Disclaimer: I only own a single copy of the game. Oh, and the soundtrack! Yay!
A/N: Completely random one-shot that came into my head. Rated 'T' for language. Please enjoy and review!
Seifer sat impatiently in a seat on the far side of the train, tapping the dull edge of his gunblade against his shin. The other passengers were giving him a wide berth, either because he was brandishing the weapon for all to see, or because the rage apparent on his face made him look more than likely to use it. A shrill whistle announced the train's imminent departure, and Seifer released a sigh of relief, collapsing against the chair's cushions. "Finally! Damn train takin' it's own sweet time...I'd love to 'remind' the conductor of his duties...but I gotta keep a low profile."
"Seifer Almasy!"
"Shit. There goes the profile." He looked up to see a very outraged, very dangerous, and very gorgeous woman standing directly in front of him, completely out of breath, her blond locks mussed from leaping onto the train at the last second before the doors closed. "Why Instructor, what a surprise. I never expected you to follow me here. May I see your ticket?" He added with a smirk.
"Fuck the ticket Almasy. What the hell are you doing on this train?"
Seifer raised a single eyebrow in mild surprise. The lady had just cussed. He had lived to see the day after all. "Well, it's a funny thing really: This train just happens to be going to Timber. And what do you know, I'm headed off to Timber myself. It was just so convenient, I couldn't pass it up."
"You- you fool! You idiot! You stark raving lunatic! What in Hyne's name do you think you're going to do in Timber?!"
Passing his hand casually over his blond hair (in what he was sure was an infuriatingly arrogant gesture) he grinned up at her. "Save the world, of course."
Quistis Trepe stared at him, fury blazing in her ice blue eyes. Then suddenly the look was gone, to be replaced by a tired and careworn eighteen year-old girl. To Seifer's utter amazement (not that he was about to let it show) she half fell onto the seat beside him, hugging her arms tight against her body.
"What's this Instuctor? No lectures? No discipline? Aren't you going to drag me back kicking and screaming, only to whip me to death for my insubordination? Mind you, I can think of worse ways to die."
"Shut up Almasy. You know I'm not an instructor anymore."
"Too bad Trepe, 'cause you'll always be 'instructor' to me."
Quistis was silent for a moment, her face drawn. "Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly.
"Doing what? Running off? I told you already Instructor, I gotta save the world from those sorry ass SeeDs."
"But what about Garden? About becoming SeeD? That was your dream, wasn't it? It'll never happen now. Worst case scenario; they'll hunt you down. Best case; they won't ever let you come back."
Seifer waved away her complaints. "Please Instructor, I'm not as stupid as Chicken Wuss. I know that already. Your bitchy friend had a point: I'll never be SeeD. I don't take orders. So why pretend? Instead, I'm going to go out and fight for something. Protect something. That's my real dream. SeeD was only one way for me to achieve it. I'm moving on to bigger and better things now."
Quistis sighed and leaned back, fiddling uncharacteristically with a few strands of her hair. "Seifer? What are you fighting for?" The bluntness of her question momentarily threw him off guard. "Hell if I know."
"Lying doesn't become you Almasy. Now tell me the truth: is it for that girl?"
"What girl?"
"That black haired one, at the ball. The one who ordered SeeD in the first place. Is all this for her?"
Seifer studied Quistis; her eyes, her body language, her tone of voice. When he was satisfied, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Yes and no. I mean, it's for her, sure, but it doesn't have to be her. I want to be somebody's knight Trepe, somebody's defender- it doesn't matter if they're right or wrong. And Rin, she depends on me. She's hopeless on her own; a naive little princess, trapped in a fantasy world. I'm just the one who fights for her there."
Quistis stared at him. "It sounds so...worthless."
"Worthless?! What the hell do you mean by worthless?"
The passengers were now cowering from Seifer in terror, but Quistis continued to watch him with calm, steady eyes. "I mean there are better things to go out and fight for."
The train shifted then, slowing down as it reached its final destination. Seifer stood up and stretched out his long legs. "Like what Instructor? Like who? That girl may be whiny, and vain, and selfish, but she needs me. Take yourself now for example: I've seen you fight. You're tough. Deadly even. You can take care of yourself. You don't need anyone to protect you. What good is that to me?"
A bell chimed as the train pulled into the Timber station, shuddering to a halt. Seifer smirked at her as the doors behind him slid open. "Coming Instructor?" He asked, before turning around and running out of the doors and through the station. Quistis watched the grey dust jacket flapping as he ran, diving through clusters of pedestrians and forcing them to scatter.
"Maybe I don't need you -or anyone- to protect me," she whispered as the fierce and stubborn man vanished in the crowd, "but I want it." And with that, Quistis exited the train, following Seifer as fast as she could towards the television station.
A/N: Review?