Chapter One: Destined Meeting

Fishing.

It was one of Seifer's favorite hobbies, right behind sword-fighting. And it was ahead of wooing beautiful women. Nothing had taken the bait just yet. But sooner or later, something would, and in the meantime, he could sit in the sun and relax. Especially since you could draw magic at the same time.

Unfortunately, he really wasn't feeling it right now. Drawing magic was a kind of meditation, which some found relaxing. For his part, Seifer compared it to getting hit in the face by a monster for hours. It was tedious, boring, and left him wishing for an orb of materia.

But no, those were illegal in Wutai. And Seifer wasn't the kind of scum who would ever apply for SOLDIER.

Either way, a couple of weeks ago, Squall had taken the GF treatment. He was going through the motions like a puppet on strings. At the moment, he was a shallow cipher for the Guardian Forces of the Planet. Supposedly his main skills and personality would come back to him, just like it had the others. But his memories would be a perpetual blur for a while, and some things would only come back when prompted.

Seifer knew that much first hand. The odd thing was that Seifer had never liked the bastard, so he didn't understand why it bothered him.

"Seifer, man, you okay?" asked Raijin.

"I'm fine, Raijin," said Seifer. "You don't have to hassle me."

"You've been seeming real down lately, you know. Why do you think that is?" asked Raijin.

"GF treatment," said Fujin, adjusting her eyepatch. She'd always been the more perceptive.

"It's not the GF treatment, Fujin," said Seifer. "I was never friends with any of them, to begin with. We just grew up in the same orphanage. And I didn't even want to remember any of it.

"The only reason I know and they don't is because you insisted I read my own record."

"Knowledge power," said Fujin simply.

"Whatever," said Seifer, before reminding himself to never be as boring as Squall.

"Still, we knew them for most of our academy years, y'know," noted Raijin. "Now they don't even remember any of us."

"Big deal," scoffed Seifer. "Squall was a shallow jerk who responded to every possible situation with 'whatever.' Zell was an idiot. Selphie was equally parts psychotic and stupid. Quistis was always playing the part of the 'responsible' one. Even as she let people do whatever they wanted. And then there was Irvine who was just... uh... I can't remember anything about Irvine, but I must have hated him.

"I was the guy who helped Edea clean up and insisted they do their chores. And I always volunteered to help her while they went out and played."

"It was why I was always the bad guy."

"No regrets then?" asked Raijin.

"Regrets? Are you kidding?" asked Seifer. "I applied for the GF treatment so I wouldn't have to think about any of them ever again. It's my bad luck they happened to show up for exactly the same treatment. So I wake up again, and all of a sudden I'm sharing a class with all the people I hated from my childhood.

"It's just... weird."

"Eight deadly words," said Fujin.

"Yeah," said Seifer. "'I don't care what happens to these people.' Pretty much sums of Squall and his team." And then he looked up and saw a totally hot girl walking down the road. She had a dog with her and was wearing a blue dress. Seifer reeled in his line and stood up, straightening his trenchcoat. "...Hey, check out the babe."

"Again?" asked Fujin.

"Well, why not?" asked Seifer. "We've got no classes for a while, and we've already hunted plenty of monsters. No magic to draw. Life is too short."

Moving forward, he plotted an intercept course. He did it without looking like he was moving to intercept her. The trick was heading a little ahead of them, so you aren't looking at them, and you run into them 'by chance.'

Stepping out onto the path, Seifer halted as he ran into her. He smiled c confidently and nodded to her. "Hey."

"Oh, um, hello, I'm Rinoa," said the girl. "Who are you?"

"Seifer," said Seifer. "This is Fujin and Raijin."

"Oh, nice to meet you. Are you SeeDs?" asked Rinoa.

Seifer wondered why she asked that question. There were hundreds of people at this academy, and many of them would never become SeeDs. "Nah, not yet anyway. You're not from around here, are you? Anything I can help you with?"

"How'd you know I'm not from Balamb?" asked the girl in surprise.

"Outfit," said Fujin. "Timber fashion. Features. Galbadian."

"That and you look a bit lost, y'know," said Raijin.

"Guilty as charged, I guess," said Rinoa with a smile. "Well, I guess it can't hurt to tell you. I'm here to talk to Headmaster Cid. I'd like to get the SeeDs to help me with something. Do you know where I apply?"

"Irrelevant," said Fujin, crossing her arms.

"What does that mean?" asked Rinoa.

"If you were the kind of person who could afford SeeD help, you'd already know the answer to that, y'know," said Raijin.

"Expensive service," said Fujin.

"I can afford it," said Rinoa. "I just um... well, I'm sort of incognito.":

"Royalty in disguise?" asked Seifer with a smile.

"Why don't we just pretend I'm a sorceress," said Rinoa.

"Tell me more," said Seifer. He'd read a great deal about sorceresses and knights and ladies. It had a certain appeal.

"Can you keep a secret?" asked Rinoa.

"Sure, why not," said Seifer. Given how easily she was asking that question, whatever it was would be common knowledge in a week. But he'd play along.

"I'm part of a resistance network in Timber called the Forest Owls," said Rinoa. "We're going to undertake some missions to defeat the evil President Deling. And we need SeeDs to help us defeat them."

Fujin put her face in both hands while Raijin looked away. Had she seriously declared her intention to rub out the President of a world superpower? Well, granted, he was a Shinra puppet, so nobody would really care. Rinoa could put her hand through his chest on an international broadcast. The vapid crowds would cheer.

Not that anyone had made any international broadcasts since Adel was imprisoned.

But, how to use this to get a date. Seifer looked around conspiratorially and looked at her. "...If we're gonna talk romantic dreams, I think we'd better go out to dinner first. There's a cafe near here; no one will overhear us there."

Rinoa halted and blinked. "Are you asking me out? We've only met."

"Why not?" asked Seifer. "Let's mix business with pleasure."

"Smooth," said Fujin.

"Oh yeah, Seifer is way good at junctioning, y'know," said Raijin.

"What is that even-" Seifer halted. "Nevermind. Interested?"

"Oh yeah, sure," said Rinoa.

And off the four of them went, with Seifer taking a long route toward town.

Eventually, they sat down at a table and ordered in an outside square with a very nice view of a river. It also was where no one was likely to overhead them.

"So, order whatever you want. I'm paying," said Seifer, checking the menu.

"Are you sure? Some of the things on this list are pretty expensive," said Rinoa.

"It's fine," said Seifer. "I've got it covered." He did monster-slaying on the side, after all. The profit margins were quite high if you did the bounties.

They all ordered the usual, and Rinoa looked around. "So um, what does this have to do with Galbadia?"

"Business," said Fujin.

"Hmm?" asked Rinoa.

"Fujin means that SeeD is a business as well as a school," said Seifer. "The reason it was created was to train warriors to go out and do battle for money. Cid created it to hunt monsters and fight evil, but it's gotta pay the bills.

"And without any evil empires or dark lords around, paying the bills takes precedence. Especially since now, we have to compete with organizations like SOLDIER."

"I've heard about SOLDIER," said Rinoa. "But Galbadia is an Evil Empire!"

"Wrong," said Fujin.

"Yep," said Seifer. "Not in a storybook way anyway. Yes, Dealing has done some 'bad things, but it's nothing compared to what some people did. He's not lounging on a dark throne while ordering babies thrown onto spikes, is he?"

"Well, no," said Rinoa.

"Well then, Galbadia isn't an evil empire," said Seifer. "It's just got a scumbag ruler. Swap him out for someone better, and you wouldn't have anything to complain about."

"I guess not," mused Rinoa. "Though a lot of times fairy tales end with the rightful Prince returning."

"That's the spirit," said Seifer before deciding to get to business. "Now, Cid is technically the leader of this Garden. However, the Gardens as a whole all have their own interconnected system. They all coordinate, and most take orders from the nation they are in."

"Well, what if you get hired to fight one another?" asked Rinoa.

"We deploy, so our SeeDs don't have a run-in, and we don't kill each other if they do," said Seifer. "The nations usually look the other way since they want a good working relationship."

"Okay, but where does all this lead?" asked Rinoa.

Seifer shrugged. "There's this guy, Norg, who is the person who manages the money for the Gardens. Not many people talk about him. But he has a lot of connections and contacts and huge authority. He used to be Cid's business partner, but these days Norg has more influence over the Garden system as a whole.

"Cid could cause him some real problems if he decided to, so Norg usually lets him have his own way. But Cid also has to listen to what Norg has to say and change his plans accordingly."

"It's a whole balance of power thing, y'know," said Raijin.

"Ridiculous," said Fujin.

"So what's the problem?" asked Rinoa.

"We're about to undertake an operation against Galbadia," said Seifer. "They've been eyeing the Dukedom of Dollet for years and, if they take it, will have a major port. One that could allow them to attack Wutai.

"So we're going to have to make a contract with Dollet to protect them when the day comes, no matter what they offer us."

"What do you mean?" asked Rinoa. "Why do you have to protect Dollet?"

"If someone conquers the entire world, they won't be a market for mercenaries," said Seifer. "So we're sort of a natural enemy to anyone who wants to do that. Galbadia is the stronger nation, now that Estar has gone isolationist."

"Right," said Raijin. "But the Dukedom of Dollet knows that y'know. So they might decide to skimp on paying us since they know we have to protect them."

"Heroes aren't supposed to want money," said Rinoa, sounding somewhat offended.

"Taxes," said Fujin.

"Heroes have expenses," said Seifer. "Honor won't pay for the ammo in my gunblade. Loyalty won't get me a new trenchcoat. All the selfless deeds in the world aren't going to keep me from starving to death—same story with everyone. You included.

"And then you have to think about transportation costs. Moving an army across the sea to Dollet is going to be expensive. A bunch of us are going to get killed and wounded, so you have to pay funeral and medical expenses."

"Psychological," said Fujin.

"Right, also therapy for PTSD," said Seifer. "So if Dollet decides to rip us off, we could lose a lot of money. Which means pay cuts and downsizing. Money is a pretty big deal for people." He paused. "Where was I, Fujin?"

"Fight with Galbadia," said Fujin.

"Right," said Seifer. "So anyway, win or lose, we're going to be on thin ice. We'll have low funds. And win or lose, we'll have pissed off Galbadia. Shinra has been trying to get us shut down so they can corner the mercenary market.

"So if Dealing is angry enough-"

"Revoke neutrality," said Fujin.

"Right," said Seifer. "Galbadia Garden could get wiped out if they think we're more trouble than we're worth."

"Hasn't this sort of thing happened before?" asked Rinoa. "I mean, how can you have branches in multiple nations and not have a conflict."

"It wasn't as much of a problem in the old days," said Seifer. "Back in the old days, Cid was just the head of an honorable company. Now though, we're several large armies. Meanwhile, instead of feuding city-states, we've got whole lotta superpowers.

"We have to be more careful."

Rinoa nodded. "Um, this is really interesting. But what does it have to do with my plan?"

"Doomed," said Fujin.

"If you go through the proper channels, Norg is going to take one look at your idea and veto it," said Seifer.

"Bad investment, y'know," said Raijin.

Rinoa paused and nodded. "So maybe I can get a personal meeting with Cid-"

"Useless," said Fujin.

"That's mean," said Rinoa.

"Fu is right," said Seifer. "If you got a personal meeting with Cid, one of Norg's agents would be there. They all know what he'd do. And they'd point out to Cid that the mission wasn't likely to be profitable and could cause huge problems. Especially if some of the SeeDS got killed.

"No way are they gonna want to invest in a resistance movement against Galbadia.

"What you have to do is meet with Cid informally, explain the situation and get him to give you a contract. All on the same day. Once you have a contract, Nord can't do anything."

"How am I going to do that?" asked Rinoa.

Seifer smiled. "Cid is a romantic.

"You're the 'good guy,' and Galbadia's soldiers are the bad guys. If he likes you, you might be able to get him to humor you. He'll probably send one of the new SeeDs for it, to be honest."

"You gotta make him know you're doing the right thing, and he'll help you out, y'know," said Raijin.

"No, I mean, how do I get an informal meeting?" asked Rinoa.

"Chance," said Fujin.

"So I just hope I bump into him?" asked Rinoa.

"No, you go to an event," said Seifer. "Somewhere where you can accidentally on purpose meet him. Like a party."

"Does he go to parties?" asked Rinoa.

"Never," said Fujin.

"Hates publicity, y'know. Mostly sticks to himself," said Raijin.

"So what do I do?" asked Rinoa.

Seifer thought about his answer. "What I'd do is go to an event where he has to attend. Every year there is a big ball where all the students are invited to celebrate graduation. Cid is always there."

"Oh yeah, Cid's always looking out for his students, y'know," said Raijin.

"So how do I get into that?" asked Rinoa.

"Dating," said Fujin.

"Huh?" asked Rinoa.

That was brilliant. Now he just had to play it off like he'd planned it. "Why do you think we're eating out?" asked Seifer. "I introduce you as my girlfriend, ask if you can attend, and they'll probably just let it through. I've got some pretty good grades anyway.

"Once you're in, you can find Cid and talk to him about your mission. If you pitch it properly, it should be fine. By that time, I'll have graduated and will be able to come help you out."

"Oh, right," said Rinoa, smiling. "Well, if I've got to be your girlfriend, I guess we'd better go out like this more often, huh?"

"Well, I'm not complaining," said Seifer. "Fujin, Raijin, take a walk will ya? The Knight and Lady have lunch to eat."

"Hopeless," said Fujin.

Seifer and Rinoa then had a fairly ordinary date. While they eat, they spoke about a great many things. Apparently, Rinoa's resistance group was non-violent, wanting to avoid any kind of bloodshed. Partially because Rinoa thought killing was wrong. But also because killing soldiers lost public sympathy and escalated things. She had come up with a number of plans which they hoped to enact.

But none of those plans could be done by their skill level.

Personally, Seifer was of the opinion that the best way to defeat your enemy was to engage and destroy them. He also suspected that the Forest Owl's refusal to use violence was less pacifism. More gutlessness. But he kept that to himself and let Rinoa talk. She was good at talking, and he played the part of a listener. Apparently, she was the daughter of a General named Caraway. But he had run away to join a resistance with a childhood friend named Zone.

Their main headquarters was in a train where they organized passive resistance. Apparently, Timber was very big on non-violent resistance. They coordinated in boycotts of Shinra products wherever possible. Rinoa boasted of damaging stocks and exposing criminal activity by corrupt officials.

"We're resistance fighters," said Rinoa. "But we're not breaking any law."

"And you're looking to escalate things?" asked Cipher.

"Well, um," Rinoa halted. "Yes and no. We've made some real progress. But we figure we ought to take things to the next level. But we need people with real training."

No way was Cid ever going to approve support for this group. Rinoa made a big deal of concealing her plans. But given how open she was most of the time, Seifer suspected she had no plan at all. Just a bunch of ideas inspired by adventure movies with a vague idea of defeating Deling.

Even though Dealing was little more than an empty suit. One who said and did whatever President Shinra told him to. All of his attempts to gain actual political power had failed miserably. His invasion of Timber had ended with an anticlimactic surrender. The government had known damn well they didn't stand a chance. No glory had been gained from that, especially with so flimsy a pretense. A series of executions via firing squad to demonstrate his strength was cut short. The executions caused the stocks to drop, and President Shinra hadn't been happy.

Until today, where Dealing was now trying to resurrect the old Druidic Cults. Except without the human sacrifice. Or the bonfires or any of the elements that made it interesting. Though at least Matron was moving up in the world.

Come to think of it, perhaps Rinoa was a worthy opponent after all. Dealing was a fake evil overlord, and Rinoa was a fake freedom fighter.

Eventually, Seifer paid the bill, sent her on her way, and directed her to a, particularly good inn.

Raijin and Fujin met him outside, and as they walked back, Seifer could tell they were uneasy. "Are you really sure this is a good idea, y'know?"

"Please," said Seifer. "As much as I loved to play knight in shining, there is no way Cid's going to make a contract with her."

"Why not tell her that?" asked Raijin.

"What's the big deal?" asked Seifer. "She'd never even going to get her foot in the door without our plan, so she's as close as she'll ever be. She gets to go to a party and dance or whatever and-"

"Get killed?" asked Fujin.

Seifer laughed at the idea of Rinoa willingly standing up to armed men. "She's not some gun-toting terrorist. She's a rich kid trying to get back at daddy. No way is she serious about this. No way."

Still, it was something worth watching to kill the hours.