Chapter Four

"Promise?" Squall's gray-blue eyes stared up at the young teen.

Seifer zipped his duffle bag and turned to face the pouting brunette. "I promise. I'll write everyday." He assured him.

Squall still looked guarded. "I don't like this." He said quietly.

Seifer took a step towards him and cupped his chin. "Squall, have I let you down yet?" He asked.

Squall shook his head slowly.

"Then why you worryin'?"

Squall bit his bottom lip and looked at the floor. "I—I don't want you to forget me. Like Sis."

"Seifer, are you ready to go?" Matron asked from the door.

"Yeah." Seifer replied. He gave Squall one last hug before shouldering the duffle bag and following Matron down the stairs to where the recruiting SeeDs were waiting.

Squall stared out the window, watching the hummer fade into the distance. "He won't forget me."

Squall opened his eyes and stared at the white ceiling above him. I have to stop doing this, he mused to himself, waking up in Garden after a dream about Seifer. He sighed and sat up slowly, wondering what damage he caused this time.

"I don't think this is healthy." Squall looked over to see Irvine grinning at him.

"Did I hurt anyone?" Squall asked.

"Nah, you didn't do any damage this time. Only dropped the temperature for the whole island ten degrees. Nothing too serious." Irvine shrugged with a small smirk.

Squall sighed in relief and leaned back against the headboard.

"Seifer! What are you doing in here? The infirmary is off limits right now—"

"Shove it Dr. K!" Squall and Irvine looked up startled as a raging blonde burst into the small cubicle. "I want an explanation RIGHT now!" He glared at Irvine and then Squall, mentally he sighed in relief to see the brunette all right.

"Seifer, you can't be in here, Squall is—"

"Is going to tell me what the hell happened in the hallway, that's what." Seifer interrupted the doctor.

"Why don't you just remember." Squall muttered softly to the wall.

"Remember what?" Seifer fumed. "I was there in the hall, I remember what happened." A flash filled Seifer's mind. Gray-blue eyes looking up at him innocently as he pretended to fight off a hundred dragons, laughter filling the air as he stood upon the defeated 'dragon' and stuck his stick into the air. 'I told you I'm the best knight!' 'I never had a doubt!' 'I'll always protect my sorceress!' 'Seifer! I'm not a girl!' Seifer blinked several times and stared down at the brunette on the cot. He was staring at the wall with a far away expression on his face. The cowboy was fiddling with the brim of his hat and looking at the floor. "Have we met before or somethin'?"

Squall looked up startled.

"Squall, Headmaster Cid wants to speak with you." The three looked over at Edea standing in the doorway with Doctor Kadowaki standing behind her, both with their arms crossed over their chest.

Seifer watched Squall stand up reluctantly. "No." Seifer spoke. Squall looked up at the towering blonde. "I still haven't received my explanation."

"This isn't a matter for you to worry about." Edea addressed him.

Seifer placed a hand of Squall's shoulder. "He's not leaving until he tells me."

Squall looked over at Irvine, who shrugged, and then to Edea, who also looked helpless, last he looked up at Seifer, jade green eyes burning into his. Squall felt his resolve weakening. Seifer used to accept him, who says he won't still accept him? But that was when Seifer knew him and before he trained to become a SeeD. A SeeD who was trained to defeat sorceresses. But Seifer had to remember somewhere subconsciously, maybe he needed something to jolt his memory. It couldn't hurt to try, could it?

"I'm a sorcerer." Squall said quietly. "One who, as of recently, hears a voice of a madwomen that is bent on taking over the world."

Seifer stared at him in shock. Squall took advantage of the moment and walked past the stupefied blonde and out the door. Edea looked sadly upon Squall before leading him out of the infirmary.
"Squall, I think it's best if we contain you."

Squall, comfortable in a black leather armchair facing Cid's huge oak desk, looked up at Headmaster Cid in surprise. "Contain?"

"With your powers, there's no telling who else may get hurt. I want to keep you here until we find out who this woman is. I don't want anyone getting injured because of you." Cid told him.

"You're going to imprison me?" Squall asked in disbelief.

"Now don't think of it as imprisonment Squall, but more as a bedroom with a locked door." Edea soothed.

"What? You wanna lock ME up? How is that going to solve anything?" Squall shouted, standing from his chair.

"We just want you monitored by SeeDs, for your own safety." Edea tried to explain.

Squall turned on Edea and stared at her accusingly. "You said you wanted me to stay with me so you could protect me from being 'monitored'! And now you're initiating it?" Squall turned from the only mother figure he ever knew of. "Was that your plan all along? Study the freak boy who has sorceress powers?"

"Squall, I think you're overreacting—"

"That's funny, 'cause I DON'T THINK SO! I will NOT be locked up for observation!" Squall backed away from Cid and Edea. His worst fear was coming true, and by the hand of two people he trusted.

"Squall I didn't' want to have to rely on this." Edea told him sadly. "Sleep." She whispered softly.
Squall fell instantly under the spell and collapsed to the floor.
Seifer was still pacing the little cubicle while Irvine reclined in the stiff chair beside Squall's cot. "So… he's really a sorcerer."

Irvine looked up at the pacing blonde. "Yeah."

"How'd that come about?"

"Obviously he met a dying sorceress."

"But I thought only women could be sorceresses."

Irvine shrugged. "There's a first for everything. And I think this sorceress wanted it to be this way."

"And what is this 'voice' he's hearing?"

Irvine sighed exasperated. "If any of us knew that, he wouldn't be here."

A sinking feeling began to fill Seifer's chest. Something was wrong. He furrowed his eyebrows while he tried to figure out where the feeling was coming from.

"Why are you so concerned about him?" Irvine asked casually, looking at him from the corner of his eye.

Seifer stopped and looked at the cowboy. "I … I don't know. That kid just sparks something inside me."

"He's not a kid, no more than you are. And his name is Squall. Squall Leonheart."

Seifer frowned. Why did that name sound familiar? The feeling of dread in his chest grew worse. What was wrong? Was it… Squall? "Where did the kid—Squall go?"

"Up to the Headmaster's office, no doubt to discuss his 'powers'." Irvine sighed. "Poor guy."

Seifer turned abruptly and began to march out of the room. He paused in the doorway and looked at Irvine from over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"Where to?" Irvine asked while standing up.

"I got a bad feeling about your little boyfriend."

Irvine smirked. "Jealous? Besides, I'm straight." He told him as he walked passed him.

"And that's why you wear those tight pant? I doubt it."
Squall opened one eye slowly before sighing. At least this time he didn't faint, but he started to wonder if he was losing brain cells from blacking out too many times. He sat up on the small bed. He was in a small room with metal walls, floor and ceiling and no windows. A single light bulb was screwed into the ceiling and there was an open door that led to the bathroom. He presumed the door with three deadbolt locks was the door out of his cell.

Squall leaned against the wall his bed was against and narrowed his eyes at the door. 'Some bedroom with a locked door' he thought to himself. 'You'd think they'd realize that this would be something to push me other the edge, not keep me from it.' Squall pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin. Seifer always said he'd protect him from something like this. He remembered the day that crazy Doctor Odine from Esthar came to ask Edea about him.

"Ah, iz thiz the boy?" The small, old man with a funny accent leered down at Squall. Squall took several steps back and looked fearfully up at him.

"How did you hear about him?" Edea asked, stepping in front of the nine year old Squall.

"Rumorz, Miz Kramer, rumorz that intrigued my great intelligentz." He laughed before looking down at Squall again. "A male spezimen, very rare." He added thoughtfully.

"He's not a spezzyman, you old bag!" Seifer cried defiantly from the room entrance. He quickly ran over to the frightened Squall and stood over him proudly. "So get lost, geezer!"

"What a rude child! Who iz thiz?" Odine looked at Seifer with disgust.

"I'm his knight! And I'm gonna make sure creepy scientists like you stay away from him!" He stated.

"My, zuch big wordz for a little boy." Odine smiled cruely. "But you will not protect him forever."

"Wanna bet?"

Squall sighed and buried his head in his knees fighting back tears. If the sorceress that gave him his powers wasn't already dead, he'd track her down and kill her himself. He hated being a 'freak'. Why couldn't someone else have gotten the powers? He remembered Edea being there, and that man too… that man. He also had a gunblade… Squall didn't remember seeing him after he woke up, and Edea never mentioned him.

Squall's head snapped up as the door opened and Edea stepped into the room. Squall narrowed his eyes, something was wrong.

"Finally, my child."
"Seifer! Yo! Seifer, where've you been, ya know?" Seifer turned to see his posse, Raijin and Fujin walking towards him. He sighed mentally, he didn't have time for them, his feeling was getting worse as the seconds past.

"What's up?" Seifer called back.

"Didn't you hear, ya know?"

"Hear what Raijin?"

"SEED. CONGRADULATIONS." Fujin spoke.

Seifer's eyes widened. "What? Seriously?"

Raijin nodded enthusiastically. "You're a SeeD man! Along with Chicken wuss and messenger girl and some other kid, ya know?"

Irvine looked towards the elevators as he felt a tingling at the back of his head. Squall was in trouble. Irvine had always been able to sense when things were about to happen, he called it his 'spider sense', and it was especially strong when something was happening to Squall.

"Seifer, where would they keep a prisoner in Garden?" Irvine interrupted Seifer's excitement.

"A prisoner? Why?" Seifer's eyes slowly widened with realization. "Shit! You don't think—c'mon!" Seifer took off in a run towards the maintenance stairs with Irvine on his heels.

"What's going on?" Raijin wondered out loud. Fujin shrugged roughly.
Squall scrambled off his bed and pressed his back against the wall furthest from the women in his cell. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Why, I'm your Matron, Edea." She smiled sinisterly.

Squall's eyes narrowed. "You're the voice."

She laughed quietly. "Always a smart one, you are. And still in leather, I see some things never change."

"How do you know me?" Squall asked suspiciously.

She laughed and her mouth formed a cruel smile. "My precious Squall, how could I not know you? After all, I gave you your powers."

Squall's eyes widened in confusion. "What? But… that's not possible!"

"In this case, it is quite possible." She let out a small laugh.

"What the Hell?" Squall and the sorceress turned to see Seifer panting in the doorway with Irvine behind him.

"Squall! Hyne, what the fuck is going on?" Irvine swore.

The sorceress narrowed her eyes at the two intruders. "You interrupted. I must teach you manners." She held up her hand as the air rippled around her. Energy shot out at Seifer and Irvine.

Squall concentrated and created a barrier in front of them.

The Sorceress hissed and turned on Squall when her energy didn't touch the two men. "You fool! They aren't your true friends! They'll betray you!"

Seifer used the opportunity to rush at the possessed Edea and ram her into the wall. He unsheathed his gunblade and held it against her neck. "Squall, get out of here."

Squall pushed Irvine through the door to start him running before turning back to Seifer. "Seifer, c'mon!"

"I'm not letting up on her until you're gone." Seifer sneered.

Squall growled at the stubborn Seifer. He quickly went through his spells looking for a distraction to get both of them out of here.

"Go ahead, try what you might, my lion." The sorceress purred as she gazed upon Squall. "I want to see you use your power."

Squall narrowed his eyes at the witch. She seemed quite comfortable and hardly seemed to notice the blade pressing against her neck. She stared at Squall with intensity, as if daring him to cast a spell against her.

"Seifer. Let her go." Squall ordered. A small smirk curved his lips as he stared back.

"What? Fuck no, man! She's a sorceress!" Seifer growled back.

"Seifer!" Squall tried again. "Let her go, don't worry."

The possessed Edea let out a low laugh. "Yes, knight Seifer, let me go." She grinned amused at both of them.

"This is a crazy idea, and if you or I die, I'm haunting you from Hell." Seifer muttered. He withdrew his blade and as soon as he did Squall cast a meteor. Edea's golden eyes opened wide as the advanced spell, enhanced by the power of a sorcerer, slammed down on her.

Seifer grabbed Squall's wrist before running out of the room at full speed. They ran down a concrete hallway in the second basement before flying up a small iron staircase. Irvine was waiting anxiously at the top stair and looked relieved when the pair came into view.

"We have to get out of Garden. Now." Seifer growled out. Irvine nodded as the trio took flight out of Balamb Garden.
To Be Continued!

soo? how do you all like so far?! :D

Thanks to: Cayenne, Verdandi24, Storm Angel, Lovely Princess Peach (glad you loved the Hamlet bit), The-Staci, Canyon A. Lynn (Griever! good idea, i'll see what i can do), Starlit Hope, JillyBean3, Ramaon (:D i'm thanking you again!), and udonlluvr4.

Thanks SOOO Much! :D

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