Disclaimer: Square Enix, not mine
Warning: . Squall x Seifer, will contain Shonen Ai in later chapters, some swearing.
Hikiari Heijin: Don't worry! There's no such thing as a late review! Glad you enjoyed it!
Angel of Pure Darkness: Glad you liked it.
Kikay576: Heres more ;-)!
Eternal-Darkness2: Yeah well, Squall always seemed to have a kind side to him, he just needed a little someone to bring it out...
Chrissy Almasy: Ah, Rinoa bashing... almost as good as Squall/Seifer action...
Redrum: Sorry about the formatting, I'm still trying to figure out a way to present it. Hopefully this chapter won't be so bad.
S and S blah: Glad you enjoyed it! More is on the way!
Unity-Song: Sorry about the short chapters, this one should be a bit longer. As the story gets on, the chapters will most likely get longer.
Chapter 3
Squall put his pen down and rubbed his temples. The moment Squall told Cid that he would continue as commander, he knew that he would regret it. It had been a few weeks since the end of the sorceress war and life was finally returning to normal, with a few changes, one being Squall's steady relationship with Rinoa. Squall sighed. She wasn't the smartest person on the block, but she offered security and comfort, so Squall wasn't about to complain. The only thing that they really disagreed on was Almasy. She still hadn't forgiven it for its attack on Angelo, and was forever whining and whinging about it. It didn't help that Almasy seemed to take great pleasure in causing Rinoa pain, pouncing, swiping and basically acting like his namesake – an asshole.
"Meow."
Squall looked up at the cat, who was sitting on the corner of the table, looking expectantly up at Squall.
"Meooow."
"Hungry huh?"
"Meow."
Squall placed the documents on the table before heading to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, he pulled out a can of cat food.
"Quistis told me that cats are meant to eat this stuff, so here you go," he said, placing a blob of goo into Seifer's bowl.
"Cheaper than the steak I've been feeding ya. Eat up."
Seifer stared at the smelly goo in front of him.
' There's no way in hell I'm eating that.'
Seifer put his nose up in the air and turned to leave.
"Oh no you don't cat. This is cat food and your going to eat it," Squall said, grabbing Seifer and placing him back by the bowl.
' No I'm not.'
"Eat."
" Hiss."
"Eat."
"Hisss."
"Eat the food you hyne damn stupid cat!"
"Umm, Squall?" Quistis called out from the door. Squall turned around.
"Yes?"
"you weren't just arguing with a cat were you?"
"He won't eat the cat food," Squall muttered as he grabbed the escaping cat, placing it back by the bowl.
"I'm not surprised after all the steak dinners its been getting. Why not rub his face in the bowl, so it knows that its food? Gross sounding, but that what the book says to do."
"Hm, that might work."
' No it won't Squall. It's a bad idea, very eh!'
Seifer squirmed as Squall picked him up.
' No Squall, don't ...'
Splat. Seifer reared his head out of the foul smelling goo.
' GROSS!'
"MEOOOW! HISS!"
Seifer tried desperately to rub the stuff off with his paws. Failing that, he took to running around the room, rubbing his face along the carpet.
' Yuck!'
Squall and Quistis watched the spectacle in amazement.
"I guess he doesn't like tin food then," Quistis finally said.
"I believe so," Squall said, watching his cat madly removing all traces of cat food from its face.
"Here Almasy, here puss."
Seifer glared up at the brunette.
' That was so not cool Squall. Pulling a nasty stunt like that on a poor defenceless kitty. Shame on you. Like I'm going to go near you after that.'
Quistis giggled as she watched the cat turn it's back on Squall in a huff, deliberately snubbing its owner.
" Looks like your sleeping on the couch tonight Squall."
Squall glared at the blonde.
"Very funny."
Yoo-Hoo! Squally! You home?"
"Yeah Rinoa, I'm here."
"What are you two doing on the floor?"
"Trying to get Almasy to eat his cat food." Squall replied.
"He's not too fussed on it," Quistis added.
"Tsh. I don't see why you still have it Squall. It's a viscous mongrel of a brute that thinks it rules the roost."
Seifer glared at the offending girl.
' Who you calling a mongrel?'
Jumping onto the couch, Seifer crouched down, took aim and leaped into the air, claws extended.
' Ha! Take that bitch! He he'
"Ahhhhhh!" Rinoa screamed, trying to remove the beast from her back.
"Get him off. Get Him Off! Squall!"
Squall jumped up and reefed Seifer off Rinoa. Rinoa stared at the now placid cat in Squall's arms.
"See what I mean! Vicious mongrel of a cat."
"He's never attacked me!"
"Maybe not, but he's attacked Rinoa, myself, Zell, Irvine, Cid, Nida, Xu, the cafeteria lady..." Quistis rattled on, counting of the many names of Seifer's victims.
"Ok, so maybe he's a bit temperamental, but if you left him alone then he wouldn't of attacked you and besides, he doesn't attack me, and I'm the one that has to live with him, so he stays."
Rinoa threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine, keep the bloody cat. I don't know what you see in him though, he's quite an ugly brute."
"Hiss."
"I think he's cute, in a weird way, especially with the green eyes," Quistis replied. Seifer allowed her to stroke him as a reward for her compliment.
"See, Rinoa, if you're nice to him, then he's nice back," Squall said, placing Seifer down on the couch.
"By the way, what was it that you wanted Rinoa?"
"I was told to pass on the message that dinners at Selphie's tonight at 7pm. Don't be late. I'm off to go pick my outfit. Bye Squall!" Rinoa said, planting a quick kiss on Squall's lips and taking off out the door.
"Well, I have class to go to so I'll see you tonight then Squall," Quistis said, walking to the door.
"Ok, see ya Quistis."
Squall sat down on the couch.
"So, steak for dinner tonight Almasy?"
Seifer turned his back on Squall.
"What! Damn cat! I'm sorry! Don't you get pissed off with me! Ah man!"
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later that day...
' HELP ME!'
Seifer ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.
"There he is!"
"Get him Selphie."
Seifer dodged the petty brunette and skidded down the hallway.
' Out of my way!'
Selphie jogged up to Rinoa.
"You puff sure puff that Squall puff wouldn't mind puff if we puff did puff this?"
"Of course not. It will make that cat nice."
"Will it?"
"Yeah, well, at least that's what the book says."
"But Squall..."
"Look, you want the cat to stop attacking everyone?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, this is the only way. Tom cats are viscous by nature, but once neutered, they become the nicest cats in the world."
"And the book says that?"
"Yep."
Selphie instantly perked up.
" Ok then! Now where did the little bugger go?"
Rinoa spotted their target peeing out from behind the bushes.
"There he is! Get him!"
"Meow!"
Seifer ran as fast as he could, with the two girls in hot pursuit.
' Squall! Anyone! SAVE ME!'
Seifer bursted out into the courtyard.
' Ok, now where?'
Spotting Irvine and Zell walking across the yard, Seifer shrugged his shoulders.
' Ok, so maybe they're not exactly the best people for the job, but they'll do.'
" Meow!"
"Ahh shit!" Zell cried out as Seifer climbed up onto his shoulders, spitting at the approaching girls.
"Zell! You caught him! Thanks dude!" Selphie said, coming to a stop in front of the two perplexed boys, Rinoa close behind.
"Ah yeah sure. What do you want with the viscous mongrel anyway?
' Hey, what's with the viscous mongrel stuff?'
"We're going to go get him neutered so that he becomes a nice happy cat."
" What, neutering! You can't just go get his balls cut off! It's just not right!" Zell exclaimed.
' I never thought I'd say this, but I love you chicken wuss.'
"Ya know, he's right girls," Irvine drawled. "It would be like cutting our balls off or something. Besides, even if you did get his neutered, I doubt that he'd be any nicer. Being mean is just part of his personality."
"Yeah, he'd most likely become even meaner. By the way, does Squall know you're planning this?"
"Ah, well, no," Selphie said, staring at the ground.
Irvine shook his head.
"Yeah well, I think you better go and let the cat be, unless you wish to invoke Squall's wrath."
"Yeah, he's awfully protective of this thing you know. Wouldn't want to make him made now would ya?"
"I guess not. Come on Rinoa, let's go get some thing to eat. All this running around has made me hungry."
The two girls walked off together, leaving the 2 boys and cat in the middle of the court yard.
' Huh so there.' Seifer thought as he jumped off from his perch and made his way through the crowd. Zell turned to Irvine.
"Ah, Irvine,"
"Yes Zell?"
"Don't you think that it's a bit strange?"
" What's strange?"
"That the cat actually knew what neutering meant."
The two boys stared after the cat.
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"What you doing out here Almasy?" Squall said opening the door to his room.'You wouldn't believe the day I had. First I had my face pushed into that disgusting goo you tried to pass off as food, then I fell off the bench and landed on my arse – who ever said that cats always landed on their feet was a liar - and then I had two psychotic witches try to de-man me, and that's not all! I then had a bunch of first years try to rip me apart limb by limb while trying to pat me as I waited for you to come home. By the way, expect at least 5 reports on your desk from Dr K in the morning' Seifer thought conversationally as he padded through the door.
'From now on I'm sticking close to you. Heard from Edea yet?'
Squall flopped down on the couch, one arm splayed across his face and the other reaching out for Seifer.
'You know Squall, you really like a lot of comfort for an ice prince,' Seifer though as he rubbed up against Squall's hand. Squall grabbed Seifer around his stomach and planted him onto his chest.
"Good kitty."
"Purr."
"Fuck I had the worst day today. First I had to deal with my "father", the Rinoa gave me an ear bashing because I couldn't go out tonight with her, and then Cid phoned me to tell me that he stuffed up the files for the last 5 SEED missions so I have to go and redo all those again. Its times like these that I really wished I had stayed in bed," Squall said, stroking the cat.
'That's not all that's bothering you, is it Squall?'
"I just hate the way she's always trying to change me. How they all try to change me. I'm not some thing that can be moulded to what everyone want me to be. I know I'm too introverted for my own good sometimes, but it doesn't mean that I have to wear my heart on my sleeve all the time. I like being alone sometimes, to sort myself out you know? I don't need everyone to know what's going on in my head. I just wish that they accepted that I am who I am, and to get over it. The worst thing is that they have never tried to understand, always coming up with their own opinions of what's good for, how I should act." Squall sighed.
"I guess the only one who bothered to try to understand me was Seifer. He always had a way of looking out for me without smothering me, forcing me to acknowledge the world while giving me the space I needed. I guess that's why I always pushed him away. I was scared of the way he could look past the barriers I put up around me so easily. In that sense, I guess he was the only real friend I had. I never realised how much I've missed his since he joined up with Ultimecia," Squall continued. "I wonder where he is now?"
Seifer stared at the brunette. 'All those years you pushed me away, and I always thought it was because you hated me, though I would of called you my friend. Maybe we both needed a bit of space to realise how important our friendship was.' Squall suddenly stood up, knocking the cat to the floor.
"Fuck, I need a break. I'm spilling my guts out to a cat. Come on Almasy, lets get something to eat huh?
"Meow."
Squall looked down at his cat with a smile.
"I guess that's why I named you Almasy. You act tough and rough, just like him, but you're always there."
'Of course I am Squall, that's what friends are for, and don't you ever forget it!'
AN:: Another chapter done! Next chapter will see Ultimecia's return. Enjoy and remember to read and review. (I even managed to reply this time! ;-) )