Chapter 1: Some Things Slide Into Place
In Balamb Garden Squall and Seifer are fighting in the Training Center. A familiar scene to be sure since these two can't seem to agree on who's the better fighter. It's relatively often and even after the events of the Sorceresses the rivalry still lives on between them.
"You've got to change your technique up." Squall admonishes beginning the Renzokuken attack. "You're getting predictable."
"Really?" Seifer replies guarding with the Hyperion. "I would say the same about you!"
"I'm not kidding." Squall suddenly dodges left. "You're going to get hurt." He goes to Rough Divide Seifer with a polished motion of his weapon.
"You've done this before." Seifer counters crossing gunblades. "It won't work." He wrestles with the black jacketed one.
"It will if you do what I think you will." Squall groans straining back at the fair-haired warrior.
"You don't know anything!" Seifer yells jerking the trigger of his semi-automatic repeatedly.
"Like I thought." Squall holds steady despite the bucking of his weapon.
"What?" The Hyperion flies from Seifer's hands and his face is the picture of surprise. Not for long though.
The scene changes quickly. Before the thinner gun-steel hits the ground our combatants are at a stalemate. The Lionheart is at Seifer's throat while his glowing hand is millimeters from Squall's face.
"I told you that you would get hurt." Squall says evenly, holding stock still with his finger on the trigger. "You would be dead now if this were for keeps."
"Your head would be over there if this were for real." Seifer retorts, all but palming Squall's cheek with Fire Cross. "I would've blown it right off."
"We're using live ammunition if I pull-"
"I'll send your skull into that wall."
"I'm serious."
"Fire Cross is no joke!" They stare each other down for a while. Neither one moves. It's tension right out of an action movie for a few seconds and you'd wonder if they were just going to get messy for the fun of it for neither of them moving.
"Simmer down, simmer down." Says a voice somewhat annoyed. "Calm down, it's over."
"Quistis is right." Squall says.
"Yes Instructor." Seifer steps back.
"Now, are you two going again?" Quistis asks handing the taller of the two the Hyperion.
Seifer looks at Squall who nods. They draw back five paces and are in fighting stance quickly. They circle each other warily while Quistis leaves the battlefield to observe once again.
"He's so readable." Squall thinks. "Like clockwork."
"Crybaby's a lot better." Seifer thinks. "But I'll show him!" He rushes forward. "You ready?" He yells, trying to psyche himself up.
Squall nods. "Here he comes." He advances quickly. "First…"
"Demon Slice!" Seifer yells spinning 1080 degrees. The Lionheart deflects that to the side easily. The Hyperion springs back quickly to the defense of its owner despite the artful block tactic. "Huh?"
"Then…"
"No Mercy!" Seifer tries a diagonal blow to open an old wound (Like in the intro to the game). That's a bust when Squall steps back and to the side then goes for a counter that presses Seifer to go for another defensive move before taking doling out another attack.
"Followed by…"
"Ahhh!" Seifer tries the Zantetsuken Reverse maneuver. He attacks Squall over and over swinging the gunblade with gusto. At the end of the combo he unloads a magazine worth the ammunition at his opponent trying to break his guard. Imagine his surprise when the Hyperion flies from his grasp again. In a flash they are back where they started.
"You really are reckless." Squall says with the edge of his weapon on Seifer's neck.
"I'll burn you." Seifer says angrily in a low tone. His palm is almost touching Squall's nose.
"Okay, if you two could quit that maybe you could go one more time." Quistis mentions handing Seifer his gunblade again. "And be more careful with this thing!"
The owner of the lighter blade snatches it away and pops a fresh magazine into the weapon while Squall calmly takes his two empty cases and changes them. Never taking their eyes off one another they begin the dance again.
"Try something new." Squall suggests. "There are better things to do with all those bullets."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"You've got to be less impulsive." Squall insists. "Try thinking sometime; we aren't beginners anymore."
"Don't give me that!" Seifer runs at Squall and swings.
"Don't do what you always do." Squall counters his attack easily.
It's like another scene out of a movie. Every move Seifer uses takes a simple deflect to the side and he's struggling to keep the weapon in front of him and the blue gunsteel back from his person. It's like every time the weapons touch his springs away from him and he can't get it right. Recovering from one of Squall's parries he goes for a diagonal slash upward towards Squall's neck but his opponent leans back and knocks the shooting sword further up. It's all he can do to keep a grasp on the thing but it's over all ready.
"Damn it!" Seifer swears as the Hyperion is knocked away. "...!" He holds still as the Lionheart is under his chin again.
"Held onto it this time." Squall says. "Lot of good it did you."
Seifer says nothing. He knows he can't move or fire the gunblade in his defense and his pride is hurt. Apparent failure has never been easy to swallow.
"In this case you would be dead. No doubt." Squall sheathes his weapon with his routine flourish and turns on his heel. "You should train more." He walks away purposefully with no other words.
"Are you all right?"
"Leave me alone Instructor." Seifer stalks off angrily.
X
Outside Training Center Squall is walking nonchalantly back to his quarters. With today's training accomplished he's going to take a siesta. He can't help but feel a bit disappointed though, he hadn't been challenged enough to suit him.
"He should be much better. His skills aren't as sharp as they used to be." Squall thinks. "The same old tricks, doesn't he know how to improvise? I trained all this time and he is that weak? I can't believe he managed to give me this scar-"
"Hey Squall." A voice interrupts his thoughts. "I saw what happened back there."
"You did." Squall replies evenly not slowing down. "So?"
"You showed that braggart!" Zell says enthused, trying to keep pace with the SeeD commander.
"I don't care."
"How can you not care? Weren't you rivals? Aren't you still?"
"It was a waste of my time."
"I wish I could waste my time like that…"
"You can. Train." Squall walks into his room.
"He's got a gunblade. I've got nothing but these!" He holds up gloved fists.
"Train. You can always sharpen your skills." Squall shuts the door.
"Sharpen my skill, sharpen my skills." Zell mimics. "Won't help if I get a shooting sword taken to me!" He heads to the Quad still grumbling. He takes a seat amid some fourth year students and broods.
"You look down bud. What's the problem?" Irvine asks from a seat at the extreme end of the atrium as Zell walks in.
"Squall the Iceman." The martial artist says irritated.
"Giving you guff?"
"I don't even see why. I congratulate him on beating Seifer and he's telling me I can sharpen my skills!"
"That's him. I was in the Center earlier and I shot a T-Rexaur in the eye. You know what he tells me? I could've been faster on the draw."
"You can always sharpen your skills." Selphie pipes in.
"Sharpen my skills; I'm the best shot in Garden!"
"You'd think he'd loosen up already!" Zell says exasperated. "We defeated the Sorceress!"
"He is still Headmaster." Quistis reminds them from her chair near the water. "He believes one should always be prepared."
"Preparation can only do so much. I mean, what should I do? Live, eat and breathe training? Come on!"
"How much time does he want us to spend?" Selphie adds. "We passed the exam and graduated! What else is there?"
"I'm the best shot anywhere already!" Irvine exclaims.
"That doesn't matter." Quistis says dismissively. "I'm sure you know that."
"Not to you!"
"You're an instructor!"
"One of the only people who trains more than he does!"
"He wouldn't bother you." Rinoa joins in. "You are the reason he is the way he is."
"Why would you complain?" Quistis asks. "You're not a SeeD."
"Exactly." Rinoa replies. "I'm not. So until I am I have to train even harder than all of you!"
"But you're a Sorceress."
"You're his girlfriend."
"You're not serious are you?"
"Not even that matters in his eyes." Quistis says. "We have examples to set for everyone. So we can always-"
"Sharpen our skills!" Everyone finishes.
X
In the empty cafeteria Seifer sits at a table. It's not often he entertains thinking deeply but today is a special occasion. He's got something heavy on his mind and there's no denying it.
"I lost…" Seifer realizes. "No excuse, he flat out beat me."
"Ya alright, Boss?" Raijin asks. "We heard what happened."
"You heard Crybaby kicked my ass?"
"You'll get him next time ya know?"
"NEXT TIME." Fujin affirms.
"Man I don't know…"
"Huh? You're da best ya know?"
"PEERLESS."
"Why'd I lose then? All this back and forth and now he beats me hands down? What the hell?" Raijin and Fujin say nothing. Seifer draws the Hyperion seemingly without cause.
"Whoa man!" Raijin exclaims Bo stick in hand. "Little illegal ya know?" No drawn weapons outside the Training Center in peace time."
"CALM DOWN." Fujin commands kicking Raijin in the leg as is her habit.
Seifer ignores them. "What does he have that I don't?" He mumbles looking over his weapon. "Mine is sharper, lighter, and longer and has more bullets and two edges. There's got to be something I'm doing wrong…" His mind starts turning. "Maybe if…"
"What are ya doin'?"
"What does it look like?" Seifer says fiddling with his gunblade.
"I'm no expert but why take bullets out? Don't it have to be loaded?"
"QUIET." Fujin kicks Raijin again, reminding him why he walks with a limp.
"There, six." Seifer says dropping the extra rounds on the floor. "If that's your secret we can play that game."
X
The next day Squall is up early as always. It's early enough that monsters in the training area are asleep. He notes this with a snort and stalks about the facility looking for some action. Few others are hitting the Training Center this early and resting monsters are a complaint peculiar only to him because of that.
"Lazy monsters…what's the point?" He manages to find some awake and has some fun with them.
"You're up early." Rinoa says walking beside Squall from another low activity sector.
"I'm always up early. It's what SeeDs do. Why are you up at this time?"
"Practicing." Rinoa replies using Firaga. "You tell me a SeeD never stops training."
"No matter how good you think you are…" Irvine begins, walking out of the bushes.
"Or how long it takes…" Selphie continues.
"There is always room to sharpen your skills." Zell affirms.
"Isn't that right, Squall?" Quistis concludes.
The Garden leader nods at the impromptu surprise assembly. "You're never as good as you think." They stop talking. The ragtag elite of the mercenary school practice the techniques that they specialize in. These skills range from the powerful punches of Zell to the flawless aim of Irvine. They are doing this when Seifer makes his entrance rather tardily since he isn't an early riser by any means.
"I want to try again." Seifer says. "You beating me had to be some kind of fluke." He draws the Hyperion. "You ready?" Squall nods, always ready for a challenge, and they begin. Everyone fans out to give the two some room to fight and watches once again.
"Seifer isn't using any techniques from the texts on gunblading he's supposed to have studied." Quistis thinks watching the blonde gunbladier. "Without practice…" She sighs. "It'll happen again."
Zell glances over. "I'd love to be the one handing Seifer his head but I don't have the weapons…"
"Squall should really be easier on Seifer." Rinoa thinks casting Blizzaga. "He doesn't obsess over fighting anymore."
"What the heck is this?" Selphie wonders using her slot ability. "I've never seen this before."
"I'll just remove the ladybug from that leaf…" Irvine takes aim.
"Same moves over and over again." Squall thinks. "Will he ever learn?" He meets Seifer halfway. "What the-I can't see!"
There is a bright flash of light. Everyone notices it with an outcry of noise. Chaos ensues and everybody begins to panic. It's difficult to figure out what exactly is happening and the smell of adrenaline is thick in the air all of the sudden.
"Where is he?" Squall demands. "I can't see!"
"What the heck?" Rinoa wonders. "My spell failed? I'm a Sorceress, how?" She inquires of the air but there is no sound. "I'm silenced…"
"What am I doing? Must kill enemy!" Zell rushes off like one overcome with rage. Finding the nearest outlet he pounces on a T-Rexaur, giving the Ehrgiez a good warm-up.
"What's happened?" Selphie asks. "I don't understand."
"It's actually quite simple if you think about it." Quistis replies coughing. "You activated an ability that has inflicted status changes on everyone else. I am poisoned. Squall is blind. Rinoa is silenced. Zell is berserk and Irvine…"
"Irvine!" Selphie exclaims glancing at him. The sharpshooter is solid rock now. "No…"
"Now is not the time for panic." The instructor says coughing some more. "We should get some supplies and try to help them." Selphie nods. "Let's get Rinoa and Squall and help them out of here. We'll help Zell and Irvine later."
X
Seifer is lying face down on the ground. It wasn't in the plan to get whooped again but somehow he ended up the loser of a confrontation that hadn't even really started yet. Spitting a little dirt out of his mouth he's ready to give Squall a lot of credit for that last move since he didn't even say what the heck happened.
"What the hell happened?" He mumbles. "My head's spinning like a top…" He looks around. "He must've hit me pretty hard; I'm in la la land for sure."
Seifer takes in the scenery. Tall grass and trees too high to see the top of are its features. The rough coarse nature of the ground is new to him. He walks around in a state of giddiness trying to understand his surroundings. Uneven terrain threatens to topple him as he strides unsteadily in a strange fugue induced by his state of shock sort of like watching a drunk attempt an obstacle course.
"I'm so messed up." He mumbles. "Drugs are bad, drugs are bad." He reminds himself. "Oh damn…" He is confronted by a Grat. "This is one bad trip…" He turns to flee the mutant foliage. It pursues him but he jumps into the brush where it tries to use its tentacles to get at him. "…and it gets worse." He shakes his head and closes his eyes. "I swear I quit this crap…"
Suddenly Seifer hears a sound that he has trouble identifying. It's a lot like a sledgehammer being taken to a hedge. The tentacles quiver and droop but he can still hear the bashing sound. Whatever it is, the Grat can't stand up to it, that's for sure.
"Hi Yah!" Zell yells pummeling the plant. "Take that!" He heel drops it a few times for good measure. "Weak!" The karate master storms off quickly looking for more prey.
Seifer peeks out. One look at the Grat makes him shudder. It's pretty badly mashed. "This is getting too freaky." He starts walking. "Even for a hallucination." He walks faster. "There has to be an explanation, no matter how whacked out. I'm finding it." He decides climbing up a ridge. "There's Xu, Crybaby's right hand. She'll know what's up!" He goes closer to talk to her. "Oh…" He slows to a stop and looks up at her.
Xu is over one hundred feet tall.
X
In the training center Xu is practicing her swordsmanship. It's not hard to find her doing that since it's something she does first thing every morning. It's been that way since she graduated and she hasn't missed a day with the sole exception of when the Garden was in wartime and she had other duties. Even so, she's got the best record of consistent training in the academy.
"Must be perfect." Xu thinks to herself. "It is the only way I'll be able to beat him." She stops and takes a breather, still at the ready.
"It isn't fair!" She thinks angrily. "I've worked so hard for so long and he gets promoted to Headmaster…it isn't fair." She reflects on it a bit. "I had all the disadvantages. I'm short, I use old-fashioned weapons and I'm a girl. Nobody thought I would make a real SeeD but I showed them! I graduated with honors at the top of my class! But still Cid chose him over me. I've struggled for so long to be the best only to be denied the title because some apathetic guy with a gunblade was around. He didn't even want the job! I would've jumped at the chance but no!" She starts practicing again, throwing a bit more enthusiasm into it imagining a certain person beneath each strike being meted out justice by her blade.
"You lack the qualities necessary." Xu says sarcastically remembering Cid's words. "You aren't leadership material." She spits derisively. "You might as well have said 'it's because you look like a cheerleader.'"
True enough she cut quite a figure in the SeeD uniform. It was another thing that made her angry though. The shirt was far too tight and the skirt almost too short for modesty since it was a uniform meant for a cadet. Back when she attended class she was the only one excused when her uniform simply refused to fit to regulation standards because given the lack of a seamstress or tailor on staff there just was no rectifying it. Every time she walked around in it she felt as though all eyes were on her like the center of attention wherever she went. But that was a price she had to pay, being very much on the petite side there were no other garments that fit. The only thing that was worse than the clothing situation was the awkward feel of swinging her sword around while only four feet nine inches tall in the get up. Being the only female swordsperson in the Garden made it no easier. It was just another thing that made her stand out. She can't shake the feeling of being watched even now.
"All of this makes me sick!" Xu bursts out suddenly, fed up with the situation as she gets from time to time. "I can't stand Squall!"
"Amen to that sister!" A little voice seconds.
"Huh?" Xu looks over and spies Seifer at three inches tall standing and watching her. "I've been practicing too hard." She puts the sword away. "Maybe…
"I wish it was like that." Seifer says sympathetically walking closer. "It'd make a lot more sense but…"
"You're serious?" She looks down at him. He nods. "There must be something in the water." She puts one hand to her forehead and sits down. "This can't be…"
Seifer shakes his head. "This is all I know." He proceeds to relate what happened as he remembered it.
