On the way back to Balamb, we were mostly quiet. The most talking was done by me because I felt it was my sacred duty to tell my mother about Dominic's cowardice. She said she'd let the headmaster know and also commented that he probably wouldn't get the chance to take the SeeD exam again for a long time.
When we got back to Balamb, the other crafts were waiting for us at the docks. We exited the watercraft and were met by the group of SeeDs and cadets. A few of the SeeDs began asking questions and me and Kayla, who was using me as a crutch, tried to push through the crowd to get to the cars.
"Kayla! Kaisa!" We stopped at the outskirts of the crowd and turned towards Tal as he ran up to us. He through his arms around both of us and hugged us tightly. "I'm so glad you guys are okay!"
"We appreciate your concern," I told him, "but we can handle ourselves you know."
"I know," Tal admitted, "but I felt guilty because I wasn't there to help you. Aunt Quistis wouldn't let me go back to you."
"It's okay," Kayla assured, "we got through it all right."
"How did you guys get away from that machine thing?" he inquired.
"It's a long story," I told him, "Let's talk about it later."
He agreed and after Kayla slipped her other arm around Tal's shoulders, we made our way back to the car. We got Kayla in, then jumped in ourselves. We had to wait a few minutes before Shana Richards and that sissy rat boy Dominic joined us, then we were on our way back to the Garden.
"Gee Dominic, I'm glad you made it back safely," I sneered, "I mean, you were in a lot of danger. You could've twisted your ankle while you were running." I turned to Kayla. "No offense."
"None taken," Kayla insisted, "Why would I take offense? I wasn't running like a coward from soldiers when I fell."
Dominic glared at us but didn't say anything.
"Really," Tal agreed with our teasing, "the last time I saw someone run away that fast was when Uncle Zell was running to the cafeteria to get a hotdog!"
The three of us burst into laughter and Dominic continued to glare.
"Don't try to make up for your dad being a loser by making fun of me," he told me.
I chuckled. "You know, my dad may have made some bad choices in his life, but he never ever ran from anything or anyone."
Dominic shut up again and he was silent for the rest of the way as I told Tal about how we blew up the BGH251F2. Even our SeeD superior Shana seemed impressed with my story. When we finally arrived back at the Garden, all cadets were ordered to gather at the front gate. We did and my mother spoke to us.
"Now your SeeD exam points will be tallied," she informed, "When the results have been tabulated, you will be called to the second floor hallway. There, the names of those who passed will be announced by me or Commander Leonhart. Those who pass will be given a keycard to their SeeD room and then released to move their belongings. Until then, you are free to do whatever you like, but please remain inside the Garden. That is all."
After she dismissed us, Kayla and I headed to the infirmary so Dr. Kadowaki could check out Kayla's foot. When we arrived, there were already a few cadets and SeeDs there who had been injured in FH. We took our seats in the waiting room and talked with a few others while we waited our turn. After a few minutes, the door to the examining room opened and Dr. Kadowaki's voice floated out.
"Next time, be more careful," she admonished her patient, "You could've been seriously injured."
"Sorry," the patient's voice, which I recognized as Vaughn's, came out of the open doorway as well, "I can never turn my back on a beautiful lady."
I assumed the doctor was scolding him for catching me and I was surprised to hear a compliment from Vaughn. A second later, he emerged from the room, putting his cowboy hat back on. His black coat was draped over one arm and bandages around his mid-section were visible under his white T-shirt. His gaze fell on me and for a second, his smile faded and he looked slightly embarrassed. He must've figured I heard what he had told Dr. Kadowaki. It passed quickly however and his smile returned. He tipped his hat at me and then left the infirmary.
"Did Vaughn just tell Dr. Kadowaki that you're a 'beautiful lady'?" Kayla asked.
"I-I think so," I stammered.
"He's such a dork," Kayla scoffed.
The doctor helped a few more patients before she got to us. Because Kayla couldn't walk on her own, I was allowed to accompany her into the examination room. The doctor ordered her to sit on the bed and I sat next to her.
Dr. Kadowaki has been with the Garden since it first opened. She is in her mid sixties but is still the best doctor anyone could hope for. She never married and has no kids so her life and family reside in Garden. I once heard her tell my mother that she'd still be seeing patients when she was ninety.
"So Kayla," Dr. Kadowaki started, "What happened to you?"
"I was running from the BGH251F2," Kayla explained, "and somehow my foot got caught between two pieces of metal on the dock. I twisted my ankle as I fell and then it got worse as Cale and Luke tried to get it free."
"At least you didn't cause this one." Dr. Kadowaki looked at me over her glasses.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Vaughn was in here a few minutes ago and he told me about your flying act and how he caught you."
"That wasn't my fault," I insisted, "It was an accident."
"Those are the same words your father said to me every single time he came in here," the doctor grinned. She turned back to Kayla. "Let's get that boot off."
The swelling had gone down some but it was still painful for Kayla to take the boot off. With my help, they finally managed to pry her bruised foot out of the shoe. Dr. Kadowaki bent down and examined it.
"Looks like it's just a sprain," she diagnosed finally. "You'll be on crutches for a few days until the swelling goes down. I'll give you a painkiller and in a week you should be fine." The doctor wrapped her ankle, then gave her a set of crutches and the painkillers, which she slipped into her jacket pocket. "Stay off of it," the doctor warned, "or it'll take longer to recover."
"I will," Kayla promised and we made our way back to our dorm room. Once inside, Kayla collapsed into a chair and I did the same.
"What a day," I groaned.
"Really," Kayla agreed, "Could it get any worse?"
"Well, we could not pass."
"That's not even funny," Kayla stated, "After all we've been through today, we better pass."
A knock on the door interrupted our conversation but before either of us could go answer it, the door slid open and Aunt Selphie flew into the room. She practically tackled Kayla out of the chair and hugged her tightly.
"Quisty told me you were injured!" she exclaimed, near tears, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Mom," Kayla assured as she hugged her petite mother back, "Dr. Kadowaki says it's only a sprain."
"What about your brother?" Selphie questioned, "Is he okay?"
"Yeah," Kayla answered, "He just hurt a few ribs. He caught Kaisa in mid-air after she was thrown off the BGH251F2."
"Are you okay?" Aunt Selphie asked me. I nodded. "Good. Your mother told me about how you destroyed that machine. I can't believe they got it working after all these years."
"It's definitely a modern miracle," I agreed.
"Well, now that I know you're okay," Selphie let go of Kayla and straightened up, "I've gotta go finish decorating for the SeeD ball. It's gonna be the best one yet. I hope you guys like it!"
Just as fast and energetically as she had entered, Selphie Kinneas disappeared back out the door. Kayla and I looked at each other.
"Sometimes, I think she's seriously weird," Kayla said.
"What parents aren't?" I reminded.
Kayla nodded. After a short pause, she spoke. "So, do you think we should start packing up our stuff?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know," Kayla insisted, "In case we do pass the exam. We have to move to a new room."
"Oh right." I thought for a moment. "I guess it wouldn't hurt, seeing as how we have nothing better to do."
I helped Kayla out of the chair and we each went to our separate rooms. Because the rooms were so small, we had a very limited number of stuff that we kept in them. I packed all of my normal clothes into two suitcases and after finding an empty box that was laying around, I packed up what few personal items I had, including a family portrait in a silver frame and a teddy bear I'd had since childhood. Once this was done, I pulled out the case for my Sais and tucked them carefully inside. I wouldn't need them for the rest of the day.
After I had packed, I went to help Kayla. She was having trouble because of the crutches so I moved everything to her bed where she could pack it. Of course, packing to her was cramming everything into a few suitcases and then sitting on them to shut them. The only thing she took care in putting away were her nunchaku. Once we were both packed and ready to move if we had to, we decided to go and get some lunch. We hadn't eaten since breakfast.
On the way out of the dorm room corridor, my eyes fell on a familiar figure approaching. As always, he sported his long grey trench coat and had Hyperion strapped to his side. Flanking him on the left was Uncle Raijin and on his right was Aunt Fujin. They must've just returned from Centra.
"Daddy!" I shouted and ran to him, where I was received warmly with a big hug and kiss. Whenever he greeted me like that, people always looked at him strangely, as if they didn't think him capable of such affection. They were all idiots. "When did you get back from Centra?"
"Just a few minutes ago," he answered, "We left a little before the others."
"Why?"
"Because," my father smirked, "I wouldn't miss my little girl's induction into SeeD."
I smiled. "What makes you so sure I'm gonna pass?"
"You're an Almasy," he reminded.
"Isn't that a reason to think she won't pass?"
We turned around and saw Rinoa Leonhart headed towards us. She grinned at my dad and he glared back.
"Ha ha," he laughed sarcastically, "Thanks for the input Leonhart."
"No problem," she smiled, then turned to me and Kayla. "Have you guys seen Tal?"
"Not since we got back," Kayla told her.
"He's probably in his room," I offered.
"Thanks." Aunt Rinoa walked by us and my dad stopped glaring.
"Anyway," my dad continued, "Your mother told me about what you did to the BGH251F2. That's pretty impressive."
"Thanks," I beamed.
"She also told me about that Dominic kid and the little fight you two had on the way to FH."
My smile faltered and I waited for what would come next. I knew everything was all right when my dad smirked.
"You showed him not to mess with an Almasy, didn't you?"
"Damn straight," I agreed, but quickly corrected myself, "I mean, yes, I did."
"Well, I've still got a few things to do before the SeeD announcement," he told me finally, "I'll see you then."
"Okay," I nodded, "Bye Daddy!"
"Bye Uncle Seifer!" Kayla called.
"Bye Uncle Raijin! Bye Aunt Fujin!" I yelled after the departing posse. They both turned and waved, then followed my father into the dorm room hallway. After my dad left, we continued to the cafeteria, where we had been heading in the first place. I got us some lunch while Kayla hobbled over to an empty table. I carried both of our trays to the table and we began to eat voraciously. Fighting really makes you hungry.
"So," Kayla started in between bites of a chicken sandwich, "Are you nervous?"
I pretended ignorance. "About what?"
"Passing the exam!" Kayla sighed exasperatedly, "What do you think?"
"Oh." I swallowed a drink of soda. "Yeah, a little."
"Hyne, I hope we pass," Kayla said in a semi-prayer.
"Don't get all hung up on it," I insisted, "I'm sure we did fine."
"If I don't pass, Vaughn will never let me hear the end of it," Kayla continued, "He already thinks that because he's older, he's a better fighter. If I don't pass, I'll never live it down."
"You'll pass," I assured, "We both will. And Tal too."
"I hope so," Kayla breathed.
We were just finishing our late lunch when the intercom on the cafeteria wall came to life with a merry tinkling of bells. "Attention cadets, those of you who took the SeeD exam today, report to the second floor hallway. I repeat, those of you who took the SeeD exam today, report to the second floor hallway. That is all."
The intercom fell silent and I turned to Kayla. "You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she grimaced and for a second I thought she was going to toss up her lunch. I threw away our trash and the two of us left the cafeteria and made our way towards the elevator. We met up with Tal in the main hall and the three of us continued on together. When we reached the elevator, we waited for the cab with a few other cadets and then rode it to the second floor hall. Half of the cadets were already there and more came after we found a position near my mother's classroom. Tal and I were leaning against the wall, trying to look nonchalant while Kayla began pacing in front of us. We waited for maybe five minutes before my mom's classroom door opened and she stepped out with my dad, Aunt Rinoa, Uncle Squall, Aunt Selphie and Uncle Irvine. They smiled at us as they walked towards the head of the group.
"Oh Hyne did you see that?" Kayla whispered in despair after they had walked by, "Those were pity smiles! We didn't pass!"
"Calm down," Tal ordered, "They were just smiling."
Kayla, always dramatic when it came to things like this, refused to be comforted and paced even faster, her silver crutches flashing like lightning. She was walking so fast I thought she was going to cause a furrow in the marble floor of the hallway.
"Welcome cadets," my mother spoke from the front of the group. The three of us pressed in closer so we could hear better. "The results of your SeeD exam have been calculated and I will read off the names of those who have passed. If your name is read, stay here for further instructions. If not, you may leave after all the names have been called. So, let's begin. In alphabetical order, the names of our newest SeeDs are…"
Kayla grabbed my right hand and Tal grabbed her right hand as my mother began to read off the names.
"Sheri Aenor…"
A few feet away, a redheaded girl with pigtails turned to her friends and hugged them.
"Seth Akkar…"
Kayla's grip tightened on mine. If I passed, my name would be next.
"Kaisa Almasy…"
I squeezed Kayla's hand back but didn't turn for congratulations. We still had to see if she and Tal passed.
"Jenley Burrows, Arian Dunton, Ariel Dunton, Keely Galley…"
I could feel Kayla tense beside me. Her name was coming up.
"Kayla Kinneas…"
She squeezed my hand and I assume Tal's as well.
"Tal Leonhart…"
When we heard his name, the three of us turned to each other and hugged while jumping up and down. My mother finished the list.
"And Jonah Sayers. Those of you who did not pass, train harder and perhaps you will have better luck next time."
Almost ¾ of the group of cadets walked back towards the elevators, slump shouldered and disappointed. Those that remained behind were all smiles and we congratulated each other enthusiastically. Once the cadets had left, Uncle Squall spoke.
"Congratulations on making it as a SeeD," he said, "Now, you will be sent on missions and paid a regular salary dictated by your SeeD rank. Your SeeD rank will get better if you complete missions in a timely and desirable fashion. Your SeeD rank will go down if you mess around or don't complete a mission you have been sent on. Now, all of you please ascend to the third floor, where Headmaster Cid will congratulate you and give you your SeeD ranking and Headmistress Edea will give you your uniforms and new dorm rooms. Dismissed."
We saluted briskly and then made our way to the elevator. Because the elevator car was so small, we had to split up into groups. Me, Kayla and Tal were three of the last to get to the third floor office and we only had to wait a few minutes for Headmaster Cid and his wife Edea. We saluted as they entered.
"Congratulations on passing the exam and being accepted into the prestigious rank of SeeD," the Headmaster congratulated. He was a portly man with almost completely gray hair and brown eyes. He had been Headmaster since the Garden opened and before that, he and his wife ran the orphanage that my parents grew up in. "As you know, SeeD is a very important part of this Garden…" As the Headmaster rattled on, I tuned him out and tried to imagine what it was going to be like being a SeeD. I also wondered what my first mission would be. Once the Headmaster was finished, he spoke to each one of us individually to give us our SeeD ranks and to say a few personal words of encouragement. I was the third one in line.
"Ah, Kaisa Almasy," he smiled, "Seems like just yesterday that I was talking to your father in this position. Although, the way he was taking the exams, I'm surprised it wasn't yesterday."
I smiled politely at the Headmaster's joke. While most of the time I hated it when people made fun of my dad, I knew that Cid was just messing around and loved my dad like he was his own son.
"Anyway," he continued, "based on the calculations of your pre-requisite and your field exam, your SeeD rank will start at 9. And on a personal note, I have negated your detention for the week, but you mother insists that you still be made to clean up after the ball tomorrow."
"Thank you," I whispered and he moved on to the next person. Damn you Mom I thought. After Cid had told everyone their ranks, he stood in front of us again.
"Now, you will be issued your SeeD uniform and your new dorm room," Cid informed, "Please for a line in front of the Headmistress and she will give you a uniform and a new dorm."
We all walked over to Matron (Because that's what our parents always call her, we call her Matron as well) and got in line for our uniforms and new dorms.
When I got to the front of the line, Matron smiled warmly at me.
"Congratulations," she whispered as she handed me my first SeeD uniform. She then grabbed a piece of paper with a keycard clipped to it and handed it to me. "Your new dorm."
I thanked her and walked aside as Kayla went next. After she and Tal both had gotten their uniforms and dorms, we looked at the numbers for our new rooms.
"Mine's 145," Tal told us.
"Mine's 198," Kayla informed.
I grinned. "Matron's the best."
"Why?"
"Because my room is 197," I explained.
"All right!" Kayla exclaimed, "It'll be almost like sharing a room."
"Come on," Tal urged, "Let's go get our stuff moved so we can get ready for the SeeD ball."
We agreed and rode the elevator back down to the first floor. When we stepped off, we weren't surprised to find our parents waiting for us. They all hugged us and congratulated us on our success.
"It's so hard to believe," Rinoa said, near tears, "My little boy's finally a SeeD."
"Geez Mom," Tal blushed, "Your acting like I've twelve or something."
"This is an emotional time for us," Selphie insisted, "our babies our growing up."
"I assume Cid told you that he got you out of detention," My mother inquired.
"Yes," I smiled. I shouldn't taunt her but I couldn't help it.
"Yes," my mother smirked sinisterly, "Well, you still have to clean up after the SeeD ball tomorrow."
"I'm aware," I told her.
She narrowed her eyes. "Sometimes you remind me so much of your father I just want to scream!"
My dad turned from where he was talking to Uncle Squall. "What did I do now?"
"Nothing," my mom assured. "So, what are you guys doing now?"
"We're gonna go move our stuff to our new rooms," I informed, "After that, I guess we're getting ready for the ball."
"We'll see you there then," my mother said. We said goodbye to our parents and then made our way to the dorm rooms. Our first stop was to check out our new rooms. All three rooms were identical, as were all the others. They consisted of two rooms, a main room and a bathroom off the side. The main room had a kitchenette in the front and a bed in the back. The rooms were in no way luxurious but because they represented our ascent into SeeD, they were the most beautiful things we had ever seen.
"We finally did it," Tal commented as we made our way to our old rooms to start transporting our stuff.
"I knew we would!" Kayla shouted.
I chuckled. "Yeah right. When we were waiting for the results, I thought you were gonna have a coronary or something."
"I was just nervous," she defended.
"That's an understatement," Tal teased.
"Hmph." Kayla stuck her nose up in the air, indicating she was not going to talk with us anymore. We laughed and continued to the rooms.
The next hour or so was spent transferring boxes and unpacking them in the new rooms. Inside the closet were several SeeD uniforms identical to the ones Matron had given us. They had been placed in the closets once it was known who would be occupying the room. After my stuff was unpacked and situated, I went to help Kayla. Because of her crutches, she couldn't carry the boxes and was instead, kicking them across the floor with her good foot while holding herself up on the crutches. I found her coming down the hallway from our old room, kicking a small suitcase. I picked it up for her.
"Having fun?" I asked as we headed back to her room.
"Oh, tons," she assured. We reached her dorm and entered.
"Well, how about you stay here and unpack and I'll bring the rest of your stuff?" I suggested.
"Okay," she agreed, "but find that good for nothing Tal and make him help you."
"I will," I promised and left the room. I ran into Tal just as I was approaching the old room.
"Hey, I was just coming to look for you."
"Good," I grinned, "You can help me haul Kayla's stuff to her room.
"Why?" he groaned, "I just got done with my stuff!"
"Why?" I repeated, "Because she is one of your best friends and friends help each other when they need it, so get your bony butt in gear, Leonhart."
"You know," he told me as we entered the room, "this could cause another Leonhart-Almasy feud."
"Almasy-Leonhart," I corrected, "And I doubt it. You don't have it in you to hate me."
"You're right," he agreed. We each grabbed a few things and took them back to Kayla's new room. It only took us a few trips and we were done by 1600 hours. After getting Kayla's room situated, Tal went back to his and we decided to get ready for the SeeD ball. Because we had just passed the SeeD exam, we were required to wear our SeeD uniforms but we were allowed to accessorize with make-up and fix up our hair. The SeeD ball started at 1800 hours and we were ready ten minutes before it was to begin.
"We look great," Kayla commented as she hopped over to the mirror to examine herself. Her hair was curled into ringlets that bounced as she walked.
"Of course we do," I agreed. My hair was done up into a French twist with curly tendrils framing my face.
"Let's go find Tal and then head to the Quad," she suggested.
"Okay."
Kayla grabbed her crutches and we left her room. We went down the hallway and stopped outside Tal's room. We knocked sharply and he opened the door, dressed in his SeeD outfit as well. His hair was slicked back, which allowed attention to be drawn to his icy blue eyes.
"Whoa Tal," I grinned, "looking good."
"Why, thank you," he smiled, "You're not looking too bad yourself." He turned to Kayla, "And of course, you look stunning as well."
Kayla blushed furiously and avoided his gaze. "Thanks."
"Wow Tal," I commented, "I never knew you were such a ladies' man."
"It's a well hidden talent." He held his arms out to us. "Shall we go?"
We each looped an arm in his and he escorted us to the ball. Inside the Quad, a few people had already gathered. Soft music came from speakers around the room and was being played by a pianist up on the makeshift stage. Dark blue and white streamers and balloons decorated the ceiling and a huge banner reading "Congratulations SeeDs!" hung over the stage. Throughout the room, round tables were set up, covered with white tablecloths and set for dinner. Against one wall was a long rectangular table that was set up with food and drinks.
"Look at this place," Kayla breathed, "I hardly recognize it."
"Your mom did a good job," I admitted.
This was our first SeeD ball so we were a little wary as to what we were supposed to do. Luckily my mom came up to us as we stood marveling at the décor. She was wearing a peach colored gown and her hair was cascading down her shoulders in a golden wave.
"Welcome to the SeeD ball," she greeted with a smile, "I reserved a table for you guys over there." She pointed towards the back of the room. "You'll have to sit with your brothers and Cale though."
"Ahhh," Kayla and me whined but we were in too good a mood to really be upset about anything. The three of us followed my mom to the table she had indicated earlier and sat down. At the table next to us, my dad, Uncle Raijin, Aunt Fujin, Uncle Squall, Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Irvine were talking and sipping drinks. They waved when we sat down but didn't stop their conversation.
We had barely sat down when a waiter came up to us and asked us if we'd like some champagne. Of course we said yes and he sat three glasses filled with the bubbly drink in front of us, then left.
"This is so cool," Tal insisted as he took a gulp of his champagne.
"Go easy," I warned as I sipped my own, "You don't want to have your daddy carry you out of here, do you?"
Tal stuck his tongue out and continued to enjoy his drink. After a few more minutes, the room began to get crowded and I heard my mother call to my brother, Vaughn and Cale. They came over and joined us at the table.
"Congratulations kiddies," Luke smirked, "I'm proud of you."
"Gee, thanks," I replied sarcastically.
"Check this out," Vaughn teased and grabbed Tal's champagne glass, which was empty, "They're SeeDs now so they think they're big drinkers."
"Shut up." Tal snatched his glass back from the cowboy. A waiter came up and refilled it while also leaving glasses for the three newcomers.
"So," Cale asked, "What ranks did you guys get?"
"8," Tal and Kayla replied in unison.
"9," I answered, somewhat timidly.
"9?" Kayla repeated, "Really? That's awesome!"
"Hey Luke," Vaughn said, "When you passed your SeeD exam, weren't you only a level 7?"
"Shut up Kinneas," my brother growled.
I chuckled. "Come on Luke, don't be jealous just because I'm better than you."
"Keep telling yourself that, kid," he insisted.
Our little sibling argument was interrupted as Uncle Zell, Aunt Cammi and Aunt Selphie joined the table with our parents. They each said hi and Uncle Zell and Aunt Cammi congratulated us on our passing of the exam.
After they had been served drinks, Raven Leonhart and Tristen Denko appeared at our parents' table, hand in hand. Raven spoke to her mother for a few seconds while Tristen remained silent.
"Why don't you join us?" Rinoa offered, "You can sit over there." She pointed to our table.
"We'd love to but we're sitting with some friends," Raven declined, "I just wanted to say hi and to congratulate my little brother." She came over to our table and hugged Tal. "Good job."
"Thanks," he replied awkwardly.
"Congratulations to you two as well," Raven said to Kayla and me.
"Thank you," we replied in unison."
"Congratulations," Tristen said in his soft voice and then left with Raven. After they were gone, Kayla was practically hyperventilating.
"Did you hear that?" she screeched, "he talked to me!"
"He talked to all three of us," Tal reminded, "Not just you."
Kayla ignored him. "Oh, he's so gorgeous!"
Vaughn laughed. "He's not so great. What does he have that I don't got?"
Kayla burst into laughter. "Vaughn, you're a riot! What does he have that you haven't got? Everything!"
Vaughn scoffed and turned away from Kayla. As he was turning, his gaze fell on me and his eyes locked with mine. I had no idea why, but his eyes were so enchanting that I couldn't turn away. Finally he smiled and I lowered my gaze. I could feel a blush creep up on my cheeks and hoped that no one else saw it.
After everyone was present, the waiters served dinner, steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, bread sticks and salad. Everyone ate and talked about various things. After people began to finish with dinner, a few more musicians joined the piano player on the stage and began playing music to dance to. A few couples got up and twirled around the dance floor as others finished their dinners.
After our dinner was finished, the plates were cleared away and we were served more champagne. The drink was making me feel all warm inside so I decided that I wouldn't have another. Tal, ignoring the signs, drank another glass before he turned to Kayla and smiled.
"Wanna dance?" he asked.
"How am I supposed to dance?" she inquired, "I have a sprained ankle, remember?"
"Don't worry about it," Tal assured and stood up, "I'll hold you up. Come on." He held his hand out to her.
"Go Casanova," Vaughn teased.
Kayla glared at her brother and then put her hand into Tal's. He helped her up and then supported her as they went out to the dance floor. Cale and Luke left the table, saying they were going to get more drinks, leaving Vaughn and me alone.
"So," I said lamely, "How're are your ribs?"
"Fine," Vaughn told me, "Two broken. Nothing serious."
"Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," he smiled, "It was worth it." He flashed me the famous Kinneas grin and once again my cheeks were warmed with a blush. Thinking it was a side effect of the champagne, I turned away quickly.
The band on the stage ended the song they were playing and another, slower song started. It was instantly recognizable as "Eyes on Me", an old song that Aunt Rinoa's mom had written about Uncle Squall's dad. At the table next to us, Aunt Rinoa jumped up.
"It's our song Squall!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Come on!"
Uncle Squall stood up and led her onto the dance floor. My parents, Fujin and Raijin, Zell and Cammi and Selphie and Irvine followed. Once they were all out of the dance floor, I turned back to my table and looked down at the tablecloth.
"Hey," Vaughn called and I looked up. "Wanna dance?"
"Uh…" I stared at him blankly for a moment. "Sure."
He stood up and walked over to me. He held his hand out and I took it. He helped me out of my chair and led me to the dance floor. He put his arms around my waist and I put mine on his shoulders and we began to spin around the floor. He looked down at me and smiled and I knew I was blushing again but there was nothing I could do about it. Damn champagne I thought to myself.
I looked away from Vaughn and caught Kayla's eye across the dance floor. She made a face and then pretended like she was gagging. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Vaughn. We danced until the song ended and a more upbeat tune was played. Vaughn led me back to our table and we sat back down, just as Kayla, Tal and our parents did. Luke and Cale were still off doing Hyne knew what.
I looked over at our parents' table and saw my father eyeing Vaughn poisonously. He then leaned over to Uncle Irvine and whispered something sharply to him. Because I was closer than the others to him, I heard what he said.
"Kinneas, you better tell your son to stay the Hell away from my baby girl."
Uncle Irvine smiled. "It's not his fault she can't resist the Kinneas charm."
"If he touches her again I'll kill him," my father swore. He looked away from Uncle Irvine and caught me staring at him.
"Lighten up," Irvine insisted, not aware that I was listening.
Suddenly, my mother leaned over. "Seifer, stop threatening him. If they want to be together, they will be and you can't stop them."
"Excuse me," I whispered fiercely, "but you guys have this all wrong. I don't like Vaughn and I definitely don't want to be with him."
"Of course not sweetheart," my mother agreed, "Boys have cooties, I know."
"Hyne Mom, I'm not three!" I scoffed, "I am interested in boys, just not Vaughn."
"Really?" my father asked, "Just who are you interested in then?" He cracked his knuckles threateningly.
"Oh Hyne," I sighed and turned back to the conversation at our table. I caught Vaughn's eye and he winked at me mischievously. That's all I needed. I looked back at my father and saw that he too had seen the exchange. He was starting to get up but my mom pulled him back down into his seat.
"Down Seifer," she hissed and he obeyed but not without glaring at Vaughn.
A few seconds later, Luke and Cale returned to the table. They started a conversation with Vaughn, and me, Tal and Kayla talked amongst ourselves.
"What's wrong with your dad?" Kayla asked after a few minutes, "It looks like he wants to kill Vaughn or something."
I sighed and leaned closer so that Vaughn wouldn't hear what I said. "My dad thinks that since I danced with Vaughn, it means I want to marry him or something."
"Eww!" Kayla exclaimed loudly, "Why would you want to marry Vaughn?!"
I snapped my head around and saw that Kayla's little outburst had drawn everyone's attention from both tables. My face turned into crimson fire as I saw the grin on Vaughn's face.
"I don't!" I snapped at Kayla, who was oblivious of the trouble her words had caused.
"I'm gonna kill him!" my dad shouted from behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know that he was getting out of his seat.
"Seifer, sit down right now!" my mom ordered, "You can't stop them from falling in love."
"Oh Hyne," I moaned and buried my face in my hands.
I heard my dad pull away from my mom and a second later he was at our table. "What did you do to my baby girl?!"
"N-nothing sir," Vaughn stammered, "I didn't do anything to her."
"You better hope to Hyne that you didn't touch her," my dad threatened, "because if I find out you did, I'll kill you, understand?"
"Yes sir."
I heard my father stomp back over to his table where he received a not so quiet scolding from my mother. I kept my face in my hands for a few more minutes until Kayla tugged on my arm. I looked up at her wearily.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"It's not your fault my parents are spastic," I assured her. I looked around the table and noticed that Vaughn, Cale and Luke had all disappeared. Next to Kayla, Tal appeared to be either sleeping or passed out.
"I think it's time to go," I insisted and motioned towards Tal.
Kayla nodded. "I think you're right." She nudged Tal until he woke up and then we stood up.
"Where are you going?" my mother asked as the three of us left the table.
"We're going back to our rooms," I informed.
"Yeah," Kayla agreed as she balanced herself on her crutches, "We've had a long day."
"All right," My mother agreed, "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight," Kayla and I echoed. Tal was still a little out of it and he managed a slight wave before stumbling off towards the exit with us. We left the Quad and after a few short stops in which Tal almost fell over, we made it to our dorm rooms. We helped Tal into his, where he fell on the bed and was asleep before we had made it to the door. We then made our way back to our own rooms.
"'Night Kaisa," Kayla called as she entered her dorm.
"'Night," I yawned and walked into my own. Once inside, I stripped out of my SeeD uniform and put on my pajamas, light green pants with chocobos on them and a white tank top trimmed in the same green as the pants. I climbed under the blankets on the bed and, as the day caught up with me, fell asleep in minutes.