It was war. Ranks upon ranks of the Galbadian battalions had assembled in the fields of the Centra continent. Across from them came the daunting SeeD skimmers, their ramps opening to let dozens of SeeD operatives race down. The charge was made without a signal. A loud battle cry from the Galbadian armies was lifted to the heavens. The SeeDs merely readied their weapons as they went ahead of the heavily-armoured transports. Soldiers collided in a blood-soaked line, the one effortless charge now becoming thousands of small skirmishes between each other. Suddenly one lone warrior broke through, cutting a gruesome path through the very heart of the Galbadian numbers. Eyes wide and wild all at once, Sean frantically searched the ocean of moving soldiers for a single, familiar face. "Xu!" he shouted over the dim of battle. "XU!!" GREENBEANS PRESENTS He was forced to reload his pistol, spinning it around his finger once the spent shells were replaced. Out from the blurs of armour and clashing weapons, a Galbadian soldier leapt into the air, screaming as he tried to rake the blade of his sword down against Sean's back. Sean whirled, firing off a single round that buried itself into the enemy's face. "I don't have time for this!" he snapped angrily as the flash from the barrel of his gun lit up the steely glare in his eyes. Body sent out of control from instant death, the Galbadian soldier twisted and crashed onto the ground. His sword spun in the air, sinking into the ground a few steps away from where Sean stood. "Shit," he swore. "Xu, where are you?" And then he saw her. She looked beautiful, even in the heat of battle as she brandished her sai and took down a trio of Galbadian soldiers. That fierce expression, sweat running down her skin as her dark hair danced around her face, she looked like a goddess of war. Sean couldn't keep from smiling. A Galbadian abruptly rose up behind her. Sean's eyes widened as he saw the shadow fall over Xu. His reflexes saw him raising the pistol in her direction, mind barely conscious of aiming. He could only pray that his reflexes would be fast enough this time. "XU!" IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE FFVIII UNIVERSE Xu spun around, realizing too late the fate that would befall her as the Galbadian raised his halberd. The look in her eyes was a combination of shock that she was about to die, and an eerie calm knowing this was inevitable in battle. Yet her death didn't come. Sean's bullet struck the Galbadian, and he stumbled sideways before tumbling forward. He was dead before he hit the ground. Xu dodged the feeble swipe from the halberd, turning her head towards Sean. Already he was pushing through numerous other small battles to reach her. She raced from her side, and they firmly embraced each other when they at last met. "You're safe," he said, unable to contain the look of relief on his face as he refused to let her go. "I thought I had lost you." Xu's eyes welled up with tears. "Sean...." The heat of battle was lost between them. With trembling hands she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him closer. Their warm breaths were felt against the other's skin. And even as their eyes closed, their lips still came together in a flawless, passionate kiss. A COMPLETE LIE!!! [Cue the SD FFVIII fic characters dancing across the screen!] All: ^-^ "omake Omake OMAKE! WAAAIIIIII!!" [Suddenly everyone panics and makes a mad dash off the screen. Moments later, an irate SD Cloud Strife chases after them on his motorcycle.] Sowing the SeeDs: OMAKE THEATRE 1!! [Chibi versions of Sean and LeVar are walking down the centre aisle of a SeeD transport train. On either side we can see numerous seats filled by many a chibified female cadet. Naturally Chibi-Sean is smiling, while Chibi-LeVar remains wary of the entire situation.] Chibi-Sean: ^^ "I love Omakes! I'm don't have to be dead all the time with these babies around." Chibi-LeVar: --;; [thumbing over to Chibi-Sean] "Why do I have get paired with this yo-yo for the Omake?" Chibi-Sean: "This is so cool; we're on a train full of cute SeeD babes!" [Chibi-Sean slides into the seat next to Chibi-Xu.] Chibi-Sean: ^^ "Hey babe, wanna pollinate with a real--?" Chibi-Xu's fist: *WHAM!* Chibi-Sean: [tenderly rubbing the bump on his head] "Ow! What was that for?" Chibi-LeVar: "Other than that horrid flower pun? You'd think the authors had run out of those stupid jokes by now." Chibi-Sean: "You stay outta this, cameo-boy! I got more fic time than you, so I've got more authority here." Chibi-LeVar: "And I do seem to recall someone getting eaten by a T-Rexaur at the end of this chapter." Chibi-Sean: --;; "Rub it in, why don't you? They still haven't found one of my kidneys yet." Chibi-Xu: "They're not going to be able to find your *other* one either in a few seconds, Sean." [Chibi-Xu sends her knee into Chibi-Sean's side.] Chibi-Sean: o.O [erk!] Chibi-Xu: "I don't understand what my author ever saw in you. If you don't behave, I'm going to see to it you get killed off in the Omake theatres too." [The two guys watched her angrily walk off.] Chibi-Sean: [trying to figure out where his remaining kidney is] "She wants me." Chibi-LeVar: "Dead or alive?" Chibi-Quistis: [popping up from a row of chairs behind Chibi-Sean] "Sean-sempai, why do you chase girls around like that?" Chibi-Sean: ^^ "Because it's what I do best!" Chibi-LeVar: [sweatdropping] "Baaaaaaka." [Chibi-Quistis abruptly turns to the person sitting next to her. As the camera pans back we see it's Chibi-Greenbeans, who is trying to figure out why the buttons on her uniform lapels aren't lining up properly.] Chibi-Greenbeans: [muttering to herself] "Stupid tie...don't they have casual kill-days?" Chibi-Quistis: "Um...Mame-san, you're on." Chibi-Greenbeans: O.o "Oh. So what are we doing in today's Omake, Quistis-chan?" Chibi-Sean: [sliding up next to Chibi-Rinoa] "Say, you're from that Timber Wolf gang, right? I bet I could make you howl...but not at the moon!" [Chibi-Rinoa turns her cannon on Chibi-Sean.] Chibi-Rinoa: "This is supposed to be a rated-G rant, you pervert!" Cannon: *BOOM!* Chibi-Sean: --;; [barbecued li'l SeeD] "I feel I'm being unfairly used as the butt of this Omake's jokes." Chibi-LeVar: "Maybe it's karma for all that innuendo you've pulled since your character was first introduced. And she's with the Timber *Owls*, you moron!" Chibi-Sean: "Oh whine, whine, whine! You're just jealous because I get to have my own side-story...even though I'm dead! HA!!" Chibi-LeVar: [eyebrow twitch!] "What? Greenbeans, is he serious? So what about my cameo?!" Chibi-Greebeans: [sighs as she massages her forehead] "This is the last time I let authors have avatar incarnations in my fics. Contrary to what you two might think, I am not an employer and this is *not* 'Beanie's Avatar Temp Service'." Chibi-Eileen: "Greenbeans, Helen Fong is here about that possible cameo opening in chapter 3." Chibi-LeVar & Chibi-Sean: [slowly turning to Greenbeans] "......" Chibi-Greenbeans: [sweatdrop!] "Eileen, we need to discuss your sense of timing--and lack thereof." Chibi-Quistis: [shaking her head] "This has to be one of the strangest SeeDfics I've ever been written into." Chibi-Sean: "Hey, I just thought of something!" Chibi-LeVar: [dryly] "I suppose there needs to be a first time for everything." Chibi-Sean: [hmph!] "Aha haaaaa...cute. But think about it: we're in a FFVIII fanfic featuring the SeeD Garden, and it's being written by an author named Greenbeans. Beans, SeeD: coincidence? I think not." Chibi-Greenbeans: [eyebrow twitch] "Okay, that was your final warning. Get the T-Rexaur in here!" Chibi-Sean: --;; "Crap." [End!]