Experience

[10.02.01] » by Divine Wind

The Galbadian soldier fell heavily to the ground and stayed there.

The sound of the shot still echoed around the square as I bent to wipe my gunblade on the dead man's uniform. Behind me, I heard someone - probably Rinoa - gulp loudly. She was obviously in over her head. I wondered if she had ever seen someone actually get killed before.

Sheathing my weapon, I strode back to where she, Zell and Selphie were standing.

Well, only Zell and Selphie were standing. Rinoa was on one knee, and she looked decidedly green. Her eyes were fixed on the bleeding man laying on the sidewalk.

"Come on," I said firmly. "There's more where he came from, and you know someone heard that shot. We need to find the T.V. station fast."

Selphie knelt next to Rinoa and cast a light Cure spell. Turning her innocent eyes to mine, she said in a concerned voice, "I think she's hurt."

Zell looked down at them. "Naw, that Fire spell she took wasn't anything special. Those Galbadian scumbags can't use magic worth anything."

"She's fine," I said. "She's just got a lot on her mind right now."

Selphie furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you sure? She looks awful sick..."

"Trust me. She'll be alright."

I knew what she was going through. I'd been the same way, the first time I'd seen a man die.

"Come on, students," my instructor called. "This isn't a field trip. We're here to learn basic survival techniques for aquatic combat."

It was a warm afternoon in late summer. I was fifteen years old, in my first year at Balamb Garden. Our instructor had taken us on an overnight hike to the Rinaul Coast near the town of Balamb.

Already it was becoming obvious that Seifer and myself were going to be alone at the head of the class. I could see him now, skinny legs sticking out of ridiculously large bathing trunks, his shiny new Hyperion gunblade resting on one shoulder. He was talking to Fujin and Raijin, the two students who had attached themselves to him.

"Seifer!" Our instructor yelled. "I told you to get over here!"

"Coming, Instructor." A slight half-smirk flashed across Seifer's face as he took his place in line, next to me.

"Now, the first thing to remember when fighting near water is..."

I tuned out the droning of my teacher and concentrated on looking at my classmates. I knew everything she was about to teach us. I could recite it backwards.

I knew Seifer was the same way. I could see him doodling in the sand by his feet with the tip of his gunblade. He had a dreamy look on his face, and when he took his weapon away, I could see that he had sketched a horse and rider. His foot quickly obliterated the drawing.

Turning to the ocean, something caught my eye. A gleam, brighter than that of sun on water. And it was moving. Fast. Towards us.

My hand moved instinctively to my gunblade.

"Look out!" Fujin yelled. "Incoming!"

And then it was on us.

A Guardian Force.

We had all read through our textbooks. We knew what we were dealing with. Something a hundred thousand times more deadly than the Fastitocalons and Bite Bugs we were accustomed to.

This one had the form of a beautful blue woman, who hovered serenely in the air over our heads and glared down at us with icy, uncaring eyes.

"It's Shiva!" our instuctor howled wildly. "RUN!"

Many ran. Our instructor was one of them. We found them after the fight, hiding behind a rock nearby.

I stayed.

I had to. If everyone had run, we'd have all been cut down from behind.

Seifer stayed too.

So did about ten others. Fujin, Raijin, and several kids whose names I couldn't remember. A quiet, unassuming boy with brown hair and a short sword. A redhaired girl with daggers. A blonde girl with a whip. And a young, dark-haired boy, who held his Swallow in front of him defiantly.

We stood bravely on that beach, knowing that, if we did not destroy this GF, many of our classmates would probably die with us.

"Ready, Seifer?" came Fujin's melodious voice. Her long silver hair blew about her shoulders, and her clear grey eyes were fixed on the terrible beauty that hovered before us.

"Ready," Seifer snarled.

"Let's take this bitch DOWN, ya know?" Raijin's staff was held at the ready.

The redhaired girl threw one of her daggers. It struck Shiva in the right arm and bounced away harmlessly.

Then all hell broke loose.

A wave of frigid wind blinded those of us closest to the monster. One student tried to cast a Fire spell, but was knocked aside by a large chunk of ice. Another was virtually buried in a snowdrift that just suddenly appeared in the air above her head.

We were outclassed.

I found myself kneeling behind a small sand dune with blonde whip girl. She was bleeding from a small cut on one arm, but seemed relatively unscathed.

"This is going to be ugly," she said quietly.

"...whatever."

I exploded up out of my hiding place and found the monster's back turned to me. Seifer, Fujin and Raijin had managed to circle around behind her. I ducked one of Fujin's razor discs that had flown wide, and launched myself towards Shiva.

Just in time to see a razor sharp blade of ice take Fujin across the face and neck. The entire right side of her lovely face exploded into redness.

Seifer dropped his gublade and ran to her.

"Fujin!"

I stopped in mid-stride. This wasn't a joke. This was real. Someone I knew had just been hurt. Badly.

"Squall! MOVE!"

It was the blonde girl, screaming at me from behind the sand dune. With a start, I realized that Shiva had turned her attention back to me. A bolt of crystal ice hurtled at my chest.

I dove to my right and rolled over one shoulder, coming back up to my feet with my gunblade held in front of me.

"Anya!" I heard someone shout.

Then I saw her.

The redhead lay on the sand, a spike of ice through her side.

The spike of ice that had been meant for me.

The blonde and the brown haired boy with sword quickly dragged her back around behind the dune. We sat there, the four of us, saying nothing.

Her eyes glazed over, and she released her dagger.

The blonde girl sobbed once, and the brown haired boy put his arm around her.

"Don't cry, Quistis. We've still got work to do."

Quistis gulped and nodded. "Thanks, Nida." The two of them rose to their feet and sprinted around opposite sides of the dune. I heard Quistis' whip crack loudly.

I wasn't listening, though. I felt very, very sick.

"I'm sorry," I said lamely to the girl's body. I hadn't even known her. Why did I feel like this?

The sight of her blood spilling out onto the sand both fascinated and nauseated me. I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Someone screamed on the other side of the dune, and I snapped back to reality.

Nausea gave way to rage.

I almost flew up over the dune, ignoring the shards of icy shrapnel that came perilously close to me. My gunblade came down, ready to strike.

Shiva turned to look at me just as I reached her. Too late.

I screamed something wordless as I struck. And struck again. Again.

My gunblade danced through the air, one motion seeming to flow effortlessly into the next. Each time I felt the blade meet resistance, I pulled the trigger, sending an explosive bullet into the monster's lacerated body.

I couldn't tell how long my strikes lasted. When I delivered the last blow, Shiva fell heavily to the sand, looking up at me with what looked like it could almost be respect.

"Renzokuken," she breathed. "Incredible. I shall accompany you, young one."

She sank into the sand and vansihed.

But I could still feel her.

I had vanquished and Junctioned a Guardian Force.

But all I could think about was Anya, laying motionless on the other side of the beach.

I turned away from my fellow students and vomited.

Then I carried Anya back to the Garden.

They reported that our losses had been relatively light. I guess they had been, considering. Ten untested students against a powerful Guardian Force. It's almost laughable that we got off as lightly as we did. One student dead, another lost an eye and voicebox. They managed to rebuild Fujin's throat, to an extent, but her melodious voice was forever replaced by a grating, harsh sounding shout. They offered her a glass eye, too, but she chose an eyepatch instead.

Light losses, to be sure, but also heavier than could possibly be imagined.

That was the first time I had ever seen anyone killed. The memory of it had stayed with me all through my training at the Garden.

I knew exactly how Rinoa felt.

Kneeling next to her, I said quietly into her ear, "I understand what you're going through. The pain will fade. Trust me."

With that, I stood up and began walking off, toward the exit of the alley.

Rinoa stood and followed, wordlessly.

Selphie looked at Zell. "Squall being sensitive?"

Zell shrugged. "Whatever, man. I don't get him at all."