Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Protecting the Lion ❯ Angry Cowboys ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter Nineteen

Angry Cowboys

 

Ragnarok was ill equipped for medical treatment. Selphie's usual giddy manner when piloting the fast flying airship was nowhere to be found, or at least subdued. Setting an autopilot course back to Balamb Garden would have been easy enough, but she chose to steer manually. Manning the controls directly, she could go faster than normal and keep them from crashing. Piloting the ship also kept her eyes busy, so she wasn't staring dubiously at the way Seifer was holding Squall.

 

The cabin was extremely hot. After dropping a line down and reeling Seifer and Squall up, the ex-knight had told her to turn the heat up. Luckily, the ship had an excellent heating system, since it was meant to travel in space.

 

Now seated in the copilot's seat, Seifer cradled the commander, whose lame form was wrapped in his trench coat.

 

Selphie felt rather jumpy, not knowing whether it would be inappropriate to be her cheerful self. Sighing, she gave in, knowing she couldn't pretend not to be excited and concerned. It was an odd mixture, but she was never one to be ordinary. “I saw most of what happened on Nero's video feed. That was insane.”

 

Seifer didn't answer. He could only deal with the messenger girl if he was in a good mood, and he was far from being in a good mood. Only an hour ago, he had been perfectly content and warm with the commander's naked body in his hold. A small grin came to his face when he remembered the way Squall looked with naught but a sheet pooling around that slim waist. Shaking his head, he rid himself of all racy mental images and lecherous thoughts. He was angry with his rival for playing the hero. He couldn't let his dick forgive the boy.

 

With the huddled form of Squall pressed against him, Seifer was beginning to feel equilibrium return. The warm cabin was helping a lot. The knight could only hope that Squall was simply suffering from hypothermia. It might not have been the best idea to raise the brunet's body temperature so fast, but he didn't have the medical know-how of the proper procedures. Besides, the brunet's pulse was steadily becoming stronger, so he was doing something right.

 

“We're almost there,” Selphie said, looking at Seifer cautiously out of the corner of her eye. The rivaling duo shared more qualities than she had suspected. Seifer was completely ignoring her, which was a skill she had thought only the commander had acquired. Hardly put off, she knew the blond could at least hear her, even if he didn't respond. “Dr. Kadowaki is on call. I didn't even have to tell her who was coming, she already knew.” She laughed at this, but trailed off when she was met with silence. “Seifer!” she finally cracked.

 

“What?” Seifer grumbled, not liking the disturbance.

 

“He'll be fine. It's Squall,” Selphie stated. The commander was practically immortal. Even if the wave had hit, the resilient fight would probably have been found treading water.

 

“You over estimate him.” Seifer trained his attention on the young woman. It was becoming clear why the commander had been put under such intense strain since the war. No one seemed to understand that Squall was flesh and blood, a man who had feelings and insecurities.

 

Bright green eyes turned to focus on the blond. “Do I?” she asked sincerely.

 

“He's as human as the rest of us.” Seifer wondered if the pilot had any idea that the brunet had very nearly met his end. “He would have died, you know.” Reflexively, his arms squeezed his rival's body tighter.

 

For once, Selphie was speechless. Her mind couldn't quite grasp the concept of Squall dying. Was it possible for the world to exist without their laconic leader? Of course it was. In fact it was less than a year ago that she knew nothing of Squall Leonhart. She had forgotten her entire childhood, which had included her memories of Squally from the seaside orphanage in Centra. Even when her GF was instructed not to take those memories, she had trouble remembering. “I'm sorry,” she half whispered.

 

“Don't tell me,” Seifer reprimanded. “For six months, he's held up the weight of the world. I followed everything, heard all the rumors.” His eyes were no longer on the abashed messenger girl. Instead, he stared at the pale beauty he held closely. “I think Kramer should get his ass back here. Squally-boy was never meant to be a headmaster. He's not fit for the job, though he'd never tell you guys.”

 

Selphie's brows wrinkled as her guilt grew. Seifer always knew just what to say to make a person feel some extreme emotion. “He's good at what he does,” she commented, not quite agreeing that the job didn't suit Squall. “And we're his friends. If he were bothered by it, he would say something.”

 

Scoffing, Seifer glanced sidelong at the copper haired pilot. “Think about it, Tilmitt. He's not exactly a people person. Do you honestly think he should be acting the part of a high school principal? He hates it, I can tell you that much. Besides, isn't being the commander enough?”

 

“But, Cid is gone,” Selphie defended the situation. Squall had been the one to tell them not to worry about and that he didn't feel comfortable letting anyone else fill the position.

 

“Yeah, Kramer's retired and princess here probably told you all not to worry about a thing.” Seifer rolled his eyes. When he saw the face that the young woman pulled he knew he'd hit the nail on the head.

 

“But, we've tried to help. We know it's a lot of pressure, but he always tells us to back off.” They all knew it was wrong on some level, but no one had ever said it in so many words. Now that Seifer was saying it, she felt herself asking him for advice. “What were we supposed to do?”

 

“Nothing now. I can handle it,” Seifer assured, a little wary of the glistening look to the girl's eyes. He wasn't about to deal with a sobbing Tilmitt. The girl was the epitome of radical emotions and he didn't like tears.

 

Selphie felt her emotions run rampant, all thanks to the antagonizing ex-knight. With a sudden mood swing, she felt defensive of her position as Squall's friend. “I'm still here too, and so is everyone else. We want to help. We just don't know how.”

 

“You can't help,” Seifer shot her down immediately, looking her directly in the eye.

 

“Why not?” Selphie shot back. Setting the autopilot, she stood abruptly and placed her hands on her hips.

 

“Because you don't know him well enough,” Seifer spoke truthfully. Only he knew Leonhart well enough to see through every façade and know where the boy's limits were.

 

“And you do?” Selphie took a step closer to the pair. It seemed very strange how the knight held Squall. She knew that Seifer was doing it to give the brunet some much needed body heat, but something about it still seemed odd.

 

Seifer didn't bother answering. He hadn't meant to pick a fight with the messenger girl, not when he had more important matters on his mind. In fact, he was a little reluctant to set her off. Reading the girl's mulish expression, he sighed and responded, “I know you care about him, but I'm calling Kramer. That man isn't old enough for retirement anyway.”

 

Selphie grumbled, throwing her hands in the air and collapsing down to the floor. Balancing on her heels, she rocked back and forth with her arms wrapped around her knees. “Party pooper,” she mumbled. The blond was able to pull her feelings around so easily. One second she had been ready to rant and then she felt her will to argue deflate. For a moment she just rested there on the cabin floor.

 

Seifer nearly laughed at the childish pouting of the bubbly girl. He hadn't been back long, but it already felt like old times. Little Selphie with her never ending supply of happiness and mood swings.

 

“Will he be okay?” the pouting pilot questioned shyly. Lowering a hand she traced imaginary figures on the cold metal floor.

 

“He'll be fine. He's too stubborn to die so easily.” Seifer purposely contradicted himself in the hopes of angering the girl again. With a half smirk he waited for her to blow up at him, but it never happened.

 

Selphie still kept her head downcast, as if thoroughly rebuked by the ex-knight's words. “I never knew you guys were so close. I mean, we never thought you were friends or anything.”

 

Seifer scoffed. “We're not friends, I can assure you of that.” The young woman looked at him with a surprised face. Presented with such a golden opportunity to shock the girl, he couldn't help but play a small joke. “But, there are many things you don't know about us.” Subtly, he pulled Squall even closer so that the brunet's head rested under his chin. It was an extremely intimate position, but no one would ever dare to guess that there was any grounding behind it. Tilmitt's eyes widened slightly as her face showed nothing but confusion.

 

The autopilot sensor started to beep, grabbing Selphie's attention from the blond knight. Pitching forward, she heaved herself into a standing position. “We're here,” she said, walking back to her chair and taking the controls.

 

Nodding, Seifer pulled the collar of his coat up high around brunet's head. It was four in the morning, but he had a feeling that a fair amount of people would be up and conveniently waiting for the commander to arrive back. Wearing his trench coat, Squall looked especially small. The garment was much too big for the unconscious man.

 

Shortly after Selphie had taken her seat, she steered into a recently added docking port for Ragnarok. There had been discussion of expanding the landing pad, but with consideration to the garden's mobility, it had been nixed. Selphie had come to think of Ragnarok as her own ship. In fact, Squall never used the aircraft unless she was assigned as the pilot. To her dismay, the cautious commander always had a password set on the ammunition so that she couldn't access it freely.

 

Not even waiting for the ramp to lower completely, Seifer strode down the sturdy metal plate as it descended. With Squall safely bundled up and cradled in his arms, he moved across the small hanger with Tilmitt bounding shortly behind.

 

It had been a ten minute flight. That ship could fly like no other. Momentarily, Seifer wondered why Squall hadn't ordered someone to take the ship and rescue them earlier, but he knew the answer even as he asked the question. The last thing that stubborn Leonhart would ever do was run away. He knew this because he was the same way. He might have thrown Squall's sorry ass aboard the craft, but he would have stayed behind.

 

Catching up to the blond, who seemed to be purposely ignoring her, Selphie asked the questions that were second to the ones about Squall's health. “So, who was that man down on the ice with you?”

 

Seifer didn't reply. Not even blinking, he kept on walking.

 

“Did you guys find Rinoa?” Selphie tried again. Ignored once again, she bound ahead and skipped in front of the tall man. “What were you doing down at the beach so quickly anyway?” She grumbled when the blonde continued to deny her existence. “What did Shiva say to you?” She could be just as stubborn as anyone else. “Are you ignor-”

 

Cutting the insufferable messenger girl off, Seifer answered her. “Michael Garrant. Yes. We were fast to act. Shiva asked me to take care of him. I was trying to.”

 

“Oh, who is Michael…hey! Why are you ignoring me?” the petit pilot intoned with mock anger. It took more than that to actually hurt her feelings.

 

“Tilmitt, stop jumping around like a rabbit,” Seifer ordered, surprised when the girl listened.

 

Headed towards the corridor leading from the hanger, Seifer was put on edge by the exiting door that burst open, loudly connecting with the steel wall. The noise resounded in the cavernous space. Languidly, the tall form of Seifer's favorite cowboy strode closer. There was sheer venom in violet eyes, but he continued walking as though oblivious.

 

“Almasy,” Irvine hissed. “What the hell have you done now?!”

 

“Irvine!” Selphie immediately reprimanded. It wasn't like Irvine to be so hostile.

 

Shrugging past the cowboy, Seifer silently dared the man to try and stop him.

 

Having watched what happened in Dollet through Nero's satellite imaging, Irvine was livid. His opposition to the ex-knight's return was the result of seeing the harassment the man put Squall through. Falling into step with the arrogant knight, he forced himself not to draw Exeter. “You were hired to protect Squall, not expose him to new dangers.”

 

“Thanks for the update, Kinneas. I'll have to keep that in mind,” Seifer retorted sarcastically.

 

“I'm serious, Almasy. I didn't say anything about you touching him, but if you're going to endanger his life further, I will stop you.”

 

“Irvine Kinneas!” Selphie cried, steps rushed to keep up with the two long gated men. “If you saw the same footage that I did then you know very well that Seifer didn't do anything wrong.”

 

Seifer didn't comment. It seemed as though the he might be treading on thin ice with the sharpshooter. Even if he enjoyed making people angry, he didn't have the time to stop and fight with the longhaired man. It was just some jealous rage that would run its course in due time. The cowboy was a playboy. Seduction was a game to the free spirited young man, one that he was not going to let Squall join in. Seifer had inadvertently opened the gunman's eyes to a new target, shedding a light on the possibility of claiming the Balamb lion.

 

“Why did you really come back?” Irvine asked suddenly.

 

If Seifer had a free hand he would have pinched the bridge of his nose. The sooner the gunman realized that it was simply jealousy behind those blooming feelings, the better off he would be.

 

Selphie dropped back a step and moved around behind Seifer. Grabbing Irvine's sleeve, she held the gunman back while letting Seifer continue on.

 

As Seifer went ahead, he heard a yelp from behind. It seemed like little Tilmitt was good for more than just flying advanced aircrafts. A grin came to his face when he heard the young woman hiss at the cowboy, something about tough love.

 

Though Seifer had been wary of a crowd, it was past curfew. Reaching the hanger's door, he peered out and was relieved to note the vacancy of the brightly lit fountain area. Though he couldn't stop the news from spreading, he could at least traverse to the infirmary unimpeded. His relief was short lived when the distant sound of milling cadets reached his ears. Curious teens were no doubt in a tizzy over their idol, and he could only imagine what news reports might already be circulating.

 

As green eyes saw one of several cadets casually walk past the Infirmary, he backed into a corner. The fountain's pouring water hid his presence. Turning around, he backtracked to the arguing couple he had left behind. “Kinneas,” he called out.

 

Jaw clenching visibly, Irvine ground out, “Yeah, partner?” His tone earned him an elbow in the ribs from Selphie.

 

Quirking a brow at the gunman's odd manner, Seifer shrugged it off. “We've got a little situation near the main entrance.”

 

Selphie stood on her tiptoes, as if her short frame could see past the fountain by straightening up a few more inches. Even though she couldn't see, she knew what Seifer was talking about. “No one else saw what happened. Why….” Her question trailed off as footsteps approached.

 

Reacting quickly, the three of them fell back into the corridor that led to the hanger. Seifer was furious that he was delayed in seeking Kadowaki's help for the unconscious commander. He had half a mind to waltz out there and kill anyone who so much as glanced his way. Falling short of squeezing the unconscious man in his arms too tightly, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Glancing at Tilmitt and Kinneas, he saw his own frustrations mirrored. “Take off your coat,” he ordered abruptly, struck by genius.

 

“What?” Irvine asked, snapping his head up to look at the blond.

 

Impatient, Seifer explained hurriedly, “Carry Tilmitt to Squall's apartment. Don't let them see her face.”

 

“Ooh,” Selphie intoned with slight wonderment. “Smart,” she commented, stepping from foot to foot while waiting for Irvine to take his coat off.

 

Reluctantly, Irvine complied, knowing well enough that it was a clever idea. Shrugging out of his brown leather duster, he paused for a moment. “Why don't you take Selphie and give me Squall?”

 

Seifer just laughed. “You're funny, real funny.”

 

Violet eyes narrowed at the ex-knight. The message was clear enough. He should have known better than to ask. With a sneer in the blond's direction, he held his coat aloft for Selphie to put on.

 

Selphie couldn't help but giggle as Irvine swept her up into his arms.

 

“Don't go giggling when we walk past the early risers in the main hall,” Irvine warned.

 

Seifer agreed, “Even the newbies know Leonhart doesn't giggle.”

 

Selphie's voice was muffled beneath the covering of worn leather. “I still don't know how anyone could have found out so fast.”

 

“That's not my concern right now,” Seifer said, stepping back and motioning for Irvine to get going.

 

Reluctant to leave the commander alone when he knew what the ex-knight had done earlier, Irvine set off without further delay.

 

Peeking around the corner, Seifer watched as the group of early rising cadets pretended not to notice as Kinneas walked by. Shortly after the cowboy passed, the group huddled together and chattered quickly before stalking after the gunman and the supposedly injured commander.

 

Frowning, he knew it was hoping for too much that the whole incident would blow over. Squall would have to deal with a renewed focus on every single move made as a teenage commander. With a sigh, he moved when the coast was clear.

 

Dr. Kadowaki stood outside the infirmary in her long white lab coat and with her hands clasped expectantly behind her back. She greeted the ex-knight with little warmth. “What have you two done now?”

 

Grinning, Seifer played the part of a sheepish schoolboy. As he walked closer he nodded to her. “Aww, come on doc. You know us boys will be boys. Besides, princess here could always take a hit or two.”

 

“So I remember,” the older woman replied with sarcasm. “His usual bed is ready.” Turning, she led the way inside.

 

Since Squall had become headmaster, he had directed funds to improve Balamb Garden, which was something a greedy Norg had neglected. The Infirmary had received major renovations. Everywhere they traveled it seemed as though there was a village or town in need of help. Dr. Kadowaki had been rather busy the past few months. Her life had never been a dull when stationed in a facility that trained mercenaries.

 

As a private joke between the good doctor and the injury prone commander, the bed that the brunet so often occupied had been officially designated the special quarters for commanding officers. It was almost nostalgic to see young Almasy carrying young Leonhart in again. There was something wholly different this time, she noted. The arrogant cadet she had once known was changed. The young man's manner was not as cocky and green eyes held unmasked concern.

 

Seifer made his way through the small hospital wing. He remembered the bed in the far corner that Squall had been known to use. He had often been the one to carry the lithe form there on several occasions. He had also frequently woken up in the very same bed. Only Kadowaki knew just how many times they had sparred and inadvertently hurt each other.

 

No matter how nostalgic it might have felt, too much time had passed for things to possibly be the same as they once were. Seifer was acutely aware of one major difference. Instead of quickly dropping his injured sparring partner off, he felt ardent about waiting impatiently at Leonhart's bedside until grey-blue eyes fluttered open.

 

Lowering the brunet's relatively small form to the secluded bed, Seifer bent down and tried to be as gentle as he could. Pulling the collar of his shrouding coat away from a pale face, he revealed the bundled man beneath. With one arm still holding the commander upright, he tugged the bedding back. Turing the sheets and blanket down, he unwrapped his long coat from around the smaller man. He quickly found that he couldn't remove his coat completely. Oddly, even while unconscious Squall had taken a grip on one of the sleeves of the black garment. When he tried to pull the bit of cloth away, delicate fingers tightened.

 

Seifer chuckled. It was unbelievable how stubborn the brunet could be even in such an unconscious state. Letting the younger man have his way, Seifer relented his coat. Setting Squall back against the bed, he draped the blanket over the cold form. Kadowaki was still gathering supplies. In an impromptu move, he leaned down and placed a warm kiss to the top of soft hair. Standing back he smoothed over the unruly locks, brushing the strands from his rival's forehead.

 

“So, Mr. Almasy, what is it this time?”

 

The doctor's voice was closer than he expected. Turning around Seifer faced the older woman, hoping she hadn't been standing there very long. “Hypothermia as far as I can tell, but I'm no doctor, doc.”

 

Moving out of the woman's way, Seifer let the practiced medic work her magic. A heating blanket was draped over the commander, before the woman proceeded to check the brunet's vitals.

 

When the doctor seemed finished, Seifer asked incredulously, “That's it?”

 

“His heartbeat is a bit weak, but nothing to be concerned about. He's a strong boy, he'll be fine.” The worry and concern shown by the ex-knight was curious. Personally, she had never been too fond of the blond boy who had always sent Leonhart her way for treatment, but she understood that the rivals were cautious enough to look out for each other.

 

“How long until he wakes up?” Seifer asked, looking beyond the doctor to the bed where Squall rested.

 

Packing away various instruments, Kadowaki shook her head slightly. “I don't know.” Sighing, she regarded the blond with a serious expression. “For anyone else, I'd say in an hour or two. For Squall, it could be less or more. He's lost weight and has signs of exhaustion, but he's stubborn. His previous condition may or may not effect how quickly he recovers. I swear that boy is a medical anomaly.” Toting her bag, she left the secluded area and made her way to her small office nearby.

 

Seifer scoffed at the uninformative answer. His patience was tested as he pulled a chair up along side Squall's bed and waited. It was only after a few minutes of staring at the pale face and smaller form under the blankets that he lost his patience. Standing, he checked to see where Kadowaki was. The doctor was nowhere in sight. Returning to the brunet's side, he sat down on the bed and draped an arm down to the pretty boy's head. It was easier to wait when he was gently stroking the silky strands of hair.

 

 

TBC… please review…