"Squall and Seifer?" a woman asked as the two gunbladers got off the train in Deling City.
"That's us," Seifer agreed with a friendly smile. "You must be Lady Gustafson."
The woman smiled and brushed a lock of greying hair out of her eyes before holding out a hand to shake. "Please, call me Christal or Chris. Cid surely told you that?"
"But it's impolite to refer to such a distinguished lady in so informal a manner. Especially by us urchins."
"Orphans are not urchins," Christal informed him, clearly charmed. "Come, I've a car waiting upstairs."
The two boys hefted their weighty bags and fell in behind their host for their stay. Christal and Gregory Gustafson were old friends of the Kramers who avoided the political sphere enough that President Deling found nothing wrong with them. Cid had asked them if they could house a couple of operatives and treat them like sons for the duration of their mission, and while both Gustafsons had been uncertain about children playing in Deling City's dirty sandbox, they were more than willing to treat the two orphans like the children they'd never been able to have.
The ride to the Gustafson manor was quiet enough, with Christal occasionally shooting the two young boys uncertain looks. She was familiar enough with SeeD to dislike that a couple children were going on missions for them, but going to a couple of political functions and gathering information didn't seem too dangerous, really. And they were lovely boys.
Gregory met them at the door with a stern air. "Welcome, boys, to my home. I am Gregory Gustafson, though you may refer to me as Gregory or Greg."
"I'm Seifer Almasy, and this is Squall Leonhart," Seifer replied, offering the man a firm handshake. "Thank you for agreeing to host us for our stay in Deling."
Gregory nodded. "Of course. Chris will show you to your rooms, then perhaps we shall have a sit-down in the receiving room and discuss the way things will go while you're here?"
"That sounds fine," Seifer agreed.
"This way, boys," Christal directed, leading the way up the grand staircase and to the bedrooms that had been made up for the two on the second floor. Once they'd set their bags on the large beds, silently in awe over the spacious living arrangements, they followed Christal back downstairs to the receiving room, where a tea tray had been set out.
Gregory waited until the two boys were seated and had claimed a cup each before stating, "I was given only the briefest of explanations of your mission. Perhaps you would be willing to fill in the blanks?"
"Many of the 'blanks' are for your safety as much as they are for ours," Squall commented drily from behind his cup, "but we can do our best to help clarify some minor things. What all do you know?"
The two Gustafsons traded looks, surprised at both the boy's comment and the businesslike tone to his young voice. "We know that your client is Vinzer Deling and that he has asked for you to collect information on a number of his associates that he fears are out to get him. You'll be posing as our nephews from Trabia and we're to attend a couple parties to 'show you off'."
"That's pretty much all that you need to know," Seifer commented with an easy smile to take the sting out of his words. "If you knew who we were focussing on, you might accidentally let them know they're under watch."
"You can't possibly get that much information from a couple political parties," Christal commented.
"You'd be surprised how much people will let slip around a couple of curious kids," Seifer replied, shaking his head. "Posing as the nephews of a couple who avoid the political world and hail from an uninterested country makes us that much safer to talk to."
"What do you intend to do with the information you gather? Pass it on to Deling, I would think," Gregory said, frowning. "Are Chris and I under surveillance?"
"Would we tell you if you are?" Squall inquired drily.
Seifer sighed. "No, you're not on Deling's watch list. And, yes, we'll be passing everything we learn to him, through secure means. He doesn't know, exactly, who or where we are, only that we're from Garden and staying somewhere in the city." He frowned a bit as a thought occurred to him. "Cid didn't say anything about how unusual it was for you to attend political functions, only that you generally stay out of the lime-light. Will your attending make anyone overly suspicious?"
"No, it shouldn't," Gregory replied, shaking his head. "Deling is almost more suspicious of people who don't attend his little parties, so I usually attend them every few weeks. Chris doesn't often come, but she's been known to on occasion. Bringing children to keep an eye on is a good explanation for her being there."
"Good. The last thing we need is for Deling to start freaking out about a sudden change in your movements." Seifer glanced over at Squall, who shrugged. "Anything else?" the blond asked, looking back at the two adults.
Christal sighed. "One little thing: Do either of you have formal attire?"
Both boys blinked a few times in surprise. They had their SeeD uniforms, which had been left back in their rooms in Garden, but that was about as formal as they got. "Erm, no," Seifer replied. "Just some t-shirts and jeans."
Squall snorted. "I'd blame Cid for the oversight, but I'm guessing he planned it this way."
Christal laughed, eyes bright. "Cid does love his little games. We'll have to take you out and buy you some things to wear, then. How long will you two be here, do you know?"
"As long as it takes," Squall said with certainty. "Anywhere from a month to an entire year."
"Don't you have friends back at Garden?" Christal wondered, worried.
"Sure, but they know we're in this for a while," Seifer replied with a shrug. "They weren't happy about it–" he rubbed at his leg, where Fujin had kicked him when he'd told them they could be in Deling for up to a year, "–but they understand; we knew what we were getting into when we joined Garden."
"We're not completely without the ability to contact them," Squall added when Christal's expression didn't lighten. There were already three other SeeDs in Deling, and any number of the new graduates would be coming and going from the city during their mission and could easily be talked into ferrying messages between the youngest SeeDs and their friends back home. It wasn't really a secret among the fifteen SeeDs that Seifer and Squall were on a long-term mission in Deling, though most of Garden outside of their friends and Cid was unaware of where, exactly, they were, only that they would be gone for a while.
"Yeah. We can trade letters weekly, if we want to. Safer to talk through letters, anyway, with the way Fuu kicks..."
Squall snorted. "You were the idiot who stood right next to her."
"You're just a chicken, Chicken-Head."
Squall rolled his eyes. "Would you like a matching bruise on your other leg?"
"Nah. One is good."
Christal's laughter interrupted them and they looked back at the two adults with faintly sheepish looks. Even Gregory was smiling a bit at them, relieved to see that the boys were capable of still acting like children, in spite of the serious air they exuded. "Perhaps that shopping trip is in order?" he suggested.
"Sounds wonderful," Christal agreed, gracefully rising from her seat. "I'll call the car around. Perhaps we can see about getting you boys some games or toys, too. So you're not bored during the day..."
The two boys traded uncertain looks. Games? Toys? Really?
-0-
"Now there's something I haven't seen in a while," Seifer commented as he slipped into Squall's room, eyeing the journal the brunet was writing in. The outside of the notebook had changed in the years since the orphanage, but the contents remained the same, and Seifer was determined that he'd get to read the damn thing one day.
Squall flipped the notebook closed and pointedly sat on it. "I know better than to write in it where you can see me. What's up?"
Seifer slid onto the huge bed and took a moment to relax back against one of the corner poles, then said, "What do you think about the security?"
Squall settled back against the headboard and considered his answer. They'd been staying with the Gustafsons for a week now and their first party was tomorrow night. While they would be gathering some information at the parties, a large part of their job was to sneak into the homes of their targets so they could observe them in secret while their guard was fully down. Galbadia Garden, which had opened last spring, had created some new technology that would enable them to keep a running tally on their prey without being there, but both planting the bugs and retrieving the information from them required that the boys be able to sneak out of their current residence without raising any alarms.
"I count three guards, the butler, two maids, and the three kitchen staff. The guards appear to be focussed on the front of the manor, the maids and butler all have rooms above or next to the main entrance, and the kitchen staff goes home overnight. The ivy on the back garden wall looks like it's the poisonous variety, but I think it's the imitation."
Seifer nodded. "I think you're right. There's a gate back there, but it's rusted closed. I've been working on it a bit, but there's only so much I can do when Chris and Greg insist on following us everywhere." He really was fond of their hosts, but he wished they would stop treating them like children and leave them alone for longer than it took to use the bathroom. "We might be able to use it in a month or so, but not now. You think we can scale the wall?"
"Should be able to," Squall agreed thoughtfully. "There's a tree on the other side that I can catch a line on if we need a little extra help."
"Do we know how we're spotting each of these guys?"
"I asked Gregory if he would be willing to put names to faces for me," Squall offered. "We can probably get some time in with all of them at this first party, but do try and get something out of the first two before we bug them. Mistresses, odd sleep schedules, overly cautious house guards..."
Seifer snorted. "I have no interest in going in blind and getting caught before we can get anything out of these peop–"
Squall held up his hand for silence, but Seifer's mouth had already snapped shut and they both turned towards the door, hearing someone moving around out in the hallway. After a moment, a knock came at Squall's door and Christal called, "Squall? Is Seifer in there with you?"
Seifer shot a look at the younger boy and he shrugged, not caring if their host found them hanging out together. "Erm, yeah! I'm in here!"
"May I come in?" Christal asked.
Squall slid his notebook under his pillow, resigned to the fact that it would be a while before he could finish his entry. "Come on in."
Christal stepped in with a troubled smile, hugging her sleep robe against her chest. "One of Greg's friends decided to pay a late..." She blinked a few times at the boy in confusion, then hurried across the room and lightly touched the scar on Seifer's face; both boys usually wore make-up to hide their scars, as they were their most distinguishing features and not particularly useful in supporting their 'innocent little boys' image. "When did this happen?" she whispered.
"About a year ago," Seifer admitted with a shrug. "Squally's got one, too."
Christal glanced towards Squall, whose face had been enough in shadow that she hadn't noticed the mirrored scar running down his nose. "Those must have hurt," she murmured, true sadness shining in her eyes.
"It stung a bit," Seifer agreed, smiling. "What did you need us for, Chris?"
Christal shook her head, stepping back. "Oh, right. Greg's friend, August Ricaforte, decided to pay a late night visit." She shook her head, not seeing the amused looks on the boys' faces. "He always does this. It drives me ma– What are you two grinning about?"
"It's a family thing," Seifer said in a perfect imitation of October Ricaforte's snobby response the time Zell had asked what sort of parents named their kid 'October'.
"One of our friends at Garden is October Ricaforte," Squall explained while Seifer snickered at himself.
"You know October?" Christal asked, smiling a bit. "He's a lovely boy. Smart, too."
"Unless it's maths," Seifer agreed, eyes lit with mischief. "He sucks at maths."
Squall rolled his eyes and climbed out of his bed. "I expect we're supposed to come down and meet General Ricaforte?"
"Yes, if you please," Christal agreed, considering their worn, Garden-issue pyjamas. "Perhaps some sleep robes, as well. I'll go find a couple." Then she turned and left the room.
Squall pulled out his make-up for covering his scar and gathered just enough on his finger to hide it, then tossed the jar to Seifer, who repeated the motion. By the time Christal returned with robes, the scars had vanished from view and Seifer was halfway to Squall's pillow.
"Lay one hand on my journal, Seifer Almasy, and I will gut you," Squall warned as he tucked the make-up away in his bag.
"And get blood all over this comfortable bed?"
"I can sleep in yours while you bleed out. No skin off my back."
"You're a cruel, cruel best friend."
"Good of you to notice. Now, stay away from my journal."
Christal stepped into the room, having been eavesdropping a little, and held out the robes. "They're probably a bit big, but they'll have to do."
"They'll be fine, Chris. Thanks," Seifer assured her as he slipped from the bed and took the robes, tossing one to Squall. The arms were a bit long, but some folding back fixed that and their hostess led the way down to the receiving room.
Both men rose from their seats as the lady of the house and the two boys walked in. "August, these are my nephews, Squall and Seifer," Gregory introduced while the two boy considered the general with bland looks. "Boys, this is my good friend, August Ricaforte."
August offered the boys a knowing smile. "You don't look like Garden's two most promising students," he commented, making Gregory stiffen in surprise.
"That's the point," Seifer replied drily.
August chuckled and reached over to touch Gregory's shoulder. "Greg, I'm sorry for the minor deception. October told me his friends were in Deling and I figured it must have been you who was hosting them, since you'd just taken in two boys. But I didn't want to chance you finding out that Garden was in town if they weren't here. You understand."
Gregory let out a heavy breath. "I understand," he agreed. "Please, let's all sit. And perhaps now we can hear some honesty, August?"
August inclined his head in understanding as they all sat. "I don't know what your mission here is, nor do I care," he announced, reaching into his jacket pocket, "but October said you were in town and wondered if I could pass on some letters and a message from him."
"Mail!" Seifer exclaimed, darting out of his seat to take the offered letters.
Squall rolled his eyes as his friend started shuffling through the mail. "What was the message, General?"
"It's something of a two-part," he explained. "October wanted to know, first, if him coming to visit would put your cover at risk."
Squall frowned in thought, then shook his head. "You're already friends with Gregory and Christal, so it shouldn't be too odd for you to introduce your son to their nephews. As long as we actually treat it like a first meeting, it should be fine." He elbowed Seifer. "That means no maths jokes, Seifer."
"But maths jokes are half the fun," Seifer complained, setting the letters aside for the minute to pay attention to the conversation. "What's the second part?"
"He's uncertain if he should leave Garden while he's head of the DC," August replied, shrugging. It was clear he didn't actually know what the 'DC' was.
Seifer and Squall traded thoughtful looks. Seifer was the one who said, "It should be okay during the spring holiday. As long as he tells Quis and Xu to keep an eye on things while he's gone."
" 'DC'?" Christal asked, curious.
"Disciplinary Committee," Seifer explained. "There's a small problem with bullying at Garden, so Squally and I started the DC to sort of bring the bullies in line. With us out of Garden for a while, we left October in charge."
"Were you two bullied?" Christal wondered, frowning.
August laughed. "From what October tells me, those two are the people the bullies most feared."
"That's because they never met NORG," Seifer muttered, picking the letters back up to look through them again.
"We were never their targets," Squall said for Christal's benefit, "but our friends were. We created the DC to protect them."
Christal smiled at that. "You're good boys," she decided.
August, who had heard more than enough stories from his son about the boys across him, shook his head, but a glance at the ice in blue-grey eyes warned him against saying anything further on the matter. Clearly, the boys didn't want to let their hosts know exactly how dangerous they were, which was probably for the best, considering the innocence Christal wore around her like a second skin. She already adored the two and it would be cruel to dispel her illusions.
The general rose to his feet with a smile. "Well, that was really all that I came here to do," he said to the other two adults. "October should be here in another couple weeks and we can set up a play date."
Seifer made a face, which Squall elbowed him for.
Gregory rose to his own feet. "Of course. Let me see you out..."
"Well, that was lovely," Christal said once the men were out of range. "And you got mail from your friends!"
Seifer grinned and stood, dragging Squall with him. "Yup! And now we're gonna go read them and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow!"
"Good night, boys," Christal called as they slipped from the room.
"I hope the general doesn't give us away," Seifer muttered as they started up the staircase.
"He shouldn't," Squall replied quietly. "I don't know how much October has told him about recent events, though he didn't know what the DC was, so I'm guessing not a lot. As far as he knows, we're just Garden." The two boys being SeeDs was supposed to be a Balamb Garden secret, to protect their identities. No one needed to know that Garden had a ten and eleven year old out on missions and capable of cold-blooded murder. Knowing they were from Garden was bad enough, but Garden was only a school to train mercenaries, not the actual mercenary force itself.
"Let's hope it stays that way," Seifer agreed. "My room or yours?"
"Yours," Squall immediately said. "I don't want you that close to my journal."
"I'll just sneak in one afternoon while you're playing in the garden and–"
"I will disembowel you if you continue to joke about this," Squall hissed, pressing a knife he'd had hidden up his sleeve against the hollow of Seifer's throat. "Are we clear?"
Seifer stared into the icy grey eyes, perfectly calm in spite of the metal kissing his throat. "What are you hiding, Squall?" he murmured. "Don't you trust me?"
Squall stepped away, the knife returning to its hidden sheath. "...Just stay away from my journal, Seifer." He looked away for a moment, then looked back up and met Seifer's eyes, a desperate pain swimming in his own eyes. "Please."
Seifer closed his eyes against the sight of his best friend truly asking him for something. Usually, it was him asking for reassurance, not Squall. "I promise I won't touch your journal," he whispered.
Squall let out a breath and nodded. "Let's go read those letters."
"Okay."
-0-
"So, how is it, pretending to have parents?" October asked one afternoon while the two SeeDs were enjoying a 'play date' at Ricaforte House during the summer holidays. They were all sitting in the back yard, away from curious servants and October's parents alike.
"Stressful," Seifer muttered, leaning back against a tree and bumping his shoulder with Squall's. "Maybe if we weren't hiding half of what we are from them, it wouldn't be so bad, but it's just kinda a pain in the ass."
October chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose I can relate. Dad knows what the army's like, but he has no idea what SeeD is."
"We're mercenaries," Squall said. "Everyone knows that."
The teenager shrugged a bit awkwardly from where he was stretched out along the ground. "Well, yeah, we're hired out to the highest bidder, but that doesn't really explain what we do. Like, who would think going to fancy parties and listening to old men talk about their war days is mercenary work? Dad thinks SeeD is a private army that hires itself out to other armies in a time of crisis."
"We are, though," Seifer commented. "A private army, I mean. But we're also trained in more than war."
"It's the 'more than war' that most people don't catch," Squall said, shaking his head. "They hear 'mercenary' and it translates to 'soldier' not 'whatever the fuck you need us for at that moment'."
"As long as it doesn't involve cooking," October agreed with a smirk towards Seifer, who had once burned the cake he was making for Squall's surprise party.
"Or maths," Seifer shot back.
"Oh, grow up, both of you," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes.
The other two chuckled and relaxed back to enjoy the quiet for a bit, ears twitching against their will when noise from inside reached them through opened windows.
"So, what are you two doing? Other than listening to old men at parties, I mean?" October wondered, leaning up on his elbows to get a better look at the two SeeDs. "Or can you not tell me?"
Seifer and Squall traded looks before both shrugging. "It's not really a huge secret," Seifer said. "Deling's getting paranoid about some of his people and wants to know their every dirty secret. We're here to get those secrets for him."
"By listening to old men at parties," October finished, dropping back to the ground. "Anything good?"
"We're bugging their houses with some technology Galbadia Garden developed, as well," Squall said drily. "And, no, we haven't got a lot during the parties, but the house bugs are proving effective."
October jerked back up onto his elbows. "Is my house bugged?" he demanded.
"No." Seifer shot him a lazy smile. "You doing something naughty after the lights go out, Pretty Boy?"
Squall snorted. "If your house was bugged, we wouldn't have agreed to come over, and we probably would have advised you to remain at Garden. No, your family isn't on our list. Neither are the Gustafsons."
October relaxed back against the ground, taking a few deep breaths. "Good."
"Am I the only one not keeping secrets?" Seifer wondered rhetorically. "Seriously, first Squally's getting possessive over his diary–"
"Journal," Squall muttered.
"–and now Prince Pretty Boy is doing naughty things at home he doesn't want us knowing about. Should we bug your room, October?"
October glanced towards Squall, one eyebrow cocked in amusement. "You have a diary?"
"Journal," Squall snapped, hitting the side of Seifer's leg. "And, yes, I've kept it since I was a kid. Seifer's the only one who's ever seen it."
"Yeah, before I could read and then from an extreme distance," Seifer said, rolling his eyes. "You're more protective about that thing than you are about Revolver, and you worship that weapon."
"No one has any interest in stealing Revolver," Squall pointed out. "My journal, on the other hand, needs all the protection in the world. Especially with you around."
Seifer sighed. "I already promised I'd leave the damn thing alone, Squall. Calm down."
Squall grunted and rested his head back against the tree. "Whatever."
October considered the two younger boys for a moment, then admitted, "Mom is from Timber, and she hates Deling. She likes to say rude things inside the house and occasionally trades letters with a couple resistance factions. Dad doesn't care, so long as it stays in the house."
"Okay, yeah, we're not going to mention that one in a report," Seifer declared. "I am not okay with implicating and murdering the parents of a friend. No. Not happening."
"Murdering?" October asked, closing his eyes.
"If any of the people on our list ring any alarm bells for Deling, we're to go in and ensure they're no longer a problem," Squall replied, voice carefully cold.
October sighed. "I'm not really surprised, knowing Deling. I'll warn Mom to bring the protesting down a notch, though. Just in case. I mean, you two might not have eyes on my family, but another team could."
"That's really the only thing you can do," Seifer agreed quietly. "If we hear about them becoming a new attraction, we'll let them know to take a holiday. It might end up just implicating them all the more, but at least they'll be out of Deling's reach for a bit until he calms down."
"Thanks, Seifer."
-0-
Their first kill order came the week of Seifer's birthday.
"I officially hate this man," Seifer muttered as they made their way through the gate at the back of the Gustafsons property in the middle of the night. "Couldn't he have sent this a week ago? Or just waited another week?"
"It's not like he planned this with you in mind," Squall replied quietly as he fixed the latch so they'd be able to get back in once they were done. They could always scale the wall again, but the gate was easier. And the ivy on the wall was the poisonous kind, Squall had found one night when it brushed against an uncovered patch of skin at his wrist and he spent a week trying not to scratch while Seifer laughed.
"I know. At least the house isn't far." Seifer shook his head and they fell silent as they crept down the little-used back road that connected most of the manors. The one they were heading towards was about a twenty-minute trek, made more difficult thanks to the new moon hanging darkly in the sky. They managed to get there in half an hour and crept around to the air vent access next to the outdoor heating system.
Both boys made sure their junctions were set properly, then opened canisters of sleeping gas and set them inside the vent. After fifteen minutes, they picked the lock on the back door and slipped inside, Seifer hurrying forward to input the override code on the house alarm. Most people didn't bother with the technology, since it had a tendency to go off at nothing, but their current target was almost as paranoid as President Deling himself, so he used the alarm system in spite of the false alarms.
Sadly, for him, Squall and Seifer had contacts who knew the override code that had been set by the developer of the system and never removed.
The guard out by the front gate hadn't been affected by the sleeping gas, but the guard change also wasn't for another five hours, so he shouldn't pose a problem. Everyone else was out like a light, even their target.
Squall was the one who slit the man's throat while Seifer kept watch. Honestly, the watch wasn't needed, but Squall didn't care if Seifer needed to stand outside the room where a man was being murdered in cold-blood. Squall was far less bothered by death than Seifer was, anyway. He stayed until the murdered man's body had begun to grow cold before slipping from the room and joining Seifer on their way out of the manor and back towards their current residence.
"What did you do with the prostitute?" Seifer asked once the house had been left behind.
"Nothing." Squall shrugged. "If she'd wakened, I would have had to kill her, but she slept through it. She'll probably be implicated for the murder."
Seifer sighed. "Not sure which would have been better for her, all things considered. Maybe she'll be smart and run for it before anyone notices."
"Maybe," Squall agreed.
They crept back onto the grounds by way of the gate, which was securely latched behind them, then picked their way across the yard to where lines fell from their bedroom windows to scale back up.
"Good night, Squally," Seifer offered as he tugged lightly on his rope to ensure it hadn't come loose.
"Good night, Seifer. Pleasant dreams."
"Oh, har, har." Seifer rolled his eyes and they both moved smoothly up the wall and into their rooms.
The lines were retracted and hidden in their bags with their weapons and dark suits. They changed into their pyjamas – new pairs bought for them by Christal a few months earlier with a great deal of other new clothing – and both climbed into bed. Squall had written his journal entry before leaving, so he didn't have to stay awake any longer and fell right to sleep and into Shiva's waiting arms, the GF quietly stealing away his dark memories of the night's deed and humming him to a restful sleep.