.:VI:.

Trithonia sat back in her throne-like seat, idly sipping a glass of wine. "SeeD...this threatens me?" She chuckled, scrying over what seemed to be like a crystal ball.

The guards shifted uneasily. At this point, they were really starting to hate sorceresses, and yet, another one was in charge of their country. Go figure.

"SeeD..." She murmured again, crimson eyes sharp upon the globe. "I will have them destroyed...I must..."

One of the guards shifted again. Oh man...I really want to go home...He thought, as he approached the Sorceress. "Ma'am! Routine rounds have been done Ma'am. Balamb Garden left a short while ago with SeeD and Seifer Almasy."

Trithonia looked up. "And you didn't catch them?"

He looked uneasy again. "No..."

She smirked, settling in her chair. An excellent move, if I do say so myself...However, I also have excellent moves. She stood up. "We will find the Guardian Forces. I will have them obey my will. Nothing will stand in my way."

The guard cleared his throat nervously. "But Ma'am, the Guardian Forces were all set free...No one knows where they are."

She turned to him. "Think by element for a couple. Where would Shiva go? Where would Ifrit go? To where they would most feel comfortable."

"I know where Ifrit has gone. He has gone to the Fire Cavern, back into the bowels of the earth, where it is hot, and flaming, where he feels comfortable."

"To the train. We're going to Balamb." She announced. "Summon an escort." Trithonia stretched her languid limbs. "It will be glorious...and it will be mine."

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Seifer glanced around the second floor hallway, Lucrea beside him, as the others trudged in behind him.

Lucrea glanced to Irvine and Zell. "Can you guys show him to his new dormitory while Quistis and I go see the Headmaster?" She requested.

Zell had been about to say 'no', except that Irvine silenced him. "Sure. We'll be right on up as soon as we settle him in."

The girls nodded, heading to the elevator, and got in, heading up to the office/bridge.

Quistis sighed. "I'm sorry. Seifer can be such a pain."

Her student shook her head. "No it's alright. I wanted to." She answered, as they stepped off the elevator. "I really wanted to."

They got onto the bridge lift, and went up, where Cid and Edea awaited them.

The headmaster smiled, holding his wife's hand. "So you managed to get Seifer back here? Excellent."

Edea nodded, sighing. "That is only the first step though. We got word through Rinoa's friend. Zone I believe?"

Quistis chuckled. "Watts. He's our information guy."

Edea, the former sorceress and matron cleared her throat. "Right. At any rate, Trithonia is after the Guardian Forces."

Lucrea frowned. "What? Why is she after them? Squall and the others set them free. She'll never find them."

Cid answered this time. "Well, at any rate, all the GFs know where the others are. Some places to the well thought mind are obvious Guardian Force hiding spots. For instance, it is well known now that Ifrit returned to the Fire Cavern. However, just because he's there, doesn't mean he'll just come out and join her. She wishes to enslave all Guardian Forces to her will."

Quistis looked horrified. "That's terrible! After all they went through? After what we did for them, out of respect for them, to set them free? She wants to ENSLAVE them?"

He nodded. "She knows of SeeD. She is dead set on destroying SeeD, because we are a threat to her rule, and existence."

Lucrea looked at the ground quietly. "We have to protect them. In fact, we may have to go as far as to request their aid. We can't stand against her alone. But together we may have a chance."

Edea chuckled. "Spoken true of your lineage, as I can see Lucrea. But who will she go after first?"

Seifer rolled his eyes at Zell. "I don't need to be shown around, chicken-wuss. I used to LIVE here."

Irvine chuckled. "Chicken-wuss?"

Zell snapped at them. "I am NOT a chicken-wuss!!"

The boys shook their heads, as they entered the dormitories.

Irvine sighed, pushing open a door. "This is your room, Seifer. Zell's is that one..."He pointed to a room a couple doors down. "...And for now, I'm staying in that one across the hall."

Seifer raised a brow, looking in. "This is a SeeD dorm. I can't stay here..."

He glanced at the other two, who glanced at the floor hesitantly, not speaking.

Then it hit him. "They're making me a SeeD?!" He jumped.

Zell was shaking, almost enraged at the decision. "Honorary SeeD." He spat, crossing his arms and looking away.

Irvine stared down at his hat, still silent, and dusted it off, apparently focused on that, seeing much more interest in it at the moment.

Seifer felt a grin spreading across his face. Suddenly everything seemed five times funnier, as he went into the room, setting down his gunblade case. "SeeD. SeeD! Ha HA!" He laughed, smirking like crazy, and came back out.

"Rajin! RAJIN!!!" He yelled, running down the hall.

Zell groaned. "Did we HAVE to make him a SeeD?" He complained, punching the wall.

Irvine sighed. "Yes. Besides, he'll rally to our side more smoothly if he's a SeeD."

They both shook their heads, going after Seifer, before going to the Bridge.

Lucrea turned around, hearing the lift go down, and come back up again, this time with Seifer, grinning like a madman, Zell, sulking visibly, and Irvine, looking like he wished he wasn't here.

She chuckled. "I guess Seifer got the news, Headmaster?"

Cid sighed, smiling. "Yes. Seifer is an honorary SeeD. Squall and Rinoa will be back shortly, as we dropped them off in Trabia to get Selphie.

The headmaster straightened out his glasses, and looked at them all. "Now, we'll need to divide you into two teams: Team A, and Team B."

"Squad A will be going to the Fire Cavern to negotiate with Ifrit. You may need to fight him to join our side. Squad B will be going into Balamb, to stall the Sorceress. Not necessarily fight, but stall her."

"Lucrea, you will go to the Fire Cavern as a member of Team A. This will be a part of your SeeD testing, as well as Seifer. Quistis, you will be the third member of Squad A, since they need an instructor to support."

Quistis nodded, continuing to listen.

"Irvine and Zell, you'll be on Squad B with Squall, because we're picking Squall and Rinoa up shortly. Rinoa needs to stay here because she'll need to be out of the Sorceress' way. As she was a sorceress, she'll also be a potential target."

"You're dismissed now until we call you back. Please stay within the Garden, as we're leaving for Trabia. Dismissed."

Lucrea nodded, stepping onto the lift with Irvine and Zell, and went down.

Cid watched Quistis get on the lift, and stopped Seifer. "Please stay, we need to speak with you a little longer."

Seifer paused, watching Quistis leave, and turned to face the Headmaster.

As Edea straightened up next to him, Seifer noticed something.

Lucrea...She sort of, resembles Matron. Strange...I wonder, are they related? He thought.

"Seifer, it's important that you take this seriously. As a SeeD, you need to be able to follow orders, not just give them. Don't make me regret giving you this chance to make something of yourself."

He nodded, crossing his arms. "Wait...headmaster, I have a question if you will answer it."

Cid raised a brow. "Yes?"

"...Is Lucrea...related...to you?" He asked, hesitantly.

Edea sighed. "Seifer, Lucrea is our daughter. We sent her away when she was five, because she chose to accept the powers of a sorceress. Yes, she is a sorceress, and she absolutely hates it. She lives in fear that everyone will hate her because of it, that if anyone knows she'll be destroyed."

Seifer blinked in surprise. "So why is she back now?"

Cid cleaned his glasses, answering. "Because she wanted to come back. That's all you need to know. Just respect her as if she was anyone else. We know you've developed a bit of a grudge against sorceresses. But the integral part of this is that she doesn't WANT to be one. She wants to be a normal teenager. No one else knows, but we thought we should tell you, instead of you finding out later, and going ballistic."

Seifer nodded. "Alright."

She's a sorceress...what the hell? Why is every girl I meet practically a sorceress? Why won't my past just DIE? His mind was reeling, as he took the lift down, and headed to his dorm. He needed to sleep a while, and let this sink in.


Another, much longer chapter. Hehe. I'm starting to get the hang of this again. But wait, there's more...Just wait and see. Read and Review, as always.