A/N: Another update here, and one on the other story as well… Whoo-hoo…
My apologies for this one, as it's one more chapter where things are going a bit slow and rushed. And also, sorry for the fact that a great part of the dialogue is still the original one, but I figured I should stick to that one about the sequences that don't change. A lot of events 'stuffed' in here as well, but I promise; it's the last one. After this, the major changes begin ^_^ Also, note that I won't be including the 'Dream-World' sequences, as there won't be anything different whatsoever in there, so there's no point. Whenever the guys fall asleep and enter the 'dream-World' I'll note it with '*****'. Also, in future chapters, when a hero is having a 'plain' dream, it'll be displayed in full italics and after he/she wakes up, it'll be noted with '******' again. Just informin' ya.
On a final note, I hope that any Squinoa fans that are reading this, won't lynch me for the way they meets here… I'm saying this because I decided to use a more… 'comedic' approach… : /
The 'five-hundred-pound bumblebee' on the title, is a reference to Granaldo and it's 'borrowed' (after request of course) from one of the most fantastic fics I've read here in ff.net. The story's name is 'Final Fantasy: Point of Intersection' and the author's name is Axwind. It's truly a story that no fan of the FF series should miss.
Last chapter summary: Seifer returns to Garden after his long-term 'vacation' in Deling City, breaking up with Rinoa. Squall, prepares for his field exam and gets a hold of his first GF, Quetzalcoatl.
~*A second chance*~
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 11: Dirty hankies and five-hundred-pound bumblebees
- "First of all, congratulations. However, from now on, as a member of SeeD, you will be dispatched all over the world." Headmaster Cid spoke.
In front of him, four former cadets stood. Squall, Zell and the brunette Squall had stumbled upon that morning. Apparently, her name was Selphie Tilmitt. She had been on a different Squad, but she'd been sent to inform them about the withdrawal order and they'd gotten the chance to get acquainted. The last cadet to pass the exam, was some guy Squall didn't know. They were the only ones who had passed the SeeD exam that year. A Garden faculty, along with some Instructors –including Quistis- was standing next the Headmaster. Quistis was quite surprised at the small number of cadets who had passed this year, but was really glad that they all came from her class. All except for that girl, but from what she'd heard, she was an exchange student from Trabia.
- "We are proud to introduce SeeD, Balamb Garden's mercenary soldiers. SeeD soldiers are combat specialists. BUT…That is only one aspect of SeeD. When the time comes-" continued Cid.
- "Headmaster…It's almost time for the meeting. Please make this short." a Garden faculty spoke, cutting Cid off "SeeD is a valuable asset to Garden. Its reputation is solely dependant on each one of you. Handle your mission with care. Is that what you wanted to say, sir?" the faculty asked. Cid sighed and nodded "Here is your SeeD rank report!"
Cid proceeded in handing a report to every newly appointed SeeD, accompanied by a small comment for every one of them.
- "This ends the SeeD inauguration. Dismissed!" the Garden faculty said.
The three cadets, save Squall, all slowly walked out of the Headmaster's office. Before exiting through the door, Zell gave Squall a meaningful nod, who returned it and approached the Headmaster.
- "Sir, may I have a word with you?" he asked.
- "Yes Squall, of course, what is it?" asked Cid smiling.
- "There's something I feel I must report about the SeeD exam." Squall replied.
- "Go ahead." Cid said frowning, alarmed by Squall's serious expression.
- "Is something wrong Headmaster?" asked Quistis, approaching the duet.
- "Ah, Quistis. Squall is one of your students, right?" Cid asked.
- "Yes, sir. And my best one this semester to be exact." Quistis replied, beaming.
- "It's quite obvious why." Cid agreed "Now Squall here said he had to report something about the field exam in Dollet."
- "Did anything happen, Squall?" Quistis asked, concerned.
- "Well you see sir, we were told to secure the Central Square of Dollet…" began Squall "And we did."
- "Sorry to interrupt you, but who was in your team?" asked Cid.
- "Zell Dincht and Damien Fitzpatrick." replied Squall.
- "He took the exam the semester before as well." Quistis informed Cid.
- "Alright, go on." Cid urged Squall to continue.
- "Well, after clearing the designated area for enemies, we noticed a small troop of Galbadian soldiers sneaking through the area, heading towards the Dollet Communication Tower." narrated Squall.
- "Did you follow them?" asked Cid.
- "No. As Squad Leader I thought it best to stick to orders, sir." replied Squall.
- "Right, right… And you acted wisely Squall. You couldn't know what danger you might have inflicted upon your team doing otherwise." said Cid.
- "Did you by any chance hear anything they said?" asked Quistis.
- "No. All we saw was that they were headed that way." replied Squall.
Cid turned and looked at Quistis knowingly.
- "Well our sources are proven right then…" Quistis replied to Cid's unspoken question. Squall looked at both of them questioningly.
- "We received information a little while ago that the Galbadians were working on getting the Dollet Communication working again." Cid informed Squall.
- "But, hadn't it been down for about seventeen years?" Squall asked.
- "Yes it was." replied Quistis "We've already sent out detective Squads to retrieve more information."
- "Anyway, you did excellent on reporting this Squall. You've confirmed our suspicions. Is there anything else you wanted?" Cid asked.
- "No sir, that's all." Squall replied.
- "Very well, you may go now." Cid said.
Squall nodded and saluted his Headmaster and –now- ex-Instructor, leaving the office.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The brown-haired SeeD exited the elevator shaft on the second floor. Zell was waiting for him outside, looking ecstatic. As soon as Squall stepped out, Zell wrapped his arm tightly around Squall, grinning from ear to ear. Squall pried him off indignantly.
- "So did you tell them, then?" Zell asked.
- "Yes. They said that they'd received information that the Galbadians had been trying to get the Comm. Tower running and that my report confirmed it." Squall replied.
- "Great! Now c'mon! We have to give a speech in front of the entire class!" Zell said.
Squall followed Zell towards one of the classrooms. Man how he hated this kind of things… What was he supposed to say in front of his classmates? 'Ha! I passed and you didn't!'? 'Better just get on with it and go get some rest…' he thought. They had just reached the corner and were about to walk down the other hall to the classrooms, when Squall heard someone whistle behind him. Cocking an eyebrow, he turned around and saw Seifer leaning against a wall, arm crossed, the trademark smirk spread wide across his face. Raijin and Fujin were, as expected, one each side of him.
- "So…" Seifer began, voice dripping with sarcasm "It is true that they'll pass just about anyone…"
- "Well of course it is." Squall retorted "They passed you, didn't they?"
- "And 'Chicken-Wuss, too?" Seifer said, looking at Zell.
The latter clenched his fists and was about to have a go at him, when Squall stopped him.
- "It's not worth it." he said.
- "Hey, what are you getting' all worked up about?" Seifer asked innocently "I'm glad you two passed. Now I might get a chance to work with you on a mission and prove your sorry asses useless…"
Squall rolled his eyes and turned his heel, following Zell to the classroom.
- "Yo Leonhart!" called Seifer one last time.
Squall turned around wearily and glared at Seifer. He was expecting yet another smart-ass comment, but what he heard caught him completely off-guard.
- "Congratulations." the tall blond said, giving Squall an expression he didn't know whether to interpret as a smile or a smirk.
The brown-haired boy stood speechless and Seifer stood up, leaving the corridor, accompanied by his posse 'Well… That's a new…' Squall thought and, shaking his head in disbelief, walked towards the classroom.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I always knew Seifer respected Squall even though he taunts him all the time.
Yeah, from what I've understood, they have a very strange relationship. I could swear, that behind all this ripping
on each other, hides a deep relationship… Friendship even…
The day in which I'll hear my two students call each other 'friends' is probably the day Hell freezes over…
*Laughter* My guess as well, Quisty…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall stood with his back leaning against the wall. He stirred the bubbly champagne liquid inside his glass, sighing deeply in boredom. He would be anywhere else right know if he could help it… But nooooo… 'All SeeDs are obliged to attend their inauguration Ball, held at the end of every semester'. Stupid rules. The thought of missing the Ball in pretence of illness had of course crossed his mind, but when Selphie appeared in his room, all dressed-up in her uniform, he had no other choice. It may not sound believable, but that girl had the power to persuade people eventually. And she could get quite scary too…
Glancing around the room, Squall watched numerous couples sway graciously –in most cases at least- in the dance floor and others talking vigorously, while trying to get as drunk as possible at the same time. His steel blue eyes suddenly spotted Seifer Almasy, walking inside the Ballroom, followed by his two trusty side-kicks. Oh joy… This party was getting worse by every fucking passing second… And Squall was in no mood to listen to Seifer's ridicule again. All he wanted to, was to be alone. Looking around the room for a possible 'escape', his eyes stopped at the balcony. He glanced back at Seifer, a girl dressed in white had just approached him and he seemed distracted enough. Now was his chance…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer rested his elbows on the bar behind him. Raijin and Fujin were ordering drinks. Hmmm… He could do with a beer or something right now. Just as long as it was alcohol. He turned around, ready to order something, when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder from behind. He turned around and his eyes widened. It was Rinoa. Smiling warmly at him, dressed in a champagne-yellow dress and white heels. What was she doing here? Was she here to see him?
- "Hey…" Seifer said surprised "What are you doing here?"
- "Remember when I asked you to slip a kind word to Cid about the 'Forest Owls'? Well, we spoke on the phone and he told me to come over today!" replied Rinoa "Aaaand… I was hoping to see you for a bit, too."
Seifer grinned and ran a hand through his hair.
- "Well, d-" he began, but Rinoa interrupted him by falling into his arms.
The brunette hugged him from the waist tightly, while Seifer hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, too. He motioned to Fujin and Raijin to leave them alone for a while. Fujin nodded and dragged Raijin away, walking towards the bar to get drinks.
- "I've missed you…" Rinoa whispered "It's really good to see you again."
- "Ditto." replied Seifer.
- "Can I have this dance?" Rinoa asked, raising her head up to look at him eagerly.
- "Sure." replied Seifer smiling at her.
He held her hand and guided her towards the dance floor, where many couples were swaying gently to the slow song. Rinoa wrapped har arms around Seifer's neck and rested har head on his chest, while he held her loosely from the waist. As they began to rock to the rhythm of the song, Rinoa let out a sigh of longing and closed her eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Boredom. Dullness. Monotony. Ennui. World-weariness. Tediousness. Yup, there were many words that could describe Quistis' mood tonight. Xu had a date and was therefore absent from the SeeD Inauguration Ball this semester, leaving Quistis alone tonight to fulfill her mandatory duty. It was a rule of Garden that all Instructors were obliged to be present at the Ball. Quistis never understood why. There was a certain loop-hole to that rule, which stated that 'one could refrain from attending the Ball if one had a serious prior engagement'. Such engagement involved family issues, or some possible illness. Well, the first option was ruled out, seeing as an orphan could have no family issues. Quistis momentarily thought about excusing herself to the bathroom and draw some bogus spots on her face with an eye-pencil or a lipstick, but alas, she didn't carry any 'This is what I get for not using make-up more often…' she thought. Muttering a quick excuse to the 'company' of Instructors around her, she made her way towards the bar. She never drank on any occasion, with the exception of the Ball, where she only allowed herself to have one glass of champagne. Tonight though, she figured she needed something a tad stronger.
- "One Margarita, please." she mumbled to the barman, who nodded and began fixing her drink.
She sighed and glanced around the Ballroom tediously. She twirled around a lock of hair in her finger, which had fallen loose from her tight bun. She stuck a finger underneath the black choker, which had been, well, choking her from the moment she'd worn it. Damn that Xu. Even though she hadn't come to the Ball, she'd insisted that she'd help Quistis get ready. The choker was her idea. As well as the black, tight-fitting midi dress and the black heels. The only compromises she'd eventually agreed to make, were the lack of make-up and the hairstyle, in which Quistis just wouldn't agree to have any other way. Quistis forced a smile to the SeeDs who had just greeted her and continued to wait impatiently for her drink.
- "…Did you see that chick Almasy's dancing with?"
Quistis cocked an eyebrow and as discretely as possible, moved closer to the SeeDs who were obviously talking about Seifer and some girl.
- "Yeah, man. I'm telling you, I don't know what hot gals like them see in him. First it was Angelina Schaffer, then that blonde from FH, now this one… Are they all blind?!"
The two SeeDs filled their cups with fruit punch and went on their way, clearing the view of the dance floor for Quistis. The bartender finally got her drink ready and Quistis blindly grabbed the glass from the counter, as her eyes were glued to the dance floor. It didn't take her long to spot a certain couple of a blond and a brunette. Seifer, was apparently dancing quite closely with a girl which –Quistis had to admit- was very pretty. She had long raven hair that reached a few inches below her shoulders, a thin figure and was wearing a yellowish-white dress that did her a lot of justice. She had her arms wrapped possessively around Seifer's neck, while he was gingerly holding her waist.
Quistis shrugged and scoffed, unsure of why she was actually shrugging for. She made her way back to her –she shuddered- 'company', finishing half her drink in one gulp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
OK, I'd just like to make something clear here! I was clearly disapproving the public display of affection between Seifer and Rinoa!
I was NOT jealous!
Quisty, are you trying to persuade me?
*Pause* No. I'm just stating the obvious.
*Cough*Denial*Cough*
What was that?
Nothing. Why don't we resume what we were seeing?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The slow song was over and the DJ switched it into a waltz. Seifer stopped dancing and Rinoa looked up at him.
- "One more?" she asked.
- "I don't like waltzes." Seifer said, walking back to the corner he'd been standing previously.
Rinoa followed him and stood next to him, watching the dancing couples, fidgeting with her ring that hung on her chest from the silver chain.
- "So… This is Garden…" she said, trying to make idle conversation.
- "Yup." Seifer answered laconically, slipping his hands in his pockets "How are things goin' on with your dad?"
- "I left home." Rinoa replied.
- "What? Why?" asked Seifer.
- "Well… After the whole… 'shotgun incident'," Rinoa said grinning. Seifer smiled awkwardly "Things got worse. Besides, I got into the 'Forest Owls' and moved to Timber."
- "Sorry 'bout that."
- "Don't be. You just helped speed up the inevitable." Rinoa said casually "I'm much happier now that I've left."
- "That's good to hear." Seifer said, looking around the Ballroom in boredom.
- "*Pause* I was thinking," said Rinoa, walking closer to him "Maybe we could… give it another shot?" she asked, smiling warmly at him.
Seifer stiffened in his position. That was the last thing he needed right now. What was he supposed to answer to that? Well, he had to answer something, he couldn't just stand there.
- "Not a good idea." he replied, not facing her.
- "Why not?" Rinoa asked, touching his hand.
- "I don't think a long-distance relationship would be easy for any of us." he replied diplomatically, turning to look at her.
- "All it takes is some good will. If we try hard enough, I know we can make it." Rinoa said, now holding both his hands "Question is, are you willing to try?" she asked, smiling hopefully. Seifer chewed on the interior of his cheek awkwardly.
- "Honestly? *Pause* No." he replied.
Rinoa froze on the spot. Her face fell immediately upon hearing his response.
- "I-i-is it something I did?" she asked, pulling her hands away.
- "No, no, it's not you-" Seifer began.
- "Oh please, Seifer! 'It's not you, it's me'?" Rinoa said exasperated, her eyes glistening with tears that threatened to spill "Don't you have a better line to use? The least you can do is be honest with me!"
- "I am!" Seifer protested "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have given you a straight answer just now!"
- "So," said Rinoa sniffing, crossing her arms in from of her chest "This summer was what? Just another fling for you?"
- "*Sigh* I never said that-"
- "Is there someone else?" she asked suddenly.
- "What? What made you think that?" Seifer asked.
- "Maybe the fact that you're not giving me a good reason for turning me down!" Rinoa replied stubbornly.
- "I told you the truth! I don't want to try again! Last summer was great, but we live in different cities and I don't want to put myself through the process of trying to make it work!" Seifer retorted, frustrated.
- "Why not?!" Rinoa insisted.
- "Because I don't want to! As simple as that!"
- "Do you mean you don't want me anymore?"
- "If you wanna take it that way…" Seifer said, shrugging.
- "Fine then!" Rinoa spat back at him, turning her heel. Seifer could easily see that she was crying now.
- "Damn, Rinoa, don't cry. I didn't…" he began, but she was already gone "Aw, crap…" Seifer cursed, running a hand through his hair.
- "I didn't know that making poor girls cry was within your long list of abilities, Seifer…"
Seifer's head snapped to the side, towards the person who'd spoken to him. He really didn't have to though; he'd recognize that icy feminine voice anywhere…
- "Didn't your mommy ever tell you eavesdropping isn't nice, Trepe?" he retorted, his eyes narrowing.
- "Smooth change of subject." Quistis said, smirking "And I didn't really need to 'eavesdrop' to catch what doubtlessly the whole Ballroom did."
- "*Scoff* Did you want something Trepe, or are you just here to bust my balls? It ain't the best time to start bickering you know, and I'm certainly not in the mood for it." Seifer said wearily.
- "All I wanted to say, is that I didn't think you were so horrible to girls." Quistis begun, crossing her arms "Your reputation with the 'ladies' precedes you of course, but making a girl run away crying? That's low Seifer…"
- "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Seifer growled at her, walking over to her ominously "You trot down here, judging me about something which you probably didn't even hear half of, and then insult me like that? Fuck you, Trepe." he said, pointing a threatening finger at her "If you're feeling like being a bitter bitch, go irritate someone else, unless you want to end up in a full-body cast."
- "Are you threatening me?" Quistis said, narrowing her eyes at him.
- "I sure as hell am." Seifer spat back, turning his heel.
Quistis watched him walk across the Ballroom and disappear through the doorway 'The nerve on that guy… What does he think, that petty cursing will get to me?' Quistis though, taking a long sip of her drink. She fidgeted nervously with a stray lock, almost pulling it off her scalp. She sighed 'Was I… too hard on him?'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall rested his hands on the railing out in the balcony, watching the starry sky above him. Was all this celebration necessary? So he'd made SeeD, big deal. No need to go around partying like crazy for no reason. They were supposed to be mercenaries for Hyne's sake. Not air-headed teenagers… Wait… They were teenagers, true, but once having decided to join a Military Academy like Garden, they should act-
The brown-haired boy turned around abruptly. Some girl had just run out in the balcony, tear-eyed. She was wiping her brown eyes with her palms, resulting in creating long black smudges of what was obviously mascara around her eyes. She was sniffing and rubbing her bare arms in warmth; the weather outside was certainly not suitable for the white mini-dress she was wearing… Squall watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye. Wait a second… Wasn't that the girl Seifer had been dancing with right before? Yes, it was certainly her, no doubt. But why was she crying now? Had something happened with- 'Heh… As if I have to wonder… I can't imagine that jerk being subtle to girls…' Squall thought. Not that he possessed the epitome of tact when it came to the opposite sex, but that wasn't the point right now.
The girl walked over to the railing and sighed deeply, staring at the night sky as well. She sniffed a few more times, before bursting into tears again. Squall groaned inwardly; was this one of Hyne's devious schemes to ruin his perfectly well chosen moments of solitude? 'Oh well…' Squall slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved a white hanky. He hesitated for a second, then offered it to the girl, hardly looking at her. The brunette turned her teary gaze at him and took the hanky in her slender fingers.
- "Thank you…" she mumbled, and Squall heard her soft voice for the first time.
She placed the hanky above her nose and blew hard, making Squall turn to look at her, coking an eyebrow. She folded the white piece of cloth and wiped the bottom eyelids of her eyes. She looked at the tainted hanky and gasped.
- "Oh, I'm so sorry! Your handkerchief… It's all dirty now…" she apologized, wincing at the sight of Squall's once sparkly-clean hanky.
- "It's… It's OK…" said Squall casually, shooting a side-ways glance at his now, err… filthy possession.
- "Umm… here…" the girl said softly, returning the handkerchief to its owner.
Squall picked it up with two fingers, carefully putting it back in his pocket, while grimacing a bit.
- "Thanks… Again…" said the girl, grinning. Squall just shrugged in reciprocation "So… Are you a SeeD?" she asked. The young boy nodded "I'm guessing you just passed the test, right?"
- "Yeah."
- "Congratulations." said the girl warmly, sniffing a bit.
- "Thank you."
The two remained silent for a few seconds, until something up in the sky caught both their attention. A falling star had just shot across the sky. The girl looked up at it and smiled, then turned to look at Squall, pointing with her finger towards the sky.
- "Make a wish…" the girl whispered, as if it wouldn't come true if she spoke out loud. Squall simply grinned "I've never been in your Garden before." said the girl "I didn't know it was so impressive…"
- "It's nice." Squall replied nonchalantly.
- "Not much of a talker, are you?" the brunette asked, smiling at him. Squall just shrugged again "Lemme guess… You'll only talk to someone you like. OK then…" said the girl mischievously.
She stepped in front of Squall and began twirling her fingers before his face, as if trying to put him under a spell.
- "Look into my eyes… You're-going-to-like-me, you're-going-to-like-me…" she chanted, in a mock-deep voice "Did it work?" she asked eagerly.
Squall chuckled. The girl laughed along with him as well, letting out a big sigh. It was obvious she was trying to forget her grief by trying to make idle conversation. She seemed to be nice enough. And even though Squall didn't want to admit it to himself, she probably was one of the prettiest girls he'd ever laid eyes upon. Once having removed the mascara smudges anyway… He was just about to open his mouth and say something, when he saw the girl look towards the Ballroom.
- "Oh… Excuse me, I have to go. I came here on some business…" she apologized "Thanks a lot for this, bye." she said, smiling sadly and walked back inside.
Squall sighed and turned his gaze back towards the sky 'Typical…' he thought. Suddenly, fireworks filled the black starlit sky, erupting into a frenzy of fluorescent colors. The young boy rested his cheek against his palm and sighed once again…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Quistis walked down the Dormitory corridor, heading back to her dorm after the party. She winced on every contact her heels made with the floor 'Whoever invented high heels is a cruel, sadistic person… And obviously a man…' she thought. As she walked past the endless series of doors, she stopped on her tracks outside a familiar one. She shot a sideways glance at it, then resumed her walking. As soon as she took a step forward though, she halted again. She turned and faced the door, drawing a big breath. She slowly walked towards the threshold and raised her clenched fist. She bit her bottom lip and knocked gently on the door. Immediately, she regretted it and made a move to leave, when she heard footsteps from the room inside. She stayed in her position and adjusted her dress. The door opened after a couple of seconds and Seifer emerged, dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a grey T-shirt, a cigarette lit and smoldering between his fingers. His eyebrows and forehead creased in to a frown upon seeing her and he brought his lips to the cigarette butt, drawing in a big drag.
- "What do you want?" he said in a hostile manner, deliberately blowing smoke on her face.
Quistis turned away and brushed the cloud of smoke aside with her palm. She looked back at him and spoke.
- "I just wanted to say, that… I went a bit overboard tonight." she said. Seifer raised an eyebrow "It wasn't my place to meddle and I shouldn't have spoken like that. I'm sorry."
Seifer's expression turned into a slightly suspicious frown, eyebrow still cocked.
- "Apology accepted." he said, although Quistis wasn't entirely convinced he meant it.
- "Splendid… That's all. Good night." said Quistis firmly, turning her heel and resuming her way down to her own dorm.
- "*Scoff* She's 'sorry'…" mumbled Seifer, closing the door behind him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
'…Seventeen… Eighteen!' Squall thought, blasting one last Grat to pieces with one bullet from his gunblade. He winced as a great splatter of green slime shot out towards him, staining his perfect chocolate bangs of hair and sparkly clean leather jacket 'Dammit! I'd just gotten that back from the dry cleaner's!' he thought, wiping his hair and clothes clean, with a grimace of disgust. Shortly after that girl had left the balcony, Squall had decided to ditch the party. He wasn't in the mood to go sleep, so he reckoned a bit of light training would allow him to let off some steam. Besides, it would help him get to sleep much more easily. And he was right… After ripping the guts off of eighteen Grats, he felt he needed to go to bed. Stretching and slipping his gunblade back in place on the side of his hip, he began to make him way out of the Training center, when…
- "Somebody help!!!"
Squall turned around abruptly. The feminine scream had come from the other side of the Training Center. Pulling out his weapon again, Squall lost no time and broke into a run, towards the source of the voice. He crossed the grassy fields, jumped over rocks that came into his way, trying to reach the woman as quick as possible. When he made it, he found himself on the opposite entrance of the Center, where the girl who'd called for help was. Squall's eyes narrowed. It was the girl he'd seen in the Infirmary that morning. But she wasn't alone. She was face-to-face with a huge bee-like creature Squall recognized as Granaldo. And to add more to the already tough situation, there were three Raldos, Armadillo-looking monsters, with a tough stone surface covering their backs.
- "Squall!!!" the girl shouted upon seeing him, her eyes lightening up with hope.
Squall lost no time trying to figure out how she knew his name and lunged forward to the beasts. A Raldo ran ahead at first, but Squall avoided it easily, with a slash of his gunblade, sending it rolling on the ground. The Granaldo was staying behind, waiting for the perfect time to attack Squall. The young mercenary was too quick for it though, jumping on top of the stone back of a Raldo, he leaped even higher and swung his sword across the beast's throat, detaching it at once from its body. The girl, who had curled up down into a corner, winced as blood and thick yellowish slime sprayed all over Squall's face and clothes.
Still in mid-air, Squall rolled over and landed on his feet, quickly casting a Sleep spell on one of the Raldos close to him. He kicked the other one on the face once it approached, sending it swinging back and forth helplessly on its back. Luckily, Squall knew a Raldo's weakness; the bottom part of its body. Once you got them on their backs, they let their vulnerable area uncovered. Losing no time, Squall plunged his sword deep down the creature's stomach. The Raldo emitted a drum-piercing screech as it let out its last breath. By now, the first one was running towards Squall, but was easily stopped with a Fire spell by the latter. He finished it off the same way, then turned to the last one. With one hard kick, that too was on its back and perished by one stab of the gunblade right on the stomach.
The young SeeD let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion and run a hand through his damp hair. Damn was he on fire tonight… He turned towards the girl, who was staring at him in awe. He was about to ask her who she was, when two men clad in white came out of nowhere and helped her up.
- "It's not safe here. Please, let's go…" said one of them.
- "…Alright." the girl said reluctantly, as they walked her out of the Training Center.
She turned and gave Squall one last sorrowful look, before resuming her steps away from him. The other one of the men, stopped in front of Squall and bowed at him, then following the other two. Squall was left looking at them flabbergasted. What the hell was going on? Who was she? And who were those two other guys with her? Squall exhaled audibly and slipped his bloodstained gunblade on the side of his hip once again 'Hyne dammit!' he thought 'As if Grat slime wasn't enough, now I've got blood and Granaldo puss all over my jacket! *Sigh* I'd better clean it tonight, or it'll NEVER go away…'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning…
Morning air hit Squall's face as he stepped outside the Garden, heading towards the Front Gate. Selphie had been 'kind' enough to bang on his door first thing in the morning, yelling that they were going on their first mission. Dammit… Could they get one day to rest at the very least? Not that he had anything better to do, but after last night, he didn't know if he'd be able to give his full self to the mission. He finally reached the designated area, where he saw Selphie, the Headmaster and two Garden faculties standing there. Once reaching them, he was informed that they were still waiting for Zell, the last member of this Squad. After a fair five minutes, on of the faculties looked angrily at his watch.
- "One more minute…" he said.
Right on cue, a T-Board appeared flying out of Garden, with Zell riding on top of it. He swayed in the air in a slightly showy manner and stopped near the Garden Faculty.
- "Made it!" Zell said excitedly.
- "T-Boards are prohibited within Garden. Have you forgotten?" The faculty hissed at him.
- "Oops, sorry!" apologized Zell "But this is really cool. It may come in handy on a SeeD mission, someday."
- "We'll be the judges of that." the faculty spat back, taking the board from Zell's hands "Confiscate it." he said, handing it to the other faculty. Zell looked dejected beyond belief "All of you are members of SeeD, but… Nevertheless, you're still students at this Garden. Furthermore, because you are SeeDs, you must set an example to all others and abide by the Garden's rules. Understood!?" he finished. Zell nodded.
- "Well, about your first mission…" Cid began "You are to go to Timber. There, you will be supporting a resistance faction. That is your mission. A member of the faction will contact you at the Timber Station."
- "This person will talk to you and say, 'the forests of Timber sure have changed'." the faculty said "At this time, you must reply, 'But the owls are still around'. That is the password."
- "Just follow the Faction's orders." added Cid.
- "Uhh… Just us three?" asked Zell, puzzled.
- "Correct. We have agreed to do this mission for very little money. Normally, we would never accept such requests, but-" said the faculty.
- "Enough talk about that." interrupted Cid "Well then, Squall, you are the squad leader. Use your best judgment based on the situation. Zell and Selphie, you are to support Squall and give your all to carry out the faction's plans." he added "Oh, and Squall, I forgot to give you this." he said, handing Squall something that looked like a lantern "It's a cursed item, but if one with enough power uses it, it should be of great help."
Squall took the lantern and nodded at Cid. He and his team left the Gates, taking the route towards the city. They only way to get to Timber through Balamb, was via train. The last thing Squall needed right now, was to walk to the city. Add the fact that they came into a really tight spot when –after a very annoying period of five minutes in which Selphie bugged Squall to check out the lamp- they came face-to-face with Diablos, a demonic GF and you'll realize why Squall felt exhausted by now. At least they had one more GF in their possession right now. Squall already had Quetzalcoatl, Instructor Trepe had been kind enough to lend Siren to Selphie after they got acquainted at the party last night –when Selphie was trying to get her to be one of the teachers participating in the Garden Festival- and now Zell had Diablos. Before Squall knew it, he was slouched on the couch of their SeeD cabin in the train, next to a very excited Zell. After filling him in on the history of Timber, he's taken a hint and had shut up, letting Squall rest. He was now reading the first Volume of a magazine called 'Pet pals'. Selphie had been wandering around the train corridor, looking out of the window and singing some annoying song about trains. Suddenly, the doors opened and she came inside, staggering.
- "I'm not… feeling well…" she mumbled.
- "You should get some rest if you're tired." Squall advised her
- "I'm really sleepy…" she said.
- "You OK?" asked Squall in concern.
- "Hey…? Huh? What the…?! Somethin's wrong with me, too… I… feel… sleepy…" said Zell.
He let the magazine fall down from his hands and tilted his head to the side, closing his eyes. Right on cue, Selphie fell down to the floor unconscious.
'What's going on?' Squall thought, getting up, looking at his two teammates frantically 'Ugh?! …What is this?'
He tried to make it to the couch, but tripped and fell down, feeling his consciousness leaving him behind…
*******
The next thing Squall remembered, was opening his eyes and looking at the SeeD cabin once more. The voice of the train conductor was announcing their arrival to Timber. Squall slowly pushed himself up from the floor, shaking his head. He'd had the weirdest dream… He saw that he was some moron named Laguna, fighting for the Galbadian army with two peers. And then he somehow ended up in Deling City at some bar, gawking at a piano player in a red dress. Weird dream indeed. Getting up on his feet, he noticed Selphie and Zell coming about as well. Supposing that the reason they'd all fallen asleep like that could have been some sort of sleeping gas, they got ready to leave their cabin, when Selphie talked about the 'nice' dream she had. At first, Squall didn't give much into it, but when he heard the name 'Laguna' come out of her mouth, it definitely caught his attention. Strangely enough, Zell recognized that name as well. As it turned out, they'd all shared the same dream. Deciding there was no way they could comprehend what had happened, they chose to concentrate on their mission and forget about the incident for the moment.
The moment they left the train and stepped outside to Timber, a plump guy who looked about their age approached them and spoke.
- "Oh, the forests of Timber sure have changed!"
Squall recognized the code-phrase immediately and reciprocated with the password. The guy's face lightened up and he welcomed the trio in Timber. For some reason he kept calling Squall 'sir'… They three young SeeDs followed the boy to a small yellow train wagon parked nearby and entered it. As they were informed, that was the base of the 'Forest Owls'. They were introduced to Watts, the guy who'd brought them there and another one, with black spiky hair and short pants named Zone. Apparently, those two were the two thirds of the leaders of the group. The only person they had yet to meet was their 'Princess'. Zone asked Squall to go and get the Princess who was having her 'nap time'. After giving him a piece of his mind for making him run errands, Squall was on his way down the corridor to that girl's room.
Stopping outside, he knocked on the door. He got no response, so he hesitantly entered. He came face-to-face with a pink room, in the middle of which a big double bed stood. The girl Zone and Watts had called 'Princess' was lying on it, sleeping. She was dressed in a long blue duster and a black camisole and shorts underneath, not bothering to take off her boots while sleeping. Her long raven hair were sprawled on half the pillow, as she was hugging the rest of it. Once hearing Squall enter, she stirred and fluttered her eyelids open, revealing a pair of chocolate brown eyes. Squall's eyebrows arched. It was…
- "Hey…You're…! You know, from the party…" she exclaimed, beating him to it "So… does that mean… You're a SeeD?!" Squall nodded.
- "I'm Squall, the squad leader. There's two others with me."
The girl swiftly got out of bed and jumped up on Squall, hugging him. Squall's eyes widened, as he spun around and placed her down.
- "YEEESSSS! SeeD is here!" the girl squealed in delight.
- "Take it easy." Squall said, cracking a faint grin.
- "It's just that, I'm so happy!" said the girl "I've been sending requests to Garden forever, but nothing… I'm so glad I spoke to Cid directly!"
- "Oh…" Squall said, nodding "So you were looking for the headmaster at the party?" he asked.
- "Yes. You know Seifer?" she asked, frowning a bit.
- "…Yeah." Squall replied. He frowned a lot more.
- "Well, he's the one who kinda introduced me to Cid." Rinoa replied "Cid is such a nice man. I really didn't think SeeD would come out to help a measly little group like us. But after explaining our situation to him, Cid gave the go ahead right away!" she explained cheerfully "Now that you guys are here, we'll be able to carry out all kinds of plans!"
- "Right… Well, I'm goin' back to the others." Squall said.
- "OK, let's go!" the girl exclaimed and made a move to head to the door. She turned around and spoke again "Umm, Squall. Is 'he' here?" she asked, looking a bit nervous. Squall cocked an eyebrow 'He?' Squall wondered "Seifer." the girl added.
- "Oh. No, he's not here." Squall replied.
- "OK." said the girl nodding. If Squall wasn't mistaken, she looked kind of relieved… "Oh yeah," she added, slapping her forehead "My name's Rinoa. Very pleased to meet you, Squall."
The two shook hands and were about to exit the room, when a brown furred dog approached her and barked standing on its hind feet. Rinoa smiled and pet it on the head.
- "Here, let me introduce you." she said smiling, turning to Squall "This is my partner, Angelo. He's really smart!"
- "I bet…" said Squall a bit indifferently and walked out of the room.
- "I have some important work to do now. Be good, Angelo." Rinoa said to her dog, following Squall outside "Hey…" she said, before leaving the room, grabbing his sleeve.
- "Yes?" Squall asked.
- "Thanks a lot. For last night I mean… I wasn't feeling well and it you were really nice to me…" she said, smiling warmly at him 'I was?' Squall wondered.
- "Think nothing of it." he said shrugging and left the room.
A/N: *Phew* That was a handful… Oh and on the subject of Angelo's sex… I can't recall if there's a point in the game where Rinoa refers to Angelo as a 'he' or a 'she', but I figured that Angelo is a male name, so I made it a 'he'.
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
Seifer finds out about the mission to Timber.
And he's pissed.
Oh-so-very pissed…
So he rushes to Timber to aid the situation, but his plan has a tiny little flaw…
He has forgotten about a certain blonde, who won't let him go that easily…
My take on the trip to Timber ^_~