I believe that a plot would be too complicated if there are too many love interests. As such, I'm not using Rinoa here, don't expect the VII hero to be Tifa or Aerith either. Yuna is the only love interest I'm using.

And in all honesty, I always had a fondness for the VIII hero I choose.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Balamb Garden had become the mobile headquarters for the most elite fighting force in the world. SeeD. As the base floated through the air, none could doubt that. Yet despite the rightfully strong combatants it trained, Balamb Garden's might, truthfully, came from a core six.

As the morning sunlight began to filter through the dorms, illuminating the rooms that remained devoid of artificial light at this time, one of the core six began to awaken. A spiky haired blonde fist-fighter with an overly casual demeanor for a mercenary, at the sign of light he suddenly sprung out of bed and into the hallway.

I got up early. That should let me finally get one.

The cafeteria's hot dogs were the best in Zell's eyes, and stomach. As he raced down the hallway, passing door after door, he finally reached what he was looking for. So excited about waking up early for the sake of the food, that he failed to notice that the Garden, while still moving, was completely devoid of life.

As he busted into the cafeteria, he swiftly sped up to the counter and banged an arm on the counter. After several seconds of no one coming, he finally noticed that the area was effectively deserted.

"Where the hell is everyone?" Zell looked around the cafeteria, every area looking as devoid of life as the next.

"Great." He sighed and lightly placed his head on the counter. "I wake up early to catch one damned hot dog, and this is what happens."

Raising his head back up, he swiftly stormed away from the counter, planning on looking for someone. This was bordering on the side of eerie for him, even this early in the day, this place should have been bustling with students and faculty. He was almost at the doors when the suddenly opened, a woman on the other side.

"O-oh!" The girl recoiled at the sight of Zell, but didn't leave the doorway. "Excuse me, I'm Terra, and you are…?"

"Zell." He paused after he named himself. It took a moment, but a couple of illogical points connected in his mind after thinking for a while. "Wait, your clearly not a student here, and no one here would be unaware of who I am, really."

"Oh, uh, that is…" Terra's defense seemed to catch itself in her throat. She wasn't afraid of Zell, but she did have to convince him to follow her back to Cosmos, that wouldn't be easy if she gave her any reason to distrust him. "I… I just… wandered by."

"You managed to… wander… onto a floating military academy?" Zell paused, momentarily he realized that the words came out slightly more sarcastically then he meant them to be. "Never mind, do you want something from me?"

"Can you… come with me?"

And then there was a moment where she wished she could take the words back. At least, find a better way to word her request, she could feel a psychological weight pressing on her, her heart knotting up and her breath catching itself.

"If I follow you, will I figure out why everyone's vanished?"

"Um… yes!" At least she didn't need to feel like she was lying with her last sentence.

Zell crossed his arms and frowned, not wanting to throw himself too willingly into something when there were rules he could follow.

"If… if Squall was here… he'd have been able to convince you." Terra bowed her head as her hope that she had convinced Zell began to die away. With her head bowed, she failed to notice Zell's expression suddenly perk up at the mention of Squall's name.

"Wait, you know Squall?" Zell raised an eyebrow as Terra's head shot back up. He uncrossed his arms, though he retained a slightly skeptical expression. Someone who knew Squall wasn't anything spectacular, but she had worded that question like she knew him personally.

He lowered his head as he thought the situation out. She seemed to know Squall personally, yet didn't know Zell at all. Probably didn't know Irvine, Selphie, or any of the others either. How much of her words he believed was still up in the air, but he was willing to take a chance.

"Okay, if you know Squall, take me to him."

"Huh?" Terra studied Zell's expression for several moments, until she managed to process what he had said.

It was… liberating. All the doubts and worries about the encounter seemed to ebb and withdraw, if only somewhat. Not vocally answering him, just nodding her head, she left the cafeteria, followed shortly thereafter by Zell.

Seifer sighed as he leaned at the base of a pillar in the clock tower. He had never been here before, but he could sense, on some level, that he had encountered whoever it was that dwelt here.

No, nonsense. He was certain he had never actually met a person who looked like he, or she, would have resided in such a place. All he really knew was that incessant and recurring ticking sound was starting to grate on his nerves.

He stood up, giving a dismissive shrug toward the clock tower as he began to walk off.

Let that chickenwuss spend all day in here.

He smirked at the memory of the rough-mouthed, but also very respectful to authority little Balamb duelist. He could barely be called worth Seifer's time, let Squall put up with him, drive the leather-bound commander insane.

He didn't hate Squall, but he was somewhat… agitated, that Squall had achieved Seifer's dream, whereas Seifer had been deceived.

Sorceress Knight. To be a knight that defended a Sorceress, that had been his dream, but he had failed to become the sort of knight that a Sorceress Knight was supposed to be. The Knight who valiantly defended his Sorceress, who was the partner and trusted ally of the Sorceress.

Seifer thought he had achieved it. He thought.

Edea… she had just been using him, or rather, the person who had possessed Adel had just been using him. And he had assisted in nearly leading the world into eternal slavery to a Sorceress from the far flung future.

A sigh escaped him, he still beat himself over that. It was over and done with, but it wasn't easy to let go, what he did.

Squall on the other hand, had become a true Sorceress Knight. He defended his Sorceress, Rinoa, would defend her to the death. Killing Rinoa would be just about impossible for anyone, Seifer knew first hand what the taciturn Squall was capable of, skill that, perhaps, only Seifer could match.

They were rivals, after all. Though the last time they had fought one-on-one had been… the parade, right?

So lost in his memories and recollections, his thoughts about all that had happened, that he failed to notice the figure float up behind him.

"You've lost your purpose." A unfamiliar, but female, voice suddenly spoke. "Without it, you are no better then vagabond drifting in the darkness."

Seifer spun around, raising an eyebrow at the sight in front of him. There was a woman floating in the air, but that wasn't the significant thing. There were strands of a black energy emitting from her, and two tentacles ending with snake-like heads seemed to sprout off of her body.

This woman… somehow she projected fear and terror, but Seifer had seen too much in his life to be much impressed. She'd have to try much harder then this to unsettle the gunblade wielder, so instead of back away, Seifer tilted his head to the side with an amused expression on his face.

"So what makes you think I've lost my purpose?" Seifer shrugged his shoulders, Hyperion firmly gripped in one hand, ready to cut down the woman if she tried anything. "I still have my pride, and my dreams, and I keep walking away from my trials."

The figure, that Cloud of Darkness, did not immediately respond, merely shaking her head, almost seeming to pity the gunblade specialist.

"You have so little time to live, yet you try to pour some kind of meaning into it." She, or rather, it, reached a hand out, aiming to grip Seifer's shoulder. "Facinat-"

Her word was suddenly cut off as Hyperion cut through the air, forcing her to retract her arm and back away. Seifer adopted his familiar stance, pointing Hyperion straight at the Cloud of Darkness.

"So quick to defend yourself… you truly belong among those chosen by Shinryu."

Now that last sentence had unsettled Seifer to a degree. He had little understanding of a "Shinryu", though it didn't take much to assume that this creature was familiar with many things that he wasn't.

"Listen to us. We can grant you your dream… to serve alongside a Sorceress." The expression on the entity softened into a subtle smirk, its memory flashing to Ultimecia. Not a woman that a man should be happy to serve, yet the words caught Seifer's attention.

"You've caught my ear." Seifer walked several cautious steps forward, bringing himself only a few feet away from the Cloud.

"However…" Hyperion suddenly closed the distance, the tip resting only a few inches from the Cloud of Darkness' neck. "If this is a trick, you will regret it."

Seifer is... a hard person to find an opponent for. Seeing as he can't oppose Squall due to Ultimecia. He doens't exactly have any really meaningful interactions with any of the other heroes in VIII either. Yes, he was in a relationship with Rinoa, but they only converse in VIII about two times. In Galbadia Garden if Rinoa is in your party, and at the Lunatic Pandora. Among the characters besides Squall, he had the most relevant antagonism with Zell, and even then, it's mostly just insults and name-calling.

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