A/N: Ha! Thought you'd get away from me so easily? No siree! I am back! Sorry it took a bit tho'… My math exams were a priority right now and I had to study… *Anyone who knows me even just a tiny bit: 'Riiiiiiiiiiight'*
Enjoy the new chappy!
Last chapter summary: Seifer's first field exam has ended and now the crucial question arises: Did he pass?
~*A second chance*~
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 6: The SeeD inauguration
Seifer was slouched on the seat of a SeeD vessel, getting him and the rest of his Squad back to Garden. He was resting his chin on his balled fist, staring blankly outside the window. He'd been trying to keep any thoughts whatsoever off of his head, by attempting to match his state of mind with the calmness of the turquoise sea. He failed…
The exam had gone fairly well. He'd managed to stick to orders, he'd accomplished the mission he was assigned… He had probably passed. He had expected something much more challenging, but then again, nothing seemed challenging enough for Seifer Almasy. His enormous amount of confidence and pride was something to be jealous of, as well as surprised at. It was his strength, but also his weakness. He only hoped it would never prove to be his downfall, although he feared it greatly.
The only thing that bugged him about the outcome of the mission had been Xu's anger on his belated arrival at the rendezvous point at the beach. His Squad tried to calm her down by explaining that he stayed behind to help a girl in trouble. It seemed to have appeased her fury to some extent, however, he was more than certain that it would count defectively to his evaluation. He let out a small grin. What do you know? He'd actually managed to do his share of 'good deed' for the day by helping that raven-haired girl out of harm's way. Damn, he hadn't even gotten her name… Either way, he couldn't have helped but notice the petite, blue-dressed girl. She was… decent enough… OK, so she was really pretty. But way too helpless… Seifer assumed that she could have desperately asked for help even at the sight or a roach. Anyway, she was just another girl he'd probably never see again. Not that it hurt him anyway…
He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. No matter how hard he'd been trying to push a certain mental image away from his mind by bombarding it with insignificant thoughts, he didn't make it. His skin shivered all over his body, as a pair of terrified-looking eyes and a gaping mouth, dripping with blood appeared before him. In his head, the sound of cold steel blade ripping trough flesh, replayed again and again, until he couldn't take it anymore.
Grasping his mouth with his right palm, he rushed out of the room, leaving everyone inside it in bewilderment. He rushed over to the WC, fiercely pulling the door of the stall open. He fell kneeling onto the floor; his vision was growing hazy, his skin was glistening in sweat and he could feel the bile, so far wedged in his stomach, rising up dangerously. He tried to hold it in for a moment, almost choking, but eventually let himself release his welled up frustration and fear by the temporarily easiest means.
After spending what seemed like hours over the toilet seat, Seifer raked a hand through his fair hair, now damp in sweat. He drew many intakes of oxygen until he was determined that his mind could work properly again. He sighed deeply and got onto his feel, dragging his steps to the sink. He turned the tap on and cupped some water, throwing it on his face. He rested both his palms on each side of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror.
'It's over now…' he thought.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Poor Seifer… What happened to him?
*Sigh* It was his first time killing a person.
How can you tell?
The look on his face as soon as he did it matched my own exactly. Getting over your first killing isn't an easy deal…
Obviously…
You know what surprises me though? I always had this mental image of Seifer as a killing-machine with no trace of emotions… Now I realize he is just as human as anyone else…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A green SeeD vehicle reached Balamb Garden, making its way to the Parking Lot. The driver parked the car and switched the engine off. The back door opened first and out came the four participants of Squad A, along with their supervisor, Xu. Seifer leaned against the wall, still feeling his stomach a bit queasy. It was humiliating and disturbing enough, having to claim sea-sickness on the vessel before to cover up his tenseness, and now he had to wait for whatever on earth Xu had to say.
- "Right…" she began, adjusting her uniform "Good job everyone. I assume that you already know that the results will be out soon?" she asked.
- "Yes ma'am." came from everyone but Seifer. He simply nodded.
- "Good, just be on stand-by till they call you up." she said and strode out of the Parking Lot.
The four cadets remained in the Lot, stretching and rubbing their sore muscles.
- "I guess we have sometime free now… Man, if I weren't so anxious, I'd definitely get some sleep!" said Andy Wallace.
- "Tell me about it… Well, good luck everyone, I'll see you when the results are out." said Gabriel Johnson, waving at them as he left the room.
- "Good luck." said the other three in unison.
- "Well Seifer…" said Andy Wallace, extending his arm to Seifer "Good job as Squad leader. I hope we all pass man."
- "Thanks. I hope so too…" replied Seifer, exchanging a lukewarm handshake with his squad mate.
- "Bye Jake." Andy said to the anxious red-head, walking outside as well.
- "Bye…" mumbled Jake.
The two remaining members of Squad A made their way outside the Parking Lot. Seifer was surprised to find Xu waiting outside.
- "Jacob you are dismissed. I need to talk to your Squad… captain." she said, giving a mocking emphasis to that last word.
Jacob Stuart gave both Xu and Seifer a nod and made his way towards the Dormitory corridor. When he was out of earshot, Seifer turned his gaze at Xu.
- "Yes?" he asked impatiently.
- "Manners Almasy." Xu spat at the blond icily. Seifer sighed and gave her a weak salute.
- "How may I assist you Miss Chang?" he asked, smirking.
- "Just a warning, Seifer." said the brunette, narrowing her eyes at him "Keep in mind that I will take the incident of your delay into serious consideration." she added, making Seifer frown upon her threateningly "I specifically recall mentioning right before the initiation of the exam that the order to withdraw takes priority. And unless I get solid evidence that you actually did stall because you were helping some girl out of trouble, I'm not buying it. Have I made myself clear?"
- "Crystal." growled Seifer.
- "Right. You're dismissed then, cadet." she said, giving him a stern nod.
Without saluting her, Seifer turned his heel and disappeared down the hallway, cursing under his breath.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The tall blond closed the door behind him, stretching. He found his roommate and best friend, Raijin Takeshi, lying on his bed, reading a book. Upon seeing Seifer enter the room, Raijin put his book down and looked at him eagerly.
- "How'd it go, ya know?" he asked.
- "I think it went well… I've got a fair chance of passing…" replied Seifer, removing his cadet uniform shirt.
- "I knew you'd make it, ya know?" replied Raijin smiling.
- "Thanks Raij… Seen Fujin around?" asked Seifer.
- "She went to get us a couple of sodas and she'll be back any time now." said Raijin "You OK, man?" he asked, noticing for the first time the paleness of his friend's face.
- "I'm fine." Seifer said, a little too quickly "I'm gonna go have a shower before the results, k?" said Seifer, walking over to the bathroom.
- "Suit yourself…" replied Raijin, turning his attention back to his book, 'Goodbye Pupurun.'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Umm… you're not gonna show me whatever he does while in the bathroom now, will you?
*Chuckle* It's his memories, so I guess I will. Besides, it's nothing you haven't seen before Quisty…
I know, but… *Sigh* Can't you just…'skip' that?
Alright, alright… I'll see what I can do…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Raijin Takeshi and Fujin Wong were Seifer's best friends, his 'posse' as he called them. Ever since he came to Garden, those three had stuck together through everything. Raijin and Fujin were both a year younger than Seifer, so they hadn't taken the SeeD exam yet. Both of them looked up to Seifer and admired him for his talent and his confidence. Many people often wondered how they were able to put up with Seifer's attitude, because quite frankly, he was far from easy to deal with… And that's because he didn't show his other side to just everyone. But Raijin and Fujin had managed to shed his rough exterior and see the good in him…
The three of them seemed to melt each other's defenses once alone. Seifer was more cheerful and less spiteful, Raijin seemed more relaxed and less of a human-sized bear, while Fujin spoke normally and not in one-word sentences, aiming to intimidate people. Even though Seifer considered those two the closest thing to family he ever got, he just couldn't bare his soul to them about what had happened in his mission. He still had his pride and dignity to live up to, so he decided to keep the macho façade for the world outside, and bury his inner thoughts and fears within him. He couldn't let them know he'd felt so weak once gazing into the emptiness of his victim's eyes. Instead, he decided to let the burning hot water wash it away, as it had done with many other well-kept secrets of his past…
Seifer was still in the shower when Fujin came. She knocked the door and Raijin got up to open. The door opened and inside the dorm came the silver-haired counterpart of the posse. She was holding a pair of sodas in her hands. She laid them onto the desk and looked around the room.
- "Seifer returned?" she asked.
- "Yeah, he's in the shower, ya know?" replied Raijin.
- "Went well?"
- "Yeah. He reckons he probably passed, ya know?" said Raijin.
- "Good." replied Fujin.
She grabbed a soda from the desk and sat on one of the beds, opening the can and taking a sip.
- "What are you reading?" asked Fujin.
- "'Goodbye Pupurun.'" said Raijin, smiling.
- "Again?!" said Fujin, rolling her eyes.
- "It's a good book, ya know!" protested Raijin.
Right then, the bathroom door opened and Seifer's head poked out.
- "Hey Fuj." he said.
- "Safe?" asked Fujin.
- "Meh… All of them kept getting into my way. But I did well…" he said smiling weakly at her, getting back inside.
A discreet bell was heard and Xu's voice through the PA sounded all over Garden.
- "All candidates of today's SeeD exam, please assemble to the 2nd floor, in the area in front of the classrooms. I repeat: All candidates of today's SeeD exam, please assemble to the 2nd floor, in the area in front of the classrooms." she said.
- "Hey, Seifer man! You're gonna be late!" shouted Raijin, knocking the bathroom door.
- "Coming, coming!" Seifer shouted back.
Within seconds, the blond rushed out of the bathroom, buckling the pants of his spare uniform, while rubbing his hair dry with a towel. He flung the towel over at his bed and rushed out of the dorm, grabbing his shirt in one hand. Raijin and Fujin ran right behind him, to be present at the announcement of the results. Running down the corridor, Seifer buttoned the shirt of his cadet uniform. Raijin tossed him his grey trench coat he'd thoughtfully grabbed from the room right before leaving. Seifer gave him an appreciative smile and slipped his arms through the sleeves of the long coat.
Seifer always liked to stand out in a crowd. He didn't want to be just like everyone else, so he always chose to do something to differ. Like right now. He was wearing his trench coat, one of his favorite pieces of clothing, over his uniform, although the regulations stated that all cadets should be attired in their uniforms only. However, Seifer was never one to follow rules, even though he was head of the Disciplinary Committee of Garden. He'd only gotten the position to be able to break rules more easily anyway… Strangely enough, Cid always seemed to have a soft spot for him and let him get away with minor things. Seifer couldn't possibly understand why, but he didn't complain all the same.
The trio arrived on the 2nd floor designated area after a couple of minutes. Seifer skidded to a halt, sighing in relief that he'd made it. He saw many familiar faces there, anxiously waiting for results. Between them, he spotted a recent girlfriend of his, Angelina Schaffer. He gave her a smile and a nod, but she just turned her head away and scoffed. Seifer grinned and rubbed the back of his hair 'Obviously still mad at me…' he thought, trying to remember what exactly she was mad at him about. Meanwhile, he leaned against a wall, watching Raijin bite his fingernails across him in anxiety and Fujin looking around calmly. The rest of the cadets were either pacing back and forth the hallway, mumbling incoherent things to themselves, or just doing nothing at all.
Their anxiety wasn't prolonged, as a couple of minutes after Seifer had arrived, a Garden Faculty member made his –or could it be hers? No-one could tell with those outfits anyway- appearance in the hallway. Everyone turned around and held their breaths as the results became announced.
- "From Squad A: Seifer Almasy…" began the Faculty member.
Seifer threw his fist in the air triumphantly, as Raijin shouted in delight and Fujin smiled broadly. The blond –now- SeeD waved them goodbye quickly and hurried up the Headmaster's office on the 3rd floor 'I can't believe he ACTUALLY passed…'
- "…Gabriel Johnson and Andrew Wallace." continued the Faculty "From Squad B: Terry Donahue and Julianne Sokal. From Squad C: Anna Fischer. And from Squad D: Frederick Davis and Cassandra Keenan. That is all."
Cheers and screams of joy were heard from the cadets who heard their names, while grunts and disappointed sighs were heard from the rest. All the newly appointed SeeDs made their way up to the 3rd floor to receive their degrees and congratulations from the Headmaster.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "At ease…" said Headmaster Cid smiling, to the eight mercenaries standing at attention before him.
The eight youngsters, all beaming with pride and delight, did so.
- "I'd first like to congratulate all eight of you on your success at the appointed mission. Timber now owes us a great deal of gratitude for our help in the conflict with the Galbadian forces. All of you did a great job and Balamb Garden is exceptionally proud to welcome you eight in the SeeD forces. I'm sure you'll all make great SeeDs." said Cid.
He approached the Garden Faculty member on his left and took hold of the eight paper rolls in his arms. He then walked over to each and every member to hand in their degree and give a private comment to everyone of them. He approached Sandra Keenan first.
- "I had no doubt you'd pass with flying colors. Amazing job." said Cid, handing in the degree to Sandra, who smiled modestly "Good job. Just avoid any rash decisions in the future. Think before you act." Cid said to Frederick Davis "You were a really good captain. It's a shame no others passed from your Squad, but you did a superb job. Well done." Anna Fischer heard the Headmaster say to her "You tend to think too little of yourself. You should be more confident in the future. The fact that you passed this test proves that your skills are more than just good." Cid spoke, referring to Julianne Sokal "You gave us a bit of a dilemma when deciding on whether you should pass or not, but your remarkable skills with a shotgun left us with no other choice." Cid said to Terry Donahue "Don't depend solely on others to make decisions. Give yourself a bit more esteem. Other than that, good job." spoke Cid to Andy Wallace "I don't think I have any bad comments for you. Your written grades were a bit low concerning your caliber, but you never cease to surprise us with your techniques with nunchaks." Cid said to Gabriel Johnson.
Finally, the Headmaster approached Seifer. Being the first one called, he was the last one on the line. Cid gave him a kind of mischievous smile and spoke to him.
- "Although all of your teachers and Instructors praise your wit and absolutely amazing skills with a gunblade, almost none of them thought you'd ever pass this test, due to your certain… disregard towards the rules. However, sometimes the circumstances that arise demand a slight 'flexibility' on the issue of whether it would be wise to 'go by the book' or not. Anyway, I'm more than glad to see that you've proven everyone wrong. Balamb Garden just gained a SeeD with frighteningly great potential." said Cid, handing Seifer his degree.
Seifer beamed at Cid's comments and received the roll of pare handed to him. The Headmaster walked back to his original position in front of the eight mercenaries and spoke for one last time.
- "I won't keep you long. I'm sure all of you are more than looking forward to the SeeD inauguration party tonight and want to start getting ready." Cid said smiling "I'll just inform you of this: General Caraway of the Galbadian Army contacted me a few days ago and spoke about a military camp aiming to train future Galbadian soldiers. However, one can also attend this camp for mere training. It's a new concept of the Galbadian forces and will take place during the whole summer season, in the plains outside Deling City. Anyone interested in it, should contact me for more information concerning the fee, the exact duration etc…You should all fill in the application forms within this week, as after the weekend you'll have to leave for Deling and attend the camp. That is all. Dismissed." finished Cid.
The eight new additions to the SeeD forces saluted Cid and one by one left the office. Seifer had just reached the door, when he stopped for a second, then walked back to Cid.
- "Sir?" he said, saluting him again.
- "Yes, Seifer?" asked Cid.
- "Uhh… About this military camp…" began Seifer.
- "Are you interested?"
- "I might be… Could you elaborate a bit more on it?" asked Seifer.
- "Of course. The fee is 1000 Gil per week. You'll be able to pay from your paycheck as a SeeD. You get paid according to your Rank. The camp will take place between the dates of June 15th as you heard before, and August 5th. Almost two months. You'll live there of course and you'll get a weekly leave on the weekends, although you must be back to the camp before dusk. Anything else?" said Cid.
- "No sir. I'm covered." replied Seifer.
- "Thinking about joining the Galbadian forces Seifer?" asked Cid, unable to help but frown a bit.
- "Hyne no…" said Seifer, making Cid grin "…I was just curious…"
- "Alright then." said Cid "Let me know within the week if you're interested or not."
- "Yes sir." said Seifer and made a move to leave the office.
- "Seifer…" Cid piped in "Is there… something you wish to tell me?" he asked in concern.
From the moment the young blond had stepped inside, Cid had noticed excitement and frustration exchanging places in his eyes, as they battled over which would be the dominant one. Seifer slightly parted his mouth open for a second, his heart ready to blurt it all out, but his mind strictly forbidding it. The latter part got the better of him eventually.
- "No, sir."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer, Fujin and Raijin walked down the stairs to the Main Hall, heading towards the cafeteria. They were looking at Seifer's evaluation points on the degree.
Balamb Garden
June 10th, 2001
VERIFICATION FORM OF SEED TITLE
This degree is given to Seifer Almasy on behalf of his/her accomplishments on the SeeD field exam. It is verified that this individual is now an active member of the Balamb Garden SeeD forces and shall follow all the regulations as well as receive all the advantages that come with the title.
SEED EXAM EVALUATION POINTS
JUDGEMENT: 50
CONDUCT: 60
ATTACK: 90
SPIRIT: 100
ATTITUDE: 70
SEED RANK: 6
Signed,
Cid Kramer
Seifer grunted at the sight of the points he gathered on the Conduct and Judgment fields 'Probably that bitch Xu's doing…' he thought. At least he had bothered to follow any rules at all, or else Xu would have died before giving her assent. He smiled as he remembered what his Instructor, Quistis Trepe had told him just before he left for the exam:
'I believe in you. Just stick to orders and you'll do fine…'
And he had… So now one of his dreams had come true; he'd become a SeeD. Ever since he was a child he longed to be strong and powerful, to have others respect him and be able to help people when they needed him. Of course, his 'romantic' dreams went much further, but he'd just made the first step… Now the road was open for him to…
!SMACK!
Seifer had been so engrossed in his thoughts that both he and his comrades managed to miss the young boy which happened to come across their way. He and Seifer stumbled upon each other head first, resulting in two sore foreheads. Seifer cursed under his breath and rubbed his forehead with one palm, while cracking open one eye to see the person who'd made the mistake of stumbling upon him. Seifer was a known bully around Garden and almost all students knew better than to get into his way. And that included the boy who'd just hit him as well… Only he didn't seem to be frightened of Seifer all that much 'Oh Hyne! It's Squall when he was only sixteen…'
- "Leonhart?" Seifer said, frowning, upon seeing the boy in front of him.
Squall Leonhart was an introverted young man, only a year younger than Seifer, who barely spoke any words other than 'Whatever'. He didn't have any friends in Garden, as he chose not to let anyone penetrate the hard shell he'd built around him. However, he was admired by many around the academy, for his superb skills with a gunblade. Him and Seifer were the only gunblade specialists in Garden; not many students chose to train upon such a hard weapon. Gunblades were widely known about their heavy weight and extreme danger while handling them. Meaning that the person training with one should be well-built in order to be able to handle it decently enough. Seifer undoubtedly looked more than physically capable of wielding a gunblade, however Squall was much less muscular, although well-built. It was still a mystery to everyone how he managed to handle the heavy weapon with such ease and grace, as if it was a natural extension to his arm.
Him and Seifer were still the only people worthy of the above characterization. That's probably what provoked the incessant competition between them. Ever since those two had joined Garden, they hadn't stopped fighting verbally or with the use of weapons for one single second. It was really impressive to watch those two fight. It was almost dance-like; every move was carefully considered before performed and it always seemed to match that of the opponent's.
Seifer Almasy and Squall Leonhart. Both so different, yet both so alike. One, a fiery tall blond with twistedly glistening jade eyes. The other, cold, with icy blue eyes and brown hair. The first one, an arrogant and confident boy. The second, a modest and introverted one. Yet both had one thing in common; the craving for recognition. But another difference came and intersected their paths once again; each one of them sought recognition in completely opposite ways.
Upon hearing Seifer's words, Squall frowned and gave him a glare.
- "Almasy." he said coldly, rubbing his sore forehead as well.
- "What the fuck? Can't you watch where the hell you're goin'?!" said Seifer annoyed.
- "I believe that should apply both ways…" said Squall, in a voice barely audible, glaring at Seifer.
- "Watch it Squally…" Seifer said smirking, pinching one of Squall's cheeks. The brown-haired boy slapped Seifer's hand away, as the blond went on "You shouldn't talk to your superiors that way… And don't forget I can always add you to the Disciplinary list…"
- "What do you mean, 'superior'?" asked Squall, raising an eyebrow, completely ignoring Seifer's last sentence.
- "Haven't you heard?" asked Seifer, crossing his arms, smirking. Behind him, Raijin and Fujin beamed as well.
- "Heard what?"
- "I'm a SeeD now. The results are just out." replied Seifer, a triumphant grin on his face.
Squall's expression changed just a tiny bit to what seemed like surprise.
- "You passed the field exam?" he asked in disbelief.
- "You betcha Leonhart…" replied Seifer, leaning a bit down to him.
- "*Scoff* Congratulations… How many out of the nine board members did you have to threaten in order to pass? Eight? Nine?" asked Squall sarcastically.
- "I see that your vocabulary extent increases greatly when it comes to acting all smart-ass, does it?" retorted Seifer, grabbing Squall from the shirt, narrowing his eyes "You just envy my glory Leonhart, that's all… But don't worry… You'll get your chance to wreak some havoc as well when the time comes…"
Squall pried Seifer off him casting him his trademark icy glare, while Seifer smirked down at him. The two men exchanged another glare before resuming their different paths. Seifer and his posse continued their way towards the cafeteria, while Squall seemed to be heading to the Training Center 'Freaky boy…' Seifer thought, while striding down the corridors 'And I thought I was weird… But he's a good fighter; I'll give him that… Let's just see how he'll do when his time comes…'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall looked so cute when he was sixteen…
I suppose…So I presume the inauguration party comes next… Just skip it and let's move to something else. Do you know about anything important that happened around those days?
Oh, trust me… You want to see the inauguration party…
Why do I not like the sound of this?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer was sitting in front of the mirror in the bathroom of his dorm, gelling his hair into place. He was dressed in his SeeD uniform, all set for the SeeD inauguration party up in the 2nd floor ballroom. He washed his hands and checked out his reflection one last time. He blew a smile to the mirror; he was always more than satisfied with his appearance. And apparently, he wasn't the only one in Garden… Smirking, he walked out of the bathroom, flicking the lights off and walked back to the main room.
Raijin and Fujin were sitting on one of the two beds, playing a game of Triple Triad. The game was not over yet, but Raijin was already grinning in delight as he was winning 7-3. Fujin was going to be the one to place the last card on the deck. She carefully examined that last two remaining on her hand and placed the one of her choice, with a wide grin spread across her face. Her last card, following the rule of 'Plus', flipped the two adjacent cards, which on their cue, turned over three other cards, resulting into a 2-8, in favor of Fujin. Raijin's smile was immediately wiped off his face, as Fujin took a look around his set of cards and picked up the 'Quetzalcoatl' card.
- "Aw, c'mon Fuj! I thought we were only playing friendly!" protested Raijin.
- "Were we also playing friendly when you snatched my 'Leviathan' card?" asked Fujin sarcastically.
Raijin groaned in response and let her have the card. Seifer, who was standing there unnoticed all this time, cleared his throat.
- "How do I look?" he asked, making a turn around himself.
- "Lookin' good!" admired Raijin.
- "Really?" Seifer asked again, placing his hands on his hips, frowning.
- "What's wrong?" asked Fujin.
- "I dunno…" replied Seifer shrugging "I don't like these dances and stuff…Too many people…" he mumbled, still feeling kind of down about the prior events of the day.
- "I bet Instructor Trepe will be there…" said Raijin meaningfully.
- "SO?!" Seifer almost yelled, looking half enraged-half embarrassed.
- "Hey relax man…" whimpered Raijin.
- "Raijin just thought you might want to thank her…" piped in Fujin, trying to help the situation.
- "Why would I want to thank her? I passed this test, not her…" said Seifer, crossing his arms, glaring at Raijin.
- "Well yes… But just for the sake of appearances…" suggested Fujin.
- "Right…" mumbled Seifer, touching his chin while thinking "…right… Maybe I should go…"
Raijin and Fujin smiled as Seifer ran a hand through his hair and approached the door. He opened it and nodded them goodbye.
- "I don't think I'll stay long…" he said and closed the door, as his two friends stood behind it, waving him goodbye.
When he closed the door behind him, Fujin gave Raijin's shin a strong kick.
- "OW!" howled Raijin.
- "Nice going!" hissed Fujin.
- "What? What did I do?!" asked Raijin innocently, grabbing his sore shin.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer walked over to the Main Hall and up the stairs to the elevator. He found Gabriel Johnson along with two girls waiting outside. At the sight of him, Gabriel waved at him cheerfully. Seifer grinned and approached them.
- "Hey man… Congrats!" said Gabriel, extending his arm.
- "Same back at ya…" said Seifer, shaking Gabriel's hand vigorously.
- "Gabriel, aren't you going to introduce us?" asked one of the two girls.
- "Of course…" said Gabriel "Girls, this is Seifer Almasy…"
Seifer nodded slightly giving the girls a smile. He wouldn't mind some female 'company' for tonight after all… The girls were both decent alright. The one who'd spoken, was a slim red-haired girl, with some curves on the right spots, Seifer noticed. Her eyes were brown and sparkly. She wore a black midi dress with a big slit one the right thigh. She wasn't any beauty, but she was definitely worth taking another look… The other one, had brown hair worn in a high ponytail and honey eyes. She was wearing a SeeD uniform 'Oh, I remember her from the field exam…' he thought.
- "…Seifer, this is Sandra Keenan, my girlfriend…" Gabriel went on, pointing to the brunette.
- "Nice to meet you Seifer." said Sandra, smiling sweetly at him.
- "You too." said Seifer shaking her hand.
- "And this is Devon Strife." added Gabriel, introducing the red-haired girl.
- "Hello Seifer." said Devon, giving Seifer a seductive smile.
- "Hi Devon." replied Seifer, giving her one of his most charming smiles.
- "Would you like to join us tonight? We're meeting some friends up in the ballroom." suggested Gabriel.
- "Sure." said Seifer plainly, shrugging.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The four of them walked inside the elevator booth and headed towards the 2nd floor. Once there, they headed towards the ballroom. From inside, a loud raucous could be heard, coming from the music and chattering of the students. Gabriel and Sandra walked inside first, pushing open the two large doors. Seifer and Devon walked in right after them.
The ballroom was filled with students, all of them either newly appointed or already SeeDs. Many teachers and Instructors, as well as the Headmaster were there. Seifer followed the others to their table, where he was introduced to some others people as well. He spent about half an hour talking with Devon, sipping a few glasses of champagne or punch. He found out that Devon was already a SeeD and Sandra's best friend. Also that she came from Fisherman's Horizon (A/N: remember that girl who always passed by the Item store in FH? Imagine Devon kinda like her…) and that she loved to read comic books. Seifer wasn't all that interested in this girl, although he couldn't help but grin when he saw his ex-girlfriend's, Angelina Schaffer's, face, upon seeing him talk to another girl. He went on and on talking to Devon, until his eyes caught a woman entering the room.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one to turn around at the sight, as almost every male head jerked around when Quistis Trepe walked into the room. It was common knowledge than many guys would give their right, err… arm, to have a woman like her for only one night and Seifer had often scoffed at that. He always found her pretty at the very least, but he couldn't understand what the fuss was all about… That night he did.
Quistis stepped inside the ballroom with the air of a star. If someone didn't know her well enough, they could assume that she'd let all this 'fame' get to her head. However, Quistis could show a nearly naïve ignorance to all the attention she received from men. Sure, she was well aware of the Trepies, the students who looked up to her like a goddess, but she never thought it went anywhere beyond plain admiration. She walked inside the ballroom, brushing away a lock from her face. The dress she had chosen to wear was of peach color, much similar to the one of her battling gear. A pair of thin straps emerged from on the shoulders, tying behind her neck. The peach dress followed the curves of her body, falling down gracefully to her feet and a long slit on the left side reached up to her knee. Her feet were adorned by a pair of similarly colored sandals, with straps that tied around her ankles. She wore her hair up in a tight ponytail, with a pair of locks falling down to her cheeks. Her make-up was subtle, barely noticeable, yet it managed to bring out the good elements on her face.
Upon seeing her, Seifer's jaw dropped. He'd never seen her in anything but the SeeD uniform or her battle gear before. The dress wasn't even revealing, but right now he couldn't think of any other woman who could make it look better on her. Keep in mind that in a military academy, the sight of a woman in a dress wasn't an everyday luxury… To him, she was always just Trepe. His attractive Instructor with the tight-assed and prudish –to him- demeanor, who was just a few months older than him, who always tried to boss him around and frequently got on his nerves. Sure, he'd more than once 'went with the flow' and let his mind wander in day-dreams about her like any normal teenager with hormones flaring up –the whip could let fantasies go quite wild-, but he never took it that seriously like a Hyne damn Trepie… He just thought of her like another pretty face in the crowd. But right now, she was a beautiful, enticing woman, making every male head turn to her direction without even trying. Seifer watched her take a few steps, then turn back around towards the doors, as if waiting for someone. A few seconds later, that 'someone' appeared. It was Xu, Quistis' best friend in Garden and about a year older than her. Xu wore a long black dress, somewhat similar to Quistis' and had her hair down in its usual style. Seifer shook his head in disbelief; if he didn't consider Xu such a bitch he might even have liked the sight of her in a dress…
- "Honestly, what do men see in her?" spoke Devon, brining Seifer out of his trance.
- "Huh?" he said.
- "Quistis Trepe. I don't really see what the fuss is all about… There are much better looking women in Garden…" repeated Devon.
- "Yeah…" nodded Seifer, although his eyes were fixed upon the ethereal blonde a few feet away from him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
So… That was it? That's what you wanted to show me? Seifer gawking at me like he'd never seen a woman in a dress before?
Harsh words Quisty… The man was just admiring you…
Well yeah, throw on a dress and suddenly everyone notices you. Even a guy who up to now hated your Hyne damn guts…
Seifer never hated you. You just didn't get along at first.
Either way, thanks for showing me that the man I supposedly love is so shallow, as to give me a second look once I show a bit of thigh…
Sheesh, what's with the bitterness?
I just thought that since everyone babbles on about how Seifer and I have something so 'special' going on, he'd be… I dunno… Different… As in, well… not shallow!
Quisty, you were both kids. He was a teenager with urges just like anyone! You gotta start from somewhere…
Right, right… Can we move on now please?
Alrighty…
A/N: Touchy, touchy… Quistis wasn't obviously thrilled with the sight… Can't really blame her tho'…
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
The night of the SeeD inauguration ball continues and a 'slight' interaction between our two main characters will complicate things between them…
Question is: will that be for the better, or for the worse?