Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft, so earning money off of the game or any of its characters without the company's permission is a big no-no. Don't say I didn't warn ya. ^_~ This story is a big step for me -- not only is it my first full-fledged FF8 story, it's one that doesn't revolve around the Disciplinary Committee! *watches half the readers head for the "Back" button* Ah, AH!! It's got plenty of Seifer, don't worry! Please read, don't leeeeeaaavvveee. . .!! (BTW, the whole "critical trigger" thing is a name I made up for the whole gunblade attack-and-pull-trigger attack. I couldn't think of something better.)
So, anyway, this story destroys all chances of there being a Squall-Quistis or Seifer-Quistis love-relationship. I'm just warning you! I'm personally a Saifuu (Seifer-Fujin) fan . . . and Squall and Rinoa are a great couple. . . And by saying that, I'm totally contradicting my fan poetry and song for Seifer and Rinoa. Ehehehe. . . ^_^;;; Contradicting is fun! It's like going about and stabbing yourself in the back! . . . Hold on, that's a bad thing, isn't it. . .? *sighs*
Started: August 9, 2000
Finished: October 29, 2000
"Burnt"
It took her a moment to realize she had been staring, quite vacantly, at the tall blonde that strode across the cafeteria toward one particular table that was occupied by his posse. She lowered her gaze, confused and a bit ashamed that she would be looking at Seifer Almasy so closely. The former Sorceress' Knight had returned to Balamb Garden almost two months after the Ultimecia incident, abashed and angry at his lack of self-control. He had been diligent in the classroom after the event, his grades improving dramatically. Many of the students that he surpassed in class would remark bitterly that the young man cheated on his tests.
As Seifer's teacher, Quistis Trepe -- Balamb Garden Instructor No. 14 -- was greatly impressed and relieved. At the rate he was going, Seifer would pass the next SeeD test for sure. There was no doubt in Quistis' mind that that was the goal Seifer strove for: Becoming a SeeD and staying in the Garden. Like Quistis, Seifer had been raised most of his life in the Garden; to be forced to leave would be like ripping out a part of himself.
"Staring, Quistis?"
The blonde woman averted her blue eyes, blinking in surprise at the familiar face of her commander and former student. "Squall. . ." She smiled, gesturing for him to sit. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be eating lunch with-- Rinoa. . ." She managed to keep her hesitant stammer to a minimum, a confused jealously festering in her. For a long time, she had thought that she was in love with the younger teenager. During the Ultimecia incident, she discovered that her love was actually a sisterly love for Squall . . . but the jealously just wouldn't die. It frustrated her greatly.
". . . She left for Deling City this morning." Squall paused, still trying to get use to being sociable. "She's going to make peace . . . with the General."
"General Caraway?" Quistis let her surprise show. "Well, that's good. She should be grateful she has a father to make peace with."
Squall nodded once, sitting across from the young woman. ". . . . Why so interested in Seifer, Quistis?" It had taken a full month to get the black-clad boy to stop calling her "Instructor," but Quistis would never forget the difficulty of that month. . .
"Hello, Inst-- er, Quistis. . ."
". . . Getting better, Squall. . ."
The thought was quickly swept away in the torrent of Quistis' mind, only to be replaced by another conversation. . . One that was vaguely familiar to her. . .
"Ha ha! I'm getting better, Squall! Did ya see that, Quisty?!"
"Wow! How'd you do that, Seifer??"
"I pulled the trigger on this thing! Isn't that cool!?"
"Ha ha ha. . . You must be a whole week ahead of the class, Seifer!"
"No doubt, Quis!"
". . . . Quistis? Quistis, are you all right?"
She blinked, realizing she must have fazed out. Squall was scrutinizing her, his brows drawn with concern. ". . . Yes. I'm all right, Squall." Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the instructor queried, "Do you remember how you learned to use your gunblade, Squall? Specifically, how to use your critical trigger?"
Squall frowned in confusion, wondering for a moment what could have brought on such a . . . different thought. ". . . I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "You can thank the GFs for that."
". . . I just had some sort of flashback," explained the blonde, glancing meaningfully at Seifer across the room for a second. "I think Seifer taught you." When Squall's hazel eyes widened, Quistis decided to continue before he could speak. "I remembered a conversation that we all shared. . . Seifer had been testing out the gunblade he had received and killed a Grat with a critical trigger. We were all so excited. . ."
The brunette raised a gloved hand, stopping her. He spoke in a near-hiss. "Are we talking about the same Seifer here? The Sorceress' Knight Seifer Almasy?"
"We were children!" Quistis looked for some small distraction from looking at Squall's frown. She would have adjusted her glasses, but she had put in her contacts and wasn't wearing glasses. So, instead, she settled with drumming her fingers lightly on the table.
"He was still a jerk back then!"
The blonde frowned at that. "You only remember a few flashbacks from when we were in the orphanage, Squall; the GFs haven't been that nice to you. I had a flashback of us . . . in Garden. Before Selphie and Zell showed up."
". . . Why would you suddenly have flashbacks like that?"
She allowed a thoughtful look, remaining quiet for a moment to properly think about the question. "I've been unable to think of nothing else but Seifer since he returned. After all that's happened . . . I can't help but forgive him."
"I thought we had established that before. . ."
". . . I'm not talking about the obvious reasons, Squall," she murmured, interrupting the younger teenager. "I keep thinking about us as children. . . I keep thinking that there was something else that I had to forgive him for."
Squall nodded slowly in understanding, crossing his arms in the brooding fashion he had been known for. "I guess it makes sense. . . You weren't as heavily junctioned with GFs as me. . ." Although the Garden textbooks would say otherwise, Squall and his friends had come to an agreement that GF junctioning caused memory loss. Squall had often worn more than three Guardian Forces during the war against Ultimecia, which had caused more memories to be lost.
"I have a favor to ask of you, Squall." Squall looked at Quistis curiously, brows knitting together. "Can I give Ifrit to Seifer?"
The brown-haired seventeen-year old tensed, a bit startled by the request. "Ifrit? To Seifer?" he murmured, blinking rapidly. "Why, Quistis?"
". . . I can't explain it," was her reply. "I just . . . can't. I just have this feeling that Ifrit has something to do with us not being friends with him now."
The Commander of Balamb Garden reached into his jacket, pulling out the small silver orb that housed the Guardian Force, Ifrit. "I hope I don't regret this," he stated, placing the sphere in Quistis' hand. "If Seifer does something destructive with this GF . . . I'm holding you responsible, Quistis."
Smiling softly, Quistis closed her hand around the ball. "I'm sure you won't regret it." With that said, she stood up and walked away. Squall got up to leave as well, his hazel gaze confirming his suspicions as to where the teenage instructor was heading towards.
Were we ever actually friends, Seifer? . . . I can't help but wonder.
* * * * *
He didn't acknowledge the older teenager until her shadow loomed over him. Lifting eyes of jade from his posse, Seifer Almasy looked at the person that had approached. He gave her that crooked smirk that he was so famous for. "Well, well . . . Instructor Trepe. What can the Disciplinary Committee do for you. . .?"
Quistis frowned a little, remembering how quickly the infamous posse had reacquired the title as the Disciplinary Committee; only two weeks into their return did they reestablish their authority above the students. It had been a step closer to normality, but the question would always arise in Quistis' mind if things could ever be the same again.
". . . Yo, Instructor? Hey, you okay?"
She blinked, noticing Seifer was no longer leaning back in his chair. He was staring at her queerly, as if trying to figure something out about her. "Ah, er. . ." Shaking the flustered feeling inside of her, Quistis managed to say, "I'd like to speak to you, Seifer." When she noticed the hostile look from Fujin and the raised eyebrow from Raijin, she added, "Alone."
"Hmph." Seifer frowned at his teacher, then glanced at his posse. ". . . Anything you have to say to me can be heard by my posse."
Not this. "Seifer, stop it. I'd really like to speak to you alone. Right now."
"Alone?! That's gross, Quisty!"
"Ooooh! You're so immature, Seifer! Stop it!"
"Seifer and Quisty, sitting in a tree. . ."
"Be quiet, Squall!!"
"Instructor? Dammit, what's with you today?"
Seifer's voice cut through Quistis' thoughts, bringing her back to reality. She looked down at the sitting teenager, noticing Fujin and Raijin were nowhere to be seen. Had she been out that long? Swallowing hard, she sat down in the seat Fujin had recently vacated.
The other blonde watched her oddly, his gaze lingering a bit longer than Quistis would have liked under different circumstances. "So, what's up?" He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair again, still staring.
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about . . . the past. . ."
The former Knight of Sorceress Ultimecia tensed, allowing his chair to settle back on all four of its legs. "Look, Instructor, I'd rather not talk about that. . . I thought we were clear on that whole thing. . ."
Quistis shook her head, interrupting Seifer before he could continue. "No, no . . . I'm not talking about Ultimecia. I'm talking about . . . when we were younger."
"Younger?" Seifer snorted at the thought. "Sorry, Instructor, but I don't think the GFs have been that kind. I couldn't remember that far back even if I wanted to."
She sighed, pulling the silver orb from her pocket and holding it where Seifer could see it. "Do you know what Guardian Force this is, Seifer?" she queried, watching for a reaction from the younger teenager. Seifer's brow shot up at the sight of the sphere. "This is the Ifrit GF. . . I'd like you to hold onto it for awhile. I'm not quite sure why, but I have this feeling this GF is why we're not friends anymore."
Seifer stared at the blonde instructor suspiciously, blinking in shock when she took his hand and put the GF in it. ". . . . . Quistis. . . . ." He stopped, watching her stand up and leave him there, confused and aghast. Trying to discern what that whole speech had been about, the white-coated young man looked down at the orb in his hand. Quistis' voice echoed through the recesses of his mind. . .
". . . this GF is why we're not friends anymore."
* * * * *
He lounged under the sun, eyes closed happily as he relaxed. A three-day weekend was coming up and he was going to use every moment of it relaxing and goofing off. It would certainly take his mind off the obvious things -- tests on drawing and stocking magic on Monday, homework due on Tuesday. . . He shuddered slightly at the thought, shifting slightly on the bench he lay on.
"Seifer, are you just gonna lay there all day. . .?"
Seifer cracked open one eye, grinning widely at the sight of the younger boy standing over him. "Hey, Squall!" he greeted, sitting up and looking at the brown-haired child. "I've been waiting."
Ten-year old Squall Leonhart rolled his eyes, lips pursed slightly in thought. "Waiting, huh? 'Sure didn't look like it." His face split into a wide grin that matched Seifer's. "Try sleeping."
"I was not sleeping."
"Sure, sure." Squall waved it off and dragged the taller boy up off the bench. "If you've been 'waiting,' you won't mind if we go now; Quisty's waiting for us at the cafeteria."
Seifer pried his friend's fingers off his wrist, brushing his blue Garden uniform off and grabbing his books off the bench. "Why didn't we just meet in the cafeteria?" he demanded as he followed after Squall. "At least then I'd be able to eat while I waited."
"Slept." Squall laughed as he commented. "Quisty just told me to get you. C'mon."
Sighing, Seifer allowed Squall to drag him halfway across Balamb Garden, the older classmen glancing at the two as they passed. Once they had reached the interior of the Garden, Squall let go of Seifer and began racing off toward the cafeteria. Never one to pass a challenge, Seifer dashed after the younger student, quickly gaining and passing him.
"Ah, Seifer! Watch out!!"
Seifer looked up at Squall's scream, green eyes widening as he spotted another student in the middle of the curving path. He yelled out right as he crashed into her.
Squall skidded to a stop, dragging Seifer away from the fallen girl as quickly as he could. "Look, I'm sorry," he apologized, trying futilely to pull his friend to his feet. "We'll look where we're running next time, okay?"
It was then that Squall actually looked at the girl Seifer had run into. She was about their age, her silver hair cut neatly just below her chin. One of her eyes were a bright red, filled with an almost tangible anger. The other was lost to a black eyepatch. He didn't even realize he was staring until the girl sprung into action.
The girl growled angrily, forgetting her books momentarily to stomp over to the two boys. "RAGE!!" she shouted in the dazed Seifer's face. "JERK!" She slammed her foot into his shin, causing Seifer to fall back to the floor. Not fazed in the slightest, the silver-haired girl -- clearly an albino -- turned to Squall. "STARING IDIOT!" With one swift kick, Squall joined Seifer on the ground.
Let it be said that the two boys never did get to the cafeteria.
- - - - -
Seifer awoke to the sound of his alarm clock ringing five A.M. Moaning, the young man slammed down on the alarm and sat up, holding his head in his hands. What the hell was that. . .? A dream? he thought, the dream still fresh in his memory. He happened to glance at the Ifrit GF on his bedside table, which caused him to rethink his assumption. It wasn't just a dream. . . No, it was too real to be a dream. . . A memory?
He smiled wryly as he got out of bed, smoothing out his hair as he went for his closet. So that's how I met Fujin. . . 'Never thought it'd be such a bad first encounter. Damn, I wonder if she remembers that? His smile, however, faded as he remembered the rest of his dream. Was I really friends with Squall back then? And Quistis? . . . Quisty?
". . . Dammit, Instructor, what've you done to me?"
Sighing, Seifer prepared for his daily training center session before classes.
* * * * *
"Class dismissed. Remember to read pages 322 through 336 this week; we will have a test on the material this Friday."
The students left the classroom of Instructor Trepe, many of them in a rush to get to lunch or wherever they planned to go. Squall sighed from his seat in the back, gathering his books and starting for the door. He slowed, however, when he noticed Seifer walking up to Quistis. Frowning, the dark-haired boy exited the room, staying near the door to hear the conversation.
"Hey, Instructor. . ."
"What is it, Seifer?"
". . . About the GF. . ."
There was a pause. "Did you remember something?"
"I'm not sure what the hell you're tryin' to do, Instructor, but . . . yeah, I remembered something." Squall's brow shot up when he heard Seifer chuckle lowly. "I remembered how I met Fujin."
Quistis was silent for a moment, but her disappointment spoke in soundless volumes. ". . . Was that all?" she whispered.
Squall could imagine Seifer shrugging at this point, smiling lazily. "Puberty boy and I ran her over in the commons. She got pissed and we ended up in the infirmary."
. . . Huh? Squall blinked in surprise at the remark, pressing against the wall a little more firmly. Seifer and me. . . Is it so hard to think we were friends? Not following the rest of the conversation, Squall walked off towards the elevator.
"So it really wasn't just me." Quistis smiled in relief. Seifer has memories of him and Squall not fighting. . . "Do you know if you were friends with me before, Seifer?"
"Yeah, I think we were friends. . ." Seifer frowned at his teacher, shifting his grip on the books under his arm. "Why are you digging up the past, Instructor? What are you trying to get outta it?"
She looked at him for a long moment, as if studying his very soul.
". . . You two are my only friends. . . I don't wanna lose you. . ."
". . . . Seifer. . ."
"I-- I. . ." Quistis bowed her head, looking down at her clenched fists. "I'm not sure, Seifer."
Seifer stared at the young woman, eyes scanning her thoughtfully. "Maybe there are things that are best forgotten. The past is past. No one can change it. Why bring it up now?" He turned to leave.
"Okay, Seifer . . . why don't we play a game?"
"Uh, just as long as it isn't girly, Quisty."
"It's not girly! Knock-knock."
"Oh, yay. . . Who's there?"
"A stranger."
". . . . . . . . ."
"You're supposed to say 'Stranger who?'"
"Not really; I'm not opening a door for a stranger."
The white-coated teenager had reached the door when a voice stopped him. "Knock-knock."
Not turning, he queried, "Who's there?"
"A stranger."
"I'm not opening a door for a stranger."
There was a pause as the two allowed the words between them to settle. ". . . I bring up the past, Seifer, to learn from it." Quistis' voice was quiet, echoing through her almost-empty classroom. "To learn and understand. I want to know why we stopped being friends."
Seifer turned his head, the frown still intact on his face. "I don't. Our childhood was probably filled with pain and torment. I have enough tormenting me in the present to worry about."
Then he was gone, leaving Quistis staring blankly after him.
"What do you think the future'll be like, Quisty?"
"I don't know . . . but I can't think of one without you two."
* * * * *
"Yo, Squall!"
Squall winced in his seat, looking up from his book to see Zell Dincht coming over to him. There was no doubt in his mind that the wild-haired fighter had been visiting his girlfriend, the head of the Library Committee. ". . . Hi."
"Aw, man, you're not gonna close up again on us, are ya?" Zell plopped down in a seat in front of Squall, which drew a sigh from the dark-garbed boy. He laid his head on the table, making an exaggerated action of reading the book title. "The Sorceress' Knight. . . What the--?! Squall, why're reading that, man??"
He frowned, shutting book and looking calmly at Zell. "Just because the Sorceress' Knight isn't a good thing nowadays doesn't mean the book is bad, Zell." He stood up and pushed in his chair. "I'm going to go now. See you, Zell."
"Uh, sure, Squall," Zell stuttered, turning in his seat to watch Squall walk to the library's exit. "Hey, no hard feelings, right?"
Squall didn't answer, carrying his borrowed book out of the library and through the hallway. Why am I reading this book, anyway? I've never been interested in sorceresses before, let alone their knights. . .
"I had a great dream last night, Squall!"
"Great?"
". . . Something wrong with 'great?'"
"Well, we're being told in class to stretch our vocabulary."
". . . Then how about 'wonderful?'"
"I guess that'd work."
". . . No, wait, wait. . . I've got a better one! I had a ROMANTIC dream last night, Squall!"
"Ha ha ha ha. . ."
Squall found himself chuckling softly to himself as he entered his dorm room, setting his book aside and retrieving his Lionheart gunblade. So that's where Seifer's whole 'ROMANTIC dream' came from. . . From our childhood. . . He exited the room, turning to exit the dormitory and head on to the training center. . . . . . What was his dream, though? I can't seem to recall. . .
He was knocked from his thoughts as the sounds of a T-Rexaur wailing in pain registered in his head. His walk quickened a bit, his curiosity getting the best of him as he entered the training center. Metal quickly sinking into flesh echoed in the huge chamber, another roar from the huge dinosaur-creature followed and replacing the other sound. Squall strayed from the actual path in the pseudo-jungle, keeping to the shadows of the trees as he discovered where the sounds had been emanating from.
Seifer stood in an aggressive battle stance before the monstrous T-Rexaur, his eyes filled with an angry, green fire. He dashed at his opponent, turning in a 360 spin before striking and pulling off a critical trigger on the dinosaur. Not waiting for a scream of agony from the monster, Seifer brought Hyperion slashing down on the T-Rexaur's blood-drenched stomach, creating another wound on the severely-injured creature.
Squall watched as the familiar Limit Break aura surrounded his former rival, hazel eyes widening as the blonde ground out the name of his attack. "Inferno Web!" Rivers of fire spilled from Seifer's fingers, engulfing the T-Rexaur in a red deathtrap. The burning magic solidified into cords of fire, entangling the huge monster and sending it into a fit of agony. It screeched in agony, writhing futilely as it died.
The young Commander of Balamb Garden coughed in disgust, frowning at the stench of burnt flesh. He stepped from the shadows, keeping his eyes on Seifer to see his initial reaction. Seifer acknowledged him coldly, glaring as he swung his bloody gunblade. ". . . What do you want, puberty boy?" he hissed.
What's with him. . .? Something really has him riled up. . . "Nothing."
Seifer sneered sardonically, gesturing to the T-Rexaur. "You're wondering where that attack came from, aren't you?"
"Not particularly." . . . Hell yes, I'm wondering.
"You're a bad liar, Leonhart," Seifer growled, shaking his head. "You were back then . . . and you'll always be."
What's that supposed to mean?
The blonde ran a gloved hand through his hair, raising his black blade so the tip was turned to the ceiling. "How about a quick spar, puberty boy? This adrenaline rush is doing wonders for me. . ."
Wonders? I've never seen a person change emotions so quickly. . . Squall nodded, raising his Lionheart in silent approval. He watched the taller boy's lip curl in satisfaction.
Seifer attacked first, lashing out viciously at his opponent. Realizing quickly that Seifer was fighting all-out, Squall dodged the attack and tried to land a blow on the older teenager's unguarded side. Spinning away gracefully from the gunblade, the white-coated boy attacked again, clashing violently with Squall's Lionheart. Squall broke away from the meeting, quickly making a feint as Seifer punched out at him. The younger boy retaliated with a kick, Seifer growling in pain as Squall's shoe met his kneecap.
Backing off as to not fall over with a buckling knee, Seifer managed, "You've learned a bit . . . but I don't think even your Lion Heart can top this, puberty boy. . ." He tossed Hyperion to the ground, the telltale red aura of a Limit Break appearing again.
I never understood Seifer's Limit Breaks. . ., realized Squall, stepping back hesitantly. He has the ability to do one Limit after another . . . but why? How?
"Seifer! Seifer!! Where are you?!!"
"Ugh. . . Squall. . .? What happened, Squall?"
"Quisty! Oh, Quisty! He's gone! Seifer's gone! He's dead!!"
Squall jerked out of the mysterious flashback, his eyes immediately focusing on the huge ball of fire that had appeared in Seifer's hands. The blonde looked to be under intense concentration, screaming out as the energy streamed forth at an alarming rate. Straight at him.
"Oh, God!" From beyond the powerful fireball, Squall could hearing Seifer shouting. "Dammit! Squall, get outta there!!"
Not waiting another moment, Squall leapt from the path of the dangerous projectile. He winced from the heat of the fireball even as he cleared it, dragging himself farther away. When he heard the sound of an explosion behind him, Squall turned around to behold the damage. Grasses had been seared away by the fireball, trees singed badly from the mere aura of the Limit Break. The victim of the Limit's power was the carcass of the T-Rexaur, which had become a huge flaming mass over ten feet high.
Seifer came to Squall's side, kneeling next to the younger teenager before taking hold of Squall's shoulder. The touch surprised the young commander, causing him to look at the blonde in bewilderment. An apologetic gaze greeted him. ". . . Seifer. . ."
The regretful look on Seifer's face disappeared immediately, a frown and disturbed air replacing it. He stood up, shaking visibly as horror settled in. And then he was running away. Away from the scene, from the fire, from the dumbfounded Squall . . . and from the frightening truth.
* * * * *
Oh, Hyne. . . I lost control. . .
Seifer resisted the urge to hug himself, the tremors enveloping his body as he sped towards the dorms. Why is it happening now. . .? I couldn't control my fire. . . I've never lost control before. . . Never!! He stopped, a sudden memory emerging and contradicting his thoughts.
. . . . No. . . This isn't the first time. . .
- - - - -
"I can't stand the little brat! He's a damn menace!!"
"Coden, please. . .! He's only a child!"
He sobbed quietly in the corner, listening to the two fight as he hid his face in his hands. Young as he was, Seifer could not understand that they were arguing over him.
"Child?!" His father's voice was rising in pitch, almost shrill in the three-year old's ears. "He's a demon, Dea! Didn't you see what happened to the store next door!?"
"All I saw was my baby boy scream when a fire got out of control! What are you trying to say??"
"Dammit, Dea, you're in denial! The brat started the fire!"
There was a startled gasp from the woman. "Th-- that's . . . no!"
"You told me yourself, Deana. . . Pyrokinesis! He's a walking time bomb!"
Deana was growing frantic. "Coden, no! All he needs is guidance. . . He can control the power with Chi. . .!"
"And who the hell will teach him, Dea?! Your dead great-grandfather?! The brat's the first boy from your family in four generations!"
"Please, Coden . . . he's your son!!"
"My son isn't a monster!!"
Seifer began to wail at the top of his lungs as his father's words reached his ears, drawing the attention of both Coden and Deana Almasy. Coden glared angrily, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair as he spoke. "Dea, shut him up!"
"Coden, no. . ."
It was then that Coden lost the remaining bits of his temper, slapping his wife to the ground and standing over her. Their young son watched in horror as his mother was beaten, his cries escalating as he yelled out. "Mommy! Mommy!!!" In his panic, something snapped inside of him.
Then there was fire. . . Leaping flames that engulfed everything around him. . .
The fire had taken them away. The fire had killed them.
He had killed them.
- - - - -
. . . I killed my own parents when I lost control . . . and now I almost killed Squall. . .
"Hey, Seifer?"
He jerked out of his reverie, blinking slowly at the person that had approached him. Selphie Tilmitt cocked her head to the side, frowning with concern. "Are you all right? You looked totally spaced-out for a moment. . ."
Seifer's first reaction was to be angry with the yellow-clad girl for approaching him in his private thoughts, but the anger quickly diminished as he realized he was standing in front of his dorm, staring hard at the door. Shaking his head, he murmured, "No, I'm fine. . ."
"There's a fire in the training center; it looks like someone went Firaga-happy or something," Selphie giggled, shifting from foot to foot nimbly. Seifer grimaced, turning his face away as he remembered his Limit Break. "I was just checking around to see if there wasn't else weird going on. . ." She turned and began running away. "I'll see you later; Squall's heading the firefighting and I need to help!"
Seifer watched as Selphie disappeared from view, unable to think of anything but what had just happened within the last half hour. Why didn't Squall report me? he wondered, turning away from his dorm and starting back down the hallway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Ifrit GF, jade eyes scanning the glow within the silver sphere. . . . Why was I so angry, anyway? It's like some part of me knows something behind this Guardian Force but doesn't want to tell my damn brain.
. . . But do I want to know?
* * * * *
"Seifer, Squall!!"
The two boys looked up, watching Quistis rush over and grin excitedly. "We've got another three-day weekend coming up soon! What do you two want to do?"
"It'll be nice to actually relax for once. . ." Squall gave his two older friends pointed looks, indirectly referring to the fact that they were always going somewhere on their three-day weekends. Some examples had been Balamb City, the train station, the infirmary. . .
Apparently Seifer and Quistis didn't remember. "I dunno," shrugged Seifer, leaning back in his chair. He balanced himself carefully on the back two legs, smiling proudly at his achievement and folding his hands behind his head. "Where were you thinkin' of going, Quisty?"
Quisty had that adventurous glint in her eyes, like many times in the past. "I heard the instructors talking about the Fire Cavern today," she stated. "They were saying there's a new GF around there."
"'Not surprising," Seifer replied, slamming his chair back onto all four legs. It screeched as it hit the cafeteria tiles, but no one paid it heed in the noisy room. "Ever since one of the SeeD candidates claimed Jinn, the cave's been empty of GFs. One was gonna move in there sooner or later."
"How about we go over there and check it out?" suggested Quistis, shifting from foot to foot as she stood in front of the two sitting boys. "Then we can relax."
Seifer glanced at Squall. Squall glanced at Seifer.
They grinned in unison.
- - - - -
". . . Quistis?"
No. . .! I'm losing it. . .!
"Quistis?"
No, please! I had a clue!
"Quisty, wake up!"
She opened her eyes at the insistence of the voice, the blackness of her fading flashback disappearing to reveal the walls of her classroom. Quistis blinked, looking up at who had woken her up. Squall frowned in concern down at her, one gloved hand dropping to squeeze her own hand. "Quistis, I need to talk to you." His frown deepened. "It's about Seifer."
The young woman straightened, adjusting her glasses. ". . . About Seifer?" she murmured. "What's wrong, Squall?"
The brown-haired boy sighed, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms broodingly. "He caused a fire today in the training center," he declared, looking quite unhappy of the fact. "We were sparring; he caught sight of me watching him kill a T-Rexaur and challenged me to a duel. He . . . used this Limit Break I've never seen before . . . and I think it scared him."
Quistis stared at the younger teenager, hands clutched in her lap as he finished. ". . . He knows something." Her voice was a whisper. "Seifer remembers something that we don't, and I think it's not pleasant."
"How about you, Quisty?" Squall queried, tugging at the edges of his leather jacket. ". . . I had this flashback where I was screaming that Seifer was dead. . . It terrified me."
Shutting her blue eyes, Quistis replied, "I was dreaming about us as children. We were planning on going to the Fire Cavern to see . . . a new . . . . . . . GF. . . ."
Both of their eyes widened in realization.
"Ifrit."
* * * * *
"Ugh . . . it's so hot in here!"
Seifer laughed, looking back at his two friends as he led the way into the Fire Cavern. "It's your fault for wearing that sweater, Squall!" he called back. The blonde had shed his Balamb uniform for his favorite blue vest and black pants, his gunblade strapped to his back.
The younger boy pulled at his black sweater's collar in irritation, struggling with it as he attempted to stay with his two blond friends. "Well, it was cold outside!" he complained.
Quistis straightened the dark green shirt she was wearing, warily walking onward. "I heard there's some scary monsters around here," she remarked, eyeing the red glow the lava created on the walls.
"Nah. . ." Seifer ran a hand through his hair, smirking confidently at the girl. "They can't be scarier than that Caterchipillar we ran into on the way here."
A roar echoed through the cavern, causing the three children to jump in fright. Squall trembled visibly, gripping the gunblade on his back nervously as he glanced around. "What was that?!" he gasped.
Quistis uncoiled the whip at her waist, shrieking when she noticed a big ball of fire heading their way. The two boys followed her example, yelling as the flaming mass stopped in front of them and revealed a pair of malicious black eyes. "I-- it's a Bomb!" the girl managed.
"A Bomb!?" Seifer tensed, green eyes round in shock. "Don't they explode??"
The monster bellowed again, descending down on Squall at an alarming speed. The boy screamed, whipping out his gunblade and holding it before him defensively as the Bomb attacked. Squall was pushed backwards, falling down as the Bomb moved away. Horror shone brightly in all three of the children's eyes as the Bomb expanded and grew, growling angrily.
"Quisty! Seifer! I'm scared!!" wailed Squall, shuddering as he tried to get back to his feet.
"Get back!!!" Quistis snapped her whip at the monster, standing over Squall protectively. "Stupid Bomb, leave us alone!!"
Seifer raised his gunblade, shaking his head as the Bomb grew even bigger. "Quisty, don't do that! You're gonna make it blow up!" As if to affirm Seifer's statement, the Bomb expanded once more. "Once more and we're goners!"
"What do we do??" Quistis was truly beginning to panic, turning to the other blonde for help.
"We need to run!" shrieked Squall. "We've gotta get outta here!!"
Squall turned to flee, but was attacked from the back by the horrid fire monster. Quistis and Seifer yelled out in shock, the former kneeling down to help the shaken child. Seifer jumped in front of his two friends, becoming a human barrier between the Bomb and them. He resisted the urge to strike back at the monster as it rammed and bit into him over and over, crying out as it clamped down on his shoulder for a moment.
"Seifer!!!" Quistis and Squall's cries mixed together as they watched the injured boy.
". . . . . I'm . . . not giving up!" snarled Seifer, trying to remain standing despite his condition. He faltered for a minute, one knee buckling as weariness took over.
"Seifer, no!!" Quistis reached for the younger child, wrenching her hand away as it was met by an unbelievable heat. An unbelievable heat that was emanating from Seifer.
. . . And then there were pillars of fire shooting from the lava pools, surrounding them all quickly and noisily. The phenomenon caused Quistis and Squall to black out . . . but not before they witnessed Seifer glow a bright red color.
- - - - -
Squall stepped into the Fire Cavern, frowning at the heat that bombarded him upon entering. Quistis followed, warily scrutinizing the familiar surroundings. ". . . I just remembered more," she murmured, gripping the whip at her waist tightly.
"You're not the only one," Squall replied. ". . . We were attacked by a Bomb."
Quistis nodded, taking a few steps into the burning cave. "You got hurt and Seifer protected us. And then--" She stopped abruptly, closing her eyes as she remembered. "Fire. Pillars of fire . . . everywhere."
"I think . . . it was Seifer's doing." Quistis opened her eyes, blinking in surprise when she realized Squall was right in her face. "He can control fire without a GF. We didn't have any GFs at the time. . ."
"Pyrokinesis?"
Squall grimly nodded, turning his attention back to the cavern. "Come on. Let's go in further."
* * * * *
He awoke sweating, a violent cough sending him into convulsions. Tears worked their way up to his eyes, spilling down his cheeks as he finally stopped coughing. Pushing himself to his elbows, Seifer stared at the blazing inferno he lay before. Lava bubbled from a deep depression in the ground, red reflecting in his young eyes as he looked on at the fiery mixture that surrounded him.
"Son of man . . . wielder of fire."
Seifer started at the voice, rising to his knees as a huge beast-man shot out of the magma and floated above him. He was bigger than the biggest man Seifer had ever seen, muscular and very powerful-looking. His skin and fur were bronze and dark brown -- almost black -- and as coarse as granite. Dark horns adorned his head, curling back and disappearing behind him. Eyes of gold and embers scrutinized him, almost as if sizing up a fly.
". . . You are a child of burning blood."
The blonde could only continue to gape at the human-like creature, paling visibly as the creature descended and stood before him. Part of him wanted to scream, another wanting to cry, and yet another shouting at him to stay quiet. The urge to scream became a reality when one large hand fell on his shoulder.
"Why do you fear me? I am a Guardian of Fire. You . . . Seifer Almasy . . . are a Fire Cross -- a human to step into the world of innate fire magic."
Seifer shuddered under the dark hand, gripping his knees tightly as he listened in fright. Fire Cross. . .?
- - - - -
Fire Cross. . .
He brandished Hyperion with ease, slashing at the flying Buel and killing it before continuing into the heart of the Fire Cavern. . . . I learned Fire Cross from . . . Ifrit? From a GF? Seifer reached the heart of the Fire Cavern, staring at the leaping flames and bubbling magma. I've been down here before. . . Many times, actually. How could I have forgotten something so important? Reaching into his pocket, Seifer pulled out the GF that had triggered his uncomforting past. Ifrit, I want answers.
At his mental beckon, the silver orb began to blow brightly. Seifer watched a swirl of magical flames rise up, the large form of Ifrit appearing before him. Glowing eyes looked up him up and down, a feral smile appearing on the Guardian Force's face.
"Fire Cross. I have not heard from you for a long time."
". . . Ifrit." Seifer crossed his arms and looked up at the creature's face. "I want some answers."
"I remember you being much more respectful before. . ."
"Yeah? Well, I was also two feet shorter," replied the blonde, a frown growing on his face as he spoke. "Ifrit, I need to know about the past."
Ifrit was silent for a moment. "Your past is harsh, Fire Cross. I do not see why you must know. . . It is better that you have forgotten."
"No, it isn't," Seifer retorted, shaking his head furiously. "I'm already curious. If I don't find out soon, I know I'll go insane!"
". . . . . I will tell you, then. But I do not want to see you regret your decision afterwards."
"Fine, fine. . . I already know it's bad. But what can possibly be worse than what I've been through already?"
Ifrit did not answer.
* * * * *
He walked into the Garden mutely, ignoring the queries from upperclassmen about his singed pants and blackened shirt. His eyes were strangely blank considering his horrible state, aimed straight ahead and with a purpose. He rounded corners and strode without stopping, crowds seemingly spreading apart to allow him passage. Even as he walked into the cafeteria, students and SeeDs alike backed away at the sight of him. It was as if they could feel the strange, new aura emanating from his person.
"Seifer!!"
From the crowd appeared two familiar faces, both anxious and filled with concern. "Seifer!" Quistis gasped again, hugging the younger blonde in relief. "You're all right!"
Squall's eyes were slightly-misty as he stood close to his two best friends. "I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed, feeling a bit awkward. He wasn't sure if he should be joining in the embracing.
When Seifer didn't return the affection, Quistis slowly broke away. She looked at the boy, confusion etched on her youthful face. "Seifer. . .? What's wrong?"
Seifer stared ahead for a moment, his jade eyes glazed oddly. ". . . . . You left me alone." A frown began to form on his face as his eyes narrowed. "You two left me behind in the cave."
Squall and Quistis stiffened, eyes widening at the accusation. "W-- we stayed to look for you, Seifer," defended Squall. "We looked for you for hours!"
The frown on the taller boy's face deepened and he snarled angrily. His two best friends backed away abruptly, frightened by the look that they were not used to seeing on their friend's face. "I don't believe you!" he growled, hands clenched into tight fists. He snapped his attention to Quistis, his face twisted into a livid mask. "Why, Quisty? Why did you do it? Do you like him more?!"
Quistis shook her head furiously in denial. "No! No, of course not!"
"Yes, you do!" Seifer's eyes were suddenly filled with fire. "I hate you! I hate you both!!"
Seifer was immediately on top of Squall, landing punches on the younger boy as Quistis watched in horror. Upper classmen came to Squall's rescue, grabbing the crazed blonde and dragging him away. Seifer snarled and clawed at them, as if he were possessed by the devil.
"I hate you two!!"
Perhaps he was.
- - - - -
Oh, Hyne. . . Is that the truth? Is that how this all happened?
. . . . I always tried to persuade myself that I did like Squall more. . . The GFs saw to that.
Why did Seifer do that? He'd never turned on us before. . .
"Squall, I remembered more."
The black-clad teenager averted his gaze to his former instructor, frowning. "What do you remember, Quistis?"
". . . When Seifer showed up again in Garden, he immediately began to beat you up," the blonde sighed, staring off into the lava pools. "He was so angry that we left him behind. . . But he must have known it was dangerous for us to stay. . ."
Squall remained silent, walking off into the most inner chamber of the Fire Cavern. He held Lionheart tightly in one hand, scanning the area carefully for monsters before continuing on. Quistis followed with a frown, keeping one hand on her Save the Queen whip at her waist. They weren't very far down the walkway before they both caught sight of a familiar figure on the ground in the center of the lava chamber.
"Seifer?!" Quistis gasped from behind Squall.
Eyes narrowing quickly, Squall ran towards the white-coated blonde on the ground. Quistis fell to her knees next to Seifer, checking for a pulse on his wrist. Squall searched for any signs of danger, fingers curled around the hilt of his gunblade as he looked around warily. A glint in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Squall headed towards it. Upon realizing what the object was on the ground, Squall lowered his guard and picked it up. He turned and held it up for Quistis to see.
". . . It's the Ifrit GF," he declared, walking back to the older teenager's side. "My guess is that Ifrit did something to him. How is he?"
". . . He's still alive," murmured Quistis. "Do you have any healing magic stocked, Squall?"
Squall nodded and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his Siren GF. Junctioning the Guardian Force for a moment, Squall cast a quick Cura on his former rival. They waited patiently, watching Seifer's eyes flicker open. Green, glazed eyes scanned the surrounding area before words were spoken. ". . . I must've died and gone to Hell."
Quistis managed a weak smile, cradling Seifer's head in her lap. "You're not dead, Seifer," she announced. "You're in the Fire Cavern."
Seifer groaned, easing himself into a sitting position as he regained his wits. He glanced at Squall and Quistis, a frown slowly forming. ". . . What're you two doing here? I though I was the only dumbass that'd go this far in when there's nothing in here. . ."
"Apparently not," Squall commented dryly. ". . . We came here because we had a lead on this mystery of our past."
The tall blonde shuddered, shaking his head at those words. "Dammit, I don't want to think about that. . ." He held his head in his hands as he the past rang through his mind. "A brain overload. . . My head hurts."
The two teenagers stared, unsure of what to think about Seifer's mutterings. Hesitantly, Quistis asked, "What did Ifrit do to you, Seifer?"
Seifer let out a rugged sigh, lifting his head but not meeting Quistis' gaze. ". . . He released all my memories. All of them."
"So you know everything that happened seven years ago. . . Oh, Hyne, I'm sorry, Seifer. . ."
The younger blonde jerked his head up, glaring at his instructor vehemently. "I don't want your pity, Quistis," he snapped. ". . . This changes a few things, but I still hate pity." He aimed his gaze to the lava, frowning at the liquid fire. "Ifrit taught me how to control my pyrokinesis through Chi; by building my spirit energy, I could manipulate fire without losing control. . . But it also had some side effects. My negative emotions took over and . . . I wanted to kill you both for leaving me." He glanced at Squall, sighing. "I probably would've beaten you to death if the other students hadn't dragged me off."
". . . I remember that," Squall murmured, crossing his arms loosely. "It still doesn't make sense, though; before this whole thing came up, I never considered the thought that we were friends."
"Being taught by Ifrit was just like junctioning a damn GF," explained the blonde. "I lost memories by being with him -- particularly the ones about you and Quistis. In the end, I become totally detached from you two and became friends with Raijin and Fujin."
Quistis risked touching Seifer's shoulder, gripping the younger teenager when he didn't tense at her touch. "We don't blame you for it, Seifer," she said softly.
"I don't see why not," growled Seifer, not moving from Quistis' touch. "I did it all for my own benefit; I traded your friendship for Chi."
Squall shook his head. "You would've killed yourself if you hadn't gotten help from Ifrit," he explained. "At least we finally know what happened . . . and it's not too late."
Seifer frowned at the brown-haired boy incredulously. "What's that supposed to mean?" he queried.
For once, Squall offered his rival a slight smile. "The damage is repairable; we don't need to go on wracking our heads about this whole ordeal. We can forgive each other and go on with our lives. If we all can agree on it, we can very easily become friends again. . . The wounds of the past aren't scars."
Both blondes looked at the youngest of the trio for a long moment. Then,
". . . . . . . . . I swear, Squall, I've never heard you say so much in my life."
". . . . . . . . . Puberty boy, you're starting to scare me."
* * * * *
It was quite a surprise to the Balamb Garden student body to see the beloved Instructor Trepe, Commander Leonhart, and the head of the Disciplinary Committee all enter the commons together, each smiling and joking with one another. Selphie and Zell looked up from the Triple Triad game they were playing to see the three head for the cafeteria, Seifer clapping Squall's back for one moment before leaning the other way and placing a kiss on Quistis' forehead. Their laughter rang through the Garden sweetly, echoing throughout each corridor and room.
Selphie was about to say something when Fujin and Raijin appeared before them, both forcing their gazes from Seifer and down to the two SeeDs. "Umm . . . what's up with them, ya know?" queried Raijin.
"I was about to ask you!" Zell exclaimed, scratching his head in confusion.
Fujin was frowning, unable to stop glancing at the hall the three had disappeared down. "DISTURBING."
"No kidding!" Selphie nodded furiously in agreement. "What do you think happened??"
No one could give an answer.
". . . We could always ask, ya know?" Raijin suggested.
"Great idea!" Zell grinned, taking back all of his cards before Selphie could win again. "I've gotta get a hotdog, too!"
With that said, the four hurried off towards the cafeteria, intent on having the questions in their heads answered.
~ End ~
WAHHOOOOO!!! Finally!! After three months, it's finally finished!! *jumps up and down in excitement* I'm so, so, soooo happy! ^_^
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