and Irvine checked that there was no one else on board, Squall took a moment to catch his breath.

Despite the efficient healing magic that the girl had conjured to heal his worse injuries, it would take days or maybe even weeks to totally recover from the brutal mistreatment he had received.

Astonishingly, they had managed to escape from the prison without taking any further damage. Judging from the way his two rescuers fought, Squall jumped to the conclusion that they were Seeds. The dark-haired girl was surprisingly good at magic and the boy, who was dressed similarly to a cowboy, appeared to be an expert in the use of firearms.

The two Seeds discussed the strategy to follow while Squall sat down on the ground, his back against the wall, intending to rest his still aching body.

"We can't go back to Garden, after what we've done," Rinoa nervously announced "If the sorceress's plan is to use it as her new headquarters we cannot go back there."

"We have to seek refuge in another Garden," Irvine remembered the instructions he had learned during his cadet years.

"The closest Garden is Balamb."

"We won't go to Balamb" The cowboy's reply sounded harsher than he actually intended.

"Why not?"

Irvine was silent for a moment before answering, as if assessing what his next words should be. His gaze drifted to Squall for a second but quickly looked away, as if his mere presence made him uncomfortable.

Squall wondered if there was any chance the other man knew him from a previous encounter. He himself had studied at a Garden for some years but it was obvious that the guy wasn't from Balamb Garden. Squall doubted they have ever seen each other, he didn't have a good memory for names or faces but he would remember someone with that peculiar taste for extravagant clothing.

"Rinoa, honey, I'm in command of the mission." Irvine spoke without much authority and she responded by placing her hands on her hips, showing her disagreement. "We are going to Trabia, it's the best we can do."

"The mission is over, Irvine!" She reminded him, raising her voice slightly. "Is there any reason I need to know why we shouldn't go to Balamb?"

Irvine was silent again.

"What's the problem? Did you get a girl pregnant and run away or something like that?"

Squall had tried to stay apart from their discussion but couldn't help but look at them at those words. That was an oddly specific accusation.

Irvine raised his eyebrows, on another occasion he would have taken those words as a joke, but the situation was too serious even to laugh at such a thing.

"Rinoa…. I don't know if we can trust Cid Kramer."

"Cid Kramer? Balamb Garden's headmaster? What's the matter with him?"

Irvine turned away, perhaps to hide the troubled expression on his face or perhaps because he didn't even know how to express his concerns. The young man remembered Edea Kramer from the orphanage he'd been to when he was a child. Cid Kramer, the founder of the Seeds and Balamb Garden's headmaster, was her husband. The husband of the woman who had raised him and who had now become the greedy sorceress who wanted to take over the world. The same sorceress that they had tried to kill. How could he be sure they could trust the man? The situation he found herself in was strange and disturbing. As if that were not enough, while escaping from prison they had run into someone he also knew from that same orphanage. He had recognized that blue eyes as soon as he saw him on the floor of the cell, although Squall did not seem to have recognized him back.

"I just don't know if we can trust Headmaster Kramer." He took a few steps away. "I have my reasons for saying that, believe me."

Rinoa dropped her arms to her sides, exhausted and frustrated by her companion. Certainly, Irvine had been in command of the assassination mission, he had been the sniper who had to make the shot and she had only served as support personnel for the mission, but she wasn't so sure that he was still in command.

"Ok, whatever you want. "she finally agreed. Anyway, Balamb would probably make no difference to Trabia, except for the distance. Given the circumstances, maybe it wasn't so bad to run away as far as they could for now.

Irvine stepped away from them without another word and went to the other end of the train car. He took off his coat and curled it into a ball, placing it where the wall meets the floor. He lay down, placing his arms behind his head, between the makeshift pillow and the back of his neck, and lowered his hat to cover his eyes with it.

Rinoa grunted in frustration at the unmistakable sign that the conversation was over and turned her attention to her other companion, who had witnessed the entire exchange in silence.

"How are you feeling?" She knelt beside him.

"I've been better" Squall spoke hoarsely.

The young woman smiled kindly.

"Can I see?" She asked, pointing to the wounds the shackles had left on his wrists.

Squall reluctantly agreed, letting her examine his wounds carefully.

"Why did they torture you?" She asked curiously.

As he tried to speak, he had another coughing fit that made his chest and ribs ache. He was still extremely sore and tired. His entire muscles were stiff despite the brunette's efficient healing magic.

"I attacked the president." His answer was brief, it was not the whole truth but it would be enough for his interlocutor. He knew that they did not torture him for the assault; If it were for that, they could just have killed him. What Galbadia wanted from him was the names of the other members of the resistance, not to punish him for misbehaving.

Rinoa stopped her inspection and looked at him with wide eyes.

"It was you? The one who attacked the president's convoy in Timber?"

Squall nodded, struggling to hold back another coughing fit.

"Wow, one single man trying to kidnap President Deling. You're reckless, aren't you?" She judged while taking care of the wounds. Another wave of green light engulfed his entire body, and his tired muscles seemed somewhat a little more relieved after the healing spell.

"I'm Rinoa, by the way." She held out her hand, smiling at him, waiting for a handshake.

Squall looked at her wondering if he should respond to her friendly gesture or not. Those two strangers had probably just saved his life, so he forced himself to put his pride aside and respond the gesture. The brunette's smile widened when he did.

"Squall."

"Nice to meet you, Squall." She leaned towards him and lowered her voice just enough so that Irvine couldn't hear them. "I would have preferred to meet you under other circumstances."

She accompanied her words with a suggestive wink and Squall couldn't help but be puzzled for a second. Was she joking or had she openly flirted with him? Who acts like this in a situation like that? Disturbed by the girl's physical proximity, he just swallowed and nodded.

"That's Irvine." Returning to a more professional attitude she pointed towards the cowboy, who was still laying on the floor ignoring their presence. "We are Seeds from Galbadia Garden."

"Why were you imprisoned?" He asked. Of the three Gardens, that one was the least apolitical of them all, they use to provide the army with freshly graduated fighters. Squall was surprised that two Seeds from Galbadia Garden were imprisoned in the worst prison in the country.

"We tried to kill the sorceress," the woman explained. "She wants to take over our Garden to use it as her new headquarter and we had to stop her but things didn't go as... as we planned."

"Just the two of you?" It was quite unlikely that just two people could take down a sorceress. It was not like him to ask a lot of questions but the political changes of Galbadia in the past few weeks were extremely disturbing.

"Yes, it was an undercover mission. Irvine is a sniper but, as I said, thing didn't go well".

Just two fighters to take down a sorceress? And she calls me reckless… Squall thought, but chose not to speak his opinion out loud.

"We will head to Trabia Garden to seek asylum. Do you have anywhere to go?"

Squall opened his mouth to reply but closed it again before saying anything. Truth be told, he had nowhere to go. Now he was a wanted criminal and Timber was still occupied by the Galbadian army. The first place where they will look for him will be in Timber and its surroundings. He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"No," he simply answered.

"You can join us, if you want." She gave him another big smile. "It will take you a few days to heal. I'm good with magic, I could apply rounds of Cure spells to help your wounds heal faster."

"I can do it alone" he stubbornly replayed.

"Oh, do you know how to use para-magic?" She titled her head, looking at him expectantly." Still, it doesn't seem like a good idea to leave you alone in your actual condition."

Squall looked at her, unsure of what to say. He had nothing to do with those two strangers. He did not believe they were lying to him, but he didn't know them at all. Even so, he had to give some credit to what she said, it would take a few days to heal and Trabia was far and isolated enough that no one would go looking for him there. If Galbadia put a price on his head, he would be the safest as far away from them as possible. Perhaps it was a good idea to accompany them to Trabia and wait there for things to settle down before making a plan to return to Timber.

He nodded, which brought another wide smile to the young woman's face.

"Great!" She clasped her hands loudly, she seemed exaggeratedly happy with the decision. "Decided then, we will go together."

III

The rhythmic sound of snow crunching under his boots kept him distracted from his aching muscles and helped him keep up with the brisk walking. His two companions seemed to have less trouble than him, though that wasn't particularly surprising. After leaving Balamb Garden over a year and a half ago he had tried to stay in shape but spending a few weeks in jail and being tortured had taken a toll on his physical condition. Rinoa had cast magic every few hours to help his body heal, but the flesh cannot be forced to cure at that rate without suffering the consequences.

"You're ok?" asked the raven-haired girl a few steps ahead of him.

Squall looked up and just nodded in response, too proud to admit to them that a break would not hurt and too stubborn to admit it even to himself. Still, they were traversing the Trabian tundra in mid-December, so taking some time to rest there, in the open, would only serve to freeze even more. He was beginning to doubt that following those two Seeds would have been a good idea. Seeking asylum in another Garden seemed like a good plan for two Seeds who couldn't go home, but he…what was he doing there?

On the other hand, he had no place to call home where he could return to. He had left Balamb Garden when he was old enough to realize that his life there was just an unceremonious succession of meaningless days. He had lived there since he could remember and maybe the problem was precisely that, that it wasn't something he had decided. He did not see the glory that others saw in training a lifetime to sell his skills to the highest bidder, paciently waiting for the mission that would put a definitive end to his life. Live, train and work to end up dying young. Then, there would be no one to remember him. His body would probably be cremated at the Balamb crematorium and buried in a cemetery where no one would ever visit him. His name would become just one more on the Garden's casualty list and then would be quickly forgotten. He had no family, he had no friends, he didn't have a goal that made him want to stay at Garden and when he was old enough to ask himself some important questions, to really think about what he wanted for his future, the only one popping up in his head over and over was … Seed? Why? For what?

And he left. He found a job at Dollet's junk shop, proved his worth by working hard until his boss trusted him enough to send him to fulfill a special assignment, an undercover delivery of illegal weapons for some Timber resistance group. After some special deliveries he ended up having problems with some soldiers from the Galbadian army. Luckily for him, Ms. Rosie, the leader of the Forest Foxes, got him out of the mess with no major inconvenience than a little discussion with the soldiers. To calm the soldier's suspicions, Squall stayed at Timber for a few days posing as Ms. Rosie's nephew. The active factions of the resistance realized that his military training could serve them well. One thing led to another, and in no time he was fully involved in the fight of The Forest Owls. Timber's independence was not exactly his fight, but in the short time he had been in the city, he had seen a lot of atrocities committed by Galbadian soldiers against harmless civilians. The soldiers were not ashamed to abuse their power against children or old people.

Squall walked without paying attention to his surroundings, staring in concentration at the fluffy snow around his feet, while he wondered how his companions of The Forest Owls were doing. He remembered the discussion with Zone while they were laying out the plan to kidnap President Deling. The leader of The Owls wanted to hire professionals to carry out the task but, knowing how much it cost to hire Seed's services, Squall refused to contact Garden. Squall, stubborn and proud as he was, was sure he could do it alone. It turned out that the train in which the president was supposedly traveling was a trap to capture the members of the resistance. Maybe with a team of Seeds to help him they could have escaped the trap…He had to swallow his pride as he wondered if Zone had been right all along.

"Shit." Irvine's expression abruptly interrupted his course of thought.

Squall looked at him and saw the Seed pointing something into the distance. Trabia Garden could be seen on the horizon but there was something wrong with it. Instead of the Garden's silhouette, what was seen was the half-ruined outline of the once imposing building.

The girl gasped and her hands covered her mouth in surprise.

"What happened? Bombs?" Rinoa asked, alarmed. There weren't many things that could cause that level of destruction.

"It looks like the sorceress had taken the initiative" Squall said.

To some extent, he had even expected it to happen. In a matter of weeks, the army commanded by the sorceress had caught him, a former student from a Garden who had committed a terrorist attack against the president, and two Seeds who had tried to assassinate the sorceress. It was no wonder she had retaliated against the Gardens.

Squall couldn't help but wonder if Balamb Garden had also been destroyed. He had left the place long ago and while he hadn't exactly gotten along with its inhabitants, he didn't want them to end up buried under tons of runes either.

"Let's speed up the pace," Rinoa added. "I'm sure there are survivors. Maybe we can be of some help."