He sat on a secluded beach just outside of Balamb. He had come to be alone with his thoughts, away from the judgmental stares that had plagued him since his return. In his shaking hand he clutched his most valuable possession, a silver pendant featuring the head of a great lion. Griever. Not knowing or caring of its meaning, the emergency room technicians had cut it away from the neck of their injured commander and tossed it aside. A broken necklace was worthless to them, it was something to be thrown away. Seifer had grabbed it out of the young nurse's grasp before she could dispose of it. He intended to stay, to watch over his fallen lion. They had forced him to leave, threw him unceremoniously out of Garden at gunpoint with the added threat that return would equal death. Innocent in the eyes of the law, but eternally guilty to the SeeDs of Balamb. No doubt they blamed him for what happened to their leader. Hell, he blamed himself for it.
Once the verdict was read, everyone knew that many people were not satisfied with the outcome. Even knowing that Seifer had been under the control of Ultimecia had not swayed them. All they could think of was that their brothers, their children, their lovers, their best friends were dead because of him, however unintentional that may be. It was expected that someone would attempt vigilante justice upon the ex-knight.
He was pronounced innocent of all charges. The outcry was not as loud as expected as many had expected. The judge had made sure of that by banning a large majority of the spectators the first day of the trial. Seifer had been released from his shackles and turned to walk out of the courtroom.
In the small crowd of spectators, one snapped. She thought of all those lost at the hands of Seifer. All these people she grew up with, lived with, trained with, were gone. He had been brainwashed, so what? That would not bring them back. She knew where her boyfriend kept his rarely used but always loaded handgun. She quickly reached over and pulled Irvine's gun out of the holster at his right hip before he could react. She never uttered a word, just fired.
After Seifer had been released from his bindings, Squall left his seat and approached his former rival. He had been afraid that the older man would be convicted and possibly even executed. After several sleepless nights and one particularly heated argument with his now ex-girlfriend, the sorceress who wanted to see the ex-knight dead preferably via guillotine or firing squad, he realized why he had been so afraid. The reason why Seifer was the only one who got to him, that had broke through the ice wall protecting him. He felt as if he would die if he did not tell him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the light hitting something in the section next to his where all his friends were sitting. That's strange he thought, there is nothing over there that light could hit and cause the reflection. He turned to look and saw Selphie holding a gun. He realized what was happening just as she fired and dove towards her target.
He felt a sharp pain in his back as he tackled the one he loved. No matter, he thought as he looked down into the beautiful green eyes he had dreamed of that were now a mix of fear and confusion. He's safe, that's all I care about, that's all I'll ever care about as he reached out to stroke the blond strands before falling into unconsciousness.
She stared shocked as she watched her beloved commander jump in the path of the bullet intended for the traitor. "Why?" she cried desperately as she fell to her knees sobbing. The gun clattered to the floor as she knelt. She was quickly hoisted to her feet by several SeeDs and escorted out of the courtroom and to a holding cell.
As the SeeDs exited with their prisoner, the medical team rushed in to attend to Squall. He was brought to the emergency ward of the infirmary. Seifer trailed behind in a daze, not completely comprehending what had happened or why, only that Squall had saved him. Someone who should not have been worth the saliva it would have taken to spit on him was deemed worthy of life by the Lionheart. He stood mute in a corner as they worked, divesting their leader of all his attire in a most brutal manner. The leather lay in shreds around the table. The griever pendant, the symbol of the lion, discarded, broken on the floor in a similar manner. As they worked on him, attempting to remove the bullet, a young nurse worked her way around the room picking up the remnants of the clothing to get rid of them. The nurse was torn on whether or not to throw away the necklace, but decided that it had been broken too badly to be repaired and had reopened the lid of the trash can when her wrist was caught in an almost death grip. "Give it to me," a hoarse voice demanded. Her eyes widened when she saw who was speaking and quickly complied when she saw the look in his eyes. She cradled her now broken wrist in her her other hand and quickly exited the room. The guard posted outside the door happened to glance inside the room before the door shut again and saw him standing there. He gestured for his buddy to look and they quickly stormed the room and grabbed the ex-knight roughly and dragged him out of the room. He fought back as well as he could, but in his weakened, unarmed state, he couldn't really do anything without risking harm to the medical personnel in the room or Squall himself. As they went down the long hallway outside the infirmary, he attempted to resist the pulling. He felt cold metal pressing against the back of his neck. A third guard had come to aid seeing the struggle. He heard the distinctive click and resigned himself to either walk or die. I can't die, he thought. Squall needs me. I need him. He made a silent vow to the one who lay unconscious on a cold operating table in one of the rooms behind. I am yours and always will be. Even if I can't be here physically, I am always with you. He concentrated on this hoping it would somehow reach him as he was tossed out of Garden's gates.
There he sat overlooking the waves. He had removed his shoes so that he could feel the water coming around his feet. The sun was setting, a beautiful display of colors reflecting on the water. Seifer noticed none of this. He was just there, with his head in his hands holding the remnants of what had been the symbol of the bravest SeeD ever to exist. The one who had been through time to face a sorceress who threatened the very existence of the world as they knew it. The one who had taken a bullet for the one he was supposed to hate. A single tear glistened in the corner of his eye for a moment, then fell slowly, trickling down his pale cheek. He felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder and turned to look. Squall was standing there, in all his leather and belts smiling softly at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Squall placed a finger on his lips to quiet him. He put his mouth next to the older man's ear and whispered, "I am yours and always will be." Seifer stared at him in wonder for a moment before saying the same. He pulled the brunette down into a gentle kiss. After they finally pulled apart, they sat on the sand, holding each other and watched the sun fade into the night together.
Quistis wiped her red rimmed eyes as she walked along the beach. It was fairly early that morning, but the night had been long for all those who had stayed vigilant beside his bed. They suggested that she take a break. To get out of the infirmary for a while and rest. How could she, knowing what had happened? She chose this particular area because it lacked two things most of the sandy coast had in overabundance, tourists and monsters. It was a beautiful day, but she could see the growing storm clouds in the distance heading directly for the small island as she walked. She was almost blinded by the light reflecting from a dune up ahead. Probably glass she thought as she went closer. I need to get it out before someone steps on it and gets hurt. She let at a startled cry as she saw the source of the light. He lay there in the sand, water lapping around his feet. He appeared to be sleeping, but when she got to him she saw the reality. He had not looked so peaceful and dare she say it happy, since he was a child. She sank to her knees in tears and pulled out her phone to call Garden to report what had happened. She couldn't provide many details as she hadn't done a thorough examination, but that the time looked to be just after sunset. Her voice caught as she realized that it was the same time Squall had... As she hung up sobbing, she saw the glint of metal and looked closer. He was clutching Squall's Griever pendant to his chest like it was something sacred, to be treasured above all else. She barely heard the sirens coming closer as she came to the realization and smiled faintly. They're finally together.
Author's notes: So how was it? This was kind of stream of consciousness typing. I got inspired after seeing a picture on a fanart site of Seifer holding the Griever pendant and wrote the entire thing at one time. (I should be asleep now actually.) I might revise later. R&R please.