**A/N- I don't own any of the characters that appear in this story except Angelica who is a product of my own warped imagination. Fell free to comment in anyway because an opinion is the soul's heartbeat**
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Seifer Almasy was back at Balamb Garden. "Thank Hyne for second chances" he thought to himself as he walked down the hallway and passed the directory. He stopped and looked towards the entrance gate and walked toward it. His combat boots thudding on the freshly polished garden floor. He stopped at the entrance and gave a friendly hello to the old man who sat at the gate window. The old man was about one of the only people he was ever nice to. Sure Matron had taught them to respect his elders but he only applied that rule to the really ancient people.
"Hello Seifer, glad to see you back care for a game? "The old man called out happily to Seifer as he sat behind the bulletproof window. That bulletproof window often reminded Seifer of how his life was. Everyone was always questioning him, trying to pick him down to the bone and figure him out. Even Fuu at her times of frustration towards him would ask why he was so non- permeable and hardheaded. He couldn't even figure himself out lately but he knew that he was somewhat glad to be back.
"Not right now Wesley, maybe later on though I don't think I'll be busy." He promised as the old man let out a toothy grin. Seifer walked back towards the directory and paced in front of it. He should be going to the library if he wanted to get on Cid's good side. He was supposed to stay out of trouble. He walked back over to the side of the guard railing and looked down to the crystal blue water. The orange Koi fish swam to the surface of the water. He wished that his life were that easy and carefree. Did anyone actually care if he had feelings or emotions? He was so misunderstood. No one would even give him the time of day anymore because he was considered dangerous. They didn't know him, and they didn't even know how dangerous he could get. He thought he was getting to goddamn pussy to even try to be a SeeD any ways. He had almost given up all hope on even getting a job as a janitor at Timber Maniacs when he had received a telegram from Quistis saying that his exile sentence had been revoked. He almost smiled when he heard this but he didn't want to give anyone the idea that they were doing him a favor by letting him back in. Fujin and Rajin had left him, but not by their own will. Seifer had pushed them away, he had realized that he wasn't worth their time. Fujin was a smart girl, but Seifer had received the impression that he stunted her logic when Rajin was around and Fujin tried to keep Rajin from embarrassing her in front of Seifer. So now Fujin was training to be an instructor at Galbadia Garden. Rajin was in FH engaged to that girl he had met at the train tracks years ago. Everyone's lives were moving on but his. He felt the Weapons Monthly he had left in his coat pocket and fished it out, opening the pages and scanning them. He turned around as he heard the small group of children being led down the hall and being stopped in front of the directory. They must have been new because he slightly remembered having the same orientation that the kids were having on his first day of the garden many years ago. Xu was standing in front of the directory talking in her small quiet voice to the group of children. He never really thought about having kids of his own, but now that was out of the question because he couldn't even have a girl look at him without her reaching into her pocketbook for a steady grip on the pepper spray. Besides, kids were to distracting. He couldn't even focus on a decent article about new age weaponry. He stood up and walked to the library hallway, silently preparing to ignore the stares and gawks that followed his appearance whenever he walked into a room or people saw him on the street. SeeD was his last way to gain any form of respect, or for him to scrape up the shattered pieces of his self-image and mold them back together. He walked into the library and was thankful that most of the people there were too engrossed in their own activities than to notice him enter. He silently strode past the large paneled bookcases and took a seat at on of the empty tables. The library used to be one of his secret vices, he loved how quiet it was in here and he also loved how they had so many books. Even Seifer liked to read a good book once in a while. He pulled out the magazine and began to read it silently, enjoying the silence. He looked out to the large paneled window and sighed. Days like this often made him think of how soon the summer would come. Even though he'd probably still is here trying to do some extra exam studying. He hadn't seen anyone but Quistis since his return and he wasn't really eager to see Rinoa hugged up on Squall. It was his choice to leave the resistance and come back to the Garden that summer.
"Think about it Rinoa, Do you honestly think I would be happy helping you and a bunch of hippies fight for freedom?" Was it his loss or hers? She wasn't exactly the model of perfection herself, she was a bit of a control freak, and he always ended up with the control freaks. He couldn't read any particular emotion on Quistis' face. She was a big ass control freak too. Even when they were kids she just had to be everyone's boss. "Your not my mother Quistis, she's dead", Seifer had told her once. He said dumbass comments like that it was his nature. Squall...he diverted his thoughts and continued to read his magazine. His emerald orbs shot open as he felt something hard and heavy hit the back of his head.
"What the....", he said aloud as he stood up and look around to notice a book lying on the floor. It was a hardback copy of one of those teengirly novels. "Okay, it you come out now I won't mutilate you", he stated as he began to walk around the tables with the book in his hand. He caught a pair of boots scamper under one of the tables out the corner of his eye and decided to go on the other side of the table to meet the owner. He kneeled down and grabbed the person's arm, pulling them out from under the table. It was a girl, about 5'7'' with shoulder length brownish red hair. That wasn't the first thing he noticed about her, it was those eyes. Those hazel eyes of hers that seemed to stop time and make him freeze for what seemed like an eternal second before he finally spoke.
"You seemed to have misplaced your book," he told her as he waved the book in his other hand. He slightly loosened his grip as he realized her was holding her wrist rather tightly.
"It was an accident." She said, looking him in the eye and reaching for it. She looked rather sexy, he thought, as he looked her over once more. She had on a ripped Jean skirt and a tee shirt that read "Punk isn't dead, Passion is". She was too proper, he could tell she was from money because of that platinum thumb ring she wore around her finger with Angelica inscribed on it. He could have really used the disciplinary committee right about now as she tried to wiggle away from his grasp.
"Can we just say I owe you and leave it at that?" She asked him as he felt her cool minty breath hit the bridge of his nose. She had lovely skin, and he had remembered Rajin liked her type, the light skinned black girls with that caramel colored skin and lovely hair. He like all types of women but god, she was somewhat different.
" Okay...but are you busy?"
"Besides from trying to escape from you no." She looked to him a quirked a brow pouting out those lips.
"Don't bitch please..."
"I have my SeeD exam tomorrow. I have to study"
" You don't have to study for a field exam. You owe me lunch in the cafeteria.", he finally let go of her as she rubbed her wrist. The last thing he needed was an assault complaint on Cid's desk.
"I don't eat"
"Well you can watch me."
"Well, I guess they were right when they said you were aggressive."
"Who?" He looked to her, quirking a thin blonde eyebrow of his.
"Why should I tell you? So you can hunt them down and beat them up. You're not as bad as you think you are." That statement almost came as a slap in he face to him. "I'll go to lunch with you only if you promise to stay away from me afterwards."
"I don't make promises."
"Okay then, I'll meet you in front of the directory in 10 minutes."
"Wait, where are you going?" He asked her, he was slowly losing his cool as he watched her walk to the table where she was originally seated and grab her notebook.
"Just meet me in ten minutes."
"Sure.... Um...what's your name?" He asked looking her up and down once more.
"Angelica." She said as he watched her walk out of the library door. Angelica, that name danced in his head and he couldn't get her face or that slight dusting of freckles that rested on the bridge of her nose out of his head. He looked down to the copy of the hardcover book that he still held in his hands before he slipped it into his pocket and walked out of the library to wait for Angelica.