Life is Waiting for You
Prologue - Business as Usual
Disclaimer: Square owns all the characters but I have all the saved files on the memory card ^_^
If you haven’t read Fifth Avenue, please do, because this is a followup to that so it’s after the events 5th Ave.
<blah> - song lyrics
blah - thoughts of whoever is in POV
~~~ - POV swtich/change in group of charas in same scene (if any)
****** - flashback (if any)
Life is Waiting for You
Prologue - Business as Usual
Squall sighed as Laila disarmed Kyle again. This was the fourth time she had won against the boy. Poor Kyle couldn’t seem to keep this blade in a good grip.
“Kyle?” The young boy looked at the older SeeD. “Let’s try a lighter blade, alright?”
The sandy brown haired boy nodded and followed the elder to the gunblade rack. Squall considered some lighter weight blades, just as he had when he had been Kyle’s age. Something a little lighter than Revolver… He hefted a couple of blades before finding one slightly lighter than his own. He turned the blade over in his hand considering it. Kyle could switch to a heavier one when he had more muscle and was older. It would do for now. “Let’s try this one.” Squall handed the trainee the gunblade, trading with him. Kyle looked the bluish blade up and down, turning it over in his own hand as Squall set the other blade back in the rack. The boy took a few swings with it, getting accustomed to the weight.
“I think you’re right, sir. This one feels much better.” He smiled up at Squall. The boy’s dark blue eyes matched the dark blue steel of the blade.
“I think it suits you quite well Kyle. Now, set’s try again.” The boy nodded and Squall led him back to the field. Laila was there waiting, leaning on her gunblade, sweating. He blade was bright silver, but of a different make of any that Squall had seen.
“Where did you get your blade Laila?” Squall asked.
“My father made it. He’s a smithy.” She grinned.
No wonder he hadn’t seen its like. Her father put his love into it. It was gorgeous, just like his Griever.
“Alright you two, just like before.” Squall said and watched as they started off. Kyle was much faster now, and had more confidence. It also looked like his grip on the blade was better than before. Squall was glad he had helped the boy find the right gunblade. It was a little like finding your soul mate. Well, for now at least…
“Squall!” Quistis waved from the entrance. Squall waved back and turned to watch his two fighters as she approached him. “I’m glad you agreed to come. Vacation notice from the instructors always comes in about the same time. They get short handed for about two or three weeks.”
“No problem Quis.” Squall frowned. “Get your sweat and hair out of your eyes Laila!” He nodded as the girl’s reaction time came faster as she followed his instruction. “What is it you want?” Squall eyed Quistis as she shrugged. “Nothing?”
“It’s just fun to watch you teach when you hated to learn not so long ago.” She smirked.
“It’s not that I hated to learn, I just hated people.”
“I like the person you’ve become.”
“Jobs require talking. It really bites.” Squall smirked at her raised eyebrow. “Besides, it’s nice to give these kids what was given to me. They were my very own experiences with life and fighting. I learned a lot here, and being friends with you guys.” He stopped and thought for a moment. “What is everyone else teaching anyway? I’ve been so busy here that I haven’t asked and it’s been almost a week. Same as last year?”
“Well, I’m teaching what I taught last year and quit making that ‘gag’ look!” Quistis smacked her ex-student. “I have no idea what Selphie is doing but she’s running around like a mad woman, probably teaching healing. Irvine is… somewhere, I’m assuming with Selphie. Rinoa is teaching some class about spying and infiltration. I have no idea why. Zell is teaching martial arts classes as usual. And Seifer, he runs students through the training center.”
“I knew about Seifer and Zell.” Squall poked the blonde’s head. “And Rinoa teaches that because she did that as a part of the Forest Owls.”
“Oh yeah,” She mused aloud. “I totally forgot about that.”
“Yeah, it’s been so long.” Squall nodded then suddenly grinned.
“What? What’s so amusing? You thinking about someone?” Quistis smiled.
“Not whom you think I’m thinking of,” he replied as Kyle finally disarmed Laila. “Perfect guys! Let’s stop it there for today alright?” The two nodded and saluted. They chatted as Squall turned back to Quistis. “I know why Selphie is on crack.”
“You mean why she’s doing a million things at once?”
“She’s helping to plan the festival,” a voice said before Squall could blurt it out. They turned to see a blonde man grinning ear to ear as the brunette fumed.
“That was my line!” he hissed, his eyebrow twitching.
Seifer looked scared. “Uh oh.” He took off running.
“Come back here you jerk!” Squall was hot on his heels.
The two cadets watched the two men run around the arena as Quistis did the same, embarrassed. They looked at her and she waved back with a sheepish grin.
“Ow! Lemme go!” Seifer yelled and began to laugh. The three turned to see that Squall had pinned down the blonde and was tickling him. Seifer was ticklish. Who knew?
The two cadets moved to stand next to Quistis who was snickering silently.
“There they go again.” Kyle sighed.
“They do this often?” Quistis asked looking down at the boy.
“Yeah, but its usually Seifer chasing Squall, and it takes longer for him to catch our instructor. He’s faster.” Laila grinned at the blonde woman’s raised eyebrows. “That’s not annoying though. The fact that they do it while we’re training is bothersome.”
“We’ve often stopped in mid swing to stare at the two silly bastards,” Kyle said bluntly.
Quistis laughed. “That they are.” She smiled at the men softly. “They’ve come quite a way in just one year.”
“I’m just waiting for one to propose.” Laila crossed her arms and tapped her right foot. “They’re barely apart all day. I see them in the halls a lot together.”
“Really?” Quistis asked. “That doesn’t surprise me now.”
“Yeah, Seifer will lead in students through the Training Center and they stop to talk or hug,” Kyle explained. “Usually they’re together for a few seconds but every once in a while they pull stunts like this.” He pointed at the couple, now rubbing noses romantically.
Laila smiled at them. “It’s so cute though.”
“I suppose.” Kyle rolled his eyes.
By this time some of the other training students started to watch the exchange between the two men, without them noticing. Quistis smiled as she gazed at the couple in their own little world. “Excuse me?!” she called to the men.
The two’s eyes glanced up at her, then around the center at all of the cadets and instructors who had stopped to witness the cuteness. Their faces were immediately red and painted with sheepish grins. Squall got off of the blonde and led him over to his students.
“Sorry about that.” Seifer was smacking dirt off of his clothing.
The two cadets shrugged. “We don’t mind as long as you don’t challenge us to a duel,” Kyle waggled a finger at the blonde.
“Yeah, we’d loose in like, five seconds.” Laila grinned.
“I’m so glad no one challenged me last time or this time.” Seifer sighed. “It was such a hassle before I left the first time.”
“Oh yeah. Cid punished them and put them under house arrest. No one would try dueling you now Seifer. I mean, unless it was for fun.” Kyle leaned on his gunblade and shrugged.
“You two can go now. Laila, why don’t you help Kyle pick out a gunblade case” Squall suggested. The two saluted and trotted off to the weapons racks.
“So, what’s up?” Seifer asked Quistis.
She shrugged. “I came to see how everyone else was doing. I gave my classes the day off to study for a test tomorrow. And Friday off for the Festival.”
Seifer smacked his skull. “How could I forget? Selphie has been trailing me all week asking me to help her. There are disadvantages to being a SeeD.”
“So you did make SeeD before you left. I always wondered about that.” Quistis nodded.
“That’s why I had all those cadets on my back. They didn’t think I deserved to be back let alone be a SeeD.” The blonde shook his head. “They didn’t realize that I studied for six months straight through all the duels and everything to become a SeeD.”
“Had it been that long since Squall left to watch over you?” Quistis’s eyes unfocused as she thought about it.
Squall nodded. “I think I was there stopping the duels and helping Cid for about that long.”
“You were watching over me?” Seifer asked.
Squall turned a slight crimson and chuckled embarrassed. “Just because Cid asked me to come back and help control things.”
“Squall had a crush on me!” Seifer smirked at the other blonde and she smirked back. “Did you know?”
Quistis shook her head. “Nope, cause you know Squall here is very good at hiding how he feels.”
“Shut up!” Squall snapped even more embarrassed.
Seifer turned to Squall and gave him a big bear hug, kissing him on the forehead afterward. Squall poked him and stuck his tongue out.
“Is that an invitation?” the blonde grinned as Squall turned red again.
“Come boys, lets get some lunch, hmm?” Quistis suggested and the men looked at one another. They both shrugged and followed her out of the Training Center.
* * *
Okay.. from here on starts a flashback which will begin in part 1. I’m warning you now so you don’t get confused and will remind you all again when I post part 1.
~Elise Maxwell~