Chapter Three:

Almost Home

Soft booted footsteps traced their way through the halls of the stranger Garden. She'd set foot there only two times in her life, but this trip was more important than anything else she'd ever done. As usually she'd put it upon herself to smack some sense into her cold, distant, and all around foolhardy student. She had to bit back a laugh as she rounded the corner into his office. His desk was piled high with paperwork and in the very center he was sprawled, asleep….exhausted… With a sad sigh as shook her head and closed a good part of the distance between them. Leaning over his desk a little she brushed a few unruly chocolate strands of hair behind his eyes. The movement was soft, gentle, but it woke him anyway. His stormy blue eyes fluttered open and struggled to focus. He sat up and blinked a few times before her name finally registered.

"Quistis? What are yo-" He was cut off.

"If you really need to ask, you're not as smart as I thought you were." He blinked in response to his old instructor, she just shrugged and continued. "It's been almost a month since you left…. Why haven't you come back yet?" She asked tilting her head to one side as if she were asking a math teacher a simple arithmetic problem the just refused to answer.

Squall blinked again. "I've been really busy… I haven't had the time to visit."

"Oh please Squall!" Quistis snapped a little. She'd been very patient with him for her whole life, but on this particular topic, her patience was drawing thin. Squall looked mildly surprised but she paid no attention to his miraculous, even if it was small, show of emotion. "I didn't mean to visit, I meant why haven't you swallowed your damn pride and come back for good! Don't you see how needlessly your suffering?!" She leaned both hands firmly on his desk to emphasize her point. "You have everything anyone could ever want, friends, family, a great job, and most importantly, someone who loves you more than anything else in the world! It's all right at your fingertips and your pushing it away because you're too scared it will all fall apart. It's time you bit the damn bullet and started to give a damn and show it!" Quistis took a deep breath to regain her composure before continuing, unfortunately not noticing the most adorable terrified look in the eyes of the young man before her. Quistis was a great instructor, but when she got angry it wasn't pretty. Smoothing back a bit of mussed hair Quistis continued with her usual cool air. "I'm sorry if that little outburst scared you… having Selphie as a roommate can really get to you…Just keep it all in mind, because it's all true… you can ignore it all you like, but it will always be there… and we all know you want it…" She shook her head and began to walk out of the office, leavening Squall to his own thoughts. Before she was completely out of earshot she said, "If you love something let it go, if it never comes back it was never yours to begin with, but if it dose come back it's yours to keep." With that she continued down the long hallway pausing only one facing a wall to say, "He'll be out of here if you ask him, I'm sure of it." With a small grin directed that the corner of the wall she turned and continued on her way home while the unseen figure around the corner continued with it's plans…

~~~

The rain came down in big soft drops late in the evening. It was that time of in-between day and night the time of dusk. It was misty and gray in the gardens of Galbadia as a lone figure walked through it. Alone…always alone… he paused in his meaningless trek and leaned against the garden wall, he head turned towards the heavens, the rain caressing his face. And in that seemingly serene and peaceful place he could only think of one thing. "I've never felt so lonely…" He closed his eyes as the rain came down over his unprotected body, almost willing it to wash away…everything… Quistis had been right… he'd had a better lot than most, and he turned his back on it… because he was such a coward… He tried to clear his mind of everything but that tiny little voice in the back of his head never gave up… "…but everything I've ever lost has come back to me in a sense… my father…my orphanage friends…sis…Dose that mean they're all mine to keep?" He hung his head in silent defeat. He was a fool… he didn't deserve them… but they'd proved that they'd always be there… and weather he deserved it or not he did want them with him… all of them… especially… Footfalls were approaching him, closing fast. He'd been to distracted to noticed before, but just as the figure approached he looked up through his bangs and nearly jumped in surprise. "Seifer?!"

"Squall…" Seifer murmured with his usual arrogance, only… much softer… before the stunned brunet could say anything in reply the taller man cupped Squalls chin upwards a little bit and dipped his own head for a kiss. A passionate loving kiss… This was one fight Squall would definitely lose. Any and all thoughts of fighting left his mine the minute Seifer's lips touched his own and despite all his renegade strength he felt his knees growing weak and was forced to lean on the wall for support. Not that he'd have had much of a choice on that. The instant Seifer felt Squall respond just as passionately to the kiss her wrapped his arms tightly around him and pinned him to the wall. Squall's hands snaked their way around Seifer as well, fisting around his collar and clinging to him desperately. They never spoke the words that were understood that day…that day when they held each other breathless in the rain…

When Seifer finally pulled away, his forehead resting firmly against Squalls he whispered only, "Lets go home." Squall smiled genuinely as his fingers intertwined with Seifer's. And, paying no mind to the rain whatsoever, they made there was home…together…