"Seifer, I thought we were going to get an early start this morning and head out fishing, ya know?" Raijin stood over Seifer, complaining loudly.
"guh heh…ill cutch oop…" The reply was muffled by the pillow Seifer had pulled over his head. "gutten lyte lust nut…lemmeh fleep…"
"REPEAT." Fujin's suddenly loud voice made Seifer jump. A moment later, a pillow went flying across the room.
"Nevermind, dammit, I'm awake…" Seifer yawned tiredly as he sat up and stretched. "Fu, why ya gotta be so loud?"
"SORRY."
"Where'd ya go last night, Seifer?" Raijin asked as he flopped down into a seat.
"For a walk," Seifer replied in a tone that made it clear that he wouldn't elaborate any further.
"WITH CARAWAY'S DAUGHTER." Fujin was more than happy to elaborate for him.
Seifer stared at her dumbly for a moment. "…the fuck?!"
Fujin shrugged. "RECOGNIZED HER." She tossed an empty bucket to Raijin, who missed it and caught it full force against his shoulder. "GOING NOW?"
They both turned to Seifer expectantly.
"Alright, alright. Just let me shower and change and we'll go," he chuckled.
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The surf crashed against the rocks as Seifer looked down over the small cliff. Fu was right, today is gonna be a good day for fishing. He watched his two friends descend the rocks as he sat down. I'll fish in a bit. Right now… he yawned. I'm gonna catch up on the sleep I missed last night… He reclined on the rock, supporting his head with his arms. His eyelids drifted shut as he dozed off.
When he awoke, he felt as though he were being watched. He opened his eyes. Nothing…no one in sight…He slowly glanced around, his eyes eventually falling on a blue duster and a pair of large eyes looking at him.
"You're awake." Rinoa stood up and stretched.
"How long have you been there?" Seifer asked, sitting up and looking at towards the sky to try to figure out how long he had been sleeping.
"Not long at all. But if I had been a monster, you probably would have been long gone by now." She smiled and laughed her melodious laugh as Seifer sat up.
You're far from being a monster. That's one thing no one could mistake you for… The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he chuckled to himself in amusement.
"What? Tell me, what are you thinking of that's so funny?" Rinoa tilted her head slightly to the side as the sunshine beamed down on her, illuminating her face.
"Nothing at all, just thinking of you as a monster, coming to do away with me…" Seifer, would you listen to yourself?!? You sound like a damn moron!!!
"What, you don't think that I could take you?"
"Heh. Not a chance." Seifer laughed. "I have this to protect me," he said, withdrawing his gunblade in a showy fashion.
"Better hold on to that, because you're going to need it." Rinoa said, her expression becoming serious.
"Why's that?"
"Because, it's the only thing that you have to protect yourself from monsters like me." The reply was followed by her bright smile.
"And just what do you think that you could do?" Seifer smirked, amused by her witty remarks.
Rinoa shrugged. "I don't know, but you better not provoke me or you'll find out," she said with a wink. Suddenly, as though she were just remembering something, she glanced around quickly.
"What's wrong? Afraid that someone's watching us?"
"No…but I thought you said that you were supposed to be fishing today? You didn't look like you were fishing at all. And I don't see those friends of yours."
As if on cue, Raijin could be heard bellowing from the other side of the hill. "Hey Seifer! Come on, there's lots of fish for the takin' here, ya know!"
"LOTS!" Fujin's voice followed soon after.
Seifer chuckled and motioned towards the hill with his hand. "And that…would be the friends that I came fishing with…what? Did you think that I was lying about coming here to go fishing?"
"No, not really. Although, I must say, that if you had been, it would be the lamest pick-up line that I've EVER heard," she teased.
Seifer scratched his head. Well, she certainly is up front… "Who said anything about picking up? I was just giving you a second chance, seeing how you gave a bad first impression…" His lip curled up into his infamous smirk.
"Mmmmhmmm…okay," Rinoa stood and began to work her way down the small cliff, towards the incoming waves. As she disappeared over the side, Raijin appeared on the crest of the hill behind him.
"Seifer, what's keepin' ya? Me and Fu are up to our necks in fish, Balamb fish should be as easy to catch, ya know."
"Raij, I'll catch up to you and Fu in a bit. I'm just giving you both a head start so I don't show you up too much when I bring home my barrels of fish," he said slyly.
"A'right, Seif, we'll be waiting for ya. But, ya know, there's no way you're gonna catch a barrel full of fish this late in the day," Raijin replied, chuckling as he turned and headed back over the hill.
Seifer turned back to the cliff and climbed down it, catching sight of Rinoa as his feet touched the ground. She laughed musically as she threw her arms around the neck of a young man wearing a vest and ski cap. "I can't wait! Tell the others that I'll be there shortly. There's a lot to discuss, after everything that you've just told me."
"Don't feel the need to rush back, princ- err…Rinoa. I was fortunate to hear about this well in advance. We have plenty of time to make plans."
"True. But we should start planning as soon as possible. Tell them that I'll be along soon."
Watts nodded slightly. "Alright Rinoa, if you say so." With that, he turned and walked away. Rinoa spun around and came face to face with Seifer. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "There you are! I just got the most wonderful news! But I can't stay and explain; I need to get going!"
"But I thought that I heard that guy say that there was no hurry…" Seifer scratched his head. He didn't seem too concerned that she hurry back, how can I convince her to stay just a bit longer?
Rinoa sighed. "Watts is never in any hurry. But this is important…it's about Timber."
"Oh? Top secret Forest Owls stuff, I presume?" he said mockingly.
"…and you still don't take the Forest Owls seriously, do you?" she frowned disapprovingly. "We will liberate Timber…" her reply had the harsh sounds of irritation in it. Seifer silently watched her turn and leave.
Man, Seifer…you had to go and say something to piss her off, didn't you?
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Author's Note: And that concludes Chapter 3! Will Rinoa forgive Seifer for taking the Forest Owls so lightly? Will Seifer ever learn to stop and think before he speaks? And what have the Timber Owls learned? Stay Tuned...
As always, remember: Reviews make me happy! :)