"Do you think we made it?" Amy asked, quietly, as they jogged towards the elevator, now overcrowded with students.
"Hyne, I hope so." Seifer muttered, mostly to himself. They squeezed themselves into the lift and Amy, never having been a religious person before, sent a small prayer of hope. Not for her; for Seifer.
Xu kept her face impassive as the cadets streamed into the upstairs hallway. Each wore a carefully controlled look of hope; all of them except for Seifer, Fujin, Raijin, and Amy. The only four who had passed didn't seem to care.
"Seifer Almasy; Amy Durham; Fujin; Raijin." Xu called out. They stepped forward. "Please follow me."
They did. The cadets who hadn't made it started applauding. Seifer closed his eyes briefly, and felt Amy catch his hand and give it a quick squeeze. He glanced at her, and saw a distinct glint in her almond-shape eyes. A smile? Perhaps.
They were brought up to Cid Kramer's office, where he gave them their official paperwork and a word of congratulations apiece.
Amy stood at attention, recieving her report and new rank insignia with a small hint of pride; not too much, as she'd been admonished in basic training, but enough to understand the great honor that had been bestowed upon her. "Congratulations. I knew you'd make it." Cid whispered, smiling kindly at her. She saluted him.
Seifer accepted his papers with a shaking hand, internally swearing at himself for showing even the slightest bit of nervousness. Cid's lips twitched; he wanted to smile, but he wouldn't. "Congratulations, Mr. Almasy." He said. "Finally."
"Thank you, sir." Seifer said, saluting.
"There is a congratulatory party this evening, held by older SeeD's, for the new SeeD's." Cid informed them. "It starts at 1900 hours; be in your dress uniforms for the event. Said uniforms will be delivered to your new quarters, located in the officer's wing. Tapping in your ID code into any viewscreen will show you your new quarters assignments. If you packed your belongings as instructed beforehand, they should already be in your quarters." Cid dismissed them.
"Oh my God, Seifer, we made it!" Amy said, jumping a bit as they descended to the second floor. "We made it!"
"FINALLY." Fujin said.
"Yeah, man, like, I've been waitin' for them to tell me I could take the exam, ya know?" Raijin said. He and Fujin made off for the nearest viewscreen.
Seifer read through his report. SeeD rank 12. His eyes widened. "Hey, lemme see your report." He requested. Amy handed the papers over. Rank 12 as well.
"We did really good." He said. "Squall passed at rank five."
She nodded acceptance of that fact, and then headed towards the viewscreen that Fujin and Raijin had recently abandoned. "Let's look up our new assignments."
Their quarters were actually right near each other's; SeeD candidates rarely passed the field exam before the age of sixteen, and that was the legal age of adulthood. Therefore, any sexual activity that occured inside the SeeD quarters was ignored. SeeD's were adults.
"Room 1138." Amy said, pointing to hers. "Room 1139." She pointed to his, across the hall."
"Let's check them out." Seifer said, palming his door open. Amy stepped in with him.
The rooms were almost luxurious; a bathroom the occupant had to share with no one else, with a bathtub instead of just a normal showerstall. A kitchenette with a smallish cupboard and refridgerator, a dishsink, a microwave, a two-cup coffee maker, a tiny electrical stove, and a single cup, plate, knife, fork, spoon, and coffee cup. There was a living room area that had a passageway to the bedroom area; no door, but Seifer figured he could get a door in there somehow. The bedrooms featured walk-in closets and queen sized beds.
"Wow, I should have obeyed orders earlier." Seifer said, ogling his new accomodations.
"Pretty nice." Amy said, taking stock. "Hey, we got free time until 1800, then we gotta be back to get ready for the party."
"Yeah." Seifer ran his hand over his face. He was a SeeD. Finally. For real.
"Let's go to Balamb." Amy said, tugging on the sleeve of his coat. "We can stock up on stuff for our kitchens."
Seifer looked at her, and then laughed. "Amy, I can't cook."
"I can. I'll teach you. Come on, I've never been to Balamb, and we get to leave campus as SeeD's."
Seifer laughed and agreed. They parted for a quick wash and met up in the hall, Seifer wearing his normal garb and Amy a pair of black uniform cargo pants and a black camisol undershirt, with uniform jump boots.
"I'll get new ones in Balamb." She said, grinning as he looked at her attire.
Seifer had put in a request for a car loan from the Garden pool; he got clearance as soon as Squall noticed that the only passenger would be Amy. The ride to Balamb took a bit longer than it should have. Seifer was trying to teach Amy how to drive.
"These things don't make any sense." Amy complained. "Cars make sense where I come from. They have an engine, a transmission, and a motor."
"These things have an engine and a transmission, too." Seifer said. "Just push the stick in the direction you wanna go while pressing the pedal down."
"Where I come from we use wheels." Amy said, tartly, before continuing. She was fairly adept by the time they got to Balamb and parked.
"Clothes first." Amy said, and Seifer groaned. "Don't worry, I'm probably the easiest girl to shop with in existence."
As she walked in front of him, Seifer noticed that she had a tattoo. He didn't personally know anyone who had a tattoo other than Zell, and his was moronic.
Amy's, however, had a flag, in alternating bands of white and red, with a small square of blue in the upper lefthand corner of it. There seemed to be white specks, stars perhaps, in that blue square. There was a bird flying in front of it, carrying a snake, and scrolls surrounding the picture. On the top it said "This we'll defend-USAC" and underneath it said "Don't tread on me." It was on her right shoulderblade.
"I didn't know you had a tattoo." Seifer said. Amy stopped and turned around.
"I got it when I graduated from boot camp." She said, walking backwards and talking to him. He hadn't seen her so animated. Ever.
"What's it mean?"
"Where I come from, there was a country called the United States of America. we just celebrated America's four hundredth birthday the year I left." She smiled. "We fought a country that controlled us four hundred years ago for freedom. That's the flag of my country. Our mascot was the eagle, a symbol of freedom and strength. A flag that was flown during the Revolutionary War showed a rattlesnake with a banner beneath it that said 'Don't tread on me.'" She smiled enigmatically and turned around.
"What about the top part?" Seifer asked, interested despite himself.
"It's the motto of the United States Army Corps." Amy said. "We defend. To the death."
Seifer blinked. To the death. What else was she willing to defend, to the death?
Well, he'd make sure that never happened.
Shopping with Amy was boring. She didn't ask the usual questions Seifer had experienced ("Does this make my butt look big?" "What about this color?"). She knew what looked good on her and picked it out, done with her shopping in about five minutes.
She changed while Seifer waited outside, carrying about ten different bags of clothing. She'd only picked out three pairs of shoes; one set of dress shoes for the dance tonight (girl SeeD's had to wear a dress to the party), a pair of running shoes, and a pair of regular tennis shoes. The rest was all clothes. Clothes, clothes, clothes.
When she stepped into the sunlight, Seifer did a double-take. She was wearing a skintight short-sleeved black Tshirt with a picture of Bahamut wound around it, and a pair of skintight olive green cargo pants that flared out at the bottom. A bondage belt was laced through the top of the pants, and she wore her jump boots.
Not only that, but her shiny, black hair, normally kept in a tight, businesslike bun, was loose, flowing down until it reached midback. Some of it curled down her shoulders loosely.
"Wow." He said. He'd never seen her in anything skintight; it was the first thing that popped into his head.
"Gee, thanks." Amy rolled her eyes and looked up at him. Seifer realized, for the first time, that Amy was really quite short. At least a foot shorter than him. The SeeD uniform made her look a lot taller, and made her tan skin seem a lot paler. She actually had Dr. Kadowacki's coloring, now that he thought about it.
Amy was half Japanese; her father had met her mother while stationed in Japan. Her mother's family had been one of the last true Japanese families, one of the few pure ones left. She took after her mother, but she had her father's steel blue eyes.
"Anyway..." Amy said, uncomfortable now with the way that Seifer was looking at her. "Let's get to that store. Food."
"Right, food." Seifer shook himself out of his daze. Since when had his friend become a girl?
"Five foot nothing." Amy said, sighing as they ate a late lunch. "I got my mom's height. My dad's taller than you are."
"They must have made an odd couple." Seifer said, finishing his burger.
"They were. But they loved each other." Amy smiled, remeniscently. "They both died a few years ago."
Seifer felt something cramp up in him. Was that sympathy?
"That sucks." He replied, flatly.
"It did. My sister was with them. I was the only one that stayed home that day. I was sick." She sighed. "By then I was seventeen, and I finished high school and enlisted in the Army. They figured that I had what it took to go into space, so they put me through the officer's program, and I picked up a couple of doctorates while I was at it."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty." She grinned. "Japanese kids are known for overachievement. I got my doctorates in two years. It normally takes six or more. I took eight classes a day, plus my officer's training. Everyone hated me."
"Hyne, when did you get any free time?"
"I didn't. I kept telling myself that it would be worth it, that I'd have free time once I finished." She frowned. "I really didn't; I was a workoholic. I was always doing something related to my research."
"And now you're here."
"Yeah." Amy was still frowning. She took a sip of soda through her straw and looked at her chrono, strapped to her wrist. "Hey, we should get back, we still have to unload the stuff we bought."
"Right." Seifer said, standing up. "Let's jet."
Parties.
Squall adjusted his dress uniform collar, for about the ninetieth time that night. Rinoa scolded him.
"No one's going to ever wear their uniforms if they know their commander doesn't like wearing them."
Squall frowned. "Everyone knows I don't like wearing them anyway. I never do unless I'm required to."
I hate parties.
"You know, you were wearing that same uniform the day we first met." Rinoa said, grinning. Squall smiled.
"You made me dance."
"I taught you how to dance, you mean." Rinoa poked him in the side.
"You're wearing the same dress."
"I was wondering when you'd notice that." Rinoa replied. She pointed. "Look."
Amy had just walked in. She was wearing a light blue dress that went down to the floor. It was split from the waist, but had white fabric sewn in underneath. It was strapless.
"Wow." Squall said. Rinoa laughed.
"That's probably what everyone else is saying. She looks really nervous."
"Yeah." I know the feeling.
"Seifer isn't here yet."
"I noticed."
"Think he'll show?"
Squall snorted. "And miss a chance to show off?"
Rinoa frowned. "I don't know, he doesn't act like that anymore."
Squall's forehead wrinkled. "That's true."
"I think Amy's calming him down."
Squall snorted again. "What do you think he'll do when he notices she's female?"
"Fall in love?" Rinoa whispered. Then a song came on. "Oooh, Squall, dance with me, will you?"
Squall sighed, but allowed himself to be led out to the dance floor. He completely missed Seifer's quiet entrance.
"Hey."
Amy whirled around. "Oh, hi. Jesus, you scared me."
Seifer grinned. "Look at our esteemed commander now." He pointed. "He's Rinoa's lapdog."
Amy smirked, but didn't say anything.
"You look nice." Seifer offered.
"Thanks. You look really uncomfortable."
"I am." Seifer grimaced. "These things are made to look good. Definitely not for comfort."
"I'm so glad I don't have to wear one right now."
"You'll have to eventually." Seifer admonished her.
"But not right now. Hey, this thing is probably just as uncomfortable, so we can be uncomfortable together. Misery loves company."
Seifer nodded. Just then Nida walked over.
"Wow, Amy, you look beautiful." He said, mooning over her as he always did. Amy stifled a sigh.
"Thank you, Nida." She said, graciously.
Nida looked at Seifer, a little nervous. "Hey, wanna dance?" He asked Amy.
Amy bit her lip, then nodded. "I'll be back." She told Seifer. He watched as Nida and Amy left and started dancing. Amy was really good, which didn't surprise him; a lot of the coordination and muscles needed for dancing were also used in bladework.
He leaned up against the wall, sighing. He felt uncomfortable; no one here really got along with him, and vice versa. Except for Amy.
She walked back over. "He can't dance." She wrinkled her nose.
Seifer laughed, but he couldn't figure out just why he was so glad that Nida couldn't dance.
"Aren't they going to do anything other than stand there and watch everyone?" Rinoa asked Squall. The party was almost over.
"Probably not." Squall replied.
"You'd think they were attached at the hip. They don't ever leave each other's company."
Squall considered this. "Amy doesn't really have any other friends."
Rinoa nodded, slowly. "And everyone hates Seifer."
"They're nervous around him." Squall corrected her.
"I guess." Rinoa sighed. "I want them to get together. It'd be so cute!"
"You're such a cornball." Squall said. "Happy endings never happen."
"It happened with us, didn't it?" Rinoa asked.
"Maybe." Squall temporized.
"Hello." A voice said from behind them. They both looked over their shoulders. Edea Kramer stood with her hands clasped loosely in front of them.
"Oh!" Rinoa had never exactly been comfortable with the woman she'd gotten her sorceress powers from.
"They are quite cute, aren't they?" Edea said, gesturing towards Seifer and Amy.
"Yep." Rinoa said. Squall grunted.
"If I still had my powers, I'd give them a little push in that direction." Edea said, looking significantly down towards Rinoa. "It'd help Seifer, I think." She excused herself.
Was Edea giving me a hint? Rinoa thought.
Seifer felt relaxed.
Which was a big clue-in, to him. He rarely felt entirely relaxed, like he did now. He recognized this; this was the manipulation of a Sorceress.
Oh Hyne. He thought, wanting to say something. He opened his mouth...
"Would you like to dance?" He found himself saying. What..the FUCK? His head turned towards the opposite end of the room, and he saw Rinoa wiggle her fingers at him, playfully.
Shit.
"Uh...sure." Amy said. He had the pleasure of seeing her blush for the first time in their acquaintence.
He felt the mind control slipping. He couldn't get out of it now; Amy was already walking towards the dance floor.
He followed her and actually found that it was enjoyable dancing with Amy; they were pressed up against each other and swaying in time to the music, a thumping beat that really shouldn't have been played at a formal dinner. He wondered vaguely if that was Rinoa's doing too, but he doubted it.
The song stopped, and he found himself looking into Amy's eyes. Fireworks flashed overhead, ignored.
Amy was looking at him as well; the emerald-green eyes that had first caught her attention flashing down at her, looking confused and hopeful at the same time.
He leaned down and she closed her eyes, feeling his lips touching hers. Overhead, the grand finale began, ignored.