Four cards sprawled across the 9x9 Triple Triad Board. Passing students wanted to observe the ongoing card battle between Quistis and Xu, sadly, they could only look from afar. What they didn't know was that the card battle was just an excuse for a heart to heart talk in public.

"Are you this hung up on him?" Xu asked, going through her deck of cards.

Quistis sighed, hesitating which card to use.

"I think you should forget him. I don't think he's worth it."

She sighed again. Perhaps this card...

"Quisty, you're losing your edge in Triple Triad because of him."

Yes, this card would do.

"What do you even see in him? He's a bloody loner. He's not even nice to me."

Quistis placed a card on the deck. It had no effect on her scoreboard. "You don't see what I see in him."

Xu raised her hands, rolling her eyes over Quistis' declaration. "Seriously?"

Quistis lost that round, and as a result, she had to relinquish one of the cards in her deck. She hated losing. Quistis wasn't always a sore loser. Not until Squall left her. It was awful to lose in the game of love. But to also lose in the game of cards? She grumbled. What rotten luck.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the intruder who appeared beside them. He coughed, and Quistis finally raised her head to look at him.

He was a very good looking man, with eyes so blue and light one couldn't think was real. A strong nose with short cropped hair. He was a large figure, the only anomaly to his beautiful cold and cruel face was the scar slashed across his nose bridge.

Quistis squinted. Odd. It was so similar to Squall's.

And the she remembered who he was.

"Seifer Almasy?" Xu asked in surprise.

He acknowledged Xu's statement, but kept his attention to Quistis. "The Card King lost?"

She remembered Seifer. Like her, he an orphan back in Matron's orphanage. He never got along with anybody, including her. Quistis didn't care about him and focused her attention on Squall alone.

Through a series of events, she managed to enter Balamb Garden and became a SeeD. It was the last place she expected to find Almasy. Seifer's impulsiveness and brashness always got him in trouble, and as a result, he was never promoted to SeeD.

He had a not so friendly rivalry with Squall. One thing led to the other, and both ended up with large scars on their faces. The scars on their nose bridge was testament to their rivalry. To settle their issues, Seifer was shipped to Galbadia, never to be heard of again.

Until now.

"How'd you know she's the Card King?" Xu asked, "and wait, what are you doing here?"

"One, I have my ways." he chuckled. "and two, I'm a transferee instructor."

Xu let out a long yet sharp hoot. "So you actually managed to graduate! Congratulations, Almasy! Bad grass wins. "

Xu's careless statement didn't even dent his composure. "It takes a lot to kill a bad grass."

"Yeah, but this is a surprise. To see you in the flesh." Xu looked at him from head to foot. "and you filled up nicely in Galbadia. You were so skinny back then. No wonder Squall kicked you in the ass."

Hearing Squall's name brought displeasure to his face. "I kicked his ass as well, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Xu mumbled. "You wanna to talk with Trepe? You've been ogling her despite you talking to me."

Ogling her?

"You want to talk with me?" she asked Seifer.

"Alone."

"Alone?" she repeated

"Yes."

Xu finally settled with Quistis' Chocobo card. "You know, I just remembered I had some papers to check. Do excuse me Q, Almasy." Xu stood and stepped away from her chair. Before she left the table, Xu waved the rare card in front of Quistis. "Tell me the details."

"Screw you." Quistis blushed at Xu's lack of subtlety. "and I'll get that card back."

Xu winked and giggled as she left the two of them. Just like a school girl, Quistis mused.

She turned her attention to Seifer. "Sit down." Quietly, he sat on Xu's seat.

"Such foul language coming from the Card King."

"That was a private conversation."

"Not when another person can read what's going out of your lips."

"I wasn't aware you had this absurd notion of staring at my lips." '

"You have beautiful lips." He noted.

Thump. Her heart skipped a bit. Was that… a compliment?

"But Rinoa's lips are better." He smirked.

Her heart sank. Rinoa. Always rinoa. Why was this idiot bringing her up?

"I'm a very busy and if you wouldn't mind, can you be direct to the point?"

"Feisty," he said, coldness in his expression, an arrogant smugness she found brewing in her that she wanted to squash. "Very well, I'll enlighten you. Maybe after a little card game? Don't worry, I won't take any of your cards."

"As if I'll lose to you." she frowned.

She had beat him more than once when they were younger.

"Times change." He said. "People change."

Seifer brought his own deck, and they played the most basic game with simple rules. Same Rule, included. To her surprise, Seifer possessed a strong deck in his hand. It was 5-4, the odds in her favor.

"I have a certain proposition for you."

Her eyes narrowed to his proposition. "Why should I even listen to you?"

"Because you want your ex back." He said, laying another card. Adding another point to his scoreboard. "And I want mine back as well."

This blockhead was Rinoa's ex-boyfriend?

Seeing the confusion and distress on her face, Seifer smirked. "Hard to believe, Trepe? Yes, Rinoa was my ex-girlfriend. We were in a relationship for 4 years… I was there for her, until a certain jerk came into the picture and stole her away from me."

So that was it.

Their exes met and started a relationship and left the two hanging. She was in a relationship with Squall for 2 years, and he with her for 4 years. Then in a mere 4 months, all those years was lost.

Everything.

"What if I don't want to be with my ex again?"

"Oh, I doubt it." he said.

He was so full of himself that she wanted to refuse him. She placed another card, this time, gaining lead against him.

"What's your proposition then?"

"We separate them."

She had already thought of that. "It's not that simple."

"Nothing is not too simple. There's always the essence in everything. And if you can shake that foundation." His finger snapped. "Everything falls into pieces."

"Just like your relationship with her."

"Just like your relationship with him." He countered.

Facing him, Quistis felt she was talking a stranger. He had been crude years ago. Uncouth. Barbaric. But now, there was a refined grace to him that she had never wasn't the same Seifer Almasy she knew. Where was the impulsiveness? That brashness that always got him into trouble?

As if he was a walking and talking block of ice personified.

Instead, sitting in front of her was a cold and calculating man.

"Why do you want to be with her again?" she asked.

"Because her father is a general."

So he was merely using her. It wasn't for love.

"Don't think I'm just using her. Rinoa's beautiful, kind and sweet. It's a plus factor that her dad's a general. Look, I met a lot of connections because of her father, and I won't allow this runt to get away with this. Nobody takes what's mine. And if someone does, someone will pay."

"What method will your proposition take then?"

"Let's pretend to have a relationship."

6-5.

She was winning, but it was still Seifer's turn. There was no way he could counter her move. He was a lost cause, and so was his mind.

"Don't be absurd."

"You haven't listened to the rest of my proposition, and I still have one more move to make."

She stood from her chair, obviously upset. She didn't see the card Seifer placed on the board, but she did see the couple who strolled in the canteen.

Quistis inhaled. She had only seen them through the pictures Xu provided her. It was a punch to the gut to see them in the flesh, and she could only feel the cold sweat traverse across her face.

Squall was laughing. He had such a light expression on his face that she had never seen before, and the woman beside him- Rinoa- was laughing as well. A dog was trailing behind them too.

Quistis froze. She was ready to fight an army of monsters, or even the T-Rex in the training center.

But she wasn't ready for this.

Not this.

She felt him stand behind her. His voice close to her ears. "So, will you or will you not accept?"

Shit.

"Will you?"

She couldn't remove her eyes from the couple across the cafeteria. "What about the details?"

"We'll work on it later."

After a few seconds, Quistis nodded.

She heard his chuckle before he turned her body to face him. "Then we have a deal."

Quistis finally saw the last card Seifer placed. What darn luck he had to convert her adjacent cards to his.

5-6.

"While I said I won't take any of your cards, I think I'll take something else."

Before she could internalize her loss, his lips descended upon hers, and Quistis realized what he took.

Her first kiss.

Not with Squall, but with him- Her pretend boyfriend, Seifer Almasy.