"Finally! I have you! You are now in my grasp! I shall relish this moment! Mwahahaha!"
The voice was thick with that of someone who had long waited for this for a long time. The feeling of excitement was evident. The time was at hand. Reckoning will be realized. He knew that sooner or later, time will relent. That if he waited long enough, he will be victorious in the end. Patience was a virtue. And he had long been patient.
Zell, of course, realized that the hotdog he was holding in his hand right now was worth the long wait. He fused all his attention to the juicy, red, foot-long meat lodged between two hot, slightly crusty buns. It was topped with mayonnaise, and the insides were laiden with BA cheese (produced exclusively by Bright Angel Dairy Products, the best cheese manufacturer this side of the world). This time, Zell made sure that he won't be left behind. The moment the bell rang for the end of his third period training exercise, he was the first out the door. He even passed by his sweetheart Iris with just a quick kiss and a "Hello!". He knew Iris would understand. This was the Garden famous Big B hotdog they were talking about. Only a few were as sacred.
And now, he was finally holding it! The prize he had long sought for. He held it up a bit, as if it was a trophy and put it under his nose to smell it. He closed his eyes as the aroma of freshly soft-fried meat mixed with cheese and mayonnaise tickled his olfactory senses. He was planning to relish this for as long as he could hold back.
Finally, he couldn't resist it anymore. Wetting his lips for a bit, he finally opened his mouth and started to begin the long-awaited sacred ritual of eating a freshly-made Big B super-deluxe Balamb hotdog.
It was then that he felt a strong hand grip the back collar of his black leather jacket, followed by a familiar harsh voice. "Chicken-wuss."
Zell managed to let out a "Shi-oot!" before Seifer slammed him on the marble hallway wall. Taking hold of his collar, Seifer managed to raise him a few feet off the ground.
"Where's Leonheart?" Seifer asked. His eyes were anything but friendly. In fact, Zell thought that if there was anything that it could be likened to, it was that of a berserked Wendigo. Only of course, Seifer managed to hide the full fury under a mask of cold expression.
"Dammit Seifer!" Zell growled, inspite of the deathly dangerous glow smoldering in the blond-haired former Sorceress' Knight's eyes. "I was trying to eat my hotdog!"
Without warning, Seifer took the hotdog from Zell's hand and threw it down the floor, his piercing, angry look never leaving Zell's face. Zell's eyes widened. "What the frickin'--!"
"I have no time to play with you, Chicken-wuss," Seifer said, his voice still in that low and deadly-serious tone. The scar on his face seemed to be getting angrier, as well. No doubt from his frown. "At another time, I would've loved to pound your face with your hotdog, but not now. Now, where the fuck is Leonheart?!"
"Dammit, how the frickin' Hades should I know?!" Zell shot back. In all truth, he was a bit afraid now. He had never seen Seifer like this before. True, he was always an asshole, but right now, he seemed to be like an asshole who was ready to commit homicide. If there was one thing more dangerous than an asshole, it was a killer asshole.
"I don't think Iris would want that other side of your lip busted," Seifer threatened levelly, noticing the now-healing wound that Zell got from Squall yesterday. "Nor I think would she like to see both your eyes get blackened and blued." With that warning, Seifer held his gloved left hand between them and clenched it into a ball. Fingers cracked satisfyingly.
Zell gulped. "D-damn...w-what's up with you gunbladers lately, anyway? S-squall's in the Quad, I think. I saw him enter there an hour or so ago."
With that, Seifer threw Zell down, and turned towards the Quad, not even bothering to look back. His white trenchcoat flowed around him. Zell, angry and embarrassed at the same time, stood up and defiantly gave Seifer the universal "up-yours" signal. Seifer seemed to have forgotten about him, however, which infuriated the young martial artist more.
"Damn you Seifer!" he shouted, as students and senior people looked at him as they walked past. "You owe me a hotdog, y'hear?! You owe me a friggin' hotdog!"
Quistis was glad that Xu was not there in their room when she got in. After what happened with Rinoa, she immediately ran outside from her classroom, ignoring the concerned look and attempts of consolation by her students. She would have thought that her tears had all been used up days before. She would've thought that after telling Squall that she wanted to be away from him for a while, things would at least take a semblance of normalcy and that, maybe, she would forget about what happened to them after a long while. She wanted to bury herself in her work. She wanted to be kept busy. Anything, just as long as she didn't have to think about Squall. There was only that problem with Rinoa left. She couldn't brush that away from her mind. It was some sort of honor between two women. She knew that she would have to confess it to Rinoa sooner or later. She cannot carry that guilt with her for long. She would've wanted to tell it to the young sorceress the soonest time she can.
Unfortunately, it seemed that she did not have to worry about that, after all. The woman she had shared so many adventures with, the woman who had been her friend and close ally, the woman they had saved from Adel, that woman had just given her a slap on her face and some parting words she won't forget for the longest time even if she'll try very hard to. It was different, she thought. A punch from a Wendigo or a tail-smash from a T-Rexaur was something she can accept with pride. At least those were battle strikes incurred in a field of bravery. But a slap across the face by a woman who used to be your close friend in an airy classroom was vastly different. It was more painful. To a woman, it was not purely physical. There was a touch of something deeper involved, as if your pride had been stripped off you. It was a woman thing. It hurt even more than any strike from a battle can. That had been two hours ago. And it had been exactly an hour and a half ago when the last student left from outside her door. They had followed their beloved instructor even as she ran crying from their classroom to her dormitory room. And they had huddled there, outside her room, asking her if there was something they could do for her. Asking her if she needed any consolation. One male student even offered to stay with her for the night and try to make her feel better.
Of course, she had to drive them away. And even though she did not want to sound harsh, she couldn't help but to shout at them to just leave her the hell alone. It was followed by more sniffing and sobbing. Finally sounds of shuffling feet echoed from outside as her students left her, one by one. She mumbled a soft apology to them that went unheard.
Now, she was finished with what she had been doing. Smoothing her Garden uniform, she looked at herself in the mirror and tried to wipe away her tears. She had to look natural. She had to look as if nothing had happened. The angry red mark Rinoa's hand left on her cheek had somewhat lessened now, but it was still there. The paleness of her baby-soft skin did not help matters any. Well, there was nothing she could do about that. Absolutely nothing. She had to wear it like a badge. Looking at it now, she couldn't help but change that thought. It was not a badge. It was a mark. Of her treachery that destroyed three relationships: Rinoa and Squall's, her and Rinoa's, and her and Squall's. She lightly touched that mark softly, as if feeling Rinoa's hand. If only she could be forgiven.
Afraid that her eyes might water again, Quistis turned around and looked at the two letters she left there. She was sure that Xu couldn't miss the one that was intended for her. She had written that carefully, steadying her handwriting. Xu was a good one for graphology. She would instantly know something was wrong based by her loops and flourishes. Not that one would need to be an expert in handwriting to know just how much of a wreck she was right now. That was why she had to control her hand. At least, she had to have a semblance of control in one aspect of her life now.
The other letter she picked up even as she cautiously opened the door and looked out to see if there were students of hers left still. Not finding a soul, she let out a sigh of small relief and got out of her room. She knew that her decision would surprise the headmaster. Even shock him. But she did not care. She had to do what she must.
It was the only decent thing she can do.
Squall was leaning on the railing on the Quad which overlooked the beautiful green countryside of Balamb. About a year or so ago, this very place had been the battleground of Balamb and Galbadian SeeDs and cadets; two Gardens which were supposed to be on the same side, but manipulated to battle against themselves through the machinations of a Sorceress who wanted nothing less than the compression of past, present, and future. He had valiantly fought alongside his comrades then, and led Balamb with a leadership he never knew existed inside him.
Now, it was a silent battleground again. But instead of warring cadets and students, it was of warring thoughts and emotions and feelings. And not even his newfound inherent leadership skills could ever make things alright again. Ever.
For the life of him, he couldn't think how Rinoa could've known. She was perceptive, yes, but he doubted if she could've guessed what happened from that night they spent on her mansion after their mission. He was pretty sure that Rinoa had no idea then. After Quistis excused herself that night on the pretense of weariness and exhaustion, he and Rinoa spent two more hours sitting there on that couch, just talking about things that had happened while they had been apart for the past month. At least, she had talked. He was merely more or less acknowledging her queries and putting in a few comments here and there. When she tried to cuddle closer to him more, it was all he could do not to push her away. He felt massively guilty holding her like that. He had been tainted, and he didn't want Rinoa to share that taint. It was almost as if he was afraid that Rinoa would find out what happened just by touching him for a prolonged period of time. There was the guarded fear then. Had she sensed that?
And he didn't want to leave Quistis like that a few hours ago. Hyne knows he just wanted to cross that short distance in the classroom and then embrace her in his arms, and give her comfort. Much as how much she said she wanted the two of them to be apart from each other for a while, she sensed the pleading in her eyes then. She sensed the longing of his comfort. For him to just hold her in his arms and give her a kiss on the forehead and just assure her that everything was going to be alright. He wanted to, as much as she did.
But he can't.
Doing so would only strengthen the suspicions that her students must have already had from the incident. Everybody in the Garden knew that he and Rinoa are--a voice inside him corrected him were--an item. And not a few also hinted and teased him to Quistis. If there was one thing he could not stand from this newfound state of "fame" he and his friends had, it was the fact that nothing was secret anymore. Almost everyone knew of things and rumours before even himself. There was even that stupid rumour linking him and Selphie, or that one about him and Seifer being long-lost brothers. He knew that it would be a matter of time before someone would piece recent events together, and then more or less find out the truth, or part of it. It wouldn't help any if he'd have embraced Quistis like that in front of her students.
Besides, it was Rinoa whom he was more concerned of at that moment. He had never seen Rinoa get angry to the point of actually laying a hand on someone. Of course, given the facts of the situation, she would've gone ballistic. And she did. He had to explain her side to him before it festered. And even if it meant leaving Quistis like that, he had to do it, much as he hated to. Decisions, decisions. Nothing in the whole Sorceress war was tougher than this. Absolutely nothing. He was a neophyte in the battleground of emotions.
He didn't know whom to apologize anymore. Or how much he was supposed to.
"Leonheart!"
The voice was rough and dripping with seething anger. His jaws tightened, even as his fist clenched. Great. Just what he needed. His scarring partner to make things worse.
"Look Seifer--" he started to speak, as he turned around.
What greeted him, however was a gloved right that gave him a straight punch on the jaw that almost sent him on the Quad floor. Reflex kicking in, he caught himself before he fell down, wiping a gloved hand on the left side of his lip. He tasted the coppery taste of blood.
He saw the white clad Seifer standing before him, his eyes murderous with rage. The scar he had given him more than a year ago made him look even more dangerous. On his left hand, he wielded his Hyperion, its metal gleaming as angry as its owner.
The numerous students who were in the Quad that time milled around just like ants on a sweet candy. This was too good to pass up. Seifer and Squall, actually fighting in front of them? Fighting within Garden was, although prohibited, relatively common. There were freshmen who asked who they were, and what the hub-bub was all about. Those who did were greeted with mocking and surprised looks, and it was all it took for the freshmen to gasp "Ooooh!"s and "Aaah!"s.
Seifer turned around and looked at the students milling around them. With a growl that would give a Grendel pause, Seifer addressed them all. "What the fuck are you all looking at?! Get back to what you've been doing!"
They hastily yelped and cleared.
Seifer turned back to Squall, and saw the young SeeD commander totter up, shaking his head from the punch.
"That's it, Seifer!" Squall growled. "You picked the wrong time to fuck with me!"
Instead, Seifer brough up Hyperion and pointed it straight on Squall's face. The shiny point was inches from his scar. Squall looked at the point for a bit, before turning to look at its owner's eyes. The air was thick with tension. The students who still wanted to see this rare event (behind the Quad potted plants) held their breaths.
"This time, I'm going to make you pay, Leonheart," Seifer said in a low voice. "For what you did to Rinoa."
"Rinoa?!" Squall hissed as he started to step forward to him. The Hyperion never wavered, however, and Squall tried to restrain himself.
"Devil's Seat, in half an hour," Seifer said. "Just you and me. No holds barred."
Squall remained silent, his eyes narrowing with anger. This had something to do with Rinoa?!
"I hope you're getting along well with your ancestors, Leonheart," Seifer said. "You'll be meeting them soon."
With that, Seifer turned around and walked away.
"Argh!" Zell said again, for the umpteenth time as he kicked the lone chair in their table. Some of the students who were sitting near their table looked at him again, others swallowing hard while others tried to ignore the outburst.
"Zell Dincht!" Teresa, the Garden cafeteria in-charge, finally walked out of the counter with her hands on her hips, looking disapprovingly at the martial artist. "One more outburst like that and I'm going to make sure you won't be having any hotdog for a year even if there are still any left."
Zell looked down, and mumbled an apology.
"What could Seifer be wanting with Squall, anyway?" Selphie asked, slurping her mango shake.
"How the hell should I know?!" Zell replied heatedly. "All I know is that I've been waiting for a long time for that friggin' hotdog and he snatched it out of my hand and threw it down! Dammit. Squall owes me big time. Him and Seifer. And if Seifer will be an ass about it, I'll take it from Squall."
Selphie chuckled.
"What the hell are you chuckling about?!" Zell asked, getting seriously miffed now.
"Nothing, nothing!" Selphie said, grinning cheekily. Then, her face grew serious. "By the way. I heard Rinoa is in here right now."
At that, Irvine, who had been mostly silent the whole time, perked up his ears. "She is?!"
"Yeah," Selphie said. "And get this: rumour has it that she made quite a scene in Quisty's class! I don't know how true this rumour is. I only heard it about an hour or so ago while on my way here."
"That's ridiculous," Zell remarked. "These rumour-mongers should pick another group of people to gossip about, instead of just us. I mean I know its flattering when people talk about you, but sometimes, it just gets a bit too much, you know? What next? Squall and Quistis having a relationship?" At this, he and Selphie laughed.
Irvine could only shut up. Hoo boy, he thought. If you guys only knew.
He hated keeping secrets from Zell and Selphie. Hyne only knows how much he trusted the two. Especially Selphie. But he vowed to Squall that no one aside from him would know about what happened. He trusted him, and Irvine wasn't about to violate that trust. Too many trusts had been violated enough for the past few days already.
However, this rumour that Selphie said was making him nervous. If there was even a grain of truth in it, then all shit would hit the fan. And heaven help Squall clean up the mess.
"Hey, Irvy," Selphie said, interrupting his thoughts. "You've been suspiciously silent since yesterday. Is something wrong?"
Irvine hastily wiped away the serious look on his face. "H-huh? Of course not, darling. You know me. Sometimes, my mind flits on something."
"Something?" Zell teased. "Or someone?"
At this, Selphie's eyes narrowed at the young cowboy. "Irvieeee?"
"Awww, c'mon Sef," he said, trying to put on his most charming smile. "You know I breath and live only for you!"
"Hmp!" Selphie said, turning on a cute pout. "You better be. Or else you'll be aiming through black eyes."
Irvine was about to lean forward and give his girlfriend a kiss on the lips to wipe away that pout when suddenly, Iris appeared on the cafeteria entrance. She looked hastily around. Her hands kept fidgeting on her handkerchief. Finally, she spotted them and, eyes wide with relief, she ran towards their table.
Zell saw her and he got up intending to give his sweetheart a hug and a kiss. He pursed his lips, waiting for Iris' lips to touch it. Instead, Iris just put a soft hand on his cheek and immediately addressed them, not even bothering to sit down.
"What's the matter, Iris?" Irvine asked. "You looked as if the sky just fell."
Iris hastily shook her head, and tried to clam down.
"Here," Selphie said, passing her a cherry-cola soda. Iris gratefully drank it and let out a breath.
"H-have you guys heard the news?" she asked excitedly.
Zell, pouting a bit, sat back on his chair.
"Uhm...what news...?" Irvine asked.
"I-it's Quistis," she said. She was stammering, as if she herself didn't believe what she was about to say. "S-She quit. As SeeD and Garden Instructor!"
A chorus of "WHAAAAT?!" echoed around the table, and the nearby tables as well. Everyone was looking at Iris now.
"W-what do you mean 'She quit'?!" Irvine asked, aghast. He found himself standing up, hands on the table slightly shaking. "She can't quit!"
"Well, she just did," Iris said. "Xu is in Headmaster Cid's room right now, talking about it! There are a lot of students outside his room, trying to figure out just what the hell is going on. Apparently, Rinoa also stormed into Quistis' classroom some hours ago and slapped her!"
"Y'mean, it wasn't a rumour?!" Zell asked, evidently shocked at the news.
Iris could only nod.
"W-wait," Selphie said, trying to sort things out. This can't be happening. "We have got to stop Quisty! This is insane! What the hell's happening?! We have to go ask her."
"It's too late for that," Iris said. "She's already gone."
"Shit!" Selphie cursed. Irvine and Zell looked at her, surprised at what she just uttered. Selphie reddened. "W-what about Squall?! He must know! How about we go ask him?!"
Iris shook her head again. "He's gone, too."
It seemed that heaven is not without a flair for the dramatic.
The sky seemed to be cast with dark clouds, hinting an impending heavy rain. So much for the forecast of a bright and sunny week in the Balamb region. Far in the distant horizon, he could see flashes of lightning followed by soft rumbles of thunder. He changed his thought. It wasn't going to be a heavy rain. It was going to be a storm.
Lion Heart in hand, Squall walked across the grassy plains of Balamb to Devil's Seat to meet Seifer's challenge. He didn't have the vaguest idea what that damn Seifer got himself into, but he knew that he'll make sure he'll be sorry he butted his nose into every other else's business.
He said it was something about what he did Rinoa. Did Rinoa ran to him after their talk in the balcony, and told him everything that had happened? He wouldn't believe Rinoa would do that. And to Seifer, to boot! He knew that something happened between Seifer and Rinoa in the past. Whatever it was, he never asked her. He figured that some pasts were better left buried. It did not occur to him that some pasts go out of their grave of their own volition and haunt people, as well. He only knew that it was preposterous for Rinoa to seek comfort in Seifer. Seifer was about the last person anyone would turn to for peace and sanctuary. He was an unstable person. A perpetual time bomb just waiting to explode.
When he left Balamb Garden half an hour ago, there was a certain excitement in tha air. Students seemed to be whispering something to each other, but he did not have the time nor the compulsion to find out what it was. He had enough in his mind already. One student saw him and tried to talk to him, but a stare on his direction made the student hesitate, and finally turn back and walk away. Just as well. He might've looked like Seifer then, but he did not care.
The sooner he put Seifer in his place, the sooner he can get this over with, and the sooner he can think about what to do with this mess he was in.
Devil's Seat was a rocky hill with a flat top just beside the Fire Cavern. Usually, this was a spot where lovers and loners would spend their time, just watching the sun set, or the sun rise for those foolish enough to wake early.
Looking at it now from the distance, however, it was deserted. Owing probably to the bad weather that the sky was signaling. Well, it was almost deserted. As he closed the distance, Squall could see the distinct outline of a tall man in a white trenchcoat, standing there proudly, his hands resting on the handle of his gunblade which he had stuck on the ground.
Looking at him now, Squall could remember the first time he and Seifer fought one on one. That last time, Seifer had given him a scar. And, in turn, Squall disfigured that handsome face of his with a slash of his gunblade as well.
Now, he wondered if one of them would be lucky enough to get out with just a scar.
