Love Aftermath

By Misaki Sakura

Chapter Two

/Squall's POV/

Still, I don't have any inclination in meeting him at the Secret Area. What's the point of a Secret Area anyway when all of the students definitely know where it is? And Seifer wants them to listen to anything he wants to say to me? He can humiliate himself in any way he wants but not me. No. He'll do something about this though.

I walk past the students ... crowd. Since Seifer's so-called confession on the vid's screen in the classroom, my classmates have been giving me odd looks. Not that I care much though. I never care about anything as long as it has no effect in my tests. I want to be a SeeD as soon as possible and if I can pass these tests, Quistis is more than willing to let me join the Seed test this year. So it's me or Seifer to become a SeeD this year and either way, we'll rarely meet each other. That's what I want.

I sit at my desk when I see the screen's beeping. An e-mail, from ... Seifer Almasy. Simple, short but full of threat, at least for me.

I give you one minute, starting from the time you read this mail that you will answer me that you'll meet me at the Secret Area ... or else ...

Seifer Almasy

Try to threaten me, huh, Seifer? It doesn't take me more than thirty seconds to send him the answer :

Forget it, Almasy. If you want to fight me, just come right ahead. Don't do this kind of crap. I told you it's not funny! And the answer is no!

Squall

Soon after it's sent, I receive an e-mail, from him :

Fine then. Don't blame me now, Squally-boy, but I'm not a man who can take 'no' as an answer.

Seifer Almasy

Why does he have to write his full name? I've known him long enough to remember that. The next thing is what I don't expect. Suddenly all of the computers start to beep and right on the screen is Seifer's words, just like the day before, with addition, 'You'll be sorry if you don't. Don't tell me I didn't warn you.' I feel the urge to dig a hole and bury myself in it, or better, find Seifer and kill him, at least knock some senses into his head. I know my face is very red by now.

Quistis, from her desk in front of the class, says with a stern voice yet I can hear amusement in her voice, "Squall, do something to this pig-headed boy to shut him up."

I'm going to shut him up alright.

/Seifer's POV/

"Do you think he'll come and meet me tonight?" I ask Fuujin.

"MAYBE"

"But if he doesn't ... then I'll have to come up with another way to make him see I am serious."

I can't believe I'm nervous, as if I'm a school who has just gotten a date with the popular girl at school. In this case, it's Squall. He's not that popular and he definitely isn't a girl. What am I thinking?!

"TIME"

I glance at my watch and nod. "Okay, see you tomorrow. You too, Rai." I say to Raijin who is too busy eating his meal. He nods at me and returns his attention back to his meal.

Slowly, I step inside the Training Center, hand firmly grips Hyperion. The path to the Secret Area is really long to me now. Somehow I get this feeling that he's going to come.

"You're late." Says the slender body, hidden behind the tree.

"What do you mean I'm late?" I ask spontaneously.

"It's 1935 now. You're five minutes late." He says grumpily.

"Oh, and that's what a guy who has made me waited four nights in a row says?!" me and my sarcastic reply. I can't stop myself. Dammit, even at a time as important as this. I finally manage to make Squall comes here. Shut up, shut up!

He sighs. "I don't come here to fight you." I try to find the meaning behind his words cause I'm sure one of his hand is clutching his gunblade right now. "You want to talk to me, so talk."

"Damn right I want to talk to you. Now ..." what do I have to say?! 'Squall, I love you since we're kids.' Aw, that's lame. 'Squall, after all these years we've been through ...' Hello! No way I'm going to say things like that!

Squall starts to tap his feet in annoyance. I stare at him, still figuring out what to say. In front of him, it seems that all the words that have flown into my head before, have lost. I, the lady's man, can't find the words to express my feelings to him. What an irony. Well, that's besides the point that Squall is not a lady or a girl or ... you get my point.

Finally, he loses his patient. "Seifer, what do you want to say?!"

"Well, it definitely amazes me that you can be this patient." I say sarcastically.

"If I want you to shut up, I have to listen to anything you want to say, don't I?" he sighs.

"Actually, Squally dear ... I won't shut up until you become my lover." I guess I can't stop being a bully. Not the best way to tell this to him. Sue me.

"You're insane." He shakes his head in disbelieve. "Just tell me the truth. What do you want so we can get this over with?"

"You." I grab his hand when he doesn't notice and hold him tight before claiming his lips with mine. Sweet. I never thought he could be this sweet, not to mention warm. He gasps and struggles to escape my arms but who is he kidding? I'm stronger than him and he knows it. The struggle ceases, but I don't loosen my grip on him.

His body starts to relax in my arms. I continue ravishing his mouth until ...

"Ouch!" I release him instantly and bring my hand to wipe the blood from my lip. "You bit me!"

Squall doesn't say anything as he pulls out his Revolver. So he wants a fight, huh? I spit the blood to the ground and hold my Hyperion up. "If this is what you want, this is what you get."

/Squall's POV/

I am writing a letter for my parents when I hear someone knocks on my door. I peer out to see Quistis holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"Squall, I just come to say ... What happened to you?!" she shouts and comes into my room without waiting for an invitation. I know she notices my bruises. Well, several on my face and my body. Seifer was really serious about beating me up last night.

"Nothing."

"This can't be 'nothing'! It has to be 'something'! Squall, did you fight with Seifer last night?!" She says from inside the bathroom.

"Who else?"

She walks out, holding a damp towel and presses it against my cheek. "He did this to you?!"

I nod. I don't want to talk about this anymore. It hurts me deeply with a force that I, somewhat, know. Fear ... but fear of what? Changing the subject, I ask, "So what do you come here for?"

She hands me the paper which she put earlier on the table when she went to get me the towel. "The results of your SeeD pre-exam. I want to tell you that you can join the SeeD exam this year ... by the end of this month which means ..."

"Next week. I understand. Thank you, Instructor."

"You're welcome. But there's another. It also means that you're going to be in the same class with Seifer and his cohorts for the week."

That I haven't thought of. Of course I'll be in the same class with him. There's always a preparation class before the exam and Seifer is in it too. At least it's only for a week and I'll be gone for good from there ... if I pass.

I nod at this. "I don't want you to make a fight with him in the class, okay?"

"Tell that to Seifer." I snort at the question. She said that as if we're only children.

She smiles at my answer. Standing up, she says, "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's another student I need to visit."

/Seifer's POV/

I am stupid, idiot, a moron, whatever you want to call me. I ruined the only chance that I probably had. I fucked up. Now what am I supposed to do? Do you think he'll be willingly come again the next time I ask him to? Hardly. I'll be very glad if he doesn't shove his gunblade down my throat.

Maybe my ears are not as good as Rinoa's Angelo but I can hear the stomping down the hallway ... which stops in front of my door. I have a bad feeling about this and it feels greater when I hear banging ensues.

"Seifer, open up!"

It's Quistis. Okay, I correct what I've said earlier. I have a really bad feeling about this. You don't see Quistis stomps down the hallway and bangs someone's door like that everyday.

"Seifer!" the banging becomes more fervent.

"I'm coming." Fortunately my roommate isn't here. If he were here, he'd about to listen the graceful Instructor Trepe yells her lungs out at me, and he's going to get a heart attack.

As I open the door, she storms in and slaps me once. "Hey, what's that for?!"

"That's for your stupidity. You said that you want to talk to him, not beating him up!!"

Okay, I know where this conversation leads. "He told you?" that, I can't believe.

"No, but I'd be damned if I didn't see the bruises on his face. I bet they're not the only ones."

"How about me?!" Yeah, I received lots of that too.

She gives me the you-know-you-deserve-that look. I glare back at her but to no avail. I bet she must've practiced that from Squall. "I don't help you so you get the chance to beat him up, Seifer!"

"I didn't mean that!! I was going to confess to him but ..."

"But what?" She taps her foot, one hand on her hip.

I can't answer that. What am I going to say? I, the Great Seifer Almasy couldn't find my tongue in front of Squall, my childhood rival? Yeah, right. But she'll know that anyway.

"You're ... scared, weren't you, Seifer?"

"Scared of him? No! Nothing scares me."

"Well, he does scare you."

"And what exactly makes you get into that conclusion?" I ask grumpily.

"You're scared that he'll reject you."

"I know nothing about rejection." I say smugly. Yes, that's right. No girls ever rejected me before, even Quistis herself, though she knew that she couldn't date a student. Actually, I wasn't her student. Squall is.

But deep inside, I know I was rejected ... by my parents. Yeah, maybe they're dead and I'm pretty sure they are. It's all because of that damn Sorceress War. But that's besides that point.

"Seifer ...," she sighs, "I know he's scared too. He's rejected by his parents and though he knows the truth now, he's still scared that someone's going to break his heart again."

"What do you mean?"

"He'll tell you when he wants. I can't. Anyway, you're going to be in the same class with him for the week until the SeeD exam. Don't pick any fight with him, Seifer."

"I know. Tell that to him."

She smiles. "That's exactly what he said when I told him that."

He is quiet, awfully quiet compared to the Chicken and his boyfriend. Yes, the three of them manage to pass the pre-exam and now they're here, with Squall sitting right beside me. He made a face when Instructor Lauren asked him to sit beside me, but there was no other place to sit. Hey, that's my luck. I love myself.

Still, that doesn't mean that it's going to make this easy to make up to him. I mean, he doesn't want to look at me, let alone talking to me. He doesn't even open his mouth the whole lessons! Hyne, I never met a person this quiet. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's mourning something.

It amazes me though that he can blend with Zell and Irvine. Well, not that I have grudges against them it's just ... I told you, didn't I? Jealousy ... funny. I never saw myself as a jealous type. Guess I'm going to have new founds sooner or later. Hope I won't have a heart attack, cause I can't find things to be more shocking than my feelings for Squall ... besides about Raijin and Fuujin, you get my point.

I didn't pay attention to what Instructor Lauren said the whole time, means the whole week, and that results in me getting an extra hour in the class, plus a very long lecture about the importance of hearing her for the exam tomorrow. As if her talk about what Fastitocalon eats has anything to do with our SeeD exam. Anyway, I can't help myself to get my eyes off of Squall. Blame her for setting his seat beside mine.

And here I am, alone in the class doing something as stupid as 'writing a full paper essay about Wendigo's whereabouts and their choice of habitat'. I stare at the screen in front of me. A full paper? I barely know what to write as I reach half of the paper. I cross my hands on the desk and put my head on, with my eyes closed.

That's when I hear the door slides open and a loud cry's heard. Rinoa. "Seifer, I finally find you!!!!"

Oh, Hyne, anything but that. I think I've told her that we're over so what is she doing here?! I don't hesitate telling her what I feel. "Rinoa, what are you doing here?!"

"Seifer, I know you didn't mean what you say and that you regret the things you've said to me!" she slings her arms around my neck. I let go of her hand and ask her to sit at Squall's desk. The last thing I need now is for her to throw a crying fit here.

"Rinoa, I am serious about what I said. We're over. You're pretty and many guys love you." Crap, crap, crap. Am I a good liar or what?

She nods her head. "But all I want is you!"

"We can't always have what we want, Rin." And who exactly I said them to? Me or her?

"I love you, Seifer." She slams her body to mine, sending us both to the floor. I restrain myself from throwing her and yelling at her since, well, she is sobbing and a crying spoilt princess is not a good thing, I assure you.

Okay, I told you the last thing I need is for her to cry her lungs out but I need to correct that. The last thing I need is for Squall to walk in on us in this position. Shit!

And there he stands by the door, one hand holding the books close to his chest. He gives me an odd look, then at Rinoa. Mumbling "Sorry", he turns on his heel and get out of the class as quiet as he came.

This time I have no hesitation. I throw her aside and run after Squall. For a guy who's so calm, he walks really fast. I can't see him anywhere, but I know Squall has no place to go and Balamb Garden is not that big. I'd better check on the dorm.

I knock on the door. Nida is the one who opens it. "Hey, did you see Squall?"

He blinks then nods. "He's in his room." He says and walks out, probably to see Selphie 'cause I see that girl bouncing around down the second floor's hallway. As if she needs a reason to bounce around like that.

I knock softly on Squall's bedroom's door. No answer but I hear something sounds suspiciously like sniffling then the door's opened. I'm sure he didn't expect it to be me since he's so shocked and quickly slam the button to close the door. Luckily, I successfully step in his room before the door closes in on me.

"Did you try to kill me or something?!"

"I never invited you to come in." he answers, avoiding my gaze.

"Look, Squall, that's a mistake."

"What? Not inviting you in?"

Is he trying to joke there? Oh, Squall Leonhart never jokes. If he does, hell will freeze forever. "No. That ... scene with Rinoa."

"That's none of my business." He replies curtly. Now that he's facing me, I can see his eyes flare at the mention of her name. I take that that he still can't forget Rinoa. Now I start to hate her too. Why does a girl like her can get Squall's attention when he rejects me all the time?! Well, I know I'm his rival and his bully but that's besides that point!

"Get out."

"Squall, I can explain."

"I don't need your explanation. I'm not your lover. She is."

So he isn't upset at me on Rinoa's behalf. "Squall, I won't get out until you give me the chance to explain everything!"

"Seifer, which part of 'get out' do you not understand?" he asks, arms crossed over his chest.

Will I give up and get out like he says? No way! I never take order and I won't now. "She is not my lover. I've broken up with her."

"Whatever. I don't need to hear it. Now, get out."

I try to say something but it's no use. Suddenly he sounds very tired, so I have to hang my head in defeat. "I'll leave it for now but we'll talk later, Squall." With that, I step out of his room to yell at a certain princess.

/Squall's POV/

I'm not his lover, I said that myself. So why do I act like a jealous one? Fine, it's no surprise that Seifer's only joking about all that crap about liking me, and again I said that myself. I've heard that he's broken up with Rinoa from Irvine and that she's been trying to get Seifer back. But that's none of my business, right?

I start to hate myself, and why? Because my mind and my heart start to say different things. It's not that they used to say the same things, it's just that usually my act isn't based on how I feel but on how I think. Now, it seems that my feelings have bigger role in me and I don't like that. Especially when it's about Seifer.

Why did I ever think of helping him in his essay? I don't know why this idea struck me but it did and I found myself walking down the hallway to the classroom, clutching my notes about Wendigo. Great, and what did I get? Seifer on the floor with Rinoa lying on top of him. Guess he didn't need any help from the beginning so why did I even bother? Maybe because tomorrow is the exam and I don't want him staying in the Garden just because he doesn't make the essay. Dammit!

Shit! I have to concentrate for the exam. I can't let Seifer messes my mind and my life forever. I won't believe him. Broken up, huh? If they did, Rinoa wouldn't be there with him. Does that matter? Now, I'm really acting like a jealous lover. It's his business, not mine. Just because he said that he loved me doesn't mean that he's serious. He has said that to more than the girls I've ever known in this Garden so why believing him now? I don't know. What I know is it hurts deeply and I won't let him do this to me ever again.

/Seifer's POV/

"So you messed it up ... again." Quistis shakes her head in disbelief. We're in her classroom after I shooed Rinoa. Of course I've finished my essay and handed it in to Instructor Lauren. The only person I can talk to about this is Quistis.

"It's not totally my fault. Where's the Garden Security? They're not supposed to let her in."

"As far as I'm concerned, Rinoa means no danger so there's no reason why she can't come in. Anyhow, you have to explain this to Squall." She continues typing her report and doesn't even lift her head to look at me but I know she's paying attention to what I say.

"Don't you think I've tried?! He kicked me out of his room!! ... Not literally, of course."

She smiles. "Of course he did. I'd do that too if I were him. Now back to the problem at hand, do you think he'll ever trust you after this?"

"Yeah, just when I get some progress with him-"

"I hardly call that a progress." She mutters.

Ignoring her, I continue, "Rinoa had to come and spoil it all."

"What did you do to her?"

"I drag her to Balamb after yelling at her along the way there and throw her into the train that takes her to Timber. And she owes me 300 Gil for that." I cross my feet on one of the desk in front of Quistis'. She frowns at me.

"Seifer, your feet."

Smirking, I lower my feet. "So, what to do now?"

She shrugs. "Make up to him ... you think of the way."

"Help me, Quisty." I try my best to persuade her. Not a difficult task since I know she's not immune to my puppy look and above all, she wants Squall's happiness and somehow I manage to make her believe that his happiness is to be with me ... or sorta.

She sighs. "Seifer, Matron and I have helped you to get Squall's room's code, access to the teacher's screen and the whole class' desks. I don't think I can help you more. If you want me to help you explaining this to Squall, he'll find out that I'm helping you and I'm sure he'll never talk to me again."

"No, not that. Just this once. Please, Quisty." Hell, I'll kneel before her if it calls for it.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Simple. Listen ..."

TBC

A/N : The second chapter! Sorry it took me so long to update this one. I'll explain about Squall's parents later in Squall's POV. Hope you're not confused and R&R please!