A/N: What's up guys?
This is the biggest chapter I've ever written so far. It's about 10800 words… Yup, it's pretty much huge. But once you read it, you'll understand why I couldn't cut it off.
There are a few Irvine x Selphie moments, as well as a Squall x Rinoa moment in there, so fans of these pairings, I hope you enjoy!
On final note… Will ffnet ever stop screwing up the format over and over?!
Last chapter summary: Seifer orders a new whip for Quistis, the Trepies organize a Quistis look-alike contest, and things in Garden get a tad out of control…
A second chance
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 22: Balamb's liberation
- "Steady… Steady… Ah, NO! BE CAREFUL!" Selphie shrieked.
She was standing on top of the FH platform, guiding the crane technician to hoist the piano from the concert back in Garden. The piano had almost hit the wall next to the wide open window of the ballroom where it was to be placed, hence Selphie's cry. Slowly, guided by her, the technician skillfully slid the instrument through the window, where it was taken care of, by some students participating in the Garden Festival.
- "Ahh… Great, all done." Selphie said, smiling.
- "Hey, Selph. Everything set?" Irvine called her, standing right underneath the platform.
- "Yup! We've cleared up the place! Now we can get goin'!" she chirped.
She began to descend the platform in small hops. Irvine extended his arm for her to grab. Selphie did so and jumped down towards him, who caught her by the waist. She giggled as he slowly lowered her down, bringing her face level with his. He grinned at her mischievously, holding her close to him.
- "You can put me down now…" Selphie said, smiling.
- "Just a bit longer…" Irvine said playfully.
- "Irvy…" Selphie said giggling, rolling her eyes.
She pulled his hat down and squirmed slightly, becoming free of his grip. Irvine groaned and fixed his hat back in place.
- "Come on, we need to get back so we can leave." Selphie said, grabbing his hand.
- "So, are ready to go?" Nida asked the two Commanders.
- "Yes. Set a course for Balamb City, Nida." Squall replied.
- "Yes, sir." said Nida, turning around to the steering mechanism.
- "I'll inform everyone about our destination, then." Seifer said, receiving a nod from Squall.
The blond walked towards the PA, turning it on.
- "Morning everyone, this is Commander Almasy speaking." Seifer said. Next to him, Squall rolled his eyes 'Why couldn't he have gone with simply Seifer? Sheesh…' "We're now leaving FH since the repairs are done. We're heading back to Balamb to check out the situation. This is roughly a two-day trip and we won't be making any stops, so make sure you have everything you need. That is all."
Seifer switched the PA off.
- "Are you done then, Commander Almasy?" Xu asked in a mocking tone. Seifer glared at her.
- "Courier…" he said playfully.
- "Trepies…" she responded in the same manner.
Seifer gritted his teeth 'Bitch.' and walked over to the elevator, heading downstairs.
Smirking, Xu turned her attention out to the view visible from the glass walls. The Garden's engines hummed and the golden ring once crowning the foundation began spinning slowly at first. The academy gradually became airborne, rising from the sea surface. A small whirlpool was created onto the water from the exhaust steam the Garden left behind on its trail, until it rose up and soared away…
Ring Ring
Seifer squirmed in bed.
Ring Ring
He poked his head out of the covers. It was still very dark.
Ring Ring
He looked at the electronic clock on his nightstand. The neon blue numbers read 1:27 a.m.
Ring Ring
Grunting, he slammed his palm onto the receiver of the black phone on the nightstand, bringing it to his ear.
- "What?" he said sleepily, letting out a big yawn.
- "Commander Almasy, sir, this is Gerald Anderson from the night-watch Squad." said a male voice.
- "Yeah…?" said Seifer, rubbing his eyes open.
- "The bridge team has received something on the radars that you should probably check out." said the man "We've also informed Commander Leonhart and he's on his way up here."
- "Fine, I'm comin'…" Seifer mumbled, putting the receiver back in its place.
He lazily got up from bed, heading to the bathroom. He threw some water on his face and checked out his reflection 'Damn, I need shaving…' he thought, touching his cheeks, which had short stinging hair protruding from the surface. Rubbing the back of his hair, he walked back inside the room, putting a grey T-shirt and black sweatpants on. He slipped his feet inside a pair of black trainers, not bothering to tie up the laces, grabbed his key-card and left the dorm.
The walk to the bridge was a quiet and boring one. The corridors were naturally deserted and only the sound of his shoes against the floors made any sound within the silence of the night. Walking inside the elevator, he rested his back against the walls, pressing the button to the 3rd floor. His eyes would only open half the way up. Damn he was tired… The previous day had been a stretch. Some kid accidentally made the fire alarm go off and they had to stop and evacuate the top floors. Within the chaos that ensued, seeing as they could not disembark out in the open sea, he and Squall had to be the ones to keep the order, which was not an easy task. After realizing what had caused all the raucous, they'd resumed their journey. It had only been a day since they'd left FH and they should be approaching Balamb grounds early in the morning. Right now, the Garden had 'anchored' in mid-sea, since the only available pilot was Nida and he needed to get some rest. Seifer made a mental note of discussing the issue of training more Garden pilots with Squall.
A small ring brought him back to reality, as the elevator reached the last floor and the doors slid open. He walked inside, looking around to spot anyone, when he heard voices from the bridge upstairs. He headed towards the small lift and ascended.
He found Squall already there, dressed in a pair of sweatpants. He'd thrown his favorite coat over his bare torso 'Man, does the guy ever let go of that coat?' Seifer thought. Squall was talking to one of the radar specialists of the bridge team. Another one was sitting behind a console, headphones on, eyes focused on the black and bright green screen. Everyone's attention turned to Seifer the moment he stepped up.
- "What's wrong? What did the radar pick up?" asked Seifer.
- "We've been getting signal from a massive aircraft, sir." replied the man Squall had been talking to "It's quite far way; the signal has weakened by now, but we thought you should know."
- "G-Garden?" Seifer addressed Squall.
- "My guess as well." Squall replied "Since we know that they're on the move by now, too."
- "Where are they heading?" Seifer asked the man.
- "They were not very far away from us, but now their signal is almost gone." he replied "They could be heading to northern Galbadia, Centra maybe…"
- "That does not change our current course, though, does it?" Seifer asked Squall.
- "No, I think we still need to visit Balamb first and then go look for them." Squall replied.
- "Alright. Should we inform the students tomorrow?" asked the man.
- "No, that'll just cause mayhem. Keep it hushed." replied Seifer "So, is there anything else?" Seifer asked.
- "Well, I just noticed that one of the exits has been accessed." Squall said.
- "Which one?" Seifer asked, frowning.
- "The one next to the emergency exit on the 2nd floor." Squall replied.
- "How could a student have accessed that?" Seifer asked, puzzled.
- "I dunno; I was just about to go check it out." Squall said.
- "Save it, I'll go. I could use a scared kid to bitch at right now…" Seifer said smirking "Someone has to pay for the fact that I woke up at this hour…" he added, stepping onto the lift.
Behind him, Squall shook his head in disbelief. He bid the two men farewell and left as well.
Seifer stepped outside the elevator onto the 2nd floor. Walking down the empty corridor, he took the right turn. He passed by the classrooms and the emergency exit, coming face to face with the door which had been accessed. The light on the door was indeed green, instead of red, as it should be. Frowning, Seifer pressed the 'Open' button. A cold breeze rushed onto his face; that door led to a small balcony, without any protective walls around. He stepped up the very few stairs and walked onto the balcony.
He came face to face with… Quistis. She was resting her arms onto the railing, staring at the view before her. Balamb City was visible from afar, a small compilation of lights, shining against the dark night sky, reflected upon the sea surface. The air was blowing her hair away, as she tilted her head to the side, wrapping her bare shoulders tighter with the deep crimson shawl she was holding. A loose, coral pair of pajama bottoms was hugging her legs, touching the floor over her white sneakers.
- "When I said 'Screw the curfew'," Seifer spoke, making her turn around abruptly "I meant about yesterday… I can't cover you all the time, you know…" he said grinning, approaching her.
- "Hey…" Quistis said, blushing "Sorry… I just needed some fresh air."
- "Isn't that what the 'Secret Area' is for?" Seifer asked, leaning against the railing next to her.
- "Tried… Full of couples…" Quistis replied, chuckling.
- "Fair enough…" Seifer said, turning his gaze towards the view as well.
- "Did I cause any trouble?" Quistis asked.
- "Not really…" replied Seifer "We were called up the bridge to check something out in the radar and noticed this exit had been accessed."
- "Anything wrong?" asked Quistis worriedly.
- "We think we spotted G-Garden, but their signal is almost gone. They were headed south. We decided we won't change our course yet; we're still visiting Balamb. We'll worry about Galbadians later." Seifer replied "But don't tell anyone. It's supposed to be secret, because otherwise we might cause chaos among the students for nothing."
- "I understand…" Quistis said, nodding.
- "Pause So… How's teaching going?" Seifer asked her.
- "Really well… I like working with children more…"
- "Yeah… You don't run the risk of coming across another little shit like me that way, huh?" Seifer asked jokingly. Quistis chuckled.
- "Oh Seifer…" she said, looking at him "You weren't as bad as you think you were…"
- "Really?" Seifer asked, leaning closer to her. Quistis looked deep into his eyes.
- "Really…" she whispered.
Seifer smiled at her. Before she knew it, his nose touched her cheek, rubbing affectionately against it. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, only seconds before she felt his lips brush against hers. She didn't resist. Instead, she reciprocated, parting her lips wider for him. She heard Seifer sigh and felt his tongue massaging hers gently. The breeze blew her hair, making them sway and caress Seifer's cheek in tender movements. His crooked finger slowly began to caress her neck, before his palm moved to her nape, pulling her closer.
She wanted to allow herself be drawn into the moment, but something inside her made her pull back. Seifer gasped lightly and opened his eyes.
- "No…" Quistis mumbled, stepping backwards "I shouldn't have done that…"
- "Why? What's wrong?" Seifer asked gently, trying to touch her shoulder. Quistis flinched.
- "I… I… It's not fair to you…" she said.
- "But-"
- "I don't know if I did this because I feel anything or because of what you've done for me lately." Quistis interrupted him "And that's not fair to you."
- "Quistis…"
- "I'm sorry." she said, turning her heel.
Seifer watched her sprint to the door and disappear through it. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. He looked back at the view before him, dejected. He closed his eyes and cursed, lading a hard kick at the railing…
The following morning…
Nida maneuvered the steering mechanism smoothly, finally landing the Garden on the beach near the city, securing it. He turned around and faced Squall and Seifer who were standing behind him.
- "All clear. We're ready to disembark." Nida spoke.
- "Good. We'll send a team to check it out first and then allow the students to visit the city." said Squall, turning to Seifer for reassurance.
- "Sure…" the blond said, shrugging "Just make sure you inform them before opening the gates."
The blond walked over to the lift, heading downstairs. Everyone watched him descend to the 3rd floor, staring at him puzzled.
- "Isn't he the quiet one today…" Xu said, arching an eyebrow.
- "Think there's something wrong with him?" Nida asked.
- "Not that I care, but… Sigh Shouldn't you check upon him, Squall?" Xu asked.
- "Yeah, whatever… Xu, inform the students." Squall said, leaving the bridge as well.
The brown-haired Commander walked over to the office, pushing the ajar door open. He found Seifer sitting on his chair, which he'd turned around to face the window, looking outside. Squall cleared his throat audibly.
- "So, uhh… We'll be sending Zell and someone else to check out the city." he said.
- "OK." Seifer said, not turning around.
- "One of us should go, too."
- "Sure…".
- "So are you going or should I go?" asked Squall.
- "Whatever you want, Squall…"
Squall arched both eyebrows 'Whatever you want, Squall?! What the…? Something must be really wrong. One, he didn't sound sarcastic at all. Two, he asked me to decide. And three… he called me Squall.' he thought.
- "Everything alright?" Squall asked.
- "Yeah sure, whatever you want…" Seifer said.
'Great. He's not listening to a word I'm saying, either.' Squall thought 'What the hell is up with him all of a sudden?'
- "So maybe I should go with Zell." Squall suggested.
Seifer finally turned around. He seemed to be thinking deeply. If he stayed in Garden, he ran the risk of stumbling across Quistis and that was the last thing he wanted right now. Perhaps some fresh air would do him some good…
- "If you don't mind, I think I'll go." Seifer replied.
Squall was visibly taken aback by the politeness in Seifer's words.
- "Yeah, sure. You can go." Squall said "Just take Zell and someone else with you."
- "I'll let him decide." Seifer said, pushing a button on his intercom.
- "Yes?" Xu's voice came distorted through the intercom.
- "Xu, could you call Zell up to the bridge? Tell him to bring someone else as well. We're going to Balamb." Seifer spoke.
- "E-e-excuse me?" Xu asked, obviously utterly surprised.
- "Call up Zell to the office and tell him to bring another member to check out Balamb, OK?" Seifer repeated, totally calm.
- "Umm… OK, Seifer." Xu replied.
The blond retreated his finger from the intercom and turned his gaze to the view outside the window again.
If it was humanely possible, Squall's jaw would have hit the floor right about now. And considering his expressionless façade, that said a lot. The regular Seifer, would have been cranky about having to get up early, would have probably thrown a bunch of smart-ass comments to Xu and himself up to this hour, would have insisted on making the decision about the Balamb team, would have referred to Zell as Chicken-wuss and would have never spoken to Xu like that through the intercom. Squall was never one to really care about other people's moods, but hell, this 'new' Seifer was starting to get on his nerves! Even though he didn't want to admit it, their daily bickering was a routine by now; something he was used to and not even bothered by anymore.
He took a couple of steps forward, never breaking eye-contact with Seifer's downcast face.
- "Hey… Are you OK?" he asked.
Seifer slowly turned around and stared at Squall's concerned expression, bewildered. His lips twitched upwards and he begun grinning, then chuckling, then… laughing. Squall grinned awkwardly, still staring at Seifer 'OK, now this has gotten plain weird…' he thought.
- "Thanks for the cheer-up… You're hilarious when you take that expression…" Seifer said, in between chuckles "Never seen it before…"
Instead of getting mad, Squall grinned once again. At least he was beginning to sound like the 'old' him…
The door knocked and soon opened, revealing Zell and Rinoa behind it.
- "Morning!" Rinoa said cheerfully, waving at both of them.
- "Hey. I decided to bring Rinoa over." Zell said.
- "I just wanted to visit Balamb since I've never been there before. Heard it's beautiful." she said.
- "Alright. Are you two ready?" Seifer asked, getting up.
- "Yup." Zell replied.
- "OK. I'm coming with you. Let's go." the blond said.
The trio made their way off Garden, down the short path leading to the city and through the Gates.
- "Zell, let me do the talking at first, OK?" Seifer asked, right before entering the city.
- "Uhh… OK. Sure." Zell replied, shrugging.
The moment Seifer turned back around, Zell and Rinoa shot each other bemused looks.
- "What's with the kindness all of a sudden?" Zell whispered to Rinoa.
- "I dunno!" the girl replied, shaking her head.
As soon as they stepped within the limits of the city, they were greeted with a nasty surprise. A middle-aged couple was standing outside, by the gas-station, while a Galbadian soldier was guarding the entrance, next to a truck.
- "What the…?" Seifer said, creasing his forehead.
- "What's going on here?!" Zell asked out loud, stopping in his tracks.
- "Umm… That guard isn't supposed to be there, right?" Rinoa whispered to Seifer.
- "No, of course not." the blond replied.
The couple standing outside was talking. Being right next to them, they overheard their discussion.
- "I don't know what to do! What's happening to this town?! When can we go in?! If I knew this was going to happen, I would have brought our daughter with us! I hope she's all right…" the woman said worriedly "Ohh…I hope grandpa's taking care of her…"
Noticing the three standing next to them, the man turned around and spoke.
- "We were forced out of town days ago." he informed them "Our daughter's still at home, but there's nothing we can do. With all these soldiers from Galbadia, you've got to stop and wonder whether Galbadia fell to the hands of the sorceress."
- "Oh, that's terrible!" said Rinoa, frowning.
- "So… No-one's allowed in? Not even citizens?" asked Seifer.
- "No! We are citizens and they won't let us in!" the woman protested.
- "Thank you for the information." Seifer said.
He walked over to the Galbadian soldier, when Zell stepped up in front.
- "Yo…! What's goin' on in there?!" he asked.
- "This town is under the control of Sorceress Edea!" the soldier replied "The town is off-limits while we conduct our investigation! It will last for several days! Once we're through with our investigation here, you're next. So just stay out and stay put!" he added, frowning "You guys look suspicious. What are you doing here?"
- "What's Galbadia doing in a town like this?" Seifer asked.
- "What do you want? Are you residents here?" the Galbadian asked.
- "YEAH, that's right! At least residents should be allowed in!" Zell protested.
- "It's OFF-LIMITS!" the soldier repeated "You cannot enter or leave. Do you understand?!"
- "Hah?! Who do you think you're talkin' to?" Zell yelled, fuming.
Seifer gently pushed Zell aside, motioning to him to be quiet. He walked over to the Galbadian. He'd have to try a different approach to the matter…
- "What? What is it now?" the soldier asked, agitated.
- "So… The town's off-limits, eh?" Seifer asked, crossing his arms "Then I suppose we can't deliver a message, either…Your loss…" he added, shaking his head "We were willing to provide some info on Ellone…" he said, pretending to be casual about it.
- "W-What? Elle…Wait a minute!" the soldier stuttered "Tell me everything you know about her! Do you actually know who she is?"
- "Ahh, but I can't just let it spill so easy…" Seifer said meaningfully "I'll make ya a deal. You let us go in and I find your superior and tell him everything I know…"
The Galbadian seemed to hesitate.
- "Hey, it's either that or we're outta here…" Seifer said.
- "OK, OK!" the soldier protested "Go talk to the Captain. He'll probably be at the hotel. You will be rewarded."
Seifer nodded at him and motioned the other two to follow him.
- "Smooth…" Rinoa whispered to Seifer, grinning.
- "You're not really gonna tell them about Ellone, are ya?" Zell asked.
- "Of course not." Seifer replied "All we needed was to get in. Now we find this Captain fellow and proceed into 'aggressive negotiations'…" he added, smirking.
- "Yo, can we go visit my place for just a tiny bit?" asked Zell "I wanna see how my Ma's doin'."
- "Sure, where does she live?" asked Seifer.
- "It's right over there!" Zell said, pointing at the door to his house.
He sprinted over to the door, slipping his hand into his pocket. He retrieved his key and slid it through the door, opening it. Seifer and Rinoa followed behind him, looking around the house.
- "Ma! I'm home!" Zell called.
The hall and kitchen were empty. Puzzled, Zell looked around. He made a turn and headed towards the living room. His mother was sitting inside, along with another woman and her young son.
- "Ma! You're safe!" Zell exclaimed, running over to her, hugging her tightly.
- "Zell!" Ma Dincht said in delight "How on earth did you get into town?!"
- "It's all in the brains, ma." Zell replied, pulling away "We just said we had some info on Ellone. Piece o' cake!"
- "What a relief… I was worried you might have beaten up one of the guards." Zell's mother said, sighing. Rinoa giggled "The soldiers have threatened that the sorceress will burn the town to the ground, should there be any disturbance."
- "Is the Sorceress here?" Seifer asked immediately.
- "No, but they soldiers keep talking about her." Ma Dincht replied.
- "Leave it to me! I'll get rid of those jokers!" Zell said valiantly.
- "Zell, where are your manners?" Ma Dincht scowled "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
- "Oh, yeah!" Zell said, slapping his forehead "This is Rinoa Heartilly…" he said, pointing at Rinoa.
- "Hi!" Rinoa said smiling, waving chirpily.
- "And this is Seifer Almasy, one of the two Commanders in our Garden." Zell added.
- "Nice to meet you." Seifer said, nodding at her.
- "And this is Celeste and her son, Damien." Ma Dincht said, introducing the two other people in her living room.
The woman nodded and her son, waved at them.
- "Yo, Zell!" Damien exclaimed "I've been practicin' my special move just for a day like this! HYEEE-YAAA! SuuuPER-MIRACLE-KiiiCK!!!" the little boy said, performing a kick in the air.
Rinoa and Seifer chuckled.
- "You came in just in time for lunch." Ma Dincht said "Why don't you come over the kitchen?"
- "We'd love to, but we need to see the Galbadian Captain ASAP." replied Seifer.
- "And worse comes to worse, we might need to fight them." Rinoa added.
- "But we'll definitely come back and visit again…" Seifer said, smiling warmly.
- "Tell that to Zell… Sometimes I think he forgets he even has a mother…" Ma Dincht said, arching an eyebrow towards her son.
- "Ma…" Zell whined tiredly.
- "Zell might not express it, but I'm sure he's very grateful and honored to have such a caring mother…" Seifer added, smirking at Zell.
- "Oh Zell… How come you never bring such kind friends of yours over?" Ma Dincht asked.
Zell widened his eyes 'What the… Does my mom actually LIKE Seifer?! I bet that bastard is only acting goody-goody to her to get on my nerves…'
- "Oh, well…" Ma Dincht said "Make sure you take care Zell, you hear?"
- "Yes ma…" Zell replied, heading towards the door.
- "And be careful!" she called, as they exited the living room.
- "Your mom's really nice!" Rinoa said smiling, once they'd left the house.
- "You should try her cookin', too! That's what's reeeealy nice…" Zell replied, grinning.
- "Focus people, we've got work to do." Seifer said, heading towards the hotel.
- "Ah, spoken like a true Commander!" Rinoa said, giggling.
Seifer shot her a mock-glare and kept walking. Soon, they were outside the Hotel entrance, which was guarded by two soldiers. As soon as they approached them, the sentries held their weapons on guard.
- "What do you want?! If it's the Captain you're looking for, I have strict orders not to let anyone through." said one of them.
- "Even if that 'anyone' has info on Ellone?" Seifer asked meaningfully.
- "…What? Information about Ellone? Hmmmm… More rumors?" the other said.
- "You know that we'll get a salary cut if we let' em through without confirmation." said the first one.
- "Yeah, I know… In this army your salary gets cut based on just how the boss is feeling… I guess it goes with the territory when you can't choose your own boss."
- "Yo, listen!" Zell piped in "We have top secret info! Bring the Captain out here!"
- "These guys are kinda… suspicious, huh?" the first soldier told the other one.
- "Yeah, totally." he agreed.
- "Have some respect for the captain! The captain is currently on patrol!" snapped the other one.
- "The captain will be sure to reward you. He'll also take full responsibility… Go talk to him." said the other soldier.
- "Fine. Come on." Seifer told Rinoa and Zell.
Leaving the Hotel area, the three made their way back towards the city square.
- "So now what?" asked Rinoa "Are we just gonna keep looking for that Captain guy?"
- "Well, we've got no choice." replied Seifer "If we get him, then we've got them all in our hands. Without their Captain they'll be lost."
- "OK, but where do we start lookin'?" asked Zell.
- "Hey, check that out…" Rinoa said, pointing towards the harbor "What's with the huge ship?"
- "Ship?" Seifer asked, turning around.
He noticed one great vessel anchored within the small harbor of Balamb, brandishing the Galbadian emblem.
- "You mean the battleship?" Seifer asked, arching a sarcastic eyebrow.
- "Yeah, whatever…" Rinoa replied.
- "Hmmm… Dunno… Why would they bring cargo over to Balamb?" Seifer said.
- "Surely they're not thinking about stationing troops here, right?" Zell asked.
- "I don't think so…" Seifer said.
- "Why don't we go check it out?" Rinoa suggested.
- "Yeah, let's go." Seifer agreed.
The tall blond led the small team, walking down the harbor area, towards the few soldiers hanging around. One of them, seemed to be a superior. The moment they were spotted, the latter approached them, face austere, checking them out.
- "Who are you three?" he asked "What are you doing here?"
- "We're here to investigate the situation of the city." Seifer replied, crossing his arms "What are you doing here? By whose authority are you taking over the town?"
- "By the authority of the Sorceress, sonny." the man said, stressing that last word mockingly "By whose authority are you inspecting the city?"
- "By the authority of Balamb Garden SeeDs, mister." Zell piped in.
- "SeeDs?!" the Galbadian hissed.
- "Where's your Captain? We'll only talk with him." Seifer said.
- "Who the hell let you in?!" the man shouted.
- "I said: We'll only talk with the Captain. Bring him over here, now." Seifer demanded, frowning.
- "You're looking at the Captain, boy!" the man replied "And you're about to pay for your insolence! Men!"
Immediately, the three soldiers loitering around approached their Captain, taking out their swords.
- "Get rid of those kids." the Captain said casually, stepping aside.
Seifer, Zell and Rinoa took a step backwards, drawing out their weapons.
- "Come and get it, you jokers!" Zell beckoned them to move forward.
The first soldier lunged at Zell, who merely performed a kick in the air, getting the soldier right on the head. Zell grabbed him from the shirt and began punching the shit out of him.
- "Thought you could mess around with my town?!" Zell hissed, throwing continuous punches at the man's face.
Meanwhile, the second soldier attacked Rinoa. He brought his sword down at her, but the girl avoided the blow easily, jumping to the ground and rolling away. She got back up on her feet, landing a hard hit with her weapon onto the back of the Galbadian's head.
- "Fira!" she shouted, extending her arm towards him.
An amber trail of fire emerged from the ground, moving stealthily from Rinoa's feet towards the soldier.
Seifer's opponent didn't even have the time to make a second move. He swung his sword across the air once, only to see Seifer quickly duck and emerge back up, slicing his head off with ease. The blond shook the blood off Hyperion with one sharp swing, watching the Galbadian's head roll off onto the ground. Turning to his side, he saw the bad burns on the soldier's skin after Rinoa was done with him. The man was twitching onto the ground. Trotting over to his side, Seifer put an end to his torment by plunging Hyperion down to the man's chest. A whimper was all that was heard from him, before a trail of blood appeared dripping from his lips and his head lay lifeless to the side. Zell let go of his opponent who had long ago passed out and followed Seifer and Rinoa towards the horrified Captain.
Seifer grabbed the man from the shirt, pulling him up to his level. He brought his gunblade next to the Captain's neck and spoke.
- "Now… If you want to live to see your motherfucking ass skedaddle out of this town, you're going to order your troops to retreat, nice and easy." he growled at him.
- "I don't think so…" the Captain said, with what little courage was left within him "BRING OUT THE BLACK WIDOWS!" he yelled.
Enraged, Seifer slashed his throat with his weapon, throwing him onto the ground lifeless.
The three mercenaries stood still in front of the great battleship anchored before them, as the hangar doors slowly slid open.
- "What the hell are 'Black Widows'?" Zell asked.
- "Wait…" Seifer said "I think I've heard of the name before…"
The blond fell in deep thought, searching through the memories of his training, trying to remember where he'd about that before. His mind struggled and struggled, going through endless lectures and countless manual pages 'Black Widow… Black widow… Wait. Galbadian machinery… Robots… X-ATM092, otherwise known as the 'Black Widow'…' Seifer's eyes widened as he brought in mind the image right next to that particular excerpt of the SeeD manual.
Unfortunately, the picture had nothing on the view that just appeared in front of him. He heard Rinoa gasp beside him and Zell mumble a faint curse, as two gigantic metal beasts crawled out of the battleship. Manufactured to resemble a shape between that of a crab and a spider, the machines moved about, shifting their claws, locking their targets that stood only a few feet before them.
- "I t-t-think that it would be w-w-wise to get the hell outta here right about now and get some back-up…" Seifer mumbled.
- "I second that." Rinoa said in a whimper.
- "Hear, hear." Zell agreed.
- "On the count of three…" mumbled Rinoa.
- "Screw the counting and let's go!" Seifer hissed, grabbing Rinoa from the wrist.
The three teenagers turned around and broke into a frantic run. Triggered by their sudden movement, the two Black Widows leaped off the battleship and began chasing them.
Jumping up the stairway leading to the city square, the trio ran, feeling as if their limbs were about to detach from their bodies…
A few minutes earlier…
Squall was pacing back and forth the office, cell-phone pressed against his ear. He'd been trying to reach Seifer and the others for a fair ten minutes, but the blond wouldn't reply. Agitated and somewhat worried, the young Commander terminated the call after hearing a knock on his door.
- "Enter." he said.
The door opened and Quistis walked inside, looking upset.
- "Squall, is everything alright?" she said immediately "You called and asked me to come up here at once."
- "I can't get to Seifer and the others. They went to Balamb to inspect the situation." Squall replied.
- "Who's with him?"
- "Zell and Rinoa. You think they might have encountered enemies?" Squall asked.
- "I dunno…" replied Quistis, biting a fingernail "How long have you been trying to reach them?"
- "About ten minutes. I've been calling all the time." Squall replied.
- "Maybe we should go check it out?" Quistis suggested.
- "It could be nothing. And I have to stay here. Can you pay Balamb a visit and see for yourself? If there's something wrong, I'll have Irvine and Selphie on standby. Just give us a call." Squall said, tossing her his cell-phone "I'll be here at the office."
- "Alright. I'll go." Quistis said nodding, turning around to walk to the door.
- "And Quistis…?" Squall said, making her turn around "Be careful."
Quistis nodded once again, smiling weakly. She exited the office, heading towards the elevator 'I hope everything's OK… They probably just didn't hear the phone ringing… Right?'
- "SHIT!" Seifer yelled, turning momentarily to glance backwards "THEY'RE GAINING ON US! EVERYONE GET INSIDE YOUR HOUSES!" he screamed at the people who stared at them, bewildered.
Behind them, the two machines were moving fast, crushing the concrete beneath them, bending cars and benches that came their way like they were but mere soda cans. Citizens ran from the streets terrified, screaming, heading to the nearest shelter available. A woman stepped to the threshold of her door to see what was happening outside, only to be shoved back inside from Seifer as he sprinted through that street. A few houses down, a little girl emerged through the door. Zell immediately recognized her as the daughter of the couple standing at the entrance. Ducking, he scooped her up in his arms, continuing to run as fast as he could. The girl screamed when she caught glimpse of the machines behind them, hugging Zell tightly and burying her face in his arms.
Seifer, Zell and Rinoa reached the last narrow path leading to the city entrance.
- "HIDE INSIDE THE GAS STATION, FAST! AND STAY THERE!!!" Seifer shouted to the couple, as Zell quickly handed them their daughter.
The man took his daughter in his arms and grabbed the hand of his wife, running horrified inside the station as they were told to. The three teenagers rushed through the city Gates, making their way out to the fields. Bemused, the Galbadian soldier still guarding the entrance, turned around. He barely had time to blink and gasp, as he saw a mechanical 'leg' advance on him.
One of the Black Widows ignored the soldier that came across its way. Its leg descended down to him in a heartbeat, piercing his abdomen with ease. The man coughed faintly, choking in his own blood which came surging from his ripped stomach to his lips. The robot stepped over the truck stationed next to the Galbadian, which collapsed into a pile of metal debris under the weight of the heavy machine. The roof was squeezed down, slowly getting level with the bottom of the truck and the tires, windows smashing. The body of the soldier was still hanging from the sharp tip of the machine's mechanical leg, now shattering as the Widow stepped back on solid ground. If the first wound inflicted on the Galbadian wasn't fatal, it was the next blow that left his suspending body lay lifeless and deformed. A trail of the deepest crimson marred the grey concrete as the corpse was dragged onto the ground roughly, leaving –now- severed parts of it behind. The machine leading, momentarily stopped, bringing its leg forward, examining the weight on it. The target locked onto the dead carcass, inspecting it. The Widow shook the mechanical limb abruptly, making the body fall onto the ground, near the family that was hiding inside the station. The small girl winced at the appalling sight, only to be immediately made to look away by her father, who held her against his chest firmly. The two machines left the town limits, heading out to the fields of Balamb, where the trio had just run to.
Panting, struggling for breath, Seifer led the small team, running like he never had before in his life. They'd just left the city borders and had a hope of reaching Garden in time. Seifer's eyes widened as he came across the figure of Quistis, heading down the path towards them.
- "QUISTIS, NO!!! TURN AWAY" Seifer screamed "GET BACK!!!"
Bewildered, Quistis ignored Seifer's pleas and ran towards them, eager to see what was going on.
- "NOOO! GO BACK, DAMMIT!" Seifer yelled once more.
The young Instructor finally realized what it was they were running away from. She saw the two Black Widows emerging from the city entrance and gasped in shock. Instead of running away though, she sprinted towards the others determinedly. Stopping on her tracks, he reached down under her skirt, pulling out a small handgun suspending from a garter on her right thigh. Thanking Hyne for having trusted her instinct and having brought the gun all SeeDs were equipped with for emergency situations, she pulled the cock and aimed.
- "DUCK!" she yelled.
Her three peers, who were close to her by now, didn't need to be told twice and jumped down to the ground in unison. The gun was no match against the machines of course, but it would hopefully prove useful until reinforcements came. They had to keep these Widows away from the Garden at any cost. The blonde bit her bottom lip roughly and fired to the distance. The bullet flew threw the air, stopping only when it collided with metal. The shot was practically useless, but it stalled the Widow the tiniest bit. And right now, every second was precious. Quistis knew that the only weakness these exterminating machines had, was their inability for long-range attacks. And she would use it for their advantage to the fullest.
- "Seifer! Take out your weapon and fire!" she called at the blond on the grass "It won't do much, but it will keep them away a bit longer! Rinoa!" she called the girl, tossing her the cell-phone with her free hand "Call Squall and ask for reinforcements! Zell, cast Protect on all of us! If you don't have any, draw them from me!"
Seifer immediately got up on his feet and loaded a round of six bullets on Hyperion. Thankfully, his weapon's bullets were stronger than a plain gun's, but still wouldn't do any critical or even substantial damage to the Widows.
- "Zell, let Quistis concentrate. Draw Protect from me." Rinoa said to Zell hastily, as she opened the lid of the small black phone "What's Garden's number?"
- "2310 – 229941." Zell said, extending his arm towards Rinoa, concentrating.
The blond shut his eyes, feeling the tips of his fingers beginning to warm up.
- "Draw Protect!" he spoke.
Rinoa hissed, as she felt coldness pooling within her abdomen and lungs. She gasped as the spells left her body, one by one, a feeling as if something was being pulled from her stomach to her brain, freezing her insides. Five glowing blue orbs escaped Rinoa's body, flying off in a heartbeat to Zell's outstretched palm. Rinoa swiftly dialed the number Zell had told her, anxiously waiting for someone, anyone, to pick up the phone.
- "Hello?"
- "Xu?! Hand Squall over the phone now!!" Rinoa shrieked.
Not a second passed, before Squall came to the phone.
- "Rinoa?!" Squall spoke worriedly.
- "Squall, you have to come down here NOW! Two machines have cornered us; they called them Black Widows I think! Hurry!" Rinoa uttered in one breath.
She heard the line go dead immediately and terminated the call, slipping the phone inside her pocket.
- "Protect!" Zell yelled, pointing his hand at Quistis.
Rinoa followed his lead, casting Protect on Seifer. The two proceeded in casting the spell to themselves.
Meanwhile, Seifer and Quistis were shooting bullets continuously at the two machines, which were less than thirty feet away from them.
- "Does anyone have any Thunder spells?!" Seifer called.
- "I do!" Zell exclaimed.
- "Share them with Rinoa and keep casting one every two minutes! Not sooner or else you'll exhaust yourselves!" Quistis said, aiming to shoot another bullet.
The blonde shot her last shell to the machines, then reached down to her pocket to retrieve more cartridges. Cold sweat was damping all of her body as the Widows got closer and closer 'Hyne help us all…'
Squall slammed the receiver onto the phone in his desk, meeting with the worried expressions on Selphie, Xu and Irvine's faces.
- "They're being attacked by two Black Widows." Squall spoke as calmly as he could, although sweat was concentrating on his forehead "Irvine, head to the machine guns immediately."
- "I can go, too!" Selphie offered.
- "The more the merrier…" Squall said, tossing her a portable radio "Keep me informed if anything happens. Go. Now." he ordered.
The cowboy and the brunette nodded and hurried out of the office.
- "Xu, I'm leaving you in charge." Squall said "Make sure no-one finds out what's going on outside, or else they'll panic."
- "You can count on me." Xu said firmly.
- "I know I can." Squall said, rushing outside.
He pulled out his brand new Twin Lance, waiting impatiently out of the elevator, cursing the slowness of it 'Hyne, I hope no-one's harmed yet… Quistis, Zell, Seifer… Rinoa…' he thought, swallowing with difficulty. The elevator shaft finally reached the 3rd floor and the young Commander barged inside, hoping he wasn't too late…
Irvine stormed inside the empty machine gun room, pulling Selphie behind him. The room was only used during war and while the Garden was airborne, for protection. Cursing inwardly for emergency situations like this that no-one ever thought of, he rushed to one of the empty gun cubicles, sitting on the chair behind the weapon. Selphie followed suit, choosing one that viewed the front of the Garden, just like Irvine already had.
Sitting onto the soft red leather chair, the miniscule girl grabbed the handles with one hand, lowering the electronic target scope before her eyes. Spinning the cubicle to the best position she could, she gripped the handles with both palms.
- "OK Selphie, listen carefully!" Irvine called next to her "Keep both eyes open and hold the handle firmly because it'll vibrate greatly with every shot. Just keep the triggers pulled for multiple shots and keep the target as far away from the guys as possible, got it?"
- "Got it!" Selphie said firmly.
Irvine brought the target scope down, pressing a button on the panel above to zoom the image in.
- "Oh hey! Press the button that says 'Zoom' on the panel above you to get a better view of the target!" Irvine added.
Selphie immediately did so and examined the image before her. The Black Widows were being poorly kept away from the weak bullets Seifer and Quistis were firing. The were dangerously close and only the Thunder spells Rinoa and Zell were now casting were holding them back the slightest bit. She aimed on the Widow closer to her peers, clenched her teeth tightly and brought her slender fingers to the triggers.
- "Ready, Selph?!" Irvine called.
- "Ready!"
- "FIRE!"
Squall rushed out of the elevator, skidding down the stairs, jumping down the last ten steps. The Commander landed on his feet and sprang back up, breaking into a run. Any student passing by, saw nothing but a blur of black flash by them 'They'll know something is wrong, but this isn't the time to be stalling…' Squall thought, running.
Making his way to the front yard of Garden, he zigzagged across the students that came across his way, yelling to everyone to move aside. His feet brought him to the Front Gate, where he jumped down the platform and onto the sand of the beach the Garden was stationed upon 'Machines are weak against Thunder… I need to summon Quetzalcoatl…' he thought, running down the path to the plains. The two Black Widows were visible from afar and gunshot could be heard. The brown-haired boy narrowed his eyes in determination, concentrating as hard as he could. Slashing away the Bite Bugs that zoomed over to him with mere slashes of Twin Lance, he cleared his path to his friends, muttering the incantation to summon his Guardian Force.
Seifer kept shooting rounds of bullets that echoed loudly as they left the nozzle of his gunblade. Horrified, the blond Commander realized that he had very few bullets left. Clenching his teeth, he aimed towards the Widows, trying to keep his concentration. He heard a sudden roar from afar, before seeing a shower of bullets rush down to the machines.
All of them turned their eyes to their back, tracing the source of the gunfire back to Garden. Right on cue, they spotted the raven-clad figure of Squall appear all of a sudden, arm extended as he ran.
- "SUMMONING QUETZALCOATL!" his deep voice boomed.
The bird of Thunder appeared instantly to their aid, rising glorious before the two Black Widows. Squall rushed to everyone's side, panting, tired from running and summoning the GF.
- "What took you so long, dammit?!" Seifer growled at him, once he got closer.
- "Just shut up and shoot, Almasy." Squall retorted, filling his own gunblade with bullets.
Seifer felt a hand slip inside his left pocket, dropping something.
- "Thought you might need some provisions…" Squall said, voice loud enough to be heard over the gunshot.
The blond Commander turned and looked at his brown-haired counterpart, who was now aiming at the machines and smirked.
- "You've got your moments, Leonhart… Not many, but you've got 'em…" he said, as he reloaded his weapon.
- "Protect!"
Squall turned to his side and saw that it was Zell who had just cast Protect over him. The first grinned at the blond, nodding at him to thank him.
- "LOOK OUT!" Quistis shouted "IT'S CASTING RAY-BOMB!"
The blonde was right. One of the Widows plunged its legs firmly onto the soft ground beneath the grass and begun to hum loudly. A small surge of exhaust steam seemed to come out of it and a laser-gun pointed at all of them, releasing as bright yellow light to their direction. Seifer turned his head away from the brightness of the ray and saw his protect shield shine once as the laser beam passed by him.
- "Cast Protect again!" he shouted, once the attack was over "The shields won't make it with another attack like that!"
Immediately, Zell and Rinoa cast Protect once again to their comrades and themselves, one by one.
Quistis cursed as she realized that she had run out of bullets. Searching her pockets thoroughly for any last remnants of cartridges, she was crestfallen to find none. Dropping her handgun to the grass, she extended her arms forward, preparing Thunder spells to cast.
- "Thundaga!" she called, pointing at the machine closer to them.
A minor earthquake shook the ground beneath the machine, as a bright beam of electricity came surging out, shattering the ground. The Thundaga spell shook the Widow wildly, discharging it for a few seconds. Small particles exploded within the machine and it moved its target onto her 'Oh Hyne…' Quistis mumbled inwardly, thinking that if the Widow had a voice, it would be growling at her right now. It took a couple of steps forward and raised one of its mechanical claws, bringing it down towards her, wide-open.
Next to Quistis, Seifer's sixth sense, which developed within everyone trained for years like he was, alarmed him. Grabbing Quistis's arm with his free hand, he pulled her back, stepping in front of her. The girl gasped and stumbled, falling down to the grass, irises dilating as she saw the claw descend down to Seifer. The blond raised his Hyperion and began shooting bullets to the mechanical arm of the metal beast. The movement of the arm slowed down a fair amount, but never ceased. The last bullet flew off from Hyperion, but still didn't stop the claw. Taking in a sharp breath, Seifer raised his gunblade and brought it down slashing the air. Amber sparks flew and the next thing everyone saw, was a great piece of metal falling to the ground with a thud; Hyperion had cut through one 'branch' of the claw. Breathing heavily, Seifer still held his Hyperion in battle position. A metallic shriek was heard from the Widow and with tremendous agility, it brought its arm down once again, shoving Seifer hard to the ribs, sending him to the ground.
- "SEIFER!" Quistis cried.
She hurried to his side, as a flurry of bullets fell onto that last Widow from the Garden machine guns. Quistis helped Seifer turn around to rest on his back. The blond was hissing, clutching his left rib side with his right palm. He gritted his teeth, breathing in sharply.
- "Are you alright?!" Quistis said worriedly, touching his shoulders.
- "I think I broke some ribs…" Seifer said, hissing, slowly getting up on one knee.
The last bullets that fell on the Widow seemed to have done critical damage, as the machine collapsed down to its legs. Steam begun to come out of it and a sizzling sound resonated from its insides.
- "RUN!" yelled Zell "IT'S GONNA BLOW!"
Quistis grabbed Seifer's hand, breaking into a run. Seifer ran as fast as he could considering his injury. The five teenagers moved away a safe distance from the Widow, jumping to the ground when they heard an explosion take place behind them. Quistis shoved Seifer forward, causing him to trip and roll on the ground with her above him. They came to a stop near the beach, next to everyone else, realizing that the other machine had gotten too close to Garden.
One of the Widows had been defeated. Particles flew all over in mid-air, as an outpour of fire surged out when the machine erupted. A cloud of smoke rose in the air, camouflaging the area for a while. The smoke and dust began to clear away and settle down, revealing the other machine damaged by the explosion as well. It had fallen onto its back from the outburst of energy.
Quistis coughed and cleared the air before her with her palm. Seifer's face was cradled by her other hand in the crook of her neck as she lay above him. She ran a hand through her hair and raised her bodyweight up with her arms, looking down at Seifer.
- "Are you hurt?" she asked softly. Seifer winced.
- "I think I broke more ribs…" he muttered, coughing.
- "Are you able to stand?" she asked with concern.
- "I will be able to, as soon as you get off me…" Seifer muttered, gently pushing her off him.
He slowly got up on his knees, holding Hyperion in one hand, clutching his ribs with the other. Quistis bit her lip and stood on her knees, clearing her battle gear from the dust. Seifer was obviously quite bitter about what had happened the previous night. And quite frankly, she couldn't blame him. But when she saw that Widow knock him to the ground, she'd felt so-
- "Oh no…" Rinoa gasped.
Quistis turned to her side abruptly. The other Widow was still 'alive' and kicking. With one swift move, it rolled off its back and onto its legs. Now was not the time to ponder about her feelings. Right now she had to make sure everyone stayed alive… Quistis got back up on her feet, following her peers. Another round of bullets came rushing down to the last remaining machine from the Garden machine guns, as they all prepared their weapons and Thunder spells…
Irvine kept sending well-aimed shots at the only functioning Widow left. They were going to make it, he could feel it. The last machine shouldn't need much more damage to collapse; it would be going down any minute now…
Click
The cowboy froze in position 'OUT OF AMMO?!' he screamed at himself 'Ohhh no… Oh nonononono… This is BAD!'
- "Selphie! I'm out of ammo!" Irvine called.
- "Just grab one of the other machine guns!" Selphie yelled, to be heard above the gunshot from her own machine gun.
- "There aren't any left that are facing that way!" Irvine shouted.
- "I've still got bullets left in mine! Don't wor-"
Click
Selphie's jaw dropped and her fingers kept squeezing the triggers like there was no tomorrow.
- "NOOOO!" she shrieked "NO! There HAVE to be more bullets!" she yelled, pulling her hair frantically.
- "AW, CRAP!" Irvine cursed, banging one fist hard onto the console before him.
Squall was shooting endless rounds to the Widow. Bullet shells were falling like rain between his booted feet, non-stop. Seifer was by his side, never stopping to fire either. Suddenly, the environment became extremely silent compared to what it had been just a couple of seconds ago. The only sounds were the spells hitting the machine one by one and the sound of their own gunshot. Something was missing… His eyes widened.
- "Anyone care to tell me why the FUCK they've stopped shooting?!" he yelled.
- "Damn, this can't be good…" Zell said, as his most recent Thundaga spell died down, onto the metal surface of the mechanical beast.
- "No shit Sherlock, you think?!" Seifer hissed, reloading Hyperion.
Zell groaned. At least he was beginning to sound like his old self… All this prior kindness had begun to get on his nerves…
- "Kkkkhhhh… SQUALL!"
The brown-haired Commander immediately turned his attention to the radio attached to his belt.
- "Khhh… khhhUALL! WE'RE kkkhhhT OF AMMO!" came Selphie's distorted voice "KkkhhhREPEAT: WE'RE OUkhhhhhhF AMMO!"
- "Damn, they're out of ammo!" Squall yelled, shooting another bullet with Twin Lance.
Seifer cursed as he aimed.
- "So the rest is up to us… Just fucking great…" he mumbled, taking a shot.
- "Thundaga!" Rinoa shouted, as a surge of electricity left her body.
Rinoa's great ease and concentration with the use of magic spells allowed her to be able to perform quite powerful ones for someone trained so little like her. Even compared to four military specialists, her spells seemed to be doing the most considerable amount of damage. That fact was a quite a consolation for her lack of strength, which kept making her feel out of her league when fighting by the side of her new friends. The power of her spells wasn't left unnoticed by the Widow, either. The machine recovered from her most recent one, and turned its attention to the raven-haired girl 'Oh-oh… That's definitely not good…' she thought. Advancing on her, the Black Widow swiftly and stealthily brought one of its claws down to her, gripping her thin waist and pulling her up.
- "Rinoa!" Quistis shrieked.
Zell's eyes widened. Instinctively, he knew what the machine's next move was going to be. It was going to press Rinoa's waist and twist her in two like a twig if someone didn't help her soon. Without thinking, he raised his arm and yelled.
- "BREAK!"
A spell flew out of his hand, circling around the mechanical arm with which the machine had grabbed Rinoa. The spell split into three separate beams which magically seeped into the arm. The tip of the claw suddenly begun to get grayer. A thin crust of stone formed around the arm, gradually becoming thicker. The spell was supposed to petrify the enemy it hit, but it didn't work well on machines and besides, the enormity of the robot didn't allow the spell to spread to all its particles. Either way, the spell worked just fine, as if stopped the mechanical arm from moving.
- "Rinoa, duck!" Squall yelled.
The girl did as she was told, covering her head when a shower of bullets from the two gunblades fell onto the 'shoulder' of the arm. A deep crack soon appeared, slowly beginning to spread across the arm's width. The arm broke from the shoulder, falling off onto the ground. The claw slipped from Rinoa's waist, as she held onto the machine tightly. Enraged, –as much as a robotic machine could possibly get- the Widow reached out for Rinoa with its other arm. Thinking quickly, Rinoa threw her right leg up, hooking it onto the machine's back, hoisting herself up before the other arm caught her. Wobbling, the girl fell onto her knees, grabbing on for dear life from the protruding edges of the parts on the Widow's back.
- "Shit!" Seifer cursed.
'Ohhhh Hyne… Now I've done it…' Rinoa thought, biting her bottom lip. Squall and Seifer kept shooting at the machine, but they could do nothing more, seeing as if they cast a Thunder spell, it would affect her as well 'Oh no… I'm going to get them killed… They can't defeat it with bullets only!' Rinoa screamed at herself 'I have to get down from here, FAST!' She began heading towards the lower part of the beast's back, leaping forward to avoid the last remaining arm that was out to get her. Falling stomach first, she tried to get up, only to find that her boot had gotten stuck. She got up on her knees and turned around, to try and break free, when…
Rinoa's eyes widened. Her shoe had gotten stuck within a gap created by a half-open hatch. Curiosity got the better out of her and pulling her foot out, she turned around to open the hatch. She winced and tugged on the handle of the hatch, finally getting it to open. A small console was hidden underneath it. Squinting, she tried to make out the writing on top of it, covering her head with one arm, to avoid any rogue bullets that might come her way.
- "Rinoa, jump off! We can't hold it back with bullets only!" she heard Seifer yell.
'In a sec…' she whispered to herself 'Because if that's what I think it is, then we're saved…' She cleared the panel with her palm, making the writing visible underneath the coat of dust. She read the writing on the panel 'SELF-DESTRUCT MECHANISM! THAT'S IT!!' she thought, trying hard not to jump up from joy.
- "STOP SHOOTING!" Rinoa shouted in glee.
Pushing the big black button on the panel, she heard a loud mechanized voice speak.
- "SELF-DESTRUCT MECHANISM ACTIVATED. DEMOLITION IN TEN SECONDS. TEN…"
Everyone who was on the ground froze on the spot.
- "…NINE…"
- "Well, fuck me… The little squirt did it…" Seifer mumbled in awe.
- "…EIGHT…"
- "Don't just stand there! Run!" Quistis yelled, pulling Seifer from the collar of his coat.
- "Wait! Rinoa!" Zell shouted.
- "…SEVEN…"
- "I'll get her, just go!" Squall yelled, still shooting at the Widow.
- "…SIX…"
- "RINOA, JUMP!" Squall shouted to her.
Rinoa, stood up on her feet, wobbling unsteadily.
- "…FIVE…"
As if trying to protect itself, the Widow turned around and began moving away swiftly. Rinoa quickly turned around, facing Squall who was running behind the machine.
- "…FOUR…"
- "JUMP!"
Taking a deep breath, Rinoa bit her bottom lip and took a few steps forward, jumping off the back of the Widow.
- "…THREE…"
She soared in mid-air, only to be caught in Squall's arms when she descended. They fell to the ground heavily, rolling towards the beach.
- "…TWO…"
Squall quickly got up, grabbing Rinoa's hand, pulling her to the sea shore.
- "…ONE…"
He shoved Rinoa forward, following suit right behind her, holding her from the waist. They hit the water.
BOOM!
Underneath the sea surface, Rinoa heard the muffled sound of the explosion that took place. She felt Squall's arms wrap around her protectively, keeping her close to him. Feeling warmth pool within her, despite the freezing water, she held his cradling arms tighter as well. Seconds later, she felt herself being pulled up.
They both gasped for breath once emerging from the surface of the water. They turned around, towards the great cloud of smoke now emitting from the flaming debris of the machine up to the sky. A great scorching mass was all that was left from the second Widow. Fallen metal particles were spread all over the plains, witnesses of the battle that had just taken place there. Rinoa swallowed hard as she stared at the sight before her. It was then that she noticed that Squall's arms were still wrapped around her tightly, securing her even now. He seemed oblivious to that as well, his gaze locked upon the remnants of the Black Widow. Rinoa smiled warmly and looked up at him eagerly. Squall felt her warm breath caress the skin of his neck and turned around to look at her as well. He realized he was still holding her and suddenly released her, stepping away.
- "Umm… Uhh… Are you OK?" he asked, blushing.
- "Yeah…" Rinoa replied breathlessly "I'm fine."
Their three comrades ran down to the beach towards them, worried expressions on their faces. Quistis stopped on her tracks, clutching her chest in relief once she saw them.
- "Oh thank Hyne…" she gasped, short of breath "You're both safe…"
- "And I believe Rinoa just saved all our skins…" Zell said, grinning.
Rinoa beamed, and looked down at her feet, blushing.
- "Good one, kiddo." Seifer said, winking at her.
- "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Selphie squealed in delight "THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT!" she shouted.
Irvine stared at the view before him from the transparent walls of the machine gun cubicle, smiling blissfully. He got up, chuckling. Selphie jumped up from her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck, still shrieking in glee. Irvine smiled and hugged her as well.
- "Oh, I'm SOOOO happy! I can't believe it!" Selphie went on.
- "Heh, calm down, Selph… I'm really happy too, but-"
The young cowboy staggered backwards and almost dropped Selphie as her lips pressed upon his hard. He almost lost his balance and grabbed the wall behind him to steady himself back up. Grinning broadly under Selphie's lips, he hugged her tighter and kissed her back…
- "…Our offer is more than generous." Seifer spoke.
The Commander of the Galbadian forces stationed in Balamb was standing before his, crestfallen.
- "You pull your forces away from Balamb for good and we let you go in one piece." the blond went on "As we've already informed you, our Garden is packed with fully-trained SeeDs who outnumber your troops by hundreds."
- "So what's it going to be?" Squall asked, crossing his arms.
- "We'll return to our base." the Commander mumbled.
Seifer smirked and could have sworn he saw Squall smile after their successful negotiations. The two Commanders stayed behind and watched the Galbadians gather into their vessel and leave Balamb. After being personally thanked by the Mayor of the City, the two men made their way back to Garden. They were at the Front Gate, when Seifer spoke.
- "If I ever see another Hyne damn of them Black Widows, I swear, I'll kill myself…" he mumbled, rubbing his sore ribs.
- "That could be arranged…" Squall said, his lips twitching upwards.
- "Veeeeery funny, Pubes…" Seifer groaned.
Making their way through the yard, they reached the entrance of Garden and stepped inside the Main Hall. The moment they walked inside though, they were brought to face the entire Garden population, Headmaster, Xu, Nida, Dr. Kadowaki and their comrades included, who erupted into tumultuous applause and cheering. Squall grinned the slightest bit and ran a hand through his hair. He turned around to face Seifer.
- "Oh, I bet you're loving this…" Squall mumbled at him.
- "The fuck I am…" Seifer muttered "I need a cigarette, a shower and someone to fix my fucking ribs straight…"
A/N: Phew! That was a handful… Any answers to possible questions you might have on this will be found in my journal shortly. Ta!
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
B-Garden visits Trabia…