Preface: Originally posted on the FFVIII board a while ago. I figure it belongs here.
Disclaimer: Own nothing. Now you all know.
Setting: Three years after Squall & Co. defeated Ultimacia
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"The Returnee"
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"Excuse me sir, are you available?" beeped the intercom in Squall's office.
"Yeah, why?" answered Squall.
"There's a man here to see you." said the intercom. Then, "Hey! Watch out!"
"Yo Squall, get your butt down here now." said Zell over the intercom.
"OK Zell." answered Squall. 'Good old Zell,' he thought, 'If only he wasn't so hyper.' 'But,' he also wondered, 'what could make happy-go-lucky Zell sound so worried?'
Squall found out when he saw who his visitor was. Seifer Almasy, his nemesis, standing there in the com room totally relaxed. Squall's first instinct was to draw his gunblade and rip Seifer a few new scars, but he restrained himself when he saw that Seifer was unarmed. Also, Irvine and Rinoa had their weapons trained on him.
Seifer smirked, as he had divined the reason why Squall was reaching toward his hip where Lionheart lay.
"Squall, long time no see. What's up?" he asked remaining completely oblivious of the two weapons pointed at him, as well as those that wielded them.
"Aren't you supposed to be in prison?" asked Squall, still cautious because unarmed or not, Seifer could still be dangerous.
"Sentence is up." said Seifer. "I've paid my debt to society."
"So you say." said Zell.
Seifer ignored him, and then looking over Squall's shoulder said, "Hello Headmaster."
Everyone turned and saluted Headmaster Cid who had just walked in, except for Rinoa and Irvine who merely nodded at him.
"Hello all." said Cid to the main group. "Good, you're back." he said speaking to Seifer. "Ready to report for duty?" he continued.
"Yes sir." said Seifer saluting.
"Good then." said Cid.
"Hold on a second." said Squall. "Seifer isn't a SeeD."
"Yeah I am." said Seifer. "I've been one for years."
"Am I missing something here?" asked Zell.
"Yes." said Cid. "Seifer will explain it to all of you tomorrow. Now, back to your posts." Then he turned and walked away.
The room fell silent.
"So, where are Fujin and Raijin?" asked Seifer. "I wanted to meet up with them."
"They're in their dorms. They just passed their SeeD test last year." answered Squall automatically. 'Something is different about Seifer.' he thought. 'Or is it something familiar? Have I seen someone like him recently?'
"Cool. See ya'll tomorrow." said Seifer as he walked toward the dorm rooms.
"Should we follow him?" asked Irvine keeping Seifer in his sights.
"No. Obviously Cid has no problem with him being here." answered Squall.
"Something about him was familiar." said Zell.
"I was thinking the same thing myself." admitted Squall. 'Now, where have I been recently?' he wondered. 'There had been the normal visitors to the Garden, but no one looked like Seifer in Balamb.'
"I was going to say he looked like someone we've seen recently." said Rinoa.
"Great Hyne, you're right." said Zell.
"Yes." said Squall. "How odd. I might ask Cid if he knows anything. I still don't understand why Cid would let him back in."
"Squall, I just heard that Seifer was back." said Quistis, running into the room. "Oh, he was here already." she said noticing the solemn faces in the com room.
"Yeah, Cid let him back into the Garden." explained Squall. "We're trying to figure out why."
"I think I might know three reasons why." said Quistis. "One is that Cid hasn't given up on having two gunblade specialists in Balamb, and is willing to give Seifer another chance. The second third is that Cid is just a really forgiving guy. The third and most disturbing reason would be that Cid feels that he somehow owes Seifer something."
"Yes, but what could Cid possibly owe Seifer." mused Rinoa.
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." said Squall.
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Seifer went to the Discipline Committee's room instead of the dorms, because he knew that Fujin and Raijin would probably be there. They often hung out there because they could talk in there without being the subject of too much gossip. When a guy talked with a girl, certain people would start spreading rumors about them going out. This was kind of wrong considering that Fujin and Raijin were adopted brother and sister, but not many people knew that, which was not suprising at all. Sure enough he was right. They were in the office where Fujin was polishing her shuriken, and Raijin was lounging with his feet on the desk that they had once shared.
"Hey guys." said Seifer as he strode into the room.
Fujin looked up, and Raijin fell out of the chair. He quickly picked himself up, however, saying, "Seifer! How are you? We've missed you, ya know."
"HEY." said Fujin kicking Raijin in the shins for messing up Seifer's arrival.
Seifer smiled. He had had reservations about how they would treat him. After all, he had nearly made them criminals for helping him fufill Ultimacia's orders.
"So what's new?" Seifer asked.
"Nothing much." said Raijin. "Still putting Plebes in their place, ya know."
"AFFIRMATIVE." said Fujin.
"Wouldn't expect any less." said Seifer. "Heard you're SeeDs now. Congratulations."
"Yeah, finally passed the test ya know." said Raijin.
"KILLER." said Fujin.
"So where're you stayin'?" asked Raijin.
"I dunno." said Seifer. "I had Hyperion and my other stuff sent to your dorm though. How about I change, and we go out fishing. Just like old times."
"I'm down with that." said Raijin.
"WONDERFUL." said Fujin.
Then Raijin and Seifer went to their room while Fujin closed up the office.
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"These must be yours." said Raijin indicating the bundle that had been placed on his bed.
"Yeah." said Seifer checking the articles to make sure that they were all there. "Well, look at this." he said holding up a new SeeD uniform.
"There must have been a mistake, ya know." said Raijin.
"No, it's mine." said Seifer indicating the patch that said Almasy over the pocket.
"I didn't know you was a SeeD too." said Raijin.
"Don't worry. I'll explain it to everyone later on." said Seifer. "Can you rent out a car for us while I get changed? I don't want to have to fight any monsters on the way to the shore."
"Sure thing." said Raijin as he strolled toward the door.
"Wait." said Seifer noticing a small disk that was in his bundle with a label that read "Here is your first GF. His name is Diablos, and he has several useful junctions and abilities, namely HP and Hit Junctions, some Strength ability, as well as Mug and Enc-None. Sincerely, Cid."
"You got a GF too." said Raijin. "Fujin and I got one too. Mine is Quetzacotl, and Fujin got Pandemona back too, ya know."
"Excellent." said Seifer. "Maybe we should walk now instead of taking a car. It might be nice fighting a couple of monsters on the way."
"Fujin & I'll meet you at the front gate in fifteen minutes. We'll get the rod and tackle." said Raijin, as he walked out the door.
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"So Cid let you back into Garden after I turned myself in." said Seifer after they had reached the shore and were fishing.
"YES." said Fujin. "LOYALTY."
"What Fujin is trying to say was that the Garden didn't really hold us accountable for treason when Cid learnt that we committed treason out of loyalty." explained Raijin.
"Ahh. I see." said Seifer, not really understanding. "I'd hoped that you had passed the tests. I missed you two."
"SAME." said Fujin. Then a large wave picked up her shuriken which had been laying in front of her. "EXCUSE ME." she said and then she got up and went to go chase after it.
"So, dating anyone?" asked Seifer when she was gone.
"Nah, not really." said Raijin. "Neither is Fujin, but a weird thing happened before you met us at the gate though, ya know."
"What?" asked Seifer.
"Fujin asked me whether she should keep her eyepatch when the time is up." said Raijin.
"So? What's so weird about that?" asked Seifer.
"It wasn't the question, but she spoke in a full sentence." explained Raijin. "She hasn't done that since she gave you that speech in Lunatic Pandora."
"Oh." said Seifer. He remembered that, and everything else that had occurred in that god-forsaken place. How his two friends had deserted him, how he had acted.
"I was gonna ask you about that. How much longer does she have?"
"She passed the physical." said Raijin.
"And she still speaks in one word sentences?" asked Seifer.
"That particular time frame isn't up yet, and she intends to wait, ya know." answered Raijin. "So what about you?" asked Raijin, changing the subject. "Date anyone in prison?"
"It was an all male prison." said Seifer.
"Oh." said Raijin.
"WELL?" said Fujin as she returned to them holding a wet shuriken.
"Hey guys." said Seifer. "I'm gonna explain some things to Squall and some other people tomorrow. I'm supposed to explain to them why I'm a SeeD among other things. Wanna come?"
"OF COURSE." said Fujin, as if this were obvious.
"Sure." said Raijin. "But when?"
"Whenever they call me down." said Seifer. "I'll probably be hanging with you at the time, so don't worry too much."
"TELL NOW?" asked Fujin.
"Nah, I'd rather not have to explain myself twice. You know how much I hate to do that." said Seifer, mentally kicking himself for sounding like a jerk. Again.
"UNDERSTOOD." said Fujin.
"Hah, I got one ya know!" said Raijin holding up a large fish.
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At eleven o'clock Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Fujin, Raijin, Cid, and Edea all crowded into Cid's office to hear Seifer's explanation. The story was recorded by Selphie on her video camera. Hyne knows why.
"Action!" said Selphie turning on the camcorder.
"God damn camera." muttered Seifer.
"Wait, say that again!" pleaded Selphie. "I didn't get it on tape!"
"Oh well." said Seifer. "What do you want me to tell you?" he asked his audience.
"How are you a SeeD?" asked Zell.
"Simple. I passed the tests." said Seifer. "What else?"
"But you didn't pass the field test. Ever." said Quistis. "Explain that."
"Well, the first time I failed the test was when I was 15." began Seifer. "However, it was only by one or two points, so Cid said I should pass it the next time. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be."
"What do you mean?" asked Selphie.
"Yo, let the man explain." said Zell.
"It's just exposition." said Selphie.
Everyone in the room glared at her.
"Sorry." she muttered, taking the hint.
"Anyway," said Seifer, "the instructors were strict back then. They insisted that you meet them at the gate exactly on time, and I was running late. I had changed into my SeeD cadet uniform, and was racing down the hall toward the gate. Unfortunately, Garden Master Norg was inspecting the Garden that day, and I barreled right into him. He fell right on his fat butt. Now, being one to hold grudges, he promised me that I would never pass the exam. Sure enough, I failed that test even though I had performed perfectly. I asked Cid about it, and he explained that I was a SeeD, and as soon as Norg got over his grudge, I would become one officially. To make me feel better, he made me head of the Disciplinary Committee."
"Well, that would explain why you never took class or anything seriously." said Quistis.
"Yeah, it would." said Squall, thinking.
"I don't get something though," said Irvine, "I mean why did you rebel against the Garden? And why didn't Cid have you court marshaled for treason?"
"I believe that I can answer that." said Cid. "I always felt guilty for not standing up to Norg for Seifer. Besides, he wasn't really himself when he betrayed us."
"Wha'?" asked Raijin.
"POSSESSED?" asked Fujin.
"Good guess." said Seifer.
"When?" asked Edea quietly.
"You all better get comfortable." said Seifer, this might take a while."
When everyone had gotten a bit more settled, he began.
"Shortly after I had "failed" my fourth SeeD test at age 17, I was sent on a recruiting stint in Deling City. The crew and I were housed in General Caraway's house." began Seifer.
"I know where this is going." said Selphie.
Everyone glared at her again, except for Rinoa who started blushing, and she shut up.
"Anyway, it was there that I met Rinoa, and yeah, we did date." continued Seifer. "Unfortunately, General Caraway didn't approve of me and Rinoa, so I wasn't allowed to see her again. When I returned to the Garden, I was depressed to say the least."
"I remember that ya know." interrupted Raijin.
"Yeah, you didn't pick on me for weeks." said Zell.
"Yes, I did behave rather strangely." admitted Seifer. "Anyway, I would frequently go to the Training Center late at night around one hundred hours when no one was around to train, but mostly to think."
"It was on one of those nights that I heard a voice calling my name. I went to check it out, and found an Imp. Unfortunately, I didn't know two important things. One was what type of monster an Imp is. They're Ultimacia's favorite monsters for a few reasons. They use strong magic, and they don't face you when you hit them so you can never sneak up on them. The second important fact I didn't know was that this particular Imp was possessed.
"As I was staring at it, Ultimacia "jumped" from the Imp to me. The only problem was that I wasn't aware of it at the time. She was subtle. Sometimes she would speak to me in my mind, and tell me to do things. Unfortunately, they made sense at the time, so I didn't think that she was really there, controlling me. The only times she really came out was the day that I scarred Squall in training and when I made Rinoa junction with Adel."
"Sure." said Squall, fingering the gash on his forehead. "Just out of curiosity, how can we trust you?"
"You can't, but trust your wife at least." said Seifer cryptically.
"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Zell, getting irritated. He had no patience for riddles.
"One of Adel's powers that were a gift from Ultimacia was the ability to read minds." explained Seifer. "Rinoa got that power from Adel after junctioning with her."
"I did?" asked Rinoa.
"Yeah, I guess you haven't had a chance to explore all of the powers you got from Adel. " said Seifer.
"How do I do it?" asked Rinoa.
"Simple, just close your eyes and "push" your mind into mine." said Seifer. "It isn't as hard as it ow! Jeez, you don't have to push that hard. Now, until you fully develop this power, you have to have the person whose mind you're reading's consent. When you get really good though, it shouldn't be that hard. For now however, just tell everyone if I tell a lie. Be our human lie detector."
"Okay." said Rinoa. "So far he's told the truth." she continued, shuddering a bit.
"What is it Rinoa?" asked Squall, concerned.
"It's depressing in his mind." explained Rinoa.
"Yeah, anyway, that's basically all you have to do, so you can now release your strangle hold on my mind." said Seifer. "Do you all believe me now?" he asked the group.
"Believe you, yes." said Quistis. "Trust you, no."
"God damn, what do I have to do for you people?" asked Seifer.
"You could start by apologizing." said Rinoa. "You did force me to junction to Adel."
"Don't you people get it?! That wasn't me!" yelled Seifer.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot." said Rinoa completely unapolegetically.
"So what are you going to do now?" asked Irvine.
"What SeeDs do." said Seifer. "Fight."
"Yes, you will." said Cid. "However, can everyone leave the room for a minute. I need to talk to Seifer."
"Yes sir." said Squall taking Selphie's video camera away as he walked out the door.
"Hey! Give that back!" yelled Selphie charging out the door to retrieve her camera.
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"Seifer, I need to ask you a question." began Cid.
"All right." said Seifer.
"Did you ever learn anything about your parents?" asked Cid.
"No." said Seifer.
"I believe that you should know. You're ready now." said Cid. "You see, the only known parents of you orphans were Squall's and yours. Your father is Martine, former headmaster of Galbadia Garden."
"What?" asked Seifer. He remembered Martine. He had outsted his own father when he took over Galbadia Garden.
"I am assigning you, Fujin Raitaro, and Raijin Raitaro away to Fisherman's Horizon. You may meet with Martine, but your primary objective is to search for any possible candidates for SeeD." said Cid.
"Yes sir." said Seifer, saluting.
"Excellent. You are dismissed." said Cid, smiling.
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"Come on Raijin and Fujin." said Seifer walking towards the dorm rooms. "We're going to Fisherman's Horizon. Change into your SeeD uniforms and meet me at the gate in fifteen minutes. I'll explain on the way."
"Yes sir." said Raijin.
"AFFIRMATIVE." said Fujin.
"See ya later, leader boy." said Seifer to Squall as he walked away from a stunned party of people.
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"So what are we doin' in Fisherman's Horizon?" asked Raijin on the train to FH.
"Cid sent us on a recruitin' mission." said Seifer. "I will also meet with Martine."
"MARTINE?" asked Fujin.
"Yeah, we have some business to discuss." said Seifer.
"Like what?" asked Raijin.
"Cid has just informed me that Martine is my father." confessed Seifer.
"OH." said Fujin.
"Wait, isn't Martine that guy that we kicked out of Galbadia Garden?" asked Raijin.
"Yeah." said Seifer. 'How could I do that to my own father? I really was a bastard.' he thought. 'You didn't know.' his mind replied. 'Then why do I feel so guilty?' he asked, and he pondered this until the train reached FH.
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"The train has arrived in Fisherman's Horizon." beeped the train's intercom. "All passengers exiting at this stop please get off now."
"All right," said Seifer, "let's go."
"Where do we go now?" asked Raijin.
"To see Mayor Dobe." said Seifer. "Cid asked him to find us a place to stay."
"HIS HOUSE." said Fujin.
"Yeah, he's probably there." said Seifer. "Let's go."
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"I'm sorry, but the Mayor isn't here." said Flo, the mayor's wife. "He should be back in an hour though."
"Thank you ma'am." said Seifer as he and his squad walked out of the Mayor's House.
"Now what do we do?" asked Raijin.
"GO FISHING?" asked Fujin hopefully.
"Sure, I'll catch up with you later." said Seifer.
"Why?" asked Raijin at which point Fujin kicked him in the shins for being dense.
Seifer smiled. He hadn't realized till then just how much he had missed his posse.
"I'm gonna see my dad." answered Seifer.
"WE'LL COME." said Fujin.
"Ow, yeah, let's go." said Raijin limping slightly. 'I'd better start wearing shinguards.' he thought.
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Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin walked past the mayor's house to a point overlooking the water. A man was sitting on the edge of a small dock gazing into the distance. Fujin nudged Raijin gently and nodded towards ex-headmaster Martine. Raijin nodded. He did resemble Seifer.
"Excuse me, sir." said Seifer to Martine. "Are you ex-headmaster Martine?"
"Yes, I'm Martine." said Martine not looking up. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Seifer Almasy." responded Seifer causing Martine to glance up at him.
"S-E-I-F-E-R A-L-M-A-S-Y?" questioned Martine.
"Yeah, that's me." said Seifer.
"Cid must have told you then." said Martine.
"Yeah." admitted Seifer.
"Who are they?" asked Martine looking at Fujin and Raijin.
"They're my friends Raijin and Fujin Raitaro. They're brother and sister." said Seifer.
"Oh." said Martine looking out into the ocean again. "I suppose you might have some questions for me. Ask away."
"Why didn't you keep me?" asked Seifer.
"It's hard to explain." began Martine. "One reason was that I was too busy to take proper care of you. I was a soldier then, and I simply didn't have time for you. Besides, I only knew your mother for a short time. Another reason that I didn't learn where you were until you were about ten. The fourth reason was I didn't want you to suffer from the family curse."
"What curse?" asked Seifer, thinking 'I would have loved you even if you had waited till I was ten to get me. That's not an excuse.'
"The Strief family has been cursed with bad luck for generations." answered Martine. "It all started when your great-great-great-great-great, well you get the idea, grandfather annoyed the Great Hyne. I figured that removing you from the family would change your luck."
"Fat lot of good that did." said Seifer. "My last name is Strief? Who changed it to Almasy?"
"That was my idea." said Martine. "In fact, I came up with your first and last name. Our family name is a jumble of the word strife, fitting isn't it? Seifer is a jumbled version of the same word, substituting the t for an e. Almasy which was given as your last name is a mixed up version of say alms. Strange, isn't it."
"Yeah." said Seifer thinking. "What happened to my mother? Who was my mother? Do I have any more surviving family?"
"Your mother's name was Laria. I never knew her last name. I only knew her for a short time. She was, er, I mean, she died." said Martine. "However, before she did, she gave you to Cid and Edea without telling me. As for surviving family, there is just myself and Lt. Biggs who's your second uncle three times removed. I don't know Laria's family, and never will because I didn't know her last name."
"You're kidding, right?" asked Seifer.
"No, I'm not." said Martine. "Do you feel any better?"
"Hell no." said Seifer. "I've just found out that my father abandoned me because of some silly curse and that I come from a family of losers and a second unknown family."
"If it makes you feel better, the only inherent problem is bad luck, on my side anyway." said Martine.
"*sigh* Thank you sir." said Seifer turning around to leave. "Wait, one more question."
"What?" asked Martine looking at his son, who was now a man.
"Who gave me the fire cross?" asked Seifer.
"I did." said Martine, smiling slightly. "When you were first born, I saw you. I knew you would be a warrior someday, and it is my family's legacy."
"Thanks....Dad." said Seifer walking toward Mayor Dobe's house.
"Your welcome, son." said Martine watching Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin walking away. 'At least he's happy now.' he thought. Cid had been keeping him posted on Seifer's successes...and failures for years. 'He has a good job, friends, and perphaps more. Maybe he was spared my bad luck. Maybe he can settle down, happily. No thanks to me. How much of my life have I wasted?' he wondered. 'My son is a man now, and I've just let him grow on his own.' And he sat there thinking about all his failures. 'At least he's happy now.' he concluded. However, ten minutes later, he realized, 'No, isn't, and won't be. Not for a long time. Not until he straightens his life out.'
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Afternote: Well? I hope you enjoyed it, and please review.
Disclaimer: Own nothing. Now you all know.
Setting: Three years after Squall & Co. defeated Ultimacia
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"The Returnee"
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"Excuse me sir, are you available?" beeped the intercom in Squall's office.
"Yeah, why?" answered Squall.
"There's a man here to see you." said the intercom. Then, "Hey! Watch out!"
"Yo Squall, get your butt down here now." said Zell over the intercom.
"OK Zell." answered Squall. 'Good old Zell,' he thought, 'If only he wasn't so hyper.' 'But,' he also wondered, 'what could make happy-go-lucky Zell sound so worried?'
Squall found out when he saw who his visitor was. Seifer Almasy, his nemesis, standing there in the com room totally relaxed. Squall's first instinct was to draw his gunblade and rip Seifer a few new scars, but he restrained himself when he saw that Seifer was unarmed. Also, Irvine and Rinoa had their weapons trained on him.
Seifer smirked, as he had divined the reason why Squall was reaching toward his hip where Lionheart lay.
"Squall, long time no see. What's up?" he asked remaining completely oblivious of the two weapons pointed at him, as well as those that wielded them.
"Aren't you supposed to be in prison?" asked Squall, still cautious because unarmed or not, Seifer could still be dangerous.
"Sentence is up." said Seifer. "I've paid my debt to society."
"So you say." said Zell.
Seifer ignored him, and then looking over Squall's shoulder said, "Hello Headmaster."
Everyone turned and saluted Headmaster Cid who had just walked in, except for Rinoa and Irvine who merely nodded at him.
"Hello all." said Cid to the main group. "Good, you're back." he said speaking to Seifer. "Ready to report for duty?" he continued.
"Yes sir." said Seifer saluting.
"Good then." said Cid.
"Hold on a second." said Squall. "Seifer isn't a SeeD."
"Yeah I am." said Seifer. "I've been one for years."
"Am I missing something here?" asked Zell.
"Yes." said Cid. "Seifer will explain it to all of you tomorrow. Now, back to your posts." Then he turned and walked away.
The room fell silent.
"So, where are Fujin and Raijin?" asked Seifer. "I wanted to meet up with them."
"They're in their dorms. They just passed their SeeD test last year." answered Squall automatically. 'Something is different about Seifer.' he thought. 'Or is it something familiar? Have I seen someone like him recently?'
"Cool. See ya'll tomorrow." said Seifer as he walked toward the dorm rooms.
"Should we follow him?" asked Irvine keeping Seifer in his sights.
"No. Obviously Cid has no problem with him being here." answered Squall.
"Something about him was familiar." said Zell.
"I was thinking the same thing myself." admitted Squall. 'Now, where have I been recently?' he wondered. 'There had been the normal visitors to the Garden, but no one looked like Seifer in Balamb.'
"I was going to say he looked like someone we've seen recently." said Rinoa.
"Great Hyne, you're right." said Zell.
"Yes." said Squall. "How odd. I might ask Cid if he knows anything. I still don't understand why Cid would let him back in."
"Squall, I just heard that Seifer was back." said Quistis, running into the room. "Oh, he was here already." she said noticing the solemn faces in the com room.
"Yeah, Cid let him back into the Garden." explained Squall. "We're trying to figure out why."
"I think I might know three reasons why." said Quistis. "One is that Cid hasn't given up on having two gunblade specialists in Balamb, and is willing to give Seifer another chance. The second third is that Cid is just a really forgiving guy. The third and most disturbing reason would be that Cid feels that he somehow owes Seifer something."
"Yes, but what could Cid possibly owe Seifer." mused Rinoa.
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." said Squall.
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Seifer went to the Discipline Committee's room instead of the dorms, because he knew that Fujin and Raijin would probably be there. They often hung out there because they could talk in there without being the subject of too much gossip. When a guy talked with a girl, certain people would start spreading rumors about them going out. This was kind of wrong considering that Fujin and Raijin were adopted brother and sister, but not many people knew that, which was not suprising at all. Sure enough he was right. They were in the office where Fujin was polishing her shuriken, and Raijin was lounging with his feet on the desk that they had once shared.
"Hey guys." said Seifer as he strode into the room.
Fujin looked up, and Raijin fell out of the chair. He quickly picked himself up, however, saying, "Seifer! How are you? We've missed you, ya know."
"HEY." said Fujin kicking Raijin in the shins for messing up Seifer's arrival.
Seifer smiled. He had had reservations about how they would treat him. After all, he had nearly made them criminals for helping him fufill Ultimacia's orders.
"So what's new?" Seifer asked.
"Nothing much." said Raijin. "Still putting Plebes in their place, ya know."
"AFFIRMATIVE." said Fujin.
"Wouldn't expect any less." said Seifer. "Heard you're SeeDs now. Congratulations."
"Yeah, finally passed the test ya know." said Raijin.
"KILLER." said Fujin.
"So where're you stayin'?" asked Raijin.
"I dunno." said Seifer. "I had Hyperion and my other stuff sent to your dorm though. How about I change, and we go out fishing. Just like old times."
"I'm down with that." said Raijin.
"WONDERFUL." said Fujin.
Then Raijin and Seifer went to their room while Fujin closed up the office.
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"These must be yours." said Raijin indicating the bundle that had been placed on his bed.
"Yeah." said Seifer checking the articles to make sure that they were all there. "Well, look at this." he said holding up a new SeeD uniform.
"There must have been a mistake, ya know." said Raijin.
"No, it's mine." said Seifer indicating the patch that said Almasy over the pocket.
"I didn't know you was a SeeD too." said Raijin.
"Don't worry. I'll explain it to everyone later on." said Seifer. "Can you rent out a car for us while I get changed? I don't want to have to fight any monsters on the way to the shore."
"Sure thing." said Raijin as he strolled toward the door.
"Wait." said Seifer noticing a small disk that was in his bundle with a label that read "Here is your first GF. His name is Diablos, and he has several useful junctions and abilities, namely HP and Hit Junctions, some Strength ability, as well as Mug and Enc-None. Sincerely, Cid."
"You got a GF too." said Raijin. "Fujin and I got one too. Mine is Quetzacotl, and Fujin got Pandemona back too, ya know."
"Excellent." said Seifer. "Maybe we should walk now instead of taking a car. It might be nice fighting a couple of monsters on the way."
"Fujin & I'll meet you at the front gate in fifteen minutes. We'll get the rod and tackle." said Raijin, as he walked out the door.
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"So Cid let you back into Garden after I turned myself in." said Seifer after they had reached the shore and were fishing.
"YES." said Fujin. "LOYALTY."
"What Fujin is trying to say was that the Garden didn't really hold us accountable for treason when Cid learnt that we committed treason out of loyalty." explained Raijin.
"Ahh. I see." said Seifer, not really understanding. "I'd hoped that you had passed the tests. I missed you two."
"SAME." said Fujin. Then a large wave picked up her shuriken which had been laying in front of her. "EXCUSE ME." she said and then she got up and went to go chase after it.
"So, dating anyone?" asked Seifer when she was gone.
"Nah, not really." said Raijin. "Neither is Fujin, but a weird thing happened before you met us at the gate though, ya know."
"What?" asked Seifer.
"Fujin asked me whether she should keep her eyepatch when the time is up." said Raijin.
"So? What's so weird about that?" asked Seifer.
"It wasn't the question, but she spoke in a full sentence." explained Raijin. "She hasn't done that since she gave you that speech in Lunatic Pandora."
"Oh." said Seifer. He remembered that, and everything else that had occurred in that god-forsaken place. How his two friends had deserted him, how he had acted.
"I was gonna ask you about that. How much longer does she have?"
"She passed the physical." said Raijin.
"And she still speaks in one word sentences?" asked Seifer.
"That particular time frame isn't up yet, and she intends to wait, ya know." answered Raijin. "So what about you?" asked Raijin, changing the subject. "Date anyone in prison?"
"It was an all male prison." said Seifer.
"Oh." said Raijin.
"WELL?" said Fujin as she returned to them holding a wet shuriken.
"Hey guys." said Seifer. "I'm gonna explain some things to Squall and some other people tomorrow. I'm supposed to explain to them why I'm a SeeD among other things. Wanna come?"
"OF COURSE." said Fujin, as if this were obvious.
"Sure." said Raijin. "But when?"
"Whenever they call me down." said Seifer. "I'll probably be hanging with you at the time, so don't worry too much."
"TELL NOW?" asked Fujin.
"Nah, I'd rather not have to explain myself twice. You know how much I hate to do that." said Seifer, mentally kicking himself for sounding like a jerk. Again.
"UNDERSTOOD." said Fujin.
"Hah, I got one ya know!" said Raijin holding up a large fish.
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At eleven o'clock Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Fujin, Raijin, Cid, and Edea all crowded into Cid's office to hear Seifer's explanation. The story was recorded by Selphie on her video camera. Hyne knows why.
"Action!" said Selphie turning on the camcorder.
"God damn camera." muttered Seifer.
"Wait, say that again!" pleaded Selphie. "I didn't get it on tape!"
"Oh well." said Seifer. "What do you want me to tell you?" he asked his audience.
"How are you a SeeD?" asked Zell.
"Simple. I passed the tests." said Seifer. "What else?"
"But you didn't pass the field test. Ever." said Quistis. "Explain that."
"Well, the first time I failed the test was when I was 15." began Seifer. "However, it was only by one or two points, so Cid said I should pass it the next time. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be."
"What do you mean?" asked Selphie.
"Yo, let the man explain." said Zell.
"It's just exposition." said Selphie.
Everyone in the room glared at her.
"Sorry." she muttered, taking the hint.
"Anyway," said Seifer, "the instructors were strict back then. They insisted that you meet them at the gate exactly on time, and I was running late. I had changed into my SeeD cadet uniform, and was racing down the hall toward the gate. Unfortunately, Garden Master Norg was inspecting the Garden that day, and I barreled right into him. He fell right on his fat butt. Now, being one to hold grudges, he promised me that I would never pass the exam. Sure enough, I failed that test even though I had performed perfectly. I asked Cid about it, and he explained that I was a SeeD, and as soon as Norg got over his grudge, I would become one officially. To make me feel better, he made me head of the Disciplinary Committee."
"Well, that would explain why you never took class or anything seriously." said Quistis.
"Yeah, it would." said Squall, thinking.
"I don't get something though," said Irvine, "I mean why did you rebel against the Garden? And why didn't Cid have you court marshaled for treason?"
"I believe that I can answer that." said Cid. "I always felt guilty for not standing up to Norg for Seifer. Besides, he wasn't really himself when he betrayed us."
"Wha'?" asked Raijin.
"POSSESSED?" asked Fujin.
"Good guess." said Seifer.
"When?" asked Edea quietly.
"You all better get comfortable." said Seifer, this might take a while."
When everyone had gotten a bit more settled, he began.
"Shortly after I had "failed" my fourth SeeD test at age 17, I was sent on a recruiting stint in Deling City. The crew and I were housed in General Caraway's house." began Seifer.
"I know where this is going." said Selphie.
Everyone glared at her again, except for Rinoa who started blushing, and she shut up.
"Anyway, it was there that I met Rinoa, and yeah, we did date." continued Seifer. "Unfortunately, General Caraway didn't approve of me and Rinoa, so I wasn't allowed to see her again. When I returned to the Garden, I was depressed to say the least."
"I remember that ya know." interrupted Raijin.
"Yeah, you didn't pick on me for weeks." said Zell.
"Yes, I did behave rather strangely." admitted Seifer. "Anyway, I would frequently go to the Training Center late at night around one hundred hours when no one was around to train, but mostly to think."
"It was on one of those nights that I heard a voice calling my name. I went to check it out, and found an Imp. Unfortunately, I didn't know two important things. One was what type of monster an Imp is. They're Ultimacia's favorite monsters for a few reasons. They use strong magic, and they don't face you when you hit them so you can never sneak up on them. The second important fact I didn't know was that this particular Imp was possessed.
"As I was staring at it, Ultimacia "jumped" from the Imp to me. The only problem was that I wasn't aware of it at the time. She was subtle. Sometimes she would speak to me in my mind, and tell me to do things. Unfortunately, they made sense at the time, so I didn't think that she was really there, controlling me. The only times she really came out was the day that I scarred Squall in training and when I made Rinoa junction with Adel."
"Sure." said Squall, fingering the gash on his forehead. "Just out of curiosity, how can we trust you?"
"You can't, but trust your wife at least." said Seifer cryptically.
"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Zell, getting irritated. He had no patience for riddles.
"One of Adel's powers that were a gift from Ultimacia was the ability to read minds." explained Seifer. "Rinoa got that power from Adel after junctioning with her."
"I did?" asked Rinoa.
"Yeah, I guess you haven't had a chance to explore all of the powers you got from Adel. " said Seifer.
"How do I do it?" asked Rinoa.
"Simple, just close your eyes and "push" your mind into mine." said Seifer. "It isn't as hard as it ow! Jeez, you don't have to push that hard. Now, until you fully develop this power, you have to have the person whose mind you're reading's consent. When you get really good though, it shouldn't be that hard. For now however, just tell everyone if I tell a lie. Be our human lie detector."
"Okay." said Rinoa. "So far he's told the truth." she continued, shuddering a bit.
"What is it Rinoa?" asked Squall, concerned.
"It's depressing in his mind." explained Rinoa.
"Yeah, anyway, that's basically all you have to do, so you can now release your strangle hold on my mind." said Seifer. "Do you all believe me now?" he asked the group.
"Believe you, yes." said Quistis. "Trust you, no."
"God damn, what do I have to do for you people?" asked Seifer.
"You could start by apologizing." said Rinoa. "You did force me to junction to Adel."
"Don't you people get it?! That wasn't me!" yelled Seifer.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot." said Rinoa completely unapolegetically.
"So what are you going to do now?" asked Irvine.
"What SeeDs do." said Seifer. "Fight."
"Yes, you will." said Cid. "However, can everyone leave the room for a minute. I need to talk to Seifer."
"Yes sir." said Squall taking Selphie's video camera away as he walked out the door.
"Hey! Give that back!" yelled Selphie charging out the door to retrieve her camera.
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"Seifer, I need to ask you a question." began Cid.
"All right." said Seifer.
"Did you ever learn anything about your parents?" asked Cid.
"No." said Seifer.
"I believe that you should know. You're ready now." said Cid. "You see, the only known parents of you orphans were Squall's and yours. Your father is Martine, former headmaster of Galbadia Garden."
"What?" asked Seifer. He remembered Martine. He had outsted his own father when he took over Galbadia Garden.
"I am assigning you, Fujin Raitaro, and Raijin Raitaro away to Fisherman's Horizon. You may meet with Martine, but your primary objective is to search for any possible candidates for SeeD." said Cid.
"Yes sir." said Seifer, saluting.
"Excellent. You are dismissed." said Cid, smiling.
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"Come on Raijin and Fujin." said Seifer walking towards the dorm rooms. "We're going to Fisherman's Horizon. Change into your SeeD uniforms and meet me at the gate in fifteen minutes. I'll explain on the way."
"Yes sir." said Raijin.
"AFFIRMATIVE." said Fujin.
"See ya later, leader boy." said Seifer to Squall as he walked away from a stunned party of people.
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"So what are we doin' in Fisherman's Horizon?" asked Raijin on the train to FH.
"Cid sent us on a recruitin' mission." said Seifer. "I will also meet with Martine."
"MARTINE?" asked Fujin.
"Yeah, we have some business to discuss." said Seifer.
"Like what?" asked Raijin.
"Cid has just informed me that Martine is my father." confessed Seifer.
"OH." said Fujin.
"Wait, isn't Martine that guy that we kicked out of Galbadia Garden?" asked Raijin.
"Yeah." said Seifer. 'How could I do that to my own father? I really was a bastard.' he thought. 'You didn't know.' his mind replied. 'Then why do I feel so guilty?' he asked, and he pondered this until the train reached FH.
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"The train has arrived in Fisherman's Horizon." beeped the train's intercom. "All passengers exiting at this stop please get off now."
"All right," said Seifer, "let's go."
"Where do we go now?" asked Raijin.
"To see Mayor Dobe." said Seifer. "Cid asked him to find us a place to stay."
"HIS HOUSE." said Fujin.
"Yeah, he's probably there." said Seifer. "Let's go."
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"I'm sorry, but the Mayor isn't here." said Flo, the mayor's wife. "He should be back in an hour though."
"Thank you ma'am." said Seifer as he and his squad walked out of the Mayor's House.
"Now what do we do?" asked Raijin.
"GO FISHING?" asked Fujin hopefully.
"Sure, I'll catch up with you later." said Seifer.
"Why?" asked Raijin at which point Fujin kicked him in the shins for being dense.
Seifer smiled. He hadn't realized till then just how much he had missed his posse.
"I'm gonna see my dad." answered Seifer.
"WE'LL COME." said Fujin.
"Ow, yeah, let's go." said Raijin limping slightly. 'I'd better start wearing shinguards.' he thought.
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Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin walked past the mayor's house to a point overlooking the water. A man was sitting on the edge of a small dock gazing into the distance. Fujin nudged Raijin gently and nodded towards ex-headmaster Martine. Raijin nodded. He did resemble Seifer.
"Excuse me, sir." said Seifer to Martine. "Are you ex-headmaster Martine?"
"Yes, I'm Martine." said Martine not looking up. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Seifer Almasy." responded Seifer causing Martine to glance up at him.
"S-E-I-F-E-R A-L-M-A-S-Y?" questioned Martine.
"Yeah, that's me." said Seifer.
"Cid must have told you then." said Martine.
"Yeah." admitted Seifer.
"Who are they?" asked Martine looking at Fujin and Raijin.
"They're my friends Raijin and Fujin Raitaro. They're brother and sister." said Seifer.
"Oh." said Martine looking out into the ocean again. "I suppose you might have some questions for me. Ask away."
"Why didn't you keep me?" asked Seifer.
"It's hard to explain." began Martine. "One reason was that I was too busy to take proper care of you. I was a soldier then, and I simply didn't have time for you. Besides, I only knew your mother for a short time. Another reason that I didn't learn where you were until you were about ten. The fourth reason was I didn't want you to suffer from the family curse."
"What curse?" asked Seifer, thinking 'I would have loved you even if you had waited till I was ten to get me. That's not an excuse.'
"The Strief family has been cursed with bad luck for generations." answered Martine. "It all started when your great-great-great-great-great, well you get the idea, grandfather annoyed the Great Hyne. I figured that removing you from the family would change your luck."
"Fat lot of good that did." said Seifer. "My last name is Strief? Who changed it to Almasy?"
"That was my idea." said Martine. "In fact, I came up with your first and last name. Our family name is a jumble of the word strife, fitting isn't it? Seifer is a jumbled version of the same word, substituting the t for an e. Almasy which was given as your last name is a mixed up version of say alms. Strange, isn't it."
"Yeah." said Seifer thinking. "What happened to my mother? Who was my mother? Do I have any more surviving family?"
"Your mother's name was Laria. I never knew her last name. I only knew her for a short time. She was, er, I mean, she died." said Martine. "However, before she did, she gave you to Cid and Edea without telling me. As for surviving family, there is just myself and Lt. Biggs who's your second uncle three times removed. I don't know Laria's family, and never will because I didn't know her last name."
"You're kidding, right?" asked Seifer.
"No, I'm not." said Martine. "Do you feel any better?"
"Hell no." said Seifer. "I've just found out that my father abandoned me because of some silly curse and that I come from a family of losers and a second unknown family."
"If it makes you feel better, the only inherent problem is bad luck, on my side anyway." said Martine.
"*sigh* Thank you sir." said Seifer turning around to leave. "Wait, one more question."
"What?" asked Martine looking at his son, who was now a man.
"Who gave me the fire cross?" asked Seifer.
"I did." said Martine, smiling slightly. "When you were first born, I saw you. I knew you would be a warrior someday, and it is my family's legacy."
"Thanks....Dad." said Seifer walking toward Mayor Dobe's house.
"Your welcome, son." said Martine watching Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin walking away. 'At least he's happy now.' he thought. Cid had been keeping him posted on Seifer's successes...and failures for years. 'He has a good job, friends, and perphaps more. Maybe he was spared my bad luck. Maybe he can settle down, happily. No thanks to me. How much of my life have I wasted?' he wondered. 'My son is a man now, and I've just let him grow on his own.' And he sat there thinking about all his failures. 'At least he's happy now.' he concluded. However, ten minutes later, he realized, 'No, isn't, and won't be. Not for a long time. Not until he straightens his life out.'
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Afternote: Well? I hope you enjoyed it, and please review.