A/N: So, finally back! Had a long stretch of writing nothing at all until I pumped this out, and now I should (still no promises) have a few more chapters up before too long. Until then, here, have a this.

The ballroom was hustling and bustling with the SeeD graduation dance in full swing. The instructors and SeeD members ate, drank, and danced the night away all around the large room. All except one, that is. Halin, seated at a table near the corner, looked incredibly awkward in his new SeeD uniform. He tugged at the sleeves uncomfortably, wondering how people could put up with the stiff fabric. Waltz For The Moon played loudly from the overhead speakers. It was a popular dance song, and most of the tables were empty because of it.

Halin swished his drink around in his cup as he noticed that both Cyrus and Chel had found dance partners. Even that jerk Orion had someone to cling to. Not that he minded, of course. Dancing wasn't his thing. He tore off a bite of the bread on his plate and started chewing slowly. He was just starting to get bored with watching the dance floor, when two arms were suddenly flung around his neck.

"Halin!" Came Robin's enthusiastic voice. "What are you doing all the way over here? You're a SeeD now, you should be celebrating!"

"I am celebrating," Halin responded easily. "I'm eating. That's good enough for me."

"Naps and food, naps and food," Robin said with a sigh before removing her arms and moving to stand beside him. Her blond hair was up in a tight bun and she wore a teal strapless dress with a skirt that was obviously made for twirling. She stood there with her hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "It's no wonder you're getting a bit pudgy."

"Just your imagination," Halin said innocently as he started cutting off a piece of steak. "But what are you doing here? I thought this ball was only for the upperclassmen."

"Shows what you know, I get a special pass because my brother just graduated," Robin said sticking her tongue out at Halin. When he didn't respond to her, she shifted her gaze to the dance floor, then reached for Halin's arm and started tugging. "C'mon, dance with me!"

Halin resisted, wrapping his feet around the legs of the chair in defiance. "Nah, I'm alright just sitting here and eating. Thanks, though," he said.

"Really? A beautiful lady like me asks you to dance and your response is 'nah?' What kind of gentleman are you?" Robin placed her hands on her hips and looked down at him expectantly.

Halin couldn't help but chuckle. "Gentleman, haaaa," he shook his head with a smile. "If you must know, I'm a terrible dancer. Got no rhythm. Just can't do it."

"That's a lie and you know it," Robin raised her hand and waggled her finger at him. "All cadets are required to take dance lessons, as it can help improve your disguise someday."

"I'm well aware of that, and I had juuuuuuust the grade to pass, but I spent most of that class skipping it. Sleeping and whatnot. Naps."

"Ugghhhh, sometimes you can be sooooo lame," Robin huffed. She took a seat next to him and crossed both her legs and her arms. Letting loose a long sigh, she shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder about you, Halin."

"Yes, because I definitely keep an unnecessarily mysterious air about me at all time," Halin laughed before taking another bite of his food. Once he swallowed that down, he continued. "What you see is what you get. I'm not exactly trying to hide anything, here."

Robin was silent for a few moments before standing up. "I am going to get some punch, and when I get back, we're going to dance and that's that." Without giving him a chance to respond, she spun on her heels and walked away, her aforementioned footwear clacking hard against the tile floor. Halin took a slow sip of his own punch before standing up. He wasn't up for that.

Halin walked around the dance floor towards the entrance. He attempted to position the crowd between him and Robin, but just when he thought he was in the clear he heard his name. "HALIN!" Cringing, he turned to see his huntress pushing through the dance floor. "DON'T YOU TRY TO LEAVE ME HERE!"

"So, what's up with runnin' from a lady who looks like that?" Halin swiveled to see Irvine standing beside him, hands on his hips. He was wearing the SeeD uniform as well, but apparently couldn't part with his trademark cowboy hat for the dance. "Seems a little… wrong, to me."

"Best friend's younger sister," Halin stated simply.

"Ah," Irvine responded, tilting his cowboy hat upwards so that he could get a better look at her. "I gotcha... You run along outta here, I'll run interference."

Halin grinned. Irvine was getting cooler and cooler every time they talked. "Thanks, sir!" Halin threw out a salute to which Irvine tipped his hat in acknowledgment, and with that, the former left.

"Hey now, little lady," Halin heard Irvine say just as he started turning the corner. "Can't let you leave without your brother. Curfew, and all that."

"But he's…" Was all Halin heard of the rest of the conversation before he was out of earshot. He walked through the halls as casually as he liked. As a SeeD, the curfew didn't apply to him anymore. That meant he could go just about anywhere he wanted and wouldn't get in trouble for it. While he relished his newfound ability to do whatever he wanted -as long as it was reasonable- all he really wanted right now was to go to bed. So he headed towards the elevator.

After descending to the first floor, he noted that the garden was particularly quiet tonight. Perhaps it was because the few SeeD who preferred to roam the halls at night were all upstairs in the ballroom. Halin found it enjoyable. The only sound to reach his ears was the sound of water slowly circling the building's main walkway. With a deep breath, Halin stood there for a moment, taking in the peace and quiet before getting a move on.

As he walked around the central pillar that housed the elevator, Halin suddenly became aware of a voice floating up from the Quad. Intent on avoiding social contact, he continued on his merry way to his dorm, giving the Quad a wide berth. After all, now that he was a SeeD he had his own room, and that meant Cyrus wouldn't be there to wake him up every morning in new and creative ways. He started frowning as he approached the Quad, and stopped in front of it, listening. The voice was singing, and it sounded incredibly familiar.

~Same old songs, just once more~

~My last night here with you?~

~Maybe yes, maybe no~

Halin's frowned deepened as he recognized the voice. He chewed lightly on the inside of his cheek, wondering if it was a good idea for him to enter the Quad or not. The debate took him longer than he thought it would, but eventually he sighed and entered the Quad. The singing started getting louder. Her voice was scratchy compared to the song's creator, Julia Heartily, but not completely unpleasant.

Once Halin descended down the stairs, he spotted her leaning over the balcony. A tall, slim brunette, clad in red, with a scythe propped up against the wall and a glass of punch in hand. Aya. He attempted to mask his footsteps, approaching her silently so as to not disturb her song. She proved to be more perceptive than he thought, however. Stopping in the middle of a verse, she turned to see who was approaching her. Aya looked at him with eyes that didn't seem to have their usual luster.

"Oh," Aya said, turning back to look at the balcony. "It's just you." She took down a large gulp of her punch and placed her elbows back on the railing.

"Yup, just me," Halin said. He approached the railing and leaned over it as well. "So… Not going to go check out the festivities?"

Aya raised her glass of punch for a moment before returning it to rest. "Already been," she stated before going quiet once more. Halin was content to simply stand there, looking out on the grounds of Balamb garden. The duo was quiet for a long time, and the music from the ballroom slowly wafted down to them, barely audible. Although Halin never understood the concept of an 'uncomfortable silence,' he could tell from the way Aya twitched and moved that she wasn't comfortable at all.

"So, shame about-"

"If you say something about me not making SeeD I'm going to shove this glass down your throat," Aya threatened. Her statement only made Halin frown this time. It lacked her usual fire.

"Wanna talk about it?" Halin asked. "I've been told I'm a pretty good listener."

Aya snorted and shook her head. Halin nodded in response and returned his gaze to the grounds below. The silence stretched on before Aya released a sigh. "I already knew I wasn't going to become a SeeD," she said. Halin perked up, turning to face her again. "I've known that since I've came here. But I always thought that, maybe, if I tried hard enough, I would be accepted, despite…"

Halin waited for Aya to continue, but when she didn't, he spoke. "Despite what, Aya?" She shot him a glance, some of the fire returning to her eyes. Halin held up his hands and backed off a bit. "Alright, alright. Not backstory time. I get it. Sorry."

Sighing, Aya slumped down so that her chin rested on her arms, which were still crossed on the balcony. "I guess I just wanted it too much in the end. I let that blind me and here I am, talking to the biggest slacker in the three Gardens, who by some miracle made it as a SeeD."

"Well, what can I say? I'm a professional. It's what I do," Halin said.

"You're not very good at consoling people," Aya stated flatly.

"I only said I was a good listener." When Aya didn't respond, Halin continued. "So I heard there's a secret spot in the back of the Training Center. Maybe we, uh, we could go beat up some T-Rexaurs on the way? Might be fun, eh?" He shot her a grin and a thumbs up, hoping that she might take him up on his offer. Physically abusing things seemed to be her preferred method of therapy, anyway.

"So just because I'm shipping out tomorrow for home you think I'm going to go there with you?" Aya spat. "You must be pretty damn desperate if you're trying a gambit like that this late in the game."

"I'm just trying to be a nice guy, sheesh," Halin responded with an arched eyebrow. "You're sending a lot of mixed messages here. I don't know if you want me to stay and be a friend or stay and be a punching bag."

"No one's asking you to stay at all, slacker!" Aya said with a raised voice. "You came down here and found me, remember? I didn't ask you to do that. You're the one sticking your nose in my business!"

Halin sighed. This wasn't at all how he expected this to go. Then again, he didn't have many expectations other than the expectation of getting hit in the face, of course "Aya, I…"

"No, get out of here. I'm done talking to you," Aya stated coldly. Her grip on her punch made it seem like she was going to shatter it in her hand.

Seeing her hurt herself in a fit of rage was the last thing that Halin wanted, so he nodded. "That's fair," he responded calmly, knowing that getting angry would just cause her temper to rise even more. "But if you need someone to talk to, I'll be in my new dorm." Halin started walking away, leaving her to her own devices.

"Like I'd ever…" He heard her mutter before he was out of earshot. Once Halin was standing on the walkway that ringed the central pillar of the Garden, he stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. That went badly and he felt bad about how it went. Releasing a large sigh, he resumed his trek towards his dorm. Hopefully he would feel better after a decent night's sleep.