¸.·´¯`·»Lament of Failure «·´¯`·.¸
His Hyperion had never been sharper. His wits never more clear. All he needed to do was get rid of this toneberry and carry the girl to safety. Seifer Almasy took a deep breath concentrating all his efforts on that one thing. One goal, to get her out of here alive. Battle was almost mechanical to him now. Slash, trigger he did it with out thinking. Soon the toneberry lied dead at his feet. Seifer grinned putting away his Hyperion before turning back to Tolia.
"Let's go" Seifer said scooping her up into his arms. She was light as a feather, blood dripping onto his coat. He ran from the ruins dashing into the closing hatch of the Ragnarock. Selphie, of all people, came running over to help him. She knelt next to the small cadet the aura of magic all ready surrounding her. Seifer watched anxiously as Selphie performed her limit break casting Full-Cure on all three of them. Seifer was amazed by how strong her magic was. There was steel buried underneath that perky female.
"She'll be all right, why don't you set her over there" Selphie said pointing to an empty bench seat near by. Seifer laid Tolia down on the seat and sat in a chair near by. When did I become Mr. Nice-Guy? The ride back to the Garden was uneventful.
He sat in his dorm room scrubbing the blood from his light gray jacket. The whole Garden seemed tense waiting for Cid to call the names of the cadets who had passed over the intercom. Tolia had been rushed to the infirmary as upon arrival. With an assurance from Dr. Kowdaski that she would be all right Seifer had retreated to his room.
The waiting was killing him.
Cid should be calling names over the loud speaker. Telling who had passed the test. Who would go up to his office to receive honors as official SeeD. Seifer knew he had to pass, he had saved the girl's life after all. Something that was so wholly unlike him even he couldn't make sense of it all. The blood came out of his jacket easily. He had it treated everyone month, to keep it perfectly gray. It was one of his few possessions that he cared about. That and his Hyperion. The Hyperion winked at him from across the room sitting on the desk.
Suddenly heaviness washed over him, Diablos demanded attention.
(~ I think your gaining morals Seifer ~)
Seifer snorted smirking a bit. Maybe Diablos was right, maybe he was changing. For the better.
"I try" he said to the GF in his mind. Diablos gave him a firm impression of laughter as the heaviness left him. Suddenly Cid's voice blared out over the loud speaker. Seifer held his breath in anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
"Will the following students please report to the Bridge. Rodaren GreenTree, Azure Lightwing, Jaylar Fornight, Tolia Lucitiania, Freeya Everclear, Thadius Ranger, Bianca Starfire, Taylina Clearwater, and Greylin Dankar" the voice Seifer almost like it was physical. He had failed. Failed for the fourth time. What had he done wrong? Why hadn't he passed. He grabbed the lamp off his nightstand and threw it across the room not caring if as it shattered across the floor. He grabbed his Hyperion striding out of the room.
Down the elevator, passed the man at the front gate, towards the exit. People gave him a wide birth, sensing his anger. He was stopped short at the crowd of people gathered just beyond the front gate. Selphie stood up on a bench holding a megaphone. Her petite voice blasted through the thing.
"We will stay here until Cid decides to pass Seifer Almasy. This mistreatment is unfair" Selphie shouted. The words were jarring. Selphie was holding a protest, for him? Tolia hopped up onto the bench next to her. Taking the microphone the soft-spoken girl looked out over the crowd.
"Seifer saved my life, and for that he failed. Why should one fail when all they did was save a life!" Tolia exclaimed into the megaphone. Cheers of agreement rang through out the crowd. Selphie hopped off the bench sitting down. Everyone followed suit arranging them selves in front of the door out of the Garden.
It was the strangest thing Seifer had ever seen.
He walked closer to the crowd Selphie catching his eyes. She stood up and rushed over to him smiling.
"You can't leave" Selphie said giving him a huge grin.
"What do you people think your doing? I don't need your pity" Seifer growled shrugging the hand off that she had placed on his arm.
"Pity?" Selphie asked her voice having a hint of anger, "This isn't just about you. This is about the unfairness of the whole Garden"
"Unfairness?" a steely voice said from behind them. They turned to see Squall walking up with Cid at his side. Squall looked infuriated at Selphie whole demonstration.
"What unfairness?" Squall asked again placing a hand on his hip.
"I demand to know why Seifer was failed" Selphie said planting both hands on her hips. Squall shook his head running a hand through his unruly brown hair.
"He didn't follow instructions, again" Squall said refusing to make eye contact with his long time rival.
"HE SAVED A GIRL'S LIFE" Selphie shouted her little hands curling into fists.
"He ignored the order to evacuate, staying behind to fight toneberrys. Most likely to show off" Squall said. Seifer scoffed unable to keep quiet any longer.
"What are you afraid some one would show you up Puberty Boy?" Seifer spat his eyes lit with fury. Squall turned his head slowly, his eyes finally connecting with Seifer's.
"..Whatever" Squall said coining his signature term. Cid came running up then his red cardigan making it easy to pick him out of the crowd.
"What is going on!" the headmaster exclaimed throwing his hands up in the air.
"Seifer Almasy becomes a SeeD, or half your student population walks" Selphie said her voice iron. Seifer snickered, amazed that she would stand up for him. Cid looked at Squall dumbfounded as Selphie turned and joined the group of students. Cid sighed and took his glass off cleaning them on the hem of his sweater.
"Perhaps something can be worked out, Mr. Almasy" the headmaster said at last with a small sigh.
Now he was sitting in the Headmaster's office looking out the windows at the rapidly growing bunch of people in front of the front gate. Who knew that anyone would do something like that for him? There was more to the spunky little brunette then he had guessed. The headmaster was outside talking very loudly to Squall. Seifer spossed the thought he couldn't hear them. But with Diablos equipped everything was so clear.
"You can't possibly be considering this!" Squall said exasperation showing plain in his voice.
"He has an amazing amount of potential. Perhaps solo missions are just what he needs" Cid replied.
"Solo missions! You're going to make special exceptions for him?!" Squall said practically shouting.
"I am the headmaster and I have final say. I'm only doing what is best. You go down and tell them that Seifer Almasy is SeeD" Cid said. Seifer felt his heart soar. He was SeeD. All though deep down he couldn't help but feel bitter that he hadn't earned it all on his own. Cid walked into the room, sitting down behind his huge desk.
"Seifer, I want to be the first to welcome you into SeeD" Cid said. Seifer growled a bit standing up. He sliced his arm through the air with a shake of his head.
"I won't accept it" he said.
"What? Why?" Cid asked frowning.
"I don't want you to hand it to me on a fucking plate. I want to earn SeeD" Seifer said. Cid nodded slowly.
"I should have known better Seifer. Please sit down and accept my apology" the headmaster said gesturing to the chair in front of him. Seifer flopped down into the chair, drooping his arms over the sides.
"I have a proposition to make, if you can complete the mission then you will have earned SeeD" Cid said shuffling around a few of the papers on his desk.
"I'm listening" Seifer said raising one of his golden eyebrows.
"I want you to began the retrieval process of Quistis Trepe" Cid said.
A/N: Hehe the opposite of a usuall Seiftis cliche. Normally Quistis gets called to the office to look for Seifer.
I hope you guys like this, I'm trying very hard to make the chapters longer then Shattered Thoughts, Broken Dreams. I'm also trying to keep Seifer more in character. What do you think?