Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ SeeDs, Ronins, and Scouts ❯ Withdrawals ( Chapter 13 )

Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon, and Final Fantasy VIII do not belong to me. They belong to Sunrise Inc., Toei Animation, and Squaresoft respectively. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!!!!!!! Only the plot of the story and any new characters, such as Blaze Fields and Axel Jones belongs to me.

"Withdrawals"

Chapter Thirteen

Friday afternoon, February 11, 2006, Balamb Garden:

The Ronins and the Scouts returned to Balamb City by the transcontinental train on Tuesday around noon. The large group was happy that Mia gave birth to a healthy baby girl. They went by the hospital Tuesday morning and visited Mia before they left. They all wished the new parents the best of luck in raising little Chastity.

Once the group of ten arrived back at Balamb Garden, the Ronins and Scouts went their separate ways. All of the teens didn't know how to handle the current situation that was looming over them. The girls felt that they should distance themselves from the guys. Unfortunately, the feelings that each girl possessed for her compatible partner were too strong to hold back. The deep, sincere, and unconditional love that the girls have for the guys could never be replaced. However, they couldn't risk exploring a monogamous relationship with the Ronins. They knew their days on Earth were numbered. In addition, they couldn't bear if the guys denied or rejected the deep and sincere love they have for them.

Unbeknownst to the Scouts, the Ronins held similar beliefs. Each guy desired to be with his compatible partner and spend quality time with her. Unlike the Scouts' skepticism in having a deeper connection, the Ronins wanted to possess a deeper relationship, regardless of the fact that they were leaving in a couple of days. They didn't care about the consequences, as long as the girls displayed the deep and strong love that the guys harbored for them.

Since their arrival to Balamb Garden on Tuesday, the girls spent time in the Dormitory. Rowen went either to the Quad or the Library. Cai stayed in the dorm while his roommate Kento decided to work off some frustration and stress in the Training Center. Sage decided to pass time by playing Triple Triad with some of the `Trepies' in the Cafeteria. Ryo plainly stated that he wanted to be left alone.

Garden Exit:

"I just truly wished that there was another way," Ryo mumbled as he walked towards the water fountain located near the exit. He had wandered about the Garden for twenty minutes, deeply brooding in his thoughts. "I don't want to lose their friendship and I don't want `her' to leave without knowing how I really feel," he confessed as he heard soft rumbling above him. He looked up at the sky and spotted a few rain clouds. He sighed and walked back to the Garden Entrance, one thought on his mind. `Raye…'

Mina and Lita's room:

Lita sat on her bed, staring through her glass balcony door. She sadly gazed at the dark rain clouds and listened to the pitter-patter of the raindrops tapping against the glass. `It suits my mood,' she mumbled mentally. She wiped away her silent tears as they slowly cascaded down her cheeks. She truly felt a heavy ache in her chest. She couldn't deal with placing her heart on the line for Sage. She knew that she had somehow rekindled long-buried feelings for him since they've reunited at Ryo's house. She even thought about the night that he came over and discussed their life since grade school and their families. She smiled slightly as she reminisced about the kiss that he gave her to calm her nerves that were rattled early that morning from her nightmare. She sniffled before she hung her head down as tears continued sliding down her face.

Mina watched Artemis curl into a ball and fall asleep on her bed. She giggled quietly at his sleeping form before glancing at her best friend. She sighed at Lita's sad demeanor. `She hasn't moved from that spot for nearly three days. She barely eats her meals,' the blonde thought sadly.

Suddenly, Mina's phone rang and she walked over to the machine and pressed the speaker button. "Hello?"

"Hey, this is Blaze. How are you?"

"Fine Blaze. Are things okay in Deling City?" Lita joined in the conversation.

"Hey Lita. I forgot you and Mina were roommates. But yeah, Axel and I are making sure that the streets are safe," Blaze replied confidently. A few seconds of silence passed by. "You guys sound a little upset. Is everything okay?"

Mina and Lita glanced at each other briefly. "Uh…everything's just fine," Mina answered hesitantly.

"No it isn't," Blaze countered sternly. "Hit the visual button on the phone." Lita reached over to hit the yellow button and a visual of Blaze appeared before the two individuals. She slowly scrutinized the girls' uneasy facial expression before speaking again. "Something's up with you two. You're acting as though this would be your last time being on Earth or something. Spill it."

Lita and Mina both gasped softly. `There's no way she could possibly know…' "Is it that apparent on our faces?" Lita asked suspiciously.

Blaze sighed as she adjusted the white sweatband on her forehead. "Of course it is. Look, I know that we've only known each other in only a span of five or six days, but I sense that something is wrong with you two. So…what's the matter?" the auburn-haired asked softly.

"We just received some disturbing news earlier this week," Lita began as she wrapped her arms around her small waist.

"We found out that my friends and I have to complete a mission that is quite tedious and lengthy," Mina supplied cautiously.

"Well at least you and your friends will be together," Blaze returned casually. "So what's the mission?"

"We have to exterminate the monsters that were attacking a space shuttle and help technicians make repairs," Lita feigned carefully.

Blaze eyed the two individuals skeptically before voicing her thoughts. "So how long will the mission take?"

"We really don't know for sure, but we hope that it won't be for long," Mina answered slowly. "We're leaving Monday."

"Oh, I see," Blaze returned softly as she clasped her hands together and placed them on her desk. "Well, I truly wish you guys the best of luck. I'll leave you guys to your musings. Hopefully, I'll talk to you guys before you leave. Take care."

"Yeah. Make sure that you take care of Axel too, if you know what I mean," Lita added with a mischievous grin.

Blaze's face flushed before she regained her composure. "Of course." She smiled and waved slightly before she hit the visual button on her phone.

Lita and Mina both sighed in relief as they pressed the yellow and end buttons on the talking device.

"I'm still in shock in how she knew something was up with us," Lita spoke softly as she resumed her spot on her bed.

"I know," Mina agreed quietly. "But for some odd reason, I still can't shake the familiar feeling that I'm supposed to remember something about her and Axel. Something about those two keeps triggering something in the back of my mind."

"Me too," Lita answered distantly, as she continued to gaze out at the rain and gloomy skies. She held her head down and allowed the silent tears to fall down her face.
There was silence between the two females. Both were contemplating about the issues in their complicated lives. A few moments later, Mina walked over to her friend and sat next to her. She stared at the dark rain clouds lurking in the sky.

"Are you going to be okay?" she whispered.

Lita raised her head and glanced at her best friend. "I don't know if I really will," she answered truthfully. "I don't want to leave."

Mina looked at her friend, understanding written on her face. She motioned for Lita to sit on the floor as she grabbed the brush off the nightstand. "I know the feeling," she acknowledged. "I don't want to leave here, especially without telling Kento how I really feel about him." She gently began brushing Lita's naturally wavy tresses. While doing this, she thought of a topic to get her best friend talking and smiled mischievously at her discovery. "Speaking of which… What are some of the reasons why you fell in love with Sage?"

"WHAT?!" Lita yelped incredulously. A few seconds later, she blushed lightly at her reasons for loving the bearer of the Halo armor. "Why'd you want to know?"

"I'm just curious, that's all," Mina answered coolly.

Lita smirked slightly as she thought about her next statement. She glanced over her shoulder at her friend. "So what attracted you to Kento?"

"I rather not say," Mina replied shyly, a slight blush crossing her cheeks.

"So you rather not tell your bestest (A.N. I'm fully aware that bestest isn't a word) friend in the whole world why you are attracted to someone I consider as my `brother'?" Lita teased lightly.

Mina chuckled lightly as she placed the wavy tresses in a ponytail. "I'll tell you if you tell me why my `brother' has `captured' your heart. Do we have a deal?"

A smile slowly swept across Lita's face since she returned back to Balamb Garden. She looked at her friend, and nodded her head. "Deal," she agreed softly before explaining why she fell hard for her `Casanova'.

Cafeteria:

Sage finished playing his sixth Triple Triad match with the `Trepies'. He just collected two Snow Lion cards, two Wendigo cards, one Elvoret card, and one Ultima Weapon card. He shook hands with all the `Trepies' and left the Cafeteria. He sighed quietly at the same time his watch-bracelet beeped. He stopped to press the green button on the side and answered the page. "Sage here."

"What's going on buddy?" the person greeted smoothly.

Sage pulled up the holographic image and smirked at the individual. "Nothing really Axel. How is the crime in Deling City?"

"Nothing major. Blaze and I are making sure that criminal activities are minimal or obsolete," Axel declared. A few moments passed before he spoke again. "You sure you're okay man?" He peered closer at the other blond's face. "You look like you've lost you're best friend or something. What's up?"

Sage sighed quietly as he raked his fingers through his hair. He glanced out the window before turning his gaze to the hologram. "My friends and I just found out that Mina and her friends were leaving for a mission."

"Were you talking about the girl and her friend who were at the mall with you? They're SeeDs too, I assume," Axel inquired. Sage nodded despairingly. "You should be happy for them."

"I am," Sage said smoothly.

The older male crossed his hands over his tanned chest. "Sure you are," Axel replied nonchalantly. "Are you upset that you didn't get the mission or is it something else?"

He sighed before speaking again. "It's just that I, nor my friends, may never see them again after the mission," Sage answered truthfully.

"Or is it that you won't see `her' once the mission is over?" Axel questioned casually before seeing Sage's shocked expression.

"Wha…How could you tell?" Sage sputtered disbelievingly as he leaned on the wall.

"Never say `never' whenever love is involved, my friend," he answered wisely. He chuckled lightly before giving the younger male a serious look. "My suggestion is that you and your friends spend as much time with Mina and her friends. I don't know if your friends have feelings for the girls, but do tell Lita how you feel."

Sage looked at the hologram before him and nodded in understanding. "I'll take your advice. Just make sure that you and Ms. Fields work out the `sparks' between you two," he answered with a perceptive grin.

Axel raised his eyebrow questioningly at Sage. "I'm not even gonna ask what made you think that," he lied carefully, " but I have to cut the conversation short. I'll catch you later. Just don't forget what I said."

Sage murmured a farewell before he ended the conversation and dispelled the image. The blond-haired male continued to preamble through the Cafeteria exit when he spotted Rowen walking toward the Quad. "Rowen!" he yelled as he jogged over to his best friend.

"Oh. Hey Sage," Rowen replied. "Have you seen any of the girls wanderin' around here?"

"I'm afraid not buddy," Sage said as he walked with him to the Quad.

A few moments of silence passed between the two individuals.

"I just wish that they didn't have to go so soon," Rowen sighed. "We were just starting to be happy just being normal teenagers. We were almost about to have a normal life. It's not fair…"

"I know what you mean," Sage admitted. "I wanted to talk to Lita and see where we both stand in our friendship." Rowen glanced at him as he sighed. "However, it looks like I won't even get the chance."

Rowen raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "Is there somethin' more goin' on between you and Lita that you're not tellin' me about?"

"Whatever goes on between Lita and I are our concerns," Sage snapped defensively. He looked at his friend's startled and hurt expression and sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It seems that everyone is a little grumpy because of this situation," Rowen replied wearily.

"But to really answer your question," Sage began as he smirked at the bearer of the Strata armor, "it's the same reason why you didn't tell anyone about the chemistry between you and Ms. Mizuno."

Rowen looked away and sighed. "You're right. Should have realized that," he confessed, reluctantly. He glanced out the window at the rain clouds in the sky. "I never met anyone like her. She has a great personality and she's one amazing woman. I just wished that we had more time to allow our friendship to blossom into something more…"

Sage placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean," he admitted quietly. "We still have the chance to tell them how we really feel about them. Hopefully, we get to spend time with the girls before they leave on Monday…"

"I hope you're right…"

Amy and Serena's room:

Serena giggled quietly as Luna held a one-sided conversation with herself while she slept on her bed. The blonde-haired female sighed quietly as she twisted her hair up in a sloppy bun. She glanced at her roommate and wondered how Amy could act `normal' at a solemn time like this. She carefully got off the bed and walked over to Amy's side of the room. She then leaned against Amy's desk.

Amy glanced briefly at her friend, before returning back to her Calculus book. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, occupied by the problems on the page.

"I'm just wondering if you're really okay," Serena interrogated lightly.

Before the blue-haired genius could respond, a knock echoed through the room. Amy and Serena glanced at each other before the latter walked to the door. She opened the door to find the raven-haired priestess standing on the other side.

"Hey Raye," both girls greeted as she entered the room.

Raye murmured a greeting in return and sat down in Serena's chair. "Has anyone seen the guys since we've been back at the Garden?" she questioned the two females.

"I haven't," Serena mumbled. "I really wanted to spend time with my friends."

"We all would like to Serena…" Amy agreed.

"…But we don't want to become deeply involved in a relationship with our crushes," Raye interjected.

Another knock interrupted the conversation and Raye walked over to the door. She pulled the door back to reveal Lita and Mina standing on the other side.

"So what brings you two to our `humble abode'?" Serena inquired of the newcomers.

"We just wanted to check up on you guys," Mina confessed as she walked in and leaned against the wall.

"We were just seeing if everything was okay," Lita added as she sat cross-legged on Amy's bed.

A few moments passed before the girls spoke.

"You know what?" Serena began, "I am really gonna miss the guys."

"I'm gonna miss Ryo's compassion towards others as well as his temper," Raye sighed as she hugged her knees to her chest. The girls giggled quietly at her admission.

"At least now you have someone to match your fiery temper," Serena teased harmlessly.

Raye was about to hiss a retort but decided against it. Tints of red colored her nose and cheeks. "Guilty as charged," she murmured bashfully as she tried to hide her rosy face.

"I'll definitely miss Kento's sensitive side and his strength," Mina whispered. "I truly love that about him…"

"I know that I won't forget Rowen," Amy murmured quietly.

"Oh really? And why is that?" Raye asked as she and the others arched an eyebrow or smirked at the blue-haired female.

"He's the most cunning out of the five guys and he makes me smile with his witty comments," Amy explained as she placed her book on the shelf.

"I will never forget about Cai's shyness and his ability to trust people," Serena stated as she clasped her hands together in her lap. "I guess that what drew me to him."

"I know that I will miss Sage, not only for his charm and stubbornness, but also for his wisdom," Lita remarked sincerely.

"I really want to see them and spend time with the guys before we leave," Mina stated.

"Hopefully, we'll see them this weekend and we can do just that," Raye declared as she reached for Serena's boom box and played the radio. She then reached in her back pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. "In the meantime, who's up for a game of Spades?"

Cai and Kento's Room:

Kento arrived back to his room, tired from his `workout' in the Training Center. `Man!! Those T-Rexuars seem harder to beat since the last time I fought them,' he muttered in his mind.

"How did it go this time Kento?" Ryo asked from a nearby chair.

Kento blinked and glanced at all four of his friends in the room. "Huh?" he asked confused. He then thought about Ryo's statement as he slowly made his way to his bed. "Oh. It seems that the T-Rexuars seem to have more bite. I just feel really tired."

"So what happened with the Triple Triad game Sage?" Cai questioned his friend. "Did you get any rare cards?"

"I just managed to win six cards from the `Trepies' in the Cafeteria," Sage answered nonchalantly as he leaned against the wall.

"So did anyone see Serena and the others since Tuesday?" Kento asked from his bed. Some guys replied with a negative response while others simply shook their heads.

"I think we should see them this weekend and inform them of our feelings towards them," Rowen suggested as he leaned on Kento's desk.

"I hope the girls are fully aware of the impact that the `isolation', as well as the situation itself, is affecting us," Ryo explained.

"Most importantly, we can't blame Pluto for delivering to us the bad news," Cai declared flatly. "She was just following this `Cosmos' person's demands."

"I just hope that we're not gonna be too late to tell them how we truly feel," Sage sighed quietly.

`Hyne, don't let this opportunity escape us and don't let this be the last time that we'll see them again,' all the individuals thought together solemnly.

Author's Note:

Boy that took a lot out of me emotionally!! *sighs* Again, I apologize for not having any fighting scenes in the chapter. Looks like the Ronins and the Scouts want to reveal how they really feel towards one another. Hopefully, our heroes would have one last chance to spend time with one another before the Scouts' departure in a few days. Please don't forget to read and review!! All comments are welcome (praises, comments, suggestions, flames)!!!