Hundreds of tiny snowflakes slowly twirled down from the sky. Not the slightest breeze could be noticed, wich was quite a rare occurance on the Trabian continent. It had been snowing softly like this all morning, and Edea had been enjoying it all that time.
"Matron?"
She turned around towards the voice and smiled at the blonde young man. He settled down next to her and stared out at the landscape in front of them. In the distance was a forest, but the main portion of their view was filled with endless plains of snow.
"It's beatiful isn't it? So peaceful."
"Yes. It is."
Edea noticed him staring along with her and smiled.
"It makes me feel at ease. It calms me."
His face immediately showed a mixture of hurt and grief. It made her want to reach out and take it all away from him, she couldn't bare to see one of her children in so much agony. But this was something that he had to get through by himself. He had to face his demons on his own.
"I wish I could feel like that again. I'd give anything to be at peace again, to right all the wrongs I've done."
"You will, someday. You can't make everything alright, too much has happened for that. But you can help minimize the damage. Lessen the hurt you've caused, the pain you've brought."
He felt her hand on his shoulder. There was a time that this simple gesture would have comforted him, would've made him feel secure.
Now it seemed empty.
"And I can't think of a better place to start then here."
He glanced over at the woman who had once been a mother to him. The woman he had loved like one. The woman who had been controlled by the same sorceress that had manipulated him, putting this voice inside his head telling him what to do, what to think, controlling his every choice. He'd like to think that he was being controlled. But he knew that deep down somewhere he had made the choice to hunt down a dream. That was the first, and worst choice of all.
"I hope you're right Matron." He whispered as he kept his eyes on the falling snow, fighting the tears he felt burning in his eyes. "I hope you're right…"
The sound of rushed footsteps and doors slamming echoed through the otherwise so silent hallways of the huge mansion. The few beams of light falling through the drapes cut through the darkness in the dusty halls, letting the particles that flew around light up like dozens of tiny fireflies on a warm summer's night. It was a stark contrast with the cold emptyness around it in the shadows.
The air was stirred by a young girl rushing through the hall with her body and hair wrapped in a towel, the drops of water on her skin shimmering as she passed through the light.
"Would you hurry it up already! He could be arriving any minute!"
A tall, broad man dressed in a uniform with countless medals and broches on it hurried down the stairs and paused in front of a mirror to check his attire one last time. He had been anticipating this meeting all day.
"Oh father, stop worrying, you'll give yourself a heart-attack."
"I told you to get ready over half an hour ago and still you aren't ready."
The arrival of the commander in Deling was a big political happening. He had hoped that his daughter would be the one to bid him welcome in their city. As she would be the one to follow in his footsteps one day, this was the perfect opportunity to practice her political social skills. She was being as stubborn as ever though.
The man walked over to the window and glanced outside. Reporters were waiting outside of the entrance hoping to catch a glimpse and a few words from his guest. News of his arrival had spread fast throughout the city. He himself was notified of the visit only two days earlier, and he had ordered it to be kept silent. But in a city like Deling, secrets don't last long. This morning he had read it in the papers, and made a mental note to check up on his staff and see who leaked the information. Not that it was a 'really' big issue, but if it happened with small news like this, it could easily happen with more important things as well.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a black limousine pull up in front.
Squall looked out the window as they pulled up to the front gate of an enormous mansion. Immediately reporters dove in and camera's flashed in his face. The windows of the limo were tinted but that didn't stop them from trying to get a photograph of him. He hadn't expected his arrival to be such a big thing. First the bodyguards accompanying him from the trainstation, then to see an armoured limousine waiting for him. It was all a bit surreal.
He was reluctant to enter the limo earlier. It made him feel important, and it made him feel sick. Why were they making such a big deal out of it? He was hoping to rent a car, and maybe take a stroll around Deling when he arrived before meeting with the general. It would've given him a bit of rest and peace of mind before all the political crap. But when he got out of the train he was immediately met by four muscled brutes dressed in black, who almost carried him into the car.
The ride to Deling had been long and boring but it didn't take him long to find the mini-bar. He had raided it immediately and after drinking half the bottles inside he dozed off staring out at the scenery flashing by for the remainder of the trip.
The door opened and Squall got out, glad to be able to stretch his legs again. He felt a little dizzy. Was it because he had been sitting too long, or because of his raid on the minibar? He shook his head in an attempt to try and get rid of it, to no avail.
Maybe both.
The horde of people chattering at the gates were pushed back by security guards and he couldn't help but shake his head again, but now in disgust. All this drama over one man.
Sickening.
He turned to face the mansion and couldn't help but be amazed at it yet again. He had been here before when they had tried to assassinate Edea, but it was an astonishing building. The sheer size of it was impressive.
Squall walked up to the giant doors and looked for a bell of some sorts, but to his surprise it opened up in front of him.
"You had better be ready!" The man yelled upstairs.
"In a minute!" A faint voice yelled back.
"Damnit!" Bringing her here from Garden had turned out to be a useless decision. He'd have a word with his daughter after this.
He looked out the window one last time, then instructed the maid to let his guest in.
Tugging herself into the dress her father had chosen for her to wear, she adjusted it untill it fit properly around her shoulders.
Her father had always been an impatient man, Rinoa knew this. She found a sadistic delight in making him wait, as it gave her a certain degree of control over him. He had always been the one to make the decisions in life for her, this was just about the only way she could get back at him. And she did it as often as she could.
"Is he here yet?"
She yelled as loud as she could, knowing fully well that their guest was already downstairs. She tried not to laugh out loud as she pictured her father's face.
He had arranged for her to entertain a commander of some Garden. Without even asking if she had any other plans. In the middle of her class she was picked up by her father's bodyguards and taken to Deling against her will. It was for her own good, he had said. How the hell did he know what was best for her? Who was he to think that he knew what she needed? That arrogant bastard.
After putting a few last touches on her make up, she started heading downstairs, but halted at the top of the stairway as she overheard her father talking to another man. It was the commander of Balamb Garden? She was expecting him to sound much older, not as young as the man downstairs. He sounded more like one of her fellow students. Not at all like her father or any other general she had met before. Intrigued by his voice she tried to peer down and see just who he was. He had his back turned towards her, however, and she couldn't see his face. If only he would turn around so she could see his face, eager to see just who it was.
From what she could see, he seemed young and slim. Dark hair flowed down to his fur collar, and his leather jacket fell neatly along his back. It made him seem broader than he really was, she figured. To look intimidating was important in the world of politics. But this man was dressed fairly casual, as if he had just been out downtown. Yet he stood there with an aura of self-esteem, like he thought there was no man in the world that could meet up to him.
Rinoa didn't know just how close to the truth her thoughts were.
She kept staring at him as he stood there unmoving. She let her eyes examine the figure and they flowed down to his leather pants. His tight leather pants.
She blushed and looked away. There was no one around to see her, yet she felt that what she was doing, was intruding on him somehow.
Come on Rinoa, no one can see you. No harm done in just looking, right?
Quickly making up her mind she smiled inwardly and let her eyes indulge themselves on the young man below.
With a soft squeeking noise the doors slowly opened and the maid gestured for Squall to enter. He stepped into the hall and looked around. The place was still exactly the same. If they did a chemical analysis on the dust particles, even they would probably turn out to be the same as last time he got there. It was almost eerie how nothing had changed.
"Commander, You look well. I welcome you to Deling City."
The general walked up to Squall and shook his hand.
"Thank you general." Squall smiled at him and noticed a few wounds on the general's chin. He had cut himself shaving, apparently quite nervous about their meeting. Then why did he insist on it?
"It is always a pleasure to be here sir." He nodded at the general, careful not to lose eye contact. The man had started to sweat, and Squall was now sure that he was up to something.
"Is he here yet?" A female voice shrieked from the other side of the mansion. Squall knew that Caraway had a daughter, but she was a student at Galbadia Garden. This was a regular weekday, she was supposed to be in school.
"My daughter, I had wanted her to be the one to welcome you. But you know how girls her age are, always late. She'll be down in a minute, I'm sure. Please, have a seat."
Squall merely smiled and nodded. Great. This was why he was brought over here for? To be the testsubject for some general's daughter to try out her political skills on? Not in his lifetime.
"Forgive me sir but I have other business to attend to. Please make this brief."
The nervous smile that was present on the general's face faded quickly. This man was straight to the point. In a slow and steady voice the general started.
"Of course. The reason I invited you over here was not to talk politics or discuss anything related to it." The general explained as he slowly walked up to the window, looking outside. He could feel Squall's eyes fixed on him.
"I brought you here, to ask you a favour."
I knew this wasn't just a meeting.
"Only recently did we let a new student attend to Galbadia Garden. A student you undoubtedly know."
A student he knew? He was talking about his daughter most likely. He probably thought that a high-ranking SeeD such as him would make a fine bodyguard for her. If he wanted a favour like that he would have to ask someone else at Galbadia Garden to do it.
"His name is Seifer Almasy. Now don't get all worked up just yet. At first we had our doubts about letting him attend to our Garden, but as it turned out he had already helped out with the rebuilding of Trabia Garden. On Edea's advice we decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and he has proven to be an excellent student. That boy sure has changed."
Seifer Almasy. The words echoed throughout Squall's mind. His fixated stare at the general suddenly turned to a blank gaze. A sudden emptiness inside his chest enveloped him completely. They let him into a garden? After all he had done? After causing all the death and destruction, aiding in the possible annihilation of millions of lives in both past, present and future?
"You let him in?" Squall managed to stutter, his voice suddenly frail.
"I know what you're thinking commander. But please keep in mind that Ultimecia controlled his mind at the time. He did not act out of his own free will."
He chose to let her control him. Out of his own free will.
"Mister Kinneas was very aprehensive at first, but he too was astounded by the change in Almasy's behaviour."
Irvine knew? Of course he did, he probably went to the same classes as Seifer. But that would mean… he might have to as well. A lump the size of Lunatic Pandora caught in his throat as his thoughts were swept away by a rush of adrenaline at the thought of meeting Seifer again. His body was starting to tremble, along with his mind.
"The favour I'd like to ask of you, commander… well… let me put it plain and simple."
Caraway walked up to Squall and put his hand on his shoulder, forcing him to fix his attention back on the general.
"Please… Don't kill eachother."
Kill him. The thought rushed through his mind. Death would be something Seifer would be begging for once he was done with him. He would make him pay for all the pain he had caused.
"Please promise me."
Squall's azure blue eyes suddenly turned dark as the turmoil underneath finally surfaced to his exterior. Caraway immediately backed off, slighly startled, and maybe even fearing that a tiny portion of the emotion in the boy's eyes was directed towards him.
Squall replied in a hissing voice.
"I guarantee you nothing. Good day general."
He managed a salute before quickly leaving the mansion, heading straight for the limousine still parked outside.
"Commander wait… please! Squall!"
Seifer… Finally we will meet again. This time, I'll be sure to finish this. Once and for all. You will pay.
"Seifer?"
Rinoa whispered softly to herself as she dropped down to the floor in thoughts. What did the commander want with her her boyfriend? Did they know eachother? How? Don't kill eachother? Why?
Asking questions in her mind, Rinoa didn't notice Squall glancing up at where she had been standing. Despite the fact that he had his back turned towards her, he had noticed her standing there immediately, listening in on their conversation.
When someone does something wrong, and they show remorse, you forgive them. They made a wrong decision and they clearly regretted making it. But usually mistakes like that don't involve dozens of missiles being fired at cities killing hundreds of people, or some freak of nature being allowed to destroy the world, not only in the present, but in both the past and the future as well.
Seifer Almasy had killed many innocent people, and he had done it with a smile on his face, not caring about them. He showed no remorse. He was evil.
Yet Squall felt a strange feeling of guilt. Couldn't he have stopped Seifer earlier? What if the day before the SeeD exams, when he was sparring with Seifer he hadn't just left a scar, but had made his cut a little bit deeper? If only he had known then what he knew now. He could've prevented so much suffering so easily.
If only I had known.
He had been helping out at Trabia. He could picture him walking around with that arrogant self-absorbed grin on his face, counting the tombstones and etching the score in a notebook.
Somehow every thought of Seifer made Squall churn with anger on the inside. They say you shouldn't hold a grudge. People change. Seifer changed. Caraway believed it. Irvine believed it. But even if he had changed, there was one thing that made it all not matter.
Squall Leonhart held grudges.