See first page for details.

A Fate Worse Than Death

Chapter 3

Seifer:

            Turned out I was right about the drugs. As soon as Squall had smiled, I almost dropped him, but it was nothing compared to what came next. He blinked sleepily a few times, and I felt something curl around my waist.

Instinct kicked in, trained by long fights against Grats, and I spun around to face…nothing.

            Creepy. The pressure around my waist still remained, though, and I looked down, feeling sick.

            Squall's arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, and he was burying his head in my stomach, squeezing tight enough to cause my breath to hitch. Then I started freaking out.

            "Leonhart, just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" No answer, and I began to walk to our (Hyne, I hated that word) new dorm. "Leonhart!" I tried to shake him loose, casting panicked looks around myself to make sure no one was around. The last thing I needed was Raj and Fuj to think I was dating Ice Prince. My reputation as having standards would be shot.

            I rounded a corner, relieved to find that no one was in sight, and sprinted the last few yards, punching in my access code and falling through the door. Breathing as if I was the one with the Doom spell on me, I leaned back against the metal panel as soon and it slid silently shut.

            "Sis," Squall's voice was soft and happy as his arms tightened, and I wheezed. The idiot didn't know his own strength. Wait…'Sis'? That explained it, then. I felt immediately relieved, and a bit disappointed for loss of blackmail, and started to walk towards the bed. Pressure around my waist disappeared, and suddenly I was carrying dead weight. I dropped the Lion in shock.

            I wasn't surprised when, like any cat, he landed on his feet. His eyes were that weird blue again, colder than the normal blue-grey, and the air felt significantly colder. I shivered.

            "What in Shiva's name do you think you're doing, Almasy?" He spat, "I can walk by myself." I blinked. Only Squall would swear to Shiva, his personal favorite GF. I remembered the instructors talking the day we all tested for junctions; talking about the boy Squall Leonhart and how the Ice Queen, the Guardian who was so picky she hadn't been ever been junctioned as far as anyone could recall, had settled into his mind with such complete compatibility that she couldn't be removed. I'd thought it was perfectly fitting; Ice Queen to guard the Ice Prince. Squall was glaring at me, though, and I was shaken out of my depressingly Leonhart-like silence, returning his glare look for look. He seemed unfazed. Bastard.

            "What is it with you and Shiva?" I asked him, ignoring his own question. He scowled, and started to walk off before he remembered the spell, stopping exactly five feet away from me and turning so that I stared at his back. I smirked; two could play that game, and took a step back. The small tug pulled at my mind again, but it was nothing compared to Squall's reaction.

            He immediately choked, and his hands flew to his throat, before he was thrown off balance and took a step back, putting himself once more within range.

I took another step back, and his reaction was faster this time; only a slight hiccup before he turned to face me, taking a step forward.

Squall:

            I hated him. Hated him more than anything. He took another step back, that infuriatingly arrogant grin on his face, and I once again briefly considered dying right there, and getting him in serious trouble. But the pain wasn't worth it, and resurrection would be impossible, resulting in this exact same situation, but worse. Seifer would hate me more.

            I sighed inwardly, bowing my head so that I didn't have to look at him, and took another step forward. I could breathe again.

            It only lasted a moment, though, before Seifer, in all his fucking ass-hole-ness, took another step back. My throat closed. Another step forward. It only took me a few minutes to get into the rhythm, and I let memory take over, stepping at the exact moment he did, my eyes on the floor.

            Shiva smiled at me through the crystalline wall, ice-cold and deadly beautiful. Both hands were resting against mine, now, and she spoke. I couldn't hear her, not in a physical way, but somehow I got the impression of words and images, and she always managed to convey her thoughts.

            Little Lion, like a blast of freezing air, like wind howling and icicles cracking and the small crystal bells of winter, I am here. I will always be here. I cannot allow myself to leave; not when one needs me so. I bristled in my mind, hands curling on the ice.

            I do not need anyone. I told her, I can survive by myself, if I have to. I have always been alone. She sighed like wind through frozen trees, lips curling in a soft blue smile.

            I took a step forward.

            You need me, she insisted, like you need him. We remind you to live. We balance you, give you peace and emotion, strength and ambition. We are all that keep you in this world. You will never be without us. We are always here, when you fall. I blinked at her, head falling forward to rest against the ice.

            I hate him. I would rather die than be near him. I love you, though. You remind me of…of Sis. I may need you, but not him. I want to kill him. It didn't help to scream at Shiva. I'd done it before, and she had walked away, hidden in my mind for days. It was then that I'd first met Dr. Kadowaki, and she had become my own personal counselor, someone I could talk to on the rare occasion that I had to talk.

            Another step, mirroring Seifer, who didn't seem to notice I was no longer paying attention to him.

            You need him, Shiva assured me, he makes you feel. He is the reason you care about anything. You hate him, are driven to beat him. He keeps you going when you fall. You don't want to lose to him. If you did kill him, what would you do? And then she was gone, before I could agree or disagree, and I opened my eyes.

            Seifer was less than a foot from my nose, looking at me strangely. I took a step back, frown returning to my lips.

            "What is with you, Leonhart?" He demanded, "I stopped moving about three minutes ago, but you just kept walking as if I hadn't. I never thought I'd admit it, but even I'm not that attractive." I snorted, sitting down on the couch that was nearby and hoping Seifer was done being stupid.

            "Well, what's with you? Do you always have to be so immature?" I couldn't help it then, and words just tumbled out of my mouth, despite my best wishes to just ignore Seifer and live through this.

            "Don't you think this is hard enough on me without you acting like a fucking bastard all the time?" I could feel my voice escalating against my will, "I never asked for this, I only wanted to be left alone, but you just had to go and push me, and now I have to spend three months within five feet of you! Like I don't have enough problems, as it is!" As soon as I had stopped screaming, I closed my eyes tightly, covering my mouth with both hands and trying to forget Seifer existed.

3rd Person:

            "Wow," Seifer remarked, "he has emotion after all! Really, Squall, get over yourself. Did you ever think that maybe I'd rather being doing something else, too? I mean, Hyne! Three months without sex! The only way I'm gonna get any is if I do you, and even if you are pretty, I would really rather not. Besides, that scar you have is kind of a turn off." His lips curled in a cruel smile, the kind that usually melted the hearts of all passer-by, but Squall was unaffected, his heart encased in a self-wrought shell of ice.

            "I hate you," the brunette whispered brokenly, dropping his head to rest in his hands, and for a moment Seifer's smile wavered. An unfamiliar feeling washed over him, and he narrowed his eyes, looking down at Squall.

            Was that guilt? The blonde asked himself, shocked. Weird. Shaking his head, he took and deep breath, and forgot ever feeling it. His smile returned full force, and he plopped down next to the younger man, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

            "Aww…c'mon Squall. I'm just messing with you. But look on the bright side! Even though you have to spend three months with me, you get to spend three months…with me! I'm practically the most popular person in this place, and if that doesn't boost your status among our lovely peers, I don't know what will!" Squall felt his skin crawl, muscles surging to rid themselves of the sensation of being touched. He twisted his back out from under Seifer's fingers, feeling burnt where they made contact.

            "Don't touch me," he said quietly, and turned his head to look out of the window. Why me? The window didn't answer, and Squall closed his eyes. He could practically feel Seifer smirking, and then the offending hand was gone, and the couch shifted as the taller man moved, leaning back and watching the small brunette out of the corner of his eye.

            "Tell you what, Squally-boy. I'll cut you some slack, just because I'm feeling nice." Cracking his knuckles casually, Seifer continued; "I promise, that so long as you don't pull any stupid stunts like that one in the infirmary, don't ignore me when I talk to you, and do what I ask you to, I won't be 'immature' and screw with your breathing, nor will I shake you out of Squall World whenever you feel like going, and I'll follow you around sometimes if what you have to do is important."

            There was a brief silence, then, and Squall turned around to face his rival, face unreadable.

            "You won't touch me either," He said firmly, and Seifer laughed.

            "Oh, damn it, Squall, and here I could barely restrain myself from jumping you right here," He scoffed, "I may be bi, but I'm not that desperate." This elicited a frown from the brunette, but he chose not to comment on it, instead standing up and clearing his throat.

            "You promise?" He asked doubtfully, and the blonde nodded.

            "I promise. I don't break my promises, either." Squall frowned, and opened his mouth to speak.

            "That didn't count. How was I supposed to know squid are considered flammable?" Seifer demanded.

 "And I didn't know it was still alive," he added after a few seconds. That was followed by a moment's consideration; and Squall closed his mouth and nodded, apparently convinced. It was quiet for a second, and then he spoke again.

            "I have to go get my stuff. Since we're here now." He said quietly, and Seifer blinked.

            "Oh, yeah," The older man remembered, "I forgot about that. Guess I should go inform Raj that I'm movin' out." With that he stood up, stepped around Squall, and made his way for the door.

            "My dorm first," he told the scowling teen, "You're going to have to carry some stuff for me." There was a pause, in which Squall looked at him expectantly, arms crossed over his chest, and Seifer frowned.

            "Please," he added reluctantly, and the brunette nodded once, and followed him out of the door.

Seifer:

            Not for the first time, I regretted this morning. Not that it was completely my fault, mind you. Squall did bleed on his sword, after all, but leave it up to everyone to forget that. Figures.

            I took about five minutes to reach my old room, on the other side of the dormitory, mostly because I was walking slow in order to make sure Squall was following. He was eerily quiet, the only reassurance that he was following was the click of his combat boots on the floor, and the fact that I couldn't hear anyone choking to death.

            I stopped when I reached the door, and he stepped beside me, eyebrows drawn together in an unconscious frown. Funny how he did that. I stared at him for about thirty seconds, and I just couldn't help myself.

            "What do you think of, when you go into Squall World?" The question was out before I knew it, and I almost wished I hadn't said anything. Almost. But the urge to know what just too great.

            My long-time rival glanced at me with ice-blue eyes, the familiar chill settling into the air around him. I really wanted to know how he did that. As I watched, his eyes faded back to the regular grey-blue, the chill went away, and I immediately ignored all of this, filing it under 'way too creepy to touch' for a rainy day ten thousand years from now when I'd have time to think about it.

            Squall frowned, and I couldn't help but smile at his obvious reluctance to talk. Seeing my smile, his frown deepened, and my smile grew.

The silence stretched on for a few second, and then a small smile appeared on his lips. I frowned.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"Shiva said something about you," He said simply, and I immediately burned with curiosity. I didn't like it when people talked about me when I wasn't around to hear it.

"What did-" I began, and then froze. "Wait a minute…" I help up a hand, demanding silence so that I could think, more out of habit than the actual need to shut Squall up. "Shiva said something? To you?" Squall blinked, and I tried to convince myself I had misheard.

"Yes." He said, and turned around to face the door again, effectively ending the conversation. I scowled. I didn't like it when other people did that. I sighed, punched in the door code, and walked in. Squall followed after a moment, obviously uncomfortable being in someone else's room, and stayed far closer to me than I ever thought he would voluntarily get. I stopped suddenly, testing him, and he almost ran into me before pulling up short about three inches before collision. I pretended not to notice.

Looking around the room, I noticed a faint smell of fish, along with a spicy scent I couldn't identify. My roommate, Raijin, had always liked to cook.

Apparently having heard us come in, he leaned around the small division between the kitchen and the living room.

"Hey, Seif! I'm cookin' fish, ya know. You want-" His eyes widened, looking behind me, and I smirked. He'd apparently caught sight of Squall, who was currently trying to pretend we didn't exist while simultaneously doing his best to get me in between himself and Raijin's gaze.

            "Whoa…please tell me this ain't what I think it is, man," He said, running a hand through his short black hair. I laughed before I could help it.

            "Oh, please, Raj. You know me better than that! Do you really think I'd do Leonhart?" I asked, and beside me Squall put a gloved hand to his forehead, radiating an obvious desire to be somewhere else. Raijin snorted.

            "Well, ya know, you always said-" I held up a hand, cutting him off before he went too far with that particular thought, and he obediently shut his mouth.

            "Well, anyway," I said once I had his attention again, "Something went wrong with our little spar this morning, and we sorta…have to live together now, or Squall dies, and I get expelled." That sounded stupid as soon as I got it out, and Raijin just sort of stared at me.

            "You're jokin', ya?" He asked, staring hard at Squall, who glared back. I shook my head. I would really rather that I was joking, the words 'no sex' dancing around in my head.

            "Just watch," I sighed, and took a few steps to my right, before I almost fell over and someone grabbed my trench coat.

            "Don't even think about it," Squall growled, black gloves fisted in the soft grey material, and I smiled in the way I knew was most annoying.

            "Aww, c'mon Leonhart," I wheedled, "Would you rather he think I was moving in to sleep with you?" Blue eyes narrowed, and I mentally congratulated myself on knowing exactly which buttons to push. My trench coat was hastily released, and Squall took three steps back.

Squall:

            I knew what was going to happen. How could I not? As soon as I was over five feet away, my stomach dropped again, and my throat collapsed in on itself. The white lights returned, my breath caught, and I watched it all from my usual place by the wall of ice. Shiva stared at me from her side, frosty blue eyes unreadable.

            You're just as proud as he is, she said absently as we both watch the ground rush up to meet us, letting him push your buttons like that. Why do you put your body through this? It may kill you one day.

            Pain flared in our side, and I turned to face the Ice Queen. My body can take it. I just hope Seifer will get over himself one day and leave me alone. I hate him for making me do this. Laughter rang like crystal bells in my head, and Shiva turned to leave, disappearing as she walked towards blurry shadows of forgotten memories that she kept on her side of the wall.

            He didn't make you do anything, Little Lion. You chose this. Then she was gone, and I scowled, looking up into Seifer and Raijin's faces.

            "That was just creepy, ya know?" I found his accent really annoying, but I didn't say anything, "Just; wham! Fell straight over!" Seifer reached down and grabbed my arm, pulling me upright as he listened to Raijin. As soon as I was standing, I jerked out of his grasp, glaring at him, and he rolled his eyes.

            "-it got really cold all of a sudden, too, ya know. Just fucking creepy, man." The brunette was saying. I crossed my arms, and waited for Seifer to say we could leave.

Seifer:

            Squall had gone all quiet again, like he usually did, but I left him alone this time, remembering my promise. Raijin had seemed convinced by the little display, and not the least bit upset that I was going, which was a bit annoying. I assumed it meant less subtlety was required for bringing Fujin over.

            Raijin was still talking, but I didn't really care what he was saying anymore, so I cleared my throat. He stopped talking then, used to my interruptions, and waited for me to speak.

            "You wanna help us get my stuff? I'm gonna be out a few months, with pretty limited mobility, so I need most everything." I told him, and Raj nodded.

            "Sure man. You gonna help, too, Squall?" He asked my shadow, but Leonhart just glared and looked at me, apparently waiting for me to tell him what I needed to take. Raijin shrugged.

            "All right," I said, breaking the sudden silence, and walked to my small bedroom. Squall followed closely behind, with Raijin behind.

            "Hey, man, you don't gotta be so rude, ya know?" I heard my friend mutter to Squall, and I grimaced for my poor friend's stupidity. But there was no spell incantation, no scream, and Leonhart just scoffed.

            "I don't like people," He said pointedly, his voice ice, and Raijin snorted.

            "Then it's a good thing you aren't one, ya?" He teased, and I bit back a laugh, opening my door and letting them into my room.

            It was weird at first, because no one started stripping, and then it was weird because I wondered why that came to mind.

            "Man, I ain't never been in here," Raijin said, looking around, "I didn't think you let anyone but girls and…er…ya know…in here." I blinked. Oh, that was why.

            "I don't," I said matter-of-factly, "But since this is no longer my room, I guess it'll be ok." Squall sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. He looked up at me through his bangs, eyes shadowed and almost hidden.

            "Just tell me what to pick up when you decide." He said, and taking his cue from Squall, Raj sat in my computer chair, nodding his assent.

            I moved around the room, piling things on the bed and making a mental checklist. Hmm…Hyperion in gunblade case, gunblade cleaning kit, ammunition, pillow, clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair gel, shampoo, soap, brush, comb, bedside table with all of my…unmentionables…in it, Bad Luck[1] posters, my computer chair, my laptop (rooms came with a desk), Cd player, Cds, razor blade, shaving cream…

            I paused for a moment, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything, and then waved the other two over.

            "All right," I told them, trying to convince myself that Squall would not drop my things on purpose, "This is it. Raj, you get the computer chair and pile all of this into it," I pointed to everything but the clothes, bathroom items, laptop, gunblade, and bedside table. He started on that, and I shoved everything but my gunblade, laptop, and bedside table into two bags.

            "Leonhart, this is for you," I told him, handing him the bags, and he raised an eyebrow.

            "…Thanks," he said sarcastically, but took them nonetheless, and seemed to resist whatever destructive urges he was feeling. I then put my gunblade case on top of the small bedside table, and my laptop on top of Hyperion, and picked it up.

            "Be careful with this stuff," I told them, and made for the door.

            As soon as we walked out of the door people moved out of the way, most probably wondering what the hell was going on, and I led Raj and Leonhart to my new dorm. Most of the things made it there all right, except for the posters, which rolled off of the chair every so often, and Squall punched in his code, opening the door.

            "Man, this is nice," Raijin said as soon as he walked in, and I had to agree. Due to Squall's…special needs…one of the larger officer rooms had been assigned to us. The door opened into a living room, and the kitchen was to the left, with an open entryway that made it look like an actual separate room between us and it. The bathroom was next to the kitchen, and the bedroom took up the entire back of the room. It was a one-person room, and yet it was bigger than most of the two-person dorms. That was kind of depressing.

            As soon as the three months was over, or whenever it was that they got a cure, I was going to become an officer.

            "Right," I told them, "In here." I opened the door to the bedroom, carefully placing my gunblade and laptop on the bed parallel to the near wall, and setting the bedside table next to it. The two beds were parallel to each other, and only three feet apart. My bed was separated from the bathroom by only about three inches of wall, so Squall didn't have to wake me up for anything.

            I, on the other, would have to either ignore it or wake the sleeping Lion, and neither option was particularly appealing, but then this was all my fault. Hyne, Quisty was annoying sometimes.

            Squall dropped the first bag he was carrying next to me.

            "This is for the closet. I'm putting this in the bathroom. Don't move." He said, lifting the other bag, and then he disappeared around the corner, and I heard the opening and closing of cabinets. Curious, I followed him, watching from the doorway as he put shampoo and soap into the small indentations in the shower, toothbrush and toothpaste in designated holders, and then opened the mirror.

            He picked up the hair gel, comb, and brush, setting them carefully on the left of the first level, and then on the right he put the shaving cream. He picked up my razor, staring at it for a moment, and I cleared my throat, making him jump.

            "Why'd you do all that?" I asked him, indicating to the shower and then the mirror. He put my razor on the far right of the top shelf, next to the shaving cream, closed the mirror, and then turned to face me.

            "Neat freak," he said simply, and then pointed to the top shelf, "You're taller." I scoffed.

"By like…" I trailed off, realizing for the first time that Squall was actually kind of…short. Compared to me, anyway. The top of his head only reached my nose. "Oh." I finished tactfully, and Squall shrugged, running a hand through his silver-brown hair, before walking out of the door and around the corner.

I didn't follow for a second, waiting to see if I felt the tug, but I didn't. A brief hope came over me, before I rounded the corner myself and saw the Squall was sitting on my bed, as close to the wall as possible. So much for that.

Raijin came over then, indicating to the desk in the corner of the room.

"I set up your stuff, ya know? I'm gonna go now. See ya around, Seif." He said, and, true to his word, left. I walked over to the desk, followed by Squall, and cast a critical eye over my computer and CD player. He didn't seem to have broken anything, and it was all pretty much how I liked it, so I turned to face my new roommate.

"Your turn." I said, waiting for him to lead the way.

~*~*~

The walk to his dorm was pretty much the same as the first one, which drove me insane. I hated it when people pretended I didn't exist. Squall, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a problem with it; he just went off into Squall World.

I stopped abruptly, almost hoping Squall wouldn't realize it, but he did, and turned to face me. I didn't say anything for a moment, and he just stared at me expectantly.

"You never told me what you're always thinking about when you go off like that." He just crossed his arms, staring at me for a moment. Then he sighed.

"I talk to Shiva." It was quiet, so quiet I almost didn't hear it. He looked up at me, waiting to be called insane, to be insulted like I'm sure he had been so many times before, whether concerning this or not. I realized that in this moment, I had the chance to be quite possibly the only friend this boy had, if only I said the right thing.

"What?"

Okay, so not the best thing I could've said, but at least it wasn't 'Hyne, Squall, you're psychotic!' or something along those lines. Squall didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then a few minutes, and I lost whatever patience I had.

"Out loud, Squall." I told him, not for the first time that day, and he glanced up at me, startled.

"Who is your GF?" He asked suddenly, and I frowned, surprised by his question.

"Ifrit," the fire demon. Squall smiled, but not at me.

"Don't you ever talk to him?" I decided not to comment on questioning the obvious.

"No."

"Have you ever tried to?" I didn't say anything.

"Well, then." Squall said, his tone insistent.

'Well, then' indeed, I thought as my eyes closed, searching for something in my mind.

Fire; fire all around me, light dancing and shifting and forming a wall, rushing to obscure a feral grin and amber eyes lit from within. Immense horns curled from fiery fur, pierced with gold that glowed in the flames. Claws shifted; pacing behind the wall. Was it time?

It wasn't spoken, it was understood. An agreement made so long ago that there was no why, no question of anything but time. Yet, unlike before, I was not here to cross the flames. I stayed on my side, staring through the yellow-orange curtain and wondering.

The great beast shook his head, jewelry ringing softly over the roar of the flames. No.

No? I ventured a question, and suddenly the flames stopped, freezing in place as the lion-beast leant towards the wall, fangs bared in an unsettling grin. His eyes were large, a glowing liquid gold, melted by the heat within. Both giant paws rested upon the glowing barrier, and he studied me with those great eyes.

We are not all like Shiva, His voice was like the roaring flames, echoing heavily in my mind, speech does not come easily to us, not with you humans. She talks because she has to.

There was a pause, and the flames started to dance again, obscuring the shape behind them. Each of us gives something to our chosen, something to help them. A friend was not your gift; seek me only when your own fire is not enough.

Then he was gone, and I opened my eyes. Squall was closer now, staring at me intently, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Don't worry," I assured him, "I have that effect on everyone." He rolled his eyes.

"It got hot all of a sudden," He stated, running a hand through his damp hair, "it was coming from you. And your eyes are yellow." I blinked.

"They are?"

"Not anymore. They were until a second ago, though. And the heat left, too." He seemed more comfortable now, which was understandable, considering he was all in black leather, and wearing a jacket.

"Do you always wear all that?" The question was out before I knew it, and Squall looked at me sharply, not bothering to answer.

"You talked to Ifrit," He told me, "Like I do Shiva. Raijin said it got cold around me. Is that why you call me Ice Prince?" I hadn't ever heard him talk so much, and I hurried to answer, for fear that he'd space out again.

"Nah, that isn't why we call you that. You don't show emotion. It's this," I tapped my chest, above my heart, "all ice."

Squall didn't say anything, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking, eyes unreadable behind a pale mask.

"He doesn't like to talk. Ifrit, I mean. He said they weren't all like Shiva, and something about a gift." I paused. "Would you consider Shiva your friend?"

Squall laughed a little, and it was a moment before I realized what it was, considering how often he laughs.

"She is my only true friend. Everyone else just wants something." Maybe he did know about Quistis's crush. I couldn't think of anything worth saying to that, so I just waited, and h jingle His, andhhhhhhhhhhhhe stood there for a moment, then turned around and led me to a door.

Fingers moved over the key panel, and the door slid open, revealing the familiar layout of a dorm room. It was pretty much the same as my old one, except cleaner, and my roommate walked over to the far door, opening it to reveal the single most boring room I'd ever seen.

There were no posters, no furniture except for the bed and bedside table, and but for a small Discman and a Cd book on the rather empty desk, the only ornament was his gunblade.

"Wow," was all I said, before scooping up the Cds and handheld, and then his pillow, piling on the bedside table as Squall carefully got his gunblade in order and opened his closet. I gaped.

Squall had a grand total of seven articles of clothing; His SeeD uniform, his formal wear, three white shirts, and two pairs of leather pants. All was neatly folded, and he scooped it up, piling it on top of the gunblade case and heading towards the bathroom, leaving me to follow behind, trying to balance the small dresser and the Cds.

His bathroom wasn't much better. He grabbed a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and a small plastic grey box from below the sink, stuffing it all into the stack of clothes.

"No razor?" He opened his mouth, and then closed it, looking startled.

"Don't have to," he stated bitterly after a moment, and I felt my eyebrows rise.

"Really?" I leaned forward before I could stop myself, stopping inches away from marble skin stretched over high cheekbones, studying it carefully. Squall froze, staring dead ahead and not breathing, as if hoping I'd forget he was there if he didn't move. His skin was perfectly clear of the shadow of hair, smooth and soft and…whoa Seifer.

I gulped, jerked away, and took a step back, careful to stay within the limit, watching as Squall immediately relaxed.

"You really are a girl, aren't you?" I asked, and Leonhart took up his customary scowl.

"Thanks," he said tersely, beginning to walk for the door, and before I realized it I was scrambling to catch up, though I didn't know why. He should be the one worrying about the damn spell, not me.

"Aren't you gonna say 'bye' to your roommate?" I asked, only then realizing that I still didn't know who it was.

"Zell isn't in much, and he knows about this whole situation. He brought me back."

"Oh." Ever the eloquent one, I followed Squall out of the door, and as soon as I was out he turned around again, to press the 'close' button, and then froze. The air went cold, but nothing else happened for a full thirty seconds, his hand just hovering over the keypad, until I got bored and nudged him with my shoulder.

"The big red one, Squall; can't miss it," I told him, and he frowned, pressed the button, and turned around, looking up at me through ragged bangs.

"Don't touch me," His voice was flat.

"You really need to get laid," I informed him, and it was in that moment, staring down at stormy blue-grey eyes through a fringe of uneven brown hair, that I decided I would be the one to do it.

End Chapter 3

[1] Whee! Gravitation plug!

Augh! That took forever! My poor fingers!

I've been typing that on and off since 3 am, and it is almost 3 pm. That thing was long.

I'm actually trying to get in development, instead of a Balamb Garden Sex Free-For-All, so there won't be any serious yaoi for about two or three chapters, knowing Squall and his aversion to touch.

Living People: Actually, I just have a thesaurus ;)

Read? Review!