Chapter 9 was one of those chapters that give you so much trouble you just want to give up and go home. But I resisted the urge, and this is the result. (Other than previous chapters, this one continues right where chap 9 left off.)

Enjoy!

The wind in your face

Everything in the room seemed to turn to ice. The general atmosphere, their conversation, and the look in his eyes. Seifer Almasy didn't take kindly to betrayal.

"And so were you?" he demanded, face set in stone. "If Leonheart should know me better than to think I'd just throw in the towel, then the two of you definitely should!"

Raijin backed off. "We do! We do! It's just that… Things are getting kinda dangerous, y'know."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm well aware of the situation, thank you."

Fuujin huffed and crossed her arms. "EGOTISTICAL," she stated loudly, more anger in her voice than usual. Her choice of word pushed a button.

"Oh, so you think I'm being egotistical, do you!" Seifer roared. "Then let me tell you just how egotistical I am!" Angry and above all disappointed by their lack of confidence, he raised himself to his full height. He felt a sensation in his chest that hadn't been there for a long time: Fire. The fire of passion, and the fire of his magic. It roared inside of him, rekindling his hope and determination until it had become a blazing fire storm. It reminded him of who he was, what he was doing it all for.

"Let me tell you the things that you don't know. That Squall doesn't know," he hissed, eyes ablaze. Raijin took a few more steps back, cowered by Seifer's presence despite his own strength. Fuujin remained motionless, but her face showed the apprehension that her stance would not. She knew very well when her friend was dangerous, and this was one of those moments.

"I have reasons to do what I do," he stated sharply. "And not all of them are obvious. For one, things aren't what they seem. Least of all the Sorceress. I know Edea Kramer, and this is not her. It may be her body, but it's not her mind that controls it."

"Wha…?"

He cut Raijin's question short with a dismissive gesture. "Don't ask me how, 'cause I don't know. I only know why. And it's not pretty."

"WORLD DOMINATION?"

His sneer affirmed the worst.

Raijin looked shocked. " But…? Then why do you help her?"

Brightly lit eyes locked on the strongman's face, but they hesitated to answer. Should he tell them? Make them accomplices to his plans? The less they knew, the easier it would be to keep them out of harm's way. But the less they knew, the harder it would be to regain their confidence…

Then it would have to be that way.

"I made an oath to protect," he told them decidedly. "And I will keep it. That doesn't mean that I'll do anything she tells me to without thinking for myself, though. Obviously that's what Squall thinks, and the two of you seem to believe him. Yes, I am going to follow my latest orders to destroy Balamb Garden, but not without making sure the battle plan's got holes the size of Centra!"

Fuujin frowned, looking less apprehensive now. "DANGEROUS."

"Yeah, your lady ain't gonna be happy with that, y'know," Raijin chimed in. It made Seifer smirk. The big guy was always braver when Fuujin took the lead.

"My Lady is my concern," Seifer stated as a matter of fact. And it was. The Sorceress was his prime concern again now that Squall was alive and accounted for. What she was up to. What she might do to him if she found out about his betrayal. But his friends needn't know that she wanted to destroy the world rather than dominate it. If his plans failed, they would find out soon enough.

"NEGATIVE," Fuujin suddenly exclaimed, jabbing a finger at his chest. "YOU. OURS."

"Fuujin's right. You are our concern, y' know," came Raijin's translation.

Endearing and fucking frustrating at the same time. It just strengthened his resolve.

"I know what I'm doing," he told them, fire flaring in his eyes once more. "And I know what I'm dealing with. It'll be difficult, and it'll be dangerous, but I know how to pull this off without anyone getting caught in the fray. All I need is for you two to trust me, hard as that is."

Hearing himself talk, he sounded so damn confident. He'd even believe himself if not for the fear nagging at the back of his mind. But his posse didn't know about his fears. They didn't know all the scary details he knew. And in their innocence they nodded, placing their trust with him once more.

He nodded in return, a silent confirmation of their mutual agreement. The passion, no longer needed at this moment, retreated again and his eyes lost their reddish glow. "Go now," he added. "I still need you to find that girl Ellone."

They saluted him, and turned to leave. But then they stopped, and Raijin whispered something in Fuujin's ear. She nodded in reply and remained where she was while her companion walked out the door. Seifer saw this and frowned.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Fuujin solemnly turned her head. "We're worried about you, Seifer."

He eyed her warily. "No need to. Like I said, I know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure? You speak of following and yet disobeying your orders to destroy Balamb Garden. I can't help but feel I've heard that before."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't retort.

She sighed. "What do you think you're doing, Seifer? You serve the Sorceress, but you keep trying to shelter Garden and the SeeD from the storm. Don't you see that clinging to both can only cause pain to everyone involved?"

"Hardly," he growled. "It's the only way to save everyone involved."

"Save them? How? Like you tried to save Trabia Garden?"

The fire was back in an instant and roaring louder than before. She was wrong! He knew it. "I did what I could to save them," he hissed through clenched teeth.

She shook her head dismissively. "It's not what you did. It's what you failed to do. And you failed to do what was right."

That was it. With two long strides he closed the distance between them. "It was a test of faith," he snarled in her face. "My faith in her decisions, and her faith in my loyalty! What else was I supposed to do, ey? If I didn't fire those missiles, she'd have killed me there and then and found herself another Knight!"

Fuujin tilted her head, observing him intently in silence. "I think you're just saying that to justify your actions to yourself. You could have refused. A true knight in shining armour would have, and you know it." Despite her accusation, her single eye looked back with compassion as he'd never seen directed at him before.

His rage drained as fast as it had come up. Ashamed and angry at himself, he looked away, his fists clenching and unclenching while his jaw worked. Minutes ticked by in silence.

"You're right," he finally said, very quietly. "A true knight would have turned against his lady to protect the innocent, no matter what the consequences." Slowly, he turned his head and restored eye contact. "But maybe, if you look at things from that perspective, I'm not a true knight. I don't serve the common good, you see. I have sworn to protect and serve only one person."

All compassion on her face instantly made way for disbelieve.

"What? But…then what about your dream? Your romantic dream to protect the innocent?"

Yes, that was what he had told them. Protect the innocent. He had never mentioned that 'the innocent' was never meant to be plural, and for all they knew he hated Squall as much as Squall hated him. A truly fucked-up situation, if he thought about it. Nothing romantic about it…

"The dream is still there," he finally answered her. "It just turned out to be a lot less glorious than I had imagined. But I'm gonna go through with it anyway. I have to. I swore an oath, remember?"

She seemed to consider that. "And, is it worth it? Is keeping your promise worth the pain and the trouble?"

He ran over it in his head, weighing the consequences of his actions like he had so many times before. And like all those time, he came to the same conclusion. "Yes, it is," he answered in earnest.

Fuujin nodded, her silver bangs dancing. "If it's that important to you, then we'll help you to see it through. That is our promise."

"Fuu…"

With a rare smile, she pressed her finger against his lips. "Shh, we're a posse, remember?"

That's is for today! Chapter 11 shouldn't take very long (I know that's a dangerous thing to say...) Don't forget to R&R!