"What Would I Be Without You"
~ FOREST OWL MISSION OMAKE~
-Kawaii Hana-
DISCLAIMER:
I don't own anything from FF8. Too bad... I would have made a direct sequel from it, though... (Ehehehehe...)
NOTE TO READERS:
- Italic – - represents thoughts
(Italic) – don't mind them… just me being crazy in the midst of typing…
Bold – "emphasized" words
SPECIAL NOTE:
Hiya… It's me again… So what we have here is an Omake. If you guys are anime/manga otakus like me, you'd probably know that an 'omake' means 'extra' in Japanese… I think… (xD) Or generally, in a manga, it is just some sort of a special chapter, a treat from manga artists that they make apart from their main story, which could either be an entirely new one-shot story or a side-character's POV of the main storyline. In this case, mine would be the latter. As the title says, this would be about the Forest Owl Mission last posted in Chapter 10 in the POV of an aspiring but unlucky captain… (xD)
Hehe… enjoy…
My name is Capt. Gerard Ryan Cole… a captain of a small team of privates… Well, I was…
I am a 17 year old currently working for the Galbadian Army. You may think I am too young for this sort of job but as I can recall, almost half of the new recruits in the army are between the ages of 17-25 since Grimoire's rise to power.
I am just like how any young person thinks… I want to be a part of history… I want to be a hero… Call me vain… or selfish… But it's not wrong to dream, isn't it?
I admit I have too much of what you call 'pride'. But this sense of pride did not just come from out of nowhere. It's in me, somewhere deep. All the men and, several women as well, in the Cole family had their careers and their entire adult lives solely to the military – the Galbadian Military, that is. In fact, our living room hangs a portrait of a family member from every war that happened in this country. I would grow up hearing stories from my grandfather during his time while being a soldier, as well as war stories from my past forefathers. I grew up seeing my father come home almost only once every three months, but he still did not forget his responsibilities to his family.
I joined the military neither because I was expected to nor because I was forced to. It has always been a personal ambition of mine. I wanted to make my father, my grandfather and basically my entire family to be proud of me of not only continuing my family's proud legacy but also of achievements of my own.
And it was just by Hyne's grace or just by pure luck that when I was at my final year at the military academy, there was a sudden demand for new recruits. I did not really understand the reason but it seems that the former Vice President had taken over the Presidential position since the death of his brother and after the Sorceress had suddenly vanished without a trace. It seems he needed more men in order to re-establish order in Galbadia after being defeated (or pawned) countless times by these special mercenary forces who called themselves, the SeeDs…
And so I, along with all my fellow graduates, signed in immediately. It was so rare for a newly graduated cadet that can be actually sent out in to the field without doing all those rigorous training seminars and evaluation exams. I know a lot of family members having these kinds of problems even before they graduate from the military academy. I, on other hand, could go on without having to spend so much time, money and effort…
But, while I was daydreaming of the glories of war, the reality of being a newly-hired young recruit was harsh… Here I was with my team - making deliveries, running errands and doing chores…
It was frustrating, really. I had gone through rigorous training sessions, long tiring hours of marching drills, and mastered the Gunblade to prove more efficiency in battle. Yet here I am delivering their weapons from base to base and to another base…
I'm sure they have seen my prolific resumes, my over-the-top grades with my family name intact. How could they just pass over on me like that? Was it because I'm too young? Was it because they think too lowly of the new recruits? Heck, even my team members are too good to pass up… Each of them had their own reasons for joining the army… But they all yearned something that I also wanted… That feeling of being appreciated… Finding a place in this big world…
And for him, it is finding a place in a different direction… That was why Lt. Mark Andrew Gabbiani joined the army around the same time as us. The oldest of the group at the age of 23, he carried two letters after his name… R.N… That's right… He used to be an ER staff nurse at the Deling City General Hospital. But he is not your average male staff nurse. In fact, he was already offered a scholarship for a Master of Arts degree. And he gets to teach undergrads while studying. It was a good deal, if you ask me. You get to study for your Master's for free and get paid for teaching students, too. But I can tell it would be as twice as tiring and stressing. But, alongside with the scholarship, he was also offered a spot of being a medical officer in Grimoire Deling's new army. And Mark took that latter offer, thinking of it as way of going to a new direction…
He meant it well. He is a very diligent and patient person. It's probably one or two things you could expect out of nurses. Although a little out-of-place in the battlefield, I think it is necessary for them to be there.
Another one of our team, however, feels that she is a bit out of place. Her name is Joan Marie Chere, also 17 years old and a childhood friend of mine. We practically grew up together as we lived next door to each other. Both of us actually share the same kind of family background, and yet she didn't want to have any of it… She had other dreams to pursue… All of a sudden, she was my classmate in the military academy… She never really told me the reasons why… This was probably the first time she had kept a secret from me. But it seems that blood runs thicker than water. You see, her family was known around in the military circles as the "Master of Guns." Well, I never knew she had it in her until I saw her at target practice. She was awesome! There was just something different about her when she focuses on her target and shoots! And to top it off, she is considered a genius in the entire Raelson family history!
I never really knew the answer why she tagged along with me in the academy. (So obvious, mister) But somehow, I was glad that she came along. Knowing that there's a familiar face around the academy somehow makes it less hard that I thought it would be. I was glad she was able to become part of my team, too.
The two remaining members, both at age 21, also grew up together. Well, that is because they're sisters… identical twins, in fact! But each had a different skill that complements the other and was a perfect addition to my team.
The one born first was Donna Rose Figaro. In the team, she's our resident mechanical genius. She can fix anything, whether it be rundown car engines or complicated war machines. She sees it as if they were just toys to play, although this was not much farther from the truth. The twins' father was a genius inventor and said to have been raised in Esthar before joining a certain exodus in Fisherman's Horizon and then finally settling down to Deling City with his family. You could probably tell where Donna got all her knowledge (or genes) from. This was also the reason she got recruited in to the military in the first place. Hey, an army could use a LOT of that brain of hers…
Born 10 minutes later after her was Leah Greyzel Figaro. Now she is a very, very special case. In fact, getting her to enlist in the army was pure coincidence. Well, the army wanted to recruit her older sister, right? And it was there that they discovered that the other twin actually had the ability to cast magic… Yes, it was far-fetched indeed. The Sanders family never knew they had Magic blood in them until they found Leah accidentally litting fire on their front porch and frantically freezing it with ice at the same time by command – verbally, that is… And it just so happened that a representative from the military was there in their home, making arrangements for the older twin's recruitment…
You could say the army won a double score with these two. Though they were hesitant at first, as they were only around 19 years old at that time, they were trained and slowly but surely, polished their talents. Donna went on to make inventions of her own and Leah became somewhat a full-fledged Magic user, although not as powerful as the feared Sorceresses of the ages.
And that's all five of us… A small unit formed as soon as Joan and I graduated from the academy. The moment we got acquainted with the older teammates, we suddenly had that spirit of camaraderie between us. Somehow, there were no awkward moments; a relief for both Joan and I.
It was the perfect team. All members were competent or are just geniuses; I daresay, in their respective fields. We all get along real great… And whatever mission we are assigned to, we accomplish them with 100% commitment…
But it seems the ones at the top didn't see that, probably because the Galbadian Army now has more recruits that it could handle and so, newly graduated recruits and their teams have to do… well… the measly janitorial and delivery jobs. Because of nothing much to do, Mark had to act like a regular nurse, actually more like one those found in primary wellness clinics. A senior officer would always come by in our tent to have Mark take his blood pressure reading… every single day! It's like the guy doesn't even know that there are other medical officers in the army, too. But Mark's patience knows no bounds and happily obliges to the BP reading routine.
Donna, whose genius is probably said to have come once in every 1000 years, is stuck in repairing, repairing and more repairing. And yet her small room is filled with paper rolls of blue prints just waiting to see the day of light. There's never been a day where she gets an idea or two and draws it down with any scrap of paper she can get her hands with.
Leah, a magic user, who is supposed to be RARE in the Galbadian army, is stuck in well… the … Maintenance Department. Her magic that hailed from the time of the mages and sorceresses, was utilized in keeping the food storage frozen or keeping certain weapons at the right temperature… I mean really, she should be in the front lines…
The supposed genius gunner, Joan, is just there doing maintenance as well on the guns and artillery supply… She's not even allowed to do some target practice for Hyne's sake! It's really frustrating to see that my people are just there to make use of their talents but not in their true and fullest potential.
I would have loved to directly go to the new President Deling himself and complain… But well… It seemed I didn't have to bother doing so…
Because Karma gets you real fast… And it gets you real good…
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It all started in a very ordinary day. There we were, doing all our mundane tasks for the morning. It was something we have been doing for the past few weeks. Everything just felt like a rewind…
"LT. CAPT. COLE AND COMPANY! LT. CAPT. COLE AND COMPANY! NEW DELIVERY ORDERS! I REPEAT: NEW DELIVERY ORDERS!"
Yup… It was another ordinary day indeed. And so we did and began yet another trip to another long boring road across the Galbadian dessert…
"Cheer up, Cole… At least we get to go to the newly built base near Timber. We've never been to the new one, right…?"Said the medical officer, who was beside me in the jeep.
"I hear the 'goods' we're delivering are brand new. "Mused the gun expert, Joan behind me. "You think Donna did some contributions on them?"
-Most likely- I thought, begrudgingly. –But I doubt they'll give her any credit, no matter how big her efforts were.-
The twins were behind us, riding a truck loaded with all the army supplies. And when I say "loaded", it's probably an understatement. Everything we were about to deliver will be used to get Timber back in Galbadian control. Yup, all the big guns, the refining Items, the healing Items and the like. And after two months since officially joining the army, I bet my unit won't even be there when the re-invasion takes place… Doing nothing but cleaning up after them…
"Hey, Captain! I see something just ahead." Mark caught my attention. And soon enough, from the horizon, there was a pick-up truck on the side of the road… And four pairs of hands were waving at us…
"Looks like they've been stranded for a long time. Should we go check?" Joan said as she observed from her binoculars.
I looked at my watch. We needed to be at the base in under an hour or so but the base was really not that far away. And we left as soon as we were given the order, so we might actually be a little early… -We've still got plenty of time- I thought.
"Let's check the situation first. But let's not stay for long." I said, with a tone of finality.
"Yes sir!" Both Mark and Joan responded, and the latter carefully stood up and did a hand signal to the army truck behind us to stop. I didn't bother to park the jeep by the side of the road, since we're not staying for long anyway…
The first person that we first noticed was a girl with shoulder -length black hair. She was sitting on a rock, with her legs dangled on one side, exposing a twisted ankle - swollen and poorly bandaged with a handkerchief. And just behind her was the pick-up truck, one of its tires was slashed, probably by the rocks that lie around. I could tell that they didn't bring a spare.
As soon as we got out of the jeep, Mark went ahead to check up on the injured girl. –Wow… If this were on a battlefield- I thought to myself –Mark would have rushed like that to the first fallen comrade. That's professional our Mark is…-
"What happened here, Ma'am? Joan asked.
The black haired girl giggled softly. "You don't need to call me 'Ma'am'… I mean, we both look the same age..."
As soon I heard those words, I unconsciously clicked my tongue in annoyance. Thankfully, it was a really, really hot day at noon and the team was pretty much focused on the situation at hand. It was only Joan who noticed and gave me the scolding kind of look. Well, since we have been together for so long, I guess she already knew what my reaction would be. In my defense, it's just this problem with everybody… Both this injured girl in front of us and our superiors just had to judge us not by our ability nor talent but our age… Well, it's true that Joan and I are just about the same age as her but still… Do they really have to notice that first?
"Well," She began with her tale, "Me and the guys are from Balamb, you see! We were supposed to be having a camping trip somewhere near the Obel Lake. But, as you can see, one of tires went flat! And we pushed the truck to the side of the road so it won't bother the other cars passing by… And well, it seems I gave my all in pushing coz… I twisted my ankle… And well, we have been here for the past three hours, waiting for help…"
-Wow… she's quite a talker…- I thought in the back of my head. As the black-haired girl kept on dilly-dallying to poor Mark, my focus then shifted to her companions. A petite brunette clad in some sort of a yellow jumper-miniskirt hybrid outfit was just behind, rummaging something at the back of the truck. She looked just about 17 years old as well but I couldn't help but find it peculiar that she acts as if she were 10 years younger…
As the twins and Joan came closer, another brunette, this time, a guy about 6 feet tall, wearing a long brown coat and a cowboy hat made his presence known, particularly to Joan… Apparently, the cowboy noticed that she was the soldier with the guns.
And this cowboy whistled… "Sweet! That is some good stuff you have there on your waist, honey…" Joan blushed - something I have never actually seen before until that moment. And while it was clear the cowboy was referring to her guns, the way he said it made it sound like it was really inappropriate and I daresay it irritated me to think that he was flirting with my best friend (XD)
"It seems we don't have a spare tire that fits your truck. We're gonna have to return to the base…" I found myself speaking after checking on their vehicle, calling everyone's attention. "If you guys are willing to wait a bit mo-"
"Oh come on! What's the rush?" Mr. Cowboy Casanova interrupted me. "Since you guys are here… Might as well join us in our picnic! I mean, it's lunchtime, right!"
"Thank you for the offering but we really need to get going." One could say I flat-out refused. Somehow, I always knew that this petty encounter was just a waste of time. I could see my teammates looking disappointed, though.
"Aww… Come on, Captain…" The cowboy interrupted me yet again. "Why can't those beautiful ladies over there have a rest? It's not a good idea to spoil such beauty."
The three girls couldn't really hide their happiness and blushes from such cheap flattery. While I heaved a sigh of discomfort towards the current situation, I calmly explained that we had a job to do and it must be done as ordered and on schedule. While saying that, I saw my team nodding silently but with really disappointed faces. They were pretty much taken in by these strange teenagers.
"Oh man!" A new voice suddenly disturbed the awkward silence. "It's so hot here, man!" Another teenager, this time with 'waxed' blonde hair, burst onto the scene and without warning, quickly took off his shirt! The guy clearly is one who frequents their local gym as evidenced by his… ripped or chiseled abdominal section…
Needless to say, the three girls were given way too much… fanservice. I could tell that even if I did make myself clear about heading to the base first, they won't really listen to me and insist upon staying. I turned to my only male comrade and found to my dismay that he has already been smitten by that raven-haired girl. Curse that Nightingale Effect! (xD) I just could not believe it! My team suddenly was going against me for the very first time, though not outright. But when I thought about it, this was probably the first time in a long time that we encountered somebody other than the Military. Somehow, meeting laid-back people close our age might have been a breath of fresh air.
"Alright, it's done!" The brunette girl suddenly got up from the back of their truck. All our attention turned towards her. And it put my guard down… as this brunette girl was holding a plate of newly-grilled sandwiches. My stomach suddenly grumbled at the smell. I realized that we haven't had any lunch yet. And my stomach was growling, begging to be fed… Apparently, I wasn't alone… My teammates were trying in vain not to look at the sandwiches anymore. But it proved to be difficult to since the food's aroma was pretty much spreading everywhere.
"Come on Mr. Captain! I made sandwiches for all 9 of us here! And we've got cold softdrinks, too!" The jovial brunette said, carrying a plate with the said snacks.
A really deep sigh came from me. This time, everyone saw that as they were all waiting for my decision. All eyes were on me. (Initially not intended pun for the song, xD)
"Alright… Fine… We'll take a break here. But for only 30 minutes maximum."
That said, all my teammates had tried, but obviously failed, to conceal their excited and satisfied faces. Strangely, the civilian teenagers wore the same expressions as theirs. But I didn't care. My stomach was growling for the sandwiches as the cheerful brunette held the plate high. At that point, I thought this group of stranded teenagers was just being genuinely nice. After all, nobody just randomly offers lunch with us, a bunch of Galbadian soldiers, anymore. Especially when the Galbadian Army has a bad reputation under the new President Deling, nowadays…
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And so, my team and I sat around with these teenagers. The twins and I didn't bother to properly park the jeep and truck out of the road, seeing as the road isn't used that much anyway. Opposite to where we were holding our little picnic was a trove of green bushes and shrubs about 6 and half feet… Somehow, I don't remember that much green being in that part of the road at all. It was odd how fast plants can grow in the two months since we started doing the delivery missions. And so, we helped ourselves with the sandwiches the brunette girl had prepared for us. As we ate, they asked us questions, lots of questions actually but the usual ones… Like: how is life being in the Army? How and why did we join in the first place…? What weapons do we use? Questions like that… And all five of us answered sincerely…
It was probably their carefree nature or just their generosity of sharing their lunch with us that the team and even I forgot to act like military personnel the entire time. We laughed at each other's jokes and carelessly spewing a little bit of information to them. For instance, Donna let it out that some items in the cargo that we were delivering right now were actually her inventions. Naturally, our hosts were very impressed. They were also impressed by the fact that, I, was the team's commanding officer and yet, I was just about the same age as them. Although, I didn't get why they didn't react as much as I expected them to when I told them I use a Gunblade as my main weapon. (xD)
The teenagers also gave us their names. The cowboy was named Irvine. Hmph! Quite a fitting name for a cowboy, alright! The blonde, now with his shirt back on, was named Zell. The petite and jovial brunette was Selphie. And the girl with the shoulder-length black hair and injured foot was named Rinoa. Mark noticed something about her and told me. I kind of agreed. The last girl eerily looked familiar. I just couldn't point it out. She probably was someone I saw in TV or something. They were all 17 just like Joan and me. They said they've been best of friends since they were kids. Well, I could tell. All four of them seemed like tight knit group. Truth be told, I slightly envied them. The same age as us… But here they were… Enjoying life to the fullest… Of course, I am proud of the path I have chosen for myself. But there is always that little feeling whenever I meet people our age. Nevertheless, my team and I were enjoying this little lunch break.
About fifteen minutes or so had passed. All of us were able to consume about two sandwiches each. It was then that we heard rumbling and ruffling sounds from the bushes across our little picnic. Actually we have been hearing since we began to eat. But it grew louder and more profound as time flew by…
This time, it was really loud and the bushes were shaking about. It made Zell lace his face with worry. Or was it fear? And then, as if he remembered something major, he suddenly stood up, grabbing our attention. Panic was spread all over his face.
"Guys! I just remembered!" He began. "This is b-bad! We s-shouldn't have eaten out h-here in the open! We should l-leave n-now! I mean, NOW!"
"Relax!" I said. "What's wrong!"
"My Ma warned me about this! Th-There are monsters! Over there! Inside those bushes, I know it! The m-monsters got attracted to the scent of our food. And b-because we caught the scent! They'll probably a-attack us too!"
A stiff silence… And then…
A roar of laughter followed suit. The blonde's friends didn't believe a single word he had said.
"You should've saved that when we set up for camp later, Zell!" The cowboy said, in between his laughs. A surge of relief flooded through my chest. The stiff tension vanished as soon as their laughter came. It was a little infuriating, actually. I was supposed to be a soldier, someone the civilians could look up to… And yet here I am, alarmed and frightened at a scare story supposedly reserved for a camp fire.
"I'm serious, guys! Come on! Let's ask these guys to hitchhike with them! We need to go now!" This guy called Zell, was certainly not dropping off his act. -He has the makings of a good actor-, I thought. His face and expressions showed that he was genuinely panicking, and shaking all around. Because of that, he accidentally shook of his sandwich, spluttering its contents onto the ground.
The rumbling sounds immediately became more prominent. The bushes shook for a split second. It was very clear that someone or something was behind it, hiding from sight and aroused by the scent and sight of food dropping on the ground. All the girls now had worn scared expressions plastered on their faces. And Zell looked as if he was about to be having a heart attack.
Mustering up the courage, I stood up and stared at the bushes. Then, I turned to my team, making sure I had a determined face. "OK… Calm down, everyone. Lt. Gabbiani and I will check it out. You four can go ride our jeep! Go straight to the base. It's just ahead. Jo- I mean, Pvt. Chere… You temporarily take command from here!"
All four of my subordinates straightened up. "Sir, yes sir!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Wait up!" The cowboy had, at a time like this, interrupted us, once again. "There's really no need to get all worked up about some make-believe monster!"
"But-" I tried to protest. Yet it seemed that he wouldn't hear any of it.
"Trust me officer! The last time Zell here caused panic to our supposed little and incident-free outing, he lured a Ruby Dragon and it just breathed fire all over the campsite! All because he threw a freaking rock on its head! It took weeks for the forest ranger to recover! And don't get started on how much we had to pay for the damages! Gaah! Dammit Zell! That's why we didn't want you in this outing again in the first place! "
As soon as the cowboy let those words slip, his facial expressions turned from exasperation to regret, especially since Rinoa, the black-haired one and Selphie, the brunette, held the same expression. It was quite obvious that we were already in a situation in which they did not want to happen. And Zell, for once, shut himself up… obviously hurt from what he had just heard.
The four friends… silenced by the awkwardness and my team and I somehow got sucked in it as well. It was really weird… Five minutes ago, we were laughing and chatting away… But right now, we were all silent… No one had the courage to speak out to break the silence… Zell looked as if he was about to cry. Rinoa and Selphie were giving disapproving looks at the cowboy… And Irvine the cowboy, for the first time since I met him, looked quite pathetic…
But none of them looked even more pathetic than us… my team and I... The Galbadian soldiers… There we were, sucked in to the unsettling silence… Joan and the twins were looking at each other, unsure on what to do next. Mark was trying to ignore the situation by pretending to be still checking up on Rinoa's injured foot. And I, well, looked at the four friends with intensity… hoping that they sort out their problem soon… But it was neither them nor us who broke the troubling silence…
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…."
Someone or something behind the bushes did - the mysterious creature that started it all. And it sounded as if it was really hungry… The mumbling was replaced by growling now… Just what kind of monstrosity is hiding behind those bushes…?
Just then, Irvine took a step forward, making us all surprised. "I'll check what's behind those bushes myself… Just me…"
"What!"
"Irvy! That's insane!" Selphie cried out in an out-of-character tone.
"Yeah, Irvine! Let these soldiers do their job!" Rinoa protested next.
"There is no need for you to do this!" Zell came next.
My team and I were left, just astonished. Everything was happening way too fast. In an instant, these four teenagers somehow made up and were friends again – without a single word of an apology being said. Was it because their friendship was stronger than a mere failed outing or… was it because the impending danger was bringing them together again…?
"Yes. Please calm down. Let my team and I handle this." I spoke, finally trying to make things under control. I looked at my comrades. They all stood up at my beckoning. It was time to show what a Galbadian soldier was being about - helping those in need and those in danger. "We'll take care of the problem."
My voice sounded clear and precise that moment. But deep inside, there was uncontrollable sense of panic. When was the last time we were actually involved in combat? Come to think of it… Joan and I had only graduated from the Academy only two months prior. This is actually the first time we had to gear up and fight for real! And I'm the commanding officer here! How was I supposed to do this? Suddenly everything I have learned had gone out the drain.
And then I did something wrong. Eyes don't lie, right? Well, at least in my case, I couldn't hide it well. In that small moment, for some reason, my eyes darted towards Irvine. Our eyes met and in that instant… It was like being caught by your parents when you do something wrong…
The cowboy saw it all. He knew… He knew I amstill inexperienced. And his reaction? He just gave a faint smile. "Don't worry, officer… I'm a cowboy. And you know what they always have with them." He said as he tipped his hat and went over to their pickup truck to get it…
"Wow, Irvy… You haven't used the Exeter in a looooong time…" Selphie mused. The cowboy was holding some kind of a futuristic type of shotgun. To be honest, I was expecting something more of a vintage one with a wooden handle. It was metallic white and there were no wooden parts. But I could tell from Joan, our gun expert, from her expressions that we were laying our eyes on a very rare item… and a very expensive one at that…
"I know… And I'm glad I'm using 'him' for this…" Irvine replied back. Now if it were not for the pressing situation that we were right now, I would have told him that… that was such a cheesy line but at that moment, I could only feel sense of unwavering relief. Now that felt really pathetic… for me… so I tried to stop him again…
"Irvine… Please… There is really no need for you place yourself in danger. Let us handle thi-"
Another interruption…
"Not another word, officer." This time, the tone of his voice was flat serious – the playfulness and flirtatiousness seem to have vanished. "I can tell you guys have never been in actual combat… Yet… But us cowboys have been in born in a world where there is fear is all around ya… That's why I always bring one. And I need to do this… It's the only way I can apologize to Zell for being a jerk this whole time…"
Zell made a long sigh, with an exasperated expression on his face. "Come on, man… I accept your apology… But actually, I'm the one at fault here! You don't need to do this… Alone…"
Before we knew it, we saw the guy who was shaking and panicking a few minutes earlier wearing Fighter Gloves. I could tell they were expensive as well. So apparently, the cowboy was not the only one carrying a weapon just in case… But gloves are not exactly good idea to battle a monster… But I recall seeing the gloves once in an old Weapons Monthly Magazine. If I were not mistaken, the red gloves that Zell was currently wearing looked like the Ehrgeiz gloves. At the back of my mind I kept wondering how these guys were able to get hold of such costly weapons… The only way to have these weapons was to be able to gather equally rare items for their refinement. That would mean they would have to pay a huge amount of money to obtain all required items or have to travel far and wide in search for these items… while fighting monsters as well…
"Ever since I screwed up the last outing and being such a scaredy pig, I wanted to make up for it…" Zell began. "You know… be a man and fight! That's why I've been goin' to the gym… and taking martial arts classes… So I won't be such a sissy… And to be able to protect the ones that matters the most!"
Rinoa and Selphie looked as if they were about to burst into tears. Well, they probably were going to… If only I had not left my Gunblade at the jeep, I probably would have had everyone's attention from the start and had gotten control of the situation. But no, there I was…a soldier, a commanding officer at that, without any weapon at hand or any actual combat experience outside the military academy.
"I'll go first…" Irvine said as he clicked of the Exeter's safety switch off. "If something happens, just remember… guys… I'll always…" The cowboy swallowed. "I'll always… remember… the times we spent together… "
Zell snickered slightly but his eyes seemed watery. "Heh, me too…"
"Irvy… Irv- Irvy… Please don't do this…" Selphie pleaded, trying to fight off her tears. He looked at her with pained eyes but still managed to give a hint of a smile. They stared at each other for a brief moment. To them, it may have seemed like an eternity, only the two of them share…
Before I knew it, Irvine rushed towards the bushes and disappeared from sight. In that split second, I thought of rushing back to the jeep to get my Gunblade and joining in the fray. That way I could still keep what little pride as a Galbadian soldier and as a Cole I have left. I think Joan and the others would follow suit if I go. There are times like these where in the spur of the moment, you just do without saying a word. But it was too late… In that spur of the moment, I felt utterly powerless… Frozen on the spot as the events take its course… An earthshaking roar was heard from the bushes…It was unmistakably the roar of the terrifying T-Rexaur. Frantic gunshots were heard. And then…
"Aaaah! It got my leg! It got my leg!"
Without hesitation, Zell hurried off to help his friend in need. "IRVINE! HANG ON! I'M COMING FOR YOU BUDDY!"
"IRVY!" Selphie, the petite brunette joined him, without any weapon or protective gear at all.
"WAIT! SELPHIE! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Rinoa, begged but to no avail. She helplessly watched as her friends hurried off to their demise. If it were not for her twisted ankle, she might have gone along and joined them as well.
As soon as the two whisked off to the bushes, screams of terror bellowed like there was no tomorrow, particularly that of Selphie. I wouldn't want to imagine what had become of Irvine.
"SELPHIE! I'M SORRY I WASN'T ABLE TO TELL YOU BEFORE! BUT I LOVE YOU! I ALWAYS HAVE!" There was a sudden wave of relief swelling in my chest when I heard Irvine's voice. But dread came overflowing after knowing this confession was the last thing he would ever say. He poured into his confession with everything he got…
"ME TOO! IRVY, I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT I… I WANT TO DIE WITH YOU!" Selphie gave her reply as well. It was a bittersweet moment…
Forced to only hear this from afar was Rinoa, sobbing hysterically. Roars of the T-Rexaur continued. Irvine's gunshots must have slowed it down to give the pair just enough time. But now, not only was it hungry… It was angry as well…
Then something hit me… If Irvine was able to make it enough to finally reveal his feelings for Selphie, what about Zell? All I heard from him were his screams alongside Selphie. Could it be? He didn't make it the moment he purged himself in to the danger zone –No!- I thought, -This couldn't be-
Then as if finally to end the agony from both sides of the road… It came… The T-Rexaur let out the most earsplitting and most sickening roar I have ever heard… From the dry sunlit desert sky, something flew from the bushes and landed right in front of us… Joan and the twins gasped. Rinoa bellowed in despair… Mark cursed in horror and disgust… And I just stood there, frozen as I laid my eyes on it… Irvine's cowboy hat and Zell's dismantled hand flew from the bushes to our side… It was a clear warning from the monster that it is not to be messed with…
One look at the severed hand was all it took for my legs to race back to the jeep. My pride as a Galbadian soldier and as a Cole had left me completely. I became just an ordinary 17 year old scared for his life. My teammates followed me, as well. And there was Rinoa, still sitting on the ground, still trying to get over the fact that all her best friends were killed right in front of her, and still with that injured ankle.
"HEY! WAIT! GUYS! HELP ME! WAIT! WAAAAIIIIT!" Her voice was getting hoarse from all that screaming. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"
But I ignored her… My legs were dead set for the jeep. I got in and started the ignition. "Alright! Double time, team! Get in the jeep! Now!"
"But, Captain! What about Rinoa!", asked Mark.
"There's no time! Get in here now!"
"NO TIME!"
"Captain, what about the cargo truck!", Joan had to ask. The bushes were now shaking violently. It's probably enjoying its meal. Rinoa was now practically desperately crawling her way to us. Her body was all already getting dirtied from sand and wounded from the rocks. Irvine's hat and Zell hand were only a few meters away from her, just beside Selphie's homemade sandwiches. My team was shouting at me – something that has never happened before. All my emotions melded with the fear being boiled up… And like a volcano, it erupted…
"I SAID GET IN THE JEEP NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
There were no arguments there. The teams did what they were told. As soon as Joan got at the back of the jeep with twins, I hit the gas and sped off. I ignored Rinoa pleading not to leave her behind. I ignored Mark pestering me to turn around and get the poor girl back. I ignored Joan reminding me that my actions would hurt me sooner or later. The twins were worried of the truck we also left behind. I ignored it all… I didn't care if I was going to be branded as a coward forever… I just wanted to get away from all that…
As we reached a few miles away, we heard a piercing scream from the far distance behind us. We knew who that was. We just didn't say a word. We didn't dare look back. The shock from what just transpired made us dead silent. I clutched my hand on the wheel… I can see the base of destination ahead. I started the jeep in such a hurry that I didn't realize in what direction we were heading to… In all the panic and confusion, I set my direction to the base located near Timber…
If only we didn't stop by and came to check those four… If only I didn't let myself being persuaded to have lunch with them… If only I just had my Gunblade near me… If only… 'If only' won't change anything anymore… It happened… There was nothing I can do… Ha! I didn't do a damn thing! I was just a useless piece of crap!
All these thoughts poisoned my mind as we approached nearer and nearer to the base. And as we reached the gates, a crowd was waiting for us… with a certain aged yet stern-looking man at its center…
It was the President Grimoire Deling himself…
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The President of Galbadia himself was waiting for us… And he did not look at all amused when he saw that the cargo truck we were driving along was not behind. Naturally, he demanded an explanation. And we did… We told him everything… Yeah, everything… even that bit when I, the officer, decided to stall on the delivering the cargo as ordered and take a lunch break with civilians. Mark kept on insisting on hurrying back and rescuing the poor girl we left behind.
And so we did return. The President didn't really care about the injured girl we abandoned. He cared more about the abandoned cargo truck. We were back in the jeep again leading the way, with an entourage of the most important people in the New Galbadian Army and the President himself following us from behind. It was not a good thing at all. Not only are we going back to that place of shame, we just couldn't get to the thought of going back there… seeing Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine and Zell… lifeless… No, probably not a shred of them are left. Just about half an hour ago, they were the liveliest and most fun people I've ever met.
-No…- I began to think. -I have to make it up to them. I have to bear responsibility. I was the leader. I was the one who was supposed to be in control of the situation. I'll have to bear with this. I'll make sure that whatever was left of those four friends will be returned to their families. I know this will be crazy. But I will try. I will try to handle their families' tears or their angry outbursts… I don't think I could ever atone for what I did… or more like what I did not…-
Those were my thoughts on the journey going back. There was that dreaded feeling taking all over my head. I knew that teammates were feeling the same thing, too. If we had our way, we wouldn't dare go back at all. We were still trying to cope with the trauma of having four people killed right in front of you… and all we did was to run… I knew it was my fault that we ran off and abandoned a helpless girl. I thought of all the training I had to endure in the Academy. All those four years – wasted in a blink of an eye. I thought of the expectations of myself… Now that was something I couldn't bear. Not to be able to look at your photo when you were just a five-year old holding up a drawing of what he wants to be when he grows up is… even harder than all the consequences put together…
And so here we were going back to the place of shame. Here we were still trying to cope with the events that just transpired… Here we were thinking on how we will be able to atone for our inactions… And what we found upon our return was just double the amount of crap we had to endure that day…
On that place of shame, there was no abandoned helpless girl with an injured foot. There was neither a cowboy hat nor a dismantled gloved hand. There were no bushes. There was neither a T- Rexuar nor any trace of it being there at all. There was nothing that could ever prove that our story was true. There was just the open road. There was only our cargo truck, left emptied and ransacked – neither a single Item nor a Weapon left. There were four sandwiches left behind, sealed in a plastic container. Just beside it were tracks of the pickup truck with four wheels intact, speeding off into the mountains.
Needless to say, we were shocked and confused. The President was furious. Well, his face gave off that enraged expression the very moment Mark mentioned the abandoned girl's name. We were tricked out of the cargo we needed to deliver that day… by the Timber Owls, a still active Resistance Faction. That was the reason why Rinoa looked really familiar. She was the daughter of the famous singer, Julia Heartilly and the revered General Caraway who was ousted by the President because he was against the Timber re-invasion. The faction was being helped by those SeeDs. That's why Irvine and Zell had those expensive weapons! They were the SeeDs! Rinoa must have hired them. That was the reason those four had been asking us about the military. They were trying to get information about Rinoa's father. And we happened to be the soldiers, a bunch of amateurs, to be delivering that cargo. The incapacitated pickup truck was just a ploy to get our attention. Irvine's invitation to lunch was just a ruse to get us to delay delivering the cargo. And that T-Rexaur "sound effect" and the artificial bushes were to scare us off and abandon the cargo – all the Weapons, Items and supplies the New Galabadian Army needed for the Timber re-invasion. And the piercing screams that we heard as we fled was not a terrified cry but were cheers… Cheers of celebration…
Well, they're probably celebrating like mad right now…
And so we were demoted… I was a private again, no longer an officer. And yet, nothing really changed with our jobs… We were just janitors and maintenance workers again, this time, in the D-District Prison. Ironic, really… I was now cleaning the prison cell of the ousted General Caraway… And when I see the general, I think of his daughter and how she, in just fifteen minutes, destroyed my military career…
My teammates…? Well, they're technically not my team anymore. We were distributed into the different departments of D-District Prison. We still sat together at lunch today. But I'm sure we will never ever speak of what happened two days prior… While all of them seem bummed about what happened, they seemed happier to be here. Well, the Army Base where we came from is just a dreadful place to work in. Surprisingly, the D-District Prison which is, currently under repair and renovation is quite a stress-free work environment.
I'm glad I can tell you all this… Watts… (O_O)
You're a great roommate. You make me feel at ease… Although you keep addressing me as 'Sir' is a little off-putting, though. You can call me Gerard, really. I'm not an officer anymore remember. But I do believe I can still turn my situation around. So, what about you Watts? How did you get to work in here?
Oh, you're sleepy now. Sorry, I must have talked your ear off... Goodnight, then. We'll be guarding the back entrance at the next graveyard shift.
Let's enjoy the sleep while we can…
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HEY ALL! I'M BACK!
Wow, the last time I uploaded a chapter was like… TWO freakin' years ago… This story was made back when I was just 14 – going-on-15 years old (the same as Hazel btw) and now it's been 6 or 7 years… And I still ain't finished yet… Gaah! Well, I do have an ending for the story… It's really clear in my head. I just have this nagging problem of going through the middle parts of the story… And I have noticed that the longer I take time to type… The longer I make these chapters… Thus, the slower I tend to finish it, too. (Sigh)
So… How's the omake? You can tell that Irvine and the others are really milking it off in their acting… Haha! However, there is something more than the acting than you realize. Hope you guys will stick around to find out. Also, I think I have gone quite attached this small team of my OC soldiers. And I once again used some surnames from the Final Fantasy VI Characters. If you know the game, you could pretty much who is gonna end up with who… Hehehe… Judging from the twist I made in the end, Gerard Cole is one very unlucky man, isn't he? Poor guy… I think this won't be the last time they're going to appear in this story. (xD) Also, I do realize I have seriously little knowledge on how do Military Rankings work… Oh well, better google up some stuff, then…
A new regular chapter starts next… right after this… So, we're going back to Seifer and Quistis! Yey!
Thank you for reading (and reviewing too please)…
SAYONARA!