Careworn Lives
Summary: It's been two years since defeating Ultimecia and Laguna still has yet to reveal to Squall who he is to him. However, while trying to reach that point Laguna is met with challenges that may speed up or hinder that process. A new threat is brewing somewhere to the north and not just Laguna needs to watch out for it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that were not made by me. No canon was harmed by any of the OCs within this text. (In other words, the few OCs that are in this aka. The bad guys will not have any love interests, or be super omega powerful. I strictly hate any and all mary-sues and gary-sues. You will not find any of them in this story.)
While Reading: Please note that all speech will be surrounded by quotes ("") but all thought speech will be surrounded by apostrophes (''). Some people do it, some don't… I just like doing it this way.
-Chapter 3-
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The room had grown stoic. Laguna's dread hung on him like a ton of bricks and Rinoa just searched his eyes for answers. She hadn't felt that the news of Laguna being Squall's father was in the least bit terrible like how Laguna portrayed it as. The way he held himself around Squall was always one of dignity, pride, and respect towards the young man, and now she knew why. Laguna had no feelings of resentment towards his son, and never saw him as being a burden, but it was the past which remained the burden.
With a heavy sigh Laguna continued, "I don't know how to tell you this, but something needs to be done and done now." Laguna paused again. Why couldn't he just throw it out there. Time was being wasted because of his insecurities. "I spoke with my doctor today concerning some recent coughing attacks I've been having. I had plenty of reason to believe it was nothing, however, turns out that I have a rare disease known as pneumoresin. It's hereditary, so because Squall is my son, he has it as well."
"What! But, Squall has never shown any signs of being sick!" Rinoa pleaded, trying to be optimistic about it.
"Which is why I am in such a hurry. The disease needs to be treated before any symptoms are shown, otherwise the disease is fatal." He heard Kiros shift behind him which made Laguna jump remembering he was there. "Ahh, but, even though I've shown symptoms, I will be fine. See, the disease is only fatal to every other generation." Laguna quickly recovered.
"So, we just need to get Squall medicated and all will be well."
"That's it!" Laguna cried with a forced smile to the young girl. He stood up and walked to where she stood. Kneeling down in front of her, he took her hands in his and kissed them lightly.
"Rinoa-" He began before bringing his gaze up to meet hers. "I will do, everything in my power, to make sure Squall is safe. Even if it's my last and only duty to him as his father, I will protect him. You've both fought so hard for so long and I'm not going to let something like this keep you from reaching your own paradise." He stood up and looked down to her. Her eyes had brimmed with tears once again as she starred up at him, how he had aged.
She could see how Laguna's thoughts were steadily draining him. His posture wasn't as straight as it once was, his hair looked like it had grayed that much more. Even though not much time had passed since he learned of the news, his eyes revealed sleepless nights.
Without saying a word, she moved towards him and hugged him tightly, much like how she hugged her own father after her mother's parting. She felt him tense under the sudden closeness which made her sigh. "Laguna- I don't want this to be the only thing you do for your son. This is only the start of a new and brighter future for you and Squall. In a way, I'm happy for this, because it was able to bring us all together." She stepped back, her cheeks glistened once again, but her face now held a smile.
"It may be unfortunate, but hope is still with us, and as long as he have that we can continue on." She said with determination now. Her spirit brightening.
"You're right, Rinoa. There is still hope in saving Squall, and I will not let him slip away from me again." Laguna nodded.
"We should start over to the Garden if we want to confront Squall." Kiros interrupted. "We don't know how much time we actually have."
"Thanks, Kiros. Talking isn't action." Laguna walked back to the controls and lifted the Ragnarok off the ground and pushed it forward towards Balamb Garden. The sun was already setting so the gates would be closing soon. Where could they all talk about this? Should he let Rinoa talk to Squall before he confronted him? Probably. Otherwise, Squall would more than likely deny all of it and not take any treatment. Especially seeing as there are no given symptoms before it's too late.
"You and Kiros wait down in the Quad. I'll send Quistis to come and get you after I reason with Squall. We'll all talk together on the 2nd floor Balcony. The air should help us all keep cool." Rinoa analyzed as the Ragnarok settled on the ground in front of the school.
"You're on." Laguna smiled back at her. She nodded and left the two men to themselves. They watched in silence as she disappeared into the Garden before Kiros suddenly broke the calm.
"You're a horrible lier." Laguna laughed at his companions comment.
"Shall we." He stood up and headed out the door leaving Kiros watching him as he left. Kiros' thoughts floated back to his confrontation with the doctor after Laguna had already ran off to the Ragnarok.
"I can always tell when Laguna is lieing." Kiros said to the doctor as they both watched the Ragnarok fire up it's engines.
The doctor sighed, "He will die."
Kiros shook his head. 'Not fatal to you is it, Laguna? Why do you still try to protect us?' Kiros thought as the intercom suddenly came over with Laguna's voice badgering Kiros to hurry up.
"How long does he have?" Kiros questioned, his voice lacking any sort of emotion.
"A few more months at the most. But if he overexerts himself, it'll be sooner."
Kiros nodded and with a solemn, "I understand." Followed Laguna to the Ragnarok. He knew this would be the last mission they faced together, and the only way Laguna would allow himself to pass on peacefully was to know his son was safe. He at least owed that much to Raine.
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"So it's a deal then. I will supply the Esthar technology, while you supply the armed forces to use it."
"Now, Shumi. You're certain this is going to work." In a split second, the general's throat was in a death grip by the massive hands of the elder Shumi.
"Do not disrespect me, human. I may have come to you with the proposal, but you had no ground to stand-on if I hadn't." The Shumi elder growled.
"Now, now, I'm sure General Caraway didn't mean no disrespect, Elder Rubison. We understand that your plan is fool-proof. But we're more curious in how you knew about Laguna's sudden illness."
Rubison released Caraway from his grasp and turned to the ex-headmaster of Galbadia Garden. "Well first, Laguna's illness was never anything sudden. It laid dormant in his DNA since he was born. The only way I knew about it was because when he washed up on the beach in front of our village so many years ago, the elders at the time took it for themselves to care for him until he was well again. But for me, this was the perfect opportunity to deal with a human up close. I had been studying them for a while now but what I really wanted was a sample of their DNA." He paused and turned to Caraway to finish the rest.
"It was easy to obtain a sample, and it wasn't long before I found the mutant disease attached to his Y chromosome. I kept this knowledge to myself, and untimely sealed Laguna's fate. He would never know he had the pneumoresin disease due to his disconnection with his family." He paused once more and turned away to look out over the massive Deling city.
"And now that Laguna is showing signs of the disease, he hasn't much time left before it consumes him. And then, Esthar will be in a state of turmoil once again. Sure his right hand men will take over for him in his passing, but we'll be attacking so suddenly, and they'll have been in such disarray by the death of their dear friend they won't even know what hit them!" Rubison cried as he turned and slammed his mighty fist onto the desk next to them. Causing Caraway and Martine to jump.
"But what of the rest of your tribe? How were you able to get them to agree to such a thing? The Shumi have always lived under rules of peace." Martine questioned the shumi.
"After I caused a little 'Great Mother' destruction, it was blamed on Esthar which caused the high council to finally decide to act. So long as they remained anonymous in this, they agreed to help the Galbadian army to put an end to Esthar's continuous lack of care for the 'Great Mother'." Rubison finished, rolling his eyes at the terminology of his people.
"So when do we attack?" Caraway questioned, now getting slightly agitated by all the talk.
"Once Laguna's symptoms worsen and he can no longer pose as a threat, we move in. I anticipate a few weeks before hand. So I would suggest getting your troops trained and ready for the infiltration. I've re-opened old mines that will be used for private training of your troops in the mountains of Trabia. The tech is already in place. So I suggest you move your people there and get a move on."
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"Yes, send more supplies if it is needed. Have they been able to get to their flight systems yet?"
"Negative. The few cranes that they have are having difficulty moving the rubble." Xu announced after just returning to Balamb after a three month stay at Trabia Garden during it's repairs.
"If we could just get it to fly then we could have it repaired in no time in FH." Squall studied the diagrams and reports that were in his hand, courtesy of Xu. After destroying Ultimecia, Balamb Garden took on full responsibility of seeing to getting Trabia Garden back up and running. They had already transported numerous workers and supplies from Fisherman's Horizon but it still wasn't enough.
"Understood. However, we're still not sure if she's even flight capable. Trabia Garden was built far before Balamb and Galbadia Gardens." Xu countered.
"But you said you saw the mechanisms to approve flight." Squall interjected, now a bit frustrated.
"Yes, but they're so old. Even the workers from FH can't figure them out."
Squall shook his head and sighed. Along with the repairs to Trabia Garden, Balamb Garden was acting like a hotel to house the students and staff. Rooms were already over compensating, and the student body had begun to complain about the lack of room and over crowded classes.
"If the workers from FH can't figure them out, then we need to find someone who can." Squall decided as he moved past Xu and looked out the giant glass windows. Just then, his gaze fell on a large dark red ship that looked all too familiar. He hadn't noticed it before because all of it's lights had been turned off, and with it's dark colours it blended with the forests and mountains to the side of the garden.
"Nida. When did the Ragnarok arrive?" Squall shot the question quickly at the man who stood by the controls.
"Ahh, I haven't the faintest idea. I didn't even know it was there." Nida said rather taken aback.
'Ugh, if the Ragnarok was here, then Laguna was here. What could he possibly want?' Squall thought as he tried to come up with some motive.
"This actually may be a good opportunity. Esthar may have workers who have a wider knowledge. Fisherman's Horizon houses former Esthar citizens but they haven't dealt with technology in so long that they're out dated. I'll use this sudden arrival to see if we can find some assistance from Esthar." Squall decided as he nodded to Xu and Nida and headed back down the lift only to run smack into-
"Rinoa!" Squall caught Rinoa's arms before she went falling backwards. "What's the matter? You seem out of breath." Squall looked at her slightly worried.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I just need to talk to you." Rinoa said as she grabbed his arm and started to walk him back to the elevator.
"Can it wait? The Ragnarok is here and I'm assuming Laguna is on board. I need to talk to him concerning-"
"No, I need to talk to you now." Rinoa interrupted as they got off on the second floor and started down the hall.
"Well, at least let me have someone go and meet them. The guards at the door won't let them in even if he is the president of Esthar." Squall attempted as the raven haired girl wouldn't back down.
"No need. I already have it covered." Rinoa opened the door to the balcony and lead her fiancee outside. A clear shot of the giant dragon like ship could be seen from here. He was shocked at just how well the ship could be hidden under dark.
"Alright then, what is so important that it couldn't wait?" Squall sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. What was it? Did he forget Laguna's birthday and she was holding some surprise party for him. That certainly sounded like Rinoa to him.
"Laguna came to tell you that your life is in danger."
'That did not sound like Rinoa.' Squall thought as he ran over her words.
"What do you mean my life is in danger? If it is, I'm sure we can handle it. Is the Galbadian army reforming?" Squall questioned, finding Rinoa's concern a little misplaced. They had destroyed a sorceress from the future. He didn't feel that there was much that could harm them by this point.
Rinoa shook her head. "No. This is something internal." She looked up at him now and continued. "Laguna came here to tell you that you have a deadly disease and if not taken care of now, you could die."
"WHAT!" Rinoa jumped at his exclamation. "Why is he telling you such things!? I just went and saw Dr. Kadowaski for a check up and she said I was in perfect health. What is leading you to believe such a thing?"
"Because the disease is hereditary-" A familiar voice said from behind them as Squall spun around, "-and because I'm your father." Laguna stood in the doorway, Kiros directly behind him.
Squall just starred at this man he thought he once knew. Emotions felt like they had escaped him as the scene washed over him. Laguna, the man who was a bumbling fool in the army; a whinnying, cry baby who seemed to escape death by simply tripping over his own feet to avoid it; and miraculously running the largest country on the planet. This man, was his father.
"Why?" Was all Squall could voice.
"Well I found out today that this disease is hereditary-"
"No! Why are you my father?" Squall demanded, as he interrupted the president.
Laguna was taken back in his words as he tried to figure out how to answer his question, "Ahh- well, do I have to go over the 'birds and the bees' story with you?"
A chuckle slightly escaped Squall's lips which made everyone take a small step back. It wasn't often that Squall showed a lot of emotion, but ever since Rinoa came into the picture Squall had been a bit more open about it.
"No-" Squall's voice turned serious again as he darted daggers through Laguna's eyes. "Why do I have a misguided fool for a father."
Squall's words cleaved into Laguna as if he had cut them into him with his gunblade. Rinoa had gasped at this and grabbed hold of Squall's arm to try to get him to see reason but he just shook her off. He was angry, angry at the thought that Laguna had known about him his entire life and yet let him grow-up alone with no one. Angry that he could be so selfish to ignore his duties as a parent. Angry that the images he had saw of his father had been dashed and replaced by a man who lived his life by making mistakes.
"Squall- I think right now we should be worrying about your health. When we know you'll be okay, then we can confront this matter." Rinoa tried to reason as she tried to slip her hand in his. He allowed it and tried to let himself calm down. He didn't want to upset Rinoa so he nodded, and without another word passed by the statue that was Laguna and left the balcony with Rinoa in tow.
"I know how he feels." Laguna finally spoke up as he walked to the railing. Kiros watched from the door in silence. "Someone with such pride, only to find out that his father is exactly that-" Laguna paused as he looked up into the stars, the breeze lifting his hair up and around his face. "-a fool."
A/N: Another one down, and... more to come. hehe Stay tuned! :D