Chapter One:

Heya Nakiko here,I'm only gonna waffle on for a little while so bear with me.....this fic is set 6 months after the events of Final Fantasy 8 and follows the game (To a point) I wanna dedicate this chapter to my mum,Sue,the most important person in my life (even more important than Zell-is that hard to believe?!?!!?)

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(Balamb,early morning.)

The streets were empty,just the way he liked them.

No one to mutter those words,ingrained in his mind like a brand.....

*loser*

*Traitor*

*Sorceress' knight*

He figured it was true,that their disgust was deserved.......but now,

(I'm trying....doesn't anyone notice that?)

Seifer brushed sharp,cornfield coloured bangs back off his pale forehead,the sun warming his shoulders as he strode under the archway entrance of the rural town of Balamb.His clothes were a stark contrast to the "old" uniform,no trenchcoat,no gunblade just a plain long-sleeved black t-shirt and jeans.

(.....blend in......maybe they'll forget......)

He could see Garden in the distance,shrouded with a cocoon of light grey mist,its smooth rounded sides glistening in the morning rays.

(.......Hyne......)

He took a long,deep breath tasting the salt and floral scents mingling in the cool breeze,pausing to cast a glance out over the raging swell of the ocean,before moving on,towards Garden.

(......it's perfect.......if only.....)

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"Yo Almasy?" Seifer didn't recognise the voice,rising above the sounds of the other students as he entered the classroom.He kept his head down,fixed unwaveringly on the floor and carried on walking to his seat.

"What are you still doing here? I didn't know they let Galbadian Bastards into SeeD!"

The room echoed with laughter as one by one the students reacted to the insult,their eyes lighting up with mirth,mocking whispers winding through the rows.
Seifer found his chair,not bothering to respond,every fibre of his being screaming against his lack of dignity.

(Six months ago,that little shit would be on the floor with a gunblade in the

face.......can't do it anymore can you? This is your final chance at SeeD.....don't screw it up,don't let them get to you.........under your skin......)

He touched the screen of his console,checking the messageboard,as usual there were a few anonymous comments about him,he erased them with a sigh,striking the emotion from his eyes,pulling that icy curtain down around himself once more.

The catcalls died down as Instructor Quistis entered the room,flanked by her assistants,Rajin and Fujin,looking as strange and mismatched as the first day Seifer had met them.

(Abandoned me didn't you.........didn't share my dreams.......I don't blame you...)

Quistis began the lesson,sitting perched on the edge of her desk,her words reaching Seifer's ears,understood and remembered,but his attention was truly somewhere else.......

Suddenly a piece of paper landed in his lap,screwed up into a tight ball,he regarded it suspiciously for a few seconds and then curiosity took over.The scrawly,hurried writing barely legible he picked through the note's message,

**watch yourself.....accidents do happen in Balamb,we wouldn't want to see you hurt.....**

It was embellished with a crudely drawn smiley face,he looked down the line of desks,but everyone was absorbed in Quistis' lecture.

(.......Whatever.......)

His eyes returning to the screen,Seifer tried to concentrate,but an uneasy feeling had begun to take root,burning in the back of his mind......

(......Be careful........)

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(The Courtyard)

As he strolled down the steps into the humid,shaded stone rectangle,edged with bright flowerbeds,Seifer was wholly unsuprised to see people get up,gathering their friends and lunches as they saw him.....

A group of cadets passed by,dark gazes lancing his back,until they disappeared into the corridor.

He took a seat on the furthest bench from the entrance,unpacking his food quickly,anxious to escape back to the sanctuary of.....well,there was nowhere truly safe,but at least the classroom door had a lock......


He ate in silence,barely tasting the modest lunch of one sandwich and an apple.

"Almasy? Hey Knight-boy!" There it was again,that voice,full of sarcasm.....overloaded with the confidence he once possessed.

He glanced up,watching mutely as a gaggle of students approached,led by a SeeD,young and arrogant.....so like himself it caused Seifer to wince.

(You were a dickhead.........)

"I thought we told you...." Seifer focused on the cobbles,riveting his gaze to the floor once again.

The SeeD was closer now,whispering in his ear, "Move.....get out of here now....this is your last warning." Seifer felt his body tense,desperate to break the hold of pacifism that he'd bound himself to....wrestling with the satisfying idea of grinding this little shit's head into the nearest tree....

He stood,mouth set in a thin line,control hanging on a thread and stormed back into Garden's halls.......the ring of laughter falling behind with every step.

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(Balamb-evening)

The sky was surrendering to twilight as Seifer wandered back to his tiny home,he'd bought it when staying at Balamb Garden's dorms had become unbearable.When the thought of returning after a test to find his lock broken,his personal space violated by another gang of......enemies.....or finding little gifts,lying on his table.......a note......once a dead animal,it's blood staining the carpet,making him remember........

He fumbled in his pocket for the keys,balancing his books under one arm.

"Boo."

"Yaah!" He gasped,staggering backwards,the texts falling to the pavement with a clatter,scattering at his feet.Reaching for his gunblade and finding only empty air,Seifer felt the first drops of rain dot his exposed skin.

"Who's there?" He called through the escalating downpour,water slicking his clothes to his shaking body.

"We warned you Almasy."

(Oh shit.........)

The punch came from nowhere,connecting with his jaw,a harsh crack reverberating through his skull,the bitter taste of blood on his tongue.

(No.......please........)

Another punch,followed by a sharp kick to his ribs....he could hear voices,muffled by the rain,chanting something,their were so many of them.....


**traitor**

Seifer stumbled,collapsing to his knees as the world swam infront of his squinting eyes.

"Uggh!" The steel toecapped boot to his stomach felt like a firaga spell,ripping through his guts,he lurched forward,vomiting,retching his guts up onto the tarmac.

(No........what did I do..........?)

**Traitor**

He tried to fight back,but the darkness was calling now,tingeing the edge of his vision with pools of inky black.He cried out into the night air,pain consuming him as a final kick snatched away his consciousness.

**TRAITOR**

(Please...........I-I........help me...........)

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