Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Domestic ❯ The Alcauld Plains ( Chapter 16 )

Domestic

WARNINGS:

1) I do not own FF8, Squaresoft, or get any profit out of this story

2) Rated PG-13 for violence, language, and sexual content

"So I pretend

I'm doing all I can

And hope someday you'll find it in your heart.

To understand

Why I'm not around

And forgive me for not being around"

Saddest Song - The Ataris

Chapter 16: The Alcauld Plains

The boat rocked gently as Edea looked down at the sleeping Zell. She could tell there weren't any dreams. You had to have some emotion to dream, but Zell was in a deep sleep of exhaustion. Anyone would be bushed, if not dead, after the day he had. It made Edea question why this all had to happen. It sort of snowballed out of her control, and she questioned whether it was worth it anymore. The White SeeDs were her children. She had lost one-hundred and twenty-seven over the duration of their stay. One-hundred and twenty-eight as of yesterday.

And then she looked to Zell. He was in her original orphanage, and now he was sleeping on the wooden floor. His jeans were shredded and full of holes and his jacket had a large amount of blood on it. They tortured him. Cid wouldn't tell her exactly what they did, but she knew it happened. That was enough. Like petting a dog with rabies, Edea cautiously caressed Zell's tattooed cheek. He stirred a bit, but refused to awaken from his slumber. A wave of depression swept over her, and a feeling of helplessness followed. Zell was her baby. Sure he was bigger now, but he was still the whiny child she raised. And now he had blood on his shirt and slept in a dreamless world. Her other children were bound to come too. Would she be able to ignore their torture as well? Somehow she doubted it. Even if it was for her own son, she couldn't harm her orphans. Wix was more then a White SeeD, but compared to Squall, he was an equal in her eyes. Even though they weren't her blood and flesh, the connections were still there. She couldn't harm them any longer. Edea let out a long sigh and continued to gaze at the caged Zell. She couldn't do anything about it. Cid had taken control of the situation, and she was too entrenched. She was too far in the mud to get out.

And it wasn't really Cid's fault anyway. He was just lonely and couldn't sit still. Cid was looking for a spark to set him off. It really wasn't about Wix, but more about his craving to run the Garden again. He thought he had enough after the NORG situation, but the restless nights at the orphanage weren't enough for him. He missed the adventure and excitement. He missed the SeeD missions and the ability to bargain with foreign powers. He missed being one of the last strongholds of the world. Instead he sat at home and watched the waves every night. That was until Wix came of age. Then Cid had someone to carry out his dream. Someone to act in his failures. He tried to teach him the gunblade. He wanted Wix to become Squall. He wanted to raise a general. But it failed miserably. The harder he pushed, the further Wix pushed away. He finally had to settle with giving his child a bow and arrow. It was one of the greatest disappointments in his life. But Wix was still going to Balamb Garden. Maybe Squall would be able to mold him into a man. Make him into a SeeD Cid could be proud of.

It never happened. On the day of Wix's expulsion, Cid lost it. Edea tried to be understanding. She tried to be compassionate, but Cid didn't listen. It started out small. First he just wanted to talk to Squall. Then he wanted to hold an international trial for rightful ownership of the Garden. Finally, it just transcended to insanity. Both father and son were finally agreeing on things. It was a project they both wanted to undertake. Edea knew it was wrong. She didn't want any part of it. She thought that if she just kept her mouth shut, it would eventually go away. It never did. The chain of events escalated and escalated until here she stood: looking down on her tortured children.

It had gone too far. The anger began to boil in Edea's body and she was ready to act. She was running on all cylinders. Today would be their last day in Balamb. In the morning, she was going home. Screw the innocent families in Balamb. Screw the tents of garden students who were POWs. Screw Cid and his plans to control and mobilize Balamb Garden. This would all end in the morning. She was going to call back her White SeeDs, grab Cid, grab Wix, and go back to Centra. They were her White SeeDs anyway. Not Cid's. And if the stubborn man refused to listen to her, she would just have to whip out some magic. Although she wasn't possessed anymore, Edea was still a force to be reckoned with. She knew that Squall would be arriving any day now, so she had to act fast. Tomorrow morning, the white SeeD ship would once again set sail to the alcoves of Centra; hopefully to never be found again.

(**********)

"I'm sorry Mr. Leo. There is no current resident under the name Zell or Dincht. Perhaps you have the wrong hotel?"

Squall just hung up the phone. "Maybe he has an alias?" the brunette muttered, covering his face with his hand.

"Dincht is too stupid for an alias," Seifer scoffed. "He's probably starving in the street."

"No, he probably went to "rescue" his mother," Quistis chimed in.

"Dammit," Squall growled, running his fingers through his hair. He was now down two men and he needed every able body he could muster. With Esthar failing to make a commitment, Squall needed some luck, and possibly a divine intervention from Hyne. He knew that they wouldn't kill Zell and Travis immediately, but they still had to act fast. With those two missing in action, Squall had to go back to the drawing board.

(**********)

Travis whipped himself out of a nightmare and thwacked his head against the bars. At first his entire forehead went numb and his mind went into shock, but then it sank in. A splitting pain shot down from his hair to his lips. He felt cut open at the forehead, but he couldn't bring himself to touch the wound. The headache was terrible, and he fell back to the floor. Wavering dizzily, Travis's senses eventually came back to him. He gently touched his forehead, but then sprang back. Another wave of pain traveled across his face, but it was improving. There wasn't any blood on his fingers though, so he didn't lose too many layers of skin. It felt more like a giant brush burn with a lump in the center.

Trying to force away the pain, Azerton tried to remember what made him slam his head against the bars. It was a nightmare of some sort, but strangely he couldn't remember anything about it. It was most definitely terrifying, but what that fear was of, he was unsure. It was a dreamless nightmare: a most horrifying experience without images. Travis ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain control of himself. Then he realized where he was.

"Why the hell are there bars?" he thought to himself. At that moment, his head started to hurt again. It all flooded back to him. The trip to Balamb, the fight with the white SeeD, climbing back into the Garden, and the Tonberry all rushed back into his thoughts. He was caught, and probably would be executed in a few hours. A heaviness developed in his chest as he discovered his fate. He suddenly realized how deep in it he was. A brief panic swept over him. He wondered if they'd spare him if he apologized. He knew this was a possibility since they left Deling City, but it didn't entirely materialize until now. It was a devastating realization. He was going to die. Breathing heavily, Travis backed up against the wall and sank into a sitting position. He wasn't ready for this.

(**********)

The Alcauld plains were peaceful for the entire evening. A light snow began to fall at 1800 hours, but it was supposed to be nothing more then a dusting. At 2200 hours the sun set. Also at this time, Squall Leonhart departed from the city gates of Balamb. Slowly sliding the Lion Heart from the sheath, the brunette leisurely walked back towards the Garden. It was the moment that Cid feared the most, and it was happening without his knowledge. Squall saw the tents that formed a semi-circle around the Garden. He saw the White SeeD ship docked at the beach. He saw the giant hole in his Garden. Gritting his teeth, Squall cast a protect spell on himself. It was a blistering cold night, and Squall only wore his usual fur jacket and black pants. Three belts of bullets were wrapped around his midsection, which he felt with every step that he took. Squall stopped at the midpoint between the Garden and the White SeeD ship. After a little contemplation, he took a left and headed towards the tents.

Squall wasn't prepared for this. He didn't know if the occupants of the tents were friend or foe, but he thought it would be a good place to start. The brunette's body tensed. It would start any moment now. He knew that it was going to be a downhill fight, but in his mind, he thought he was going to win. He knew he was going to win. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he raised the gunblade to waist level. The moon reflected brightly off of it, and a light cover of snow began to form on it. Squall tightened his gloves and slowly walked towards the Garden. The area was quiet, but he could vaguely make out a few objects moving.

By the time he reached the tents, he noticed that all the movement had stopped. Everyone was asleep, which he found unsettling. Everything in the vicinity was deafly silent. Squall stopped in his tracks, and listened for a second. This action saved his life. He heard a soft footstep behind him. Luckily, the snow was sticking enough to make walking silently impossible. Wheeling around, Squall found himself three inches from a gunblade. Looking up, he recognized the White SeeD uniform.

"Cid said you'd return," the SeeD muttered, holding the gunblade inches from the brunette's face. "Drop the weapon. You were stupid for returning."

A rare smirk appeared on Squall's face. With a flick of the wrist, the brunette hacked at his opponent's sword. The power was amazing, and Squall watched the gunblade fly out of the SeeDs hands and fall into the snow. One slice later, the brunette was looking for another opponent. He found quite a few. The clang of the swords woke up everyone in a five mile radius.

Two new SeeDs rushed Squall. One was toting a shotgun and the other had a lance. Squall waited for their attack, but they both seemed reluctant. After staring at the two for a moment, he saw the one pull his trigger. Squall saw the bullet in slow motion, and with a quick twirl of the Lion Heart, blocked it.

The White SeeDs looked at him in disbelief. They had never seen anyone survive a shotgun blast, more or less block it.

Taking advantage of their hesitation, Squall took a step forward and delivered a mid-slice to the man with the shotgun. Pivoting, he pulled the Lion Heart's trigger and saw the man with the lance fall to the snow. Wiping a light sweat off of his forehead, Squall raised his gunblade again. His mouth was dry, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. He could hear the beach swishing softly in the background. Breathing heavily, Squall looked up to the Garden. He never thought he'd have to defend this place, but here he stood.

Before another thought could pop into his head, the next wave of attack came into view. There were five of them. With much speed, Squall raised his gunblade again. This was going to be a tough one. Three of the assailants had firearms, one had a broadsword, and the final one had a pair of gloves on. Squall paused for a moment, daring them to strike first. He waited and waited and waited, but there was nothing. So he started. He took a slice at the closest man; cutting him around the waist. He then fired upon another. With two down, Squall had to weather the attacks of the other three. The White SeeD with the broadsword took a hard swing, nicking the side of Squall's face. The brunette jumped back, but was unable to get out of the way of the gloved man. He caught a hard hook to his stomach, and was swept off of his feet. He suddenly found himself on his back in the cold snow. Squall was expecting more pain. He thought that maybe his plan was a little to headstrong, but another attack didn't come. Squall heard a blast and then saw a flash come from the north.

The cowboy had arrived. Picking off the one with the gun first, Irvine easily took down the other two. He coolly walked over to where Squall was laying; blowing the smoke off of his shotgun. "Is that the entrance you were looking for?" Irvine asked smugly.

"…Yeah," Squall admitted, picking himself off the ground. He had a stream of blood running down his face from where the sword connected. Touching the wound without flinching, Squall looked down at his own blood. "It's too early for me to be bleeding," he thought to himself. Shaking his head, Squall scanned the area. The Alcauld Plains became uncomfortably quiet again, as he watched the remaining White SeeDs run back towards the boat. That was Cid's stronghold. They would have to capture the boat to win back the Garden. "An uphill battle."

"What're your orders commander?" a young voice said, snapping Squall back to reality. He looked down to see an underclassman emerge from the tent closest to him. Looking around, Squall saw at least one-hundred former students surface from their ugly tents. They didn't have any weapons, but now he had his army. It was back to the drawing board.

(**********)

Edea looked down upon the madness unfolding on the Alcauld Plains. She heard the gunshots and the screams of pain. It was reported that at least five of the White SeeDs were dead. Five of her precious orphans were slaughtered in an hour. She knew who did it. He was the only person who could do it single handedly. But she didn't know who was helping him. She didn't know who came along.

"The POWs don't have weapons," Cid said frantically, trying to calm himself down. This was the moment he'd been waiting five months for, but he seemed frenzied and unprepared. "If we assault them with the full-army," Cid cried, breathing heavily. "And we release it, and…and…and Edea, if you will…"

"No," the sorceress snapped. She refused to look at her husband. Instead, she looked painfully towards Balamb Garden. The same Garden she herself tried to destroy. History was repeating. She was again unintentionally destroying the things she loved.

"But honey," Cid pleaded.

"I will not kill my children!" Edea snarled, wheeling around to face her husband.

Cid was taken aback, and decided to say nothing. Slowly, he left her on the deck and went into the depths of the boat.

She knew that didn't discourage him however. She knew that he was going to go through with it. Sighing, she leaned over the side of the boat. She was back to the same place she was a few years earlier, and there wasn't an excuse this time. There wasn't going to be an easy way out. Either she would lose her family or her orphans. The way it was looking, it would probably be both. The fire was sucked out of her body. If only Squall would have waited one more day, everything would have been perfect. But now she was back in the mud. She was stuck again. A lump started to swell in the back of her throat. Thoughts of Wix or Squall or Cid dead filled her head. But she couldn't cry. She was a sorceress; she couldn't cry.

(**********)