Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Intensity ❯ Losing the Lion ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1.

"That's right chicken shits, ruun!" Seifer shouted exiting a building in Dollet after a group of men fled. Hyperion was slung over his shoulder and he was grinning to himself at the fear he just put on those men's faces- as well as the slashes on their backs.

Squall ran up behind him three seconds later and threw a glance over his shoulder. A flood of suited men were still fleeing for their lives after what he and Seifer had done to them in the rooms of the building. They were on a mission that sent them into a battle field right away and they worked together like a dream team.

Only Seifer had gotten a little out of hand when he started swinging and the whole room was on the run from the torched curtains. One of the guys brushed past Squall roughly and he stuck his foot out tripping the man. Seifer titled his head back with laughter taking out a cigarette lighting it up. "Good one Leonhart, didn't think you were the type."

"Would you shut up? And give me that..." He said snapping the cigarette from Seifer's mouth. "We didn't come here to smoke what they were selling, we came here to stop the drug deal."

"And we did, so I say let the cops think that what's in there is all they had and give me the damn cigarette back." Seifer replied blowing the smoke that was left in his mouth from the one puff into Squall's face.

The commander scowled at him dropping the cigarette and crushing it under his boot. Seifer just shrugged and pulled out another one. After letting out an exasperated sigh Squall looked back into the building and saw that it was empty. "Now," Seifer said lighting it up and regaining Squalls attention. "lets get back to Garden so I can fuck my little chicken boy." The ex-knight started walking to where he parked his motorcycle. "Need a lift?" He asked Squall and the commander shook his head.

"No. I'm gonna stay here and make sure they don't just try to come back when they see that we're gone." He replied and Seifer held the cigarette in his mouth starting to rev the engine of the motorcycle saying. "Suit yourself." He put his foot down on the pedal and sped off. Squall looked after him until he was out of sight then turned and went back into the building.

Things were quiet at first then he heard muffled shouting coming from the vents on the walls. "Hello?" He called and walked over to one speaking into it.

"Hhhhrrrrp mmmrrrrr." He heard the person down or above call.

"Where are you?" The commander asked but started down the wall to see if he could find the sound from the piping that the vent had.


It sounded as though it were coming from the basement- if the house had one. When he reached a door he stood by it listening, who ever was inside must have seen the shadow from his feet because they started making louder muffled screams. Squall tried the handle but it was locked. 'Shit.' He looked around then backed up lifting a foot and kicked the door down. Their was a group of people huddled in the corner of the room rejoicing the best they could with out their arms that is.

Squall walked down the stairs and untied them. When the residence removed the tape from their mouths streams of thank you's followed it along with thrown out arms for hugs that Squall didn't want to take. He pulled back from them and stood up lending a hand to help them on their feet. "Thank you so much." The man said who was obviously the father of the family.

There was a girl who must have been about 21, she had blonde hair and brown eyes and resembled a cartoon bunny. Along side of her was a boy who looked about the same age as the girl but maybe a year or two older, only his hair was brown and his eyes were blue. The mother and father of the family both matched each other rather well and both had dark brown hair but different colored eyes where as his were brown and hers were blue.

"You have no idea how long we were down here." The woman said brushing her hands down her pants.

"What happened?" Squall asked and the people started moving to the stairs with him following.

.....................................

"Well, you see......" the man began, "we were here in our home minding our own business when these- gangsters or what ever you kids call them now a days came in and started barking orders shoving us into the basement." He paused handing Squall a cup of coffee. They were sitting in the kitchen of the big house now and the people seemed to be calming down as they talked to him. "We thought that they wanted something more from us- we thought that........." he trailed off.

"What?" Squall asked not meaning to rush him along but he had places to be himself like home with Irvine making plans themselves for Thanksgiving. Laguna had invited them to the presidential palace this year and he had actually said yes, it beat eating food at the Garden again, but he wasn't gonna get anywhere sitting around playing century 23 with these people.

"Well, you see years ago our five year old daughter was stolen from us in the middle of the night....." he started again with tears in his eyes that obviously wouldn't let him go on so the daughter had taken his place.

"She was just a little girl back then but she would be......15 now-..."

"15!?" Squall couldn't help but say. I mean, that is a long time for a kid to be missing, especially if they were as young as five.

"I know, it has been a long time.....but we still think- hope, that she's out there and alive." She licked her lips looking down into her cup and Squall looked away himself saying.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right," the woman was saying. "we've been....adjusting." There was a silence in the room right then and the woman cleared her voice breaking it. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" She asked Squall and that took him by surprise.

"I ca-..." he started.

"I insist." She interrupted him. "As a thank you." As much as Squall didn't want to, it would be rude to say no to that.

"Okay." He replied.

"Wonderful," she said "I'll get started on it right now, our chef must have been run out." She turned herself around to the stoves and started them up. "I hope you like turkey." She said going to the freezer.

"Uh, would you like to hear me play? I can do wonders with the paino." The young man said.

"Please come, he's a wonderful player." The young girl commented.

"I'm not that great." The young man said standing, Squall and the girl stood as well and they followed her brother into another room. It was filled with pictures of him like posters, some of them saying that he was going to be at a grand hall to play on certain nights and something in Squalls mind clicked.

"You're Thomas Shepard, right? My boyfriend listens to you all the time." He blurted out but they didn't seem to mind.

"Really?" The girl asked and he nodded. "You can have the newest cd then," she said handing one to him. "he says it's not finished but what do guys know- no offense though." Squall nodded to the comment not really caring in the first place. "My names Laura by the way." She added gesturing to the seat in the room. They watched the boy sit down and place his hands on the keys then start playing. Squall and the girl had a seat on two love seats that were in the room and he listened to the music thinking.

'This family is trying to forget about someone that they lost, they hope she's still alive yeah, but they seem like they've lost hope a long time ago.' He shifted in his seat a little uncomfortably and listened on in silence feeling his eye lids get heavy. 'Am I falling asleep?' He heard his mind saying. 'Or am I falling under a spell? I haven't felt like this since Ellone was sending me back in time as Laguna..... Rrrrr.' His head fell onto the arm of the chair and he was out.