Second Chances
The time for fighting had ended.
They had all fought enough through the recent events to last a life time. The world was now safe and free from the wrath of Ultimecia, the job of the SeeD's was over.
They had finished what they where destined to do, defeat the sorceress.
Things had now calmed down in Balamb Garden, the Garden was still mobile, and Head Master Cid had no plans to return it to Balamb, he figured that it was safer to have a mobile Garden, not mention, more profitable.
Inside the halls of this garden is where our story takes root, with our familiar adolescent hero.
He strode through the hall way with pride, his head held high, anyone who past him could feel the powerful aura that surrounded him, clothed in black leather trousers, and a black leather jacket with a white fur collar.
Squall Leonheart, commander of Balamb Garden.
At just 18 years of age, Squall was the most skilled fighter in his whole Garden, he and his team of friends had once saved this world from a terrible evil, sorceress Ultimecia.
With her defeat, our heros set pace for a time of peace.
But as a commander of a great military faction, Squall wasn't one of those people who ever really got such things as peace or quiet.
If he wasn't sending SeeD's to villages and cities to help them with their petty problems he was doing paper work or other pointless things.
And it wasn't any of them….
"Hey Squally, wait up!"
He had his relationship to contend with.
Letting a short sigh, Squall turned round and forced himself to semi smile as he saw his girlfriend, Rinoa Heartily.
Rinoa was not in her usual clothes, but a skirt, and blue t-shirt, along with some ankle length boots.
"Hey Rin" Squall said, his voice completely natural.
Rinoa jumped on her boyfriend and hugged him. She was a little hypo, strange when you took Squalls personality into consideration, there was so much difference between the two of them, and you wouldn't expect them to be together at all.
Yet here they were, roughly a year after Ultimecias defeat.
Squall pushed Rinoa off him slightly, he didn't mind the random jumpy hugs, but Squall wasn't one to show public displays of emotion…
Well actually, Squall wasn't one to show much emotion anyway.
"So," Rinoa said, her hands behind her back and standing on her tip toes slightly, looking deeply into his eye's. "You finished your paper work? Or does the commander have a lot to do?"
Squall sighed, folding his arms across his chest and staring at her slightly. "Just finished now, but Cid needs to see me about something, that I probably don't care about in the least." He gently cupped Rinoa's face and looked into her eyes "Why? Got something planned for me?"
Rinoa smiled and kisses his cheek lightly. "Well, it's been a while since we've just…you know…" Her face went bright red as if the thoughts crossing her mind wear considerd "naughty".
And they probably were…
"Rinoa, there's a time and place to talk about such things" He gave her a stern look. "Now, I have to go see Cid, but I promise I'll be in touch as soon as I'm done, got it?"
"Fine, fine" She said, giving him her best sad face. "But if I don't see you tonight, I'm gonna go sit at that orphanage and not move till you meet me!"
Squall let out a slight laugh at her reference to the promise they had once made.
"The promise still stands Rinoa, don't worry about that"
Rinoa, left Squall with a quick kiss, before she departed in the direction of the cafeteria.
Squall let out a grown as he continued on his way to Head Master Cid's office, stepping into the elevator he couldn't help but think what kind of useless thing he had to tell Squall.
Maybe some SeeD member got injured during an assignment, or maybe one of the trainees has gone crazy because they failed a SeeD examination.
Just about every thought imaginable went through the guys head as he entered Cid's office.
"Squall, my boy! Take a seat" The middle aged man said. Clothed in a white shirt, black trousers and black tie, head master Cid looked like any typical teacher, all the way down to his milk bottle lensesed glasses.
"Head master" Squall inclined his head to man and sat down. "Please tell me this is important"
"Well, important to you and the others boy."
Panic when through Squall as soon he said 'others'. He obviously meant Rinoa, Zell and the gang. But what could really concern them?
"Something tells me this is going to bad…"
"Well perhaps that is the case…" He walked over to the window, looking at the sea as the Garden moved around the globe. "Tell me Squall, if need be, would you be ready to put the past behind you, and move on?"
Squall raised an eyebrow at the man, confusion raking every little corner of his mind.
"What?" He asked. "You're not making much sense Head Master"
"Your avoiding my question Commander, answer it"
Squall shrugged, "I don't know. Depends what part of my past"
The Head Master sighed slightly at that. Commander or not, Squall was still a typical teenager in his eyes. "I have allowed a new student into Balamb, to retake his SeeD training. He's currently here in Garden, but of course, out of sight from you and your team."
Squall saw red at that, he knew exactly who the Head Master was referring to, yes he may have mentioned he was 'new' student, but the fact he mentioned he had to 'retake SeeD training', gave it away.
"Sir, surely you can't mean…Almasy"
"Like it or not Squall, Seifers Gunblade skills match even yours; he'd be a great asset to Gardens cause"
"Fuck off!" Squall standing up, knocking his chair over in the process. "Need I remind you what Seifer did? He served the Sorceress, lead a full on attack on Garden, causing mass death, tried infuse my girlfriend into some old Sorceress, he's nuts!"
"Everyone deserves a second chance Squall"
"Yeah, everyone except that bastard!" Squall spat the words out at him.
"Dear me…" An all too familiar voice called. "Watch it Commander Puberty, you just might hurt my feelings…"
Squall turned round and scowled at the man.
As he always he was clothed in his signature white trench coat, and leather jeans, his short blonde hair still styled in the same why it was a year ago, and the scar Squall inflicted on him still stuck out on his handsome face.
"You have no right to be here, Seifer"
"Actually, I do. The reason why, is stood right behind you" Seifer pointed over towards head master Cid. He looked less then amused at his entrance.
"I asked you to remain out of sight" Cid said, sounding very much like a parent scolding an uncontrollable child.
"What can I say? I got bored" Seifer said, a smirk crossing his face as he eyed Squall.
Squall looked back and forth between Cid and Seifer.
"I take it my opinion isn't even valid in your decision Head Master?"
"My decision is final, Seifer deserves another chance."
Squall headed for the door, shoving Seifer out of his way.
"Whatever…" He walked straight out, not looking at either of them.
How could the head master make this decision without first consulting Squall or the rest of his team? Hyne only knows if Zell saw that punk walking around here he'd kill him where he stood, and not bother to ask questions.
Well, it'd save me that job of doing it…
Squall laughed a little at his thought, god only knows he liked to slice Leonheart right through that mans heart…if he had one anyway.
Stepping into the elevator, Squall set cause for the ground floor of the Garden, so he could tell his friends the bad news, he pressed the elevator button, and the doors began to shut.
Only to have them reopened again by the last person he wanted to see.
He strode into the elevator as if had never done anything to bug Squall – yet alone really hurt the guy.
"Hyne, Squall. Do you really not want me here that much?"
"…" Squall decided that it'd be better not talk to the guy, considering Seifers reputation, he mostly probably just wanted some form of reaction from Squall that he could then use against the commander.
"As silent as ever I see…." Seifer folded his arms and looked at Squall through the corner of his eyes.
For some reason Seifer just wanted one little fight with this guy, to get his return noticed. He hadn't really got a reaction so far. But Seifer knew just the way to get it.
"So Squall how's your Sorceress bitch? I thought you were supposed to kill those, not sleep with them."
The elevator doors opened, leading to the first floor.
Squall grabbed Seifer by the neck and through him out of them, down the small flight of stairs.
He may not have his Gunblade with him, but he was ready to kick some serious ass.
Seifer fell near a small group of trainees, who looked at him with looks that plainly said 'what the fuck?'
However as soon as they looked up the stairs and saw the angry looking commander walking down them they all soon ran off.
"What did you call Rinoa!?" Squall said angrily as he allowed Seifer to get back up.
Oh yeah, Squall was all for fair play.
"Chill, Captain Puberty, I was just joking with you"
"Funny joke, Seifer, allow me to show you mine" Squall punched the man straight into the gut, causing him to fall to floor.
Just as he threw his punch Squall was restrained from behind by an unknown person.
Well it wasn't obviously a Garden member, none of them would dare get in the way of Squall on good days, never mind when he was like this.
"Get the hell of me!" Squall shouted as he tried to get rid of him, though he was quite obviously a well built man him.
"Calm down, you'll kill him, ya know!"
Well those two last words of his statement gave away just who this person was.
"Raijin? I swear if you don't lemme go, I'll kill you too!!"
"RESTRAIN" Another familiar voice called.
A woman with white hair walked in front of Squall, and helped Seifer up.
"MAKE HASTE!" she said, and Seifer did as he was told as he ran for it.
Raijin let Squall go as Seifer got out of sight; Squall turned round and scowled at the well built, dark skinned man. And he had no shame about showing off his muscles either, clothed in only a blue jacket and black jeans, Raijin was about the same height as Squall, but could probably kick his ass in a fist fight.
"UNCALLED FOR!" The woman stated.
"Raijin and Fujin…" Squall said with a sigh. "I shoulda' known you'd follow Seifer here, the three of you where always inseparable"
"Well, we're a team, ya know!" Raijin proclaimed
"POSSE" Fujin always had a thing for not saying more then two words per statement, it kind of freaked Squall out a little.
"Well stay out of my way!" Squall walked off, not giving another thought to the two of them.
This was gonna be one hell of day for the commander, no doubt Zell and the others had already heard about his fight, then he'd have to explain who he was with, all in all, it just wasn't gonna work out to well…
Oh yeah, he had a lot of work ahead of him.