Author's note: This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic. This scene is actually part of a much bigger story I have floating around in my head, but this one has particularly been standing out and felt the need to write. I don't want to necessarily call this a one-shot because I plan on writing more, but I may start from the beginning so it's not as confusing. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. It's been years since I've ever written anything such as this.
The tranquility of Winhill was hard to take in. It was too... stable. Stability was something Seifer was far from used to, and more than half the time, he was okay with that. Seifer lived for the moment, for that constant change. When life became monotonous, that meant it was time to move on to something new, whether that be a different town, a change of jobs, or more exciting women to meet. Even after twenty years, he hadn't changed much.
Seifer took another swig of his beer before letting out a low sigh, making sure to keep quiet. He sat the bottle on the window sill while his tired eyes stared out into the endless fields of Winhill. His eyes traced what was at least perceivable in the night. "So quiet.." he thought. "I could never live here. Not a damn thing to do but sit around and smell the flowers." He wondered how Ellone lived here for so long, but then again, this was her hometown. She knew where she was from and no matter how far you go, you'll always find your way back to where your roots are. Seifer was the opposite. He had not a clue where he came from, his hometown, whom he was born from. The earliest he can remember from his childhood was being at the orphanage with Matron, and those memories were scarce enough. Balamb Garden was probably the closest thing to home he could call and he hasn't been there since over a decade now. He instinctively shut his azure hued eyes. The thought of Garden was something he always pushed away.
He looked back behind him at the farthest bed in the guest room. "Kid's already knocked out? Shit, I found every reason to stay awake at that age. She's... been through a lot though, I guess. Best to let her sleep." He silently walked to the light switch near the doorway, peering out through the hallway before flipping the switch. "Elle must be in her room too. Guess there really isn't much you can do in this town at night. Damn pub's even closed at this hour." Emitting a small chuckle at his own thoughts, his smirk quickly faded as he turned back around. His eyes rested on the girl sleeping before him. Seifer's face relaxed, but with a hint of bewilderment. How did he get himself in this situation? Just a few days ago he was in Deling City to meet up with an old friend, but he had to bump into this. What were the odds too? Running into the daughter of the two people he tried so hard to erase from his mind was not part of his itinerary. Seifer put a hand on his hip, looking away from the girl for a brief moment while he quietly laughed at his situation. "Mr. Headmaster would have a fit if he knew... Not like I could blame him anyway. I'm no babysitter, that's for sure." He gazed back though at the motionless girl, studying her calm face while she slept.
"She has her father written all over her. How did I miss that? And her motions, her... her spirit. It's her mother's."
Seifer dismally looked away back to the window on the far side of the room. He sauntered back, grabbing a chair along the way and setting it near the same window where he left his beer, beckoning him for another gulp. He kicked his worn ember boots off before leaning back in the wooden chair, putting his arms behind his head. The old man was too restless to sleep. He had too many thoughts roaming in his mind, too many unanswered questions. Why him? Of all the people in this world, he felt he was the last person who should be in this predicament. He worked so hard to keep the past in the past, but now after fifteen years, why is it all coming back? Seifer abruptly closed his eyes, trying to keep his temper at bay. He's gotten better at managing his anger, but it came with age. He saw more than what your usual thirty-eight year old dealt with over the years, and sadly, most of that was before he even turned twenty.
"I can't get out of this though..", Seifer reluctantly thought. "I can't just leave this kid alone. She'll get goddamn eaten out there. I ain't about to let that happen. Sure the girl can fight, but she don't know half the shit out there that's just waitin' fer her to screw up. Being cooped up in Garden doesn't help you with the real world. It sure as hell didn't help me." His eyes squeezed tight even more. Finally letting out some release, he balled up his fist and quickly brought it down to the mattress nearby. He hated thinking of Balamb Garden, and the chain of events that happened after his grand master plan to run to Timber and save the day. "I was.. so sure of myself. So determined." And then his eyes opened fiery blue and he exclaimed, "I was goddamn full of shit, that's what!" Not meaning to think out loud, he quickly glanced at the sleeping girl who stirred at his voice, but she only rolled over towards his direction, grabbing at her pillow for a brief moment until she fell back to sleep. An eye never opened.
Seifer shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts in his mind. "I ain't lettin' her do this alone, even if it's completely far-fetched."
"I... I gotta do this. I need to. I owe it to Rinny."
Saying her name in his mind flooded the memories he suppressed for years; memories of Garden, memories of sorrow, and memories of.. not remembering. But one stood out, the only one that could make him genuinely smile.
Seifer stared out into the endless cerulean sea. He stood there on the breezy harbor in Balamb, impatiently waiting for Fujin and Raijin to arrive so they could finally get down to some much needed fishing. Fishing was probably the only peaceful hobby that Seifer thoroughly enjoyed, and if it wasn't for Raijin who had his fishing pole from the other day, he'd have started already without his ragtag gang.
He peered at his watch and let out a low moan. "Damn it! Where are those idiots? Don't they know we gotta make curfew tonight?" Even after Seifer said this out loud, he knew he didn't care about curfew. That was one of the perks of being part of the Disciplinary Committee. Faculty didn't breath down his back as much as they used to. As much as people viewed him as a 'problem child', he had a way of weaseling out of trouble. Curfew was one of those things where he could 'fabricate' a situation.
A few more minutes passed and finally Seifer decided to give up playing the waiting game. Knowing them two, Raijin probably said something ridiculous and pissed off Fujin, and now she's busy beating him to a pulp. He got up from the wall he was leaning against and began to trek back to Garden, but someone from the corner of his eye caught his attention; a beautiful girl in light blue.
He studied the raven haired girl walking towards the docks with her fishing pole in hand. It made him halt in his steps, staring intently. With Balamb being a town of tourism, it wasn't so much that he never saw this girl that caused him to stop. It just seemed incredibly odd for a teenage girl having an interest in what most would consider a manly hobby. Fujin fished with Seifer and Raijin majority of the time, but she didn't count. She was.. unique enough. Seifer smirked instinctively at the thought, knowing his best 'girl' friend would not have appreciated such a compliment.
The young girl reached a section of the docks unpopulated and plopped herself down to the wooden ground as far as she could, keeping her knees bent with only her shoes touching the ground almost in a fetal-like position. She sat the pole in front of her and stared at it for a moment before fiddling with it. It was clear she had no idea what she was doing. Seifer grimaced when he saw her picking at the line in a way that would only tangle it to the point of no return. He needed to do something. No good fishing pole deserved such torture. It was his duty as head of the Disciplinary Committee to correct such wrongs. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that it was a cute girl in 'obvious' distress.
Seifer trotted her way with a pep in his step, his confidence and ego shining as bright as ever. He unnecessarily cleared his throat before commenting on her technique. "What kinda fish you hopin' to catch with yer line all knotted and tangled like that?"
Clearly surprised, the girl looked up at the blonde haired man towering above her. Her cheeks flushed rosey red, letting out an embarrassing laugh. "Is it that obvious I don't have a clue what I'm doing?"
He crossed his arms in a judging manner, speaking sarcastically. "I was almost to town square and could hear that pole cryin' for dear life."
"Oh, ha ha! Very funny," the girl said after sticking her tongue out at him like a five year old.
Seifer's eyes flashed to the fishing pole in her hand, noticing she was missing something vital. "You don't even have lure on the damn hook! Lucky fer you, I have some right here." He grabbed at his trench coat's pocket, pulling out some gummy like red lure that resembled worms. He took a seat next to her, letting his feet dangle above the motionless water below them. He motioned for the fishing pole and gave her a quick glance before looking back at his lure. "Here, gimme that pole."
With a smile finally appearing, she handed him what he asked. "So what are you? Some master angler that sneaks up on helpless girls who can't fish? And nonchalantly keeps worms in his pockets?" She welcomed his teasing with her own.
"Ya got me. Guess I'm no good at being smooth after all." He shot her a playful wink as his fingers quickly untwisted her line and hooked some lure on. Seifer put his arm out to hold the pole out, his eyes widening and his face bewildered as he finally realized what was in his hand. "This is a Galbadian 5000, one helluva pole! What's a rookie like you doin' with this baby?"
"My dad got it for me before we came out here on vacation," she said carelessly. "We were supposed to go fishing together, but of course, duty comes first." She rolled her eyes, giving a sarcastic salute towards the ocean before them.
Raising an eyebrow quizzically at her answer, he decided not to dwell more into that subject. When it came to parents, he really didn't know what to say to those situations. He had no parents.
"Well, fortunately fer you, you get to learn real skill now from yours truly!" And as he proudly exclaimed, he cast his line out in the sea. He looked back at his student with a face quietly screaming 'tah dah!'
After about ten seconds passed, the girl put her hand to her mouth and started giggling hysterically. She wasn't used to being with someone who eluded so much confidence. She felt attracted to his charisma.
"You won't be laughin' when I catch a Balamb sea bass with YOUR pole!" he yelled out with a laugh of his own.
An hour passed with the two exchanging friendly remarks while Seifer showed her how to fish. He even did the suave maneuver of sliding behind her and positioning her arms and hands for her for that 'perfect' cast. She even caught a fish but quickly released it over guilt causing Seifer to flip out but in a comedic way. Finally, the sun was fading and a voice was barely audible from their endless chatter.
"Rinoa! Your father's waiting for you at the hotel! You're late!" Both Seifer and the girl looked behind them, seeing an elderly lady standing near where the wooden docks connected to the ground.
"Oh! I was supposed to meet back with my dad for dinner," the girl said urgently, but also giggling at the same time.
Feeling a bit at fault, Seifer stood up immediately where he sat and put his hand out towards her to help her up. She beamed a smile as she looked up to him, taking his hand with no refute.
"Here, you take care of her. Don't be twistin' up that line again all crazy-like," Seifer ordered in a flirtatious manner.
She took her pole back with a smile that made even Seifer's heart of steel melt. "Thanks. I really enjoyed hanging out with you today. I'm going to be in town for the rest of the week... Are you.. doing anything tomorrow?" she asked shyly, looking down as her foot started drawing in the wood below her.
Seifer grinned like a little boy getting an ice cream cone. "How bout we meet up here, same time? I'll make sure to bring my own pole and we can fish together."
The girl happily clapped out of excitement and started running to the woman who called out to her. Stopping midway, she giggled once more and turned back to look at her new found friend. "Hey! I don't even know your name!"
"Seifer! But you can call me 'Mr. Master Angler Seifer' for you!" he yelled as he gave her a sly wink. His childlike grin never faded as he kept his eyes on her.
She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "My name's Rinoa. You better be here tomorrow!" And she was gone just as quickly as it seemed she appeared.
"Rinoa.." Seifer said to himself under his breath. His hand rubbed the back of his neck as he looked back into the quiet ocean. He couldn't quite understand how he was feeling. He continued to smile like an idiot, only knowing that he couldn't wait till tomorrow.
That same smile from his memories reappeared in the present. It's been a long time since Seifer allowed himself to look so far back in his past, before 'that'. Emitting a longful sigh, he slowly opened his eyes to return himself back to the unforgivable now. His tired eyes widened abruptly. Near the window he sat towards, he could clearly see from downstairs someone completely unexpected walking towards Ellone's front door. Out of instant shock, Seifer tried to stand up but plainly forget he was still leaning his chair on only the two back legs. Doing the opposite effect, he clumsily falls back making the house sound like an earthquake just hit.
"SHIT!" Seifer scrambled himself back up, quickly going for his boots as he heard a faint voice from the second bed away from him.
"Seifer... what's wrong?" the sleeping girl asked, now clearly awake. She started to sit herself up while rubbing her eyes of sleep.
Struggling to put his last boot on from being hasty, he motioned a hand towards the window and said pressingly, "I'm pretty sure that's yer pops out there!"
"What?! We need to go. We need to go!" She zoomed out of her bed, grabbing her shoes but not giving any moment to put them on. She scanned the guest room for her backpack and darted for it.
Taking one last swig of his beer for the road, he glanced back out the window and balled his fist in the air. "How the hell does that guy still have a head full of hair?! That can't be real!"
"Seifer, come ON!" the young girl forcefully grabbed his arm and dragged him out the guest room door.