Chapter One: The Serpent's Return

That night was darker than most of others. But it fit the mood. Imagine it: a villain who helped lead a sorceress on her crusade to conquer the world and demolish the SeeD slips through the gates of Garden and through the heightened security in ease with a mission on his mind. It made sense for the night to be dark, the stars and the sliver of crescent moon hidden from view by tumultuous clouds that looked ready to burst with thunder, lightning and rain.

Living in the orphanage, Seifer had always managed to find the best places to hide while playing hide-n-go-seek, and was always able to find key spots to slip out at night. Living at Balamb had been no different. While being the rebel that he is, he had managed to find closed corridors, 'secret' rooms, unused classrooms, and so much more while exploring and tormenting students and instructors. So breaking into Balamb was easy for him.

And why shouldn't it?

But his mission… His mission was something that would surprise the world, more than his betrayal of Gaia to the sorceress. In his mission, he would seek out the one person he knew that was both strong enough and weak enough to help him complete the mission. The mission? To become a SeeD in the fight against Ultimecia. Well, the SeeD part didn't matter to him anymore… He just wanted to prove his worth. Before he had fallen under Ultimecia's control because he wanted to prove he was better than Squall Leonhart. Now, his mindset had changed….

He wanted to prove he was no longer a little boy, no longer a puppy, no longer weak. At ease in warfare and skilled with a gunblade, he was not a man to mess with. But maybe that's not how he wanted to portray himself anymore… He was sick of being the one hunted. Villains always lost in the storybooks he had read after being orphaned and put under Matron Edea's care. He wanted to be a hero for once. Maybe then people would see him in the same light as that friggin' Leonhart.

But would the world accept him? Would they accept the fact that he was sick of fighting on the wrong side and actually believe that he wished to clear his name of the treason that he had unwillingly committed?

It doesn't matter. I'll force them if I have to… I'm sick of being a puppet and a little friggin' boy. They can't tell me what to do or who to be!

That was the second part of his mission. He thought about it as he forced entry into the dorm room and strode as quietly as the shadows beneath and around him through the sitting room to the bedroom. He could see her figure faintly, the dark night not leaving much light to see with. He could make out her slim waist and generous top covered only by a T-shirt. Her long legs disappeared underneath the blankets. Her blonde hair was loose for once and Seifer actually found himself staring at the sight of the waves of golden blonde hair that fanned out over her pillow.

But he stopped his gawking and slipped closer to the edge of the bed, pulling the knife from his pocket. He flicked it open, almost groaning when it got stuck and a large pop sound resounded against the dark walls of the quiet room. Quistis stirred in her sleep. But she didn't wake up.

Seifer lunged forward and grabbed the young woman, pressing one hand over her mouth and using their bodies to pin her arms behind her back. The other hand held the knife flat against her throat. She screamed into his hand but a nudge of the blade silenced her.

"Quistis, you're going to help me."

She squirmed against his touch and tried to use her legs to kick him in the crotch but he shoved her onto the bed. Quistis tried to scramble to her feet but Seifer put the blade between his teeth and pinned her down by sitting on her knees and grabbing her wrists. She tried to scream but he held both of her wrists with one hand and used the now free hand to silence her.

"Quistis, please stop… I really need your help. I've never asked anything of you before, but please just give me this one last chance…" He bowed his head and was silent for a few minutes before he lifted his head again. "Do you believe me?" She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to bite him. She clamped her teeth onto the skin of his palm and he yelped when he tried to tug his hand away. He managed to yank his hand away, retrieved the knife from the sheets and pressed it to her neck again.

"Stop!" He said sternly. "I don't want to have to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. So will you listen to me?" Her lips formed the word yes. She couldn't nod or say a word with the blade pressed so tightly against the white skin of her throat.

"Quisty, you know that I'm not really a bad guy… You know I'm not… I'm not trying to be a traitor. I'm just so sick of being seen in friggin' Leonhart's shadow… I want to be known for me… I always felt like no matter what, he was always better than me.. So being a traitor was the only way to get the attention I deserve. Or so I thought… Ultimecia came to me with a promise that I would be stronger and better than Squall..

She promised me the power but she turned me into her puppet instead… I've come to this realization… But I'm done with being a puppet… I want to help. I want to be a hero…"

He turned his dark green eyes on her, his face lighted faintly from the moonlight coming in through the window. "Will you let me help, Quisty? Please?" He watched as she nodded her head slowly, eyes wide. He slowly pulled away his hands and leaned back and away from the young woman. She reached her hand up to her wrist and rubbed it, a grimace on her face. He was sitting back on the heels of his feet, waiting for her to say something to him.

She turned the corners of her lips up into a toothy smile and in one swift motion, she brought her foot under his chin in a kick and with the other, shoved him backwards off of the bed. He landed with a crash onto the top of the desk. She struggled to her feet, throwing the sheets off. Seifer tried to get up but he fell off of the side of the desk, and into the chair. She grabbed her whip from the shelf above her bed and with one snap, had the leather strap around Seifer's throat. She yanked on the whip, pulling him towards her. When he had staggered into reach, his hands trying to pull the whip from his throat, she kicked at the sides of his legs, knocking him down again.

She pulled the whip away and cut a small gash along his cheek, while firmly planting her foot into his stomach. While he was curled up, clutching his stomach, she began to scream. "Somebody help! It's the traitor! It's Seifer, he's trying to kill me! Somebody please help me! It's Seifer!"

He rolled onto his back and looked up at her with blurred vision from the kick in the head. How could she do that to him? He would have thought that she would have been the one to understand him the most, seeing as she had suffered so much through the years. "Quisty… I just wanted to be forgiven." He closed his eyes as he heard the SeeD bust into the dorm door and flood into the apartment yelling and flailing weapons. They began to try to subdue him.

How much more do they need to subdue me? Seifer thought miserably, as he kept his eyes on the blonde woman, who was now backing into the corner of the room. He could see the doubt in her blue eyes but his world slid to black as a boot connected with the side of his head. "Quistis…" He murmured.

xxx

Squall kicked at the pebble on the ground, listening to Quistis's theories. He didn't like any of them, but she was his friend so it was the least he could do. He would much rather just dump Seifer on the Island Closest To Hell and leave him to die but Quistis was a little more passionate.

"I don't know if it's another ploy from Ultimecia or just an honest attempt to make wrongs right by Seifer. I think we should contain him in the detention center and keep him under close surveillance. If he acts like the good ol' Seifer we know, then maybe something can be considered. We could - "

Squall gave the pebble one last good kick before stopping in his tracks and turning to her, storms in his eyes. "Just a few problems with that plan. If he really is being controlled by Ultimecia, the detention center would be a minor obstacle in destroying Garden. Secondly, there's not gonna be any considering anything with him. He's a traitor and a criminal. As soon as possible, he's going to trial to probably be put to death. Problem solved." He turned away from Quistis to avoid the glare she would most likely give him.

Quistis crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the back of his head. "I thought I used to know you inside out. But the Squall I knew was never this heartless." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the Quad. She passed by Rinoa who was hurrying into the Quad.

"Squall! Squall! We need to go to Esthar. Laguna is there and he wants to discuss the plans for defeating Ultimecia." She said, skidding to a stop in front of him. Squall nodded and followed her back inside and headed up to the deck to make an announcement to Garden.

xxx

I'm not really a bad guy…

I'm sick of being a puppet… I want to help.. I want to be a hero…

Quistis closed her eyes against the sounds of his pleas in her mind as the students quieted down when the loudspeaker switched on. They were met with Squall's voice.

"Plans have been made to defeat Ultimecia. The others and I will take the Ragnarok to Esthar to discuss plans with President Laguna on how to defeat the Sorceress Ultimecia. All SeeD be on alert. Instructor Trepe report to the bridge immediately." The announcement ended with another beep and Quistis groaned before climbing to her feet and heading towards the bridge.

She slid in through the door, her head down. She had a bad feeling that he wasn't too happy with her, especially after he had time to think over what she had proposed to him. When she walked out onto the bridge, Rinoa stood with Squall and Nida. "Yes, sir?" Quistis asked, blandly.

Rinoa looked from Squall to Quistis. When neither of them said a word, Rinoa stepped forward and took the moment. "I talked it over with Squall and convinced him not to kill Seifer. But…" She started as Quistis looked up, hopefully. "But he will not fight in the battle against Ultimecia. We have too much on our hands with out worrying that he will turn on us mid-battle. Or that Ultimecia will try to use him again. So he will stay in the Detention Center, under your care and watch. He-" Squall stepped in front of Rinoa, to finish.

"He will not be allowed to leave detention. If I find out that he does, Quistis, you will lose your position as SeeD." He threatened. Quistis saluted him and walked away, not waiting for any more. The war had changed them all… In more bad ways than good.

xxx

As Quistis watched him through the two-way mirror, she felt like she was watching some caged beast at the zoo. She watched as he tossed and turned in his tranquilizer-induced sleep. She rested her chin in her hand and wondered what nightmares plagued him. Was he dreaming about Ultimecia? Or was he really still being controlled by Ultimecia, and she was trying to force his body to overcome the tranquilizer effects? Quistis shook his head. No, Seifer had been too sincere for it to be Ultimecia.

When she had looked into his poisonous eyes in Deling, she could see the hatred and evil in his eyes. Then she had just believed that he hated all of them for some reason but afterwards she understood that dark look when she had seen the same in Ultimecia's eyes. But last night, when she had looked into his eyes, she could see the little boy looking out at her, begging her for help.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She was so tired. After he had broken into her room and attacked her last night, she hadn't been able to fall back asleep. Instead she herself had tossed and turned, a million and one things on her mind. When the sun rose and poured over her bed, she finally gave up on trying to capture the eluding sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she found a pair of green ones face to face with her. She almost screamed but remembered the pair of SeeD outside the door and clamped her hand over her mouth quickly. She steadied herself and forced herself to look back at the two-way mirror. Seifer stood in front of the mirror, cupping his hands over it, trying to peer inside. He stepped back, scratching his head.

"Hello?" He called out, his voice raspy. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello? Anyone there? Quistis?"

She hurried to the side of the mirror to grab the phone that served as a microphone into his cell. "Seifer?" She said.

He jumped at the sound. "Not so loud…" He groaned, rubbing his temples with two fingers. He strode back over to the bed and sat down but stared at his reflection in the mirror, knowing that Quistis was somewhere on the other side. "What happened?"

She sighed and sat in the chair. "They tranquilized you after I screamed. They beat you up really bad before they put you in this cell. Squall almost didn't let Dr. Kadowaki in here to heal you but Rinoa make him. She healed you and told them to leave you alone but the SeeD tranquilized you again after she left."

He nodded slowly and straightened his shirt a little and glanced around the room. "That Rinoa… Even after we broke up, she still said she cared about me… I'm surprised she actually told Squall to let me be healed." He smiled sadly.

"She even talked Squall out of killing you." Quistis added, nonchalantly.

Seifer laughed. "I think I might ask her back out as soon as I get my name cleared." He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He grabbed the blanket from the floor and curled up under it.

Quistis watched him, looking intently for any signs that he was being possessed. She lifted the phone back up to her face. "You do know that they are engaged, don't you?" She already knew the answer. He didn't respond. "Were you being sincere?"

He looked at the mirror. "Yeah."

xxx

Quistis cast Silence magick on the mirror before she lifted the heavy metal chair with Aero magick and flung it through the mirror. Seifer caught it and gently set it down on the floor, careful not to make a sound. He jogged over to the shattered glass and stepped up, using her hand to get up into the room.

She looked behind her at the shattered mess and sighed. She knew that her position as a SeeD was over with but did she really care? Maybe it was about time that she left Garden behind her and with it, all the awful memories. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around before she remembered that Seifer was a good guy.

"Thanks, Quisty…" He scooped her up into his arms and gave her a big hug. She rested her head on his shoulder and really hoped for her sake, and for the sake of the world that he was really a reformed man.

"Shh…" She whispered, holding a finger to her lips as she pulled away from his embrace. Seifer didn't need to be told twice. He glanced back at his prison cell once more before he creeped to the door with Quistis. She looked out the square glass window at the two SeeD standing as guards. She pointed to the one on the right, then pointed at Seifer. He nodded and she opened the door.

She stepped through first and turned towards the SeeD on the left. She flashed him a smile, showing him every one of her brilliantly white teeth. "Hi." She said, giggling and twirling her blonde hair around a finger. The SeeD, also an avid Trepie, grinned stupidly and muttered a hello back. The other SeeD rolled her eyes and looked down the hall to the right.

Seifer stepped up behind her and grabbed her from behind, and cast a Sleep magick on her. He held her and slowly lowered her to the floor. The male SeeD saw Seifer but when he opened his mouth to shout, a Silence magick was shoved down his throat and although his mouth was wide, no sound came from it. He tried to grab his gun but Seifer beat him with a punch to the side of the head.

"Time to go?" He asked, looking down at the blonde beside him. She nodded.

"Yes, it's time to go." She glanced up and down the hall. She could hear the voices of several other students echoing down the hall. She looked back at the man standing beside her, who stood out from the uniformed students in his black pants and dark blue shirt with the noticeable white cross. "Here, steal this guy's uniform and put it on. Don't forget the helmet and sunglasses. We'll head to the Parking Lot and escape to try and head off the others on the Ragnarok. Hopefully, they'll give us a ride!"

Seifer grinned at her. "Not only are you good at flirting with students, you are oh so smart!" He tapped her temple and she swatted at him.

"Shut up and get changed, will you?" Quistis snapped, but she couldn't help but smile as Seifer grabbed the SeeD's helmet and strapped it to his head. He sloppily saluted her.

xxx

Squall looked at Rinoa and nodded to her. This was it. He looked at the clock; the hours were slowly ticking away until time compression and until the battle would begin. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. She held it tightly in her own and her other hand traced over the veins and scars. When she looked up at him, a tear streaked down her cheek. He wiped it away.

"Fight with me, Rinoa?" He asked softly. "Stay by my side?" She smiled and nodded. He wrapped an arm over her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. They stepped out of the elevator and into the cabin of the Ragnarok. They watched Balamb Garden become a speck in the distance as the ship took off, headed for Esthar.