"Squall!" Seifer stumbled backwards, surprised. He felt a whirlwind of emotions wash through him, at the sight of his rival and childhood friend. Squall was equally surprised, but he hid his emotions.
"What are you doing here?" Raijin asked.
"I could ask you the same thing," Squall replied.
"Yo, Squall, who is it?" Zell asked from the house, his voice getting nearer. "Is it someone ..." he trailed off as he appeared in the doorway. "You!" he shouted, his voice one of shock and horror, mingled with fury.
"Zell!" Squall warned. Zell took one last look at Seifer, Fujin and Raijin before walking back inside.
"We ... need to talk to SeeD. We were going to contact you through the mayor, but that isn't necessary anymore." Seifer said, staring at the floor.
"You'd better come in," Squall said icily, moving to the side to allow them to enter. They entered, and started to climb the spiral staircase, while Squall closed the door. They walked into the room at the top of the staircase, and stopped still. The mayor and his wife, Flo, were sitting in the middle of the room. Surrounding them was his childhood friends and his ex-girlfriend: Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, Zell, and Rinoa. Even Cid and Matron were there. He vaguely heard Squall climbing the short flight of stairs behind him.
Seifer swallowed audibly, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
"You've got a lot of nerve, showing up here," Zell grumbled.
Squall squeezed past the trio in the doorway. "They have to talk to members of SeeD," Squall stated. He then went and sat next to Rinoa.
"What is the problem, my child?" Matron asked. Seifer flinched. There were too many memories about Matron. Mostly, he remembered when he had joined sides with her. Except it wasn't Matron. It was Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future. The one person Seifer wanted to forget the most. She raped his mind over and over again, bending him to her will.
Matron sighed. One woman had destroyed hundreds of families, and ripped apart the souls of those who were in her service. Seifer was one of those people with a tortured soul. His surroundings would never allow him to forget the multitude of villainous acts that he committed against his will.
"You shouldn't let past events get in the way of forgiveness," Matron said, reading Seifer's mind.
"But ..." Seifer started, but he was cut off.
"No buts. I participated in the same acts, but I was still forgiven. Trust your friends more. Would they desert someone they have spent most of their lives with?" Matron said, firmly but gently.
Irvine cleared his throat. "Aren't you here to speak with SeeD? If you are, hurry up. I'm sure everyone has got something that they'd rather be getting on with."
Seifer nodded and started his story. He explained about the cabin, how it was demolished, and then requesting SeeD help.
"And why should we help you?" Zell asked rudely.
"Because everyone deserves a second chance," Cid answered.
All eyes in the room turned to him.
"The reason why peoply are what they are is because of choices. People make bad choices all the time. Not all of them have punishments as severe as Seifer's." He paused. Then he said: "What about SeeD? Isn't it about helping people, no matter what their past is?" He looked at all of their faces. "Doesn't he deserve this chance?" he asked softly.
Selphie looked around the room, and then stood up. "Cid's right. Besides, Seifer's part of the orphanage gang, isn't he? I think we should help him." Seifer gave her a small smile of gratitude. He knew that if anyone would understand, it would be Selphie. With her laid-back attitude, she had a big heart, and was willing to forgive anyone, but she was a deadly opponent in battle. A lot of people under-estimate her, which has given her the edge in battle.
"Yes, everyone deserves a second chance," Rinoa said, looking at Seifer.
"We need to get back to Garden, and tell the staff," Cid said, standing up. "Seifer, would you, Fujin and Raijin like to accompany us to Garden?" Cid asked, as everyone else started to stand.
Seifer glanced quickly at Fujin and Raijin, and then nodded.
"I'll find Xu and tell her," Quistis said, heading for the staircase.
"I'll go back and make an announcement that Seifer, Fujin and Raijin will be joining us." Then, talking to Seifer, "You can have a dorm room if you haven't got anywhere to stay. Your old dorm rooms haven't been used," Squall said.
"Thanks," Seifer said, as Squall walked out of the room, followed by Rinoa.
"See you in Garden," Selphie said, holding Irvine's hand. Irvine was silent, but tipped his hat in Seifer's direction.
"I'll be civil to you in Garden, but that doesn't mean I trust you," Zell said, as he walked past Seifer.
The last people to leave the room were Cid and Matron.
"Be brave, my child," Matron said, while Cid merely smiled encouragingly.
Seifer followed them out of the room with Fujin and Raijin, and then out into the night. The edge of the horizon was tinted a lighter shade than the rest of the sky, signalling that morning was approaching.
Seifer paused for a moment, looking at the full moon and the twinkling stars. He looked up on wonder, looking at the stars, looking at their immense beauty. Then, he followed Cid and Matron to the Ragnarok, the dragon-shaped airship that was originally built by Esthar to launch Sorceress Adel into space, which was now owned by Garden. They boarded, and entered the galley. They all sat down in one of the plush, comfy seats, and put on their seatbelts.
"We're just leaving for Balamb. Buckle up!" Selphie said cheerfully over the intercom. The jets powered up, and the Ragnarok slowly lifted into the air. As soon as there was enough altitude, they were thrown back into their seats as the Ragnarok shot forward, on its way home to Balamb Garden.
After sitting in silence for ten minutes, Selphie's cheerful voice came over the intercom again. "Hold on tight! We're going to have a bit of fun." With that, the Ragnarok took a deep nosedive, levelling out before it crashed into the clear ocean. The lower part of the dragon aircraft skimmed the waves, before climbing steeply again. They had just arrived at Balamb. Selphie steered the Ragnarok round the island once, before landing next to Balamb Garden.
Everyone on board the Ragnarok got off, and hurried into Garden. Seifer was one of the last people to get off the gleaming red aircraft, and he stood at the entrance to Garden, looking around apprehensively. He sensed Fujin and Raijin behind him, and drew comfort from their silent presence. He looked once more at Garden, and his face hardened in determination. He proudly walked through the gate separating the beautiful gardens from the lobby of Balamb Garden. He ignored the fearful look the gatekeeper shot at him, and strode into the lobby as the familiar Garden chime rang throughout the building.
Squall's voice was heard over the intercom. "I have an announcement to make. Seifer Almasy is going to be joining Garden for a while. Please be civil and make him feel a part of the life that he lost. Thank you." After Squall's announcement, shocked gasps echoed through the lobby. Seifer also heard snatches of conversations.
"Seifer Almasy?"
"Isn't he ..."
"Yes. Ultimecia's knight ..."
"How can he show his face here, where everyone hates him?"
Seifer felt that he deserved to be hated. He walked through the crowd of angry faces, until he reached his dorm room. He parted with Fujin and Raijin, who carried on down the hall to their dorm room. He stood outside the door, fearing it somehow, but he shook that fear off. He opened his door, and walked in. Something heavy hit his head. The world turned black, and he knew no more.
Seifer felt himself return to his body. He mentally assessed himself for damage. His body was fine, except for his head. His head felt as though it had been hit by a sledgehammer. He felt himself slowly return to consciousness. He groaned. The place where he lay was slightly damp, and he heard nothing, except the steady drip of water. His eyes fluttered open, and he lay still on his back for a while, until the pain in his head had lessened slightly. He slowly sat up, and surveyed the room he was in. The room was dark, and was circular in shape. He stood up, and tried to move towards the door. His left leg was shackled and attatched to a large iron ring by a slender, but durable chain. He decided to conserve his strength, so he didn't test how strong the chain was. He lay down and placed his head on the damp floor. He was in a deep sleep in minutes.
Fujin and Raijin had slept from dawn to dawn of the next day. They rose at six o'clock, and was going to go and get Seifer for their usual training session.
"Seifer! Training!" Raijin called, as they pounded on the door.
"ODD," Fujin commented. They tried the door. It swung open without any resistance, so they went in. The bed hadn't been slept in, a large rock lay in the middle of the floor, and there was blood near the doorway. There was signs of something being dragged to the window. At the window, the blinds flapped in the early morning breeze. The signs were obvious - Seifer had been kidnapped.
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Thanks to BANZAINIPPON and Gunblade Girl for reviewing!
Ruby Dragon