Protecting the Lion

Chapter Eighteen
Sub Zero

“Took you ladies long enough,” called a gruff voice.

Squall and Seifer had rushed down the creaky stairs and thudded into the large room that served as a bar. The room was dark, but their eyes were already well adjusted. With chairs propped up on top of the tables and not a customer in sight, the room looked completely different.

Near the end of the bar, closest to the door, Mike was leaning back with his arms folded. He was dressed and waiting as though he’d been there the whole time, only now with a heavy jacket, ready to go outside.

“I’m driving,” Seifer said as he strode forth, closely followed by Squall.

Scoffing, the barman stood up. “Like hell you are.” Stalking to the door, he opened it to the rush of cold air.

Not missing a stride the two SeeD followed. Questions could be answered while they moved, but time was precious no matter what the situation.

Skipping down the steps of the stoop, Seifer answered Squall’s unasked questions. “Lieutenant Garrant is a former Galbadian soldier and there is no arguing with him about going with us.”

Squall didn’t reply but jogged to catch up with the barman. While Squall couldn’t say he liked the guy, since he generally didn’t like anyone, he was finding the former soldier to be rather interesting.

In the hopes that Mike had seen more than they had, Squall inquired, “What did you see?”

“Just the flash, but I’d say it’s an X-34 LRC missile.”

Mildly impressed, Squall didn’t have time to contemplate the barman’s knowledge. ‘It must have hit out at sea, coming from the east,’ he thought. If it really was a long range cruising missile then it would have come from Trabia, Galbadia, or Esthar. If he had the time to care, he’d be praying to Hyne it had nothing to do with Esthar. The messed up tangle that could create would be enough to make him jump off the nearest skyscraper’s roof. “Can you estimate the distance?” he asked, hoping the barman knew just as much as he seemed to know. While Squall was savvy with most forms of artillery, at least those used by Balamb, he was not ready to take any tests on the exploding variations of long ranged missiles.

Three car doors slammed and as the engine revved to life, Mike answered while deftly shifting gears. “Twenty miles give or take.”

“What the hell is a missile doing seaward of Dollet?” Seifer asked incredulously.

“Missed target,” Squall muttered from the front passenger seat. His mind was working fast. While part of him wanted to consider the cause of it all, he was more concerned with the immediate reality. Pointlessly patting his jacket pockets, Squall remembered he didn’t have his phone on him. “Seifer, give me your phone.”

Though the blonde fished it out of his pocket right away, he commented in protest, “Didn’t your parents ever teach you the magic words?”

Snatching the small item from the blonde’s outstretched hand, he mumbled, “Your humor eludes me.” Flipping it open, he waited a moment while it powered on. There was a short hesitation before he dialed a long stream of numbers and held the phone to his ear.

“What’s Princess doin’?” Mike asked Seifer in the backseat, as if worried he might interrupt Squall’s actions.

“Probably calling Trepe….” Seifer trailed off when he realized that the barman didn’t know who that was. The older man didn’t necessarily blend in as though he were just another close friend in the merry band, but Seifer had known him well enough, and for that he found himself falling into an assuming manner. “He’s calling Balamb Garden.”

Taking a sharp turn, Mike directed his words to the pretty boy next to him. “It exploded beneath the surface of the water, it’s impossible to tell how much damage the shock wave will do.”

“Quistis,” Squall’s voice had taken on the serious and commanding tone it always would when giving orders or saving the day. “Wake Selphie up, have her access the Nero Satellite’s main frame using my personal override code, she knows it. Have the satellite zoom in at 42 degrees north, 50 degrees west… yes, Dollet. Now, get Xu and have her call President Loire… don’t ask… I don’t have time. I need you to contact Governor Fenrir… Mike,” he clarified whom he was speaking to. “What’s the worst case scenario?”

“Hn, worse case, eh?” speeding through the empty streets he considered the possibilities of what could happen. “If the missile detonated at just the right depth, we could expect one hell of a wet city this early morning.” His dark blue eyes shift briefly to study the boy’s reaction. The boy was a walking contradiction. Pretty and fragile, but steady and commanding at the same time. The kid’s face remained impassive, which was something Mike wasn’t sure how to take.

“Quistis,” the brunet resumed his attention to the woman on the other end of the phone, “Contact Fenrir and have him exact an emergency evacuation. I want Dollet empty within the hour… I don’t have time…” Quistis kept asking Squall what was going on, but the brunet didn’t have the time to explain anything. The horizon was filled with the dark glittering depths of the sea in the moonlight. They were nearly to the shore. Gritting his teeth, he felt compelled to remind the Head Instructor that while he may have lapsed into the use of her first name, he was the Commander and not her student at the moment. “Trepe, I gave you your instructions, now take care of it!” His voice was a bit harsher than he would have liked, but it was easy to forget being polite to friends when the horizon line seemed to shift.

Catching the flicker of worried emotion cross Squall’s face as the brunet stared out the windshield, Seifer leaned forward. Following the pale man’s line of sight, it took him a moment to understand. “Say, Mike, any chance that it’s just a really strong gravitational force of the moon?”

Mike didn’t bother responding.

Never being stationed in any marine corps, Squall relied heavily on the Lieutenant’s judgment. “How far out is that?”

“A few miles, five at most.” It was difficult to tell, considering the horizon line was deceiving and the night sky backdrop made the distinction even more unclear.

“Shit!” Squall swore, almost feeling panicky at the sudden situation he was faced with. “How much time?”

The barman had lived a long life for a soldier and was hardly deterred from the condemning road they were driving down. However, it was slightly overbearing. Gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary, he answered, “Fifteen minutes at the most, five at the least.”

‘Okay,’ Squall thought. Now, he just had to come up with some way to stop a tidal wave from reaching the city within the time restraint of fifteen minutes, and that was if they were lucky enough to have the most amount of time.

“So, why are we going to the beach again?” Seifer asked. Was he the only one who thought it a little strange? A tidal wave heading in their direction and they were practically driving right into it?

Reaching the end of the dead end road, Mike slowed down and stopped a bit suddenly. Cutting the engine, he swiftly got out. Out of habit, he closed the door behind himself. The small thud was followed by two more.

As if the ominous view of approaching danger wasn’t enough to set their nerves on edge, a loud siren began to wail. The noise seemed to resound throughout the entire city. Squall couldn’t help but wonder why some buoy or detecting system hadn’t triggered it earlier. Governor Fenrir had probably called for the alert.

Squall’s lips pressed together as he realized that no one would be able to leave on time. And, for that matter, the three of them had front row seats and no means of stopping any of it. With little hope, Squall found himself confused by his lack of feelings on the matter. If he had just walked up to face his own killer, then shouldn’t he feel worried or scared, or maybe see his life flashing before his eyes? Could it be that he was in denial? It was possible that he had no more than five minutes to live, and on the slim chance that he didn’t, then it was six minutes, or seven or eight or fourteen. But, not fifteen, since he’d already wasted an entire minute thinking pointlessly to himself.

“Fucking Hyne,” Squall cursed in a rare vulgar manner that Seifer usually did. Unable to harbor such pathetic and hopeless thoughts, he stalked forward to the sandy pathway that opened right into the road.

While the rising horizon of black water was interesting, it was also too unsettling to watch. Instead, Seifer opted for staring at an even paler than usual young man with thoughtful gray eyes. His heart leapt in his throat when the brunet suddenly moved forward. “What are you doing?” he asked quickly.

“I’m getting closer,” Squall answered back, picking the pace up and running down the sloping path.

“Leonhart! Get back here!” Seifer shouted as he moved to follow. While he desperately wanted Squall to heed him, he knew very well that the brunet would keep going. For all his years of training he was suddenly faced with some catastrophic situation like this, where death was eminent. How the hell could they even begin to go about finding a way out of this one? The extremely short time span didn’t help any either.

With wide strides, Seifer jogged to the bottom of the slope. Tall beach grass blocked his view of Squall for a moment. The brunet was a damn fast runner and was already a fair distance ahead. Seeing that slim figure running, towards the source of both their soon to be untimely ends, jolted him with fear. “Squall!” he yelled, wanting the damn man to get his pretty ass back, near his side. His usual acceptance of the brunet’s stubborn ways had left. It would have been futile to stand anywhere within a mile radius of this wave when it hit, but he couldn’t help but feel great alarm with each step the Commander took closer to it.

With his adrenaline pumping, he sprinted after the dashing figure up ahead. At this point, he didn’t even register what Mike was doing. After all, what did it matter?

It was a good distance to the low tide’s edge. Squall didn’t know which end of the beach they were at, but it didn’t really matter. There was nothing in their ship that could help, other than a means of escape perhaps, but he hadn’t even considered that an option.

Maybe he’d been playing the hero for so long that he had come to believe it was his mandatory role. Or, maybe a small part of him knew that he had a chance of being able to actually do something. Whatever the reason, he ran towards the water with an instinctive sense to do something, anything. There was no time for a brooding anger over being faced with an impossible obstacle to overcome. At least he was acting of his own will, and not being pressured to take charge.

Seifer caught up with Squall only when the brunet had stopped. Once beside the smaller man, he felt no need to retreat back towards the roadway. “Squall?”

Squall’s skin felt a little clammy, a mixture of the two hundred meter dash and the approaching danger. “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted. He’d run down here with a certain feeling that he could do something, or at least should try. But, now that he stood there, he hadn’t the slightest idea what could be done.

Staring out into the wide expanse of the water, Squall felt mesmerized by the sight. The city lights from behind now accompanied the bright moon above, giving light to the dark night. It seemed people were scrambling to listen to the siren’s call. Squall could only hope that they didn’t loiter around with cameras. If there was any chance of getting out in time, he hoped they’d take it.

Little by little, the water on the horizon edged its way higher into the starry night sky. Pretty soon, the watery depths would blink out all light and cover the sky.

Squall’s hand flexed, just begging to hold Lionheart. It was a natural feeling when he felt as though there was a fight or battle at hand. However, this was one instance where his trusty gunblade would do no help.

The water’s edge suddenly receded. The peculiar behavior of the sea made Squall think that Leviathan was nearby, but he knew better.

“It’ll be cresting soon,” the barman said, jogging up to the pair. The undertow was pulling the water back, further than usual. “At least that means it probably won’t reach the other side of the city.”

“Yeah, that’s fucking fantastic, if we were on the other side of the city!” Seifer shouted. He was angry that these two guys acted as though they weren’t about to die. “Dammit, we can at least try and find shelter, we have time,” the blonde urged sensibly.

“No,” Mike shot that idea down. “If that were the case, we’d already be doin’ it. This thing is gonna hit every beachside building and knock it down like a house of cards.”

“Well, fuck then, didn’t we go in the wrong direction. Let’s get back to the car and haul-ass away from here.”

“Hah,” Mike laughed at the ex-knight. “Yeah, cause the panicked streets won’t stop us. Besides, I’m not running from anything.”

“So what the hell are we supposed to do? Just stand here and wait?” Seifer cut the air with his hand and gestured out to the sea.

“Naw, I think Princess has an idea.” Mike stared knowingly at Squall. The Commander wouldn’t have been running down here if he hadn’t had some inkling of what to do. And from the way those brows were furrowed and that bottom lip was being chewed on, he’d say the brunet was forming a solution.

Laying a hand on Squall’s shoulder, Seifer questioned, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking we’re pretty screwed.” Squall’s answer was automatic, just a reply given while his mind was elsewhere.

“Well, if that’s your plan then I’d say we have one hell of a frigid death coming,” the barman scoffed, a little disappointed that this Wonder Boy Commander was merely resigned to it all.

Squall’s head snapped around and his gray eyes widened as he stared at the barman. “Frigid,” he whispered to himself. Facing the water again, he closed his eyes and placed a hand to his forehead in concentration. He didn’t summon Shiva completely, he just needed to speak with her first.

‘Shiva!’ he cried out to her.

‘I’m here. Why don’t you summon me?’ A half summoning was not gratifying in the least. If there was a battle, she wanted to surge forth and fight.

‘Can you see?’ he asked, wondering if he needed to call her forth completely before she could see into the world around him.

‘Aye little one, the waters are strange. Is this why you call me?’ she replied.

‘Yes! There is a wave, a large one. Is it possible to stop it?’

Laughter sounded. ‘You ask the impossible my lion.’ She continued to laugh.

Shiva had been his only hope, and at the thought that she could not help, he felt the first pangs of fear set in. ‘Truly? There is nothing you can do?’

Her laughter died out. ‘Ah, my lion, you forget that you often ask the impossible and always make it through. I will do what I can, but this is no ordinary foe.’

Squall’s breath hitched as he realized that there was still hope, if only a little. ‘I’ll summon then?’ he asked, not sure whether she would fight in the same manner as always or if she was able to do more.

‘Please,’ she answered.

Seifer had been calling to Squall for the past minute, and was near the point of shaking the brunet senseless. Squall just stood there as if he were about to summon, but never actually did. Abruptly, the brunet did finish his summon, fading from sight as Shiva materialized. The ethereal being seemed to be smiling and enjoying herself. Seifer figured that even if Squall died, she’d survive until another host came along, so naturally she had nothing to be upset about.

Happy chuckling filled the air, as Shiva stepped forward, walking to the water. “There is never a dull moment,” she mused.

With each step taken, the ground froze beneath her feet. Seifer didn’t think it was possible for sand to freeze, but considering that it was damp it must have been the water. ‘What the hell are they up to?’ he wondered.

Step by freezing step, Shiva walked closer to the water. The ice that formed beneath her feet seemed to spread out as if growing in strength. Her movements were inhumanly smooth and elegant as she made her way forth.

Watching Shiva was perhaps the only sight more mesmerizing than the approaching wave. Neither the former soldier nor the ex-knight could take their eyes off her. It hadn’t taken long for Seifer to realize what Squall had been thinking of or what Shiva was now doing here.

Green eyes sharpened as they studied every subtle movement of the Guardian Force. The ritualistic attack that he’d seen her perform before caused him to watch for the same movements now.

Breathing out, Seifer saw his breath form puffs of air. He could actually feel the temperature dropping drastically. Stepping closer to Mike, he grit his teeth. At least Squall was safe from the repercussions of Shiva’s actions, but that was only a little consolation to the current predicament Mike and he were in.

Growling in anger, he closed his eyes in concentration. He was junctioned, but only because Trepe had made that a requirement. The instructor had balked about taking certain precautions while being Squall’s bodyguard. So much for precaution when faced with a freaking tidal wave. Then again, he might have to thank the instructor later. He cast Protect on Mike and then himself. The spell wouldn’t do much, but it would at least dull the effects of the cold. Normally magic wouldn’t work in such a case, but it was an unnatural cold caused by Shiva. Other than Protect, he had no sort of spell that could help, maybe a Cura if they both started to freeze to death.

“Is that what Princess really looks like?” the barman asked Seifer.

“What?” Seifer said incredulously, though never taking his eyes from Shiva. “That’s a Guardian Force you dumb ass. How long ago did they make you retire anyway?”

“That’s Lieutenant Garrant to you boy, and no one made me retire. When I was a soldier we didn’t have the luxury of Guardian Forces. We managed with our own skill,” Mike grumbled defensively. The blonde knight had a knack for pushing all the right buttons to piss a person off.

“Yeah, well, you’re looking at Shiva. You’ll want to watch this closely, cause I doubt you’ll ever see something like this again,” Seifer replied, hoping to quiet the man and watch Shiva.

The long tendrils of blue hair fluttered as a misted wind kicked up. The Guardian dropped her hands to her sides. With her palms facing down, energy gathered at her call. Only the Guardians could gather such forces of nature and bide them to listen to their command. The wind gained strength and the misty spray of water began to feel like cold pellets of ice. The light gathered in her palms, just as it did before she released it and froze the enemy with its touch.

Shiva didn’t release the energy however, only continued to gather it beyond what Seifer thought was reasonable for a normal attack. It was true that SeeD hadn’t been using Guardian Forces for very long, and within the last decade there hadn’t been much information gathered on their existence. Of the Guardian Forces discovered, most had been by the heroic band during the fight against Ultimecia. Shiva, Ifrit, and Quezcotl had been the first few. But, just about everything they knew of the creatures was still theory and speculation.

The golden, yellow streaks of Shiva’s hair changed color. From the root downward, they became white. Among the rich blue of the rest of her hair, the streaks stood out even more when the white seemed to shimmer as if made of metal. Her pale blue skin seemed to lighten to an almost marble white tone, though it still held a bluish tint.

Nervously, Seifer looked at his watch. Several textbook theories were running through his head at the moment. What worried him was the extended amount of time the Shiva was being summoned. Guardian Forces were theorized to take both memories and strength from their host. No one had ever seen the effects of prolonged summoning, but many speculated that it could only be negative. Shiva had already been summoned longer than usual, and she had yet to attack once. Clenching his jaw, he set the timer on his watch, and did the only thing he could… wait. He was torn between his trust for Squall and his knowledge that the brunet would probably jump in front of a speeding car to save a kitten.

The air swirled with small ice droplets and snowflakes. The spray was nearly blinding as the wind blew directly at them from the ocean. With his eyes squinted against the chaotic winds. Seifer had the distinct impression that the Ice Queen was sucking heat from the water, in a sort of manner.

With the amount of energy she kept gathering it was a wonder that her form wasn’t blinded from view. Slowly and ever so smoothly she raised her arms to arc above her head. The drawing built up, more and more. Seifer could feel the air humming and was concerned when the Protect shield reacted and began to work.

The haze of the blizzard grew so great that Seifer could hardly make her form out, though that might have been in part from the blinding light that grew in a condensed form above her head. Her hands had come together and joined each ball of drawn energy. The air was too cold to breath, Seifer had to cover his mouth with the material of his coat.

Unable to clearly see what Shiva was doing, Seifer struggled to make as much of it out as he could.

The sudden howling of wind and blast of light was what told Seifer that Shiva had released all that power. The destructive force of her ice froze all it touched instantly. The shrill wind was pierced with the hollow echo of freezing water. So much water had never been frozen so quickly.

Relying heavily on his hearing, Seifer listened to the disturbing sounds that carried swiftly to his ears. The noises seemed to be echoing from every direction. The power that was still spilling forth, as if from Shiva herself, moved further away. The blonde knight could only see the bright light and it was progressing further towards, or rather into, the ocean.

The deep waters gave off low toned snapping sounds as they froze in place. The chaos continued for a bit longer. And then, as it seemed like the Guardian must have made her way a good distance out there, a new sound joined the mix. Among the winds, the piercing scream of Shiva’s powerful attack, and the distinctive sound of freezing water, was the disturbing mash of ice. It almost sounded like thunder. The ground shook violently.

Only the blonde’s imagination could guess what was happening. He figured it was probably the forceful water pushing its way through and keeping its momentum even when turned into ice.

There was no way this would work. Shiva could only freeze a small portion, not to mention the force behind the wave would keep on plowing through even if it were frozen over.

The noises were near deafening. And the cold was far passed unbearable. Seifer’s body was shivering convulsively. A glance to the side showed him a very pale and blue-lipped bartender. Realizing that he’d been so consumed by trying to watch Shiva that he’d neglected the state his body was in, he shifted closer to Mike.

Crouching low, Seifer yanked Mike down with him. Huddling closely, they curled up into themselves in an effort to preserve body heat. Seifer rubbed his chest, knowing that keeping his heart warmed would keep the rest of him warm.

Seifer was clenching his jaw to keep it from chattering too much, when another flash caught his attention in the distance. His head lifted up and he squinted as best he could to make out any movement.

The light from Shiva’s attack died off suddenly. The atmosphere grew much darker. Through the mixture of noises, Seifer was able to pick out a new sound. If he was hearing correctly, he’d say the high-pitched gathering and shattering noises were from Blizzaga spells. Another light grew. It would seem Shiva was preparing once again.

‘Fuck,’ he thought, cursing at himself for not having any spells for the element of ice. He had Ifrit junctioned and a hell of a lot of Firagas on hand, but not even a single Blizzard.

Shiva didn’t seem to take as long to gather energy this time. But, along with her attack were the sporadic castings of Blizzaga. Seifer had to wonder how the Guardian was managing to perform two magics at once.

As the cold numbed him and made him feel terribly sleepy, Seifer actually toyed with the idea of casting a Fire spell on himself. However, he knew that would accomplish nothing but burning and setting fire to his clothes. Besides, the winds that were blowing sucked the heat out of everything they touched, a fire wouldn’t last more than a few seconds.

The blizzard began to die down, losing the force that drove it. Everything seemed to wind down all at once. White flakes still littered the air and blurred Seifer’s vision. It was a few more moments before he could move forward with a discernable view of his surroundings. Gulping, his mouth gaped slightly. Green eyes surveyed the ocean in disbelief. How was it possible?

More time must have passed than he thought, since the moon was riding perceptibly lower and close to the western horizon. It was beginning to disappear behind a particularly tall building. There was no sign of the sun, but the night was still lit by the city lights. The siren continued to wail in the distance. The wave of dark water that had been moving steadily closer was now an arcing wall of jagged ice. The time of freezing had not been synced, so the ice was uneven. It seemed the water had pushed through several times, making chunks of broken ice that scattered in broken shards.

When he heard the first crack further away, he knew that the natural order of the ocean was being restored. The ice wouldn’t last. It was too warm an environment and it was only a tiny fraction that was actually frozen. The rest of the salty liquid was pushing against the barricade, trying to sweep to the sandy shore the way it was meant to.

Though his footing was slippery Seifer ran forth towards the pale form of Shiva. A few times he nearly lost his balance. It wasn’t easy to run on the glossy surface while dodging chunks of ice and forcing his numb limbs to move accordingly. As the last of the snow settled down, Seifer was better able to see Shiva. With yellow streaks back in her hair and her skin tone slightly darker, she was crouched down upon the ice. A crouching Guardian could never be a good sign, most especially an Ice Queen such as Shiva. Queens did not crouch low and hunch over like that.

‘Then again,’ he thought. She had just stopped a tidal wave with the force of ten freight trains behind it. There was no sound stock in the theory that Guardians used the energy of their host. It could very well be just as probable that Shiva had done this all from her own power and was now exhausted. That would certainly explain the crouching….

Seifer’s thoughts trailed off as his mind suddenly went blank. Having moved closer he was able to see the dark form of Squall. Automatically, Seifer’s legs took larger and faster strides. He didn’t even bother making an unobstructed path to the pair, but jumped over any shards and blocks that were in his way.

When he had nearly reached them, he remembered the consequences of running too fast. Abruptly he tried to stop, sliding a good distance. He almost passed right by them, but managed to scramble to the spot.

Falling to his knees, he reflected Shiva’s position on the other side of an unconscious brunet.

Seifer’s heart was beating madly, all the while under the pressure of an invisible fist that squeezed it painfully. Tentatively, he reached his hands out hovering in fear above the deathly looking face.

Squall’s eyes were shut with snowflakes caught in his thick lashes. There was snow in his hair as well. Seifer was afraid to find out why the flakes didn’t melt. The once crimson lips were now pale blue. The naturally pale man was ghostly white.

“Oh Hyne,” Seifer breathed out, pleading with the gods to not let his fears be true. With a lump in his throat he felt his eyes burn with moisture. Raising his head, he looked to Shiva. His green eyes searched her crystal blue ones. The sorrow and sadness he found within them did nothing to calm his fears. His eyes narrowed, as if her expression was some sort of confirmation.

Shakily, he reached a hand to Squall’s slender neck. The blonde almost pulled back in shock. The brunet’s body was so cold, as if he’d been dead for hours and left in the mountains on the northern continent.

Seifer’s heart leapt as he felt a faint pulse. The beating artery was slightly warmer than the rest.

Hastily, Seifer moved back and cast Curaga. The spell didn’t react to the motionless body.

“He needs heat. I’m afraid that he’s been exposed to the Diamond Dust.” Standing smoothly, Shiva turned to the blonde. “I haven’t very long, will you care for him?”

Glaring at the Guardian, he spat, “Better than you could.” His resentment for what the brunet had done was being directed at the stubborn man’s partner in crime.

Seifer clenched his teeth when Shiva simply smiled and faded from sight. His guess was that spells weren’t going to work. Shiva’s words weren’t exactly cryptic. Squall needed warmth and heat.

Swiftly, Seifer dropped down and gathered Squall’s form into his arms. If Quistis was as relentless as always about knowing what was going on then she’d be taking few extra measures. There was sure to be a ship coming. Airborne most likely. Still, he reached inside Squall’s jacket and extracted the borrowed phone. Pausing for a moment, he hit the redial button.

While the line rang, he propped the phone to his ear with a shoulder. With one arm cradling the man, he reached his other hand up the brunet’s shirt and rubbed furiously against the cold chest. Shortly after, the friction caused the skin to heat up, but he kept going, since he needed to keep the lion’s heart warm.

“Squall?” The familiar voice of the Head Instructor answered on the third ring.

“Guess again Trepe,” Seifer responded.

“Seifer,” Quistis sounded surprised. “When did you….” her voice trailed off. “Oh, I see you now.”

The odd statement wasn’t enough to derail the knight’s focus. “Where the hell is our transportation?”

“Ragnarok should be there any minute now. How is Squall? Is he okay? What did Shiva just say to you?”

“Trepe, calm down. I’ll talk when we get back.” While leaving the worried woman in the dark was cruel, he had other matters to be concerned with. He hung the phone up and resumed his focus to the unconscious brunet.

With the slim body lying across his lap, he draped his long trench coat around the small man and held him close. He balanced Squall’s head against his neck. Seifer was rather cold himself, and not the best suited to give a half frozen man any body heat.

Still rubbing the brunet’s chest, he listened for the sound of Ragnarok.

Squall wouldn’t die, not today. Seifer had been too panicked to realize this. Squall’s luck was so terrible that he wouldn’t die at this point. Now that the brunet had gone and played the selfless, idiotic, stubborn hero again, the world would renew its vigor in obsessing over the Commander. So, Squall would live, just so he could live on in miserable hate for flashing cameras and nosy reporters. The brunet never had good luck, at least if he did then it was spent saving his sorry, though fine, ass.


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