Consequences
by Soul Hunter and TacomaSquall
Chapter 9:
My Enemy, My Witness
The words rang in my
ears like the peal of a bell, tolling my doom.
The prosecution calls Seifer Almasy.
I have no defense,
and for a moment, the knowledge is written plainly on my face, for those who
have the wit to read it. Woodenly, I
strode forward to the stand.
As I faced Martine
and was sworn in, I smoothed my features back into the scornful mask I always
wore for everyone else. I would not let
these idiots have the satisfaction of knowing how little hope I have for my
freedom, much less my life.
After being sworn in,
I sat and faced Xu. She looked at me
like I were a snake about to strike.
"Would you please
recite your name for the court?" Her
voice was cool and detached.
"Do you think there
isn't anyone in the world who doesn't know my name, Kirishima?" I sneered.
"State your name for
the tribunal," Xu replied. She was calm
and patient.
Before I could make
another crack at her, Martine spoke. "The Prisoner is reminded that he is required to answer the questions of
both prosecutor and advocate in a full and accurate manner."
"Seifer Almasy," I
said sullenly. Martine was going to be
a martinet, just like he always was in Galbadia. Fine, I'd answer as briefly as I could.
"Did you serve as the
Sorceress Ultimecia's knight?"
I nodded
briefly. "Yes."
"Were you in command
of the forces that tortured one SeeD and held two others captive in the
District D Prison?"
"Yes." This was going to be boring. I forced myself to remain attentive, to make
myself not entirely unsympathetic.
"Did you lead several
attacks upon SeeDs, in general, and Balamb Garden, in specific?"
"Of course."
"Were you personally
responsible for the deaths of SeeDs and Cadets during the so-called Clash of
the Gardens?"
I shrugged. "It was a battle. I bore them no specific ill will, but was following my leader's
commands."
"And you were in
command of the operation that was responsible for raising Lunatic Pandora,
which led to the Lunar Cry?"
Again, I nodded
briefly.
"I see. And who did you bear 'ill will'
towards?" Xu's voice grew more intense.
"Squall." No sense embellishing that.
"Commander Leonhart?"
"Yes. He and I had been rivals since
childhood." Let them think about that.
Xu paused, pursing
her lips and tapping one finger against them as she thought. Finally, she stopped, and looked at me. "Why did you join Ultimecia?"
I looked at her. "She promised me the fame I had always
sought."
"That's all?" she
probed.
"She offered to make
my fantasies come true." This was getting
into something that I would rather not discuss.
"Why didn't you
abandon her the first time she asked you to do something that you felt was
wrong?"
"It is hard to
explain, Xu." I looked at her
frankly. "Besides, I doubt you would be
able to understand," I challenged.
"Try me." Her tone was flat.
"She used the same
tactic a mother uses to get her child to take medicine. She sugar-coated things, covering up the
morality of what she wanted done by making it seem a trivial matter. She also gave me things I wanted, and wanted
me to return a quid pro quo. I did
something for her – I got rewarded."
I sighed. "It was too late to get myself out of things
by the time I realized what I was doing."
"When did that
happen?"
"In Lunatic Pandora,
when Ultimecia used Adel to Junction Rinoa. At that point, I abandoned her to her own fate and fled." I looked at Xu with regret. "Rinoa did not deserve the violation she
received from that act, and I will never forget that day and the look on her
face, for as long as I live."
Xu quickly
replied. "But you nonetheless aided
Ultimecia throughout her campaign in our time."
"Yes."
"I have no further
questions."
Martine looked at me
with disgust. He then looked over to
Quistis. "Your witness, advocate."
Quistis rose from her
chair coolly and professionally. She
was in control of the courtroom. "At
this time, I have no questions for this witness. However, I would like to reserve the right to call this witness
back to the stand later."
Martine raised a hand
to forestall Xu's objection. "It is
within her rights as advocate, Prosecutor. Your request is granted, Advocate."
I walked slowly back
to the defense table, shocked. First Xu
doesn't go for the throat when she has me on the stand, and then Quistis doesn't
cross-examine me? I sat down.
Xu looked at the
commander of Galbadia Garden. "The
prosecution has no further witnesses."
Martine nodded. "Very well. We will recess for an –"
The commander had
raised the gavel, but paused when he saw Quistis rise. "If it would please the tribunal, I am
willing to forego a recess, in order to bring in my first witness."
"This is an
extraordinary request, Advocate."
"My first witness is
an extraordinary man, and his time is extremely limited. His duties as the commander-in-chief of the
three united Gardens will require his presence elsewhere for the next week."
Quistis is calling
Squall as my first witness? What in
Hyne's name does she think she is doing?
"Objection, Your
Honor!" Xu shout was panicked. I admit that I was thrilled to hear her
panic. Maybe Little Miss Instructor
knew what she was doing.
"Overruled, Xu." Martine looked sternly at Quistis. "It is only due to the great debt that we as
a planet owe to Commander Leonhart that I will grant your request. After Commander Leonhart's testimony, we
will recess until tomorrow."
Quistis looked down
at me and smiled. She had some sort of
plan in mind. I just didn't know how
much good my worst enemy was going to be for my case.
I spent the time it
took to get Rain Boy lost in thought. I
tried to figure out what exactly Quistis' plan was. I couldn't see what she was planning on doing, unless she were
wanting to complete the job that Xu had already started – destroying what
little reputation I had.
I was jarred from my
thoughts by the creak of the courtroom's doors. I heard the staccato thuds from Rain Boy's boots as he walked
toward the front of the courtroom. I
looked at my rival as he passed the tables. He stood, with the same cool detachment I had found so irksome during
the days when we were both students.
Martine spoke,
"Commander Leonhart, are you willing to go under oath for the purposes of this
tribunal."
Squall's reply was as
curt as ever. "Yes, I swear."
"Very well, you may
take the stand." Squall walked to the
witness box, and sat in the chair within, regally. If anything, he seemed more withdrawn than he had been before.
Quistis began. "Squall, have you been following the
progress of this tribunal?"
Squall smiled
slightly at Little Miss Instructor. He
said sardonically, "Nida has been making sure that a transcript for each day,
with testimony highlighted, is in my morning briefing. I know the case that has been presented."
Quistis nodded. Soberly, she asked, "Would you say that the
testimony you have read is accurate?"
Rain Boy nodded seriously. "It paints a fairly accurate picture of Seifer's actions during the
Second Sorceress War."
Quistis frowned, as if she had been dealt a setback by Rain
Boy's answer. With a moue of irritation,
she asked, "In what capacity did Seifer serve during the War?"
Squall didn't hesitate as he answered. "He was Ultimecia's Knight."
With a rush of surprise, I realized that I saw where Quistis was
leading with this.
"Do you mean, knight, as in a warrior who serves a liege,
or are you referring to something more important when you call Seifer,
Ultimecia's Knight?" Quistis' moue
had disappeared, and her eyes shone with barely suppressed excitement.
"Seifer had been bonded to the Sorceress as her
Knight. This meant that she gave him
powers in return for his protection." Squall replied.
"So Seifer was to Ultimecia what you have since become to
Rinoa Heartily, correct?" Quistis
looked meaningfully at the jury as she asked the question of Squall.
Squall's face twisted
in a scowl, as he pondered Quistis' question for a few moments. He began, "From what I understand –"
Quistis cut my rival
off abruptly. "Yes or no, Squall." Her voice was in the same no-nonsense tone
she had always reserved for her most difficult students. It was a tone of voice that I had dubbed her
Authoritarian Voice.
The
Commander-in-Chief of the United Forces of Garden blinked once. Looking almost chagrined, he answered,
"Yes."
As I looked at Rain
Boy, I was struck by something amazing. He was how I would have turned out if I had made the choices he
had. Like me, he had been bereft of
everyone he loved. Both of us had a
driving urge to be the best. Finally,
both of us possessed near-unmatchable talent for the combat arts.
Where Squall and I
differed was in the choices we made. He
chose to shut everyone else out after his losses. I made the choice that I would someday be so great that no one would
be able to ignore me again. Where he
tried to shut himself off from love and others caring about him, I wanted to
make everyone care in one way or another.
He tried to deny
love's existence. I craved it with
every breath.
Squall sought to
become anonymous – to be totally independent and autonomous. I sought to be the great hero, the
Sorceress' Knight.
Quistis turned away,
stating she had no further questions. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't listen to Xu's cross-examination. From the snippets that forced their way into
my awareness, I saw that Quistis had disarmed Xu's lines of questioning by
getting Squall to agree to the picture of events presented by Xu's case.
As Squall stood down,
I was shocked to realize that my rival differed from me in only one crucial way
– all that I dreamt of, he had achieved. The irony was that he never sought any of it.