Chapter three
Rivals Never Forget

It had been 140 day - that's 20 weeks - that's five mouths that Reika has been with out her father and she has had 100 days of detention. Reika had been in so many fights, but you wouldn't know, she did have a mark on her. People had started fight hoping to get her kick out, but she hadn't.

It was quite round BG, as most people were visiting family before the big exam; yet Reika had not left. She sat in the library talking with Rinoa.

"Let your mind be at ease. Let anger leave, be free within yourself." Rinoa has been working to help destroy Reika's anger, but she knew if she didn't know what started it she could not stop it. "Are you ready Reika? . . . Good. Now look in side yourself, tell me who and what you see!"

Reika didn't open her eyes. "I see my father."

"And how do you feel?"

Reika slowly brought a smile to her face. "I feel happy . . . Wait someone else is there. It's uncle Zell."

Rinoa looked behind her and saw a very angry Seifer, with an unhappy Squall and Zell behind him. Rinoa looked back to Reika. "Tell me, is anyone else there?"

"Yes, mr Leonhert is there to.

"Reika Lela Almasy! What are you doing?" Reika opened her eyes to see her very angry father. "Get here now."

Reika done as she was told. "I'm not happy Reika. And nor is your mother. 1 - you should have been home yesterday, and 2 - I find out that you've had more detentions than what I had over the years I was here. And I was here for 7 years!"

"It wasn't my fault, those girls started it!" Reika looked down at the floor, she would never dare look her father in the eye. "And it doesn't help when your cousin grasses you up for hurting her friends, even when they started it."

"Forget it, you sound like five years old. Now MOVE missy!"

"Yes sir." Reika waved to Rinoa before leaving, Seifer followed with Zell right behind.

Squall never took his eyes off the door. "You know she was telling the truth." Squall sisn't say anything and just left. "Oh and I know who her mother is." But Squall never heard her.

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Most of the people had left the garden, except the Instructor, SeeD and families. Squall had decide to free himself of his boredom and stress by training. When he arrived, he found his two sons talking.

"You should tell her." said the older son (who looks more like a male Rinoa but with shorter hair).

"You got to be kidding. Did you see what she did to the last guy who said something like that? And he was her friend."

"That's different Marcus. Travis Kinnas is a flirting fool, with no respect for woman. Much like his father."

"And what of our father, Alan? Did you not think about what he would do?" Marcus when and say by a rock pool. "Have you seen it. They hate each other. Mother and Ms Trepe are the only two other than me, who's not in her family, who sees her good side."

Alan turned and saw a shadow watching them. "Marc!"

"Mom even thinks that she has a anger problem."

"Marc!"

"Well if she does, I blame it on father and the other kids in our class."

"MARCUS!" Marcus jumped back when he heard his brother shout. Alan turned back to the shadow. "Hello father." Squall walked out of the shadows. Alan and Marcus knew their father had heard them, so they slowly took three step's back - Marcus almost fell in the rock pool. "Can we help you father?"

Squall's eyes fell a pone Marcus. "Who you boys talking about?" was all he asked.

Marcus looked to Alan for help, but found none. Marcus sighed and looked to the floor. "Reika Almasy." he said in a low whisper.

However low it was, Squall heard. He turned his gaze to Alan. "Get out Alan." Alan didn't know what to do. He wanted to do as ordered, but also to stand by his brother. Squall became very inpatient with Alan. "I said 'GET OUT'!" Squall shouted. Alan dared not stay any longer. He turned and left.

Once Alan was out of Squall's sight he turned back to Marcus. "So you think I'm the problem do you? Well I've got news for you. SHE is the problem. I don't care what feelings you have for the girl, you stay away. NO training with her, no NOTHING!"

Marcus was getting angry with each word spoke. Once Squall was finished, Marcus snapped. "NO! You can't tell me what to do anymore. BY HYNE! Can't you adults let the past be the past. Try and get to know her." Marcus started to walk away but stopped. "What am I talking about, you won't try. Your too much like the other's, too court up in your own perfect world, where you can't see the people you've hurt to get your perfection! I'm out of here." Marcus left and Squall was left looking into the rock pool.

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Once Seifer and Reika arrived home, Seifer demanded to know the truth. So Reika told him, that her other classmates had started it and that Squall had always court her on the attack - and Lilly had told Squall that she had started it.

Seifer told Reika to go up stairs until diner. It had been a little while since Reika went up stair's when there was a knock at the door. Seifer turned the gas off and answered. When he opened the door he saw a child about the same age as Reika, but this boy looked so much like Squall that it almost scared him (I said almost). "Can I help you kid?"

Marcus just looked at Seifer, he was taller the what his father had said. Marcus opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. "For Hyne sake, Speak kid!"

Marcus shook himself out of his dream world. "Sorry Mr Almasy. I just wanted to know if I could talk to your daughter."

"What's your name kid?"

"Marcus Leonhert."

Seifer famous smirk came to face, which scared Marcus. "So your Leonhert's kid. Well sorry to disappoint you, but no you can't talk to Reika. She's in my . . .

"Marcus?" Seifer turned to see his daughter in shorts and tee-shirt come running down the stair's. "What are you doing here?"

Marcus smiled, "Well to be honest, I had a argument with my father."

"It wasn't about me, was it?" Marcus nodded. Reika walked up to her father, "Daddy please can Marcus stay for diner. Please if you do I'm sure he will join us in bad mouthing Leonhert. Please?"

Seifer looked at his child and smiled, "Fine." He then walked off to continue with diner.

Reika smiled and pulled Marcus inside the house. "So tell me about it." Reika sat down on the sofa and Marcus sat next to her (at arms length).

Marcus didn't look at her. "Well me and Alan were talking about the exam and who we thought would pass, when your name came up. Alan straight away said no. he thinks that because of your high anger scale you won't pass." Marcus dared to look and found Reika looking right at him. "I told him that the only reason for that was because of our class and my father. Anyway my father heard, and told Alan to leave the training room. Then he told me I was not aloud to hang or train with you." Marcus got up and walked to the front window. "I snapped, and shouted at him saying he couldn't tell me what to do anymore. I shouted at him saying he should put the past behind him." Reika looked down at the floor.

"Sorry." Marcus turned round and looked at Reika and was about to say something but she stopped him, "Look don't tell me it's not my fault, because it is. Not only mine, but your father and the other students. It's only you , your mother, my cousin Suzanne, uncle Cell and Ms Trepe that are nice to me." Reika got up and face her friend. "And I don't care what the other's do. So what! My father made a mistake, but he followed his dream. And I have a dream also."

Marcus looked at her with a confused look on his face. "So what's your dream?"

Reika walked up next to Marcus and looked out the window at the dieing sun. "My dream is to do the only thing my father could not. Become a SeeD . . . And finding out who my mother is."

Marcus smiled and sat back on the sofa. After w awhile Reika turned suddenly, "Marcus." the person in question looked a pone his friend. "Your father's here!"
Marcus walked out the front door, and Reika turned just in time to see Squall hit Marcus. "Daddy!" Reika gasped.

Seifer ran out the kitchen and looked out the window, to see the same as him daughter. He then looked to Reika and found her nearly in tear's. Seifer walked out the door and pulled Squallaway from his son. "Cool it Leonhert."

"Piss off Almasy and let me deal with my own family."

"No fucking way am I letting you go." Seifer had Squall in a headlock trying to calm him down. "Marcus go in the house. Your father and I need to talk." it wasn't long before it was just Seifer and Squall on the front grass - and people watching all around. "Now you listen to me Leonhert. LISTEN! I may have lost some of my memories because of the bitch Sorceress, but I do remember why me and Zell were placed in the orphanage. Our father beat us. Our mother died giving birth to Zell, so he beated us." Seifer let Squall go, who fell to the floor dieing for breath. "And before you ask no Zell doesn't know about the beating's, he was to young. Now I think you should leave."

Squall stood up and turned round. "I'm not leaving with out my son."

"I'm not going!" shouted Marcus while hanging out the window. Squall started walking to the house, but Seifer grabbed his arm. "Leave us alone father. I came here to have a talk with a friend, not to be traced down and beaten."

Squall looked to the ground. Seifer knew that when he let Squall go he would go. But he held a little longer, hoping that the two will make-up. But no such luck. Marcus had walked away from the window. Seifer let go and Squall left.

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It was quite late and Marcus had fallen asleep on Reika's bedroom floor, and Reika was sound asleep in Seifer's arms. Seifer had said that Marcus could stay the night. So they where all in Reika's room.

The door slowly open and a tall woman walked in. Seifer opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I heard what happened in the garden. Are they alright?"

"Yes their fine. Marcus is a brave kid." Seifer laid Reika down. "I don't think that many kids his age would face up against there dad, let alone Squall."

The woman smiled and walked to the window, where her blue eyes shone with the help of the pale moon. "He's only trying to protect his son . . .

"I wouldn't say he is protecting his son when he hits him." Seifer said in an angry whisper. The woman didn't speak. "What? What's wrong? Found out your loving headmaster isn't so . . .

"Seifer please. You know I'm like that anymore."

"But there will always be something there."

"Seifer. I love you, you know that. I'm not one of those little girls who go after any mysterious man." Seifer nodded and sat down. "What are you going to do about him tomorrow?"

"Make him call home. Rinoa will sort it." there was a movement from floor. Marcus had changed percussion. "You best go." The woman nodded and kissed both Seifer and Reika, then left with as much silence as when she entered.