A/N: Short short chapter. This started out as the beginning of chapter 5, but decided it was better off a stand alone, so I took it off and added more to it.
Seifer dropped Hyperion on the ground. Blood ran down the sharp steel blade that came from Cid. Had he just slain his former headmaster? He could not believe it. He could not believe any of it. Cid's lifeless body just slumped against the wall, his eyes still open, staring at Seifer. The Balamb Garden headmaster was no more, butchered by the "failure" that he expelled from Garden.
Seifer got on his knee and closed Cid's eyes with his hand. He got back up and grabbed a rag that was lying on the ground. Picking Hyperion back up, he wiped the blade off and the steel rewarded him with a mirror reflection. In all this destruction and death, Seifer couldn't help but grin. Stepping over some dead enemy bodies, he left the room, leaving Cid to rot.
He found Edea in his own room lying on the floor with slashes on her body. He immediately ran over to her side and got on his knees. He checked for a pulse. There was one so that meant she was just unconscious for the time being. Seifer picked her up and carried her in his arms, to the outside where Quistis was waiting at the Ragnarok. Her eyes widened when she saw Seifer, still alive, carrying Edea.
"Is headmaster Cid coming?" Quistis asked. Seifer shook his head and replied, "He's... gone." Quistis wouldn't believe it. She ran into the house to look for him. Seifer carried Edea onto the ship and layed her down on a small bed. He went back outside and saw Quistis walking back to him. She took her glasses off and wiped tears from her eyes, placing them back on. She got on the ship and used the radio that was in the cockpit. "Quistis to Balamb." A few seconds passed and she got a response, "This is Xu, Quistis what's your status?" Quistis sighed and replied, "Seifer has recovered Edea but not without the loss of Selphie Tilmitt and..." Quistis couldn't go on. "Quistis, I didn't get the last part, repeat." She mustered up what was left inside and continued, "Selphie Tilmitt and headmaster Cid are... dead." There was a long pause. "Ok, thank you Quistis, return immediately. We're sending another group to clean the place up and retrieve Selphie and Cid.
Seifer sat down in a seat next to Edea. Quistis started the ship up and the 3 SeeDs they had with them quickly grabbed their seats. Seifer didn't know any of them and he had no intention of getting to know them. All he cared about was getting Edea to Balamb where she would be safe. Himself on the other hand, maybe not so much. If anyone found out that he killed Cid, there would be no escape. He'd be hunted to the ends of the planet and killed. Everyone would be searching for him, not just Balamb. Cid was known by all as the kind and caring headmaster, so if anyone found Seifer out, he'd be labeled most likely as a terrorist and a wanted criminal. Seifer just closed his eyes and stopped thinking about that.
They flew back to Balamb in the Ragnarok. Edea looked extremely pale; her pale pink lips trembling. She was deeply unconscious. A strangely beautiful scratch crossed her cheek. That reminded Seifer of his own scar, and he anxiously rubbed his bridge; the place where the scar started. He was shivering. He murdered many people, he really did, but Cid's pleading eyes, and his gaze; that desperate and confused gaze was printed in his mind. He couldn't just come to know of his emotions, couldn't realize what happened. The wind was fluttering his hair; his shoulder and leg were bleeding. A young SeeD tried to offer him his help, but was stopped by Seifer's icy glare.
Balamb Garden was near, and it looked differently, not as it used to. The crimson evening highlighted it with a strange red color.
"Um... Sir, I mean, Seifer, what really happened?" The young Seed asked. He looked extremely childish even as he tried to look serious. He didn't know how to treat him; he was told Seifer was an enemy, but things were surely going to change.
"Assassination, I suppose. The target was ex-sorceress Edea, I'm guessing. They tried to get her. Quistis and I were lucky that we got there in time." Seifer spoke bluntly, looking at the Garden through the window. Hyperion stared at him. The view of his weapon; so mighty and powerful again provoked in Seifer some feeling of desire, excitement.
"Ahem, that's it. It is really an appalling crime, and I'm sure the Headmaster will teach them a lesson!" The Seed spoke proudly. Seifer stood up in a jerky fashion and straightened.
His voice was filled with acid, "I can't be sure, but based upon things I saw, your Headmaster is dead or severely wounded."
This phrase had a shocking effect. The Seed cadet stopped for a moment, then turned back and gazed at Seifer fiercely, "That can't be!"
Seifer looked at the ship's ceiling, then looked at the SeeD cadet and replied, "Look kid, I'm telling you what I know, that's it."
They arrived at Balamb Garden and more SeeDs ran aboard grabbing Edea, to bring her to the infirmary. Seifer got off with Quistis. Wiping more tears from her eyes, Quistis said, "Go to the infirmary adn get cleaned up, it's been a rough day for us all." Seifer only nodded and proceeded to the infirmary following the group of SeeDs that had Edea.