A/N: Update time, and I'm back with my beta! Thank you to everyone who reviewed so far.
Chapter 4—Cid's new Raid
In all his life Squall had never been asked to do something like this. Cid was asking him to do something much bigger than an ordinary raid, and it certainly wasn't going to be easy. Squall had bit his lip throughout Cid's explanations and had sat perfectly still, just letting the older man talk. He had met Cid when he had been five and had fallen into the crowd easily.
Cid seemed to have a collection of orphans in his organization, none of them belonging anywhere. Cid was a successful conman, and had made a lot of money over the years, but his sights were always set higher. Without wasting the opportunity, he had recruited people to him and set up a school with people taught how to live on the wrong side of the law. Of course not everyone could join; it had to be kept a secret and there were strict rules for the members.
1) Anyone wishing to become part of the 'Garden' must have no emotional ties.
This meant that you had to be completely on your own. No family, no partner, no children, and no friends (except those made through Garden)
2) Keep nothing in your life that you cannot walk away from in 5 seconds.
This was extremely important. If you knew you were being chased, you had to leave everything and get out. There was no room for a fancy home or car, these sorts of things could get you killed.
3) 50% of all raids come back to Garden as funding for the training of new recruits and the support of those teaching.
4) Never rat on your friends.
5) To kill another member, permission must be given from the boss.
The list was almost endless, but they were the ones that really mattered, and they were the ones that everyone remembered. Garden was called Garden for only one reason: it had been founded in the pub garden, soon to become the headquarters. Squall thought this was a rather unglamorous reason, but it was the one the boss spread to stop rumours, and Squall wondered what the truth really was.
"Squall, you will consider this?" Cid asked as Squall stood.
"You know I will," Squall replied confidently. The old man beamed and hit Squall on the back.
"That's my boy!" he said, opening the door and ushering Squall out. "And remember, any problems..."
"Yes, I know. I get out," Squall said, letting the words speak for themselves out of practice. Cid frowned.
"I am being serious. You are the best we've got. You've single-handedly kept this organization going, and we wouldn't be able to survive without you," he said, changing his demeanour from jolly to sombre. Squall sighed and nodded.
"Ok, whatever. I have to go now," Squall said as he began to climb the stairs. Cid nodded but said nothing. He understood Squall valued silence above anything, and he let the young man go in peace.
Once outside, Squall let the fresh air into his lungs in a deep breath. He held it, and then let go. What Cid had asked him to do would take all the skills he had ever learned, and he certainly wasn't looking forward to going back to tell the gang. After a quick dinner in a small café, Squall decided to go and sleep off the worry in one of the many famous Balamb hotels. It wasn't long until he had to return, but he managed a few hours of sleep before the first rays of sunlight flooded into the room.
Looking at the watch on his wrist, Squall couldn't understand where all the night hours had gone. He certainly didn't feel refreshed. In fact, he felt more tired than he had before he had gone to sleep. But there was no time to ponder this as he had a flight to catch out of here. Pocketing once again the money he had gotten from selling the diamonds, Squall tied up his boots and left the small, rented room.
Kabrand was standing next to his plane, looking nervous as Squall walked up the stretch of field they had used as a runway. He rubbed his hands in anticipation and offered a half hearted smile towards Squall.
"Sleep well?" Squall asked sarcastically.
"Well, actually..." he began.
"Yes. Well, that is fascinating. Let's just be going," Squall snapped, making his friend jump into action.
"Y-yes, Sir!" he stammered, jumping into the pilot's seat. Squall rolled his eyes and climbed in after, taking his time to get comfortable. They were in the air before Squall even thought about taking off.
The flight was bumpy, and Squall was glad he hadn't eaten anything that morning, as the turbulence was really starting to make him ill.
"N-nearly there!" the pilot shouted as he guided the plane back toward his home as best he could against the wind.
"Why are we landing the wrong side of the wind?" Squall asked, looking at the bright orange sock flying on a pole.
"It doesn't make any difference to a pilot like me!" Kabrand said smugly. "Plus, it's quicker to just land. It's only a drop out of the sky."
Squall didn't have the time to reply, as at that exact second the wheels touched the ground in a violent bump. He didn't know how the crazy pilot had managed his little feat of magic. By all rules of logic it should have been impossible to land at all, let alone survive.
"If this is a plan to scare me from asking you favours again..." Squall said quietly from the back seat. Kabrand grinned.
"No. But if it was, would it be working?" he asked, smiling. Squall just stared at him. "Okay, then..."
"Look. This is for you," Squall said, holding out a few high numbered notes. Kabrand suddenly looked embarrassed.
"Aww, shucks," he said, blushing, but accepted the money nonetheless. Squall checked his watch for the time, and said his goodbyes; it was time to be getting back to the others.
Quistis was waiting outside of the building when Squall pulled through the falling down the gates.
"I wondered when you would be back," she said, frowning. Squall shrugged. "She wants to talk to you," she added as Squall walked past her. He stopped.
"Wants to talk to me? Wants?" Squall asked, emphasizing his sarcasm. "I almost kill the girl and she wants to talk to me?"
"Squall, when are you going to get over this guilt thing? It wasn't your fault that you hit her. She stepped in front of you, remember?" Quistis asked, annoyed. If Squall wasn't careful, he was going to end up depressed.
"Squall, she needs to talk to you. We can't answer any of her questions, and I think she would much rather speak to you anyway," Quistis tried again.
"Alright, fine. I'll speak to her. But there is something I need to tell you all afterwards. Cid has a new job for us, but I need to discuss it with you all. You're gonna love this one."
"Oh, no. What's he want you to do this time?"
"Ha, wouldn't you like to know!" he said, walking into the building.
Squall placed the money from Cid into Quistis's hands and walked into the dark lobby before entering the main warehouse. He stopped abruptly when he saw the girl standing in the centre of the room. Her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on his face.
"Hello," she whispered finally. Squall slowly put down the jacket he was holding, never taking his eyes from her.
"Hello," he replied just as quietly.
"You must be Squall."
"Yes. I'm Squall."
"I um, wanted to talk to you because um, well, I just did," Rinoa said, looking at her feet. Squall walked closer to her.
"Alright. Follow me," he ordered. Rinoa nodded and did what she was told. The rest of the spectators looked disappointed not to be able to hear the rest of the conversation, but then satisfied themselves by playing twister instead.
"I wanted to thank you for bringing me here. You could have just left me at the side of the road, but you didn't, so thank you."
"What do you mean thank you? Doesn't anybody realize what I did? I knocked you down!" Squall said, looking at her as if she was mad.
"No, it was my fault. I wasn't looking were I was going. I...I was running away you see, and I was in a hurry," Rinoa said, trying to explain through the embarrassment she was feeling.
Squall watched the delicate blush that spread over her cheeks as she looked everywhere but at him in the silence that followed. Squall let himself think about what had just been revealed.
"Running away?" he questioned, confused.
"It's a long story, but it all started at the beginning of summer. Father and I always take our holidays here. We stay in a house along the road where...Well, that night we had had an argument and I slammed the door, grabbed my bike and walked down into the road. Listen, I'm not blaming you, and I'm not going to tell the police what happened. But I do want to know where I am. No one will tell me," Rinoa said, sitting down on a chair as Squall seated himself on a bed staring at her.
"Rinoa. We are in a warehouse on the outskirts of Esthar. I can't give anything more exact than that, and I'm asking you not to ask me again. If you want to leave, tell me now, and I will take you anywhere you want to go. But you will be safe here, if you want to stay."
Rinoa considered this.
"But why won't you tell me? Will you get in to trouble or something if you do?" she asked innocently, but with a sarcastic tone behind it.
"Yes. It is a part of our religion. If we tell you, we will all burn in hell," Squall replied, watching her smile in response.
"That's bullshit," she decided. "Fine, you won't tell me. But you have to let me stay, and also you are not to ask any questions as to why I'm staying alright?"
"Miss Heartilly, I believe we have a deal," Squall said, holding out his hand. Rinoa shook it awkwardly and relaxed in her chair.
"They told me you hadn't slept at all that night. Why?" she asked suddenly. Squall frowned.
"Why, I was worried about you," he said smoothly, but then changed his tone. "Your arm isn't hurting is it?"
"Oh, no. It's just fine. Um, but I was wondering about what happened to my bike."
"Yes, well about that. I went back to the road early that night and collected it. Leaving it in the road would have been suspicious," Squall replied, hoping she wouldn't put two and two together and guess their secret.
"Oh right. Getting rid of evidence I see," she said smirking. "Well, I'm gonna go watch TV or something, see if I've made the headlines. General's daughter lost. Sounds like a selling story, wouldn't you say?"
Squall looked confused.
"General's daughter? There are no General Heartilly's."
Rinoa shook her head.
"Oh, no. Heartilly was my mother's maiden name. It sounded so much nicer than Caraway. Besides, my mother always kept her maiden name even when she married," Rinoa explained. But still it did nothing to ease Squall's worried mind. He'd not only knocked over a girl, he'd knocked over the general's daughter. "But don't worry, like I said I won't tell them what happened if you keep your end of the bargain."
"Certainly."
"Well, I suppose you have things to do... I'll just go now," she said standing up. Squall nodded. "Your friends are really nice, you know? They've been so kind, especially Irvine."
"I bet," Squall muttered. Rinoa stopped walking for the door.
"Sorry?" she asked. Squall looked up.
"Yes, I know," he replied, deciding not to repeat his previous answer. She smiled and walked out, leaving him alone.
His plan now was to call the group together and discuss the raid Cid had proposed. But before he could stand up he found himself laying down on the soft pillow with his eyes closed. The plans would have to wait, for now all he wanted to do was sleep.