The Journey Begins:
An hour sitting down did not agree with Squall and he shifted in his seat before glancing around his teammates. Selphie was oiling the chain of her nunchaku and Zell was sorting what seemed to be his card collection.
Opposite him, Squall thought that Harry had gone to sleep, but the other man was far too rigid. Of in dreamland perhaps?
Shrugging mentally Squall finally gave up on making the hard seat comfortable and stood.
"I'm gonna head outside for a bit." He said in response the inquisitive looks directed his way from Zell and Selphie. Harry hadn't so much as twitched in his trance like state and Squall frowned a little. If it was likely that the raven would fall into such a state then they would have to keep a close eye on him. Another thing they had to watch with the Sorcerer.
Squall grumbled under his breath in frustration as he opened the top hatch to get out onto the deck of the ship. Letting the spray from the water hit his face.
The air wasn't stuffy out here, the precise opposite in fact. And it was a relief to be able to stretch out his cramped muscles.
Thinking back to the issue of the Sorcerer Squall frowned. Why would Cid send a half trained rookie out with a team of three SeeDs? Sorcerer or not the kid could barely defend himself and it didn't make sense. Yes, they could test to see who was most compatible with Harry's magic but they could have done that anytime. Either before they left or even when they came back.
If the Sorcerer was even half of what he was said to be then the massacre of Timber shouldn't have even happened.
Sighing to himself Squall leant against the metal railing.
The only reason he could think of for Headmaster Cid sending the Sorcerer with them was if Harry had asked to come. Which didn't make any sense either. For all that he had picked up cure spells from Dr. Kadowaki over the last two weeks, Harry wouldn't be that much of a help. Not in keeping monsters and Galbadian soldiers out of the city. And not in putting the place back together.
It didn't make sense.
Growling Squall ran a distracted hand through his hair. The only thing that answered his questions was that Harry was holding back. Holding out on them when they needed him most. That thought only made Squall angry with the younger man and he gritted his teeth. Anger served no use at the moment.
Sighing out into the crisp air again Squall started when the hatch behind him opened. The source of his frustration had followed him out onto the deck.
Harry sent him a vaguely apologetic smile that seemed a little shaky around the edges. Before he moved to settle on the other side of the deck. Considering that that boat was so small, that meant he was two meters away.
Sighing again Squall took the chance to get a few answers.
"Do you fall into that trance often?" Start with the most relevant things first.
Harry looked up in mild surprise before frowning over the question.
"Only when I choose to." He replied.
Squall nodded, relieved on that note.
"I wouldn't advise going so unresponsive while we travel to Timber. Monsters have a tendency to attack when you don't want them too."
Harry grimaced before forcing his shoulders to relax and nodding.
"Sure."
Squall frowned.
He didn't know how to react. Harry seemed ready enough to follow the advice - which he would make an order if he needed to - but he was no soldier. There was no training there that demanded he give a formalised answer.
To Squall who ha grown up in the military environs of the Garden it was difficult to understand.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose Squall turned to other subjects.
"I haven't seen you do anything beyond para-magic..." Squall trailed off, unsure of where he wanted to go with this line of questioning.
For a fleeting moment, he understood how Harry must be feeling. Squall didn't know how to react and understand Harry. Could the Sorcerer be suffering the same?
Even as he trailed off Squall watched as the raven scowled at nothing in particular. Glaring at the horizon before looking down, a guilty expression darting across his face. Squall's stomach lurched. He had been right.
"You're holding out on us aren't you?" He said softly.
When Harry didn't react Squall frowned. How was he going to get any answers from the man if he wouldn't acknowledge him?
Groaning, Squall decided to pick his battles. If the Sorcerer refused to show his magic then FINE! But, just so long as no innocents got hurt when they could have been saved. Not if it could prevent another Timber.
"Fine, I don't care. Hold out for as long as you like. But if you have a chance to save a life and you don't take it then I will be first in line to hunt you down. Just like any other Sorceress." Squall said, marching to the hatch and tearing it open and storming inside.
He ignored the stricken expression on Harry's face. If something he had said had finally gotten through that thick skull then that was all to the good. There was no room for the selfish in Terra. Not with a deranged Sorceress running around.
And why did her face seem so familiar?
Groaning again, Squall skipped the main deck when he heard the excited babble of Zell and Selphie. Heading straight for the hold and the relative peace it provided Squall rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Fighting the impending headache and wishing he had packed some pain killers. Whatever Dr. Kadowaki said they helped.
Slumping down onto the hard metal Squall leant back and examined the shadowy ceiling. The sounds of the ship moving through the water louder here than above but still in a way the deck was silent. It was background noise and nothing more.
The flashes of gunfire didn't bother him here, the smears of blood on his gunblade didn't stain. For the first time in two weeks, Squall sighed in relief and let his eyes close. He would wake when they got to the continent, he could afford a short rest.
The short rest was too short Squall thought, blinking away sleep. Something prodded him in the chest again.
"Come on Squall get up! We're here!" Selphie's bright voice forced away the last of Squall's tiredness. And he pulled himself to his feet.
Nodding to Selphie in thanks, Squall tried to ignore the worried glances of the two SeeDs. Harry glanced at him before staring at the forests and fields that were common on this side of the continent. In the far distance the milky purple and blue of the mountains stood.
Squall checked that he still had his expanded pouch and strode out of the ship without another word. The other three followed him in silence.
It was already late when they stepped out of the SeeD ship. Squall suspected that they wouldn't be able to get far from the shore before they had to find a place to camp.
At least now he didn't worry quite so much about Harry being a liability. Another glance at the shorter man in the dim light showed that he had a somewhat troubled expression. Squall wondered for a moment about the others before he pushed that line of thought away. He wasn't concerned about the Sorcerer's emotional turmoil. If he couldn't deal with it on his own then that was his problem.
Squall turned to Selphie, the most travelled of the three SeeDs.
"How far inland do you think we'll get before needing to stop?" He asked.
Selphie frowned. Staring towards the point where the white sand stopped and the grass and forest started.
"We should make it far enough that we can find a defensible position in the edges of the forest. But I wouldn't go too far. The first place we find I think." Selphie mused, loud enough for the others to hear.
Squall looked in the direction of the forest. It was about three miles from where they were and he hoped that Harry wouldn't wear out halfway. He wouldn't be the one carrying him if he did.
"Alright then. Let's get going." Squall said before he started walking towards the edge of the beach. The others trailing behind.
Despite stopping twice for the monsters of the Galbadian continent, they made good time. Arriving at the forest's edge in a little under an hour. Squall was again impressed with Harry's durability.
Scanning the trees Squall picked out a point that would allow them a good vantage point for the watch. Easy defense and room to run if need be.
"We'll camp here." His tone brooked no argument. And nobody tried as they set up their blankets on the softest ground they could find.
Squall smirked at Harry's joke about hospital beds. While Selphie and Zell smothered their laughter he settled the matter of the watch. Squall would take first watch. Zell second followed by Selphie while Harry would take the fourth watch.
The other two SeeDs frowned when Squall suggested the rota but Harry made no complaint. Nodding before heading off to find his blanket and fit in as much sleep as he could.
It took Squall until the last hour of his own vigil to realise that the Sorcerer hadn't eaten anything.
Squall grumbled as the sun rose and filtered through the trees the next morning.
Sitting up Squall saw the silhouette of Harry sitting against a tree at the edge of the camp. Scanning from the grass plains to the forest. It was on one of these scans that the Sorcerer noticed that Squall had woken before the others.
Squall pushed away the blanket as Harry offered him a half smile before returning to his watch.
Sighing, Squall pushed to his feet and stumbled into the forest before returning to camp. It was as he was packing away his blanket that he remembered his revelation of the night before.
Letting out an irritated huff. Squall pulled an energy bar from his pouch. They didn't have time for anything else now. Turning to the raven haired man he held it out to him.
"You need to make sure you eat." He said.
Harry looked at him for a moment before blinking and accepting the bar. Squall frowned when all Harry did was hold it.
"You're supposed to eat it." He snapped. He didn't want to babysit the smaller man but if he didn't eat then there would be problems for them all.
Harry gave Squall that funny half-smile that didn't fit on his face. Before gesturing to the plastic wrapper and then to the still sleeping Zell and Selphie.
Squall growled. He snatched the bar from Harry's hand and noisily tore the protective plastic shield off.
"That was a stupid excuse." Squall said before turning to find a seat on the opposite side of the camp to watch the sunrise.
From his spot by another tree, Squall watched as Harry all but inhaled the bar and frowned. If he had been hungry then he should have just eaten. Unless he forgot to pack food.
Squall frowned.
The image of Harry forgetting to pack something so necessary didn't fit what he had observed of the man.
He had thought when he first saw the scrawny man that Harry would be hopeless. So far he had been proven wrong. He might not be the world's finest fighter, but he learnt fast. He hadn't complained once when Squall set the hard march last night. And he seemed to take just about everything in stride.
So no. Harry hadn't forgotten to pack food. He had learnt to ignore hunger and forget about it.
Squall's frown deepened. Thus far the Sorcerer was becoming more and more of an enigma. The more answers he received the more he wanted to ask and the less he understood.
Sighing Squall rubbed the bridge of his nose again. The shifting of one of the blankets heralded the waking of Selphie.
Who showed no restraint in greeting them.
"GOOD MORNING!" Selphie all but shouted as she jumped out of her blanket and danced around the camp.
Both Harry and Squall shuddered at the intense morning personality. Zell, it seemed was able to sleep through just about anything. And that included Selphie's good morning to the world at large.
Snoring in his blanket only the barest hint of his blond hair showed. Squall suppressed a smile as he looked at his team member. He was reluctant to wake the other up. But they should be heading off as soon as they could and as it was they were only waiting on Zell.
Looking around him Squall sighed again before shouting.
"ZELL WAKE UP!"
The blond didn't so much as twitch.
Harry let out a snort of laughter as Squall attempted to shake is comatose team member.
Picking the blond up and dropping him again also did nothing beyond causing him to roll over. Find his errant blanket in his sleep. And curl up again.
Selphie was giggling and Harry was smiling.
"Got any water handy?" Selphie asked.
"No, unless you want to risk killing him with a water spell," Squall replied.
He almost missed Harry's contemplative frown.
Squall did notice when Harry stood up with a determined set to his features and moving to stand over Zell.
"I know something that might work." He said. Gesturing towards the sleeping blond and muttering an odd word under his breath.
A jet of sparkling water erupted out of thin air and landed on Zell, soaking both him and the blanket.
Surprised but pleased that Harry had decided that he wasn't going to hold out on them anymore. Squall snorted as Zell sat up with a yell and jumped to his feet.
Shivering Zell rounded on Squall who pointed in Harry's direction with a smirk on his face.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Zell shouted, put off by the rude awakening.
"Oh, good you're awake." Squall said from behind Zell, causing the blond to turn around again and blush.
Harry smirked and Squall watched over Zell's shoulder as he gestured and muttered something. Suddenly, the soaking wet and shivering Zell was dry. Though the blond had one bad hair day.
Selphie stopped holding in her giggles and laughed at Zell's current 'electrocuted' look.
Squall rolled his eyes but grinned.
Behind the fearful blond Harry's eyes widened and a blush crept up his cheeks.
"Sorry, it wasn't meant to do that. I think I overcooked it a little." He said causing Zell to fall into a series of moans and Selphie laughed all the harder.
It was another ten minutes before they had calmed down enough. Harry had tried to help Zell fix his hair a little, that they were able to start moving. Minds wandering again to their reason for being here and what awaited them in Timber.
Looking at the sun, Squall guessed that they could reach the town later that day. The train of supplies would be another day behind them.
The steady march that Squall set to get to Timber within a reasonable time wasn't exactly an easy pace. Even Zell and Selphie were showing signs of strain after a few hours. The sun was high and the temperature became uncomfortably warm.
Harry hadn't lagged behind. He had kept up with the three SeeD trained fighters. He hadn't so much as opened his mouth to contest the grueling march.
Squall sighed when they rested for a short lunch. He was careful to make sure that Harry ate something other than an energy bar but otherwise let his gaze wander. Travelling constantly over the surrounding grass land. They were getting closer to Timber now. And the signs of Galbadian occupation were beginning to show.
The swathes of dead brown ground where forests once stood a stark contrast to the few left standing.
"This whole area used to be forests." Squall heard Selphie say behind him.
"What happened?" Harry asked and Squall twisted his head.
"Galbadia." He said over his shoulder.
"They invaded Timber for the natural resources. They used a lot of wood when they were invading other countries." Zell said, moving up to sit near Squall and look out over the scars left on the land.
"Haven't they heard of regenerative forests?" Harry asked confused.
Squall turned to face the Sorcerer and raised his eyebrows.
"Regenerative forests?" He asked.
"Planting as you cut the older trees down. I know a lot of places did entire forests of them in stages. So that every five or so years there would be a new crop ready and when they were down they'd plant new trees." Harry explained, thinking of the old lumber mills and plantations.
The three SeeDs looked at each other.
"Now why didn't anyone think of that?" Selphie said in a stunned tone and Squall snorted.
"Because we're all idiots." He said before standing up and stretching. "We should get going. We should be able to reach Timber in a few hours if we keep up the pace."
Groaning Zell and Selphie stood up and Harry followed them. Grimacing as the muscles in his legs complained but didn't say anything.
Squall smirked before heading off. He had underestimated Harry.
"How are you not boiling?" Zell exclaimed half-an-hour later. Glaring daggers at Harry who wasn't affected by the weather.
Harry smirked and waved his hand in their general direction. The wave of blissful cool air that surrounded them was heaven and Squall sighed.
"Cooling charms," Harry said before he moved past Zell and kept walking.
The hours passed with little chatter. With Harry's cooling charms in place Squall was able to push them at a harder pace than before. Prompting Zell to send Harry the odd glare which the mild mannered Sorcerer returned.
Selphie, with her boundless energy, didn't seem concerned by the march. But even her exuberance ha dimmed somewhat.
Cresting the last hill Squall sighed in relief at the sight of the city. It was a little ragged around the edges and even from this distance the destruction was clear. But it promised a break from the steady pace.
"Almost there." He said to no one in particular.
A/N: Sorry that this chapter went whoopsie for a bit. Hopefully it comes up as it should now. :)