Chapter Two: Rejection
Of course his companions were none too pleased with his desire. Fujin usually spoke very little but when she did, everyone around her listened. When he told them of what he was planning to do, she pursed her lips and gave him a stern glare that spoke much stronger than words. Raijin, by comparison, was loud; his speech was of a more jovial nature than his pale sister. But even this loud moron was taken aback when the idea was proposed to him. They tried to talk Seifer out of it, tried reminding him of how badly they were treated there. It was useless; his mind was made up.
They knew him long enough to know that he was unmovable once he reached a decision. Convincing him to go against his ideas was like talking to a brick wall: useless. Or, as Fujin put it: "POINTLESS. TOO STUBBORN." At last they gave up and agreed to go with him on this insane expedition. They had a choice to leave his side, but they wouldn't have done that. Together they went back to the place they did not belong: their home.
On the way to their home, the three tried not to talk about the past. He learned that it took him three months to fully recover from his injuries. Three months. That was certainly long enough for his enemies to forget about him. Perhaps when he went home, no one would give him a second thought. They might even think he was a ghost. Fujin was often mistaken as a ghost because of her skin; only their loud companion would be obviously alive. Seifer hadn't made plans to stay in their home for long. He only wanted to see it again before they began their journey into nonexistence.
The world around them would be much happier thinking the three of them were dead or in an isolated area. All he wanted was just one good look at his home to fix it in his memory forever. It wasn't a place where he was welcome even before all this mess started, but it was the only home he knew. Other than that orphanage. He questioned why he wasn't going there instead. There wouldn't be anyone there to welcome him; he and his two friends would be alone. It was the safer route but a lonelier one as well. Maybe what he was really wanting was someone waiting for him, welcoming him back. No one would welcome him in that place. Why was he going there? Why was he going back to where he didn't belong?
He thought about the people he would see when he returned home. Many of them were mere faces without names. Then he remembered those he grew up with in the orphanage. He first saw in his mind a teen with a scar much like his own. He and this person were in many battles as both friend and foe long before he became a wanted man, and many afterwards as well. All memories associated with Squall Leonhart weren't very pleasant. He moved on to another male, this one with a permanent grin etched on his tattooed face. He had experienced a strange joy that came with picking on Zell Dincht. That idiotic chicken-wuss never thought things over; he just blindly rushed into everything. It reminded him of Raijin. There was a third boy that grew up with him in the orphanage. He didn't know too much about this one as an adult. After the orphanage, he and Irvine Kinneas grew up in different Gardens. All Seifer knew was that the guy was a major flirt.
Then there were the girls. One of them appointed herself as their boss when they were kids, and tried to keep that reputation up as they got older. Quistis Trepe felt like it was her duty to play mother all the time, and later she gained enough authority to be an instructor. This really pissed him off. Bossy, snooty, goody-good! The other girl was much friendlier. Her cheerfulness rivaled even Zell's, if that was even possible. A smile played on his lips. None ever knew it, but outside of the posse Selphie Tilmitt was the only one he ever liked. Then there was the girl who sort of had a weird thing for him. He didn't think much of her. Rinoa Heartilly hadn't been in the orphanage like the others; they met after that. He was almost relieved when she got interested in another guy, even if it was that scarred introvert who was too damn full of himself to even say "Hi" when someone talked to him.
"Look, we're here."
"What?" Seifer turned to Fujin, whose words had interrupted his thoughts.
"We're here," she repeated. "We're home." Home. A place they didn't belong. He stared at the building and knew at once this was a bad idea. But it was far too late to turn back now. He would just have to go in and face whatever came his way.
The building itself looked like a ship, and indeed it doubled as an airship. Rings of light danced around the structure. Flora clashed with metal and great towers loomed above him threateningly. No, there was no turning back. He wouldn't have left even if he could. He walked towards the gate, his two companions following just a step behind him. That was the way they always walked. They never walked next to each other; it was just something they did, no explanation behind it. He rested his hands at his side and noticed for the first time that something was missing.
"Where's Hyperion?"
"We're not sure. We looked all over but couldn't find it, ya know?"
"Oh, well," Seifer shrugged. "At least they can't claim I'm here to kill them all." No big loss, really. Having his weapon would only make his enemies more afraid of him. "What about your weapon, Fujin?"
"I lost it," she answered simply. He allowed the matter to drop. It wasn't like they needed weapons. People would be afraid of them no matter what. He was sure that his friends would be reluctant to cross the threshold, but they weren't. They continued their pace without a second of hesitance. Their footsteps echoed in the empty halls. The students were likely in their classes. That was for the best. He would rather not run into any of them. Especially not any of the orphanage gang.
Now that he was here, Seifer wasn't sure what he wanted to do next. Just look around and leave? No, he had another reason for coming here. If he told his friends of this purpose, they would certainly check him into a mental hospital. Even he had to admit that it was crazy.
"We're here. Can we go yet?"
"Not yet, Raijin." His friends didn't ask questions. That was what he liked best about them. Even he was disgusted by his reasons for coming back. What was he thinking? He actually wanted to see his worst enemies! What was he hoping for? That they would suddenly forgive him and welcome him home with open arms? It was impossible! Yet, that was the reason he was back where he wasn't wanted. He could almost hear their voices. He could almost see them gawking at him, surprised that he returned.
"BAD NEWS," Fujin hissed. He wondered what caused her to use her other voice, then saw for himself. Students were filing out of their classes and coming their way. His two friends were silent but he could tell they were getting nervous. "LEAVE NOW?" His eyes scanned the faces. None he recognized.
"No, Fujin. We're not going anywhere."
"But..." He held up his hand.
"We are not cowards." His friends conceded to him. Focusing back on the students, he could tell from their uniforms that these were just the regular sort. They would be easy enough to scare away. Finally the students noticed them. He hoped against hope that they would get scared and run off. As if Hyne was against him, the students continued coming towards them. They were actually walking faster than before, as if eager to confront the posse. The students reached them and took out various weapons.
"Sorceress knight! You don't belong here!" a brave soul shouted out from the group.
"Get out!"
"LOOKS BAD," Fujin noted, instinctively moving to a fighting pose.
"We're not leaving." Seifer crossed his arms stubbornly.
"They don't want us here, ya know? Maybe we'd better go," Raijin suggested. A glare from Seifer silenced him.
"You may go if you want. You're not chained to me." The two stared at each other helplessly. The students gathered up their courage and rushed at the trio. Before he knew what was happening, someone was punching his face as hard as they could. Several others surrounded him, using their fists and weapons on his unprotected body. All the students initially focused on him, but Fujin and Raijin soon had their share of attackers. He could've taken them all easily if he had Hyperion. Seifer didn't feel like fighting them off; he just stood there and took the abuse. He hoped they would get bored and go away after a while. They didn't get bored. In fact, more showed up until it felt like the entire school was beating him up.
"Murderer! Scum! You think you can walk in here? Get out!" They shouted many other insulting names. He managed to crawl out of the pile of students and made his way to the exit. His friends were only a pace behind him. The students cheered wildly.
"Don't ever come back!" one shouted. He was hurt, but not as badly as before. He would recover from this fairly quickly. His two friends sat on the grass and absently wiped off the blood. They hadn't been so badly wounded because Raijin fought back.
"That didn't go so well, ya know?"
"I know."
"LEAVE NOW. FOR GOOD," Fujin suggested.
"I guess we'll have to. We definitely aren't welcome here." What did he expect? A big party waiting for him? Friends beaming at him, grateful for his return? Forgiveness? He knew better than that. He had no friends there, and in their eyes he didn't deserve forgiveness. So, what possessed him to come here? Why was he here?
He leaned his back against the gate. This at one time was his home. The place he didn't belong. He wasn't accepted even before this mess with the sorceress. Now... Now he was hated even more so. Fujin and Raijin sat on either side of him. He glanced over at them both to see their reaction. Fujin was being her usual quiet self and Raijin seemed to be reciting something to himself. Seifer waited for them to speak. Five minutes passed in silence.
"This place has so many memories," Fujin whispered. "But it seems we can no longer stay here."
"I wanna go, ya know?" Raijin added. They now waited for him to speak. In the five minutes of silence, Seifer had time to think. He made up his mind and not even SeeDs could stand in his way. "We'll go when you say to, ya know?"
"Not yet." He shook his head sternly. "Not just yet."
"Why not?" Fujin demanded.
"Because," and here a smirk spread over Seifer's lips, "I haven't said good-bye to my old friends yet."
