Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8! I admit it, okay?

Pretzels and a Hot Fudge Sundae

The bright and breezy summer day fit right in with Selphie Tilmitt's happy disposition. Sorceress Ultimecia had been defeated and the world could breath again in safety. Even without the Sorceress, the SeeDs had plenty of jobs to perform. Selphie had just completed a job and was happily skipping off to enjoy the money she had gotten. There were times when she wondered what had happened to Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin after Ultimecia was defeated. Those times didn't last very long and she soon turned her mind to other matters. Still, she couldn't help wondering. It was true that they were her "enemies" but that didn't stop her from worrying about them.

"I hope that they're all right somewhere," she sighed. She frowned a little, then reminded herself of how pleasant the day before her was and brightened up again. "I can't let that bother me!" She skipped along, whistling a tune. Men and women alike stared at the buoyant girl and only those that knew her weren't puzzled over her actions. She stopped at an ice cream parlor and sat on a stool. The parlor floor was made of white tiles, and the counter was a royal blue. Each stool was a different color, and overhead there were several fans that kept the customers cool. The man behind the counter greeted Selphie with a smile.

"I was wondering when you'd come, Selphie!"

"Hiya, Jeff!" she greeted. She had gotten acquainted with this young man after several visits to the ice cream parlor. Today she was wearing her yellow dress and knee-high brown boots. Several guys in the store were eyeing her.

"What would you like today?"

"Pretzels and a hot fudge sundae!" chirped Selphie.

"That's disgusting!" spat a familiar voice. "Who would eat pretzels with a hot fudge sundae?" Selphie felt a chill run down her back, and it didn't come from the fans overhead. Her friend Jeff gave her what she ordered, but he had a vacant sort of look on his face. Selphie turned in her seat and nearly fell over when she saw Seifer Almasy standing before her. The deadly sorceress' knight merely stared at her, one hand clutching his gunblade and the other deeply immersed in a pocket. Standing behind him were Fujin and Raijin.

"W-w-w-w-what do you w-w-want?" asked Selphie, shaking with fright.

"Try talking slower," said Seifer. "That way, you won't stutter so much." He brought his free hand out of his pocket, and at once every occupant of the ice cream parlor ran out the door, including the workers. Selphie was too petrified with fear to move; she merely shook in her stool and hoped they wouldn't see her. Seifer didn't seem to notice this. In any case, he took a seat at an empty table. Fujin and Raijin joined him, and for a while the only sound that could be heard was the whirring of the fans over their heads. Selphie picked up a spoon with a shaking hand and stuck it into her ice cream. Oh, my Hyne! What are they doing here? Are they going to kill me?

"Where'd everybody go?" wondered Raijin; his loud voice sounded even louder in the empty building. "I wanted to get an ice cream cone, ya know?"

"BAD SERVICE," said Fujin.

"It is not bad service! They were scared of you!" snapped Selphie. She squeaked and cringed at her words. The posse stared at her as if they weren't sure if she had actually said that. Seifer stood up and walked over to her. She was consciously aware that he was still holding Hyperion and tried very hard not to look at it.

"What did you just say?" The way he leered down at her made Selphie want to cry and run away, but she couldn't seem to make herself do either. She stared back at him and clumsily fumbled for words.

"I... uh, well... I said... uh..." She was frightened out of her mind, but at the same time she couldn't help noticing how sad Seifer's gray eyes looked. The more she looked into his eyes, the less afraid she became; she always assumed it would be the other way around. "They were scared of you."

"Of me?" repeated Seifer.

"Yes, of you."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" snapped Selphie, forgetting momentarily who she was talking to. "It's because you're the sorceress' knight! You killed all those people! You... you blew up Trabia, you big jerk!" She wished she could sink into the floor, or at least take back those last words, but it was far too late for that. Instead of getting angry, Seifer merely grunted.

"Oh, is that all? That's no big deal." He walked away and sat back down with Fujin and Raijin.

"No big deal? What are you, crazy?" I should really start thinking before I open my mouth, she thought. Seifer stared at her with his gray eyes. I wonder why he looks so sad? she wondered.

"I have no intention of hurting anyone. You can tell them to come back in."

"But what about all those other people you hurt? Huh?" demanded Selphie. Once again her tongue started going without any regard to common sense. "You know... I really hate you! You were pushing people around back in the Garden, and then you go and become the sorceress' knight and kill innocent people! Women and children! It's no wonder people are scared of you now! You're cruel, and your heart is too hard to care about anybody but yourself!" She stopped and bit her tongue until it grew very painful. Fujin and Raijin looked at each other, then at Seifer. He grunted again and shook his head.

"That just shows how little you know."

"What do you mean? I know that you betrayed us!"

"No. That's just what you choose to believe," said Seifer calmly. Selphie was growing nervous; she didn't like how quietly and calmly he was speaking. "Some of what you said is true. I did push people around, I did become the sorceress' knight, but I'm afraid the rest of it is wrong."

"Wrong?" repeated Selphie. "What about Trabia? All of those people are gone because of you!"

"Lives are lost every day."

"But these people didn't have to die! Don't you even care?"

"I care," he answered. "I know what I did, and how many lives were lost. It is a heavy burden to bear..." Fujin quietly rested her pale hand on his shoulder. Selphie saw sadness in Seifer's eyes, and a strange thought entered her mind: he feels guilty.

"You didn't ever want to do any of it, did you?" she asked quietly.

"You're starting to understand. That's a good first step."

"Then why did you do it?

"Hatred is a blinding emotion," he answered. "It blinded the Sorceress Ultimecia, and it blinded me as well. Right and wrong are defined by individuals, and under her I decided there was no distinction. I know, now, that there is a great difference." Selphie sighed and ate her ice cream quietly. She had a thought and put her spoon down.

"Hey, Seifer?"

"What now?"

"There's plenty of room here, if you want to sit down." Seifer stared at her in surprise, but took her up on her offer. She slid off her stool, promising to return shortly. She walked over to the entrance and opened the door. The people that had been in the ice cream parlor were crowded around the door, shaking with fear. "You can come in now. He's not going to hurt you." Slowly, uneasily, they began to file back into the parlor. Selphie returned to her seat and grinned at Seifer.

"What...?" he asked.

"You asked me to get them back in here, didn't you?" He stared at her, dumbfounded. She grinned wider and resumed eating. Her friend Jeff cleared his throat nervously.

"Uh... w-w-what w-w-w-would you like t-t-to order, sir?"

"Pretzels," answered Seifer. Selphie turned and stared at him. He smiled at her, something she never expected him to do. "And a hot fudge sundae."

The End