Chapter Five

She's unusually unusual/Absolutely unpredictable/She so different/That's what's so wonderful/She's unusually unusual/And that's beautiful to me

Chris Kageal

Time is said to be constant. It is also said to be the ultimate healer of any wound. I'm living proof that that's a load of bull. Time never heals anything. It instead is an unkind teacher that shows us how to act as if we were over the past. It hands you a mask to wear to hide your pained face, gives you a script and a new part to play. Time had given me the part of a bastard as well as an emotional drug to dull pain. I found that I had a knack for pissing people off. I could annoy any one person and not be punished.

That year Cid made some changes in the way things were run. He forbid taking SeeD candidates on high-risk missions and also wouldn't allow us candidates to be put in charge of any thing of importance. Deling never gave us back our dead or let us search the grounds for wounded. A treaty was signed in which I wasn't privileged enough to know what was agreed. Still, I'm pretty sure we got screwed.

Because of what happened in Tzen, candidates and recent SeeD graduates had to take more weapon and magic classes to sharpen our weaknesses and develop our strengths. To insure success, the classes were smaller and arranged by level instead of age.

All GFs were collected and we were expected to sign them out when they were needed for and only for a mission or class. Someone had apparently gotten on Cid about GFs draining memory.

Garden Masters became more apparent and security was tightened. No one was allowed to go anywhere without proper authorization.

To walk into Balamb Garden, you would think that we were under a high terrorist alert. Apparently, we were seen as terrorists and had been getting threats from Deling even after our peace agreement. Told ya we got screwed.

Anyway, every single morning at five, I had to be at the training center for magic classes. My old instructor was still teaching junior classmen, so we got stuck with a younger, less experienced one.

She couldn't have been more than eighteen and told us to call her Caroline, short for Amy. I just stared at her. She had to be on something.

When we go there the first morning, she stood in front of us and said "Hey guys. I hope we can become best friends! You are my first class, so take it easy m'k?" Then she let out this high pitched squeal that sounded like someone had pulled a tail on a pig.

Hyne, I hated her and I had only known her for two minutes. She shouldn't have told me that we were her first class. I made it my duty to make her as miserable as possible. She would stay up all night praying for the sun to stay down and for time to stop. I grinned at the thought of it.

She must have taken that as a sign of glee or some other crap because she also grinned, pointed at me, and said, "Great! My first volunteer. And so cheerful."

Quistis rolled her eyes. She knew me better. I smiled again and walked toward her. "Yes, milady. I am at your service."

The class snickered, knowing my reputation. Quistis looked at me questionably, wondering what I was up to, knowing firsthand what I could do.

Caroline smiled as she took a step toward me. "Very good, What GF do you wish to have, good sir."

I quickly looked up. Damn. She had caught the sarcasm in my voice and was playing along. I had to stop this before it got out of hand. "Odin. God of destruction."

She laughed, this time softer, sounding only like a wounded cat. "No can do, sir knight." She faced the class. "Can anyone tell me why?"

Quistis smirked at me as she raised her hand. "Odin comes whenever he feels that he is needed. Therefore you cannot junction him to your person to allow the use of magic."

Caroline nodded. "Correct miss. You would make a good instructor."

Quistis blushed as I fumed inwardly.

"Now, would you please pick another GF, sir? Please pick one that might help me in this exercise."

I glared. She was still playing with me. I'd show her to mess with Seifer. With a sly grin I said, "Siren. Goddess of seduction."

Caroline raised one eyebrow as she pulled out a velvet box from her pocket. "Interesting choice."

She handed me a tablet. I placed my hand on it and absorbed Siren's essence. When I was finished she placed the tablet back in the box.

"Now. Do you have any offensive spells?"

I searched my stocks. "Yes. I have three quakes twenty fires and two blizzaras."

She smiled. "That will do. Now hold still."

I glared at her. Like I could go anywhere.

"Blind. Slow. Draw: Esuna"

I felt my esuna spells evaporate as my vision went and my actions slowed.

"Seifer, I want you to fight a T-rexaur in this condition." She said in a soft voice. "I will be here if you need any help. Use only your magic."

I couldn't believe this. I heard a roar and the gasps of my classmates. She was making a fool of me in front of my peers. Desperately, I searched to see if I had overlooked any of my spells. I found one blind which I quickly cast on my opponent. From there the battle was tiresome. I got 'attacked' twice before my turn and had to let out a fire spell that did minimal damage. After I ran out of spells, I turned toward Caroline.

"Now What?"

I couldn't see her, but I heard the smile in her voice. "Use your GF, sir knight."

Damn her. She planed this. If only I had gotten Shiva. I could hear her conducting class behind me. Apparently her students got tired of watching me. When the T-rexaur finally went down on a lucky limit break, I couldn't hear anyone talking.

"Esuna."

I heard a female voice whisper. Quistis was sitting there, smiling.

"What the hell do you want?" I growled, making to leave. She stood, blocking my exit.

"Caroline told me to stay here and watch you. Class was dismissed fifteen minutes ago. She didn't want to disturb you."

I was enraged once again. "You mean it took me two hours to defeat that bastard?"

Quistis smiled. "Yeah. She thought it would be over quicker. She figured you would loose. She didn't expect you would have a blind spell."

I couldn't believe it. She had no faith in me. Not that she should, but I was her student. She set out to humiliate me on purpose. I looked up at Quistis. "Why'd you wait?"

She blushed. "Umm, I don't know. Didn't think you'd want to be alone with Caroline so I told her to go on ahead. She excused us from our next class."

I smiled. "Want to get breakfast?"

She looked up, stunned. "With you?"

"No with him." I said, pointing at the T-rexaur. "Yeah with me."

"Why would you. . . Oh forget it. Yeah I'd love to."

So it began.