A/N: Chapter 9, which is a chapter that hasn't been published before, is under work and coming up nicely, so new material is on its way, but I will update it only after I've re-checked these chapters first. So please be patient. As to my new readers who haven't read this story until now, the chapters will be coming out more freguent from now on. Thank you for all your support.
The sunrays landed softly onto his solitary features and brought an eerie lighting with the colours of orange sunlight and the light shadows. The light was warm, but all that he could feel was the darkness. The picture that the sea and the sky made up was calm, almost soothing, but it had no effect over him.
The edge of the sea slipped against the shores, caressing the sand with the cold salt water before retreating back and leaving a wet trace to the shoreline. The wind roamed gently above the calm sea, and the soothing tunes of the sea and the breeze were both singing in unison.
But the feeling of peace that the fragile song brought to its listeners was just an illusion to him. An image that wouldn't last for long…
His thoughtful eyes slipped down from the sky back to the belt around his waist, where the sheathed gunblade was resting against the side of his steady leg. Passing his gaze further down to the gunblade, he started slowly to draw it away from its sheath. When the first inch of the blade was revealed, the lazy sun was able to shine directly down to the blade and the eerie light jumped up to meet his eyes, preventing him from seeing. He closed his eyes down for a second and adjusted the blade onto his grasp so that the sunshine didn't dazzle him anymore, before he opened his eyes again and started to examine the blade more closely.
It was almost like blood, that red light of the late sun, sliding down the blade and staining it with blood. And Squall couldn't stop himself from thinking that his gunblade would soon be stained with real blood. With the blood of his rival…
Squall knew that he had to fight him. Even when he was hoping that he could speak some sense to that blonde, who had once been on the same side with him. But he also knew that talking wouldn't help. Perhaps it would slower down the certain, but it wouldn't stop it. Seifer was too stubborn. He was too stubborn to do the right thing. That was what Squall thought. He was sure that Seifer was just playing with the White-SeeDs and with the world. Seifer didn't take anything serious, except himself and his 'dreams'. To Seifer, this whole war was only a piece of the bigger picture. But to Squall the war was everything. He had no time to be playing with Seifer. And he had come here to stop those games… Once and for all…
The wind breezed from the sea again, quickly brushing his features with the cold wind before it calmed down. But the shivers stayed on his skin when he could hear some steps that were slowly approaching closer, before they stopped behind him about few metres away… It wasn't difficult to guess whose they were…
"Well, well… What do we have here…?" The familiar voice sneaked up to his ears, breaking up his thoughts with those words.
He had expected Seifer to find him here soon but still the blonde's arrival felt too quick for him. The wind roamed behind Squall's back when he finally turned to meet the smug face that was smiling devilishly, those green eyes retorting and arrogant.
"Enjoying the sunset?" Seifer moved his hand up to a wave over his head, signing to the magnificent background. "It's quite astonishing, isn't it?"
"I have no time for your games, Seifer." His words were out quickly, strongly opposing this start of a conversation.
"A game? No, my friend, I'm quite serious about this all." Seifer took few more steps closer to him, victorious smile flashing on his lips. "I'm a commander of the Revengeful Knights and I don't do games anymore..." He stopped with his steps and threw his Hyperion over the air, slashing the air twice with it and then steadied the blade in front of himself, loading the gunblade with a click. After his usual ritual, he dropped the blade down with his hand and met Squall's eyes again.
"I'm more serious than that…"
Squall placed his hand to the handle of his own gunblade and started to draw the blade out from its sheath. Seifer's eyes never left away from Squall's cold stare that was pointed directly at him, telling him that he was ready to start the battle as well.
"You? A commander? Perhaps, but it matters nothing when you're working for Ultimecia… You're opposing peace and I'm going to stop you even when you have once been a SeeD...." His gunblade was finally out, steadily placed onto his grasp of leather when he took a long breath in, trying to ignore the memories that he had from this blonde. Those memories that told him to put the gunblade back. Those memories of an orphanage that made him wonder why Seifer had become like this.
He brushed a loose strand of hair away from his forehead, pushing the picture of an orphanage away to the back of his mind. This wasn't the time for being uncertain. "Ultimecia is evil… And you've sided with her… She is using you, can't you see it?"
But he only chuckled at him.
"You know nothing, puberty boy… You don't have dreams like I have… My dream is to be the sorceress' knight, and it has become true… Nothing else matters to me… I don't care if I die, as long as I can live up to my dream." He moved the Hyperion up to the air, admiring the red light that shone from the tip of the blade, making the Hyperion seem almost holy. And in his eyes, it really was holy.
"It's impossible for me to lose…" The whisper was silent, only meant to be heard by himself and the holy spirits. The arrogant smile twisted its way up to his lips when he swung the blade quickly in front of himself, pointing Squall with the tip.
"Let the duel begin!"
The sunset was erased from Squall's mind when seeing the furious knight ran up to him. Seifer's Hyperion flew over the air towards him, but Squall dodged the first strike easily, and the second one that came hastily from the left and tried to sneak from behind was also stopped with a skilful dodge.
After a short moment, their shadows began to dance over the sand, leaping over one another while their battle continued. Their blades clinked against each other so strongly that sparkles were jumping up from the strong contacts of the weaponry. Seifer dodged the strike that sneaked from downwards and he gritted his teeth while pushing the Hyperion's blade with all of his strength against Squall's gunblade, forcing him to retreat away momentarily.
They fought like this battle meant everything. Perhaps it even did. They weren't really sure. All that they could surely know was that this battle was inevitable. They were both confident from their own skills but they also knew that their opponent wasn't easy. This battle was a struggle between two great spirits whose skills were equal to another. Both of them had lot to lose. And neither of them wanted to lose. Too much was on stake.
In a short moment, the peaceful shores had changed into a battlefield greater than life itself. The background was bloody with the red heaven and the sun that glistened the two men with a holy radiance. But not even the skies could have exceeded the brilliance that the battle between the two rivals held.
Strikes were changed repeatedly. Sweat spread slowly down their faces, and yet they continued with the fight that didn't seem to have an ending.
When the fight started to become too heated and they both saw that their strikes started to become tired, not as accurate as they should be, Squall was forced to run behind Seifer, to gather up strength for a new assault.
Seifer turned to meet him, his breathing uneven, his eyes burning with anger. He took one long breath in and attacked again, interrupting Squall's breathing pause.
Their blades sang with a loud clang, the sparkles jumping up to their eyes when the metals met again. But this time, neither one of them backed out from the contact. They put all their strength into pushing the blades against each other and it became a duel between them.
They fought. They fought so hard that they almost forgot to breath. The heavy salt drops slid down their foreheads, their gazes were locked and testing each other. They were battling with their eyes as well as with their blades. Suddenly Seifer got the overpower and his blade sneaked closer up to Squall who still tried to push it away with his own. It was nearing to his face and Squall's eyes turned to it. The gunblade was getting dangerously near and for a short moment, Squall felt powerless to stop it. One sweat drop slid down on his face and it curved down, slid against his lips and then it found its way into his mouth. Almost like getting new power from the salty taste that now invaded his senses, Squall gathered his lost powers and put his other hand to the blade and with it he pushed the knight roughly away, letting out a shout that was filled with hatred.
Overwhelmed by this power, Seifer's Hyperion flew over the air and landed somewhere behind him. He almost fell down as well but successfully found his balance after few steps backwards. Squall watched him with his eyes that were burning with unseen rage. Seifer didn't get the change to pick up his lost weapon when he saw Squall already running towards him. His gaze landed down to the blonde and it showed no mercy at all. Seifer was helpless when he saw the blade rising, saw his rival shouting, but didn't hear anything. He could only see the blade and the beams of the sun getting reflected from the silvery blade.
Soon the blade dropped down to meet its target and its tip slashed down to Seifer's face. It came in contact with his face on the middle of his sweaty forehead and went downwards to meet the bridge of his strong nose before it left away, leaving only blood gushing out from the new neat wound. And the blood spread down from the cut, curving down from the right side of his nose.
Seifer dropped down to the ground on to his one knee and let out a growl of pain. His face dropped down as well and he closed his eyes, trying to push away the pain that overtook his mind quickly, making it impossible for him to think clearly at that moment.
Squall watched him with a less rage than before, this time feeling a little bad from knowing that he had done that to him. He couldn't see Seifer's expressions that were covered behind his arm, but the pool of blood left from the strike down to the ground told him that the situation was real. He waited for Seifer to say something, to raise that smug face up and open his eyes. He was waiting for Seifer to be Seifer, to say something mocking, to try make this little victory seem insignificant and not so important.
But that never happened.
The pain started to fade away and Seifer soon realised what had happened. He opened his eyes and the look of pain was erased slowly, the stern look taking its place, twisting his lips. His blood ran down his face, staining his skin and giving power to his new rage that was being built into his chest. He changed his gaze up to Squall, gritting his teeth and warning him with his eyes. Squall flinched, but he didn't even notice doing so as he was completely stunned from those eyes. They were burning, pleading for revenge. Squall didn't see the flame that started to gather up to Seifer's palm, he only saw the rage.
The burning hate was evident on that face and Squall was almost blinded by it, forgetting completely to watch out for Seifer's next move. Seifer flew his hand in front of himself and then Squall saw the start of fire on that open palm, but it was all too late. The blaze of fire started to go circles and it soon formed into a fireball. And then between his gritting teeth, Seifer vowed the spell with his voice before sending the fireball to its way: "FIRE!"
Stumbled by it, not being able to evade the fireball that came closer to him quickly, Squall was struck with the fire spell and lost his balance and the grip over his gunblade that now flew away from his reach somewhere down to the ground. Stumbled to the ground, bend down on his one knee and his head buried down on his one hand, Squall tried to gather himself up but was failing in it when the headache started to grow worse. Not letting this change to attack slip away, Seifer leered to take his Hyperion back to himself and steadily settled it into his grip. He landed his eyes on the blade, and only with that one glance, he made it become one with him again, ready for the final attack.
After Squall got his composure back and he heard the shouts of the approaching rival, he watched up to him and instantly knew what was coming up. He tried to take his gunblade up so that he could defend himself, but he soon forgot even thinking about it when he saw from the corner of his eye that someone was running up to the hill. Squall flew his gaze to the hill and found a woman standing there, taking a breath in and trying to get her breathing steady. Her body stiffened when she finally saw what was happening and her hands flew up from shock. And then the words so clear and inevitable ran up from her throat out to the air.
"NO! STOP!"
And after those words, Squall heard nothing. He just watched the woman. She was young, her hair was almost golden red when the sun ran over them and her eyes were filled with the hurting knowledge that there was nothing she could do to stop the blade from going down. He was lost to the sight and suddenly a memory that was blurred from all the years that had passed became so clear that it was almost like he was watching it right now. And only with that sight Squall was reminded from something that he had almost forgot. The memory of a young girl with cornflower blue eyes and golden hair, waving for goodbye, her eyes filled with tears...
Squall's mouth was speechless and his mind forgot that the blade would soon meet up with his face. None of that existed now, there was only the girl, crying, waving so much that it made Squall wonder how those little hands worked.
Awaking from this memory, from these sudden sensations, was not going to be pleasant. The Hyperion dropped down and the tip of the blade slashed down against his forehead and the cut it made was almost similar with Seifer's, only that the direction of the cut was the opposite.
After the first splash of blood that came out when the cut was made, the blood started to gush more evenly down from the wound, staining his face and blurring his eyesight with the redness when some of the drops flew to his glistened eyes. But only when he could feel the warmness of his blood sliding down on his face, Squall finally understood what had happened and what was the cause for this pain that had interrupted his memorizing.
Seifer took a step away from him, enjoying his handwork with his eyes. Now he had gotten his revenge and he smiled victoriously, but it soon faded down when he saw the woman, who had just a moment ago shouted him to stop, running down to the battlefield where the two places of sand were stained with the blood that the two commanders had sacrificed to this battle.
Quistis ran between them and stopped. First she watched to Squall who was still laying on the ground, leaning his face against his hand and trying to stop the ache that ate his mind, and then she watched back to Seifer, now also seeing that his face didn't look any better. The blood looked horrifying and the look of new anger that came up to his stained, but still very mocking face, didn't help it either. She almost felt scared, but she also even felt a little sympathy towards this blonde who just barely got his eyes removed from her face back to Squall on the ground.
A little pool of blood was gathering down to the sand from the little droplets that dropped down to it, when Squall slowly raised his tired gaze up to his rival that was now shouting something to him.
"Get up, Leonhart! Don't think that this battle is over yet! This was only the beginning!" The anger was clear, the will for continuing the battle was unique and Quistis knew that Seifer was serious. He wasn't going to stop that easily.
"Seifer! Don't!" She jumped to Seifer's way when she could see his shoulders stiffen and his form move slightly, almost as he was just now going to walk up to Squall and continue the fight.
His infuriated eyes met with hers, this time moving his anger down to her. "Get out of my way!" She seemed almost puny beside his strong and raged form, but her shoulders were steady, ready to stop him even when she knew that she didn't have enough power to do so.
"No! I'm not letting you two do this!"
"Damn you, Trepe! Get out of my way or I will not hold myself responsible from my actions!" Seifer saw that she was as serious as he himself was and it made him even more angered, even resentful towards this woman who seemed to hold so little respect towards to him. But even when his form started to become hostile, she stayed still, her eyes were almost like steel and her will was supreme. Seifer took a deep breath and it was warning her for the last time. The gaze held threats, things that should have stayed uncovered, and they all knew that he was as serious as hell, but still she didn't even flinch.
"No…" His voice was almost weak, but it held a strength that was well balanced when he tried to stop the two from getting into a fight. Quistis looked over her shoulder to the ebony haired man, whom she was guessing to be the commander of the White-SeeDs. She had never met him before, but somehow he wasn't disappointing her with his appearance. He looked like a great leader, that she could see and she understood why Seifer was so jealous about that status.
It was understandable that so many people depended on that man and followed him. Even she would have been ready to follow his lead, even when her only opinion from him was based on his appearance and the things that Seifer had told to her. The pieces of info that Seifer from time to time had dropped to her about this man, weren't flattering, but she knew that they held utter lies, half covered answers and things that left the veil of mystery hanging down. She knew that there were many things that she didn't know, but she was more than ready to find them out. She wanted to get part of this, half because the things around this war interested her and half because she couldn't remember her own life's tale.
"Seifer, we will end this here and now… I'm not finished with you either." Squall got up from the ground with one steady move and took the gunblade from the ground, gripping from it like he had never touched it before. His eyes were determined to end this here, both Quistis and Seifer could see that, but she still wanted to avoid it from happening. She couldn't let them do it…
When the air suddenly filled with a noise that rose above the wind's soft roaming, Squall was the first one to raise his gaze up to the hill. Quistis did the same and she was still wondering what this noise was. She had heard it many times before and so she knew how it went: the long noise grew over before it stopped into a short silence and then it again increased. It was a trumpet or some kind of other instrument, she recognized but she didn't know what it meant.
"Dammit… It's over already?" She flew her gaze to Seifer, who looked up to the hill, his face filled with disappointment. So it was the White SeeDs alarm telling that the battle was over and that the other SeeDs had assembled up to some meeting place. Now she finally knew it.
That also explained why she had heard it before. This noise was always heard after one of the many battles, and the every time it was heard, she had been on the library, listening the alarm through her opened window. But this time she was there, in middle of one of the battlefields that she had always before avoided.
Squall ran quickly up to the slight hill, his smooth way of moving getting Quistis' acknowledge. He stopped at the hill and watched down to the fields that lead to that another hill where the two armies had began their battle. His form was almost like painted against to the red sky and the light layered over his shoulders, back and legs made Quistis think that it was his aura. Steady, strong and courageous. Ready to face anything. Ready to take responsibility from his actions.
He looked back, more to Seifer than anything else. "Think about what I said, Seifer… You still have the change to retreat." Seifer answered to his words with an evil snort, his grip from the Hyperion tightening, hating for letting Squall have the last words.
Squall's eyes then moved back to Quistis, totally ignoring the hatred that radiated from Seifer who was right next to her. She looked back to him and her eyes were steady, trying to read what this dark haired man had on his mind, but she saw that she couldn't read anything. He was totally closed up. But still… Still she could see something. Something that erased everything else, something that seemed to even make himself feel different, somehow unbalanced.
For a second, Squall's eyes were being captured by her familiarity, but then he turned away and ran down the hill. Quistis' hand moved almost unconsciously towards to the disappearing form, but she soon retreated the hand when realizing what she had just done.
Seifer snorted. She didn't know whether it was pointed towards her or to Squall's sudden fleeing, but it made her feel unsecured. When she looked to him, she saw him glaring to her, anger being clear in those eyes. Then he left up to that hill, trying to see Squall's back, but surprisingly enough couldn't see anyone.
"DAMN!" He swung the blade over the air, obviously trying to calm himself down. He hated to be interrupted, and when it happened twice in such a short moment, he got really pissed off.
Quistis glanced at his back and sighed softly when hearing his grunting continue and then she turned away from him, facing the sunset that was now going to be on its brightest. She stepped towards it, circling her hands around to herself while trying to gather her confidence back. The sun was the reddest that it had ever been, the air was burning with the sun's last beams before its dawn, and the sea was surprisingly calm, ready to face the soft blanket of evening. The sky was red but it was getting darker, the velvet of stars waiting to be discovered completely, and when looking at them, she felt her heart to be on a mild peace. But the look that Squall had given her was still making her trembled. What had it meant? What did this whole stupid war meant? Why did Seifer do something like this? No matter how much she thought about it she couldn't get any sense to it.
After getting some of his steam out, Seifer finally turned to look at her and found his eyes looking at her silent back. He looked her with a careful eye and tried to calculate the brunette and her way of thinking. She coming and interrupting the holy battle between him and Squall made him angered to her, to that woman who now seemed a little less fragile than before.
The sunset painted everything with blood. It painted her, the sky and the sea with blood. The sea was just a big pool of blood, the sky had a wound that bled and the blood ran down the surface, finally making everything become stained with the crimson liquid. This was what he saw when looking at the sunset and when admiring secretly the brunette's will of going on.
When pleading revenge to that woman.
Quistis turned to meet his half closed eyes and her eyes returned his mild fury. The sunset on the background, the blood staining everything and that gaze that she held on him, everything of it stayed with him. And even far towards to the future, he would remember…
He would remember how tranquil it was on that moment, how private, even when the hate had been so clear.