He heard the shouting - "SHERIFF! SHERIFF! We got trouble!" - and heavy, running footfalls long before Chet barged through the doors of the jailhouse. "They's comin'! Just over the rise outside the north end a' town!"

He pushed his hat off his face and turned his head to Chet with a look that didn't need any words.

"The Leonheart Gang! All four of 'em!"

He listlessly pulled his legs from the desk and his spurs jangled when his feet hit the floor. He let out a tired sigh and walked over to the window. Chet was panting so hard, Seifer would've thought he'd run all the way from the next town over rather than from a quarter mile up the road if he didn't know better. "Go tell the others to keep their eyes open. I'll let 'em know if I need 'em."

"Sure thing, Sheriff."

As soon as he saw Chet disappear into the saloon across the street, sheriff Seifer Almasy stepped out of the jailhouse and waited for Leonheart to make the town gate. They weren't riding in their standard formation, which gave him a good reason to worry. They always rode two-by-two if they were expecting - or planning - some trouble, but a deviation from that could mean that they were on a scouting trip or that they'd developed a new strategy. Their pattern now was Leonheart flanked by Dinct and Heartilly with Tilmitt riding behind. What the hell was he looking to do?

He didn't want to deal with Leonheart today. Two months ago was recent enough and having Heartilly around always made an untenable situation that much worse. Leonheart was an arrogant jackass on the best of days and even if the insufferable son-of-a-bitch didn't want to start any trouble, Seifer didn't have to look too far to find ways to better spend his time.

He reached up and absentmindedly scratched the faint scar at the top of the bridge of his nose with his thumbnail. He looked slowly from one end of the wide avenue that split the town to the other, taking stock of his surroundings. Fujin was sitting in a chair just outside the doors of the saloon rolling a coin across her knuckles and Raijin had taken up a post further down the street near the livery. Seifer gave each of them a head nod in turn as he noted their positions.

Leonheart's group passed through the town gates and Seifer's breath caught in his throat. Heartilly wasn't even with them. Tilmitt was the opposite flank of Dinct and Trepe was the one riding behind.

The group stopped two or three yards from the jail's hitching posts and made no moves to dismount. Seifer stepped down into the street and met Leonheart's eyes. He couldn't help but notice the scar that mirrored his own was redder, more jagged - angrier - on Leonheart even since the last time Seifer had seen him.

"I ain't lookin' to get into anything with you today, Leonheart."

Squall cocked an eyebrow and a small bolt of lightning kicked up some of the dirt in front of Seifer, who broke eye contact long enough to see a tendril of smoke rise from the small hole. When he looked back up, Leonheart had a half-smirk showing beneath the shadow of the brim of his hat.

"Maybe we're lookin' to get into somethin' with you, Almasy."

Seifer pulled his gaze away from Leonheart to focus on Dinct. "Its a good thing I know why your boss don't speak much anymore, you ugly bastard. Otherwise, I'd be less likely to put up with you runnin' your mouth than I already am."

Dinct's eyes narrowed and Seifer saw his shoulders tense.

"Go ahead and try somethin', chicken fucker. I'll put an extra hole in your head before you can even get off that nag you call a horse."

Dinct relaxed. He smiled around the toothpick he was chewing on and managed to look even more predatory than usual. The deep bronze tan of his skin already made the ghostly pale of the brand on his face a frightening contrast, but when his lips pulled back to show his teeth, he looked more like a ghoul than a man.

Seifer addressed the group as a whole, making an effort to not look at Trepe, and he could see from the corner of his eye that she was doing the same thing. "Look, I know you ain't here for a quick visit and a chat about my day, so just say your piece and move along. Guns-for-hire stirrin' up trouble in my town ain't nothin' I got time for.

Dinct looked like he was about to say something else when Leonheart casually put a hand on his shoulder and gave a small shake of his head. At that, Trepe dismounted and pulled something from her saddlebag. She approached Seifer and held out a small sheaf of papers. "Comin' from us, you won't be inclined to take this seriously, but let me assure you that you should."

Seifer took the papers and read them. He couldn't resist a chuckle from escaping his throat. "Somebody's payin' you twenty thousand gil to track down your own sister and you took the job?" Squall clenched his jaw as Seifer fixed him with a lopsided grin. "You're more of an asshole than I thought, Leonheart."

Trepe took the requisition back from Seifer and gestured broadly to all of them. "Look, Almasy, our history's got nothin' to do with this. We're doin' a job and we don't want to interfere with you doin' yours. Tell us if you've seen her and we'll be on our way."

"Otherwise," Dinct piped up, "we stay awhile." He was openly shifting his gaze from Fujin to Raijin and back again, spoiling for a chance to start a fight.

"How about I pay you twenty five thousand to leave right now and never come back?" Seifer was looking at Trepe when he asked, but it was Tilmitt who responded.

"You'd do that to protect her? You ain't that stupid. 'Sides, we'd just take the money and burn Balamb to the ground anyway."

"No you won't."

"How d'you figure?"

"'Cause she ain't here, that's how. And that standin' order you got expires in two weeks. You ain't gonna spend valuable time makin' my town a bonfire when you need to be travelin' on."

Dinct, finally settling his attention back on Seifer, scoffed. "You ain't got that much money no way."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But I know how Pretty Boy is when it comes to gil," Seifer visibly grinned when Squall stiffened at being called that. "I'd rob my own damn bank to give you enough to clear the hell out and never darken my door again."

"No deal." Leonheart's voice was the sound of sand pouring over rusted metal - nearly inaudible and so coarse it could almost be mistaken for another language. The four of them all turned to look at him as he continued. "If she ain't here now, she's been here. I'm givin' you a day to pull your head outta your ass, Almasy. This time tomorrow, we'l be back and ask again. The answer we want gets you a bit of extra gil and a wide berth from us from now on."

"Lemme guess, the other answer gets me dead from Dinct jabberin' at me all day."

Dinct sneered and spit his toothpick at Seifer.

"The answer we don't want," Leonheart continued, "gets me tellin' Rinoa to make you the sheriff of a fuckin' crater full of ghosts in the middle of goddam nowhere." Without breaking eye contact, Leonheart made a small gesture with his hand. Two lightning bolts landed at the same time. One in front of Fujin and another in front of Raijin. Leonheart showed his teeth in a full smile and though Seifer fought not to let it show, he felt his skin crawling with fear.

So here's a bunch of things happening at once: I'm not only attempting an AU, but a multi-chapter AU with Seifer as the hero of the piece and the people we usually see as paragons being truly despicable human beings. Not only do I think this will be fantastic fun to write, but I'm getting to establish a rather funky western-style headcanon for myself. And since you made it all the way down to my author's note, you're at least a little invested, right? Good. Chapter two is on the way...