A blur. Sunlight in the window.
"Let's go to Galbadia today."
Rushed movements. Pile into the rental car.
Where to go? Anargument between two males. Angryshouts and voices.
Frantic cry in the back seat. "SEIFER!! CAR!!"
Five seconds.
Shearing metal; breaks; squealing tires.
SCRRRRRREEEEEEEEECHHHHHHHHH!
Momentary silence. Agroan.
"Shit," gruff male's voice. "You guys okay?"
"I… I think my leg's broken, ya know?"
No answer from the third member of the posse.
"Fujin? You okay?"
No answers.
"Fujin?!"
"Can you see her, Raijin? I'm stuck…"
Fatal was the back seat ride.
"Oh God,"
"What? What do yousee?"
"The…blood! Oh, God,the BLOOD!"
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The Galbadian doctor pursed her lips as she studies herclipboard. Kids today. Never kept their eyes on the road. She grumbled some incoherent curses underher breath as the bulky young man with dark skin pestered her for the fifthtime in the half hour.
"Is she gonna be okay doc? I'm worried, ya know? Can we seeher?"
"She's still in surgery, you can see her later." For the thousandth and last time!
His friend in the gray trench coat, who'd been driving thecar, was more silent. In fact he didn'ttalk at all. He ran his fingers overthe gauze bandage around his forehead, trying to mask his wince as a stifled cough. The annoying one hobbled over tohim on crutches, his leg in a cast up to his mid-thigh, and eased himself down into a chair next to his leader.
"She'll be okay, right, Seifer? Just lost a little blood, ya know, right?"
Seifer lifted his head from his fingers, gazed silently athis friend for a few moments, then resumed his former pose, then muttered hisfirst words since going into the ER for stitches. "Lay off it, Raijin."
They sat in silence for nearly ten minutes. The Galbadian doctor left the room and cameback twice, only to find them still sitting in those positions. Finally, on her third trip, the blonde one spoke up.
"How did…" he seemed to hate having to ask the question. "The people…in the other car…what happened to them?"
The doctor heaved a heavy, sorrow-filled sigh. "I'm afraid one of them didn't make it," He let slip a heart-wrenching wince. "But the others should be okay in a few days."
Seifer swallowed hard and turned away from the doctor. His stomach felt full of icy water. He sat shakily again by his friend in one of the waiting roomchairs. His eyes did a once over ofthe room and he noticed a girl he hadn't seen before. She was sitting on a chair by the window, forehead resting on the cool glass, her left arm in a sling, held in place over her stomach by herright hand. Strings of brown hair curtained her eyes, but tears were still visible as they made a stream down herface. He knew this girl. He prayed with all of his might that she wasn't one of the survivors of the car crash.
Selphie Tilmitt stood as a door on the far side of the waiting room stood. It relieved her tosee her friends walking through the door, but her stomach filled with fear,nonetheless. Quistis Trepe was holding her head down, and Zell Dincht looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Something told her that the news was not good, but that didn't kill the persistent little glimmer of hope in her heart.
Upon reaching the tiny brunette, Quistis slowly lifted herhead, revealing tear-streaked cheeks, and a swollen black eye, accompanied by many cuts and bruises. Zell's face andarms boasted burn marks from an air bag, not to mention a long gash that ran from his forehead to his right ear. Zell acknowledged Selphie and shook his head sadly. The poor girl nearly collapsed. He caught her in his arms, winced, but heldher steady. Quistis wrapped her armsaround both of them and they wept together.
Moments later a quadruplet entered the hospital from themain gate. Cid and Edea Kramer led theway over to the group, while the new Squall and Rinoa Leonhart followed behind,fingers linked embraced by other fingers.
Seifer stopped watching the Balamb group to study a rip onthe sleeve of his trench coat where blood had seeped through. He'd killed a man. After all those years and all those promises to his posse thathe'd never kill another human being, he'd done it, not to mention one of those Balamb Garden SeeDs! He needed to get out of there! He needed to get outfast!
Standing, he attempted to slip into the hallway unnoticed. His head began to swim,throbbing above his eyebrow, where he had been cut deeply.
"Seifer? Where're you going?"
"Bathroom, Raijin," a panicked voice. Not normal for the blonde boy. The room started to spin. Swirling mix of colors of the Balamb Garden citizens.
Edea's voice, "Seifer? What are you doing here?"
Memories. NO! NO MEMORIES!
All a blur.
Cold, cold, hospital floor.
[end first chapter]