Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Balamb Garden Festival ❯ The Second Spirit ( Chapter 2 )

by Medea (medea_s@yahoo.com)

AN: The usual disclaimer applies.

------ Stave 3 ------
- The Second Spirit -

Awaking in the middle of a snore, and sitting up suddenly in bed, it took Squall a moment to realise where he was. He didn't see Doctor Kadowaki in front of him, poking his forehead. Instead, he was back in his dorm, in the warmth of his own bed. He didn't need to be told that it was almost one in the morning. This time, he felt ready to meet the second guide Ellone had sent him. He climbed out of bed and paced around the room, wondering who would be the next one to walk through his door.

But instead of it being broken down, the visitor patiently remained in the corridor and knocked three times. Squall quickly turned the handle and looked upon the figure in the hallway. He was dressed in loose black pants, held about his waist with a rope belt; and a torn blue vest which exposed his tanned, well-built chest. On his left shoulder was a silver guard with the kanji for thunder upon it.

"Hey, Squall! I'm your second guide, ya know," he said, with a boyish grin upon his chocolate coloured face.

"Raijin." Squall nodded to him nonchalantly. "Let's go get this over and done with."

They walked down the corridor, past the dormitories and into the lobby. It was daytime, and students and SeeDs alike were bustling about as per their usual schedules. But for some reason, everyone seemed a lot more cheerful that usual. Card games took place left and right, and music was played softly over the PA system.

Squall followed his bulky companion to the cafeteria. The same cheeriness was in the room, and there was not one utterance of the word "diet" anywhere. Even the old lunch ladies with their red hair and aged features were grinning as they served the Garden's famous hotdogs.

"Attention everyone!" Said a voice over the PA, and the music was turned off. "This is Headmaster Cid. I want to wish everyone a great Festival! You all deserve it!"

Cheers and applause broke out over the cafeteria. Raijin was grinning, clearly amused by all that was occurring.

"I'd offer you a drink, ya know," He said quietly to Squall. "But these are just shadows."

Squall responded with a mumbled "Whatever", and continued to look at all the faces in the room. Over in one corner he spotted Quistis, Irvine and some jealous, vengeful Trepies, sitting together eating their lunch. They started waving in his direction. He wasn't sure if they could see him or not, and looked behind him to avoid their eyes. To his surprise, in ran a very hyperactive Zell, who pushed over all in his path to get to the counter.

"Can I h-have a hot dog, please?" He panted, gazing wide-eyed at the woman at the counter like a starving child.

"Of course," Smiled the lunch lady.

Zell jumped up, punched the air, and cried "Booya!" He watched with excited anticipation as the woman moved around the cramped area behind the counter. She went over to the bread box, and he found his mouth watering. Next, she went to the warmer, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. She reached for the sauce, and Zell had to adjust his jacket collar as he gulped. She grabbed a sheet of paper, and wrapped the delicious bundle of bun and composite meat. To him she seemed to move incredibly slow, and perhaps thought that his jumping on the spot would somehow hurry her up.

Eventually, the old woman handed out the prized package. Squall noticed that the hot dog was pitifully small, barely four inches in length. Zell didn't seem to notice, and Squall couldn't remember seeing a bigger smile on his face since the guy passed his SeeD exam. Brandishing his long sought after grail, the blonde ran through the seating area, holding it as if one wrong move and it would explode.

Squall and Raijin watched in awe as Zell unwrapped the paper with extreme caution. He placed it down on the table ever so carefully, and cradled the naked hot dog with both hands. His eyes lidded, and he drew close to inhale the aroma of the food product. Oblivious to his friend's looks, he opened his eyes again, and grinned at his prey. Suddenly, he shoved the whole thing in his mouth, and gulped it down, barely chewing it.

Squall's bemused stare was interrupted when he felt a large paw swat his shoulder.

"It's sad, isn't it? But you're the one who signed the paper to cut back funding for delicacies, ya know."

Squall blinked. Hot dogs, a delicacy? He honestly couldn't remember sighting that form. He then realised Cid must have placed it in the "Whatever" box on his desk.

"Raijin, I've seen enough, ya know... I mean, I've seen enough."

"There's another thing to see, ya know. Seifer said I've gotta take you to the festival concert."

Squall sighed. "...Whatever."

They walked through the Garden, half-listening to the soft melodic tune that seems to haunt your dreams after playing FFVIII for too long. Eventually they reached the quad, where the concerts were about to begin. Selphie was spotted running around like a headless chocobo, unbelievably stressed out over the course of events.

"Where is that Irvine?!" She grumbled, almost throwing down the flood light she held. "Gah! I oughtta castrate him..."

"Sefie? Sweetie?" The said victim poked his head out from around the corner, regretting having lunch at all. He smiled nervously, and adjusted his hat.

"Irvine." Selphie sighed, closing her eyes tightly. Then her face turned as red as her nunchaku, and she began to glow with an odd energy as she opened them again. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! Ihavehalfanhouruntiltheconcertbeginsandthelightsaren'tupyetandyou'retoobusy slackingofftofrickenHELPme!"

"Calm down, hon. I'm here now. Everything will work out. You're doing a terrific job..."

Raijin was laughing at Squall's side. "Whipped, ya know!"

Meanwhile, Squall was absolutely mortified. He had never seen Selphie acting so... demonic.

Time passed, and the concert went underway without too many hitches. A mediocre band played a few mediocre songs, a student played a drum solo, and Headmaster Cid gave another of his beloved speeches. It was then announced that it was time to play a game called 'Celebrity Heads'. Three individuals from the audience were chosen, and made their way onto the stage. Upon their heads were placed bands with a name written across it, and they had to ask yes/no questions to find out who they were.

"Am I a SeeD?" The first student asked, and was answered by a cheer. "Am I a girl?" A giggle came from one section, but the general consensus was a negative. After the others took their first turns, the boy had another go. He discovered that he was indeed a male, didn't wear a uniform, was from Balamb, didn't have an obsession with a particular food, had no dangerously ambitious dream, and was anal retentive. The crowd roared with peals of laughter, and the boy eventually stepped forward.

"I know, I know! I'm Squall!"

With a sigh, Squall raised a hand to his forehead, mumbling, ".....". After Raijin stopped laughing (a good five minutes later), the scene faded, and they stood in a corridor somewhere in Garden.

"Orright, this is where it ends, ya know? It's been fun, Squall..."

Squall sighed, and nodded. He didn't even have time to say his trademark line when Raijin bounded away. The resonant sound of a clock chiming echoed through the corridor, and our hero counted out to twelve. As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, he remembered Ellone's words, and lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn figure coming down the hall, boots marking a steady rhythmic pace, towards him.