IN ANOTHER LIFETIME

"Almasy!" Squall called out in the old, abandoned warehouse. "Show yourself!"

"Squall," Quistis cried as she pleaded with him; her hands tied behind her back. "Please don't hurt him. I'm begging you."

"Shut up!" he yelled at her as he checked to make sure that the rope that held her wrists were secure. He didn't want her pulling any stunts when Seifer finally showed himself.

"It all ends tonight, princess. I will make you both pay for the hell you put me through." The look in his eyes was so intense that it sent chills down her spine. She moved away slightly, fearing that he was going to strike her at that moment.

"No, please," Quistis pleaded again.

"I said shut up!" he twisted her arm slightly and she let out a cry of pain. "Come out, Almasy, unless you want me to continue hurting her."

"Seifer, don't come out! Just leave me!" Quistis yelled out loud. "There's no way of saving me so save yourself!"

Squall pushed Quistis down on her knees. "You really love him that much that you're willing to sacrifice your own life for him?" He asked with a slight frown on his face as he grabbed a handful of her hair.

Tears streamed down Quistis' cheeks as she nodded her head. "Yes."

"Things don't have to be this way, Quistis," he said as he twisted her hair in his hand. "Love me again and I'll forget all this ever happened."

"I'll never love you again!" she spat back; not caring if he was going to hit her. "Kill me because I'm not going back to you!" she continued though she was really truly afraid of death.

Squall grew angry, took out his gun, and then pointed it at Quistis. He was sick of her honesty and her love for the other man. "If that's the way you want things to be, then get ready to get sacrificed."

"PUT THAT GUN DOWN!" Seifer yelled angrily as he pointed his gun at Squall.

Squall gave an evil laugh as he continued to point the gun at Quistis. "It's nice of you to finally join us, Almasy. For a while there, I thought you were really going to just leave her here."

"Let her go," Seifer pleaded as he looked into Quistis' tear-filled eyes. Hang in there, my love. I'll have you safe and in my arms again soon. His eyes reassured her.

"Nope. She's staying right here."

"Let her go, Squall! This is between you and me. I'm here. What more do you want?!" Seifer yelled angrily as he continued to point his gun at Squall. He wanted to take the shot, but by doing so he was afraid that might end up getting Quistis hurt in the process. The gun was pointed very close to her head. If he takes the shot, Squall might pull the trigger and hit her. It was a risk that Seifer was not willing to take. "She does not have to be a part of this."

"But she is," Squall answered. "She's the very reason why we're here tonight. Ain't that right, sweetheart?" He pressed the gun to her head.

"Let her go, Squall!" Seifer looked at Quistis again and saw how frightened she looked as Squall pointed the gun at her. "Fight me man-to-man. Let's end all this tonight."

"Oh don't worry, Almasy," Squall said as he took out his other gun and pointed it at Seifer. "Trust me, it will all end tonight."

---

A FEW MONTHS EARLIER

Seifer Almasy picked up the man laying on the floor. "Now are you going to pay me?" he asked.

"Please, mister!" the man cried in fear. "I really don't have any money left. Honest."

"You know the boss is not going to like this," Seifer said in a calm voice as he shook his head. "He wants his money."

"I know," the man said. "Tell him that I...I'll have the money ready in 2 days."

Seifer dropped the man hard on the ground. "You better have it," he said. "If it's not ready by then, you better get your wheelchair ready because you're going to need it!"

"Thank you, mister!" the man cried as he held on to Seifer's leg. "I swear I'll get the money ready by then."

"Get off!" Seifer said as he kicked the man off. "You're getting my pants wrinkled."

Seifer walked out of the restaurant and started his motorcycle. After lighting his cigarette, he drove off to his boss' mansion in Galbadia. Seifer was not really fond at what he did for a living, but he couldn't get himself to walk away from the money that he made. He was the boss' money collector, and every time he collected a load of money from his boss' clients, he always received a large share.

Seifer grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He didn't finish high school because he was constantly getting himself in trouble. A couple of years ago, while he was looking for a job, Seifer got into a fight with a large group of thugs. He beat them all up single-handedly as a man named Kiros watched from a distance. As Seifer walked down the street after the fight, Kiros introduced himself as some kind of businessman and told Seifer of a great job opportunity.

"How would you like to work for my boss?" the man named Kiros asked.

"What kind of work is it?" Seifer asked as he lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall.

"Money collecting," Kiros answered.

"Shouldn't you hire an accountant or something for that?" Seifer said as he started to walk away. "Sorry, mister, but I don't think I'm the man you're looking for."

"But you are. You got the fighting skills that my boss is looking for," he said as he looked at Seifer. "Hmm, I don't think you're getting what I'm saying. I work for the mob, kid."

Seifer laughed. "Let me get this straight: the mod wants to hire me?"

Kiros nodded.

"What do I get out of it?" Seifer answered a while later after giving it some thought.

"All that you could possibly want. All the boss wants in return is your loyalty."

When Seifer joined the mob, he didn't count on being one of the boss' most trusted men. Seifer was so good at collecting money that the boss made him completely in charge of all the money collection.

As Seifer drove towards his boss' mansion, one thought kept popping into mind. "What does he want to see me about today? He never usually calls for me in person unless it's very important."

Seifer reached the front gate and announced his name into a speaker. A second later, the gates to the mansion opened and Seifer drove in. The mansion was really big and the architecture style was very modern. Trees and bushes surrounded the estate, and so did dozens of the boss' guards.

"Almasy, the boss is waiting for you," said one of the men at the door.

"Where is he?" Seifer asked as he straightened his clothes a bit and then continued to walk down the hall.

"In the study," the man answered.

Seifer opened the door to the study room and saw his boss looking out the window, his back to him.

"Master Loire, I'm here," Seifer said as he watched his boss turn around. His boss was tall, built, and had a very hard look about him. Everyone in Galbadia and neighboring towns knew his name. He was a man that people didn't want to cross paths with.

Master Loire slightly nodded his head and motioned Seifer to sit down. "What seems to be the problem, boss?" Seifer asked.

"Well, as you know, my son is finally getting married. His fiancée and himself will be here in a couple of days and I want you to personally look after them."

"But boss, my job is to..." Seifer started to argue.

"I know security is not what I hired you for, but you're the one man that I trust the most around here. If I'm going to get someone to protect my son and his fiancée, it's going to be you."

"Are they in any danger that I should know about, boss?"

"No danger in particular, but since my son and his fiancée will be in town, I have a feeling that my enemies will want a piece of them while they're here. So what do you say, Almasy, will you watch over them?"

"Yes, boss," Seifer answered a few seconds later. "I'll protect them with my very life."