Squall's eyes flickered open, and he felt a heart-rending pain across his entire body. As the previous night's memories slowly trickled back to him, his vision came into focus, and he looked around. He found himself lying on the ground surrounded by corpses. Monster corpses. There were several T-rexaur, and heaps of things he could not distinguish between due to the condition they were in. This was all caused by him. This massacre, pointless bloodshed. Various body parts were stuck to his clothing. He rose slowly, and saw that he was in the training zone back at Balamb Garden. 'That's right' he thought, 'last night after... after I came back here... I- but this many?' He remembered how outraged he'd been after losing to Seifer, and determined not to sulk with his battered pride; he proceeded to the training area to prove that even in his state, he could still fight. He was covered in various shades of black and red, with dry blood crusted on his clothes and sword.
No one knew where he was, but it would be obvious to Rinoa that he hadn't returned home. So much for her searching for him then. She'd probably just wait until he returned home, and then get angry with him. He glanced around for a clock, and saw one hanging at the entrance. 05:12. There was a good chance that if he snuck back he'd be unnoticed, but there were bigger things on his mind than making up some lame excuse as to why he was late. His mentality and body had taken equally powerful beatings the previous night, and although he was in no fit shape to travel, he was in perfect condition last night and that had been brilliant, hadn't it? His mind made up, he retrieved Griever from the belly of a nearby T-rexaur, and, after washing the blood off his hands and face in the stream nearby, headed back to his room, making plans as he went along.
After days of driving in the stolen Garden car (was it really stolen? He was the commander after all…), Squall finally stopped and looked at the small village before him. He was clueless as to where he was, which meant that it would take longer for anyone to find him. He doubted they were looking though. Squall's pessimistic mindset and mood shifts were well known to his friends, so he they wouldn't worry too much about him. The small community of the village troubled him slightly. He would not be accepted by them straight away, if ever, though he only planned to stay long enough to train himself until there was nothing he could gain by fighting in the deep forests surrounding the village. He vowed to keep training and fighting whatever came his way till the day he could beat Seifer, and prove to himself, most importantly, that he was still the legendary warrior that he once was.
Is that the only reason I've done this? But surely, if Seifer can almost kill me without exerting himself, then I need to do this. Not just for me, but also for those I must protect. Countless hundreds were slaughtered by the Sorceress and her "good knight" because we were unable to stop them.
Squall knew, of course, that this burden should not be his alone; his friends were friends for good reasons. He could count on them, but he was the Commander of Balamb Garden, and if he could not protect the world from Seifer, who could? He needed to be stronger than any obstacle they could face, or there would be no Garden to go back to.
Squall got out of the car and walked up to the inn. He could feel the eyes of all of the villagers fixed upon him, the stranger in these foreign lands. It was a surprise that there was an inn at all; visitors would find little for them here. Upon closer inspection, he noted that it was more of a "family tavern" than the hotel style places he was used to staying in. There was a log fire burning in the centre of what was probably once a lounge area, resplendent with old wooden furniture. The walls had vague designs carved into them, which had faded with time, and were sparsely decorated with paintings of the local area. He walked up to the girl sitting behind the bar, who noticed him and looked up.
"Hi. Can I help you?" Although she made her best efforts to hide it, it was clear that she was surprised, or amused, to see someone not from her own village.
"Have you got any rooms available?"
"Sure thing. How long would you like to stay for?"
"I-" That was a good question. He didn't know how long he wanted to stay. He would know when he was ready to leave, but he wasn't sure how he would explain his situation her.
"I can just start a tab for you if you want." She said, sensing his hesitation.
"Yes, thank you."
She fumbled behind the bar to find a key. "Up the stairs, second on the right. Don't worry about asking me if there's anything I can help with."
"I won't, thanks." Squall started to walk up the stairs. It was clear to him that she was inexperienced with people staying here. She had failed to ask him if he was alone, or ask for a deposit for the room. That could mean anything, she may have trusted him or just forgotten, but it was unimportant, so he shoved it to the back of his mind.
At the top of the stairs, he walked into the second room on the left, there are no rooms on the right, and, placing his bag on the floor, lay down on the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable compared to what Squall had become accustomed to the past few days, so it was not long before he drifted away into sleep. He vowed again to train for the next day to test is strength, and then finally, with all the recent fatigue on his body, his still-aching wounds, and the trials that lay before him, he slept. He slept and for a brief but glorious moment, there was nothing in the world that could trouble him.
Authors note: Wow, it feels nice to actually get this chapter done. Not much happens, I know, and I'm sorry for that. Next time, I'll add in some of what Rinoa and maybe others at the Garden are doing about Squall's disappearance, if anything. Due to the fact that I haven't kept any update schedules ever, I will not promise a time for submission, merely that the next chapter will definitely be longer. A chapter of at least 2000 words, because I really want to get this story further. Now, thankyou for reading pokes reader and if I may point your attention to the reviews button pokes reader again if you push it and write something, you get a cookie if I ever meet you in real life. Another thing before I go, all go read General Wyvern's stories, they're worthy of praise, and I'm the only reviewer, so I feel like helping her :3 See y'all next time.