~Squall~

A week has passed without any progress being made. Conversations among all of us have come up short on what our next move is supposed to be, so we have all fallen into somewhat of a routine. I have stuck close to Laguna, discussing potential plans but never anything that might prove worth the efforts, while everyone else has been meshing together with the newcomers. Even Vincent seems to have grown a bit more comfortable with the rest of us while Cloud has calmed down significantly but still keeps to himself for the most part. I try and keep myself busy, running ideas by Laguna and sometimes the others if they are around, keeping in touch with Garden and making sure Xu and Nida contact us if anything happens. Otherwise I try to train as much as I can, keeping in shape should I need to be in the future.

Occasionally I come across some of the others throughout the facilities, Zell and Seifer training almost daily now although not together any longer it seems. Selphie and Irvine have been practicing more as well instead of lazing around in random rooms together and wasting the days away. Lately I've even seen Rinoa and Gladiolus sparring together. One of the times I noticed them before I hit the showers I watched the man bring his blade around in front of him and attempt to hand it to Rinoa. She squealed out a few giggles and shook her head before he insisted she try and take it. When her hands both wrapped around the bottom of the hilt, he released it and nearly lost both of them to gravity. He quickly gripped the blade again and brought the two back up while Rinoa playfully smacked his arm and giggled out how she told him that would happen. I smiled at the scene before leaving them be.

Sometimes, although rarely, a particular blonde might cross my path when I'm heading toward Laguna's office or he's entering the training facilities as I leave. Prompto stares at me as I pass, but I keep the encounters brief, nodding politely but continuing on my way. It seems to work out for the most part, me successfully keeping the man at arm's length, until Seifer finally corners me outside of my room.

"What are you doing?" he questions bluntly, startling me since I didn't hear him approach. I frown at him before finishing my key code, the door swishing open in front of us. I walk in and sigh, waiting for him to follow me as I hang my damp towel from the shower in the training facilities up in the bathroom to dry. He blocks the doorway, crossing his arms in front of himself to cement his position. I lean on one leg and place my hand on my hip, turning away from his prodding eyes with a frown.

"Move," I tell him, but he ignores me as usual. Scoffing at him, I move my hand to press it against his shoulder and shove him backwards, earning a sliver of an opening for me to squeeze past him.

"What are you doing?" he repeats his question, throwing his arms out on either side. I stomp toward the dresser, sliding a drawer open which holds Lionheart's case and place the gunblade inside. Shutting the drawer again, I see Seifer approach me and I brace against whatever he may do. He stops beside me, watching and waiting while I stand upright.

"Nothing," I finally say when I try and turn away from him. His arms reach out and grab my shoulders, keeping me from leaving. A frown on his face now stares at me directly, even when I turn my head to the side to avoid it.

"Exactly. Why? Why are you doing nothing?" he presses, jerking my shoulders briefly so I would look at him again. When I do, I see the look in his eyes, confused concern apparent within them.

"I don't know," I mumble, shrugging his hands off of my shoulders before stepping backwards toward the chair in the corner. I flop down onto it and anchor my elbows against my knees, reaching my hands up to rest my face in them with a sigh. Seifer stomps toward me, his hands stretched out in a helpless gesture.

"Do you know how badly I wish I were you right now? I mean, he's not even trying to avoid you! He just waits around for you to pass by and stares at you while you do. Come on, man!" Seifer exclaims, frustration of his little progress with Zell apparent in his words.

"I know," I mutter, leaning back in my chair to look at the blonde. His eyes urge me to do something about it, but I remain seated before him. "I-I don't know what to do. What happens if they go back? When they go back, what then? I don't want to get attached to someone that inevitably is going to leave." Seifer shakes his head and throws his arms up in exasperation, staring at me sternly.

"Don't worry about that shit now man, you should be enjoying the time you do have with him. They've been here what, a week? That's seven days you could have spent getting to know him and spending time with him, but instead you wasted it on playing duck duck hide!" I frown at his choice of phrasing but let it go, understanding his point regardless. Before I know it, Seifer is tugging me back to my feet and pulling me toward the door.

"Come on," he instructs me, slipping Lionheart out of the drawer and jabbing the handle into my hand before kicking it closed again. He jerks my body to a stop near the front door, quickly stepping sideways to grab my damp towel and toss it at me. It smacks against my face, forcing a huff of surprise from me.

"W-what?" I mumble through the fabric, snatching it off of my face and resting it on my shoulder. Seifer shoves me out of the door that barely opens in time and steps behind me, shutting the door before pushing me further down the hall.

"He waits in the training facilities for you to pass him when you leave, then goes in and trains alone. You're going to go and train with him," Seifer huffs at me when I grind my heels against the ground to stop.

"The hell I am! We can't train together, he uses a handgun! What am I going to train with him on, how I can dodge bullets and he can what, shoot better?" Seifer shoves harshly against my back, hurling me forward to almost collide with the opposite wall.

"I don't care how you do it, just do it. You deserve somebody, Squall. No matter how long you have him, you deserve him. Now go." I glance over my shoulder at him when he speaks, noticing the sincerity to his words. The blonde avoids my eyes and simply jabs a finger toward the training facility, standing firm so I won't try and get past him to go back to my room. Sighing at him, I turn and make my way out of the hall, silently thanking him for his efforts as the nerves grow in my stomach.

Before long, I find myself standing at the entrance to the training facility. Shifting my feet back and forth in the dirt, I sigh, tossing my towel onto the nearest surface before I stalk inside the first barrier that contains the creatures inside. Making my way through the vegetation, I keep an eye out for the blonde as well as others, but don't come across anyone else. Finally, near the back end of the room, my eyes widen when I see the blonde fighting against a t-rexaur. His boots slide against the dusty and mossy ground when he slips out of reach of the powerful jaws that attempt to bite him in two. Twisting backwards, he fires off a couple rounds that land along its back thigh, causing a beastly roar to escape its throat. Prompto bounces lightly between his two feet, trying to anticipate which way he needs to roll to dodge the next attack.

"Might I join you?" I yell out behind him, gripping Lionheart in my hand as I slowly approach. The blonde glances over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he sees who it is that wants to join him. The t-rexaur makes its move while the blonde is distracted, leaning forwards and opening its mouth again as he approaches the blonde.

"Look out!" I yell, running forward with my gunblade at my side and ready to strike. Prompto keeps an eye on me as he quickly drops and rolls toward me, dodging the snapping teeth successfully. I snap my hand out while he continues to roll toward me, which he reaches out and grabs with a fingerless gloved hand. Jerking my arm back springs the blonde back to his feet, spinning before me in midair with his arm stretching out and his finger on the trigger. Firing off a few more shots finally drops the beast down to the ground, blood pouring out of the bullet holes directly centered on its forehead.

"Whoohoo! Nice!" Prompto chants, thrusting his gun up into the air before turning to smile at me. I return a shy smile, nodding at the fallen beast.

"Nice shot," I praise, approaching to see how centered it really was. Prompto shrugs beside me while thumbing the safety on the back of his gun.

"Eh, y'know, took longer than I would have liked but hey, got the job done. What is that thing anyway?" His question surprises me before I remember where he is from.

"T-rexaur. One of the more challenging fiends we have in here, but rare. This one came from my Garden to better train the Estharian soldiers against other types of beasts from around the world, by Laguna's orders." I stand from my squat in front of the beast and face the blonde, who eyes me curiously.

"Garden? You have things like that in your garden?" I smile at the image he must have of flower beds filled with massive fiends like this and shake my head.

"Garden is a military training facility. I am the headmaster of the Balamb Garden, or the Balamb military school where we train SeeD, which are operatives that train in Gardens for the purpose of exterminating sorceresses, along with other things." The blonde nods slowly at my explanation, placing his hands on his hips and glancing back at the t-rexaur.

"So, you're not from Esthar then? You're from Balamb?" I nod, twitching Lionheart in my hand a few times as we start talking more.

"I am. Balamb Garden is west from here, across the ocean, or it was before we became mobile. Now, I'm not sure where she's parked. We haven't been back in about a month since…" I trail off, unsure of how to phrase what I want to say. Prompto quirks a brow at me, waiting for me to continue. "...Since we came here to speak with Ellone about my dreams of you," I mutter the last part before clearing my throat, shifting my gunblade in my hand. I tilt my head toward his handgun. "You always use handguns?" I ask, hoping to change the subject quickly and discreetly. The blonde's eyes drop down to his hand before he twirls it in front of him. Gripping the barrel, he hands the weapon to me and shrugs.

"Yeah, mostly. I've never been great with swords or daggers, Forget greatswords like Gladio's, I'd call it and when it appeared we'd both fall flat on the ground." He grins at the memory, rubbing his empty hand on the back of his head and shifting his blonde hair all over. I examine the gun, finding it to be fairly basic, nothing too exciting compared to what we have here.

"What about a gunblade?" I ask, offering mine to him. Prompto frowns at it before taking it in his hand, the blade drooping slightly until he adjusts to the weight of it. I fix his fingers so he holds it correctly before he takes a few practice swings.

"When you strike against anything with the blade, you can pull the trigger to fire a shot directly into it, causing more damage." The blonde grins at the thought of more damage before we trade weapons back.

"Pretty cool, but way heavier than I'm used to," he mumbles while he rubs his shoulder briefly before shaking his arm out to his side to prove his point. I shrug, slicing the blade through the air a few times before resting the blunt side against my shoulder.

"Just takes practice. I could train you on how to use it, if you'd like?" The blonde stares at me for a second before dropping his eyes to the ground. His cheeks start to hold a pink hue when he finally replies.

"Y-yeah, that'd be cool, if you don't mind or... anything." A grin spreads across my face when I see his cheeks lightly blush.

"One condition," I state, holding a finger up in the air. Prompto looks back at me, staring at the finger before tilting his head back in question. "Let me see your gun disappear." The blonde grins, holding the handgun out in between us. Bluish purple light form like an outline around the gun before it becomes translucent, rapidly all disappearing from our view. I stare at his hand as he calls it back to him again only to make it disappear once more.

"Pretty cool huh?" he says, flipping his hand back and forth like he just performed a magic trick. I smirk, pointing toward the pathway that leads back to the front of the facility.

"Might want to keep it handy since you're still training." Prompto wills it back into his hand and holds it at his side, nodding while sighing.

"Yeah, I think I'm done for the day. Getting sort of hungry," he mentions, glancing toward me. We turn and head back the way we came, keeping an eye out for anything that may approach. We walk in silence until we reach the barrier, stepping through it together. I reach out and grab my towel, draping it over my shoulder again while Prompto releases his hold on the gun, making it disappear once more. "You going to shower?" he asks, looking at my towel. I shake my head, noting how little I did when I entered to find him this time.

"I took one earlier." The blonde's face heats up as he stares down at his boots.

"I know," he whispers and I barely catch it. Before I can question him though, he jogs back to my side and stares at me. "You hungry at all? Maybe we can find Iggy in the kitchen? He'll make something for us." My head starts to shake but I stop when I look into his eyes. Seifer's words bounce around in my mind, how I should enjoy the time I have with him while I have him here.

"Actually that sounds good, but Ignis doesn't need to cook for us. I'm sure we can figure something out." Prompto shakes his head and frowns, falling in sync with my steps as we leave the room and turn toward the kitchen.

"He likes it, I promise. It's not like we force him to do it or anything. He really does find some kind of peace when he cooks, I don't know. He's always cooked for us, especially Noct." He turns his head to face me, bright eyes shining into mine. "Have you had any of his cooking yet? It's amazing!" Watching him get excited about Ignis' cooking makes me smile when I shake my head in response. "Oh man, you have no idea what you're missing! Come on, I bet he's in there working on, like, his eighteenth dish of the day." He grips my hand, our fingers sliding together and linking, but before either of us can get nervous about the contact he pulls me toward the kitchen, a grin firmly plastered on his face when he turns to glance at me. His eyes light up at our connection and he chuckles shyly but keeps our hands held tightly, making my face match his while I race behind him. Most of the way to the kitchen I spend scolding myself internally for denying myself this for a week.

~Seifer~

My frustrations are mounting, but I bite back the urge to lunge toward the blonde. Something is going on with him that I can't quite put my finger on, something he won't discuss with any one of us. Keeping myself off-center in front of him, I stand facing the left, stretching my arm out in front of me with the tip of Hyperion's blade pointing between his eyes. Waiting for him to make a move is infuriating me further as he continues to keep his massive buster sword wedged into the ground in front of him, standing limply with his arms draped over the hilt. Bouncing back and forth on my feet, my patience finally wears out and I run toward him, twisting my gunblade down near my left knee in preparation for a slice up his smug face. At the last second, Cloud side steps away from my swiping blade, gripping his large sword in one hand and turning midair, slashing his metal through the space in front of him toward my exposed back. I twist as well, expecting his movements and jerk Hyperion up in front of my face, blocking the attack a second before it connects. Falling to the ground on my back, my foot swipes toward his stance, but the blonde quickly jumps away from the attempt to bring him down, landing where I once stood before I decided to attack.

"Damn," I mumble, grinning at the blonde who smirks at my failed efforts. Jabbing the blade in front of him again, he returns to his waiting stance with his arms draped over the hilt of the greatsword. I groan, dropping Hyperion down to my side and shaking my head, admitting his victory. A victory by default, given I am still trying to get back in my old fighting shape before I basically retired all those years ago. Lengthy battles were never necessary while I stayed here in Esthar, and without anyone around with the time to train with me, I hate to admit I lost a lot of my stamina. Cloud gives me a quick nod, gripping the handle of his sword and swinging it over his shoulder until it snaps into place on his back.

"You need patience," the blonde suggests, tossing the towel I left where I initially stood over toward me. I grab it before it smacks against my face, smirking back at the blonde.

"You need moves. Like, to actually move," I shoot back, watching his tight-lipped smirk turn to an actual smile.

"I don't want to kill you," he breathes out while walking by me toward the barrier exit of the training facility. I huff behind him, rubbing the towel all over my face and head of sweaty hair. Is that cockiness I detect? Or a legitimate claim? I watch the blonde's movements beside me out of the corner of my eye, attempting to read them while I try and decide which it is.

"Done already?" A voice in front of us catches our attention, or mine at least since Cloud was already staring at the newcomer before he spoke. Vincent strides toward us, the long barrel of his shotgun resting on his shoulder. I nod toward the man, but my focus is on the blonde beside me. Cloud tenses as Vincent approaches us and turns his gaze away, appearing less than interested in his arrival or intrusion. The brunette stops in front of us, staring at Cloud before glancing over to me and smiling.

"I was hoping to do a bit of training myself today. Cloud? Might I borrow you for a sparring partner?" I think I hear a sigh come from Cloud's direction before he turns back toward the man with his typical stoic face and nods. I shrug and step aside for the two to return where we just came.

"Sure, I need to hit the showers anyway," I tilt my chin toward Cloud with a smirk, "he doesn't since sweating comes from actual fighting." Cloud's eyes shift to mine, a smile playing at the corner of his lips before returning to a blank expression.

"Thank you for the practice, Seifer," the blonde mumbles before turning back, Vincent clapping a hand on his shoulder and walking with him further into the training facilities. I frown as I turn away, noticing this pattern from the past week. Cloud started seeking me out for training which I agreed to do, given my little interaction with Zell recently. As the days went on, he would find me more often and ask for more frequent training sessions, but during or after almost every single one of them, Vincent would appear and intervene. Stepping up to the entrance to the showers, I hang my towel up on the hook before glancing over my shoulder. Vincent and Cloud face each other now, right by the entrance of another section. The brunette mumbles something to the blonde who is facing away from him, staring into the next barrier. After a few moments, Cloud quickly turns toward Vincent and jabs a finger into his chest. Teeth exposed, I see his lips barely moving as he speaks before he turns away and stomps through the barrier. Vincent drops his head and shakes it, glancing off to the side where I am standing. I shift the towel I still hold onto, acting like that was all I was doing before stepping inside. What is going on between those two? Does it have something to do with me?

Stepping up to one of the stalls, I draw the curtain behind me before peeling my training clothes off, piling them down at my feet and kicking them out into the room when they are removed. Something is definitely off with Cloud, I've noticed in our training sessions together, but he never speaks to me about anything, hardly even speaking at all. My mind scours over details while I quickly wash the session off down the shower drain. Maybe Vincent has an issue with him getting close to anyone other than him? Or doesn't want Cloud to form any attachments, since he is technically a summons? I twist the knobs on the wall, the warm water ceasing while I stare down at the remainder of it circling the drain. Who knows, I think as I reach for my towel and begin drying myself off.

"Seifer." The voice startles me, almost making me lose my grip on the towel wrapped around my waist. My eyes snap to the doorway where Vincent stands, his back turned toward me.

"Whoa!" I snap, hastily stepping toward my clothes and almost slipping on the floors. The man keeps his back to me, crossing his arms in front of him as he waits for me to dress. "Uh, what's up?" I ask, finding the silence a bit uncomfortable when I tug my jeans over my boxers. Vincent turns and looks me in the eye, not bothering to wait for me to put on my shirt.

"I apologize for the intrusion, I just wanted to ask you something," he starts, keeping his eyes locked onto mine while I adjust the hem of my shirt and toss the damp towel over my shoulder. We both stare at each other for a moment before I finally quirk an eyebrow at him.

"What?" I ask awkwardly. After gathering up my soiled workout clothes, I stare at the man who is standing in the doorway so I can't leave, but he only stares at me instead of speaking… what else am I supposed to do? Vincent realizes he is blocking my exit and quickly steps aside so I can leave but following closely behind.

"Has Cloud said anything to you? I've noticed you two spending more time together recently and I was just curious if he has spoken to you about anything?" I shake my head, keeping my eyes in front of me while we step out of the showers. I glance around to look for the blonde he is talking about, but Cloud seems to have left shortly after I started showering.

"No, not really. He just asks if I feel up to training and that's pretty much it. Why do you ask?" My gaze travels up the man's arm that grips his shotgun, observing the lack of any detail to the gun overall. The brunette stops and turns to face me, his eyes still eerily locked onto mine.

"He has not really spoken to me as of late and I was just curious about how he is doing. That is all." He tries to shrug his curiosities off but keeps his eyes on me, like he's looking for me to lie or something. I shake my head slowly, lifting my shoulders into a shrug.

"I mean, we taunt each other while we fight, but nothing comes to mind to say something is wrong with him or anything," I trail off, unsure of what else there is to say on the matter. Vincent's gaze keeps piercing mine for a few moments after I spoke before he smiles, turning back toward the exit.

"Good, as long as everything seems to be alright, then it must be so." The man bids me good day before hurrying down the hall, his tattered cloak and lengthy hair swishing back and forth behind him. Turning to the barrier Cloud went through, I frown before looking back where Vincent is exiting the training facility. What the hell was that about?