Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Snow Drift ❯ A puzzling developement ( Chapter 5 )

If Squall Leonhart still offered up sour faces to people it was possibly missed every time, but Seifer never once missed the expression gracing the lion of Balamb's face nearly every time he came around.

"What do you want?" He asks in a clipped tone.

"Is that any way to greet an uncle?" He sneers mockingly.

"Whatever. Why are you here?"

"On request of Dinky, I came to help you search for the brats' parents or whoever." He brushes past the male heading into the small, wannabe, home.

Though he made it appear that he was going to go that day Seifer had actually just showered then returned to bed with Zell, saying he would help the crying lion out tomorrow and as promised he did show up, though, he couldn't say that he'd actually intended on being any use to the male. Squall, still gritting-out his once rival, closes the door.

Rubbing his hands together he sweeps his green gaze about the room. "So, where is the little bundle of boy? Is he sleeping?" He takes on a childlike voice. "Is he getting a little bathy with Kinneas?"

"Is this gonna be an indication of today?" Squall mocks him using his own childish tone. Heading into the kitchen he snags one of the muffins that is left over from the other day shoving it into Seifer's hand before grabbing one of his own. "Let's go."

Cocking a brow at the, non-verbal, offer of breakfast Seifer takes a bite then shouts something over it which Squall presumed was for Irvine's sake, and with a swift tug of the knob the door slammed shut. Getting into the car the school has lent them, Squall makes a curious face when Seifer grabs him by the elbow.

"My motorcycle is faster and less bulky." Leading Squall over to it, Seifer shoves the spare helmet into the males chest. "Put it on." He climbs onto the seat of the silver bike.

Face scrunched in displeasure of being bossed about by the ex-knight he can't deny that Seifer is right about the bike being the better mobile option. With a hefty sigh, he slips the red helmet over his head smelling both Zell's shampoo and hair gel within it; he wondered if he should keep the tinted visor up so he doesn't get a headache from the light scent of fumes but the last thing he wanted was a family of bugs in his eyes, so down it went. Wrapping his arms around Seifer's torso he hears the male snicker.

"Back of princess, I'm spoken for."

Glaring, though, Seifer can't possibly see it Squall removes his hands grabbing a hold of the seat instead. "Prick." He mutters.

Smirking he replies. "The best in Balamb."

The engine revved and with a slight shift from being off balance it straightens up and away it goes.

...

Six girls are gathered around a lunch table, bent over a bit, their little skirts risen just enough to excite the boys at the next table to a little tease show. But the girls hardly notice the sounds of the males hungry intones due to the fact that they're giving all their attention to one certain male.

"He's so cute!"

"I just love his little cooe's."

"Hey little Kait, hiiiiii."

Chuckling, Irvine lifts the baby's hand to make him wave.

"Can he talk at all? How old is he?"

With a shrug, the cowboy says. "Don't know, but I brought him so Dr. Kadowaki can give him a look over."

A pretty girl with brown curls gasps as though someone just slapped her on the butt. "Is he sick?" She asks voice full of concern though Irvine had to question the concern a bit.

"Naah, he's good- I guess, its just that he was outside for who knows how long and he's kinda skinny so I figured he should get a check up."

"Why not go to a hospital?" Quistis asks taking a seat but not before giving the mob a stern glare that they should move along already.

"Because the Garden doctor is free and if ain't nothin' wrong with him why pay medical bills."

"Sad to say it but you have a point." Shaking her orange drink she opens the can. "Where's Squall? Class?"

"He doesn't have class today. He went with Seifer to look for Kait's mom and dad."

"Seifer's helping?" Her blonde brows raise.

Nodding, he snickers while playing with the baby. "I doubt there will be any lack of tension there, those two fight like old cats hurtin' for a dead fish."

"Mm. They really need to find a way to kick that habit, they know they're friends."

"Mm-mm, don't take them out of their natural habitat, something like that could kill what bit of relationship they do have."

"Its never wrong to kick a bad habit to the curb, they'll learn to like outwardly caring for each other."

"I don't doubt you." But he shakes his head. "You wanna come with me to find a house for Ellone later?"

"Alright. Well- if Headmistress doesn't need me for anything more."

Kait pulls his bottle from his mouth looking it over as if wondering something then he sticks it back into his mouth sucking away while giving a side long glance to Irvine, who's eating a hotdog beside him. Irvine and Quistis eat in silence for a bit just listening to the sounds of the cafeteria existing around them.

"What mission are you going on?" Quistis asks for conversation sake.

"Its practically-..." His words are cut off a second as a hand smacks him on the back of the head and with a glance he sees the martial artist cock his head to smile at him before sitting down. "Aaaw you brought Kait? What's the occasion?"

"Lack of babysitter, and he needs a check up to make sure he's alright." Answers the guardian cowboy.

Noticing what's on the tray the only female at the table inquires. "No hotdogs?"

"They're out," He sighs ruefully. "But its alright, its kinda cold today chowder will do me good."

Quistis nods.

"So like, the mission is just a simple one. I'm helpin' out the guys that are hunting down the war rebels that still wanna stir up trouble. They need sort of a scouter for distance or something. Piece of cake."

Swallowing a creamy mouthful of potato and crab chowder, Zell wags his spoon at the brunet. "It always starts out that way, I remember being asked to help them once I ended up just carrying things while they played assumptions."

Snorting Irvine takes the bottle from the baby seeing that the kid intended on chucking it rather than drinking it any further. "Hn. I ain't gonna carry a danged thing; I'll leave if it comes to that."

Reaching over, Zell plucks a hotdog from Irvine's tray. "Yoink." He grins as he takes a bite. "Mmm, mmm, yeah that's the good stuff. Want some of my chowder?"

"Yeah." Taking the spoon from the martial artist's tray he takes two spoonfuls.

"Uugh! You two are disgusting." Quistis turns slightly in her seat so she doesn't have to bare witness to the gross act of germ passing.

"What?" Asks Zell.

"We know each other." Defends Irvine.

The woman only shakes her head.

"Mr. Kinneas?" Dr. Kadowaki says as she approaches. "I'm free now, can you come to the nurses room."

It wasn't so much a question but a command.

"I'm off." He takes another spoonful before leaving the utensil on the tray. "See ya around." He picks up the carryall with the baby inside then follows the nurse out of the cafeteria.

"Bye." Quistis says. Turning her attention to Zell, she adjust her glasses. "I take it you're the reason that Squall is going to be a in a foul mood for the rest of the day?"

Shrugging as though someone has smacked him on the head, Zell defends his intentions by saying. "What? Seifer isn't going to class today, so I thought he'd have a fun time helping Squall out."

"Mhmm."

"Its true! Why? You think Seifer is childish enough to still be getting on Squall's nerves?"

Back leaned against a tree, arms crossed over his chest Seifer grins slyly at Squall who's looking on the ground of the clearing at Vaulny. "I'll bet I know what the real reason is that you hate the baby so much."

Ignoring the immature bastard Squall continues searching for something out of place that might give a clue as to where the parents had gone once putting their kid in the tree. There has to be something left behind- anything!

"Its not because you're scared about what a crappy caretaker you'll be- I'll bet you'd love that kid with every ounce of your cold Leonhart. The real reason that you want the kid gone is because you're still having separation anxieties."

That got his attention, mildly. "What the hell has separation anxiety got to do with anything?" He doesn't turn to look at him but continues looking.

"Well think about it, all you ever did was complain about people not relying on you and shit like that to keep things nice and simple- more understanding I could not be, but after a while you became a softy and now you want everyone to stick together in a nice little package, only with the baby around you've got competition since Kinneas seems to like him so much."

"Guess you've got me all figured out." He says dryly, though, he can't disagree with him. He does sort of feel like Kait is snatching away Irvine's attention from him, but it doesn't mean he hates him because of it. It just means that the kid has to go so things can return to normal; he lives at Garden, his friends stop speaking in those dumb baby tones, and Irvine refocuses on them instead of keeping the baby from feeling lonely. He wondered why Irvine felt so lonely all the time, he's gotta be one of the most talkative and well liked people around- maybe next to Zell; the cowboy can't honestly still be upset that he was forgotten about, that was years ago and the GF's messed with their memories. Who's to say he and Irvine weren't close and he just forgot. No need to make a federal case about it, Irvine just needs to focus on the fact that they're together now- odd as it was for the male to ask him out, but Squall excepted and didn't find it to be a bad time hanging out with the flirtatious playboy. He wondered if Irvine was like that as a child, from what the male told them he seemed more like the follow-the-leader type. The leader at the time being Selphie for the children and Matron for the adult. Well, he'll give him something to remember before he leaves tomorrow that way he won't feel left out. Should the feeling creep up on him.

"Oooh, and he doesn't disagree. I was right, wasn't I? You hate that Kinneas is giving all his attention to a baby rather than you."

"So what?" Right after that he slapped himself for being coaxed into saying something. You never give in to Seifer's teasing; its like staring at the sun, you're just asking for the pain.

Removing his weight from the tree he kicks a stick. "So give him some slack, do you have any idea how annoying it is being on a mission with him when you're not there? Its always Squall this and Squall that, its fucking obnoxious. Besides, its lame to hate a kid because you're insecure."

Glancing over his shoulder he asks blandly. "Where is this coming from?"

"A place where no one measures up to The Great Squall Leonhart." He announces to all in the forest who will listen. "You have no idea how good it is to be out of your damned shadow," He shrugs. "maybe I feel responsible for looking out for the hundreds of thousands of people who don't fit into all that is you."

Straightening up he turns around looking at the male. "I had no idea you felt so passionately about it. I always just thought that you liked being my dick of a shadow; you never made much effort in succeeding me." He crosses his arms knowing he scored a point there.

Glaring, Seifer comes in closer looming over the shorter male. "That's right... I don't like striving for things I'll never have- when I take I want it to stick."

"Is that admittance that I'm better than you?"

"Its admittance to the fact that I don't need to show I'm better than you; I'll just wait for you to fuck up and watch your glory fall as I swoop in for the kill."

"That is so sad I can't even repsond to it. This is why you didn't make SeeD, year after year."

"Watch your mouth crybaby."

"I am not a crybaby."

Moving in closer, he breathes down on the commander. "Yeah you are; example, no one is hated more than me, no one is loved more than me, no one is more sad than me, and if anyone has attention then by all means let me do something to stand out just a little bit more!"

Anger flared Squall snaps. "We're nineteen years old- grow up!"

"You first!"

Squall leaps onto the male knocking him to the ground raising his fist to give a nice sized welt on Seifer's lip with one punch but a shadow draws his attention up. Tilting his head back Seifer looks at the underside of aWendigo; its dark eyes hold a wild look in them as it pants looking down at them.

Removing himself from Seifer, Squall mutters a spell casting blind on the beast. It worked fine but not before Seifer got a punch to the gut. Squall couldn't say that he wasn't going to pat himself on the back for it happening but he didn't want Seifer to be hurt- at least not by that thing. "Let's move!" He orders.

"Fuck you, weeping willow. I'm fighting." Straightening up. He holds out his hand casting a Firaga spell burning the gold and green fur off the monster in some places to a third degree.

It let out a monsterous howl charging for them only to miss do to the smog like gunk covering its eyes. With a sweep across its back from his new black blade with a gold flame cutting through the center Seifer removes one of the beasts' arms; the spray of blood stains across his sleeve covered arm. But the monster, supporting itself on its one arm, lifts itself from the ground kicking Seifer in the stomach with a force powerful enough to knock the male into a tree.

Squall wasn't going to be counted out as he makes a downward swing at the Wendigo intending to remove its small head but he missed since the beast rolled over to recover from kicking Seifer. Turning his down swing around with a shift of his weight the back of the gunblade cuts into the Wendigo's spine knocking it onto its stomach. Moving in for the kill before it can recover, he raises the new Black Lionhart, a black sword with a thin blue luminating blade around it that cuts impressively like a lazer, into the air but before its brought down a warmth is growing beneath his feet causing him to take two large leaps backward to avoid being hit by the Fira that was cast by Seifer who is kneeling down beside the tree he was slammed into. The beasts' cry from burning away scared a few birds from the trees, and slowly it disintegrated.

Walking over to the brunet Seifer taps him lightly on the shoulder slugging him when he turns around. "I know you owed you that."

Glaring up at the male, he barks. "What the hell did you come out here to help me for? Or did you only agree because you want to pluck my nerves." Standing he ponders retaliation but decides against it.

"Mostly. But like I said, Zell asked me to so I came."

"Yeah, well remind me to thank him." He rubs his cheek. "I don't see why you always have to fight with me. What? Can't you let your hormones find a more normal way to release themselves than through violence. Growing up with you must be such a pain for Zell."

"Tch. You don't know anything about that."

"I don't want t-..." His words cut off as he looks down into a gap. "Look." He points down.

Doing so, the blond has to blink out of disblief. "A dress?"

"I'm going down. Here," He hands over his blade. "don't do anything to it."

Rolling his eyes he looks around for maybe a vine or something to help the male down, but seeing none he just watches his slow descent.

Grabbing the dress once he reached it, Squall looks it over noting the blood covering the front. Turning his attention from that he looks around for the owner, left then right, lowering his gaze he can't see clearly enough. "I have to go lower, go into town and get a rope incase the surface smooths out near the bottom."

"You got it commander." Mocks the blond. Sheathing Hyperion's Blood he carelessly drags Black Lionhart along beside him to his motorcycle. Latching the blade to the attachment he usually slips his own blade onto he climbs onto his bike then takes off for Timber.

Listening to the sound of the motorcycle disppear from the forest he continues down the canyon to search for the missing body.

...

Covering his nose from the stench of blood he swats a fly that buzzes past his face. "A man..." He kneels down touching the body. Shoving the shoulder he sees that the landing is what killed him since the back of his head has been broken open. "So where's the woman?" Standing he continues to walk the crater in search of the owner of the dress. 'Are these people Kait's parents? If so than what did this to them? A monster. It doesn't seem likely, and why would the woman undress? It was stuck to a branch, maybe it was pulled off.' All these thoughts ran through his head as he stepped carefully around the area.

Squall searched for a good hour but found no trace of the women. Luckily, the walls weren't too smooth for him to be unable to climb them so when Seifer returned with the rope he tied it to the man instead climbing up along side of it.

Grunting, he gives one final pull. "Might wanna slim down five pounds Leonhart, you're pretty heavy."

"I'm right here." He says reaching the top of the ledge.

"So then what the hells am I pulling?"

When the body reached ground level, Squall points. "Him."

"Congratulations, you have a perfectly healthy seven month old." Says Dr. Kadowaki removing her stethascope from the baby's chest.

"Thank you Doc. But eh, can you watch him for a little bit. I have a mission prep to take and I ain't got nobody else."

"Sure, I can watch him."

"Thanks." He heads to the door. "I'll be back in about forty five minutes." Out in the hall his phone rings; taking it from his pocket he flips it open. "Hello?"

"Irvine, we might have found Kait's father. We're at the hospital morge right now." Says Squall.

"Alright, want me to come by?"

Squall is silent a moment. "If you want, where are you?"

"Garden. I was gonna go to the mission prep, but I can come."

"No. You do that Seifer and I can handle this."

"Okay."

"If it takes a while, though, will you pick Sis' up at the train station? She should be here by now."

"Will do? Anything else?"

"Yeah, tell Zell I'm gonna shave his head for sending Seifer to help me look for Kait's parents."

Irvine chuckles. "Okay. Say, speaking of the mother did you find her too?"

"No. Only the father, he was in the crator in the forest. He died from the fall and split his head open."

"Yikes."

"His clothes are in tact which makes me wonder if he was attacked by a monster or not."

"Mm." He thinks.

"I'll call you later with the news. Bye."

"See ya." Hanging up, he ponders going to class or not. "Naah, I'd better go to prep." His phone rings again. "I'm very popular today," He jokes with himself. "Hello?"

"Nevermind what I said before, Sis' arrived tell Quistis or someone to pick her up. Okay?"

"You got it." He was hung up on after his response. "I've got to get that guy to relax a little more." Dialing the woman's phone he calls Quistis asking her to pick up Ellone, but she can't do it. Next he tries Selphie who luckily just got out of class, she said that she'd gladly pick her up and bring her to the school since the baby is in the building. Taking a step towards the location he needs to be, after a second thought Irvine exits the building to make an errand run instead.