The Redemption of a Fallen Knight
Chapter 1: A New Beginning
*6 months after the Ending*
Setting out on his daily jog from the Garden to the local town of Balamb with only a backpack, Squall Leonheart, newly assigned captain of the SeeD Special Task Force (STF) and savior of the world, swiftly ran his first kilometre. Squall was so accustomed to this route that he could have ran it with his eyes closed but he knew better then that…trust nothing…that was his motto… It had only been 10 years ago when he was left alone by the girl he cherished most, his legally half-sister Ellone. Since then, he had experienced many hardships weather it be loneliness or his pure dislike for socializing. All the problems he had come across had been solved by himself; everything was done by himself. Squall had to admit that reverting to a normal everyday teenager from anti-social lone wolf would virtually be impossible. That was what he thought before he met Rinoa. She had changed his life and as Quistis had said "Pried open the shell he had hid himself in."
As the town of Balamb soon came into view, Squall slowed down his pace to a more standard military marching rhythm…dripping with sweat, Squall proceeded into the town and went into one of the public showers for a quick cooldown…
*15 minutes later*
On his way back to Balamb Garden, Squall noticed that he was being followed and frantically wished he had his gunblade right now. With his back still turned Squall shouted 'Whose there?!"
"Don't worry Squally boy…I'm not here to hurt you…" replied a familiar voice
Squall frowned and turned around and saw his archrival Seifer…as confident as ever…with Hyperion drawn. "What do you want Seifer!?" he said between his teeth.
"Listen Squall…" he took a few steps forward only to see Squall get into a defensive crouching stance…
"I suggest you don't get any closer Almasy…"
"Look Leonheart…I need to talk to you!" and with that Seifer emptied Hyperion of its ammo and dropped it. He than took off his grey coat and it too went to the ground. "Look…I got nothing to hide! No sneaky backstabbing assassin shit. I just want to talk to you Squall…if you won't listen…no one will!"
"What is it Seifer? Found a new sorceress to team up with?" Squall snapped back…with a little less anger.
With that Squall saw something that surprised him so much that he nearly fell over…Seifer picked up his gunblade and started going into a frenzy, and started shouting "DAMNIT! I JUST WANT TO BE A SeeD! I'VE FAILED IN EVERYTHING I'VE DONE! I just want to have a second chance! I've lost everything….everything…can't you take me to see Cid…I don't need a guarantee…I just need to try one more time…and ask for forgiveness….damnit…"
With that Squall took a moment to think and remembered Edea or Matron's words "Seifer was no ordinary boy…he was somewhat troubled." Squall sighed and said "Quit being a chicken wuss and put yourself together…it's a long walk back…"
Seifer regained his composure and in a humble voice said "Eh..thanks…thanks…Squall….for giving me a chance to be a man again…"
"Whatever…" replied Squall in his usual emotionless tone
*Back at the Garden*
When Squall walked into the Garden, the SeeD cadets all gave him a respectful salute but many failed to hide their shock when they saw Seifer. For the first time in his life, Seifer felt rather deflated, without his usually confident ego…he was well…a weakling? No…he couldn't look like this in front of the people he knew and grew up with and after a deep breathe he snarled "What the Hell are you staring at?"
With that the cadets started to disperse and Seifer continued to follow Squall up the stairs towards the lifts that would take him up to Headmaster Cid's office, a place he had visited so many times in his youth…more for detentions than anything else…he let out a sigh at his memories and followed…
Twenty minutes later…all Hell was let loose in Cid's office…Zell….much to the dismay of everyone refused to be in Seifer's presence and tried attacking him. Quistis, Irvine, Nida and Xu literally jumped at Zell pinning him down while he shouted "YOU BASTARD! GET THE HELL OUTTA THIS GARDEN YOU PRICK!"
Caught off guard Seifer couldn't help it and snapped back "So…the chickenwuss has finally grown some balls eh??"
"Seifer…if you are to expect any respect…you will earn it!" shouted Cid "AND Zell…what did I tell you at graduation about controlling your emotions?"
"Sorry sir…" replied Seifer and Zell in unison.
"Very well…now…I…well actually…Squall and I, had decided before you were all called in here that Seifer is to be given one more chance to become a SeeD…with that…I also expect him to join the Special Task Force in due time…his role in the force will be up to Squall to decide when the time comes…for now, Seifer, you will stay up here in a room Edea has prepared for you…we will start the testing tomorrow…be warned Seifer…I will not tolerate ANY misbehavior."
With that Seifer gave Cid a salute a followed Edea to his room leaving some members of the SeeD STF still confused.
"I still can't believe it…Seifer back with us?" murmured Quistis
Zell started having a fit and started yelling at the top of his lungs"I wanna kick that guy's *** and see how much of a wuss HE is…why I'LL…"
"ENOUGH! DAMNIT! He deserves a chance too you know!" shouted Squall
"Squall…out of all people…why are you showing sympathy for Seifer?" asked Rinoa
"It's…because...he's desperate…" whispered Squall
"But still! Seifer actually didn't attack you!??!" screamed Selphie while jumping up and down. "I don't believe it!!!!!!!"
"Me neither…but he kinda shocked me…but I guess…he shouldn't be blamed…he was under "HER" influence…" replied Squall "But…I think we better get going…I need to go supervise the new cadets…they've got underwater training today…"
With that, everyone headed their own way…except for Rinoa who was following Squall back to his dorm, knowing that today was an off-day for SeeD cadets…
*In Squall's Dorm*
Feeling a little nervous…Rinoa put her arms around Squall. She had noticed the worried look in his eyes and was even more suspicious when she heard him lie. "Squall…what's bothering you?" she asked
Putting his arms around her and pulling her closer to him…Squall sighed and replied "I dunno…it just feels weird to suddenly have Seifer act so …so….desperate!"
"Go on…tell me more Squall…" she whispered into his ear
"Well…he like literally begged me…damnit! He was a nervous wreck!" Squall nearly shouted
"Well…people change Squall…not everyone can live life alone, without friends, Seifer, as tough as he acts is actually a very lonely guy, he just acts cocky to hide it all. I'm happy you gave him a chance." Rinoa answered gripping on to him tighter
"Yeah…but was it the right choice Rinoa?" asked Squall with a worried tone.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Rinoa said as she buried her head into Squall's jacket
*A week later*
"Well Squall…seems like Seifer is still as good as he used to be! He's got one of the highest scores in SeeD history…and that merits him…umm…a beginning rank of 17!" exclaimed Cid happily
"Umm…sir…exactly how well did he do?" asked Squall with a hint of suspicion
"Hmm…He passed hand-to-hand combat perfectly…Quistis says his knowledge on GF and magic junctioning is still perfect and Edea reports that his magic abilities are still limited but can be improved easily with practice. As for his gunblade skills, they were tested by you and there seems to be no injury this time…" said Cid with his eyes glued to all of Seifer's documents and folders.
"Well…there were some close moments where he was slow…but his Demon Slice and Burning Cross limit breaks are still as good as they used to be." Replied Squall with a sigh while feeling the scar he received oh so long ago.
"Is there something wrong Squall?" asked Cid as he took off his glasses
"Well yes there is sir…I've yet to see whether Seifer can get along with the rest of the group. Being the task force for this Garden…we have to be at full compatibility with each other…or else the objective of a mission may be at risk of being compromised due to inner feuds and my emotions have nothing to do with this sir." Said Squall in a grave voice
Cid chuckled and said "Yea…the typical line. Listen…here's a plan I have put together…tomorrow you will be…"
Chapter 1: A New Beginning
*6 months after the Ending*
Setting out on his daily jog from the Garden to the local town of Balamb with only a backpack, Squall Leonheart, newly assigned captain of the SeeD Special Task Force (STF) and savior of the world, swiftly ran his first kilometre. Squall was so accustomed to this route that he could have ran it with his eyes closed but he knew better then that…trust nothing…that was his motto… It had only been 10 years ago when he was left alone by the girl he cherished most, his legally half-sister Ellone. Since then, he had experienced many hardships weather it be loneliness or his pure dislike for socializing. All the problems he had come across had been solved by himself; everything was done by himself. Squall had to admit that reverting to a normal everyday teenager from anti-social lone wolf would virtually be impossible. That was what he thought before he met Rinoa. She had changed his life and as Quistis had said "Pried open the shell he had hid himself in."
As the town of Balamb soon came into view, Squall slowed down his pace to a more standard military marching rhythm…dripping with sweat, Squall proceeded into the town and went into one of the public showers for a quick cooldown…
*15 minutes later*
On his way back to Balamb Garden, Squall noticed that he was being followed and frantically wished he had his gunblade right now. With his back still turned Squall shouted 'Whose there?!"
"Don't worry Squally boy…I'm not here to hurt you…" replied a familiar voice
Squall frowned and turned around and saw his archrival Seifer…as confident as ever…with Hyperion drawn. "What do you want Seifer!?" he said between his teeth.
"Listen Squall…" he took a few steps forward only to see Squall get into a defensive crouching stance…
"I suggest you don't get any closer Almasy…"
"Look Leonheart…I need to talk to you!" and with that Seifer emptied Hyperion of its ammo and dropped it. He than took off his grey coat and it too went to the ground. "Look…I got nothing to hide! No sneaky backstabbing assassin shit. I just want to talk to you Squall…if you won't listen…no one will!"
"What is it Seifer? Found a new sorceress to team up with?" Squall snapped back…with a little less anger.
With that Squall saw something that surprised him so much that he nearly fell over…Seifer picked up his gunblade and started going into a frenzy, and started shouting "DAMNIT! I JUST WANT TO BE A SeeD! I'VE FAILED IN EVERYTHING I'VE DONE! I just want to have a second chance! I've lost everything….everything…can't you take me to see Cid…I don't need a guarantee…I just need to try one more time…and ask for forgiveness….damnit…"
With that Squall took a moment to think and remembered Edea or Matron's words "Seifer was no ordinary boy…he was somewhat troubled." Squall sighed and said "Quit being a chicken wuss and put yourself together…it's a long walk back…"
Seifer regained his composure and in a humble voice said "Eh..thanks…thanks…Squall….for giving me a chance to be a man again…"
"Whatever…" replied Squall in his usual emotionless tone
*Back at the Garden*
When Squall walked into the Garden, the SeeD cadets all gave him a respectful salute but many failed to hide their shock when they saw Seifer. For the first time in his life, Seifer felt rather deflated, without his usually confident ego…he was well…a weakling? No…he couldn't look like this in front of the people he knew and grew up with and after a deep breathe he snarled "What the Hell are you staring at?"
With that the cadets started to disperse and Seifer continued to follow Squall up the stairs towards the lifts that would take him up to Headmaster Cid's office, a place he had visited so many times in his youth…more for detentions than anything else…he let out a sigh at his memories and followed…
Twenty minutes later…all Hell was let loose in Cid's office…Zell….much to the dismay of everyone refused to be in Seifer's presence and tried attacking him. Quistis, Irvine, Nida and Xu literally jumped at Zell pinning him down while he shouted "YOU BASTARD! GET THE HELL OUTTA THIS GARDEN YOU PRICK!"
Caught off guard Seifer couldn't help it and snapped back "So…the chickenwuss has finally grown some balls eh??"
"Seifer…if you are to expect any respect…you will earn it!" shouted Cid "AND Zell…what did I tell you at graduation about controlling your emotions?"
"Sorry sir…" replied Seifer and Zell in unison.
"Very well…now…I…well actually…Squall and I, had decided before you were all called in here that Seifer is to be given one more chance to become a SeeD…with that…I also expect him to join the Special Task Force in due time…his role in the force will be up to Squall to decide when the time comes…for now, Seifer, you will stay up here in a room Edea has prepared for you…we will start the testing tomorrow…be warned Seifer…I will not tolerate ANY misbehavior."
With that Seifer gave Cid a salute a followed Edea to his room leaving some members of the SeeD STF still confused.
"I still can't believe it…Seifer back with us?" murmured Quistis
Zell started having a fit and started yelling at the top of his lungs"I wanna kick that guy's *** and see how much of a wuss HE is…why I'LL…"
"ENOUGH! DAMNIT! He deserves a chance too you know!" shouted Squall
"Squall…out of all people…why are you showing sympathy for Seifer?" asked Rinoa
"It's…because...he's desperate…" whispered Squall
"But still! Seifer actually didn't attack you!??!" screamed Selphie while jumping up and down. "I don't believe it!!!!!!!"
"Me neither…but he kinda shocked me…but I guess…he shouldn't be blamed…he was under "HER" influence…" replied Squall "But…I think we better get going…I need to go supervise the new cadets…they've got underwater training today…"
With that, everyone headed their own way…except for Rinoa who was following Squall back to his dorm, knowing that today was an off-day for SeeD cadets…
*In Squall's Dorm*
Feeling a little nervous…Rinoa put her arms around Squall. She had noticed the worried look in his eyes and was even more suspicious when she heard him lie. "Squall…what's bothering you?" she asked
Putting his arms around her and pulling her closer to him…Squall sighed and replied "I dunno…it just feels weird to suddenly have Seifer act so …so….desperate!"
"Go on…tell me more Squall…" she whispered into his ear
"Well…he like literally begged me…damnit! He was a nervous wreck!" Squall nearly shouted
"Well…people change Squall…not everyone can live life alone, without friends, Seifer, as tough as he acts is actually a very lonely guy, he just acts cocky to hide it all. I'm happy you gave him a chance." Rinoa answered gripping on to him tighter
"Yeah…but was it the right choice Rinoa?" asked Squall with a worried tone.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Rinoa said as she buried her head into Squall's jacket
*A week later*
"Well Squall…seems like Seifer is still as good as he used to be! He's got one of the highest scores in SeeD history…and that merits him…umm…a beginning rank of 17!" exclaimed Cid happily
"Umm…sir…exactly how well did he do?" asked Squall with a hint of suspicion
"Hmm…He passed hand-to-hand combat perfectly…Quistis says his knowledge on GF and magic junctioning is still perfect and Edea reports that his magic abilities are still limited but can be improved easily with practice. As for his gunblade skills, they were tested by you and there seems to be no injury this time…" said Cid with his eyes glued to all of Seifer's documents and folders.
"Well…there were some close moments where he was slow…but his Demon Slice and Burning Cross limit breaks are still as good as they used to be." Replied Squall with a sigh while feeling the scar he received oh so long ago.
"Is there something wrong Squall?" asked Cid as he took off his glasses
"Well yes there is sir…I've yet to see whether Seifer can get along with the rest of the group. Being the task force for this Garden…we have to be at full compatibility with each other…or else the objective of a mission may be at risk of being compromised due to inner feuds and my emotions have nothing to do with this sir." Said Squall in a grave voice
Cid chuckled and said "Yea…the typical line. Listen…here's a plan I have put together…tomorrow you will be…"
