Revolver And Friend: Cruelties...
The two warriors made their way slowly to the Infirmary with the kind Dr. Kadowaki's help, where they could both be examined for injuries. Zell already knew that he would receive a horrible prognosis, but Squall did not know what kind of damage he took from Seifer's attacks. His left ankle felt like it was put through the fires of Hell, but he knew that the training for the Fire Cavern had to be finished today, so there was no excuse he could make up to avoid it. Even if it meant going with a hurt ankle...he would struggle on. In the doctor's office...
~~~~~~~~~~
"That was so great," Zell said ecstatically to Squall, who was sitting on the checkup bed with him. "I couldn't see anything, but I heard you really whooped ass out there!"
"Yeah...I guess so," Squall replied wanly, massaging his hurt ankle.
"What's wrong? You just beat the living hell out of your archenemy! I thought you'd at least be a little happy."
"It's not that," Squall said seriously, looking into the warrior's bruised eyes. He stopped comforting himself and put his hands on Zell's shoulders, speaking to him. "Listen...Zell. About what happened back there..."
Zell looked at him, knowing what was coming. His eyes watering, he was on the verge of crying his sky-blue eyes out. "Squall, it's...it's okay," he sniffed. "I know it was because you were worried about me. But if you don't want to be my...my..." He couldn't finish his sentence.
Squall detected the young man's sadness and reassured him. "Zell, listen to me! It's not that. If you must know, I'm not afraid of what or who I am now." The blonde looked into his companion's eyes, feeling refreshed that he wasn't going to be rejected. Squall took his hands off of him and continued. "I know that I'm gay, and I know that I'm in love with you."
Zell was a little tense, but his eyes weren't full of sadness like a few moments earlier. "...So...what do you want to do?"
Squall sighed. "I definitely can't run away from it anymore, that's for sure. But..."
"But what," Zell carefully said. The last thing he wanted to hear right now was that the man he loved didn't want to be in a relationship with him- -his greatest fear was that of rejection. "We can give it time, if you want."
Squall looked at him in a funny way. "Time? What are you talking about?"
Zell had a confused look on his face. "What do you mean...I thought you were talking about our relationship."
"Oh, that. That' s fine, if you want to." Squall wondered what Zell thought he was talking about. "What did you think I was talking about?"
"The relationship!"
"Yeah. I don't have any problems with that. I was referring to you."
"To me? Why me," he asked.
"You're not out, remember? What I was going to say is that since I'm out and you're not, maybe we could keep the relationship to a minimum."
"Oh, was all Zell said at that. "Psh, that's okay. As long as you're there, it'll be fine."
Squall smiled, and Zell gave him a big hug, indicating that everything was fine in their new 'relationship'. Zell immediately pulled back, holding his lower back and moaning out in pain.
"Ohhhh, Dr. Kadowaki! The cream! I need it!"
Squall laughed out loud at him as the doctor got up from her desk with a large jar of blue cream. "My, you are a big baby, aren't you?"
"Shut up," the blonde fighter retorted jokingly.
The plump female physician came over, took off his black T-shirt and rubbed some muscle relaxer cream on Zell's lower back. Squall got up to leave the room, getting ready to prepare to head to the Fire Cavern with Quistis.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Zell said, moaning in pleasure that the pain was fading.
Squall, in front of the already open door, turned around. "What is it?"
"Umm...don't go hitting on Quistis or anything. Ohh, that feels so good!"
Squall cocked an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," both men said in unison. The dark-clad fighter shook his fist jokingly and said, "I'll make you pay for that when I get back!"
"Mmm-hmm, yeah sure tough guy! Oh man---! Lower, lower!"
Squall just shook his head, laughed, and left the infirmary. Zell lied down on his stomach on the checkup bed, letting the kindly doctor slather another heap of relaxer on his tight. muscular back. Dr. Kadowaki chimed in with some conversation of her own.
"You know Zell, you could've told him that I knew about you too."
"Ohhh, that feels fantastic," he said as she rubbed the medicine into him. "Yeah, I know. But Squall thinks that he's the only one who knows. Besides, I want it to be special for him."
"I understand."
"Sorry doc. Could you keep quiet about it for a while. At least until things settle down?"
"Of course, Zell. I wouldn't do anything like that."
"Thanks a lot."
A long silence enveloped the room. Dr. Kadowaki stood over Zell Dincht, rubbing the thick blue cream into his aching back. Zell's arms were hanging slack on each side of the small bed, and he could almost fall asleep in this fashion- -laying directly under the warmth of the radiating sun while his injuries got nursed to.
"Yes, except for 'him'," the doctor said, interrupting the silence. "Except for me, 'he' also knew."
"Ohh, a little higher," he asked, making the woman slide her hands up to his upper back. "Thank you so much for not saying his name, doc. Just hearing it would probably make me fly off the handle."
"I know exactly what you mean," she said, looking out the window into the skies. The doctor massaged him, continuing her conversation with the youth. "That man has always been troubled. He came into my office far too many times, sporting hideous injuries that you'd never see a regular Garden student with. I knew he liked to fight, but I just never knew how much he enjoyed it. It's almost as if...as if he needs the competition."
"Yeah. Seifer's always been like that. Always an asshole, but competitive."
"...Zell."
"Yeah?"
"...There's something you need to know."
Zell craned his head up from the window, looking the doctor directly in the face. Whatever it was had her worried. "Yeah," he said. "What is it?"
"It's about Seifer. It's something I think you should know."
Zell returned his gaze to the open window. "...I see."
"Oh. Well it's all right if you don't want to hear it. But I think it's pretty perplexing, considering everything that happened to you and all."
"Why? Is Seifer nearly killing me that much of a surprise?"
The female doctor remained silent for a minute, then Zell calmly retracted his statement. "Err, sorry doc. I guess it is a surprise."
Dr. Kadowaki removed her hands from his aching back and returned the tube of cream to a nearby drawer. Sitting down at her desk, she said something that hit Zell completely off-guard. "Zell, Seifer is gay too."
The young man nearly fell off of the checkup bed at what he just heard. Turning over quickly and sitting up, Zell's mouth was agape. "W-What? He is?"
"...Yes."
"H-How do you know that? He can't be! Is he?"
"...Yes," she replied again.
"Damn! Then why'd he beat me up? He even called it a gay-bashing!" Zell shook his arm in rage at this latest tidbit of hypocrisy and lunacy. "This is stupid!"
"Please Zell. Just listen to my story."
"Your story," he inquired, now quite interested at this revelation.
"Yes. It's about the day that Seifer came into my office...and told me."
"..."
"Please Zell. I won't force you to, but you could gain some insight as to what he was thinking when he did this to you."
"...Fine. This should be interesting," he dreadfully said.
Dr. Kadowaki took her glasses off and set them on her desk, rubbing the bridge of her nose in nervousness as she began to tell her story. "Let's see, where should I start..."
"I don't care. Wherever you want," Zell said.
"Well, all right. I think it was about...five months ago. Yes, that sounds about correct. Five months ago..."
~~~~~~~~~~
In the Infirmary office, Dr. Kadowaki was making some more Remedy and Antidote for stock purposes. It was raining hard outside, and the winds were rattling the sole window against its frame. As she sat there at her desk, mixing various elements to create more medicine, she heard a loud thump against the steel automatic sliding door. A moment later, it opened. In stumbled a badly hurt Seifer Almasy, bleeding from the head and stomach. The busy doctor put down her supplies, got up from her desk and assisted to help the blonde to the small checkup bench.
"God, it...it hurts so much," Seifer barely managed to say, holding the right side of his abdomen. The same side of his long tan trench coat was stained crimson with blood. "Those people...I hate 'em!"
"Calm down, Seifer," the doctor told him sternly. Open up your vest so I can see the wound."
Seifer reluctantly obeyed her orders and opened up his dyed-blue chamois protective vest. Dr. Kadowaki was horrified to see a large gaping wound with blood running out going up the side of his stomach. This wasn't a wound caused by a monster though, as she quickly observed. Whatever had done this damage was caused by a weapon of some sort. She looked into his eyes as tears streamed down his face.
"What happened?"
"I...I don't~~"
"What happened," she repeated, applying some gauze to the wound. "This is a serious wound! I'm going to have to document it onto my prognosis report!"
The lump in Seifer's throat moved up, and he looked away from her. Whatever happened to the tall, rough Seifer now had him scared and nervous. "It's because...of them."
"Because of who? Who did this to you, Seifer?"
"People. In Balamb. They stabbed me!"
"...All right. Let me get some Hi-Potion."
"T-Thanks," he said.
The doctor walked over to the shelf above the work desk and pulled out a small vial containing green liquid. She gave it to the wounded man and told him to drink it quickly. Seifer obeyed her and gulped the whole concoction down in one gulp. As he did, the pain increased, causing him to clutch his wound again.
"Aaggh, God! It hurts, it hurts," he yelled.
"It's fast-acting, so it's going to hurt for a while," she said to him. "The pain will dissipate in a few hours, so be patient."
"I see, I see. Thanks, doctor," he said, being sincere.
"..." Dr. Kadowaki didn't say anything to him as she returned to her desk to begin filling out a report for her new patient. She made no secret of the fact that she disliked Seifer Almasy, and that she preferred not dealing with him if it were possible at all. But her oath as a doctor and as a servant of medicine forbid her to reject anyone in dire pain or anyone needing immediate medical attention. So she tended to the wounded man like she would do anyone else- -with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. Seifer laid down on the small bench to try and ease the pain, but she scolded him for doing that.
"You can't do that, " she said from her desk. "You have to remain in an upright position while the medicine is working.
"Fine. Sorry," he replied, sitting back up.
The woman went back to her work, continuing her report. Seifer sat there behind her, holding the gauze to his wound while listening to the clicking of the keys on her computer. Finally, he broke the long silence by asking her a question.
"Doctor...would it...be okay if I asked you something?"
She stopped typing and turned around to look him in the face. "What is it?"
"Well, I know you don't like me very much. Hell, no one likes me."
"..."
"But," he continued. "Am I gonna die?"
"No Seifer," she sighed. "You're not going to die. The wound isn't fatal, or else you would have bled to death already."
"I see."
Dr. Kadowaki resumed her work, but he kept on talking to her. He revealed something that shocked the woman.
"Doctor," he calmly said, forcing back the pain he was feeling. "I...was beat up. Looking for sex."
She stopped and turned around again. "What?"
"I was...looking for sex. In Balamb."
"...I see. Why are you telling me this?"
"Well, just in case I...I die soon," he reiterated with more sincerity.
"I already told you that you weren't going to die."
"I...know. I didn't mean this wound."
"Well, what do you mean," she asked him.
Seifer paused for a second, the lump rising in his throat. "Doctor Kadowaki...I'm...I'm..."
"...Yes?"
"I'm...gay."
~~~~~~~~~~
"What? Are you serious," Zell exclaimed at the doctor who was crying now. "Seifer has the nerve to beat me up, but he's also gay?!"
"Calm down Zell," she said to him. The young fighter was now on his feet shaking with rage. "I have a theory about the entire scenario."
"I don't care about theories, he said, dismissing any possibility about explanations. "He's just a hypocrite! If he's gay like me, then why does he go around gay-bashing others like him?"
The doctor got up and shook Zell, trying to calm him down. He eventually heeded her advice and sat back down. Besides, his chest was throbbing in pain so he had no choice.
"Listen to me. I don't think Seifer hates you for being gay. That just wouldn't make sense."
"Then why did he do it," Zell spoke powerfully to her. "Now that you say it, I would like to her this 'theory' of yours!"
"Dr. Kadowaki sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, okay. This may sound unbelievable now, but I think that Seifer doesn't hate you. If I'm correct, Seifer hates himself for being this way."
"Oh yeah, you're right," he concluded sarcastically. "That DOES make a lot of sense!"
"No, you don't understand. Surprisingly, Seifer is a religious man. So if you put two and two together, this conflicts with his beliefs. We had a long talk after his revelation, and I developed a bond with him in a that short amount of time. I think that he thinks that he's a sinner."
"Hmm," was all he could comment on the situation after a brief pause.
"So when I heard that he beat you up, and when I heard that it was because of that, I finally put it together. He hates himself for being gay, not you."
"Oh."
Zell and the doctor sat there in an awkward silence for a minute or so, then he got up to leave. Dr. Kadowaki called out to him before he left though.
"Zell."
"He turned around. "Yeah, doc?"
"I know this will be tough. But please...please don't hate Seifer for what he's done."
Without hesitation, he replied. "Yeah, you're right. It will be tough." With that he left the office, leaving the kind doctor to ponder what had just happened. She could understand the sentiments that Seifer made on that day- -after all, if there was anyone in his situation, they may have reacted in the same way. But his was a tangled scenario, though. With all of the pain that he caused Squall Leonhart and Zell Dincht, she also understood their feelings as well.
"Why does this have to happen to such young people," she solemnly thought, as she went back to her desk and worked on her reports.
~~~~~~~~~~
A beaten and bruised Seifer Almasy sat in the empty cafeteria with Fujin and Raijin, wrapping his abdomen up in gauze. Amazingly, the wounds weren't life-threatening, but to be safe he was downing Potions by the bottle, one after another. Raijin spoke up in a deep and concerned voice to him.
"Damn, man, I thought Squall was gonna kill you by what happened, ya know?"
"Shut up," was his reply to him,
"AMAZING," the gray-haired Fujin interjected, rubbing Seifer's throbbing chest. "SQUALL, AMAZING."
"Yeah, so he is. But he just got in a couple of cheap shots, is all. He's not and never will be a better fighter than me."
Just as the tall blonde put another vial of medicine to his lips, melodious chimes and an announcement came over the intercom system. The voice was that of Headmaster Cid Kramer, the man who ran Balamb Garden.
"Seifer Almasy, report to my office immediately. I repeat...Seifer Almasy. Report to my office immediately. That is all.
Looking up at the metal intercom on the ceiling, Seifer sneered and stood up. Following suit of their leader, Raijin and Fujin stood up as well.
"I wonder what in the hell he wants," Seifer said in a gruff voice.
"Probably another discipline notice, ya know," Raijin guessed. "Cid won't do anything to ya. Just maybe wants to talk to ya."
"SEIFER, GO," inquired Fujin, asking if they could go with him. But he wanted to face this alone.
"I'll be fine, Fujin. You two wait here. I'll be back." He walked over to the exit, then turned around. "Keep an eye on that chicken-wuss Zell! If he tries anything with you, I'll deal with him!"
"Done deal, ya know," Raijin said.
"CAREFUL," Fujin added.
"..." Seifer said nothing as he left the large cafeteria, heading for the elevator that would take him to the Headmaster's office.
~~~~~~~~~~
On the third floor Seifer got off of the elevator, walking into a medium-sized lobby with wood and marble furnishings, combined with many displays of fine art on the walls. Behind a black oak desk sat a woman with a black ponytail, typing quickly behind a computer. Seifer walked up to the desk and told her that he was there for a meeting with the Headmaster.
"Certainly," said Sheila, Cid's personal receptionist. "Cid told me you would be coming. Please, go right in."
"Thank you," Seifer kindly replied as he passed her and opened the double doors to reveal a large office. Cid sat lounged back behind his mahogany desk, sipping a liquor of some sort as he waited for his meeting with Seifer. A member of faculty stood at each side of the desk, looking like cold and lifeless statues. Looking down from the ceiling, he saw Seifer and courteously welcomed him into his quarters.
"Welcome, Seifer," Cid said in a concise, clear voice. "Please, sit down."
"No thanks," he rejected, standing at the other side of the room in front of the doors and staring intently at the middle-aged man. "Tell me what this is about. I don't like surprises."
Cid blinked at him, then adjusted his glasses. "Very well then. This will be brief anyway. What I wanted to speak to you about was the incident involving..." He picked up a sheet of paper off of his desk and read off of it. "Ah, yes. Involving you and a Zell Dincht."
"What about it," Seifer replied very matter-of-factly.
"From the report I received from Xu, you viciously pummeled him, injuring him near the point of death...is this true?"
"..."
"From your silence, I see that it is."
"..."
"Listen to me," Cid spoke up, his tone of voice becoming harsher. He was leaning forward in his chair up against his desk now. "As the Headmaster of this Garden, I will not accept this type of behavior from students. I have no recourse but to sufficiently administer fair punishment to you to make an example out of you."
"Punishment, eh...gee, I guess it's time to sit in the corner," Seifer commented in a snide manner.
"You misunderstand me, Seifer Almasy," Cid continued. "It's not just what happened today. I'm also punishing you for a string of deviant activity. From what I learned in your permanent files, Dr. Kadowaki wrote in that you have been engaging in illegal drug use, combined with a deviant activity that you gay people call 'cruising'..."
Seifer's mouth dropped, his eyes widened. "Damn! That bitch actually wrote it in my permanent files," he thought.
"Is there something you wish to say on your behalf, Mr. Almasy," Cid inquired.
"Us gay people, you say? Are you calling gays deviant?"
"What I am saying, Mr. Almasy, is that the gay lifestyle doesn't exactly fit in with the militaristic image of Balamb Garden. Combine this with your many other violations of Garden protocol and you have a recipe for disaster. Mr. Almasy, on your regular off times from training, you've been 'cruising' in Balamb. That is against the rules of discipline."
"..." Seifer's teeth were grinding together, his blood boiling with rage.
"There is another matter that I need to discuss with you, Mr. Almasy. Your most recent blood test. You took one a month ago, and there is something there that disturbs me."
"Oh yeah? Is that so," Seifer said, amazed. "What's the matter, Mister snooty Headmaster man?"
Getting straight to the point, Cid revealed what it was. "Mr. Almasy, you've been diagnosed as HIV-positive."
Just then, the world itself seemed to stop. Seifer couldn't believe it. "W-What? You...can't be serious," he said, visibly scared that it was really the truth. "HIV....no, that can't be right! It just can't be!"
Cid lowered his glasses so that he could look him in the eyes. "I am afraid that I have no choice but to expel you from Balamb Garden. You are a health risk to every student in my facility. If you were to remain here, you could contaminate the entire school."
"What?! Are you joking," Seifer yelled. "Health risk? Contamination? You can't get fuckin' HIV from just touching someone! And I've never screwed ANYONE in this school! What in God's name are you smokin', for cryin' out loud?"
"I admit, I'm not quite educated in sexually transmitted diseases," Cid said calmly. "Especially this one. But I cannot take any risks. Seifer Almasy, you will leave Balamb Garden permanently tomorrow morning. If you refuse to go willingly, faculty will escort you out, with or without physical motivation. You have the rest of the day to pack up your belongings and to say goodbye to your friends and fellow students. You are not to drink from the drinking fountains or eat anything in the cafeteria. Furthermore, you will be quarantined to your dorm until sunrise tomorrow. Someone will bring you a sack lunch for dinner tonight and for a going-away breakfast tomorrow morning. Am I clear on the situation?"
"Motherfucker," was Seifer's reply. "You lowlife bastard! I'm not a contamination! I should come over there and beat some common sense into you!" Seifer walked with intent over to Cid's desk, turning over chairs in his way. The Garden faculty intercepted, however, and attempted to stop him. One of them had a stun gun, and applied a low voltage of Seifer's side. He shook violently, then went slack, allowing the faculty to capture him. Cid stood at his desk, barking out orders loudly.
"Get him out of here," he yelled at him. "Get him out of here!"
Both members of faculty took one arm of the shocked young man and dragged him out of Headmaster Cid Kramer's office. Seifer struggled to get free of his captors, but it worked to no avail. "You bastard," he yelled at the man wearing a purple V-necked sweater. "You bastard! Everyone will know about this! I'll make you pay!" Seifer, along with both members of faculty, exited the room. Cid sat back down in his chair, leaned back and took another sip of his liquor, concluding he had done the right thing.
The two warriors made their way slowly to the Infirmary with the kind Dr. Kadowaki's help, where they could both be examined for injuries. Zell already knew that he would receive a horrible prognosis, but Squall did not know what kind of damage he took from Seifer's attacks. His left ankle felt like it was put through the fires of Hell, but he knew that the training for the Fire Cavern had to be finished today, so there was no excuse he could make up to avoid it. Even if it meant going with a hurt ankle...he would struggle on. In the doctor's office...
~~~~~~~~~~
"That was so great," Zell said ecstatically to Squall, who was sitting on the checkup bed with him. "I couldn't see anything, but I heard you really whooped ass out there!"
"Yeah...I guess so," Squall replied wanly, massaging his hurt ankle.
"What's wrong? You just beat the living hell out of your archenemy! I thought you'd at least be a little happy."
"It's not that," Squall said seriously, looking into the warrior's bruised eyes. He stopped comforting himself and put his hands on Zell's shoulders, speaking to him. "Listen...Zell. About what happened back there..."
Zell looked at him, knowing what was coming. His eyes watering, he was on the verge of crying his sky-blue eyes out. "Squall, it's...it's okay," he sniffed. "I know it was because you were worried about me. But if you don't want to be my...my..." He couldn't finish his sentence.
Squall detected the young man's sadness and reassured him. "Zell, listen to me! It's not that. If you must know, I'm not afraid of what or who I am now." The blonde looked into his companion's eyes, feeling refreshed that he wasn't going to be rejected. Squall took his hands off of him and continued. "I know that I'm gay, and I know that I'm in love with you."
Zell was a little tense, but his eyes weren't full of sadness like a few moments earlier. "...So...what do you want to do?"
Squall sighed. "I definitely can't run away from it anymore, that's for sure. But..."
"But what," Zell carefully said. The last thing he wanted to hear right now was that the man he loved didn't want to be in a relationship with him- -his greatest fear was that of rejection. "We can give it time, if you want."
Squall looked at him in a funny way. "Time? What are you talking about?"
Zell had a confused look on his face. "What do you mean...I thought you were talking about our relationship."
"Oh, that. That' s fine, if you want to." Squall wondered what Zell thought he was talking about. "What did you think I was talking about?"
"The relationship!"
"Yeah. I don't have any problems with that. I was referring to you."
"To me? Why me," he asked.
"You're not out, remember? What I was going to say is that since I'm out and you're not, maybe we could keep the relationship to a minimum."
"Oh, was all Zell said at that. "Psh, that's okay. As long as you're there, it'll be fine."
Squall smiled, and Zell gave him a big hug, indicating that everything was fine in their new 'relationship'. Zell immediately pulled back, holding his lower back and moaning out in pain.
"Ohhhh, Dr. Kadowaki! The cream! I need it!"
Squall laughed out loud at him as the doctor got up from her desk with a large jar of blue cream. "My, you are a big baby, aren't you?"
"Shut up," the blonde fighter retorted jokingly.
The plump female physician came over, took off his black T-shirt and rubbed some muscle relaxer cream on Zell's lower back. Squall got up to leave the room, getting ready to prepare to head to the Fire Cavern with Quistis.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Zell said, moaning in pleasure that the pain was fading.
Squall, in front of the already open door, turned around. "What is it?"
"Umm...don't go hitting on Quistis or anything. Ohh, that feels so good!"
Squall cocked an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," both men said in unison. The dark-clad fighter shook his fist jokingly and said, "I'll make you pay for that when I get back!"
"Mmm-hmm, yeah sure tough guy! Oh man---! Lower, lower!"
Squall just shook his head, laughed, and left the infirmary. Zell lied down on his stomach on the checkup bed, letting the kindly doctor slather another heap of relaxer on his tight. muscular back. Dr. Kadowaki chimed in with some conversation of her own.
"You know Zell, you could've told him that I knew about you too."
"Ohhh, that feels fantastic," he said as she rubbed the medicine into him. "Yeah, I know. But Squall thinks that he's the only one who knows. Besides, I want it to be special for him."
"I understand."
"Sorry doc. Could you keep quiet about it for a while. At least until things settle down?"
"Of course, Zell. I wouldn't do anything like that."
"Thanks a lot."
A long silence enveloped the room. Dr. Kadowaki stood over Zell Dincht, rubbing the thick blue cream into his aching back. Zell's arms were hanging slack on each side of the small bed, and he could almost fall asleep in this fashion- -laying directly under the warmth of the radiating sun while his injuries got nursed to.
"Yes, except for 'him'," the doctor said, interrupting the silence. "Except for me, 'he' also knew."
"Ohh, a little higher," he asked, making the woman slide her hands up to his upper back. "Thank you so much for not saying his name, doc. Just hearing it would probably make me fly off the handle."
"I know exactly what you mean," she said, looking out the window into the skies. The doctor massaged him, continuing her conversation with the youth. "That man has always been troubled. He came into my office far too many times, sporting hideous injuries that you'd never see a regular Garden student with. I knew he liked to fight, but I just never knew how much he enjoyed it. It's almost as if...as if he needs the competition."
"Yeah. Seifer's always been like that. Always an asshole, but competitive."
"...Zell."
"Yeah?"
"...There's something you need to know."
Zell craned his head up from the window, looking the doctor directly in the face. Whatever it was had her worried. "Yeah," he said. "What is it?"
"It's about Seifer. It's something I think you should know."
Zell returned his gaze to the open window. "...I see."
"Oh. Well it's all right if you don't want to hear it. But I think it's pretty perplexing, considering everything that happened to you and all."
"Why? Is Seifer nearly killing me that much of a surprise?"
The female doctor remained silent for a minute, then Zell calmly retracted his statement. "Err, sorry doc. I guess it is a surprise."
Dr. Kadowaki removed her hands from his aching back and returned the tube of cream to a nearby drawer. Sitting down at her desk, she said something that hit Zell completely off-guard. "Zell, Seifer is gay too."
The young man nearly fell off of the checkup bed at what he just heard. Turning over quickly and sitting up, Zell's mouth was agape. "W-What? He is?"
"...Yes."
"H-How do you know that? He can't be! Is he?"
"...Yes," she replied again.
"Damn! Then why'd he beat me up? He even called it a gay-bashing!" Zell shook his arm in rage at this latest tidbit of hypocrisy and lunacy. "This is stupid!"
"Please Zell. Just listen to my story."
"Your story," he inquired, now quite interested at this revelation.
"Yes. It's about the day that Seifer came into my office...and told me."
"..."
"Please Zell. I won't force you to, but you could gain some insight as to what he was thinking when he did this to you."
"...Fine. This should be interesting," he dreadfully said.
Dr. Kadowaki took her glasses off and set them on her desk, rubbing the bridge of her nose in nervousness as she began to tell her story. "Let's see, where should I start..."
"I don't care. Wherever you want," Zell said.
"Well, all right. I think it was about...five months ago. Yes, that sounds about correct. Five months ago..."
~~~~~~~~~~
In the Infirmary office, Dr. Kadowaki was making some more Remedy and Antidote for stock purposes. It was raining hard outside, and the winds were rattling the sole window against its frame. As she sat there at her desk, mixing various elements to create more medicine, she heard a loud thump against the steel automatic sliding door. A moment later, it opened. In stumbled a badly hurt Seifer Almasy, bleeding from the head and stomach. The busy doctor put down her supplies, got up from her desk and assisted to help the blonde to the small checkup bench.
"God, it...it hurts so much," Seifer barely managed to say, holding the right side of his abdomen. The same side of his long tan trench coat was stained crimson with blood. "Those people...I hate 'em!"
"Calm down, Seifer," the doctor told him sternly. Open up your vest so I can see the wound."
Seifer reluctantly obeyed her orders and opened up his dyed-blue chamois protective vest. Dr. Kadowaki was horrified to see a large gaping wound with blood running out going up the side of his stomach. This wasn't a wound caused by a monster though, as she quickly observed. Whatever had done this damage was caused by a weapon of some sort. She looked into his eyes as tears streamed down his face.
"What happened?"
"I...I don't~~"
"What happened," she repeated, applying some gauze to the wound. "This is a serious wound! I'm going to have to document it onto my prognosis report!"
The lump in Seifer's throat moved up, and he looked away from her. Whatever happened to the tall, rough Seifer now had him scared and nervous. "It's because...of them."
"Because of who? Who did this to you, Seifer?"
"People. In Balamb. They stabbed me!"
"...All right. Let me get some Hi-Potion."
"T-Thanks," he said.
The doctor walked over to the shelf above the work desk and pulled out a small vial containing green liquid. She gave it to the wounded man and told him to drink it quickly. Seifer obeyed her and gulped the whole concoction down in one gulp. As he did, the pain increased, causing him to clutch his wound again.
"Aaggh, God! It hurts, it hurts," he yelled.
"It's fast-acting, so it's going to hurt for a while," she said to him. "The pain will dissipate in a few hours, so be patient."
"I see, I see. Thanks, doctor," he said, being sincere.
"..." Dr. Kadowaki didn't say anything to him as she returned to her desk to begin filling out a report for her new patient. She made no secret of the fact that she disliked Seifer Almasy, and that she preferred not dealing with him if it were possible at all. But her oath as a doctor and as a servant of medicine forbid her to reject anyone in dire pain or anyone needing immediate medical attention. So she tended to the wounded man like she would do anyone else- -with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. Seifer laid down on the small bench to try and ease the pain, but she scolded him for doing that.
"You can't do that, " she said from her desk. "You have to remain in an upright position while the medicine is working.
"Fine. Sorry," he replied, sitting back up.
The woman went back to her work, continuing her report. Seifer sat there behind her, holding the gauze to his wound while listening to the clicking of the keys on her computer. Finally, he broke the long silence by asking her a question.
"Doctor...would it...be okay if I asked you something?"
She stopped typing and turned around to look him in the face. "What is it?"
"Well, I know you don't like me very much. Hell, no one likes me."
"..."
"But," he continued. "Am I gonna die?"
"No Seifer," she sighed. "You're not going to die. The wound isn't fatal, or else you would have bled to death already."
"I see."
Dr. Kadowaki resumed her work, but he kept on talking to her. He revealed something that shocked the woman.
"Doctor," he calmly said, forcing back the pain he was feeling. "I...was beat up. Looking for sex."
She stopped and turned around again. "What?"
"I was...looking for sex. In Balamb."
"...I see. Why are you telling me this?"
"Well, just in case I...I die soon," he reiterated with more sincerity.
"I already told you that you weren't going to die."
"I...know. I didn't mean this wound."
"Well, what do you mean," she asked him.
Seifer paused for a second, the lump rising in his throat. "Doctor Kadowaki...I'm...I'm..."
"...Yes?"
"I'm...gay."
~~~~~~~~~~
"What? Are you serious," Zell exclaimed at the doctor who was crying now. "Seifer has the nerve to beat me up, but he's also gay?!"
"Calm down Zell," she said to him. The young fighter was now on his feet shaking with rage. "I have a theory about the entire scenario."
"I don't care about theories, he said, dismissing any possibility about explanations. "He's just a hypocrite! If he's gay like me, then why does he go around gay-bashing others like him?"
The doctor got up and shook Zell, trying to calm him down. He eventually heeded her advice and sat back down. Besides, his chest was throbbing in pain so he had no choice.
"Listen to me. I don't think Seifer hates you for being gay. That just wouldn't make sense."
"Then why did he do it," Zell spoke powerfully to her. "Now that you say it, I would like to her this 'theory' of yours!"
"Dr. Kadowaki sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, okay. This may sound unbelievable now, but I think that Seifer doesn't hate you. If I'm correct, Seifer hates himself for being this way."
"Oh yeah, you're right," he concluded sarcastically. "That DOES make a lot of sense!"
"No, you don't understand. Surprisingly, Seifer is a religious man. So if you put two and two together, this conflicts with his beliefs. We had a long talk after his revelation, and I developed a bond with him in a that short amount of time. I think that he thinks that he's a sinner."
"Hmm," was all he could comment on the situation after a brief pause.
"So when I heard that he beat you up, and when I heard that it was because of that, I finally put it together. He hates himself for being gay, not you."
"Oh."
Zell and the doctor sat there in an awkward silence for a minute or so, then he got up to leave. Dr. Kadowaki called out to him before he left though.
"Zell."
"He turned around. "Yeah, doc?"
"I know this will be tough. But please...please don't hate Seifer for what he's done."
Without hesitation, he replied. "Yeah, you're right. It will be tough." With that he left the office, leaving the kind doctor to ponder what had just happened. She could understand the sentiments that Seifer made on that day- -after all, if there was anyone in his situation, they may have reacted in the same way. But his was a tangled scenario, though. With all of the pain that he caused Squall Leonhart and Zell Dincht, she also understood their feelings as well.
"Why does this have to happen to such young people," she solemnly thought, as she went back to her desk and worked on her reports.
~~~~~~~~~~
A beaten and bruised Seifer Almasy sat in the empty cafeteria with Fujin and Raijin, wrapping his abdomen up in gauze. Amazingly, the wounds weren't life-threatening, but to be safe he was downing Potions by the bottle, one after another. Raijin spoke up in a deep and concerned voice to him.
"Damn, man, I thought Squall was gonna kill you by what happened, ya know?"
"Shut up," was his reply to him,
"AMAZING," the gray-haired Fujin interjected, rubbing Seifer's throbbing chest. "SQUALL, AMAZING."
"Yeah, so he is. But he just got in a couple of cheap shots, is all. He's not and never will be a better fighter than me."
Just as the tall blonde put another vial of medicine to his lips, melodious chimes and an announcement came over the intercom system. The voice was that of Headmaster Cid Kramer, the man who ran Balamb Garden.
"Seifer Almasy, report to my office immediately. I repeat...Seifer Almasy. Report to my office immediately. That is all.
Looking up at the metal intercom on the ceiling, Seifer sneered and stood up. Following suit of their leader, Raijin and Fujin stood up as well.
"I wonder what in the hell he wants," Seifer said in a gruff voice.
"Probably another discipline notice, ya know," Raijin guessed. "Cid won't do anything to ya. Just maybe wants to talk to ya."
"SEIFER, GO," inquired Fujin, asking if they could go with him. But he wanted to face this alone.
"I'll be fine, Fujin. You two wait here. I'll be back." He walked over to the exit, then turned around. "Keep an eye on that chicken-wuss Zell! If he tries anything with you, I'll deal with him!"
"Done deal, ya know," Raijin said.
"CAREFUL," Fujin added.
"..." Seifer said nothing as he left the large cafeteria, heading for the elevator that would take him to the Headmaster's office.
~~~~~~~~~~
On the third floor Seifer got off of the elevator, walking into a medium-sized lobby with wood and marble furnishings, combined with many displays of fine art on the walls. Behind a black oak desk sat a woman with a black ponytail, typing quickly behind a computer. Seifer walked up to the desk and told her that he was there for a meeting with the Headmaster.
"Certainly," said Sheila, Cid's personal receptionist. "Cid told me you would be coming. Please, go right in."
"Thank you," Seifer kindly replied as he passed her and opened the double doors to reveal a large office. Cid sat lounged back behind his mahogany desk, sipping a liquor of some sort as he waited for his meeting with Seifer. A member of faculty stood at each side of the desk, looking like cold and lifeless statues. Looking down from the ceiling, he saw Seifer and courteously welcomed him into his quarters.
"Welcome, Seifer," Cid said in a concise, clear voice. "Please, sit down."
"No thanks," he rejected, standing at the other side of the room in front of the doors and staring intently at the middle-aged man. "Tell me what this is about. I don't like surprises."
Cid blinked at him, then adjusted his glasses. "Very well then. This will be brief anyway. What I wanted to speak to you about was the incident involving..." He picked up a sheet of paper off of his desk and read off of it. "Ah, yes. Involving you and a Zell Dincht."
"What about it," Seifer replied very matter-of-factly.
"From the report I received from Xu, you viciously pummeled him, injuring him near the point of death...is this true?"
"..."
"From your silence, I see that it is."
"..."
"Listen to me," Cid spoke up, his tone of voice becoming harsher. He was leaning forward in his chair up against his desk now. "As the Headmaster of this Garden, I will not accept this type of behavior from students. I have no recourse but to sufficiently administer fair punishment to you to make an example out of you."
"Punishment, eh...gee, I guess it's time to sit in the corner," Seifer commented in a snide manner.
"You misunderstand me, Seifer Almasy," Cid continued. "It's not just what happened today. I'm also punishing you for a string of deviant activity. From what I learned in your permanent files, Dr. Kadowaki wrote in that you have been engaging in illegal drug use, combined with a deviant activity that you gay people call 'cruising'..."
Seifer's mouth dropped, his eyes widened. "Damn! That bitch actually wrote it in my permanent files," he thought.
"Is there something you wish to say on your behalf, Mr. Almasy," Cid inquired.
"Us gay people, you say? Are you calling gays deviant?"
"What I am saying, Mr. Almasy, is that the gay lifestyle doesn't exactly fit in with the militaristic image of Balamb Garden. Combine this with your many other violations of Garden protocol and you have a recipe for disaster. Mr. Almasy, on your regular off times from training, you've been 'cruising' in Balamb. That is against the rules of discipline."
"..." Seifer's teeth were grinding together, his blood boiling with rage.
"There is another matter that I need to discuss with you, Mr. Almasy. Your most recent blood test. You took one a month ago, and there is something there that disturbs me."
"Oh yeah? Is that so," Seifer said, amazed. "What's the matter, Mister snooty Headmaster man?"
Getting straight to the point, Cid revealed what it was. "Mr. Almasy, you've been diagnosed as HIV-positive."
Just then, the world itself seemed to stop. Seifer couldn't believe it. "W-What? You...can't be serious," he said, visibly scared that it was really the truth. "HIV....no, that can't be right! It just can't be!"
Cid lowered his glasses so that he could look him in the eyes. "I am afraid that I have no choice but to expel you from Balamb Garden. You are a health risk to every student in my facility. If you were to remain here, you could contaminate the entire school."
"What?! Are you joking," Seifer yelled. "Health risk? Contamination? You can't get fuckin' HIV from just touching someone! And I've never screwed ANYONE in this school! What in God's name are you smokin', for cryin' out loud?"
"I admit, I'm not quite educated in sexually transmitted diseases," Cid said calmly. "Especially this one. But I cannot take any risks. Seifer Almasy, you will leave Balamb Garden permanently tomorrow morning. If you refuse to go willingly, faculty will escort you out, with or without physical motivation. You have the rest of the day to pack up your belongings and to say goodbye to your friends and fellow students. You are not to drink from the drinking fountains or eat anything in the cafeteria. Furthermore, you will be quarantined to your dorm until sunrise tomorrow. Someone will bring you a sack lunch for dinner tonight and for a going-away breakfast tomorrow morning. Am I clear on the situation?"
"Motherfucker," was Seifer's reply. "You lowlife bastard! I'm not a contamination! I should come over there and beat some common sense into you!" Seifer walked with intent over to Cid's desk, turning over chairs in his way. The Garden faculty intercepted, however, and attempted to stop him. One of them had a stun gun, and applied a low voltage of Seifer's side. He shook violently, then went slack, allowing the faculty to capture him. Cid stood at his desk, barking out orders loudly.
"Get him out of here," he yelled at him. "Get him out of here!"
Both members of faculty took one arm of the shocked young man and dragged him out of Headmaster Cid Kramer's office. Seifer struggled to get free of his captors, but it worked to no avail. "You bastard," he yelled at the man wearing a purple V-necked sweater. "You bastard! Everyone will know about this! I'll make you pay!" Seifer, along with both members of faculty, exited the room. Cid sat back down in his chair, leaned back and took another sip of his liquor, concluding he had done the right thing.