Chapter Seven
Fates and First Missions
Squall leaned against the banister of the balcony, staring out at the beach beyond. Why in the hell had that girl effected him so deeply? Sure, she was pretty, but there were a lot of pretty girls here in Garden and none of them had caused him to damn-near make a fool of himself in public like that. His expression hardened. Whatever the heck it was, he couldn't risk it again. Best if he never saw her again. Ever.
Squall turned slightly when he heard footsteps approach behind him. Only his rigid control kept him from groaning aloud as he caught sight of Instructor Trepe nearing.
"You really are an excellent student," she murmured. "Even that dance was perfect." Squall sighed, hands flexing on the stone railing.
"Thank you," he finally conceded, though somewhat stiffly. He hoped she would be satisfied with that and leave him alone. He should've known better. After several moments he straightened and glared out into the night. "Yes?" he heaved.
"So," she returned somewhat bitterly, "you'll dance with someone you don't even know, but you can't stand being around me?" Squall rolled his eyes heavenward.
" . . . whatever," he muttered, then turned around to give her a glare. "You're an instructor, and I'm your student," he pronounced at last, trying his damndest to make her understand. "It's kind awkward when you don't say anything."
She gave a bitter laugh. "That's true. I was like that myself." She stared at him, then seemed to forcefully change subjects. "Oh, I almost forgot," she announced, even know they both knew damn well she hadn't forgotten anything. "I wonder what's to become of me?" Quistis continued cryptically before she shook herself and then centered her gaze on his steadily. "I've come to give you an order. You and I are to go to the 'secret area.' It's where students secretly meet up and talk after curfew. It's inside the training center."
Squall scowled. "What do you want to do there? Are we going to tell everyone they're breaking curfew? If that's the case, forget it." He turned away again. "Leave that for the Disciplinary Committee."
Quistis chuckled again, but there was no humor to it. "Go get changed," she ordered then, her tone broking no argument, "and meet me in front of the training center. This will be my last order," she finished, again with that cryptic crap.
Squall spun around to pin her with his steely stare. Quistis' expression remained firm. Finally Squall turned at last and then brushed past her to go do as she'd 'ordered,' scowl dark. He headed into the dorms and then into his room.
Get changed and meet in the training center? he wondered inwardly. What's this all about?
Squall changed into a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and his jacket—grabbing his Revolver—and then left again off to the training center. Quistis waited for him just inside the green hallway, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She straightened as he approached, unclipping her whip and giving it an experimental crack—which echoed eerily down the deserted hallway.
"Come on," she heaved, turning to lead the way, "let's go to the secret area. It's just inside the training center."
They started forward into the swelteringly hot room, decorated with dirt and trees to resemble a tropical jungle. Aside from the metal grating peeking through every now and then and the high-powered electrical fence that kept the deadly flora and fauna inside, the monster's lair pulled it off nicely.
Quistis turned to the left and headed through the door. What few Grats attempted to impede their path were quickly dealt with. The huge T-Rexaur that currently roamed the area wouldn't be active at this time of night. They headed around toward the back of the circular room, and then back through the hole in the wall. It lead to a balcony of metal grating that overlooked the courtyard of Garden, a hidden little getaway.
The four students within tensed at the sight of Quistis, but she didn't pay them any mind, heading for the very back of the little alcove to the edge. Squall followed uncomfortably, not liking the curious stares that followed them. Great, now it'd be all over Garden tomorrow morning that he and Quistis had gone here together. Is that what she wanted, for everyone else to think they were dating?
"I haven't been here for a while," she murmured softly, lifting her arms up onto the railing. Squall came to stand next to her and leaned against the railing as well, trying to keep a handle on his impatience and annoyance. They stood in silence for several moments, then she suddenly turned to him. "What time is it?"
Squall turned to glare at her profile, suspicious and confused as to what the hell was really going on. He finally glanced down at his watch, then sighed. "It's after midnight."
Quistis' whole body seemed to slump. She put her chin down onto her folded arms and heaved a heavy sigh. "Oh well." There was another long pause, then, "I, Quistis Trepe, am no longer an instructor, as of now! I'm a member of SeeD now, just like you." She turned to him, forcing a smile. "Who knows, maybe we'll end up working together."
Aha, so that's what all of this had been about. He glanced at her, then turned forward again and continued staring out at the landscape beyond. "Oh really?" he murmured after another moment. She sighed loudly at that, then wrenched back forward and glared out into the night.
"Is that all you're going to say?"
Squall didn't respond for several moments. He was pissed, annoyed as hell that she would drag him out here just to dump all her problems on him, as if she had the right to. She was—had been—his instructor, that's all. They'd never been friends or involved romantically despite her every attempt otherwise. Why did he have to stand here and listen to this? Despite his rancor, he wasn't that mean-spirited, so didn't say any of his real thoughts aloud. Instead he just sighed again. "If that's how it was decided, you have to abide by it."
Unfortunately his attempt not to be cruel gave her the wrong impression, that he was open to hearing more of her depressed views. He bit back an impatient sigh as she shook her head and then slumped further, staring off listlessly into the distance.
"They told me that I failed as an instructor. Basically that I lacked leadership qualities." She lapsed into silence for a few moments, then suddenly pronounced, "I was a SeeD by the age of 15, got my instructor license at 17. It's only been a year since I got it . . ."
Squall turned away from the balcony, annoyed and highly uncomfortable. She continued, oblivious for a moment.
"I wonder where I went wrong," she mused miserably. "I did my best . . ." Quistis noticed then that he'd turned away for she straightened suddenly and when next she spoke, her voice was much sharper. "Are you listening?"
Squall decided that it was time to stop playing nice. He didn't turn around. "Are you done yet?" he demanded coldly, turning his back to the scenery and propping his elbows on the ledge. "I don't wanna talk about it," he announced. "What am I supposed to say about other people's problems?"
"I'm not asking you to say anything," Quistis entreated desperately. "I just want you to listen."
Squall scoffed angrily, shoving himself away from the ledge. "Then go talk to a wall," was his harsh response. She gaped at him, stunned.
"Aren't there times when you want to share your feelings with someone?"
There she went again, trying to get inside his head. He took a step away from the balcony, heading back inside. "Everyone has to take care of themselves." He hesitated, turning back to look at her over his shoulder. "I don't want to carry anyone's burden."
Then he left the room entirely.
Back inside, Quistis put a hand to her throat, eyes wide and troubled. She felt the hot sting of tears gather, though she refused to let them fall. She hadn't cried a day in her life ever since she'd run away from an unloving foster home and enlisted in Balamb Garden at the age of ten. Instead she shoved a hank of her hair back behind her ear, mouth thinning into an embittered line.
". . . no leadership qualities," she murmured. "Failed instructor. Perhaps they were right."
Seifer stood hidden just to the side of the balcony, remaining perfectly still and silent as Quistis eventually released a heavy sigh and then trailed after her perfect Pubes, as usual. He remained motionless for several moments after she'd disappeared, still struggling to put a leash on the riot of emotions running a gamut in his mind.
He'd never come so close to wanting to beat the ever-living shit out of someone or something, just because, until this moment. Even now he felt his chest burn with something that felt a lot like jealous rage. Trepe had lost her license—probably because of him, an inner voice quipped bitterly—and of course who was the first person she ran to, to lick her wounds? Pubes. And what did Leonhart do? Blew her off like so much garbage, just like always. It was Hyne-damned pathetic! Seifer clenched his fists until they shook, and the nails of his fingers began biting into the flesh of his palms.
Go talk to a wall? I'll admit, I can be an asshole sometimes Leonhart, but that one really took the cake!
What Seifer had yet to understand was why all of this was making him so pissed off. So what if Trepe wanted to continue chasing after Squall like a cheap whore and get turned down time and time again? So what if she was now no longer an instructor and now had no moral dilemma holding her back from doing just that? So what if it was all his fault? What did it matter to him?
You are a fool to allow another to speak so to your mate, hatchling, Tiamat suddenly thundered. Seifer's eyes bulged at that, and he gasped so hard he nearly choked.
"What?" he demanded aloud, and won the nervous glance of more than one student hiding out in here. He felt his face heat, then he cleared his throat and motioned angrily. "What-What . . . what in the hell are you little twerps doing in here?!" he covered quickly. "Get back to your rooms right now before I throw every one of your little asses in detention for a month!"
His threat had the desired effect, and the other students quickly scrambled out and then disappeared. Afterward Seifer scowled.
Just what in the hell was that all about? he demanded telepathically of his GF. 'Cause I know you ain't implying what I think you're implying.
What, that the golden-crowned, blue-eyed human female is your heart-mate? Then yes, I am implying exactly what you think I am implying, little hatchling, Tiamat responded, tone filled with arrogant humor. Seifer scoffed.
"Oh hell no," he protested furiously out loud again, then gave a bitter bark of laughter. "Me and Trepe? Yeah, when Geezards fly, old man." Now it was Tiamat's turn to scoff, and Seifer scowled. "Look, we hate each other. Always have, always will, ever since our cadet days. Little miss bossy Quisty," he suddenly taunted with a sneer, though he paused for a moment afterward, wondering why the short of her name would tickle the back of his mind so. He shrugged off the strange feeling after a moment though, shaking his head. "Sure, I'll admit Trepe is kinda . . . hot . . . in a long-legged, toothpick skinny kind of way. And yeah, that whip of hers is totally kinky and designed solely to put impure thoughts into the vulnerable male mind. I might have indulged in the occasional wank fantasy, but that's it, that's as far as it goes between me and her. That chick is so Hyne-damned frigid she makes Xu seem warm and friendly by comparison. Not to mention that she's obsessed with Squall," he finished bitterly. "Squall this, Squall that. All she wants, all she's ever wanted, is Squall."
He started stalking out of the room. "Haven't you been paying the least bit of attention for the past ten years?" he then demanded, incensed and not completely understanding why. Tiamat just chuckled.
I have been paying attention, far more than you have, hatchling, was the dragon's cryptic response.
Seifer just shook his head and gave up on the futility of trying to argue with a dragon. He'd sooner win an argument with that near-by rock. Seifer took his annoyance out on the few Grats that decided to try and test him as he made his way back for the entrance. A sudden scream up ahead caught his attention however, causing him to jerk straight before running forward. He did so just in time to see Quistis and Squall tumbling out of the exit in front of him.
"Somebody help!" a female voice screamed from the front room.
"Come on, Squall!" Quistis cried, and both of them took off running. Seifer was no more than five feet behind them. All three of them skid to a halt as they exited and found a woman in her early twenties backed up against the fence by a huge bug-like monster and three other mole creatures. They were the Grenaldo and Raldos that had been brought in for the Senior Cadet's test later that week. Somehow they'd gotten loose from the main area and Seifer sneered. Whoever was the genius who'd opted to get a flying monster to put in the training center needed to be bitch-slapped. Hard.
The woman turned to them, eyes wide.
"Squall!" she yelled, then squinted closer. "Quisty?" she then questioned. "Seifer?"
Quistis and Squall whirled back to stare at him. He gave them a smirk and a mocking salute, but his smile faded as the Grenaldo snarled and moved another threatening foot toward the woman. He'd worry about how in the hell she knew his name later.
He pulled Hyperion and then leapt forward. Squall was right beside him, and they both went after the big green bug. Quistis meanwhile focused her attacks on one of the armored mole creatures. She quickly dropped one while Squall and Seifer ducked and dodged the others being thrown by Grenaldo.
"Hey guys! The Raldos won't attack if Grenaldo is still alive," Quistis yelled out, her whip cracking up around her as she slung her arm and caught the end. "Go for them first, I'll take care of the bug."
Seifer fell back, giving her a confused glance. Squall did so as well. She ignored them both, eddies of magic beginning to swirl around her, eyes closed and lips moving in a preparation chant. Then her blue eyes snapped open and she held her arms out in front of her.
"Sleep!"
Seifer felt his jaw loosen, and he'd be damned if that bug didn't fall asleep mid-air. It thumped to the ground near-by.
"We can't kill the Grenaldo until the Raldos are defeated," she announced as she turned away and then went after another one of them. "Else they'll be driven into a frenzy. Quick, let's get this over with!"
Seifer snapped back at that, and he quickly made mince-meat of the other Raldo. Quistis defeated hers, then they turned to see Squall level the Revolver on the still-sleeping Grenaldo. He emptied his clip into it, and the thing never woke back up.
As soon as the battle was won, the woman pushed herself back off the fence, but she quickly collapsed to her knees afterward. Before Seifer could even think of stepping forward, two strangers dressed all in white suddenly flipped down from out of the rafters apparently and landed in crouches on either side of her.
"It's not safe here," one of them admonished gently but sternly. "Please, let's go."
The woman sighed. "Alright." Both men knelt and then helped her to stand. The one who hadn't spoken put an arm around her waist and lead her out, while the other one hung back and bowed to them before following after. All three of them watched silently until they were gone. Quistis was the first to break the silence.
"Who was that?" she questioned almost to herself. Seifer snorted.
"Beats the hell outta me. Weird, though, how she knew our names. Especially if none of us know her." He turned to give Squall a look, who curiously refused to return it. Seifer's eyes narrowed faintly, wondering if this was the woman he'd been talking about earlier that afternoon.
Seifer sighed loudly after a moment. "Well, if that's all the excitement you guys've got for me, I'm gonna go to bed."
He balanced Hyperion on his shoulder and headed out of the training center. No doubt Quistis wasn't done begging Squall for the night, and he was in no mood to witness it. Tiamat sighed, and he thought he heard the word coward echo out in his mind.
Though which one of them had thought it, he or Tiamat, he wasn't precisely sure.
Squall followed Quistis out of the training center, wondering who that strange woman was. She was the same one who had smiled at him in the infirmary earlier that morning, he was sure of it. How had she known his name? Or Quistis' and Seifer's for that matter. Both of them had acted as though that had been the very first time they'd seen her, so they couldn't've been the ones who'd told her their names. And he sure hadn't.
So then who?
Quistis suddenly stopped just before the hallway emptied out into the main part of Garden. She turned to him, expression earnest.
"Squall," she murmured. "It's not like everyone can get by on their own, you know?"
Then she turned on her heel and left him standing there, an uncomfortable frown on his face.
"Says who?" he asked no one, then sighed and left. He moved down the eerily silent hallways, then into the dorm area. Squall started in surprise when he found Zell standing there, apparently waiting for him.
"Finally!" the blonde cried, motioning angrily. "There you are! Where the hell were you? I was lookin' all over the place." When Squall gave no ready answer, Zell sighed and plowed ahead. "We're both members of SeeD now, right? Well, guess what? We get our own rooms baby!" Squall failed to show the same enthusiasm, so Zell just shook his head and got to the point. "Your new room's right across the hall from your old one. That's what I was asked to tell you." He gave Squall a mock-angry scowl. "Man, it took me forever!"
Squall just gave him a noncommittal wave, then moved past and headed for his new supposed room. Sure enough, his keycard now worked on the single room across the hall from his double. He entered and found all of his things moved, his gunblade case now leaning up against the wall. Squall closed the door and pulled off his jacket with a weary sigh.
"I'll just go to sleep," he murmured to no one in particular. Then got undressed and did just that.
Seifer jerked in bed as two noises began blaring out almost simultaneously. One was his phone ringing shrilly, the other was Mutt barking just as shrilly right in his ear—from where the dog had insisted on snuggling up next to his head on his pillow. Seifer was wide awake in seconds thanks to his SeeD training, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.
"Shut up, dog!" he snapped, feeling only marginally sorry when Mutt cowered at the sound of his voice and gave a little whimper, tail tucking between his legs. "And you piss on my pillow and I'm gonna be wearing a new doggie coat tomorrow," he snapped afterward, now well acquainted with the dog's propensity to piddle when he was nervous.
Seifer scrubbed a hand across his face, glancing at his digital clock as the phone gave another shrill peal. Good Hyne, it was only four-thirty in the morning. He'd only just gotten to sleep two hours ago, tops. The phone rang again, and Seifer finally grabbed it with an unintelligent grumble.
"What?!" he snarled.
"Assemble at the front gate in a half hour, Almasy," came Xu's terse voice on the other line. "You've been assigned your first mission. I'll brief you and the rest of your team when you arrive." Then the line went dead.
Seifer dropped the phone back on it's cradle, then collapsed back into his pillow with a groan. "Son of a bitch," he grumbled, his voice muffled into the cotton. He jerked slightly when Mutt started licking his ear. Even sleepy and pissed, he couldn't resist and started chuckling, then lifted up and gave the dog a playful ruffle.
"Looks like I gotta go earn some bacon," he heaved, letting out an jaw-splitting yawn before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up entirely. He headed into the bathroom, rubbing at his hair and staving off another yawn. Mutt yipped excitedly and bounded off the bed, following him.
Seifer quickly jumped in the shower to help chase away the rest of his grogginess—doing his best to ignore the dog who sat in rapt attention near the doorway watching his every move—then took care of his other ablutions before heading back into the main room with a towel wrapped around his waist and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. Seifer nearly tripped over Mutt twice, who was now dancing around his feet eagerly. Any angry grumblings on his part were completely ignored.
He dressed in a pair of his usual black slacks and then sat down before pulling on some socks and his boots, then put on a black t-shirt in between brushing his teeth. Xu hadn't been very Hyne-damned specific on the phone, so if she didn't like his clothes she could just kiss his ass. Seifer grabbed his gray coat, slipping into the worn material and straightening it over his neck with a few tugs. He'd had the damned thing for as long as he could remember, and could no longer recall it's real origins, the memory obscured in a misty fog he could never seem to break through.
Seifer liked to think that the trench-coat had maybe belonged to his real father once upon a time, who must've been a citizen of the Estharian continent. The faded red Fire Crosses down the sleeves were the emblem of a now-dead and mostly forgotten society of men and women who belonged to an organization devoted to honor and the protection of all those of good intention who were too weak to protect themselves. They were known as Dragoons—or Dragon Knights. They'd been wiped out during the time of Sorceress Adel, long before the Sorceress War, and very few remained in the world who even knew the name or the symbol, let alone what it stood for. This coat was probably his most prized possession, why he wore it so much and probably a very big reason why Seifer had a somewhat silly obsession with knights. It was his own sad and pathetic way of trying to connect with a father he'd never known.
Seifer went back into the bathroom to rinse out his mouth of toothpaste, replacing his brush, then quickly ran a comb through his short hair. He left the bathroom again with a sigh and glanced at the clock. Ten minutes to spare. He glanced down a still-hyper Mutt and frowned.
"You have to go outside, don't you." The dog yipped several times in abject excitement, then began running around in tight circles, tail wagging a hundred miles an hour. Seifer just shook his head. He grabbed Hyperion out of it's case and then strapped it to his belt. "I'll take that as a yes," he muttered. "Come on, then, let's go. You're gonna have to hang out with Fuj and Raij until I get back from whatever the hell mission they're sending me on," he told the dog as he led the way out of the dorm rooms—as if the damn thing could actually understand him. Mutt panted happily as he trotted along side him, nails clicking merrily on the tile floor below. "We'll go to the monster's lair," he murmured softly, "it's closer."
He took the dog inside and then stood near-by in the first room as Mutt trotted off and began sniffing at the dirt and plants nearby. "Get your business done, dog," he snapped after a moment. "I'm running out of time here."
Not that Mutt was in any way intimidated by Seifer's demands, but the dog managed to finish it's business with relative swiftness, then he led it back into the dorms and up to Fujin's room. He knocked on the door, and then gave the sleepy female an apologetic wince as she opened the door and pinned him with a glare.
"Sorry Fuj, but I just got called out on a mission. Think you and Raij can keep an eye on the Mutt until I get back?"
Fujin yawned, then patted her thigh and stepped aside to let the dog scamper inside. "AFFIRMATIVE," she assured before she yawned again. "GOOD LUCK," she added, then closed the door again.
Seifer turned and then jogged his way back out of the dorm and out of Garden entirely. It was still dark outside in the predawn hours, but the near-by lights illuminated the three individuals waiting just outside the gate. Seifer hurried up, inwardly wincing at the ass-chewing he was sure to receive from the stern-faced Xu standing with her hands clasped in the small of her back.
"Two minutes late," she quipped as he trotted up. "Not the best way to start out your already shaky SeeD career, Almasy." He didn't bother trying to defend himself, knowing that it'd be pointless. He merely met her stare for stare. She held it for a moment more, then sighed. "Don't make it a habit." Then she turned to the others. "Almasy, meet your team for this mission. This is Alana Vesper," she indicated the shy library girl with her glossy black curls pulled back into a severe pigtail, who gave him a tentative smile. Then she gestured to the other guy, one who'd graduated with Squall. "And this is Nida Blaine. Nida, Alana, your team leader, Seifer Almasy. I'm sure you've heard of him."
"If you can't be famous, be infamous," he quipped, pricked by Xu's snotty tone. Amazingly she didn't grow angry. Instead she smirked and even chuckled a little, which made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Xu being amused could never end well for him. "So get on with it already," he demanded. "What's the mission? And why the hell did we have to wake up before the crack of dawn for it?"
Xu's immensely pleased smile broadened. "Easy, Almasy. Predawn hours are when Grats are the most active."
Seifer opened his mouth, but no words would come out at first. Then he let out a blistering curse.
"Oh hell no!" he roared. "Like hell I'm going on a fucking monster corral!"