DISCLAIMER I don't own final fantasy 8. I may be a square, but I'm not soft!

Chapter Ten

Strays

The moment Seifer first realized he was homeless would always stick in his mind. He scrubbed his face with lukewarm water, put his hand under the soap dispenser and punched the plunger in irritation as the stuff oozed out. He scrubbed the disheartening amber-brown goop into his hair and looked up into the mirror. His hair hung in wet strands, about an inch longer than usual, even his face looked somewhat gaunt, his eyes blazing emerald above dark circles.

He remembered passing a beggar when he was young. His back was crooked, head bowed with an unevenly cropped beard sprouting from his chin. His clothes were grey, as though the colour had leeched out of them as it had out of his life. A hat with a penny sized hole in it sat in front of him. Seifer turned away in disdain.

But then the homeless man looked up, and Seifer's eyes widened as he realized he wasn't an old man at all. His skin was weather beaten and leathery, but not wrinkled. His age was indiscernible, but those weren't the eyes of an old man. They were young, but lacked the vitality of human life. They lacked hope.

Seifer hadn't grown a beard. His navy blue shirt was worn, but not holed or faded. But in a flash his eyes looked just like that beggars, bereft of hope and determination. He ducked his head, unable to look at himself. How long would it take before he saw that homeless guy's face reflected back at him?

I'm homeless, he thought. I can't believe it's come to this.

"Dammit." He punched the basin. "Dammit!"

"Hey, Seifer! You alright in there?" Raijin's muffled voice called.

"Yeah," he choked out, hands tightened vicelike on the basin. "I'll be out in a minute."

How the hell did we come to this?

Two months earlier, the trio set out from Balamb Port to Timber, where they could take advantage of the train station to get practically anywhere.

They had the whole train car to themselves, as usual. The trio was intimidating, whether they tried to be or not. People usually cleared out after they entered, and that was fine with Seifer. He slammed his feet up on the table, hands laced behind his head. Fluffball was curled up under his feet and promptly fell asleep, whiskers twitching and paws curling as it dreamt.

"DESTINATION?"

Seifer's glanced up. Fujin's one red eye was targeted on him like a lazar.

"Deling City is the kind of place that'll have missions for us. We'll go there."

"BUT… LOW PROFILE."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We need to keep our heads down. But where better to hide than under the enemies nose, right?"

Raijin nodded. "I've heard of that strategy, y' know. Didn't the SeeD units use it in the first Sorceress war?"

"LOST," Fujin pointed out.

"So what?" Seifer stretched his arms and leaned forward, arm rested on his knee. "Where else is there? Fact is, anywhere we go Galbadian soldiers could be looking for us."

"So what do we do if they find us, y' know?" Raijin said.

"WIMP."

Seifer covered a laugh with a cough. "We'll kick their butts, of course! They're a bunch of cowards. When I commanded them it was like herding sheep."

This seemed to pacify Fujin and they fell into silence again. Seifer reached his arms behind his head, closed his eyes and exhaled. The rocking of the train was jarring and he envied the creature its ability to sleep anywhere. He was a blend of excitement and nerves, abuzz over a core of determination, itching to get started. He had always hated long journeys, though, and wished he could sleep through it too.

"ESTHAR?"

Seifer creaked his eyes open. I thought we settled this…

"Whoa, that'd be so cool, y' know! The skyscrapers! The technology! It's the most advanced place in the world."

"It's also on the other side of the world," Seifer said with a flip of his wrist. "And trains don't run there. But hey, if you wanna walk for a week, be my guest."

"Aw, man," Raijin grumbled.

"Maybe we can go there when things get going," Seifer said. "We're free to travel as we please now, after all. No Garden, no cage. But for now, we need to start building a reputation. And Deling is the place to start." He closed his eyes and settled into the seat again. "Now give it a rest, will ya? I'm shattered."

He missed the days when they concurred with whatever he said, followed him without question. Had they lost their respect for him after he followed the sorceress so far? He was starting to think he needed to rebuild his reputation with them as well as the rest of the world. Rather than rile him, it dragged his spirits down. It was an added weight where he usually got support, and it made him feel lonely.

At least they came back to Garden to get me, he thought. I'll show them they made the right choice. How did they know I was there, anyway? I still don't even know.

He was about to ask when a strange ringing began, climbing in volume. "Hey, you guys hear that?"

"WHAT?"

"…nothing," he replied, suddenly exhausted and unable to open his eyes.

There was thick smoke all around, majestic white spirals weaving through the air, drifting with no volition through the atmosphere. There was no sense of walls. He was grounded yet could see no floor, his feet shrouded in the cloud-like air. Rather than choking his lungs or making his eyes water, it was like a draught of country air.

He knew there was something in that mist, something his heart desired above all else.

He squinted his eyes and looked all around, but nothing drew him in one direction more than another. He stepped forwards and the cloud did not resist him, as easy as walking on a breezeless day.

A shadow flickered to his left, an area grey as a storm cloud. He focused on it, but the shadow was gone. He ran after it.

"Where are you?" a sultry voice echoed.

Seifer stopped and scowled. Somehow, he knew the voice was talking about him.

"My knight, I'm looking for my knight," she continued.

Seifer's heart jolted. "I'm here! Just stay where you are, I'm coming!"

He saw a bare hand trail through the fog ahead of him.

"Hey, stop! Wait!" He called, reaching out…

"Now approaching Timber… I repeat; we are now approaching Timber."

Seifer shook his head. Bright sunlight pieced through the train window. He was hot and his face was beaded with sweat. He sat forwards and rubbed his forehead. That noise… I remember now. I heard it before I went comatose. Ellone, why are you still messing with me like this?

"OKAY?"

"Yeah. Just… a strange dream," he said. "I haven't had it in years." He got to his feet and walked to the exit. Fujin and Raijin exchanged a glance.

"Must've been some dream. You were totally out of it, y' know," Raijin said, following him. "We tried waking you before."

"I told you, I was shattered," he said. "It was nothing. Forget about it."

They stepped onto the platform and he shielded his eyes from the late afternoon sun. A train drifted past on the high tracks behind the town, and as it wound away Seifer had the illusion it was headed to Heaven, or maybe into his dream world. The ground was cemented grey with worn spherical etchings, long ago due for maintenance that the town's people had lost the will to give.

They descended the stairs. Seifer peered along the train tracks, and noted with relief that the Timber Owls train was not there. Fluffball darted by and chased a Labrador twice its size away from the pet shop.

He chuckled. "At least he's got guts."

"Shouldn't we… stop him, y' know?"

"Let the damn thing do what it wants. Here's hoping it doesn't come back," Seifer shrugged, but his eyes lingered where the animals had gone.

"I'm was kinda starting to like him, y' know."

Fujin crossed her arms. "LOSER."

"Listen up. If Zone or Watts see me, they'll probably let Rinoa know I'm here; or worse, the Galbadian government. Looks like they're not here now, but we'd better pass through quickly. We'll get the first train out of here tomorrow."

"Aren't they a resistance faction, y' know? They won't call the government they're opposing," Raijin said. "And Garden let us go, so…"

"Yeah, well… We're hardly on the Christmas card list. It's better if it doesn't happen. Quit worrying, will ya?"

Truth was, Rinoa was the last person he wanted to see now. Garden was his past; he didn't want it infecting his future. More than that, he had no idea what he would say to her.

A woman ran out of the pet shop. "Georgie? Oh, where did that mutt go this time?"

"I think it went that way," Raijin told her, pointing past the flower patch.

She looked back at the store indecisively. "Could you… get him back for me? I'll pay you."

Seifer's head darted up. "Oh yeah? How much?"

"One hundred G."

One hundred G just to fetch a dumb dog? Is she insane? He thought.

"We're busy," Seifer said. "If it means that little to you, you may as well let it go."

He gestured to Fujin and Raijin, and they walked away.

"Two hundred!" She called. "And that's as high as I'll go!"

Seifer smirked. "Guys, get to it. I'll sort out our accommodation for the night."

He laughed to himself as he strolled away. He saw it as a good omen. It wasn't exactly starting as he meant to go on, but if missions fell into their laps so easily, they would be sleeping in beds of money. That wasn't his plan for tonight, though.

Walking through town, he was surprised at how nostalgia washed over him. He crossed the bridge over the rail track, feeling it vibrate under his feet as a train passed underneath. It's horn sent a startled dove flying from its perch on the rail. He had first kissed Rinoa here. It seemed a lifetime ago.

He made his way to the small shop. The keeper came to the hatch with a suspicious scowl. "What do ya want?"

"How's about a dazzling smile to say hello?" When there was no response, he continued. "I just want a tent. How much?"

"One thousand G." The man squinted at him without speaking, then his eyes widened in recognition. "Hey, it's you! You're the guy!"

Seifer startled, and then crossed his arms to hide it. "I'm who now?"

The man leaned forward, shielding his mouth. Seifer got the smile he'd asked for, but decided he was better off with the scowl with more missing than whole teeth, and those that stubbornly remained were as brown as a tealeaf. "You're the one they're looking for. I was asked about you by some soldiers a few days ago."

Crap.

He reached down and tightened his hand on his gunblade. "I don't know what you mean, old man."

"You were on the TV! On that one broadcast, right? Heard you supported the forest owls."

Seifer blinked. "The TV…?"

"Yeah, you kidnapped the president of Galbadia! Helping the cause for us in the resistance… I know why you say it's not you."

He wasn't really playing dumb; truth was he'd near forgotten it with everything that happened since. Seifer reached into his pocket to get his wallet.

"Let's call it five hundred for the tent," the man offered. "I only put it so high 'cause I thought you were with them. Watch your back, you hear? The Galbadian's are looking for you. There's still a few posted at the entrance."

"Thanks for that," he reached into his pocket and put on his beanie hat, pulling it low to cover his scar. "And hey, you didn't see me, alright? No matter who asks… might be dangerous for them," he improvised.

"Sure," he said.

He walked away, scowling. Rinoa was like a local celebrity here because of the Forest Owls, and he had been seen with them while they dated. He never imagined he would be considered a hero for kidnapping the president. He was sure the rest of the world considered him a monster by now. It was ironic that he was considered a hero in Timber, what with almost destroying the girl they considered the heart of the resistance. It was lucky that the city was behind the times, or the guy would've sold him out.

They camped outside Timber that night, so they could travel the last haul and hit the city the next day. Raijin caught his foot in the tent and slipped over. Seifer only laughed harder as he became more entangled, the fabric made him look like a blue Halloween ghost. Once that task was over, Raijin offered to catch and cook some fish, whilst Seifer and Fujin got in some weapons practice together. They set into the woodland and hunted the local monsters. Unfortunately, he didn't find anything he could use for an upgrade on his gunblade.

"NAME?" Fujin gestured to the blade.

Seifer held it up to the moonlight to consider it, but the milky light seemed to catch every imperfection rather than hiding them. He shrugged dismissively. "I'll wait until I've upgraded it a bit. Right now it'd only be worth calling 'the blunt dinner knife.' "

Fujin gestured to the funguar that had just fallen to his blade. "DISAGREES."

They returned, and the night was clear and fresh. The efforts with the tent proved a waste of time as they laid their sleeping bags out under the stars. Seifer filled them in on what they had missed.

"So, the soldiers really are after us, y' know."

"CAUTION."

"Like I said, they're a bunch of babies. All we gotta do is take their dummies away and they'll be wailing."

They lay in silence for a time. Seifer laid back on his arms. It was hard to think of impending danger surrounded by the night sounds of crickets, and far off, an owl.

In Deling City the month wore on, and passed into the next. Every meal of bread and cheese seemed blander that the previous days. The tent, which had only been intended as a temporary measure, became their home. Seifer had known they'd live rough as mercenaries, but had expected to have head quarters to go back to. As it was, they couldn't afford it on their meagre earnings. He felt more like a stray than an independent. With autumn setting in, the weather began to worsen. The rain made him feel like he was trying to sleep inside a drum. They found an abandoned building to squat in, but it was little warmer and Seifer came to resent it more than the tent.

Their excitement waned and novelty wore down as reality set in; they weren't as well prepared for the mercenary life as Seifer had thought. Garden obtained SeeD missions and dished them out, so he hadn't developed skills in acquiring them. Now that the nation was peaceful, mercenaries were rarely required. They didn't come across any of the regional scuffles he'd imagined them jumping into. Word was even Garden wasn't getting a lot of action.

At Garden, he'd sneered at being bossed around. But at least he had expected decent missions due to his talent. As a mercenary, he ironically had less freedom. They had to take any mission that came up, which included security and escort at best, and pest control at worst. They were hired to exterminate a group of fastitocalons, which were attacking tourists at the beach, then a flock of cockatrice that had taken to destroying crops.

One night, Raijin wrote out a blueprint for fliers, which Seifer read over his shoulder. "When you mention 'will take missions anywhere,' you missed out 'because we're desperate losers.' " He rocked back on his heals and rubbed his head. "But I'm sure they'll get that message anyway. We're more like a pack of strays than mercenaries."

"REALISTIC."

Seifer heaved a sigh, reached forward and balled the paper in his fist before throwing it aside.

"Hey," Raijin leaned forward but could only watch. "What ya doing, Seifer! It took me hours to write that."

"Yeah, and that's how long it'll take someone on the street to screw it up," he said. "Think of it as an advance preview of what's to come."

"PLAN?"

"Yeah," Seifer lied. Couldn't have the troops losing faith now.

In the public toilets, he splashed cold water on his face and looked into the mirror again. He was relieved to see only himself again, steely determination back in his emerald eyes. We won't meet the same fate as that damn beggar. We won't live on the streets like a dog. I'll do what I have to do, he thought.

A/N Sorry for the long wait (again, I know.) I hope this chapter doesn't ramble on too much…? Also sorry if there are any mistakes, I had to rush my final read through!

Next Time The trio find a powerful potential client, but just what are his intentions for the mercenary group?