Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Protecting the Lion ❯ Intruder of Dreams ( Chapter 2 )

Author's Note: I reworked sentences, grammar, word choice, and lopped off a lot of unnecessary parts. Nonetheless, there are still many accidental errors. Typos, words left in that don't belong, words left out, my bad habit of overusing the comma, and the ever-persistent improper grammar that my eyes didn't catch. Unless there is an issue that you feel strongly about or distracts from the storyline, then please just overlook the minor mistakes.

 

Chapter Two

Intruder of Dreams

 

In Balamb Garden there weren't many places where someone seeking solitude could go. The lights were perpetually bright, almost invasive at times, and the halls were always milling with cadets and instructors. Night or day, it never ended.

 

Squall Leonhart had lived in Balamb Garden for most of his life and his surroundings had only seemed slightly annoying. Now it was practically intolerable. Though he had been in office half a year already, he had realized rather quickly that his duties did not follow a nine to five schedule. It was rare that he had enough time to return to his own rooms for sleep. Usually, he wound up catching an hour here and there on the couch in his office.

 

The commander was relieved to be returning to his private quarters with a whopping five hours before he needed to return to the office. It was a rare occasion indeed. His feet were on autopilot, navigating his way from the headmaster's office on the second floor to the instructor's dormitories on the first.

 

Quistis would scold him again for leaving after the midnight curfew. The head instructor seemed to have spies all over Balamb Garden, because she managed to find out everything he did and the time it was done.

 

He had been hulled up in his stifling office for two whole days. Truthfully, he had been looking forward to a weekend off, but last Friday he had received an urgent call. There was news from a dispatch near Winhill, reporting on a rumored spotting of Rinoa.

 

There was nothing more he wanted to do than go into the field and lead the search for his girlfriend, but it simply wasn't an option. His titles dictated his actions. There was too much work. He wondered how much of a bastard that made him. Rinoa was missing and all he could think of was work. Despite not heading the search party, he was doing all he could to bring her back safely. He had poured all his reserved energies into finding her. There were no signs of kidnapping, which left a relieving yet crushing truth. She had most likely left on her own. While a kidnapping hadn't been ruled out, it had almost been a month without anyone attempting extortion.

 

Rinoa had made many enemies simply by being Squall's girlfriend. Not many people were in favor of the relationship. Rinoa was a sorceress, so their matching wasn't exactly reassuring.

 

He had sent spare forces off to various regions to gather what information they could. With no ransom demands of any sort, he could only assume she was out there somewhere on her own.

 

Last Friday a team of trainees had reported hearing a rumor running through Winhill. Supposedly, there had been a strange girl who had passed through. She hadn't been a local and one person interviewed had remarked that the girl resembled Rinoa Heartilly. Though dark hair and dark eyes were hardly unique features, it was the only lead Squall had received.

 

The lead in Winhill had come in two days ago. It was Sunday night, or rather Monday morning since it was after midnight. Squall had been forced to call it quits. His body was about to collapse, not caring if he slept on his desk or the floor. The rumor had turned out to be just that. The public was finally noticing Rinoa's absence and he could expect a flood false reports.

 

Before he knew it, he was standing outside of his door. Raising a gloved hand to his mouth he placed a finger to his teeth before biting on the worn leather and pulling it off. There was a fingerprint scanner. He didn't think it was necessary to have such a security device for his own room, especially in a place like a garden, but Quistis had insisted.

 

The door slid open, revealing a dark room. Taking a couple steps in, his boots were soundless on the hard floor. The door closed automatically behind him, leaving him in blessed darkness. Giving a relieved sigh, he bent down and began to take his boots off. Shrugging out of his coat on his way past the couch, he tossed the worn leather garment onto it. His eyes began to focus, allowing for a shadow cast room to come into focus.

 

Once in his bedroom he cast aside his gloves on the nearby dresser and set his hands to work on unbuckling his many belts. Though six belts weren't by any means necessary, they had their uses. One of the two that crossed over his hips kept extra bullet rounds, while the three that wrapped around a lean thigh acted as sheath for a dagger. There was of course the belt around his waist, which helped to keep his pants on after losing what little weight he had to spare. And finally, the belt that held Lionheart secured to his hip at all times.

 

His gunblade was like an extension of himself and rested as though it belonged. His graceful movements were not hindered by his weapon's bulky presence. It belonged with him and being without it felt wrong. He couldn't very well sleep with it though, especially not when Rinoa spent the night. The last belt he undid was the one securing his blade. He carefully, almost lovingly, placed it in its mounted case. The dagger was something he could take with him. Being a SeeD, he was never without some weapon at all times.

 

The few steps he took towards his bed felt like he had led weights around his ankles. Collapsing onto the soft mattress, he crawled towards the pillows, but failed to make it before he gave up.

 

Still clutching the dagger, his body fell into sweet oblivion, curling up into itself for warmth. Vaguely, before his mind was swept away he heard soft purring. It was Rinoa's cat. With her gone, he had been left to take care of it. Though the damn creature seemed so fond of him anyway, it might as well have been his to begin with.

 

Half asleep upon entering his apartment, Squall was soon asleep entirely.

 

There was blissful silence. His dreams were often set in darkness and absolute quiet. There had been a time when he had feared it, but it was now his refuge.

 

--

 

Standing motionless in the black void, a cold wind swept over him. As the wind picked up, the empty darkness was replaced. Snow was falling, scattered flakes eventually coming down in heavy drifts that were in stark contrast to the darkness. Gazing up, Squall watched as the black became a deep navy blue. A sky had materialized out of nowhere. Unable to catch every change, not entirely certain it hadn't been instantaneous, he soon found himself surrounded by a snowy expanse.

 

Smiling faintly, Squall took a deep breath of crisp, clean air. As he let it out, his breath was visible in misty puffs. The wind died down, carrying a soft voice before the air became still. Scanning the horizon, grey-blue eyes found snow blanketing every direction. As a flake touched his lip, he licked it, tasting an abnormal sweetness. His smile widened as he heard her voice calling to him again.

 

Her voice was melodious and hypnotizing, drawing him to her. Squall began the trek through the ankle deep snow. Every direction was flat except for one. There was a steep hill, on top of which stood a crooked tree.

 

That was where she would be. Shiva was waiting for him.

 

The distance was short and soon Squall was taking the last few approaching steps toward the tree. Bare branches held stacks of snow, decorating every inch from the thick main limbs to the small tips. Walking around the thick trunk, Shiva finally came into view. Though her back was to him, he knew she was smiling. Her pale blue skin was lustrous. Her long hair fluttered as another breeze swept past them. Finally her head turned and he saw for himself the knowing and gentle smile her lips held.

 

Turning to face him, she raised an arm out to him. “Come her my lion,” she urged.

 

Silently, Squall moved closer. Though it wasn't the first time he had met his faithful Guardian Force in such a manner, he was always surprised by how she looked up close. It was one thing to see her in battle, but completely another to stand before her. She was quite tall, several inches taller than he was.

 

The boy's expression was indifferent as Shiva's hand cupped his cheek and her thumb traced up and down across his cheek. Her electric blue eyes held his for a long moment. Guiltily, the fighter dropped his gaze to the snow covered ground. “So tired. Why must you push yourself?” she spoke softly.

 

When they had last met, Squall's guardian force had urged him to take more time to rest and heal. He had said that he would do what he could, but that had been before the rumor of Rinoa's whereabouts reached him. “Rinoa's still missing,” Squall said quietly, not trying to make excuses.

 

Shiva's thumb stilled for a moment. “There is more. I can see it in the eyes of the young Trepe woman.” She chuckled softly at the wide-eyed look of surprise her lion gave. “Sweet boy, you cannot hide anything from me.”

 

“No,” Squall agreed, finally raising his head again and looking into her eyes. Shiva was his closest confidant. She was irreplaceable in his life.

 

Since before the war Shiva had been by his side. She understood him perfectly. Though it was odd to form such strong bonds with a Guardian Force, it felt so natural. During the war, when he worked tirelessly to become stronger, Shiva's bond had helped him. The deeper their relationship, the better they fought together. They had become so close that he couldn't stand to part with her after the war, so she had remained junctioned ever since.

 

As Shiva stared, Squall felt obligated to tell her exactly what was going on. “There have been more incidences lately. I can handle myself though, it's not a problem.” Though Shiva was with him all the time, her presence was usually in the back of his mind, in a dormant state. She was capable of knowing everything, but respected his privacy.

 

The incidences Squall referred to were recent break-ins. Introverted by nature and choice, he loathed being in the public's eye. Sadly, according to Selphie Tilmitt, he was loved by the public. As a result, he had gained many fans. Subsequently, he also gained many enemies.

 

Though Squall didn't consider it a major issue, someone had inside information and had actually infiltrated Balamb Garden. Not knowing who it was, there was no way to definitively say it wasn't someone on the inside already. Quite honestly, he didn't care. It had nothing to do with his job as commander or headmaster. His better judgment told him that there was no real threat to the security of his garden or cadets living there.

 

Quistis had been the one to bring the matter to his attention. The head instructor handled most of his affairs. She organized his schedule and prioritized the problems brought to his attention. For the sake of not worrying him unnecessarily, the dutiful instructor had kept the matter silent until a few weeks ago. Apparently the perpetrator, who had made a flawless escape, had reached his private quarters, leaving behind a package. Considering he so rarely returned to his apartment, he hadn't even been the first to receive the package. Not exactly harmless, the small box had been cleverly rigged to release a small explosion of a powder. The powder had been identified as a rather powerful toxin that paralyzed the body almost instantly, especially when inhaled. In small a dose, which was what had been in the package, it only lasted a few hours, but was not something that could be counteracted by any known antidote or potion.

 

Squall had seen that Quistis was seriously distraught over it. He hadn't asked for details, because in all honesty his mind was focused elsewhere and had little time to spare for some person who was leaving him messages and breaking into his past files in the computer's mainframe. It wasn't as though he had anything to hide and he wasn't exactly surprised that someone was trying to get close after his pictures had spent far too many months on the front page of every newspaper.

 

Breaking the silence, Shiva spoke, “I worry for you. You must take care.”

 

“Always,” he replied, his eyes focusing again on his surroundings and his Guardian Force.

 

“Rest my child,” she whispered softly, placing a kiss to his temple.

 

Smiling again, Squall nodded in thanks before walking to the tree. Regardless of the cold snow, he sat down and leaned back against the hard trunk. The tree was crooked and allowed for him to almost lie back as though reclining in a chair. Icy flakes fell against his skin, but he'd always found solace in the cold numbness.

 

The air was scented faintly, something sweet that he couldn't identify. Eyelids drooping as though he weren't already asleep in the real world, he glimpsed Shiva's back as she stood guard over him. His eyelids drooped low and he last glanced at Shiva as she stood away in guard of his rest. Falling into a deeply unconscious state for the first time, his body could finally being resting.

 

What felt like mere seconds later the wind suddenly picked up with a harsh bite. Shiva's voice called him back, urging him to hurry.

 

“Wake!” she cried. “Now my lion, open your eyes!”

 

--

 

Grey-blue eyes shot open, pupils expanding rapidly in an attempt to adjust to the darkness of the bedroom. Dagger in hand, Squall scanned the area for whatever disturbance Shiva had detected. The room was still. There was no unwelcome movement around him, but he suddenly heard Gabriel hissing. Following a stifled grunt, something crashed and violet meowing cut confirmed that something was terrible wrong.

 

At the sound of the apartment door opening, Squall started. Shaking off remnants of sleep, he jumped out of bed and ran into the living room. Sprinting across the large room, he hit the side panel and quickly ran out into the hallway with his dagger in hand. Swiveling from one line of sight to the next, he found the corridor completely empty. There was little point in giving chase when he had not idea which direction the person had gone.

 

Running a weary hand over his face, Squall gave a heavy sigh. He didn't need this sort of crap.

 

Walking back inside his apartment like dormitory room, he flipped the lights on and surveyed the premise for damage. Though he hadn't actually seen anyone, not even an escaping shadow, he was positive someone had been there. It would seem five consecutive hours of sleep was too good to be true.

 

“Gabriel,” Squall called, wondering if the cat had been hurt.

 

From around the kitchen's open doorway a sleek black cat stepped out. Guarded yellow eyes looked up at him, recognizing his voice.

 

There was an opening along a wall that separated the kitchen from the open living room. Three stools were lined up at the opening, making use of counter space like some small eating area. Tapping this counter, Squall ordered, “Up.”

 

With a graceful leap, the cat was before him at a better level for inspection. For an animal that Rinoa had found on the streets of Timber one day, Gabriel was surprisingly tame when Squall dealt with him. Yellow eyes merely watched as he took each paw in his hands and inspected it.

 

There was blood on the claws of the cat's right paw. With a faint grin, Squall scratched behind Gabriel's ear. “Good boy,” he said softly, earning a content purr.

 

Stepping back from the small alcove and walking around to enter the kitchen, the commander searched for any evidence of the intruder. He had heard something fall to the floor, something inanimate.

 

There was a slim cartridge that had slid nearly under the fridge. Squall's brows furrowed as he tried to think of what it was. Inside, he found a small CD. It was tiny, too small for any device he could think it belonged to. Computers didn't use anything this small. Then again, he was not the residing expert on technology. He'd need to have Selphie examine it.

 

Closing the case with a click, he grasped the square bit of plastic and went back to his bedroom, where he set it on the counter. Gabriel followed at his heals, even as he shed his clothes and move into the bathroom.

 

Showered and dressed ten minutes later, he pocketed the disk case. Once he had Lionheart secured to his hip, he left his bedroom. The black cat had meowed in what he could only take as protest as he put his boots on. Ignoring the creature, he didn't need a pet cat to harp at him in disapproval, that job was reserved for Quistis.

 

Biting his lip, he cringed in realization. Quistis was going to have an apoplectic episode. He was resigned to informing the head instructor of the incident as soon as possible, since the determined woman would eventually find out and rain hell fire if it was later rather than sooner.

 

Sometimes Quistis' attempts to be the source of his reliance were too much. Ever since Sis had left him, he had learned to rely on no one except himself. No amount of nagging or years of friendship would change that part of his character.

 

TBC… please review…