So anyway I'm sorry for the wait but this time it wasn't actually my fault. My computer crashed and I didn't have all my fic information saved and it all went bye bye. I was pissed but not as pissed as my sister who has been acquiring fanart sites left and right.

Anyway I've got this rewritten and want you all to know that there are only a couple chapters after this. Two or three. I had it mapped out and worked on in bits and pieces but I have to do that all over again… good thing my fics all have separate sections in my brain.

Anyway again sorry for the delay and the next chapter should be out in a week or two.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. That's one of Squaresoft's many great games.

Chapter 8: Politics

Squall sighed as he reread the letter and placed it on the desk. President Loire was coming to visit Balamb Garden and wherever that man went trouble seemed to follow. Not to mention Squall still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that that man was his father.

Wishing again that he hadn't accepted this position he pressed the intercom button connecting him to his secretary. "Get Selphie in here. I have a visitor to prepare for."

Seifer sighed as he looked over his notes for the written once more. He really didn't know why he bothered as no matter how many times he took the test it was always the same. And with all the commotion about the President's visit the practical, the part he always had trouble with, was postponed till another high priority mission that was easy enough for the cadets to handle could be found.

Glancing at the clock he wondered if Selphie's SeeD force had set up for the visit yet. It had been a mad dash since that morning when the commander had announced the president would arrive later and Seifer was actually glad he wasn't a SeeD for the moment.

Between President Loire's and Selphie's personalities he wouldn't be surprised if there was a parade or circus prancing through the corridors. Glancing at the clock he wondered if he should brave the corridor to find his feisty little blond, and decided that it was worth the risk.

A few moments later, however, he wasn't so sure about that. Already Seifer had had to dodge a group of half dressed men doing some sort of tribal dance, a group of SeeD's who were carrying wooden planks to some sort of statue that was being hastily erected, and a bunch of bowing Grats. How the eccentric Selphie had gotten them to do that he was scared to ask.

Throughout the entire mess though, he couldn't find Zell anywhere. He was tempted to ask Selphie what he'd been assigned to do but was wary of being drafted into her work force. Having given up on the search he headed back to his room only to be grabbed out of nowhere and forced into a utility closet.

"Glad you could join us Mr. Almasy." A deep voice spoke into his ear.

"Who the hell are you?" This was weird but Seifer was fighting the urge to attack whoever had him pinned against the wall should that end up being a mistake.

Suddenly he was released and could hear a small scuffle ensue in the darkness behind him. Several seconds later a pair of familiar blue eyes met his own. "What the hell Zell?"

"Irvine's being an idiot. We're hiding in here so we don't have to work. She has the troops more organized than Squall ever has. And she was injecting the Grats with something. I'm afraid to find out what."

"Well the president is supposed to be here soon and I want to see if he can top Selphie's spectacle but since we're here…" Seifer let the thought trail off suggestively before leaning down and capturing the other blonde's mouth.

Someone clearing their throat startled them apart and Seifer looked sheepishly at the cowboy sprawled on the floor. "Before you two start anything that Selphie would kill me for being privy to without a video camera, lets get out of this damn closet. We can beg off work since the pres is almost here and this dark is becoming a little unnerving. Especially with you two having sex and me only getting to watch. It's not nearly as fun only watching a live show as you'd think."

Zell turned and shook his head at Irvine. "If you really want we could let you join in," he teased.

"Selphie would nail me to a board and us me for magic practice."

Seifer opened the door and stepped backwards through the door. And right into the barrel of a gun.

Spinning around Seifer starred wide eyed at the group of soldiers surrounding him. One held an official document and cleared his throat for attention. "Seifer Almasy you are under arrest for multiple crimes against the people."

"What the hell do you think you are doing in my Garden?" Squall stood behind his desk with gunblade in hand and eyes narrowed to slits. It was a look that inspired fear in many men but the Laguna seemed completely unfazed.

Seifer was standing in a corner under guard. Squall and Laguna were squaring off across the headmaster's desk and everyone else was crowding the doorway. The reactions were various but President Loire knew he wasn't making it out of this office if the SeeDs at the door decided he wasn't. They were after all famous war heroes and had taken on forces far more powerful than himself in circumstance much more dire than an old military man and a few soldiers.

"My job. The people of Esthar have called for his blood and there is very little I can do about that. I have had riots and rebel attacks on my office because I can give them very little reason as to why they shouldn't be asking for his head. Now son if you would…"

Squall's growl cut the president off and shocked everyone in the room. "Right now I am not your son and you are not my father. Right now I'm the leader of this Garden and you are the President."

" Not only did you bring armed troops into my Garden in order to conduct a sweep without my permission, but you also made a public arrest of a man I admitted back into Garden. I had even offered to take on any responsibility for his actions from now on. You have crossed a line and if you wish to walk out of this office with my support still backing you then you had better come up with some better reasons."

Laguna sat forward and matched his son's glare with one of his own. "Normally I am a patient man and would have no problem with taking care of this in an orderly fashion but you have proven time and again that you find yourself superior to my orders."

"I have a lot of influence but not enough to satisfy the blood thirst of a nation. Seifer Almasy has committed countless crimes and the people want him to pay for them. I realize that they are being barbaric but I am ruled by the people and outdated laws that allow them to call for a public execution if they want it. We are still ruined from the war and a civil uprising would result in more pointless deaths. I'm picking the lesser of two evils."

Squall slammed his weapon down on the desk and leaned forward, his voice a deadly hiss. "So you decided it would be a good idea to send me a letter on the day you're coming so that I would be busy. Then you come in and undermine my authority in order to capture one of my students just so you can use him as a political tool in order to satisfy your people. You just keep digging yourself deeper."

"I see there is little you can do as you are only acting as the Headmaster until Cid returns and therefore your authority is limited." Laguna felt a small stab of guilt hit him. Sure what he was doing was the best course but it would save so many more people then the alternatives he thought of.

"But it is still absolute in this Garden and all matters concerning Garden personnel. I realize that politically I have very little standing. But this Garden has significant effects on your financial base and your public defense. Until this matter is resolved in a peaceful way the support of Garden is withdrawn from Esthar and everything connected to your government. All SeeD personnel will be withdrawn from the projects they are working on. Including the clean up for the Lunar Cry." Squall sat down in his seat. His challenge laid out and his conditions steep.

To his credit President Loire didn't even flinch. Instead he stood with a resigned expression on his face. "I'm sorry that you feel this way. I wish you the best of luck in you endeavor to end this peacefully but I must be going. The execution is scheduled for a week from now so you have until then to resolve this."

Laguna then turned to leave the office and stopped at the door. The SeeD's blocking the door parted at a glance from Squall and Laguna turned back a sad expression on his face. "I hope next time we meet will be happy. And as family." His political duties overpowering his want to run back to his son and hug the brooding man to comfort him, Laguna walked through the door and into the elevator.

No one could miss the look that passed between Seifer, being led out by the guards, and Zell who could only sit by and watch. But everyone but a very observant pilot missed the frown that appeared on the blonde woman in the corner. A frown that everyone would have thought should of been a smile.

Squall sat slumped behind his desk as people crowded around him. They all looked at him expectantly and once again Squall wished he hadn't taken on so much responsibility. This was one instance he really didn't know what to do. "So, what can we do?"

Xu pushed forward and set an open book on the table. "If you look at this page it says that because Seifer's apprehension took place outside Esthar and in your jurisdiction, you can demand a trial by committee. I never thought that all those law books Quistis made me read would ever come in handy."

Squall read the page over and smiled slightly at least they had a chance now. "But what about representation. Do you know any lawyer crazy enough to take this on. None of us are qualified either. If the execution were farther off I would have Xu study up for it as she seems to know the most about it. We've found a loop hole but there's no one to jump through it."

They all grumbled at their helplessness and wished they knew of someone that could save Seifer when it hit Nida like a ton of bricks. "You know how Quistis was trying to get a class based on law relating to SeeDs and war time."

Squall nodded still not understanding where this was going.

"Well we can get her to do it."

The room was silent before shouts of "Are you crazy?" and "Yeah right!" were thrown about. Squall smacked his weapon against the desk and the whole room became instantly silent.

"So do you think you can convince her because none of us can."

Nida nodded slightly. "I'll do my best." Nida left the office with everyone's hopes riding on his shoulders.

Nida sat down across from Quistis and smiled pleasantly. The tea was on the table between the two of them and Nida had even prepared a small meal for them to share. To everyone but the two attending, it looked like two friends having a cup of tea and a friendly conversation. There was some friendly conversation, Quistis didn't have any particular love for the man sitting across from her but she didn't hate him either. Then Nida told her exactly why he'd invited her here.

"I want you to go represent Seifer at the hearing in Esthar."

Quistis was rendered speechless for a few moments before she was able to sputter an indignant, "What?"

"You heard me. It's impossible to find a competent representative because of his crimes and I know that you can do it." Nida was determined and a little bit frightened to be making this proposal. But it had to be done.

"Why the hell would I help him?"

Nida leveled his gaze at her and let a small smile escape. "Because you care about him. You care whether he lives or dies much more than you let on. Even if your not on good terms with all of them you do care about them and worry about them."

Quistis settled back with a look of disgust on her face. "Shows how much you know. They all hate me and that's just fine with me. In fact it's easier that way."

"Easier?"

Quistis looked startled, "I meant that if they didn't like me then I wouldn't have to pretend. I have my place in this world and it's not with them. I'm much too mature and have had life experiences that they never will."

Nida suddenly missed the old Quistis. The one who would joke around with them but could also take command of a situation if the need arose. The elder sister who looked out for everyone even if they weren't in her immediate circle of friends. She'd been lost like so many others in the war.

"So you hate them and yet you still hang around them?"

"It's what's expected. We are the heroes of the last war and our unity is practically unbreakable. Or so it's told."

"So staying near them is all for political reasons?"

"Of course."

Nida sat slightly forward he's eyes latching onto the cold blue ones across from him. "Then why were you frowning like that when they took Seifer away? Why did you look like you wanted to stop it but weren't sure how?"

Again a look of surprise flashed across her face. "It was nothing. He was just very similar to me and it was kind of sad to see him go. He's not very well liked either."

Nida sighed and sat back. He was hoping that telling him he saw her slip would open her up a little but she was better then he thought. From the few slips he'd seen though, Nida knew something was up and was more determined then ever to figure out what.

"Well it would mean a lot to everyone if you'd help out. Especially Zell."

Quistis eyes flashed and Nida caught a momentary glance of pain and hate. He was onto something.

"Well I don't quite care what everyone wants me to do. I'm sure someone else qualified would help you out. You can't have checked with everyone."

"You know as well as I that no lawyer is crazy enough to take this on. You don't have a career at stake and you are qualified enough to at least get the sentence reduced. The Garden would also be more then happy to pay you."

Quistis shifted in her chair, her agitation showing through. "I don't want to do it. This isn't a question of whether or not I'm qualified but if I want to do it or not and the answer is still no.

"But Quistis they need you and your involvement would help your politics. Where as refusing would only hurt your image since that's all you seem to care about."

He had said it flippantly. As if talking about some unimportant detail that no one really cared about. He'd said it to get a rise out of her. He'd got more than he expected.

Suddenly Quistis was on her feet, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. "You have no idea what I'm talking about. Don't assume you can judge me. Pilot." She spit the last word out with contempt and Nida was somewhat afraid. This woman had just come through the last war as one the main fighters against the Sorceress.

"You were never out there with your life on the line. You never really experienced the horrors of battle like we did. See someone struck down while there was nothing you could do. We were up against an opponent that should have been impossible to defeat and against people we thought at one time we could trust." Suddenly she kicked out violently and her foot went through the glass of the table sending shards everywhere.

"But that wasn't even the worst of it. The death and pain and suffering are things that are a part of war and something I was expecting and prepared against. At least a little. But during the war I was fine. Close to everyone. I was proud to be one of the heroes. No it was after the war that things fell apart."

As Quistis started to pace Nida wondered if he went to far. Maybe drove her over the deep end. He wanted to make a run for the door but thought it might be better to stay still. She was ranting right now and maybe just needed to get something off her chest. He hoped.

"After the war everything changed. There was really no more enemy to fight. We only had some cleaning up to do and then we were free to do as we pleased. And they all did. Squall got with Rinoa. Which we all saw coming. Irvine and Selphie got together. I thought it was kind of cute. I was hoping to have Zell as a sort of confidant because like me he didn't have anyone. But I was wrong."

She suddenly stopped and spun towards Nida, leaning down so that they were eye level. "You can't understand what I felt when I went to them to talk and was turned away. I thought that Rinoa, the girl who talked to everyone, would at least hear me out but they were to involved with themselves or their boyfriends or Zell. So imagine my surprise when Zell comes in and tells us the reason the other girls have been with him all the time is because he's lost his boyfriend. I saw a window. A beautiful window in which I could hate them all and hurt them some like they had done to me and I lashed out at him. Let them think of me as Quistis the close minded bitch but don't let them figure out what I'm doing. Heh. I'm not even ashamed that I did it."

Suddenly she was sitting down again, a faraway look in her eyes. "So I did that for sometime and stayed close to Squall because he was pissed at Zell. Then the unimaginable happens and Seifer comes back. He's a little crazy and has some left over Sorceress magic floating around in his head but we all want to welcome him back with open arms. Even Squall came around eventually and it was all I could take. No one ever once asked me why I had become this way. They just accepted it and moved on. Well if takes crazy for them to see me again then I think they got what they want. Because crazy is definitely what I'm feeling right now."

She then collapsed on the couch, sobs wracking her body and Nida scooped her up in his arms and held her. It was really all he could do.

Zell looked up at Selphie, the red puffy eyes did nothing to hide the surprise he felt. "What do you mean she accepted."

"Quistis has agreed to represent Seifer. So now will you take President Loire off the list of people your going to kill as soon as you reach Esthar."

Zell looked up sheepishly, "You know that whole car bomb at the execution site. That was just a joke really. I would not blow up hundreds of people."

Selphie looked down skeptically, "Yeah. Sure."

Rolling off the bed Zell bounced up. "Alright lets get going. We've got things to pack and people to save right. It's like old times. Time to get to work and do something good right."

Selphie smiled as some of the old bubbly Zell came back. The war had changed them all but still they slipped back into who they used to be occasionally. It was refreshing and sad at the same time. They'd lost the innocence of who they used to be but it was somehow preserved inside them all.

"Yeah. Important mission with someone to save. Just like old times."

Thanks for reading. Next chapter out in a week or two barring another computer crash.