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Luck on His Side	By : Vovo Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 933 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters are not my property, they belong to Square-Enix. I don't receive any profit from writing this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Warning: Angst

Word Count: 3,174

Luck on His Side

Chapter 10

They all had been waiting in anxiety to know what had happened to Nida and it seemed that they would finally had their answer.

"How is he?" Irvine asked before the doctor reached them.

The man in white didn't answer right away. He kept walking until he was in front of the boys. "We did all we could, but it wasn't possible to save him."

"What...?" Irvine said in incredulity.

"What are you trying to say?" Zell asked. "What happened?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "He... passed away."

"But... I saw him today... He was okay..." Zell trailed off.

Squall stood up and stared at the doctor intently. "What exactly happened to him?"

"He was brought here with symptoms of asphyxia, caused by the inhalation of gas from a leak. It prevented the oxygen to reach the brain and he lost consciousness. We also found some evidence that he had taken sleeping pills, so he might not be aware of what was happening."

"That's it? And you couldn't save him."

"Lack of oxygen cause damage to the brain quickly and he was beyond salvation in the state he arrived. Even so we tried what we could." The doctor stared at Squall to see if he would ask anything more, but he only received a cold blue glare. "I'm sorry for your friend. Did you get in contact with the family?"

"They'd been in a trip in Timber, they're on their way here. I just don't know when they will arrive."

"We'll be making the arrangements for his body... Do you want to see your friend?"

Squall stared deeply at the doctor, feeling like a dart of ice had stuck him in his chest. He felt unable to move and his mouth dried. "I... I can't."

"I want to." They all turned to Irvine's direction. "Where is he?" the boy asked softly.

"I'll lead the way," the doctor said.

"Zell?" Irvine looked a this friend's direction.

"No, man, I can't..." Zell said with his tear-streaked face.

"Okay," Irvine nodded.

"This way," the doctor led the boy to a room.

"I don't understand... Why did it happen?" Zell muttered. He felt a sudden rage burning in his chest, fueled by hopelessness. The boy wanted to punch something, but he couldn't see anything with his vision blurried by the tears.

Squall watched his friend and felt he couldn't help him in his pain. He didn't even know what to do with what he was feeling.

"Are you okay?" Seifer asked.

"..."

Then Irvine came back with an unreadable expression. He walked through the corridors slowly, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Are you okay, man?" Zell asked in concern.

"Yeah..." Irvine answered in a way that couldn't convince anyone. "He was... he seemed to be sleeping... after he got beaten up, but he seemed to be sleeping." He stopped suddenly and just stared at his friend's direction, not quite at them, but as if he was looking right through them. Without saying anything more, he turned and entered a room, closing the door behind him.

Instinctively, Zell went after him and tried to open the door, but the boy had locked it. "Irvine!" Zell shouted and knocked on the door."

"Just leave him for a while."

Zell felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look behind. There was a tall blond with a somber expression on his face.

"Don't tell me what to do," Zell brushed the hand off his shoulder and walked past him.

Seifer watched as the blond left the waiting room and then turned to face his boyfriend. Squall was still standing there, lost in his deep silence, like a shadow in the middle of cold white walls.

"Do you think we should go now?"

Squall stared at Seifer for a while, registering the question, before answering. "We have to wait for Nida's parents."

Seifer nodded. "I'll bring you some coffee." He left the brunet with himself for a while and headed for the cafeteria's direction. Walking through silent corridors, he heard small whispering sounds and hushed talks behind walls. As soon as he reached the cafeteria, he found a blond figure sitting in a hidden corner.

"A tough day, isn't it?" Seifer sat beside the other blond.

"What are you doing here?' Zell turned briefly to ask.

"Buying some things. I'm hungry, you know. But I just ordered these hot-dogs and they taste like shit, I think I'll throw them away."

Zell looked beside him and saw two sausages staring at him. His stomach suddenly awakened when he felt the smell. "You're saying you're not gonna eat them..."

"No... Why? Are you interested?"

"No," Zell lied.

"Are you sure? I'll throw them away."

"Wait.. It's such a waste to throw food away."

"I know, with lots of hungry people out there..."

"I can take them, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Seifer handed the hot-dogs.

Zell started to eat and realized the taste wasn't so bad as Seifer told him. "Thanks, you know." He munched on the hot-dogs some more, before continuing. "And sorry for the things I told you... it's... It's very hard to lose a friend."

"I know."

"No, you don't know. It's like a part of you is missing. We spent so much time together... I can't believe he's gone."

"But life goes on. You still have yours to live."

"How can you say this? It's not like something I can forget so easily. He was my friend! Did you ever know what it is to have friends?"

"I know how it is. And I know what it is to lose a friend. You know, I lost the only ones I had."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never told anyone else about it. Their names were Fujin and Raijin."

"Wait. Those guys that followed your every step in school?"

"Yeah, them. They're dead."

"But... How? I thought they were... you know... alive..."

"There was an accident. One day they were alive and in the other they were gone. Just like that. And I was alone in the world. I thought How can I live without them? at the time, but I lived. I had my life to live and I just lived... But I've never met true friends after that. There are people in my life, but they're just acquaintances. They're not my friends... not the way Rai and Fu were."

"And what about Squall?"

"What about Squall? He's everything I have. Now, do you want us to be apart? Do you want to take away the only thing a man has?"

"You know, it was the weirdest thing to see you two together. Like there was no way in hell you two could match. But, somehow, in a strange way, you are perfect for each other."

"Oh, now you think that?"

"Yeah."

"I'm honored to have your approval, Chicken." Seifer stood up. "I gotta go now, Squall will think I ran away with his coffee." He patted the boy's shoulder. "It's hard in the beginning, but it passes one day."

Zell saw Seifer buying a coffee and turning to head to the waiting room. "Thanks!" He shouted and saw Seifer turning his head briefly to smirk. "But, wait... What did you call me?"

xxx

"Sorry for the long wait," Seifer handed the paper cup to Squall.

The brunet accepted it and nodded a "thanks."

"I know it's hard to lose a friend."

"Yeah..."

It was then Squall saw Nida's parents walking towards his direction. The man was holding the woman close to him and they had a concerned expression on their faces. It was clear they were trying to hide their nervousness, but there was a sad aura around them, as if they already knew that the worst had happened.

Squall opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came.

"Where's Nida?" the father asked in a somber voice.

Seifer squeezed the brunet's arm slightly to give him support and stood by his side.

"I'm sorry," that was all Squall could say, but nothing more was needed.

Then the doctor arrived and started to talk to Nida's parents. It was then Zell arrived from the cafeteria. He looked at the pair and didn't know if he should leave them alone or give them his support. Nida's father saw him and greeted him. They hugged and talked briefly, before they went back to settle what they would do with their son's body.

"Is Irvine still there?" Zell asked as he walked towards Squall.

"He didn't get out of there."

"We need to do something..."

Zell and Squall stared at each other and they went in the direction of the room.

"Irvine," Zell knocked on the door a few times. "Are you okay?"

They waited for a while, but no sound came.

"Listen to me, Irvine," Squall said. "We need you to open the door or we will have to call someone to do it."

There was only silence on the other side, until muffled footsteps emerged from the room.

"It's unlocked..." They heard a voice from the inside.

"We're coming," Squall informed, before opening the door. They found Irvine sitting on the floor, resting his body against the cold wall. "Nida's parents are here, we can go home now."

"I'm..." Irvine swallowed hard. "Just a moment."

"I'll bring you home," Zell said.

Irvine nodded and used the wall for support to lift himself up. "Did you talk to his parents? God, I can't see them. What if... what if they ask what happened? He had been in my house the entire day, he seemed happy. I don't know what happened..."

"It was an accident, man," Zell said. "It just happened."

"But why did he took those pills, I never knew he needed them."

"Maybe he just couldn't sleep."

"I don't know..." Irvine tried to remember everything that had happened and then he looked at Squall. "You were the last to see him, was he okay?"

Squall stared at the blue irises wetted with recent tears and remembered the last time he saw Nida. "He seemed..." Squall saw as Nida gave him one last look before turning and leaving.

There's nothing to do with what we talked.

"Squall?"

It can't be.

"Did something happen?"

It was an accident.

"No."

"Let's go, man," Zell patted Irvine's back. "Let's go home... There's nothing we can do right now."

Irvine nodded. "Okay."

Squall saw his friends leaving and soon felt a blond coming his way. "Ready to go?" Seifer warped an arm around the brunet's shoulder. "You need to sleep for tomorrow. Do you want to go to your house or my apartment?"

"I... Can I stay with you?" Squall lifted his gaze to meet green irises.

"Of course, you did this a lot of times, you know," Seifer smirked slightly. "Can you drive?"

"Yeah... I guess so."

Seifer followed Squall out of the hospital, a little worried about him, but in the end the brunet proved he could drive just fine. The streets were free of traffic in that late hour, so it didn't take long before they reached Seifer's apartment.

As soon as Squall got inside, he headed towards the bedroom and lay on Seifer's bed. He was so exhausted from everything that happened that day, he just wanted to rest and forget that he would have to be at a funeral the next day. If only he could pretend nothing happened...

Seifer decided to leave Squall alone for a while and headed to the kitchen. He saw an abandoned lasagna staring coldly at him at the table. The blond sighed. There was nothing he could do but throw the food away. It was such a waste, but no one would eat that. He thought about opening the fridge to get something to drink, something with alcohol in it to make him relax, but he remembered he had a boyfriend who didn't drink, so he had another idea. Some minutes later, he was walking to the room with two mugs in hand.

Squall lifted himself slightly to sit on the bed and received the hot mug with a thankful gleam in his eyes. He watched as the gentle smoke danced in front of him before vanishing in the air. It smelled so good and he had to be patient to let it cool some, before taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

Seifer sat next to him and drank his mug slowly as he watched Squall drink. It seemed to calm him. He finished drinking and put his mug at a bedside table, waiting for Squall to finish his, to do the same with his mug.

Then there was a moment of silence, a strange silence. Seifer looked at Squall and he could see there was something hidden behind the blue irises, like a promise of a storm behind the clouds in a gray sky. Seifer reached out to touch brown bangs with his fingertips. "You can cry, if you want."

Squall stared at him, and the blond could swear he saw a sparkle of an angry lighting bolt in those eyes. "I don't want to cry."

"Everybody cries sometimes."

"Crying never solve problems... It just... never does."

"No, it doesn't, but you have to let go. You won't be able to hold back everything you feel in yourself."

Squall stared deeply at the green eyes and averted his gaze when he felt something wet falling down his cheek. "I..." He brushed the tear off his face with the back of his hand. "I used to cry when I was a kid, but it never worked... so... I stopped crying. I've never cried since then."

"Do you want to know a secret?" Seifer asked. "I used to cry a lot when I was a kid, but I tried to hide from everyone at the orphanage. It could ruin my image, you know. Boys couldn't cry. But... every time I saw a kid finding a new family, I went to my hidden spot and cried. I wanted to have parents, I wanted to have my parents. I wanted to have a home. I wanted to have my own room. Why did the other kids find homes and not me? No one wanted me."

"But I do," Squall said softly, almost as a whisper.

Seifer stared at the brunet and felt a tear escape from his eye. He averted his gaze quickly and wiped the tear away, chuckling softly afterwards. "You do?"

"Yeah..."

Seifer smiled and felt a small happiness shine its way through that gloomy moment. He felt as if he could take anything, as long as they had each other. And at the time, fate hadn't touched them with its cruel hand. Instead, it lulled them to sleep in a warm embrace.

xxx

The flowers were all around the place, blurry white crowns in the rain, filling the air with a faint perfume. The sky was all gray over the wet grass. The clouds were whimpering over the choir of teenage voices. The fans had come frown everywhere, carrying messages of support and loving words. They put their gifts around the grave, lining them carefully with trembling hands. Many of them had come shyly to the remaining members of the band with teary eyes and declarations of affection between sobs. They whispered their goodbyes under wet umbrellas, as Nida's body met its new home.

Squall watched the shiny wooden box being lowered and covered by the earth, as if it was a dream. That couldn't be happening.

"Let's go now."

The brunet felt a light squeeze on his shoulder and stared at Seifer, only then realizing it all ended. He turned to leave the place, but stopped when he heard someone calling.

"Leon!"

He wondered if he would face his fan, and if it were in another moment, he wouldn't think twice before ignoring it, but there was something in that voice, he didn't know what it was... Squall turned and saw a boy. He was no more than 15 and he was soaking wet. There was nothing different in that boy, he was like many of his fans and Squall didn't know when he let him come close. He just let him and he couldn't explain why.

"Leon... Can I talk to you?" the boy asked shyly.

Squall nodded and waited for him to gather the courage to talk.

"I... I'm here to give you support. I know it's been very hard for you... and..." He handed an envelope to Squall. "This is from my sister. She couldn't be here, because my mom didn't let her. When she heard what happened, she was so sad that she fell sick. She wanted me to give you this letter."

"Thank you," Squall said quietly.

"And... I always wanted to talk to you..." A tear rolled down the boy's cheeks. "One day when I heard you'd be in town, I went to the hotel and waited for you outside. I waited all day, but when you got outside, I couldn't talk to you. I shouted your name, but you were in a hurry. I couldn't believe you were just ignoring me, I know you're a good guy, and you did that because you had somewhere important to go. And I... I wanted to give you something that day and I kept it, because I knew I could give it to you some day... And today..."

Squall received the black box and opened it. There was a silver pendant inside, in the shape of a lion's head.

"I wanted to give you something that represents strength, so it could be some kind of guardian for difficult times... I... You don't need to wear it, I just want you to accept it. Even if you keep it hidden, I know it will be protecting you whenever you are."

Squall stared at the dark eyes that stared back with deep emotion and felt something clench in his chest. He gripped the metal in hand, filling the edges against his palm. "I really liked it... Thank you."

The boy smiled and it was like a sunray cutting through the dark clouds above them. They saw the boy walking away slowly and he turned back to smile again, before he was lost in the crowd.

"I should be jealous of you accepting gifts from other guys, but this pendant suits you," Seifer said.

"It does, doesn't it?" Squall stared at the silver lion again.

Seifer smiled. "Yes... it does."

"Well... let's go now?"

"Where? My place?"

"Yes."

They walked side by side as the last raindrops fell. The day was still gray and cold, but maybe the next would be warmed by a gentle sun.

x

x

x

x

A/N: I'm sorry, I had to write this chapter, but it had all been planned since the beginning. And no one told me they didn't want it to happen to Nida, so... But I didn't do this because I don't like the character and I didn't want to make anyone depressed by reading it. I'm sorry, if I made someone sad. Probably, the next won't be a too sad chapter. And sorry if the excuse for his death was lame, I really tried to come up with something believable. I did this because I wanted something strong to happen to make some things change a little in Squall's life and maybe the reflection of it will appear later. But I didn't want to make it an overly tragic moment, I wanted to write something that could happen in someone's life.
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Luck on His Side