Chapter 10: Angel and Lion

Garden's ballroom was located on the second floor, and served both as an auditorium for gatherings and as the place where celebrations were often held.

Squall walked down the hallway leading into the ballroom, and found himself standing on a balcony overlooking the vast and elegant chamber. Like the rest of Garden, no expense was spared when it came to art and architecture: a pair of staircases, on either side of the balcony, led down to the central dance floor. Two shorter staircases led from the entrance balcony up to the second floor, which overlooked the dance floor. The dance floor itself was brightly lit, and featured a spotless, shining marble floor. On the lower floor, exquisitely designed archways and columns lined the dance floor, leading to many tables and chairs located in the darker and more sheltered area away from the open floor. Like the floor below, the upper level was also darker and more sheltered, and featured a few doors leading to balconies outside the ballroom into the open air, affording a spectacular view of the Garden grounds. Columns of blue light provided illumination on both floors. At the far end of the chamber, on the lower floor, there was a stage where a small rented orchestra played dance waltzes for the celebration. Squall could see many students and SeeDs down below, the men wearing their SeeD uniforms, while most of the ladies wore elegant dresses. Couples were already dancing on the central floor.

Selphie, who had entered with Squall, immediately took off, leaving the new SeeD alone. He surveyed the entire chamber one last time, then looked up to the massive skylight overhead. Actually, it was much less a skylight as much a single domed glass roof, giving one the impression of the heavens floating overhead.

The SeeD made his way down to the dance floor, since it was certainly expected of him to be down there, seeing as how he was among the guests of honor tonight. Squall would have preferred to stay upstairs, or maybe go up to one of the balconies and keep his distance from everyone, but tonight was an exception. After all, he'd just made SeeD- had just passed a critical milestone in his life; he should at least attempt to enjoy it.

He glanced over at the dancers, and circled around the edge of the floor. He didn't have any intention of getting out there and dancing with them. Not that he wasn't a good dancer; he just didn't have a partner, nor did he want to find one.

Squall worked his way towards the buffet tables set up near the stage, nodding in acknowledgement whenever a SeeD or cadet congratulated him. As Squall looked over the food set out for them, he noted the shadow of someone standing behind him was cast onto the table beside him. Squall turned to see Cid Kramer, holding a small plate of food. He was chewing something, then swallowed and smiled at Squall.

"Headmaster," Squall said with a nod to Cid, who returned the nod with a smile.

"Good to see you in uniform," Cid said approvingly as he looked Squall over from head to toe. "We've been expecting to see you in that for some time." Squall just nodded at Cid's statement.

"Thank you, sir," Squall replied. "I have too."

"How does it feel?" Cid asked, setting his plate down. "To be one of Garden's elite?"

"It feels . . ." Squall said, trailing off as he considered it. How did it feel to be a SeeD, finally? He mulled over that for a moment. "It feels good, sir," Squall finally said.

"You've accomplished something," Cid said knowingly. "A long-held goal."

"Yeah," Squall replied with a short nod. He paused for a moment, then recalled the gunblade up in Cid's office, and the headmaster's words. "You said you wanted to talk to me in private?" The older man chuckled and nodded.

"I think you now know why I always wanted one of you two to make SeeD," Cid said. Squall knew precisely who the "other" person Cid was hinting at was. "Kind of silly, really. I was a soldier in Balamb's army, back when an army was needed during the Sorceress War with Esthar. I actually served alongside Zell's grandfather." Squall nodded, knowing the local stories about Gil Dincht and his role in defending Balamb in the face of Estharian aggression.

"Of course, you can guess what weapon I was specialized in at the time," Cid continued. "That gunblade saved my life more times than I can count. It served me well." Cid paused. "But, every time I look at it, I remember the faces and the blood of those that died by it."

"War is war," Squall said with a shrug. "They tried to kill you. They failed." In Squall's eyes, it was as simple as that. Cid seemed to mull over that, and shrugged as well.

"Whatever," Cid quipped, taking a line from Squall. "It's in the past now. This is the present." Cid gestured out towards the party. "And they are the future."

The hell? The future? Squall was confused by Cid's enigmatic words, but before he could ask for clarification from the cryptic man, a tall, white-clad figure approached the pair. For an instant, Squall thought the man was a member of the Faculty, but that was only because of the man's white uniform.

"Headmaster," the man greeted, catching Cid's attention. Both the headmaster and the white-clad man offered each other something resembling a respectful half-bow.

He was tall, slender, with short dark hair. Looking to be in his late twenties, the man wore a creamy white jumpsuit with black boots and gloves, and a white headband around his forehead. A belt around his waist contained several pouches, and - to Squall's surprise - the man wore a pair of bladed tonfas on that belt as well. An armed man, at a party?

The uniform was not unfamiliar to Squall. He had seen the occasional appearance of a man or woman clad in that type of white uniform before, usually talking directly to Cid or Xu about something. Squall had gotten the impression that whoever they were, these white-clad people were important in Garden's hierarchy.

"Trent, it is good to see you here," Cid remarked. "Business?"

"To a degree," Trent replied. "I was here to check on something, and to deliver this to you." Trent handed Cid a small disk. "It contains something very important."

"Thank you," Cid replied, slipping the disk into a pocket. He then gestured to Squall. "Trent, I'd like you to meet the newest and potentially best SeeD we've inducted thus far, Squall Leonhart. And Squall this is Trent, an important associate of Garden."

Trent and Squall sized each other up, and Squall noted the man's perceptive, knowing eyes. The taller man nodded at Squall, who returned the nod, neither speaking; they didn't have to, for they understood one another well enough. From the way Trent carried himself, his grace and discerning eyes, and especially the tonfas on Trent's belt, Squall knew the man was a warrior, likely a SeeD of some capacity, or formerly one. And both men seemed equally disciplined and aware of their sense of duty, and neither man had any use for unnecessary words.

Trent turned back to Cid.

"I must leave now," Trent said with another half-bow. "I still have things to check before I return to my ship. We will be gone by morning."

"Farewell," Cid said with a nod, and with that, Trent turned and left.

"Well," Cid continued, picking up his plate and turning back to Squall. "I would like to ask you to stay around for a little while, enjoy the party. Maybe even take a dance."

Like that would happen, both men knew.

"Of course, sir," Squall said instead. With that, Cid smiled, nodded, and walked off.

Half an hour later, Squall had found a spot where he could keep his distance yet remain visible and obviously attending his party. He was quietly and unobtrusively leaning against a pillar supporting the second floor, watching the dancers idly, while reflecting on everything that had brought him to this moment.

He'd come to Garden at a young age. Squall had never recalled exactly when he had come, except it was at a young age. He didn't remember much of the younger days he had spent here, something he attributed to the intense training he had gone through. At only eleven years of age Squall had begun combat training, first in the hand-to-hand martial arts, then in general weapons training, before moving on to his weapon of choice, the gunblade. All the while he had also learned other critical skills, such as driving, computer operations, tactics, military history, chemistry, biology, and dozens of other skills.

And during that time, Squall had been among the best, rivaled only by Seifer Almasy. Seifer was there, right now, Squall saw, on the opposite side of the ballroom. The arrogant cadet was standing in one of the columns of light in the darker areas underneath the balcony ringing the chamber. He was still wearing his white coat, and seemed to be talking to Headmaster Cid about something. Both seemed to have serious expressions on their faces. Seifer gestured out with a hand, indicating the whole ballroom, to which Cid looked out, as if scanning for something. Cid must not have found whatever Seifer was gesturing towards, and turned back with a shrug.

Squall himself shrugged as well, internally. Whatever they were speaking of didn't matter. Even now, Seifer didn't matter. Now that Squall was a SeeD, he had proven himself better than Seifer, and the larger, older cadet seemed to accept that fact, judging by the way he had congratulated Squall a couple of hours ago.

As Squall looked away from Seifer and Cid, he spotted Zell, resplendent in his uniform. The martial artist had spent most of the night talking, recounting his exploits in the battle in Dollet, and also dancing. Squall had noted that Zell was most often taking dances with the girl who ran the front desk in the Library. That wasn't surprising, considering the two were a bit of an item around Garden. Even though Squall deliberately distanced himself from the rumor mill, he still couldn't help but catch the occasional tidbit.

At the moment, the martial artist was working his way through the dance floor crowd, and as he broke free, Zell spotted Squall, standing alone. The martial artist grinned and made for Squall with a shout of "Yo!" to alert his fellow SeeD.

"Heh-heh," Zell laughed as he approached. "S'up, Squall? I guess we're both SeeDs now, huh?" Squall nodded at his greeting, but said nothing in reply to Zell's statement of the blatantly obvious. Even as Squall watched, Zell wiped his hand off on his pant leg and stuck it forward. "Put it there, man."

Squall just looked down at the hand, glanced back up at Zell, and looked away, taking a sip of his champagne. Zell got the hint.

"Hah, even as a SeeD, you're still the same," Zell remarked. "Well, that's typical of you. I gotta get back to our party, and you should too, man!" Squall did turn his gaze back to Zell at that, his expression telling of the likelihood of that happening. "Well, see ya," Zell finished, waving his hand and walking off. Squall just nodded as Zell left.

A moment later, Squall thought he heard Selphie saying something to Zell about him joining the Garden Festival Committee. Squall, slightly curious, turned his head in time to see Selphie, looking disappointed, and Zell, who was rapidly moving away from the tiny SeeD. Selphie sighed, and looked around. He green eyes spotted Squall, standing alone and looking at her curiously, and it was at that moment that he realized that he was her next target. Selphie turned towards Squall and approached, locking onto him and approaching with a single-minded intent that matched that of the Galbadian spider machine from a few hours ago.

"Squall! Hi!" she called innocently as she approached. "Wanna join the Garden Festival Committee?" Squall blinked in surprise at what Selphie had just asked.

The tiny SeeD was indeed part of the Festival Committee. In fact, she was the head of the committee, and also filled in all the other roles of the Committee as well. That tended to happen when one was the only member. Squall had heard that Selphie had totally revamped the online Festival Committee site on the Garden's networks, and had more or less turned it into her own personal site, including a public, online journal. Now, it seemed, Selphie was on a recruiting drive for more members. Under normal circumstances, Squall would have just blown her off then and there. However, this was Selphie, with her endearing and innocent attitude that even Squall had a hard time refusing.

"You can help out whenever you have time," Selphie added. "I could use the help. Please?" If it were possible, Selphie seemed even more innocent and endearing now than she had a moment before. And, admittedly, Selphie was really hurting for the help. After all, she was asking for help from Squall, of all people. And Squall, while cool and aloof, was not exactly uncaring about others. He wasn't Seifer, after all.

"Sure," Squall said, not sure what he was probably getting himself into. "You seem to be putting a lot of effort into this."

"Really?!" Selphie responded, sounding surprised. "Whoo-hoo! Thank you! I know we'll be busy with lots of SeeD stuff, but let's work hard on the Garden Festival too." Selphie turned around, scanning the area for anymore potential helpers/victims. She locked onto a nearby cadet who happened to be passing nearby. "Thanks, Squall. Bye!" Selphie called over her shoulder as she chased after the cadet. "'S'cuse me! Hey, you there!"

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Another half-hour passed and Squall was feeling a bit less uncomfortable. Maybe it had something to do with the champagne, but he felt slightly looser now. He watched the dancers with a certain degree of comfort, which was unusual for Squall Leonhart in any situation involving more than four people in an enclosed area.

"Never thought I'd see you wearing that before me," called a voice to Squall's left. He didn't bother looking over at Seifer; in fact, Squall showed no response at all. Seifer, in typical fashion, sauntered over beside Squall, and stood there, arms crossed and with a strange smile on his face. Almost . . . approving?

"Not bad, Squall," Seifer said in congratulations. "Don't get too comfy, I expect you to be attending my ball next year."

Hell would freeze over first, Squall thought to that.

"Heh, its not like it really matters anyway," Seifer added, continuing the one-sided conversation. "SeeD's not that important in the grand scheme of things."

At that statement, Squall did turn his head towards Seifer, a curious look on his face at his rival's remark.

"SeeD's just a stepping stone, Squall," Seifer stated. "A way to get respect. Respect, and fear."

"Fear?"

"Yeah," Seifer replied, nodding, with a vicious grin on his face. "I'm not like all these other fools," Seifer stated, gesturing out towards the crowd. "They want to be SeeDs for the money, or the adventure. I'm in it for the reputation. For the respect and the recognition.

"You see, Squall," he continued. "We're frightening. No one messes with SeeD, because everyone knows that SeeDs are the most dangerous enemy you could ask for. When the Galbadians were out there, fighting us today, they were afraid. Afraid of us, because they knew what we were. They take one look at that uniform, and their knees begin shaking, because they've heard of you, they know about you, and they are afraid because of that."

"And fear," Squall stated, realizing Seifer's reasoning, "gets you killed." it was understandable. Squall deliberately did not allow himself to fear anything at all, because fear paralyzes a warrior.

"A trembling hand does not thrust the blade true," Seifer quoted a famous line from a Galbadian tactical manual. "It's an edge, Squall, an edge I intend to exploit. And SeeD will give me that edge. They'll know I was a SeeD, and they will know through that that I am an enemy not to be trifled with."

"They?" Squall asked, confused.

"The enemy," Seifer replied, as if it were obvious. "There will always be an enemy, Squall. Something to put your blade against. Fear tilts the odds more in my favor," Seifer grinned, conviction and determination apparent on his face. "One more thing to put me in line to be the best, and to fulfill my dream . . ."

Seifer turned away, looking up into the skylight overhead.

"My dream . . ." Seifer added. "My fantasy . . . To be remembered for all time, as the greatest swordsman ever to walk the earth! I will etch my name into history, Squall! Hundreds and thousands of years from now I will be remembered and spoken of . . . ." Seifer turned back to Squall, and once more gestured to the crowd. "Unlike these dreamless fools." And with that, Seifer strode off, not looking back.

Squall watched him go, surprised at Seifer's revelation to him, and considering its meaning. The best? Quite a lofty goal, it seemed, and one that certainly explained his desire to outdo anyone else, particularly Squall. And the fact that Seifer was using SeeD for its reputation more than any other benefit it could grant was a surprise as well.

As Seifer's white trenchcoat disappeared, Squall thought of his rival in a new light, and thought that he might, just might, understand his rival's viewpoint on these matters. Not making SeeD was bad enough for someone with aspirations for money or excitement. But if Seifer never made it, but Squall did . . . how would that reflect on Seifer's reputation? That he could never be better than Squall would be a stain on the reputation, a burr on the sharpened edge Seifer hoped to exploit. The simple fact that someone was better than him out there, would make Seifer's foes a little less afraid of the ambitious fighter.

And that could be fatal, to either Seifer or his dreams.

The blonde cadet passed out of sight then, and Squall shook his head. Taking another sip on his glass, he looked back out at the dancers.

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Another hour passed. The occasional SeeD or cadet would wander by and congratulate Squall, but on the whole, he was left alone. The champagne had vanished, to be replaced by another full glass, which even now was only halfway full. The alcohol had loosened up the new SeeD somewhat, to the point where he was feeling something resembling a relaxed state.

He grew tired of watching the dancers, who now were thinning out somewhat. Squall glanced around the ballroom, spotting Zell by the buffet table, stuffing hotdogs into his mouth. Selphie, in the meantime, was continuing her search (a fruitless one, it turned out) to recruit more Festival Committee members. Seifer was nowhere to be seen.

Taking another sip of his champagne, Squall looked up to the second floor, at the SeeDs and cadets wandering around up there. His neck craned up further, up towards the ceiling, and the glass rooftop overhead.

Squall watched the stars in the night sky for a moment, then noticed as one of those stars flew across the heavens. A meteorite, Squall realized. The fallen star crossed the heavens and disappeared past the edge of the glass roof, passing out of view.

At the lower edge of his vision, Squall spotted someone else looking up at the star as well. He glanced down, to see a girl, about his own age, standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. She looked down from the shooting star and glanced his way, then pointed up at the roof, as if to say "You were looking at that too?"

Squall cocked his head to the side, a bit confused. An instant later, as the girl started walking towards him, Squall suddenly realized that his confused gesture could just as easily have been interpreted as a sign of intrigue and interest.

Squall's mind suddenly raced at the realization, even as the girl's features began to register. She was slender and petite, with long, dark hair that dropped past her shoulders, with a few blonde streaks running through her hair as well. She was downright beautiful, more than many, if not all, of the other girls in the room. She wore a stunning white dress that almost glowed in the ballroom's light, and accentuated the curves of her shapely body. Squall couldn't help but notice that the dress was rather short, exposing her long legs, which carried her gracefully across the dance floor. Around her neck she wore a slender silver chain with a silver ring on it.

As she came closer, Squall found himself looking into her deep brown eyes, eyes that were lit with curiosity and interest. She cocked her head to the side, and smiled, and expression that made this girl seem even more beautiful.

Squall couldn't help the fact that he was a male, and this girl's lovely features and nearly flawless grace and movements had definitely caught his rapt attention. Despite himself, his heart was beating faster as the girl looked him over. That smile, in particular, was affecting Squall.

"You're the best looking guy here," she finally said, still wearing her intoxicating smile. Her voice was soft, yet playful and interested. An instant before she spoke the next words, Squall realized what she was going to ask.

"Dance with me?" she asked hopefully.

Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she had Squall's attention. And yes, Squall was intrigued and interested by this mystery girl. But Squall was still Squall, and he did not like the idea of stepping out onto the dance floor with a complete stranger in a public place with dozens and dozens of observers, many of whom knew all about Squall's antisocial tendencies. If Squall took this dance, he might end up having a small horde of female SeeDs and cadets lining up to ask the Garden's "dream boy" out on the floor too.

So, instead of responding verbally, Squall just took a sip of his champagne and looked over at a distant metal statue featuring the Garden emblem on its face. The girl, undeterred by Squall's silent refusal, continued.

"Let me guess," she began. "You'll only dance with someone you like? Okay, then . . ." She suddenly stepped closer, raising a hand in front of her face. Squall, startled, turned back towards her right as she spoke again.

"Look into my eyes," she said as she twirled her hand in front of Squall's face. "You-are-going-to-like-me. You-are-going-to-like-me . . . ." She chanted like some hypnotist, all the while smiling jokingly. "Did it work?" she asked a moment later.

Perhaps the champagne had loosened Squall up somewhat, or maybe it was just this girl's demeanor, but Squall, surprising himself, chuckled at the "hypnosis." He did look into the girl's hopeful eyes, and then shrugged. He almost wanted to go out there with her now. Maybe, if no one had been watching and they were alone, perhaps he would have actually taken her up on the offer.

"I can't dance," he lied, still trying to avoid getting out on the floor. The words sounded somewhat pathetic, but it was all he could come up with. If she knew anything about SeeD (she certainly wasn't a cadet or SeeD, for Squall would have recognized her) she might know SeeDs took dance and etiquette lessons for the purposes of covert operations.

"You'll be fine," the girl said with another smile as she reached out and grabbed Squall's free hand. Her tone told Squall that she didn't believe his statement on dancing skills. "I'm looking for someone. I can't be out on the dance floor alone," she added as she pulled on Squall's arm.

Even without junctions, Squall was more than strong enough to keep leaning against the pillar without even being budged by the slender girl's pull. But again, Squall was still Squall, and he was a reasonably nice person, so he decided to humor the girl. He'd get out on the floor, and really show her how he "couldn't" dance, then excuse himself. But, in order to keep all the other girls eager to dance with him away, Squall decided he needed to make it look like he never wanted to be out there to begin with.

What resulted was a rather comical image as Squall allowed himself to be dragged out onto the dance floor, an expression of surprise on his face as he handed off his champagne glass to a more genuinely surprised SeeD passing by.

The girl stopped in the center of the floor, right out in everyone's line of sight. She spun back on Squall and then took up his left hand in her right, and put his right on her left waist. Squall knew the positions perfectly, but he deliberately made himself seem hesitant and unsure. Taking the bait, the girl began to lead into the dance.

Show time, Squall thought as he began to move his feet clumsily across the floor. After a few awkward steps, the girl took a step back, and Squall, knowing he was supposed to follow her, instead let her pull him in. He shifted his weight forward, making him slightly off-balance, causing the two to impact clumsily.

Squall looked around, trying to appear as if he was confused and embarrassed. The black-haired girl was undeterred, however, and replaced Squall's hands. They resumed the clumsy dance, and as the girl spun away and pulled Squall after him, the SeeD came crashing into her, almost knocking her over.

Taking that as a sufficient excuse to get out of there, and to deter anyone else from attempting to dance with him, Squall stepped away with a shake of his head. But the girl wasn't about to let him get away that easily, and grabbed his hand and dragged him back into the dance.

"Oh no you don't!" she whispered as they resumed the dance. Squall, once more, danced like a buffoon as the girl tried to perform a series of graceful turns around him. With all the other dancers out there, it didn't take long before the pair ended up crashing into a pair of dancing SeeDs.

Squall glanced over in feigned surprise, though in reality he had deliberately danced into the pair's path. He recognized the male partner as being Nee or whatever his name was, the other new SeeD.

"Hey, man! Watch it!" Nee complained at Squall, who only shrugged. The girl, on the other hand, stuck her tongue out at Nee and then turned back to Squall. She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"I know you're a better dancer than this," she said quietly, and Squall realized that she had known he was lying all along. He shrugged, and then nodded, and even as a new song began to play he grasped her hand and assumed the proper pose for this dance.

The two lost themselves in the dance, the motions and steps coming easily and naturally to Squall and the girl. They stepped, they spun, they waltzed and danced freely throughout the song. Squall was caught up in the movements, and entrapped by this beautiful girl's seemingly effortless spell. As the music reached its crescendo, they spun away from one another, and then came in close.

This time, Squall did not overbalance and nearly take her down. Instead, he brought her in close to him, and was about to step into a closer, more intimate dance, when the lights began to dim.The darker light cast a newer, softer look on her face. Squall had only very rarely ever held a girl this close to him before, and that was mostly in the dance classes he'd taken. In those cases, he had been uncomfortable but had stoically accepted the girl's presence. But in this case, he didn't mind her being so close. Perhaps it was her beauty and grace, but it was probably also due to the champagne he'd been imbibing earlier. Whatever the reason, he didn't mind.

Then, the girl's features were lit by multi-colored lights flashing down through the skylight above. Squall glanced up to see fireworks being set off in the night sky, accompanied by the clapping of many of the assembled cadets and SeeDs. He watched the light show above, and felt an unusual peace wash over him.

The girl in front of Squall shifted, and he glanced down at her in confusion as she looked at something over his shoulder. Suddenly, she stepped away, smiling at him.

"Thanks for the dance," she whispered as she moved around him and walked off towards a group of people in the sheltered area beneath the second floor. Squall watched her leave, surprised and a bit confused by her sudden departure. He felt a mixture of feelings, none that he thought he would have felt in that situation. instead of being relieved she had left him alone, Squall almost wanted to spend more time with her, and felt . . . disappointment?

Don't kid yourself, Leonhart, he thought. This is precisely the reason why he didn't get close to anyone, so that he wouldn't feel bad when they left. And they would always eventually leave. He still recalled how pained he was when he'd been abandoned by someone very close to him long ago. He couldn't remember the face or circumstances surrounding the person, but the pain and sadness were still there.

She was long gone now, the unnamed angel vanishing just as suddenly as she had appeared, and now Squall was alone in the middle of the dance floor. He looked around at all the dancers and celebrating people, and suddenly felt the need to get out of that room.