A/N: I'm so sorry for the wait!! Really, I feel awful for leaving this story so long without an update. Unfortunately, one of my other stories was nearing a time span of three weeks without seeing a new chapter, so I had to update that one first. And it was kind of a chore. But enough of my rambling.
- Thoughts are italicized. In this chapter, all thoughts belong to Squall.
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII or any of its characters. They belong to the Square Enix Company.
Rating: M for language and sexual situations.
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A Twist of Fate
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His words echoed throughout the room. Seeming to bounce off ever wall and come colliding back to their ears, Seifer and Squall stood motionless. Their only thoughts were: "What?"
However, when they gazed at Headmaster Cid with confusion and desperation in their eyes, they saw no sign of a joke laying behind those spectacles. In fact, Headmaster Cid was not making eye contact with them at all. He seemed to find a very interesting spot on the far wall and continued to lock his eyes with it.
"So, that's it, then?" Seifer said, breaking the silence, "We're just dead to you?" Not responding, Headmaster Cid turned his back on the two teens and walked over to a window. Taking off his glasses, Cid rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. When he slipped his glasses back on, he noticed that Seifer and Squall were reflected in the glass. Both looking angry and confused. And why shouldn't they?
"Hey," Seifer continued, raising his voice a little, "Aren't you gonna answer me? What, don't you have anything to say?!" And not only was Seifer's voice raising, but anger began boiling up in him as well. From the corner of his eye, Squall saw Seifer pull his hands into tight fists and he also saw him visibly tense. Turning back to the boys, Cid looked at both of them and whispered, "I'm sorry, but . . . it couldn't be helped. There's nothing I can do. You brought it on yourselves." This prompted Seifer to go over the edge.
"We brought it on ourselves? What, pray tell, did we bring on ourselves?!" And now it was Headmaster Cid's turn to be angry. "You both assaulted a student. And while fights happen a lot at this academy, you two nearly killed him."
Taken aback, but only slightly, Seifer recovered and snapped back, "Didn't you hear the things he was saying? He practically started the fight!"
"Haven't you ever heard of just walking away?"
"But you don't teach us to just walk away," Squall interjected, joining the argument. "Sir, don't you always say to do your best, but never back down? Realize your limitations, but fight when you know you must? Doesn't it apply the same way in this situation?"
"Squall, you're a smart boy, but you and Seifer rely too much on the use of your weapons and fighting. While it's all well and good to say those things, the only place they apply is the battle field. But I think that's the problem with the both of you; you have trouble realizing when and where to fight. This prompts you to act in a violent, almost bloodthirsty, way every time you meet opposition."
"That's bullshit!" Seifer yelled, rejoining the conversation, "Do you really think we act like a bunch of war hungry dogs?"
"In fact, Seifer, I do."
Seifer and Squall both flinched at his answer. Lowering their guards, Headmaster Cid took the opportunity to try and disarm the two angry teens with his words. "I do think that the both of you are excellent fighters. There is no one else who can match your level of skill in combat. But that's just the thing, while excellent fighters, you cannot grasp the concept of restraint. Nor do you understand the futility of fighting in every situation that poses a threat to you. I pity you both.
"And while I pity you, I also admire you. You have the courage to face every obstacle without fear. But that inlays the problem. You see, without fear as a natural emotion to aid you, you become indifferent to others feelings as well as your own. You're willingness to die in battle is frightening. Giving up one's own life for a superficial cause can never be called justice or right. One cannot receive true glory in death."
"Headmaster, you're wrong. You're so wrong!," Squall screamed into the office. "How dare you even say that? Men who die in battle don't necessarily do it for glory or praise. Men who die in battle may have something precious they want to protect! You say fighting is pointless. But if that's the case, why run an academy like this? Glory can come in many forms, and just because you don't believe an honorable death is one of them, it can be. Yes, Seifer and I gain a sense of fulfillment from fighting, but that doesn't mean we're just going to hack down countless people with no reason in doing so."
"Squall. Do you remember your reaction today to the results of the exam? You went into hysterics. That is not healthy for anyone. The prospect of you not being able to assist your fellows in combat annoyed and frightened you."
"You don't know what I was feeling!" Squall yelled, grabbing his head, "I just didn't understand why! People were always telling me how perfect I would be for SeeD. How I was an expert in battle tactics and strategies. And even you commented on how you were excited at the prospect of having a gunblade specialist! And here I was, someone who trains every day with all my heart and soul, and all my preparation and skill was thrown by the wayside when I followed an order that wasn't suppose to be given! I don't understand that!"
Breathing deeply, Headmaster Cid drained all the anger from his face and looked at both young men. "And while I'm glad you're following your heart, you must realize how scared that makes me. Your willingness to continue the battle and not evacuate, even after the order was given, shows me that your need to fight overpowers your thoughts of protection and safety for yourself."
"So, why ask us to leave?" Seifer questioned, "It's not like we're SeeDs anyway. We'll just act the way we did before all this?"
"The reason I'm asking you to leave is because I don't think you will act the same. Both of you are angry for not passing this exam. Seifer, you showed it this morning when I told you that you're definitely not making SeeD. And Squall, you showed it when the results were given. You're both too dangerous to have in this Garden any longer. The fight tonight showed me this fact very clearly. You may argue and scream at me all you like, but my decision is absolute. I truly am sorry. However, I've decided to alter what I said a bit. The SeeD inauguration party is tomorrow night. If you slip out in the confusion of the party, then no one will be the wiser, and you won't have to deal with questions and pleas from your fellow peers."
Silence recaptured the room. Both boys, though still angry, had seemed to exhaust all their emotion. Drained, Seifer and Squall left the Headmaster's office without saying a word. Closing the door behind them, the two young men made their way back to their rooms in silence.
When the door had finally been shut, Headmaster Cid went and sat dejectedly in his chair. Smoothing his hair back, he set pulled his glasses from his face and placed them carefully on his desk. The moon reflected a soft light out of them which Cid stared at for a bit. Then, sighing, he whispered into the darkness, "I'm so sorry."
------
Seifer had gone off to find Raijin and Fujin. He had told Squall that he might inform them of their sudden order to leave Garden, but he wasn't sure yet. Then, before he walked away, he turned to Squall and kissed him deeply. "Don't worry," he said, "It may just be you and me now, but we got each other. We'll be fine. I will never hurt you." After that, Squall watched Seifer make his way down the dark hall and out of sight.
Walking to his own room, Squall noticed that his footsteps seemed surprisingly loud and heavy. Enjoying the darkness of the hallway and the calmness of the night, Squall was relieved to discover that all the commotion of the night had vanished. In its place, however, stood a very real feeling of his reality. No longer would he be able to walk freely through these halls or enjoy the sanctity of the room he had been in for so long. All the people he had met, all the options that were available to him here . . . those were all just a fleeting memory now. As he walked quietly through the halls, he came to this conclusion: It was all preordained to happen this way. Everything happens for a reason, whether good or bad.
Right?
------
"Squall! You need to help Seifer!" The voice carried eerily throughout the mansion foyer. Turning to the source of the sound, Squall felt a sharp pain overtake him. White streaks flashed before his eyes, and he fell to the ground. A scream rang out through the hall. A woman's scream. "Squall! Are you alright?!" Coughing, Squall grabbed his shoulder in pain and felt the hot wetness of blood flowing freely. Lifting himself harshly from the ground, Squall looked around for his attacker. His eyes tried to focus on a group of individuals, but it was too dark and his vision was fuzzy.
"We'll take it from here, Squall! You need to find Seifer!"
(Flash)
Seifer was being hoisted into the air. A figure had their hands grasped tightly around his neck. Choking, Seifer saw Squall standing there, his gunblade clutched in his hand. "Squall! RUN!"
"Huh. What is this?"
Blood dripped from his gunblade. Mixed with the rain, it created puddles of light pink around his feet. Falling to his knees, Squall looked up just as a figure made its way down upon him.
"Leave him alone!"
"Oh. It's that dream again . . . Let me wake up."
"Squall!"
"Please."
Shooting up in his bed, Squall breathed raggedly into the room. Shaking, he laid back downand let the tears flow freely from his eyes. Gripping his shoulders tightly, Squall turned on his side and stared into the quiet darkness. "That's the second time I've had that horrible dream. Or, nightmare I guess. I don't understand why I keep waking up . . . crying. I just . . . don't know what it means. Sighing, Squall closed his eyes tightly and whispered to himself, "But why am I thinking about this anyway? It's just a dream."
------
The next morning, Squall spent all of his time in his room packing. He didn't come out for breakfast, and when Quistis came by to ask what he wanted for lunch, he said he had plans already. Of course, he suspected that she knew that was a lie. And of course it was. But Squall had no interest in seeing other people. Except for Seifer.
But Squall had not seen Seifer since last night. Wondering if they were going to part ways tonight, Squall was interrupted by a knock on the door. "I said I have plans."
"Oh yeah? With who?" came a very recognizable voice. Opening the door, Squall was met with a smirkingSeifer. "And why am I not invited?"
Stepping back into his room, Squall went back to the task of placing his gunblade carefully in its case. "I don't really have plans. I just didn't want to be bothered."
"Hm, that's very like you. So why'd you let me in?"
"Because you don't bother me."
"Oh really?! That's encouraging to hear," Seifer said flopping down on Squalls bed. "So, what are you taking with you?"
"Just the necessities. My gunblade, some clothes . . ."
Nodding his head in silent agreement, Seifer pulled out a bag. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sweet smell rice and teriyaki. Squall took one whiff of this and realized just how hungry he really was. And his stomach only confirmed it when it growled a little.
Laughing, Seifer teased, "Hungry, Squall?" Turning to look at Seifer, a blush plastered on his face, Squall remarked, "Shut up," and sat down with Seifer to eat.
------
"Where are we going to go after this?" Squall asked as he started to help Seifer throw away all the trash from their meal. "I mean . . . we are still going to be . . . together, right?" Seifer stopped placing things in the garbage and looked calmly over at Squall. Seeing the fear of uncertainty in his eyes, Seifer stood up and went over to Squall. Grabbing his shoulders and giving them a light squeeze, Seifer said, "Of course we'll be together. I already told you, we've still got each other. You do want that, right?"
"Of course I do, I just . . . wanted to make sure," Squall answered looking away.
Grabbing Squall's head and turning it back to face him, Seifer chuckled, "Oh, Squall. You are so cute." Dipping his head down, Seifer captured Squall's lips with his own. Breathing deeply in Seifer's mouth, Squall relaxed. Winding his arms around him, Squall realized that the predicament the two of them were in may not be so bad. Sure, they weren't SeeDs, but now they could fight for what they felt was right without any reservations. Leaning in deeper, Squall let Seifer take control.
Pushing Squall up against a wall, Seifer began to ravish his neck. Moaning, Squall tried to pry himself from the wall, but Seifer had him pinned down really well. Leaning up to nip Squall's ear, Seifer only added to the pleasure by grinding his hips into Squall's. Releasing another moan, the two were suddenly interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
"Yo, Squall! Can I talk to you for a second, man?"
"Oi . . . Zell," Squall breathed into the air. Seifer released his hold on Squall and proceeded to make it look like nothing had been going on. Squall, on the other hand, started fidgeting with his clothes to try and tame them. Running a hand through his hair, Squall went and opened the door. "What do you want, Zell?" Squall said semi-exasperated.
"Well, I just wanted to talk about what happened last night. You know, that guy had no place talking to you like that. I hope the Headmaster wasn't too hard on you and Seifer."
"He expelled us," is what Squall really wanted to say. However, he merely hunched his shoulders and said, "No, he just gave us a lecture."
"Oh man, that's a good thing. The school was all in hysterics, you know. And, like, I knew you two were in there for awhile, so I feared the worst, but if all he did was give you a lecture, then that's great!"
Nodding his head, Squall responded, "Yeah, great. Did you need anything else, Zell?"
"Well, no. Not really. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. But, you know . . . if you'd like to come to the party tonight . . ." but Zell let his speech trail off, trying to find the right words to say. He practiced in his head how it would go, but now, standing before Squall, he seemed to lose his nerve. He just wanted him to come and have a good time, but . . . how could he tell him that. Well, besides the obvious. Zell was still unsure of how Squall thought about the whole thing.
"I'll think about it, Zell," Squall answered to an unfinished question. Looking up hopefully, Zell exclaimed, "Yeah?! Alright, you can just think on that then. I'll see you later Squall." A new hope in his heart, Zell turned from Squall's room and started making his way down the hall.
"Geez, he sure was excited," Seifer commented, coming over to stand behind Squall.
"Yeah," Squall said clicking the door closed, "Too bad I'm not going."
------
Night had seemed to come faster than usual. The stars dotted the sky in beautiful patterns as the moon glowed a dull blue from the velvety blackness around it. Looking out the window one last time in a room that was no longer his, Squall closed his eyes and sighed. The plan was to leave when everyone was at the party. It seemed simple enough, bu they could still be stopped.
Seifer never told Raijin and Fujin they were leaving, so it would be inopportune to be stopped by them. Moreover, it would be equally hard to leave if they were stopped by Zell, Quistis, or Selphie. How would they tell them what happened if they did meet up? They could lie, but, eventually, everyone would find out. Unless the Headmaster choose to keep the information hidden, but people would start to suspect something if two young men left and never came back.
Sighing again, Squall leaned against the wall. "At least we I won't have to tell anybody. If we get caught, I don't know what I'll say. I'm sure they would accept anything I said anyway. Quistis, Selphie, even Zell . . . you're all so afraid of a confrontation with me. I wonder why that is? Maybe Headmaster Cid was right . . . in a sense."
------
When Squall and Seifer finally met up, the party was well underway. Grabbing Squall's hand in his, Seifer gave Squall a reassuring smile and asked, "Ok. Ready?" Nodding, Squall and Seifer began making their way through the halls in silence. They passed many people, but no one who would care enough to stop them.
As they neared the entrance, a girl about Squall's age came bounding up to Seifer. Poking him on his chest, the girl squealed, "Hey, Seifer! It's been awhile!! Hey, are still going to help me out with those plans we talked about? I think we're really ready to go through with it!"
"Hi, Rinoa," Seifer said trying to calm her down, "Settle down, would ya."
Giggling, Rinoa looked over to Squall and, with a mischievous look in her eyes, said, "Oh, and who is this?"
Pulling her away from Squall, Seifer looked back him and said, "We'll be back in a second, ok Squall?"
"Oh! So his name is Squall!"
"Rinoa, be quite!"
------
As confused as he was, Squall decided to head outsideand wait for Seifer there. Fortunately, everyone was inside enjoying the party, so Squall didn't have to worry about being spotted by anyone. Setting his gunblade case and other items off to the side, Squall crossed his arms and leaned against the Garden. "I wonder how that girl knows Seifer. What was her name? . . . Rinoa? Oh well, it's got nothing to do with me anyway. She and Seifer made some sort of plans? Hmm . . .I guess . . . I'll – , no. No, I won't ask him about it. He'll tell me if he wants to."
------
"Instructor Trepe." Quistis was taken aback when, suddenly, she had been tapped on the shoulder. Turning quickly, Quistis came face to face with Zell. "Yes, Zell?" she asked visibly calming. "Have you seen Squall around?" he asked her.
"No, I haven't. I didn't think he was going to come."
"Well, I asked him and he said he might show up and . . . well, I was just wondering."
"We should go get him!" another voice chimed in, "Don't you think?"
"Sure, Selphie. But this is Squall we're talking about. He may not even answer his door," Zell said sighing.
"We gotta try at least! C'mon, he's being such a stick in the mud. Let's cheer him up!"
All three agreed to go get him. Maybe if they could get Squall to come to the party, he may not be so solemn anymore. And even if it didn't work, at least they could all talk to him and try to cheer him up that way.
Exiting the party, the trio made their way to the student dorms.
------
Seifer hadn't taken as long as Squall thought he was going to. "Well," Seifer said getting a better grip on his things, "Are you ready?"
"Sure," Squall said picking up his possessions.
They walked silently down the academy steps, across the Garden's entrance, and out through the gates. Squall turned back to look at the Garden one last time. All the time he'd spent there, his childhood, all his memories . . . most of it lied within those walls. He felt he was leaving a part of himself behind as well. Dismissing the thought, he felt Seifer's hand on his shoulder. Turning to look at his face, Squall was met with a sad smile.
------
"Squall? Are you in there?"
"I don't know, Selphie, we've been knocking for, like, three minutes. I don't think he's in there," Zell said watching as Selphie continued to pound on the door.
"Maybe he's already at the party, and we just missed him," Quistis suggested.
"I suppose you could be right, Instructor Trepe," Zell said in reply, "Come on, Selphie. Give it up already."
"Oh fine," she said with one last knock. However, before they left, she decided to try the door knob, just in case. Discovering it was unlocked, Selphie exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, his door's unlocked! Let's go in!"
"We can't do that!" Zell exclaimed, "He'll be so pissed if he finds us in there!"
"I just want to take a quick peek," Selphie giggled.
The only light in the room was the little amount that flew in from the hallway. As Selphie opened it, the light traveled silently over an empty desk, perfectly made bed, and an empty closet. Frightened, Selphie flung the door opened all the way and ran inside. Glancing around quickly, she looked back to the others, desperation in her eyes, and asked, "Is Squall leaving?"
Zell and Quistis, who had been standing outside to wait for Selphie, were suddenly curious. "What do you mean, 'Is Squall leaving?' Of course he's not," Quistis said entering the room.
"Then why are all his things gone?"
Quistis looked around her. Squall's things were, indeed, no where to be found.
"What the Hell's going on?" Zell asked in confusion.
"Have any of you seen Seifer around? We can't find him, ya know," came Raijin's voice from behind them. "We've been looking everywhere, ya know. The stuff in his room is gone too."
The trio all exchanged glances and looked back and forth between Raijin and Fujin. "We don't know," said Zell in shock, "But Squall's stuff is gone too. And we can't find him either."
------
Headmaster Cid was in his office. The party had been a bit too lively for him, and now it was time to retire to solitude. By chance, he happened to glance out the window and see two figures standing by the gates. Trying hard to focus on the figures, he noticed that they started walking away from the school. He peered after them until their figures disappeared into the black of the night.
Sitting in his chair, he held his face in his hands. "I am so sorry, boys," was all that he could whisper into the stillness of the office.
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End of Chapter 3
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A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Again, I want to apologize for taking so long on the update. If anyone was wondering, Squall's reoccurring dream/nightmare is going to play a big part later down the line. So, there's that little bit of info for you to remember. Reviews are always greatly appreciated! And thank you again for reading!!