The halls were silent as he made his way to where Seifer was being held. The crickets chirped in the dark as Squall walked alone under the fluorescent lights. It was time to talk to Seifer, try and make some sense of this madness and prevent any more bloodshed. If Seifer really was guilty then he'd be fair and make sure the mob wouldn't tear him apart, but to be honest he hoped like hell his one time rival was innocent for even though he had tortured him in the D-district prison, had tried to kill him numerous times, he couldn't believe that was the true Seifer.

The door slid open and Seifer opened his eyes, the light framing the figure of his one time rival. He sat up on his bed and stared blankly at him.

'I was waiting for you to come see me... I wasn't sure you'd come though.' He said softly.

'I'm just sorry I wasn't here sooner.' Squall replied.

'It'd have made no difference you wouldn't have been able to stop them rising against me like this.' Seifer said looking away.

'Don't tell me you've given up...' Squall said the door closing behind him.

'Like they'd really believe me... and you can't do anything Squall, they'll call it bias, hate you for being on my side. I couldn't do that to you not after everything you've been through for them and this place.' Seifer said slowly.

'Then what do you suggest? Either way I have to prove your innocence or guilt.' Squall replied leaning against the wall opposite him.

'Well the evidence is stacked against me, whoever wanted me sent down like this sure as hell planned it well.' Seifer said dryly.

'So you are innocent then.' Squall said quietly as if stating the obvious.

Seifer looked up. 'Of course I am! Why would I be so daft as to ruin my life again?' he snapped.

Squall grinned. 'That's better, I wasn't sure I could cope with Seifer missing the fire inside.' He said amiably.

Seifer smiled in reply. 'Yeah well it's been a bad couple of days.' He chuckled roughly. 'How was your little trip?' he then asked.

'What can I say? New danger, beaten without any real need for me there.' Squall said simply.

'That easy huh? Laguna must've been desperate to get you there then.' Seifer said.

'No not easy, just the Father of WEAPONs resurrecting.' Squall informed him.

'Then why did it feel like you weren't needed? You've fought WEAPONs before and you're the second best warrior in Garden.' Seifer asked, smirking with his last comment.

Squall wasn't to be riled by Seifer's joke comment. He sighed instead. 'You're probably right there... I was out classed by Jayson.' He admitted.

'You too huh?' Seifer said softly.

'What?' Squall asked confused.

'Oh come on, you think I wouldn't try and have a go after what he did in the exam? I guess I should've learnt something from the exam... he had me down in no time, gave me a little souvenir too.' Seifer said tapping his cheek where four thin red lines showed the healing of wounds.

'I'm just surprised I never saw it sooner... all the stuff with Ultimecia probably would've been easier with him around.' Squall mused.

'Yeah well he kept himself in the background, I'm pretty sure some cadets were harsh to him, me included probably.' Seifer said softly.

'I'm just glad he's on our side. I'd hate to get on the wrong side of someone who can take a WEAPON single-handedly.' Squall told him.

Seifer sputtered in surprise. 'You're joking right?'

'No I'm serious. At one point me, Rinoa and Quistis had to fight him cause the WEAPON possessed him. He knocked the girls out no problem and even stood up to my Lionheart limit break. I couldn't take him and he was pulling his punches because it wasn't really him fighting. You can't imagine how angry I was at that.' Squall said softly.

'I was sure as hell cursing when he beat me I know that.' Seifer replied.

'Actually speaking of Jayson I have a suggestion....' He added.

She dreamt in her sleep and yet her dream was true. Her subconscious mind was envisioning how she was pressed against him feeling his hands moving down her arms and wrapping around her resting against her tummy making her feel safe and secure. She had never been this at ease with someone, had never really been this intimate.

She had watched him sleep when he had been knocked unconscious by Spore in Esthar, had seen the curious network of scars that covered his torso and wondered where they had come from, what had happened in his past to mar him so physically and emotionally. The dream was interrupted by a voice, one that had awoken her a week ago and signalled a change in her life, she just hoped this time it wouldn't change it for the worse.

She opened her eyes and looked around her vision blurred by sleep.

'Go back to sleep, it's just me they want this time.' Jayson whispered softly to her kissing her forehead as he slipped out the bed reluctantly.

'What they want now?' Meia whined rolling onto her back looking up at him.

'No idea, I'll find out when I get there I suppose.' He told getting dressed.

'Just sleep okay? I'll be back soon enough trust me.' He told her leaning over running his hand down her cheek cupping her chin and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

Jayson pulled away and left the room as Meia snuggled in the covers of his bed drifting back to sleep and her dream of him.

As Jayson walked to Squall's office he developed a pretty good idea of what he was to expect. He knew Squall couldn't have anything to do with Seifer's case other than as an official spectator. As much as the whole of Garden respected Squall, there were a lot of them that hadn't like his decision to let Seifer, Fujin and Raijin back into Garden and if Squall tried to prove Seifer's innocence then he'd be put in a precarious situation.

But if they were to put a new SeeD on the case, one who was known to have aced the exams and be honest and have no reason to be biased then they were likely to avoid any such problems. All this Jayson reasoned as he rode the lift up to the third floor. The doors opened and he strode out to the door of Squall's office knocking twice.

'Come in.' Squall called out and he entered the office to find Squall sat at his desk, paperwork piled up on one side.

'Good, I wasn't sure if you'd get the message...' Squall said.

'I think everyone did. I'm still not sure why we use the tannoy system for personal audiences, I mean it means everyone knows your private stuff in a way.' Jayson replied dryly.

Squall grinned sickly. 'Me neither but still what else can we do? It's the quickest way and sometimes we need that.' He said motioning Jayson to a chair.

Jayson stood at the desk ramrod straight. 'I know what this is about, you want me to investigate the murders right?' Jayson told him abruptly looking down at him.

Squall's eyes widened and then he said 'Yes, I guess it was obvious. This is at Seifer's request by the way.'

It was Jayson's turn to be surprised. 'Really?' he asked.

'Yes I spoke to him last night and he felt you'd be the best candidate. He trusts you and knows you would have no grudge against him, neither would you blindly trying to prove his innocence.' Squall told him handing over a file.

'This is what Zell has got so far. The first murder happened five days ago followed by the next the night after. The bodies were discovered three days ago and the rooms were pretty much left as they were found, and closed off.' He continued.

'So I start now huh?' Jayson said softly feeling the weight of the file in his hands.

'Yes, I'm sure you understand the urgency of the matter. I want you to search for any evidence that either proves Seifer's guilt or innocence. Don't just look for things that will prove his innocence, you'll have to be thorough otherwise Garden will not accept the verdict.' Squall told him.

'I know...' Jayson said softly. 'I guess I'd better go read then.' He added and walked out the room.

Jayson still couldn't believe that Seifer had asked for him specifically. He had just assumed that Squall would put him on it because of his position in Garden. He kept the file closed as he walked back to the dormitory, he didn't want to look at it until he got to the privacy of his room although it was still too early for that many people to be up he didn't want to risk it.

He silently entered his room, slowly and carefully closing the door behind him and locking it so not to disturb Meia. He crept to his desk quietly sitting at it as he opened the folder for the first time. He spread the photographs and documents out on the desk and looked at them intently.

He wasn't at all shocked by what he could see in the photographs, which kind of said something about his state of mind. In both cases the girls were laid across their beds, heads hanging limply over the edge so their long dark hair hung down, their eyes left open and lifeless. Blood soaked the covers of their bed and pooled around deep incisions on their body. He read the autopsy report, which suggested a single edged 6-inch blade was responsible. But what caught his eye was the cross like symbol carved into their chests, the blood making it appear red... Seifer's Firecross.

Now the girls were juniors, in the classes below either him or Seifer so it was unlikely that he knew them other than as faces in the crowd and plus there was no evidence of rape so what motive would he have for killing these girls?

Unfortunately there was evidence that Seifer had been in their rooms, strands of his hair were found on the bed and fibres from his jacket were collected from the carpet. But funnily no fingerprints, now surely if Seifer had worn gloves to hide his prints surely he would've thought of ways to keep hair and fibres to himself too? Jayson reasoned with himself.

'How easy would it be to get hair from someone without them knowing?' Jayson thought to himself as he became further immersed in the file.

A hand touched his shoulder breaking him away from the photographs, which he had been staring at for the last five minutes.

'What's that?' Meia asked softly.

Jayson looked up at her. 'It's Seifer's case file.' He told her closing it.

'Why do you have it?' she asked sleepily.

'Squall wants me to investigate.' He told her standing up.

'Why? Can't he let you have a rest?' Meia whined.

'Because I'm probably the only neutral person... others would either be for or against Seifer. Besides who would argue with me after my exam results?' he said grinning at the last comment.

'But what about spending time with me?' Meia said standing before him.

'Well I'm sure Squall wouldn't mind if you helped me.' Jayson replied softly and slid his arms around her waist walking her back over to the bed.