Laguna moved through the halls of the Presidential Palace, following close behind Kiros.
"So what's this all about, Kiros? What's so important it couldn't wait?"
"Squall's on the line. He insists on speaking to you, and won't tell anyone why. Your secretary refused to interrupt you, at which point he demanded to speak to me. I didn't really want to interrupt you either, but something about his manner… I don't know. I think it's really important."
"Do you think he's in some sort of trouble?" Laguna asked, concerned. The two men breezed right by Laguna's secretary without acknowledging her presence.
"I think he might be sick," Kiros responded as they stopped in front of the door.
"What gives you that idea?"
"Well, anyone who wants to speak to you that badly has to have something wrong with them."
Laguna shook his head and entered his office, closing the door behind him. He took a seat behind his desk, and flipped on the monitor.
The screen flared the SeeD insignia, and Laguna stared at it idly for a few moments, waiting, he knew, while Squall checked to make sure their conversation transmitted over a secure line.
When Squall's face finally appeared, it struck Laguna once more how much the boy resembled his mother. He nearly made a remark to that effect, but Squall's demeanor, even more severe than usual, stopped him at once.
"Well, I can tell by your expression that this isn't a social call, so what's on your mind, son?"
Squall didn't answer for a few moments. He simply sat and stared, thinking how best to give his words their proper weight.
"Seifer," he said, without anything more.
"Excuse me?" Laguna said, beginning to rise to his feet. "It sounded like you said 'Seifer.'"
"I did," Squall answered. "I know that you've managed to revive him. What do you intend to do with him?"
This statement stunned Laguna. Only a few people in the palace had access to that information. Enough people that he'd never be able to pinpoint the informant, but few enough to make him suspicious of everyone around him.
"Well," Squall asked, startling him, "have you decided yet?"
"Not exactly, no. But how did you…"
"You know I can't answer that question. Are you going to send him to trial? Because we've decided to claim jurisdiction."
"What?" Laguna asked, incredulous.
"Upon receiving word that Seifer's condition improved, we went into conference over the matter. Seifer was spending time in the detention facility when he broke out and made his assault on Timber. And since no one ever pursued further disciplinary action after that point, he's still a cadet, and therefore our responsibility."
"And you, Squall? Where do you stand on this issue? I mean, I don't doubt for a moment that you were consulted on this decision."
"My personal feelings have no bearing here," Squall said. "What does matter is the fact that I'm under orders to oversee Seifer's return to Garden."
"Damn it, Squall, this isn't about orders! You and Seifer grew up together. I mean, maybe you don't like him, but surely you don't want to see him executed!"
"What I want is of no consequence here. He led a full-scale assault on Balamb Garden, an action that killed a number of cadets and SeeDs. I grew up with them, too. " Squall's voice remained flat and unemotional the entire time. He might as well have read a grocery list for all the passion he expressed. Laguna felt his temperature start to rise. Squall's mother, Raine, had the same talent - the ability to detach from any situation, meeting heartfelt arguments with cold, icy logic. Of course, the trait expressed itself more strongly in Squall, but it seemed a poignant reminder of Raine.
"And what about the fact that he was controlled by the Sorceress? Doesn't that mitigate the circumstances at all?"
"That's not for me to decide. I am merely assigned to bring him back to Balamb Garden."
"What if I refuse to surrender him?" Laguna asked, crossing his arms over his chest in satisfaction, thinking he'd stumped his son.
Squall paused for a moment, and Laguna thought he saw the flicker of a grimace crossing the young man's face.
"Please don't make me explore that option." Laguna heard the veiled threat implicit in Squall's words, along with his son's desire not to resort to violence.
"Fine," he said. "If SeeD is willing to use force to retrieve Seifer, than the government of Esthar will - reluctantly, and only in the interest of peace - comply. However, we take umbrage with your Garden's strong-arm tactics."
"Understood." Squall nodded his head curtly. "I will be sending the Ragnarok to pick up the prisoner immediately. Please have him ready for transport by that time."
Laguna nodded, feeling defeated, and moved to turn off the screen.
"Laguna?" Squall asked, almost as an afterthought.
Laguna looked up. "Yeah?"
"I'm… sorry it has to be this way," Squall said, the pained look on his face bearing witness to the fact that it took great effort even to utter this simple confession.
"So am I, Squall," Laguna replied. He wanted to say more, to give Squall some sort of lecture on the difference between duty and humanity, but held back. All the moralizing in the world wouldn't change Squall's mind, Laguna reasoned, especially not coming from the father he'd never known. Squall's peers at Balamb Garden represented his only true family, whether Laguna liked it or not.
They exchanged a few words in parting and then signed off. Laguna's office suddenly seemed far too large. He felt small and alone, a sensation intensified by the news he now had to deliver to Seifer.
As the door to his cell swung open, Seifer turned around to see Laguna entering, hands in pockets.
"That bad, huh?" he asked.
Laguna nodded slowly, unsure of how to proceed. Once he started speaking, though, he found himself incapable of stopping. "That was Squall. He said that Balamb Garden wants you back. I wouldn't have done it, but Squall said - okay, he didn't say so much as he implied - that Garden was willing to use force to bring you back…"
Seifer held up his hand, nodding in comprehension. He looked out the window for a long moment, and then turned back to Laguna.
"It's probably best this way. Cid hates to let an infraction go unpunished. He'll get to prove his point. Everyone else gets their villain; my death will prove that the good guys always win. And we all sleep a little better at night, knowing blame has been properly assigned."
"Don't you even care if you live or die? I mean, are you willing to throw your life away just like that?"
This time Seifer's eyes fixed on a patch of carpet. He noticed the signs of wear on it, from where the door opened and closed over it, and found himself hypnotized by this trivial fact as he spoke.
"Don't you see? Even if SeeD doesn't get me, someone else will. I've made enough enemies by now to know that they'll never let me rest. I'll spend the remainder of my life on the run, wolves always at my heels… It's not that I'm not grateful to you. It's just that… right now, I'm so… tired."
Seifer paused for a moment, and he took several slow breaths.
"It sounds crazy, but when I was coming out of my… coma, it was like I was on some vision quest. It made me understand the whole situation. I got greedy. I started lusting after the power and authority Ultimecia granted me. And, sure, I partially acted the way I did because she was… nudging me, but really, she never forced me to do anything. I wanted power, and respect, and I did some bad things to get them. I feel terrible about what I did, but I knew what I was doing the entire time."
Laguna let Seifer's words hang in the air. No response seemed adequate. Still, he felt obligated to fill the awkward silence.
"Well. If this is what you want to do, I can't stop you, especially since the Ragnarok is on its way here."
"Thank you for understanding. If I can make one request?"
"What?" Laguna asked, all the fight out of him.
"Can I have my old clothes back? They're expecting to see me in my trench coat, and I wouldn't want to disappoint my fans."
