The day was the same as the one before, yet it wasn't. Yesterday was the last day of the summer vacation and today was the first day of the new semester. The alarm clock on the wall buzzed into life, shattering the silence with its piercing sounds. Squall reached out from under his quilt, fumbling after the snooze button. Finally he found it, slamming it a bit hard and relaxing his arm as a sigh escaped his lips.
Lifting his arm just a bit so that he could peek out from under the quilt that was covering his head, Squall took a mental note of the time. 06:45 was early, even by his standards, but it could not be helped. He had a lot to do before the annual opening ceremony of Balamb Garden kicked in. This was it, after nearly 7 years of hard training non-stop, day in and day out, Squall was finally old enough to select his field of specialty.
At age 13 it would take him at least 2 years to master his specialty, whatever it would be, and he could then take on his first field exam. From there, his dream would be almost complete. The decision on specialty was a big one and Squall wanted as much time as possible to consider his options carefully. He wouldn't want to do anything rash that would haunt him further down the road.
With a swinging motion he got up in bed, stretching and yawning a bit as he tried to wake up. Scratching his chin, Squall noticed that he needed a shave. The discovery made him groan a bit, because it was such a hassle. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't go more than a week and a half without ending up looking like he had a brown bush stuck around his mouth. Just to make matters worse, he was rather new to this whole shaving ordeal and ended cutting himself a few times when he first gave it try.
It was a hassle, no matter what other people said. However, growing a beard might be an option if you hate to shave every week or so, but Squall found out that a beard itched too much for his comfort, not to mention that he looked flat out stupid with a beard. No, it had to come off one-way or another. Always go with the lesser of two possible evils he sighed to himself before getting out of bed.
Heading for the men's shower and bathroom, Squall dragged his tired feet in a pair of slippers that he got on sale. As a SeeD candidate, he didn't have a pile of gil to flash about. The good payments didn't arrive until AFTER the field exam, assuming that he'd pass that is. It was quite early, so Squall had the showers all to himself, just the way he liked it. Turning on the water and tweaking the hot and cold-water knobs, he settled with a semi warm shower.
Summer was still in the air, but as it was quite early in the morning it was a bit of a chill in the air. The water tickled his face and he washed himself thoroughly from head to toe, making lots of bubbles. It was a little personal secret he had, one of many actually, but he had a fascination for soap bubbles. So if he could, he'd make lots and lots of bubbles when taking a bath or a shower.
With a pale grey towel wrapped around his hips, Squall walked up to the mirror and rubbed his hand over the surface to clear out some of the dew. Twisting his head from side to side, Squall lowered his head in defeat and began gathering his razor, shaving foam and aftershave. Again, it was the simplest of all labels, nothing fancy fashion stuff as his budget wouldn't allow it. It didn't really matter to Squall anyway, as long as it got the job done and he was happy with it, there was no need to go out and bankrupt one self on multi gil shaving tools. Some of the guys did, trying to get the attention of the girls and occasionally the female instructor, spent a small fortune on this kind of equipment, but not Squall. He had his reasons, not shared with anyone or anything.
Patting a fistful of shaving foam on his cheeks, Squall let out a small sigh of disappointment as he noticed that he'd forgotten to turn on the water. Now he'd get the sink smeared with foam when he needed to turn on the water to wash his hands. Using his thumb, Squall made a small "mouth" through the foam over his lips, as one of the first things he learned was that shaving foam didn't taste very good.
"Looks like it's down to you and me, again." He said to the razor as he held it in his right hand. Squall was a natural fast learner, so hopefully and theoretically speaking, this time should go better than the last time. After a few minutes Squall took a second look at his reflection and finished up first by wiping off any leftover foam with a towel and then by patting on some aftershave. "Ouch! I took to much…" Squall muttered as a burning sensation rippled its way across his cheeks, stinging extra badly in the few cuts he had around his chin.
Next stop on the menu was breakfast. There was a slim chance that the cafeteria would be open at this hour, but he shouldn't count on it. Well back in his room, Squall got some of his emergency food supply out from a small drawer under his bed. It wasn't unheard of that Squall was so into his studies that he forgot time and place, so when a grumbling stomach finally got his attention, it would be well past dinner and supper. After falling for that little mistake a couple of times, Squall snuck off with some fruit and crackers from the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch, so that he could make it through the evening should he loose track of time.
The crackers were dry as dust and tasted like sand, but thankfully a juicy apple brought the humble meal into balance, sort of. Squall had overheard some of the instructors talking the other day, so he knew for certain that the weapons guide would be uploaded into the computer network. Grabbing his jacket, Squall headed for the 2nd floor classroom where he intended to stay until breakfast.
The main hall looked dark, empty and intimidating with its lowered lightning, absolute silence and locked into a sense of emptiness. Although the sun was above the horizon and starting to shine with its familiar bight summer light, it wasn't high enough on the sky to cast its rays down through the roof windows. Besides, everyone save Squall and a few other souls scattered about, was sound asleep, so why waste precious gil on lighting up a hall that no one uses?
At least the elevator was working; its humming sound was much louder now that it was the only sound in the whole hall. Just as Squall stepped into the elevator, the many fish-like fountains woke up and began to spit out water in a steady stream. Lights in the pool that surrounded the main hall was flickered on and as the doors closed, Squall could hear chit chatting Garden staff making preparations for the big day.
His footsteps echoed as he walked at a slow phase down the bridge from the core pillar an into the 2nd floor hallway. Squall stifled a yawn, shielding his mouth with the back of his left hand before stopping in front of the classroom door. That's odd, he mused to himself. The door didn't open. Maybe it was out of order? Not very likely, which meant that he had to go all the way down to the instructors' dorm to get someone that could open the door for him. Hardly any of them were as dedicated to their duties as he was, so if he started knocking on doors he's popularity rating would drop like a rock in the sea. The same old lecture every damn time; "Seriously Mr Leonhart, you should try to get a life outside your studies," and blah, blah, blah.
Squall planted his palms on the door and lowered his head in defeat. He'd already made up his mind regarding which weapon he'd choose, more or less. Last year Seifer became the first one to pass the initial trials for becoming a gunblade specialist. If Seifer could do it, so could he.
More over, the sheer challenge of mastering a gunblade appealed to him. Through mastering such a weapon would mean that he'd finally be both strong and independent. From there Squall could look after sis. Yes, that was the plan. Be strong enough to make it on his own and after graduation, he'd look for sis.
Moments ticked by and Squall concluded that there was no good in hanging around here. Just maybe if he went back down he'd bump into someone that could let him in, and if not, well then he could always grab a book at the library or something. Squall nodded to himself and headed down to the ground floor again.
Kojiroh Amagi, one of the instructors at Garden was sitting on a bench in the main hall, sipping a cup of green herb tea while reading a newspaper when Squall walked by. He stopped in his tracks after walking past a few steps and turned around. "Excuse me." Squall said. "Uhm?" Instructor Amagi glanced up from his paper. "Could you unlock the 2nd floor classroom for me please?" Squall asked.
Instructor Amagi on the other hand just blinked at him for a moment before he hid himself behind the newspaper again. Squall was about to speak up when instructor Amagi suddenly mumbled from behind the paper: "I'm sorry, but I've lost my instructors licence so you'll have to ask someone else." Although he was slightly curious about what could have cost an instructor his licence, Squall decided to keep his curiosity on a tight leach.
The cafeteria was slowly but surely awakening with buys sounds from the kitchen and the traditional kid mopping the floor. "Ah! My back is killing me." He complained before accidentally kicking over the bucket of water. "Great, just great! It's going to be one of those days I bet." The kid groaned before setting the bucket straight. He noticed Squall though said nothing. He knew from past experience that Squall, although earlier than the sunrise at times, wasn't the talkative type. "Big day today, eh?" Much to Squall's annoyance the kid decided to try his luck by starting a casual conversation. "Mm." Squall barely nodded before finding himself a seat, waiting for breakfast to be served.
Other early birds began to show themselves as time ticked by little by little. Squall sat at his usual place, down in the corner and made no effort to greet the other students. Finally the breakfast food was put out and a queue started to take form. "OI! Don't shove man!" One student grunted. "Gimme a plate will ya? OH! And pass the cheese!" A girl squeaked. "I thought you were on a diet, Marina?" Another girl asked while passing a plate backwards in the queue. "I've been livin' on apples and water for 3 months now. Enough is enough, so pass the cheese, Junko!" Marina pouted. Squall on the other hand, just tagged along, taking a plate a knife, fork and a glass. All without making any fuss or drawing any attention to himself.
Breakfast was refreshing and tasteful. The cafeteria staff always put a little extra into the food when a special event was right around the corner. Events like school start, Christmas, new-year and summer vacation. Of course, if the Garden Festival Committee decided to pull of a stunt or two during the year, the cafeteria staffs were more than happy to flex some muscles in their beloved kitchen.
However, things had been rather quiet on that front for the past few years. They'd just taken part in the usual parties, not really making an effort to do something on their own, like a concert, theater play or "karaoke havoc" as they called it. Squall wasn't objecting, more on the contrary.
Whenever there was some sort of social arrangement going on, Squall usually hid in his room or in the training area, burying himself deep into his studies. That didn't always work though, as there was one in particular that always seemed to go out of her way to boost up Squall's social life.
"Good morning Squall." Quistis greeted him warmly as they met when Squall went to refill his glass. Speak of the devil, Squall sighed mentally. "What's with the frown?" She asked. Leave me alone, Squall grunted in his mind, but kept his mouth shut. "I'll join you as soon as my toast is finished, okay?" Quistis was beaming at him more than usually he noted. Although a little curious of what had made her day so shiny, he kept his poker face on firmly and tried his best to freeze her out with his body language.
Taking his seat, Squall just sipped his juice and stirred around in his coffee cup while carefully observing the other students. It wasn't like he was interested in what was going on around him, it was more like a occupation habit that he'd picked up after training to be mercenary for as long as he could remember.
Quistis finally joined him, her breakfast the same as usual; toast, milk, tea and a cup of yogurt for desert. Her newly washed hair, showered in the sweet tickling sent of shampoo lingered around her and advanced closer towards him for every movement she made. "So, have you decided yet?" She asked him, putting strawberry jam on her toast. Squall just made a barely noticeable face as a reply before gulping down the last of his juice.
Quistis wasn't too affected by his cold behavior, so she just kept on eating her toast as if Squall's reply was more or less what she'd expected. "Knowing you, you'd probably go after Seifer." She said more to herself than to him. Quistis stood for the talking and Squall stood for the silence, their verbal relationship in a nutshell.
The instructors usually arrived for breakfast at the same time and most students took their arrival as a cue for finishing up breakfast and get ready for class. Dorms needed to be clean, beds to be made, teeth brushed and gossip exchanged before the first class started.
Xu, a long time friend of Quistis and one of the latest additions to Balamb Garden instructors' team still had that aura of a newcomer about her. Her skills in tactical combat were second to none, it was as if she could see a precious few seconds into the future and be able to think up a suitable countermeasure before the strike hit.
Squall had seen her in action, several times in simulated battles, but only once in a real fight. Xu's usual warm and gentle like face turned firm, cold and calculating at the blink of an eye. It was as if she became a totally different person, more like a split personality complex. One could easily see that behind her eyes she was working things out, rapidly and accurately.
With this image in the back of his head, it was very hard to imagine the now shy, timid and somewhat confused young woman sitting with the other instructors was the same person. She wasn't acting awkward around students, since she'd always been one of those patient and willing to teach others people that often end up as a teacher in one form or another. Once she gets used to the instructors' licence she'll be a fine instructor, Squall concluded to himself.
Xu talked for some time with one from the Garden staff team before scribbling something down on a napkin. Afterwards she stood up and scanned the cafeteria as if she was looking for someone in particular. When she noticed Quistis and Squall, she walked over to them while double-checking her napkin note.
"Trepe, Leonhart could you two do me a favor?" She asked them. Squall remained motionless, but Quistis turned to face Xu. "Sure we can, what's up?" Quistis asked with a mouthful of toast. "We have 2 more students arrive by train from Winhill and a third student from Balamb. We need someone to go and pick them up." Xu explained.
Weird, all new students should have been here last night at the latest, Squall thought. If they didn't arrive on time, they'd have to wait for next year, or next semester at the very earliest to apply. "Are these some special talents since they're given such treatment or…?" Quistis asked out of curiosity.
Squall actually mentally thanked her, since she asked what he wanted to know. "Not really, it's just that there was another bombing near the Timber train station, so everything stood still for a good 18 hours. However, this guy from Balamb is… well you'll just have to see for yourselves." Xu explained.
Squall stood up and began gathering his things. "Excuse me." He said before leaving, but Xu held him back. "Leonhart, I'd like you to accompany Ms Trepe." She said a little firmer than usual. There was no need for 2 students to go and pick up 3 new arrivals was there? "Some new additions to the training area will arrive on the same train as the students from Timber. I'd like you to make sure the transportation to Garden goes smoothly." She explained.
A bit far off, since Squall didn't have Guardian Forces assigned to him yet, let alone a weapon art that he'd specialized in. Besides, Squall hated to have responsibility for anyone or anything other than himself and his own business. "I'd send Seifer if I could, but no one's seen him since last nights curfew." Xu sighed. Squall gave it a quick thought and concluded that there was little he could do to dodge away, except one thing.
"What about the opening ceremony? We and the new students would miss it if we're to get them now." He said, nodding up at the watch hanging over the cafeteria counter. "No need to worry Leonhart, the headmaster is also going to Balamb for a quick errand. You'll make it just in time if you get going right now." Xu assured him and that pretty much settled the deal.
Quistis happily walked down to the garage with a disappointed Squall reluctantly tagging along. "Oh would you please stop sulking like that? Meeting new people isn't all that bad, so cheer up already." Quistis teasingly stuck out her tongue at Squall with a smile and a wink of her eye. Be quiet Quistis, just be quiet, was all Squall thought while his sulking only became more obvious.
Passing a pair of boys younger than himself, Squall noted that they were playing a strange looking card game. Usually you played cards without a board, but they seemed to be placing the cards on a board divided into 3 x 3 squares. From there he lost interest in the game and just wished he'd get this thing over with quickly and smoothly.
Headmaster Cid was waiting in the garage along with a pair of SeeD's, both veterans from the Trabia operation, code named "Blizzard's wrath". "Good morning students, what are you two doing here?" Cid asked them. "Instructor Xu sent us to pick up the new arrivals in Balamb along with training area supplies." Quistis replied with a flawless salute.
Headmaster Cid blinked at her response for a moment before he turned back to the two SeeD's. "Looks like there's been a small misunderstanding. Your services won't be needed after all gentlemen, now please return to your duties." He told them. "Sir!" They said in union and saluted Cid before leaving.
They walked further into the garage before finding a suitable car. "Quistis, isn't it?" Headmaster Cid asked Quistis over his shoulder. "Y-yes, sir!" She replied a little loud as if she was taken by surprise. "You drive." Cid smiled as he tossed her the keys. Much to Squall's disappointment, headmaster Cid decided to take the back-seat. He let out a small sigh in defeat before taking a seat next to Quistis. At least it wasn't going to be a long drive.
Being only 14 years old and driving a car might seem intimidating, but if you add the school headmaster and the guy you think you have a crush on as passengers, you've got a situation that's going to take quite a toll on your nerves.
Quistis did, nevertheless, do very well. The road down to Balamb was not really used for anything else than trips to and from Garden. At this time of the year and at this hour, the road was deserted. Headmaster Cid was reading the newspaper and Squall was unhappily looking outside his window. "Excuse me headmaster, but who are we picking up?" Quistis asked, glancing into the rear-mirror. "Mm? Oh, let me see... I've got their applications papers here somewhere." Headmaster Cid replied, putting his newspaper away.
He did some rustling about through his papers before headmaster Cid found 3 sheets of paper. "Let's see. The first one is from Balamb, Zell Dincht. The two others come all the way from Winhill, so they'll arrive by train." He mused. "If you take care of the new arrivals, I'll look after the delivery for the training area." Squall grunted sleepily towards Quistis. She gave him a curious side-way glance, but said nothing.
Quistis brought the car to a halt in the main street in Balamb and while headmaster Cid took a small minute to gather together his things, Squall quickly, yet quietly left the car to stretch his legs. A couple of younger kids looked at him with big eyes. His SeeD candidate uniform drew attention. Perhaps this is why students don't commute so much, he thought to himself.
"Squall, please head over to the train station and receive the delivery. Quistis, here are the application sheets. Please give all 3 of them a good first impression." Headmaster Cid told them as he handed Quistis the application sheets. "Of course I will sir. When do we meet?" She asked him.
Headmaster Cid thought about it for a moment. "It's hard to say. I've some business to take care of, but it can be long or short. If I'm not back by the time you're done, you can leave the luggage in the car and I'll drive it back." He concluded. Quistis nodded in response and saluted. Squall on the other hand was just listening, though he did some active window-shopping at the local weapon store.
Squall was about to walk over to the train station, when Quistis hailed him. "Squall, you could at the very least stick around and help me with the luggage." Grumbling a little to himself, Squall reluctantly turned around and stood sulking next to Quistis as she rung the doorbell.
"Brighten up!" Quistis hissed silently as the door opened. A little boy answered the door. He stood there for a small moment, just looking up at them with big eyes. "WOW! Soldiers!" He exclaimed. Great, kindergarten hell, here I am, Squall mentally groaned. Quistis nudged his side with her elbow before she crouched down to talk to the kid.
"Hello there, my name is Quistis Trepe and this is Squall Leonhart. We're from Balamb Garden. Could you get Zell Dincht for us please?" Quistis' tone of voice was bright and cheerful. How does she do it, Squall wondered, but kept on sulking. "ZELL! A lady and a man from Garden is here for you!" Hyne that kid had lungs. How could someone that small make that much noise?
From far into the house Squall and Quistis heard someone trashing about. A few curses, some light panting and lastly a quick check in front of the mirror with a few comments to boot. "Yeah, I don't look that bad." A guys voice said. The guy came out into the doorway, standing 5'5'' tall, bright blond hair, blue eyes, big baggy blue shorts, dirty white socks (with a big hole near the left big toe), bare torso, a big smile on his face and a toothbrush in his mouth.
Squall and Quistis exchanged glances for a brief moment and were uncertain of what to do or say next. Squall was obviously not helping, he had "well-go-on-girl-do-your-thing" written all over his face. "Yo, what's up. Name's Zell Dincht, pleased to meet you guys." Zell introduced himself and put out his hand.
Quistis took it firmly and shook it. She noticed that Zell squeezed her hand in return. A firm handshake, well that's at least something she noted. Squall on the other hand looked quite uncomfortable with the situation and he was itching to get it over with. When Zell offered his hand to Squall, he just raised his eyebrows faintly and gave him a barely visible upward nod. Their greeting was officially over as far as Squall was concerned.
"Did I do anything wrong..?" Zell asked, sounding worried. You only have one chance to make a first impression, didn't your mother tell you that, Squall thought but remained mute as stone. "Oh no, not at all! He's just... erm ... carsick that's all!" Quistis fidgeted. "Oh, well that's understandable. If you need to puke, the toilet's in the back." Zell said, jerking his right thumb over his shoulder. Quistis lowered her head and rested three fingers on her forehead in embarrassment. Why did this have to happen?
"Your luggage." Squall muttered. "Huh? Oh yeah! It's a bit much and maybe not packed the best way possible. Sat up late last night." Zell said a bit sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Squall rolled his eyes while Quistis tried her best to put on a polite smile, assuring Zell that they'd work it out somehow. Squall took a curious glance into the house. The entrance hall looked like a bomb site. Toast and peanut butter, this was going to take all day, Squall groaned.
It took them a good 15 minutes to get most of the stash into the car. Squall glanced at the watch at the end of the street. He was running late, and he hated that. "Quistis, I better get going." He said. Quistis looked up at the watch as well and agreed. "Zell? We're going to the train station to get two other students, can you manage on your own?" She asked. "Ha? Oh yeah, don't sweat it... uhm ... " Zell seemed to have problems remembering people's names. "Quistis." She supplied with a warm smile. "Right, I'm on top of things here so no worries." Zell said, struggling with yet another massive suitcase.
The train station was buzzing with life. Passengers getting on and off, cases of cargo loaded and unloaded, messages over the speakers and people everywhere. Where to start? They were looking for a Raijin and Fujin. Their last names were left blank for some reason, they probably forgot to them fill in when they applied for Garden. The headmaster must have processed their applications personally, since no one in administration would tolerate such sloppiness.
At least they had remembered to supply a pair of recently taken photo's. "Maybe we should split up?" Quistis suggested. We have to split up, I'm only going to take care of the delivery. You on the other hand, you're on your own, Squall thought as he looked around for loading bay 12C. A girl was greeted by a young man with flowers in his hands. They hugged and exchanged kisses, making Squall feeling very out of place. Hypocrites, he thought to himself.
Squall nudged and pushed himself through the crowd until he found loading bay 12C. After some looking around, he found the man in charge. "Excuse me, I'm here to take a package to Balamb Garden, number ID 14558/BV." He said, poking the man's shoulder. "Really? Well it was about time. I've been shittin' me pants ever since me got 'em freaks." The man snapped, yanking the note Squall had in his hand. "Here ya go lad, sign here and down on the left on the next page." Squall looked down on the receipt. Was this okay? Did he have authority to do this? Perhaps he should give this to headmaster Cid.
"OY! Charlie!" The man barked into the back of the loading bay. "What!" A man's voice shouted back. "Get 'em crates for Garden will ya!" The man barked to Charlie. "Have ya lost yer marbles man! I ain't touch 'em things with a 10 feet iron pole!" Charlie objected. "Fer cryin' out loud man! Then get Alice to do it, that lass has at least some backbone." The man barked, clearly upset over the incompetence of his crew.
A few minutes passed, Squall standing with the receipt in hand, not quite sure if it was okay for him to sign or not, when a for truck came with a large square metal crate. Animal like grunting, snorting and growling could be heard from inside the crate. A bald girl drove the fork truck, with a fat cigar in the corner of her mouth. "Don't look so worried hon', I've got 2 more for ya." She winked at Squall.
After bringing in the two remaining crates, Alice came back with a tall rectangle shaped steel crate. When Squall studied it further, he noticed that it actually looked a lot like an oversized fridge. A primitive model of the dormant chambers that was used for long space travel. Frost smoke leaked out from the door and a small instrument panel showed temperature readings and other relevant data.
"Well, well chap. At least one of 'em critters will be sleepin'!" The man laughed and slapped Squall across his back. Curious of what was inside the crates, Squall scanned the receipt more carefully. The 3 smaller crates contained 1 Raldo each, which essentially was an oversized armadillo looking monster. The "fridge" on the other hand contained a large insect classed monster, a race called Grenaldo. Squall hadn't heard of this Grenaldo monster before, but Raldo's are common in the area north-east of Deling city.
"How am I suppose to get these crates to Garden?" Squall asked. "Well chap, ya can start by signing the bloody receipt, and from there I suggest that ya just improvise, adapt and overcome." The man said, patting Squall sympathetically on the shoulder, before bursting into a roaring laughter. "I'll have to check with headmaster Cid first, could you wait?" Squall asked, feeling his temper rising ever so slightly. "Sure lad, but this place better be clean of 'em critters by 13:45 'cause I've got another train comin' then, ya hear?" The man said, returning to his affairs.
Fine, whatever Squall grumbled and stomped off to find headmaster Cid. On the way he bumped into a girl, nearly knocking her off her feet. Squall stopped dead in his tracks, but made no attempt to keep the girl from falling or apologize. "Fujin, you okay?" A guy standing next to her asked. "I'm fine Raijin, no worries. I was just taken by surprise that's all." Squall paused for a moment to think. These names, they sounded familiar. Where had he heard them before?
"Hey you, I think, you know, an apology would be in order, you know." Raijin grunted. Squall ignored him completely as his mind was elsewhere. "Hey!" Raijin raised his voice, but Fujin stopped him. "Raijin, it's okay, leave it alone will you?" Squall finally shrugged and figured that it was all in his head and decided to go on with his business when Fujin grabbed his arm.
"Excuse me, you're from Garden right?" She asked politely, sounding a bit timid. Squall just gave her a dumb look. Of course he was from Garden, he wore their uniform, didn't he? "Uhm ... I'm Fujin and this is my good friend Raijin. We applied for Garden this semester. Since we're both from the country side, we're not used to the big city so..." Fujin kept on babbling in her shy, yet polite manner.
Squall wouldn't really call Balamb a big city, but when you're from Winhill, anything with more than 2 phone booths would qualify as a big city. "Just head for the main exit, over there." Squall said, pointing in the general direction of the exit. His reply was obviously not quite what Fujin had in mind, so in response her big brown eyes was brought to the verge of tears.
A skater-boy and a crybaby, doesn't Garden have higher standards when taking in new students, Squall wondered. If Fujin needed someone to hold her hand already now, she would be a lost cause in the battlefield. She probably wouldn't last a week, since there were instructors at Garden that ate students like her for snacks between classes.
However, Squall was saved by the bell. Zell and Quistis finally found them and greetings were exchanged. "So you two are like, from another continent? Wow, that's so cool!" Zell was thrilled since he wasn't going to be the only new kid on the Garden dorm. "Yeah, it was a long trip you know, hard to sleep and all... that... uhm ... stuff, you know." Raijin said. Equal kids play best, Squall mused, constantly looking for a way out.
"I need to clear something with headmaster Cid." He announced and left before any of the others could blink twice. Quistis would probably chew him out a bit for leaving her with all that luggage, but that Raijin fellow seemed to have more than enough muscle to handle whatever luggage there might be. Squall had also noted that Zell wasn't in bad shape either. Perhaps he past judgment on them too soon? What a person does is what truly defines him or her.
Headmaster Cid had arrived at the Balamb Garden hotel and waited for his contact to arrive in the lounge. Cid glanced at his watch for the 55th time. This was important, so why was he late? Finally the doors opened and a tall and lean character entered with a large and heavy looking suitcase literally changed to his wrist. "You're late." Cid pointed out. "My apology, headmaster. There were a few mechanical issues with my ferry." The man relied. "I've reserved a room for us, we can talk there." Cid said as he rose from his chair. "Certainly." The man said and followed.
Well inside, the door was closed and locked, curtains pulled shut and the TV turned on to fill the room with random background noise. "You have it I trust?" Cid whispered. "Wouldn't be here if I didn't, would I?" The man smiled. He put the suitcase on the bed. "The key if you please." He said to headmaster Cid. Cid gave him a key from his pocket and he unlocked the handcuff.
A moment of silence followed. Cid was somewhat nervous, but the man remained calm and collected. The two silver locks on the case was opened with two quick clicks. "I'll leave the honour to you, headmaster." He whispered as he gestured towards the suitcase while stepping back one step. Headmaster Cid opened the case carefully and checked its content.
"Just as we agreed." Cid whispered approvingly. "Yes, the president saw to it personally. It is very important to him that all of this goes well." The man replied. "You've made it according to tradition?" Cid asked. "Yes, we had access to quite detailed records of how to make them, and craftsmen of that trade still exist within Esthar's borders." The man assured Cid.
"Well then, I think that concludes our meeting, minister Kiros." Cid announced, as he closed the suitcase and locked it. "Always a pleasure Mr Kramer." Minister Kiros smiled and shook headmaster Cid's hand. The two men headed downstairs and parted to their separate ways.
Just as headmaster Cid left the hotel, he met Squall. "Squall, good timing. Is everything in order?" Squall explained the situation with the crates. "I see, okay here's what we'll do; I'll rent a truck at the car rent, you'll get the crates loaded, get the new students to help you should you need a extra set of hands, Quistis will drive it to Garden and you'll show the new students to Garden." Squall was dumbstruck, however, no matter how much he tried to twist the situation around, headmaster Cid's suggestion made sense and was the best way out of it.
Squall hated the idea of having to walk for a good hour and a half with a trio of strangers, all of them probably bubbling with curiosity about their new lives at Garden. Things would probably turn even worse once they found out that Squall was a first generation SeeD. Still, there was no other way around it. Quistis had a drivers licence and he didn't. Headmaster Cid would take the car that they arrived in and Squall would have to settle with using his two own feet.
There was however a minor problem. "Sir, what about the annual opening ceremony? The new students will miss it." Squall pointed out. Maybe, just maybe there was a way to twist himself out of it. "That's true, but I can't send down another car Squall." Cid sighed. "Why not?" Squall blurted out unintentionally.
"Well because the only other car is missing. I suspect that Seifer took it for a spin after curfew last night." Headmaster Cid explained. That's true, ever since he got his licence Seifer had spent a lot of time burning rubber, showing off. Worst of all, there were those students that actually liked his shows, which brought his ego to new heights.
Seifer, one of these days I'm really going to give you what you deserve, with interests, Squall promised himself. "I understand, sir." Squall saluted before turning his attention to the business at hand. Headmaster Cid took the car loaded with the luggage of both Raijin, Fujin and Zell. On the way he explained the situation to Quistis, exchanged greetings with the new students and made arrangements at the local car rental shop for the extra truck.
Squall decided that it would be too risky to move the Raldo crates by hand, since the sent of humans had a provoking effect. Moreover they've been inside those crates for many hours, making them restless and moody at best. The fork truck couldn't leave the loading bay, but the guys at the train station borrowed Squall & Co a mobile crane and some chains to help them get the crates loaded.
Quistis gestured up, down, right and left as Squall operated the crane. Zell, Raijin and Fujin were for the most part spectators, though it was clear that they didn't seem to mind at all. This was more excitement than they could ever hope for. Rookies, Squall sighed as he landed the second crate safe and sound on to the truck.
"Be careful with this third one Squall, he seems more aggressive than the others." Quistis warned him as she locked the chains around the crate. Actually I think all three of them are females, Squall noted to himself, but said nothing. The crane lifted up the crate, angering the Raldo even further. "Keep it steady Squall..." Quistis said with a concerned look on her face.
The crate jumped around as the Raldo was trashing about inside. Grunting and panting, while knocking and scratching at the walls of the crate, the Raldo acted on instinct when confined in a small space surrounded by hostiles. Squall stopped the crane, hoping that it would calm the Raldo down. It wasn't going very well.
Suddenly, the chain snapped and the crate came crashing down. It landed with a loud metallic bang, the lock brushed against the side of the truck and was destroyed. Seconds later the door flung open with an animal roar drowning yet another metallic bang. The Raldo was on the loose.
Panic flashed through the surrounding crowd, people screamed, threw whatever they had in their hands and scrammed for the nearest exit, or at the very least away from the raging beast. This was NOT good. Neither Squall or Quistis had GF's junctioned, they didn't even have any weapons with them. The chaos that gained absolute rule over the crowd only scared the Raldo even more, the beast and the crowd was trapped in a negative spiral, going down at a rapid pace.
Quick thinking could save the day, but Squall wasn't used to this kind of situation. Granted, he trained day in and day out, so he wasn't completely retarded, but he needed a good chunk of seconds to gather his wits and start thinking rationally. "Quistis! The chain, quickly!" He barked out, jumping down form the crane control platform and darting after the Raldo.
Quistis didn't think, she acted on reflexes trained at Garden. Fast and accurate she unlocked the chain and threw it over the truck where Squall caught it in mid air. She had no idea what he was up to, but she had confidence in him. Still, she wanted to help him the best she could. First things first though, she thought. "Get in the truck and stay there!" Quistis barked at Zell, Fujin and Raijin, whom complied immediately.
The Raldo was fast, changing from running to rolling, getting the maximum out of the terrain's layout. Squall was grateful that he'd spent so many hours in the gym, otherwise there was no way he'd be able to keep up. Still, he wasn't gaining, he was in fact struggling to keep up. This couldn't go on for much longer. If he'd screwed up now, he'd never hear the end of it from Seifer.
Using the chain as a lasso, Squall swung it over his head as he looked up ahead. A small uphill, good. That meant that the Raldo would have to stop rolling and start running. If he got it right, Squall could get the lasso around the Raldo's neck and bring it to a halt. From there... well it would be anyone's guess.
Just as Squall had predicted, the Raldo stopped rolling and started running as soon as it noticed a change in the terrain. Squall threw the lasso forward, not as cool looking as in the movies, but hey, at least he caught what he was aiming for. He'd worry about public appearances later.
The Raldo was strong as a horse to say the least. Even though Squall held on tight and leaned back as far as he could in an attempt to slow the beast down, all it took was one short yank and Squall was tumbling forward. Grumbling with disgust, the Raldo tried to shake off the loose chain around its neck. Squall used the moment to secure his footing and tighten his grip on the chain.
Then, he pulled with all his might. Sensing resistance in the chain, the Raldo carried on with its private stampede. This time however, Squall was ready for it. Not that it helped much, but at least this time Squall wasn't staggering forward like some dumb cowboy.
The streets in Balamb are laid with stone bricks, not the traditional asphalt that you find in other cities. This makes the street seem more homey and less urban. Over time, maintenance is required to keep the bricks in place. How unfortunate for Squall that he caught the Raldo in the middle of a side-street that hasn't seen such maintenance for far too long.
Soon Squall's feet were caught in a crack, a section in the street where several rocks were missing and only loose gravel was put to fill the gap for the time being. Squall leaned his feet on the edge of the bricks. It was a sound plan, since now he had a even better foothold than before. Earlier, the Raldo had simply dragged Squall around, though at a slower pace.
Things were going his way, at least for a good 32 seconds. It didn't take long for the weakest link in the chain to fail. In this case it wasn't Squall's feet, his foothold nor his grip on the chain itself. It wasn't the chain either and the Raldo seemed to have nearly unlimited stamina. It was the stone bricks that gave away. Having their maintenance neglected for so long, they quickly failed under the high pressure and shot out from their sockets.
Squall was once again dragged around in the streets of Balamb, only this time pulling stone bricks up from the streets with his feet as he went down towards the harbour. It hurt a lot, since his legs functioned as cushioning and his heels went numb with pain.
As he was dragged by a street light, a bright idea came to mind. Squall took a quick sideways jump, as his holding back effort were gone, the Raldo quickly picked up the pace. Its wild adventure on the town however, was brought to a brutal and sudden halt as Squall twisted the chain several times around a nearby street light.
Unable to understand its situation, the Raldo carried on pulling the chain, but this time it didn't budge. Raldo's aren't the smartest monster in the world. A scared and confused Raldo like this one is even likelier to be able to understand what's going on. Rational thinking vaporizers as sheer instinct takes charge. The Raldo kept on pulling the chain until it nearly hung itself with the chain.
In the end, it just collapsed, taking deep hissing breaths and drooling badly. Squall felt his feet trembling, his hands were shaking visibly and he was sweating like a pig in a spa. "Squall!" Quistis came up to him. She looked worried, but that was something Squall had grown used to. He could hardly take a pee without her worrying about something, or at least that was his impression.
Lets see, now comes the same old routine, Squall thought as he was calming his panting down. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Quistis put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and bent down so that their faces met. He shrugged her off, looking away. A few steps remained between them, Quistis fidgeting with her hands, looking quite worried indeed.
Squall didn't care. He didn't want anything to do with her or the others for that matter. Taking deep breaths, Squall managed to calm his body down. It would still take some time to get all the adrenalin out of his system. What a rush, he thought. "Whoa! You actually brought that thing down, on your own!" Zell and the others came down to join Quistis.
Receiving cheering and congratulations from these... people, for a brief moment Squall wished that the Raldo had turned and bitten his head clean off. It would have been so much simpler then. "We should head back." He said, dusting off his jacket and heading back to the truck.
An improvised welding job later and the third Raldo was secured in its crate. Quistis took off with the truck, promising to explain everything to headmaster Cid, should there be any fuzz about them being so late. Normally whomever was involved would have thanked Quistis for her efforts, but Squall remained stone cold mute and indifferent as always.
He cast a glance at the 3 new students at Garden. For the first time he actually took time to study Fujin and Raijin more carefully. Raijin was tall and dark-skinned, his hair was black and kept short and his muscular frame was somewhat impressive. Fujin on the other hand was just about as tall as Squall himself. Her waist long white hair seemed light and well cared for. Her brown eyes were in strong contrast to her rather pale skin and her frame was average built for girls at her age.
"Shouldn't we be going?" She asked Squall shyly. I guess she looks up to me now, after that show I pulled, Squall thought. He'd have to stay away from Balamb too for the whole semester, if not even the whole year. The last thing he wanted was to be stopped in the middle of the street to be thanked by some stranger for what he did today. He'd have to wait until it was a faded memory. This town would talk about it for weeks to come. He should have left it to Quistis after all.
The four young students started their walk back to what would be their home away from home. Squall never really saw the point in him leading the way for the others up to Garden. After all, there was only ONE road that lead to Garden and thanks to the 6 feet tall fence surrounding the road, chances were pretty slim that they'd run into any troublesome monsters on the way.
Cold-hearted to just leave them there, on their own? Life doesn't promise a bed of roses, the sooner you realize this the better. At least that was what Squall felt about the issue. For the first half hour the gang had tried to get to know Squall better, with minimal success. Still, minding his manners just a little bit, Squall told them that he was on the lookout for monsters. He assured them that chances for one to show up were slim, but better to be safe than sorry.
Needless to say, with the incident with the Raldo back in Balamb fresh in memory, the gang quickly left Squall do his thing in more or less complete silence. Raijin needed to take a pee break, and Squall firmly denied to follow him behind the bushes. "Just scream if you need anything." Squall sighed, feeling his patience evaporating fast. A quick two minutes later the gang sat out once more.
The whole trip seemed to be passing on without any events worth mentioning, at least that's what it looked like until the group was just 20 minutes away from Garden. Zell, Raijin and Fujin didn't notice, but Squall's ears were trained to pick up sounds of combat. It was a bit off, but it was definitively someone fighting something. The deep bass roaring sounded much like a T-Rexaur. Squall had heard it several times in the training area, but never had the "pleasure" of meeting one head on.
To keep the edge sharp with its students, Garden often dispatched candidates along with SeeD's to bring certain monsters back to Garden, alive and with minimal injuries so that they could be confined within the training area as practice subjects.
This itself was more a challenge than simply bringing a beast down. Perhaps this was such a fight? No, it didn't add up. For starters, the fight sounded too savage. Whomever was fighting was fighting with no strings attached, neither side was holding back.
Also, Garden always dispatched a team, a small squad for such missions. It strengthen the sense of teamwork and increased the chances for success. This sounded like a one on one fight. Besides, there was something awfully familiar about the sound of the attacker. To be certain, Squall had to get closer, within visual range.
Glancing over at the others, he could tell that they were nervous. After all, Squall had suddenly stopped as if he caught the sent of something. Thinking that perhaps a 3 headed lizard with purple wings and spitting out bolts of thunder would come and fry them alive, they had every right to be nervous.
"There's a fight going on not far from here. I want to go and check it out." The 3 shrunk together at his words. "You don't have to come with me, you'll be safe as long as you stay on the road, though if the fight is involving the person and opponent I think it is, there won't be another monster around for miles." Squall told them, and then he took off. A bit afraid and uncertain, one by one they decided to follow him. Curiosity killed the cat, Squall thought to himself as he climbed the protective fence of the road.
They came to a small ridge and it was clear from the sounds, that the fight was going on, low, down and dirty right below the ridge. Squall laid flat on his belly and crawled forward, under the cover of some bushes. The others followed his lead, and came up around on his sides.
Peeking down through the roots of the bushes, Squall and the others saw a fiercely battle take place. Zell, Fujin and Raijin was struck with awe, and even Squall had to admit that this guy knew his homework. Feeling confident that the area around them was secure, Squall stood up to get a better view. Hesitantly, the others also rose to their feet.
The T-Rexaur was a large beast on two legs, a massive tail and two shorter arms near its chest. Its head alone was on average 5' long and strangely enough the female were the big ones, nearly 1/3 larger than their respective "husbands". "Hyne that thing's huge." Zell mumbled in amazement.
It came around for another attack, but the student dashed away from its range with ease. He moved with a sense of confidence, grace and border lining to perfection with his outmaneuvering of the opponent. "Holy... I've never seen anything like it, not even in the movies. Who is this guy?" Fujin said, equally amazed as Zell, if not even more.
Squall's eyes narrowed. "Seifer, Seifer Almasy." He said with an edge to his voice. Seifer was good, there was no denying it. Only the blind and stupid would claim otherwise. In the 13 year old history of Garden, there were no one equal to Seifer. A natural born warrior, through and through.
Seifer slashed with his blade, a cold metallic clinging sound stung in the ears of Squall and the others. The T-Rexaur shrieked in pain, taking a step back. Blood started to paint the grass dark red as the beast had several cuts over its body. "C'mon, c'mon little lizard. Uncle Seifer's got what you need." He said, smirking with confidence.
The T-Rexaur was apparently tired of playing games. By now it had noticed that it couldn't afford to play with what it had first thought of as easy prey. A simple hunt for lunch had developed into a fight to the death. It spun around, it's tail swishing through the air at great speed.
It was an unexpected move, a deviation from the standard way a T-Rexaur thought and acted. Seifer was hit in a blind spot. His Protect spell flashed into life, shielding out most of the damage. Even so, Seifer got the winds knocked out of him and was sent flying backwards into a nearby stone quarry. As his back hit the stone wall, the Protect spell flashed into life once more, and again taking most of the damage.
Fujin couldn't take it, and on reflex she called out: "LOOK OU...!" Squall quickly put his arm around her shoulders and firmly planted his hand over her mouth. "Don't! You'll just distract him." Squall hissed angrily. Fujin glared at him. "It could cost him his life." He explained, feeling her glare on his face. Fujin's glare faded into a worried "but-but-but" look, clearly not too happy with Squall's reason for shutting her up.
Squall didn't pay attention to Fujin. His eyes were locked on Seifer, who was currently laying flat on the ground, face down. "He'll get up..." Squall muttered. "He always comes up..." And while the T-Rexaur was stomping towards what it assumed was a defeated prey, Seifer got up with style. He leaped high into the air, much, much higher than what a normal human could ever dream of jumping. "WHOA! How did he do that!" Zell exclaimed.
You've junctioned Float spells, haven't you Seifer? You don't have access to those spells yet. Did you break into the draw point storage again? I wonder which GF you've snuck off with this time, Squall thought as he watch Seifer make his landing and prepare for his next move.
"Surprised you dumb mutt! Well don't be, 'cause there's no way I'm loosing to a pathetic reptile such as yourself!" Seifer gloated. His confident smile faded a little once he noticed that in all the stylish escapade, he'd forgotten to bring his weapon with him. "Bah, as if that's ever stopped me before." He snorted.
By now the T-Rexaur had gathered its wits and went on a straight forward charge, jaws wide open, drool dripping and bad breath of rotten flesh smelling from deep within its throat. "Brush your teeth freak, you'll get laid more often!" Seifer taunted, before he dashed away with lightning speed.
When the T-Rexaur slammed its jaws shut, it just bit a lot of empty air. Squall was impressed. Seifer needed at least 30 Haste spells on Speed in order to make that kind of move. It was also possible that he'd casted Haste upon himself, but since Squall didn't have any Scan spells available there was no way to be certain unless Seifer was questioned after the fight.
Seifer had reclaimed his bladed weapon and was eager as a little schoolboy to get on with the program. "One roasted T-Rexaur coming up!" Seifer grinned and sent 3 fireballs flying towards the tall beast. Each one was a direct hit, raising the monsters rage even further.
Triple status as well? Squall had barely heard of the Double status, but Triple was something he'd thought impossible. The amount of concentration it takes to cast one spell is fair enough with the proper training, with Double you need twice as much concentration (basic maths really), and here Seifer stood, pulling of a Triple spell as if it was hardly an effort.
With three fresh second degree burn wounds on its back, the T-Rexaur spun around once more, raising a cloud of dust and minor debris went dancing through the dust clouds. Blinded by the dust, Seifer lost sight of his target. His eyes were pouring out rivers of tears, a clear sign that he had lots of sand in his eyes.
The T-Rexaur didn't waste a second. With its large head, it went as low as it could and struck at Seifer with an upward arch. Seifer was knocked on the top of the stonewall he'd collided with earlier, and again he lost his bladed weapon. It swirled around in mid air, before stabbing itself deep into the ground, several dozen feet away from the heart of the fight.
"Can't we do something, you know, like... anything?" Raijin demanded, as the thrills of this genuine battle was far more than he could take. "Even if I could, I wouldn't help him." Squall replied, still struggling a little to keep Fujin calm. "Why not? Are you really that heartless!" Zell asked in an outrage. "Not really. Though if I, however unlikely did help Seifer now, he'd kill me for doing so." Squall replied indifferently.
Though Squall was worried. As far as he could tell, Seifer's Protect spell had worn off, since it didn't flash when the T-Rexaur knocked him upwards, nor when he landed. Maybe he should intervene after all, but how? Make a mad dash for Seifer's blade? To what end? He couldn't use it with enough skill to represent a reasonable threat.
The T-Rexaur was about to pick up Seifer with its jaws, then as it always did to its prey, it would shake it from side to side until the prey was shredded. "Don't... you... EVER... drool on me... BOY!" Seifer panted, and with those words, he sent a Thunder bolt flying straight into the monsters mouth.
It stood still for a brief second, until gravity claimed its right and the body collapsed under its own weight. Seifer, though messed up and slightly beaten, stood up and remained standing. "HOLY...! Did you see that! Did you really SEE THAT! Oh right! AWSEOME! He did it!" Zell was totally out of it, not knowing what to say or what to do. Raijin and Fujin just stood there in gaping shock, surprise and amazement.
Good, the newcomers have found themselves another idol, a much better idol. They'll leave me alone form now on, I hope, Squall thought and sighed with a sense of relief. Looking up to the tiny ridge, Seifer noticed that he'd a small audience. He gave them a short wave with his hand before he headed towards his blade.
"I've got to meet this dude!" Zell said and strode off. Fujin looked at Squall as if asking if it was okay. Squall just made a small face, saying it was okay. Soon the newcomers gathered around Seifer, while Squall strolled by and settled with taking a closer look at Seifer's weapon.
"Newcomers huh? A bit old to join now, aren't you?" Seifer frowned. It was true that Garden took in students all the way down to 5 years old, though only the first generation of SeeD's were of this age. They weren't many, in fact it was just Squall, Quistis and Seifer that was considered first generation SeeD's.
They had been at Garden from the very beginning. There were older SeeD's of course, but these had been requited from the Sorceress War, so there wasn't much combat training required. Once they got the hang of Junction and magic, they graduated.
Squall and the others had to learn everything from scratch, but they all seemed to be doing just fine with that. In fact, both Squall and Seifer was considered among the best in Garden. Not to mention that Quistis was the only SeeD candidate south of Trabia that mastered Blue Magic.
Zell, Fujin and Raijin all eagerly lined up their reasons for joining SeeD. According to Fujin, there was once a man that mastered both the art of combat and magic during the final stages of the Sorceress War. He was known as the "Monster Hunter of Winhill." On a daily basis he'd walk through town several times, keeping monsters away.
Being inspired by this local legend, Fujin and Raijin decided that they both wanted to be just as skilled as their idol, the monster hunter. Zell on the other hand was motivated by his late grandfather's efforts during the same war. "Really? I don't see how a guy with Chocobo droppings for brains can ever live up to the efforts made by a veteran soldier." Seifer snorted unimpressed.
"WHAT WAS THAT!" Zell was trembling with rage, causing both Raijin and Fujin to back away. Zell's shouting even caught Squall's attention, and he was a good 30 feet away from the debate. "Well, at least you get to see the inside of the infirmary. We need guys like you, Zell. You know, so that the nurses and doctors get plenty of experience patching people up." Seifer said with a sarcastic look in his eyes.
Zell said nothing, but it was clear to anyone with more than half an eye in their heads that Zell was boiling over. He was so angry, he couldn't find the words and even if he did, he wouldn't know where to start. "What's the matter? Did the Moomba catch your tongue?" Seifer asked, having trouble keeping his face straight.
At that point, Zell lost it and sent his right clenched fist flying towards Seifer's face. "Tsk, amateurish." Seifer sighed as he dodged with ease. Since Zell didn't hit anything he lost his point of balance and as he was struggling to stay on his feet, Seifer saw his window for an attack. "Pick someone on your own size, chicken-wuzz." Seifer gloated as he, with a snap of his fingers, hit Zell with a Thunder spell.
The spell wasn't very strong, nor was it a critical hit, but being inexperienced and without any means for defense, Zell cried in pain before collapsing on the ground, smoke rising from his clothes. "That is, assuming that there's another soul equally pathetic." Seifer added before heading over to Squall. Fujin and Raijin stood paralyzed for a long moment, before helping Zell back on his feet.
Squall had observed Seifer's treatment of the newcomers from afar, and although he didn't actually approve of such ruthless means, he hadn't made the slightest effort to get in Seifer's way. It wasn't that Squall was afraid of Seifer, or that he looked up to Seifer so much that he didn't mind. It was more like, it wasn't his table, so why get involved? Zell's lack of anger management had got him in trouble.
"They don't make them like they used to." Seifer sighed, rubbing his temple as if Zell's behavior was giving him a splitting headache. Squall said nothing, he just took his eyes off Seifer and looked into Seifer's black blade with a hint of fascination in his eyes. "A thing of real beauty, so I guess I can't blame you for drooling over it." Seifer laughed. "Still." He added and picked up his blade. "It's an adult toy, so be a good boy and watch but don't touch, 'kay?" Seifer said as if he was talking to a little child, while patting Squall on the head.
Squall got back on his feet, glaring a little at Seifer, but again remained mute. "Listen stiff-stick, I assume that you're aiming for the gunblade as well." Seifer said, not backing down from Squall's glaring. Squall kept silent, his eyes avoiding Seifer's. "Always scrambling about for the silver medal, aren't you?" Seifer taunted. "There are no silver medals in the race I'm participating in." Squall mumbled. "Tough luck, 'cause I've already won the gold medal." Seifer flashed a quick smirk.
We're not in the same race, Squall thought but said nothing. "Well then, come on kids, handsome ol' Seifer will give you a lift back home." He said, obviously tired of Squall's lack of response. "So you did take the car last night." Squall muttered. "I didn't take it, I borrowed it." Seifer called over his shoulder.
"Aren't you coming?" Fujin asked Squall. Squall just shook his head. Seifer would probably gloat like there was no tomorrow for the whole trip. Squall'd rather walk that to listen to Seifer's many wild stories. "Well then, see you at Garden then." Fujin said, waving goodbye before running after Seifer and Raijin. "Mind if I tag along with you?" Zell said to Squall. Should have stayed in bed, Squall thought.