Title: Peace in Blood
Author: Mynd's Matter
Pairings: Seifer/Quistis with some Selphie/Irvine, Squall/Rinoa
Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 or any of its characters. All original characters included in this story do belong to me however.
Author's Note: This is the sequel to my fic "The War of Words" and I recommend reading that first as it deals with how character relationships develop and also lays out the storyline for the conflict between the GFs and the SeeDs. However you do not have to read it and following is a short summary for those of you who haven't. Everyone else can continue onto the story.
Summary: Quistis was forced to enlist Seifer's help when travelling to Esthar to investigate a mysterious death. Many strange twists and turns lead them to discover two Guardian Forces impersonating figures of power. An eventual attack by Galbadia and Esthar against the Gardens to release "imprisoned GFs" destroyed most of Balamb Garden and killed hundreds. B Garden was rebuilt after Squall negotiated a peace treaty with the GFs. Some have remained loyal to Garden however.
Prologue: Battle Before the Calm
7 years later...
He was tired, hot, and bloodied. It was the dead of summer and in the north-eastern forests of the Galbadian continent and that meant high temperatures and high humidity. As he hacked his way through the underbrush with his gunblade, Seifer felt his arm clenching beneath the black t-shirt he wore. Blood from the bullet wound in his shoulder was threading its way down his arm, sliding wetly over the sinewy muscles. Sweat licked his brow and trickled down the back of his neck. He stilled his breathing, nearly silent as he listened for sounds around him.
He'd been tracking the Galbadian terrorist for weeks now, chasing him from Deiling City to Timber, and finally to here - where he'd gotten word of a small convoy heading from the nearby village into the depths of the forest.
It had been barely dawn when he'd come across their camp. As usual, Seifer was working alone. However the target wasn't. The group consisted of a good seven or eight men - all with varying military and extremist backgrounds. The element of surprise had served him well enough and he'd taken out four of them before they'd realized what was happening, unfortunately not without taking a hit of his own. The others had split up, fleeing into the jungle in different directions. Seifer was intent on pursuing his primary target, but he had to be on guard.
Right now another man might be worrying about his own life, or thinking about those who'd he leave behind if he died. But Seifer was not that kind of man. He was focused in on the task at hand. If he completed the job, then he went home alive and a few thousand gil richer. If he didn't, well then he'd likely be dead, and it would no longer be his problem. But he didn't plan on dying.
Slipping between two thick-trunked trees, he pressed his back to one and shifted his grip on Hyperion. Sunlight slipped between the leaves, scattering patterns over the dirt and ground covering plants. He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching as a cluster of leaves shook slightly, trembling despite the lack of breeze. Seifer's body was as taut as a bow, the pain in his shoulder barely a memory now.
Only a foot or two away from him the man stepped into view. He was wearing all black and carried only a rifle with him. Dirt and sweat streaked a face that was crossed with scars and Seifer watched him with impassive eyes. This was not his target, but he'd been briefed on the man- a former soldier in the Galbadian Army, he'd been badly injured when they'd launched their attack against Balamb Garden nearly ten years ago now. His anger at the government that had allowed a corrupt politician to put them in the situation, and anger at SeeD had driven him to join the terrorist cell.
Seifer could hear the man's breathing now, faint as it was. With a flick of movement he drove the blade of Hyperion through the man's back, straight to his heart with enough force to kill him instantly. A silent and quick kill was necessary with others around. He lowered the body to the ground, pulling his weapon free. It made a faint sucking sound as it slid through the blood, bones and flesh and Seifer scanned the area quickly before moving on.
Low hanging branches caused him to duck as he stepped carefully past a cluster of bushes. Up ahead the trees thinned and he knew that beyond them lay Obel Lake. It was far more likely that the terrorists would stick to the shadows and relative safety of the forest until nightfall, so he turned toward the south and scanned the area again. His arm was throbbing but he couldn't risk casting cure now because any noise might alert any nearby enemies.
Seifer lifted his head at the sound of birds flapping through the canopy, disturbed from their roosts. He headed in that direction, holding his weapon at the ready.
The two men spotted one another at the same time and then nothing was still. Dirt was kicked up and branches snapped when bodies rushed past. Blades met with a dull ringing of metal against metal and scraped together as they struggled to over-power one another. Seifer had studied his target well. He knew that the man used a special sort of serrated knife with a curved tip.
Seifer used a powerful upwards slash to knock his opponent backwards, but the man quickly recovered, sweeping his own blade through the air. Seifer stepped back in time to dodge the blow, swinging Hyperion around to catch the other man in the side. The target cried out as it cut into his skin, deep enough to soak the grey t-shirt he wore with blood. Seifer quickly pulled back to block another attack, the serrated edge of the knife screeching against the flat of Hyperion's blade.
The sounds of blades ringing together filled the air as they fairly danced around each other. One man moved with power and grace, the other with speed and desperation. When Seifer moved in for the kill- spying an opening when his opponent dropped his arm just slightly, they both seemed to move as one. Hyperion pierced through the man's chest with the weight of his whole body behind it as he shoved forward. At the same time his attacker thrust out with his own hand, his blade digging into Seifer's side between his two lowest ribs.
As Hyperion pierced the terrorist's heart, blood spewed forth like a fountain from his mouth, dribbling down his chin and throat. Seifer withdrew his blade and stepped back, breathing harshly, the knife still embedded in his side as the other man dropped forward with a thud. He was dead- assignment completed.
Seifer lowered his gunblade slowly, glancing down at the knife in his ribs. Hoping it hadn't pierced anything vital, he closed his free hand around the handle and drew it free with a wince. Dropping it to the ground, he quickly cast a cure spell, taking care of the worst of his wounds. The pain stayed with him though and he leaned down to wipe the blood from Hyperion on the pants of the dead man.
He was really looking forward to going home.
oooOOOOooo
"Leonhart, I totally kicked your butt!"
Aidan raised a brow as he walked slowly towards the blonde who stood several feet away from him in the meadow that stretched out between the small cluster of houses and Balamb Garden in the distance. She smirked at him, a superior look on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her blonde hair was parted in the middle, cut to chin length, and she was taller than him, a fact which annoyed him despite his mother's assurances that he'd grow once he hit his teen years.
Aidan ran a hand through his own brown hair and looked at her mildly. "I told you I wasn't going to race you here, Em. So you didn't kick my butt at anything."
She made a face at him. "You're so boring. I don't know why I even hang out with you."
He didn't bother to reply, sitting down in the long grass with a sigh. He lay back, pillowing his head on his folded arms as he stared up at the sky. Clouds drifted above, and he tried to think of what each one resembled. After a moment, Em plopped down beside him, sitting Indian style. She wore a pair of denim shorts and had the long skinny legs common of active girls her age. On one knee she had a multicolored band aid- a wound she'd suffered earlier in the week when they'd climbed the old oak tree on a neighbor's lot. Turned out the tree was so old it was rotting- something Em had discovered when the branch holding her weight had snapped and she'd tumbled a few feet to the ground. Luckily, bruised elbows and a scraped knee were the worst injuries she'd suffered. Though they'd both suffered through a lecture from their mothers.
"I hope my dad is home soon," she finally spoke up from beside him, her fingers worrying at a blade of grass. "He's been gone for almost a month."
"He's been gone that long before," he replied, glancing over at her. "So has my dad, and your mom for that matter. You should be used to it by now."
She let out a sharp breath of annoyance, turning to stare down at him. "Of course I'm used to it. But that doesn't mean I don't miss them when they're gone."
He shrugged slightly. "You're such a girl sometimes."
She threw a handful at grass at his face and he sputtered when it got in his mouth and moved to retaliate, ripping out a clump with the roots still attached, dirt and all. It smacked her in the cheek and slid down to land in her lap- leaving a brown streak down her face and over her grey t-shirt.
"You JERK!" She lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.
"You started it!" he protested, struggling to push her off him as she ground the dirt into his hair.
He shoved her off him and stood, frowning down at her. "That was totally unnecessary."
"You deserved it." She stood, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I'm going home."
"Me too," he said futilely running his hands through his hair to try and get the dirt out.
They frowned at one another then started to walk side by side.
"Don't you miss your dad when he's gone?" Em asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.
"I guess." Aidan shrugged, slightly. "But Mom's always there and you're always next door to annoy me."
She made a face at him and he smiled slightly.
"My dad said it was an Almasy trait to be annoying," he told her and she scowled in response.
"My dad said things about your dad that my mom says I shouldn't hear or repeat."
She headed for the back door of her house as they reached the property and waved to Aidan as he continued on, heading for his own house the next lot over.
The back door slammed shut behind her as she trudged inside and dutifully wiped her sneakers on the mat before heading towards the kitchen. Em paused when she heard voices, and then ran the rest of the way there. Her mother was standing at the counter, leaning against it with a glass of lemonade in her hand. But what really drew her attention was the man sitting at the table. His blond hair was damp as if just from a shower, and his eyes were shadowed from lack of sleep. He was eating a sandwich and an open bottle of beer sat before him, condensation dripping down the glass surface. Both of the room's occupants had turned to look at Em when she'd appeared at the doorway.
"Dad!" She smiled and rushed to hug him, not really hearing when her mother asked her why she had dirt all over her.
Seifer reached out with one arm to return the hug, wondering with some latent parental fear if his daughter had grown by a foot since he'd last seen her.
"Hey, Shrimp. You got taller while I was gone. Gonna have to find a new nickname."
She laughed, going to the fridge for some lemonade. "I only grew by like an inch, Dad. Mom measured." Em pointed to the growth chart that was carefully marked with height and date on the kitchen wall.
He watched her stand on her toes to pull a cup from the cupboard, eyeing the dirt that streaked her face and clothes. "Aren't you a little old to be playing in the dirt?"
She frowned, taking a long drink before letting out a sigh. "It's Aidan's fault, Dad."
Quistis raised a brow from where she stood, turning to put her glass in the sink. "Somehow I doubt you're blameless. Go wash your hands and face and change your clothes."
"Mooooom!" she groaned. "Why? We're not going anywhere."
"That doesn't mean you get to be filthy in the house. The sooner you do it, the sooner you can spend time with your father."
With a huff, the girl dumped her cup in the sink and trudged from the room. Both parents watched her go with slight amusement.
When they heard the sounds of her footsteps retreating upstairs Quistis shook her head slightly, moving to sit across from Seifer at the table.
"So, Xu was telling me something troubling," she began and their eyes met across the table. "Apparently a young explorer was in Fisherman's Horizon seeking passage to the Centra continent."
Seifer paused, the sandwich halfway to his mouth, and stared at her. "Doesn't he know that's forbidden as an act of war?"
"Apparently he comes from some money," she replied, shaking her head. "Got some fancy lawyers who claim that because the treaty is between the Gardens and the Guardian Forces, those not affiliated with Garden do not have to hold to its agreement."
"Loophole or not, that guy is going to end up dead, and he may bring a shitstorm down on the rest of us." He scowled slightly, having lost his appetite.
"I know. We tried to contact the ship that took him there but with no luck. So Selphie took a team out on the Ragnarok to see if they can intercept him before it's too late."
"Let's hope they can," he muttered.
Their conversation trailed off as Em's steps were heard descending the steps and Seifer took another bite of his sandwich, trying to push away worries of an all-out GF war so that he could enjoy this time with his family.