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batsutousaiTitle: Zyxt
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Author: Batsutousai/![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
batsutousai
Beta: Shara Lunison/tsuki_no_suzu & Shivani/grazhir
Chapter: 8 of 10
Rating: T
Pairings: Squall/Seifer
Warnings: AU, minor canon-fuckery, slash/yaoi
Summary: Alone in Time Compression, Squall sets out to make them all a happier ending.
Disclaim Her: I adore Ellone. Just a little bit.
A/N: This chapter is unusually long, but it's also full of filler, so...
This chapter, also, takes the POVs of characters other than Squall or Seifer. Not sure how it reads, all things considered, but there you go.
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Voice From the Past
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"I should have known it was too easy," Squall muttered, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. The Council had agreed to their insistence that they be allowed to bring in outside staff with only a token resistance; actually getting those people from outside Esthar, however, was turning into a chore and a half.
Having basically quit Garden as cadets, Martine wouldn't even look at their messages, and Xu wasn't much better, especially since Cid had apparently had a nervous breakdown after Squall's last message. The Trabia Garden Headmistress, Angelica Fields, was willing to talk to them, but she was against sending a student who hadn't graduated or taken the exam yet away from her Garden, unless it was to take the exam.
"I say we take the Ragnarok out and just kidnap the lot of them," Seifer muttered. He'd been the one dealing with Martine and his messages to the stuck-up Headmaster had been getting progressively more insulting for every two hours that they were ignored.
"The Council would call us up on charges of abusing technology or some such bullshit." Squall sighed. "You know, I almost miss Cid. He would have handed Quistis and Zell right over with a smile. Xu just cites regulations at me and occasionally drops a comment about Cid's mental state. Bitch."
"Maybe if we signed up for the SeeD exam next month–"
"Unlike some people I know, I don't care to take the SeeD exam twice," Squall snarked. "Especially not when there's a good chance it'll be the exact same as the one I already did."
"Oh, burn."
Squall's MIT buzzed on his desk and he hit the answer button as he returned his attention to the list of interested student names the Council's runner had dropped by that morning. "Leonhart."
"Squall, I demand you take me on a trip," Ellone ordered through the mobile device.
Squall raised both eyebrows. "Have you seen the amount of paperwork I have to go through? Sis, we haven't even had time to train, never mind taking you somewhere."
"I don't care," Ellone declared. "You're going to meet me at the Airstation in forty minutes and take me wherever I want to go."
"Sis–"
"No buts!" The line went dead.
Squall glanced over at Seifer, a peculiar look on his face. "Sis is demanding we take her out on the Ragnarok," he stated.
Seifer pointed at his overflowing desk. "See this?"
"Tried that."
Seifer sighed and gave the mess of papers on his desk a tired look. He, honestly, wasn't even sure where the 'in' pile was and where the 'out' one was anymore, the mess having lost all designations sometime before they went to bed last night. "Maybe she's right. We've hardly left the building in two days; we could use the break."
Squall rubbed again at the bridge of his nose, then shoved away from his desk before he could talk himself out of it. "Right. Let's go."
They had a car parked in the empty Garden garage and Squall tossed Seifer the keys, too irritated to drive. Seifer liked driving when he was irritated, though. Especially on the open plains of Esthar. 'Should have taken some nausea potion,' Squall complained to himself as Seifer squealed out of the garage onto the plains, maxing out the speed gauge and grinning a little madly as they went flying over a bump.
"I really hate you sometime," Squall muttered as they climbed out at the car rental.
"No, you hate my driving. There's a difference."
"You are not flying my ship. Just so we're clear."
"I wouldn't drive the Ragnarok like that car."
"No, you won't. Because you're not flying my ship."
Ellone was waiting for them at the Airstation, smiling as they walked up to her. "Good. Come on." She slipped her arms through both of theirs and led them inside, only to be forced to wait as many of the staff stopped to talk to the two gunbladers.
Once they were all in the ship and Squall had been cleared for take-off, Ellone directed, "East."
"Any particular spot east?" Squall asked drily as he flipped the controls and turned them east, easing on the acceleration.
"I'll know it when I see it."
Squall traded a look with Seifer. "Okay, Sis," he agreed, shaking his head. 'We're taking a break. A very long, Sis-directed break. But I should be looking through the student lists–'
"Here!" Ellone announced.
Squall set the controls to land even as Seifer checked his map and said, "Elle, this is the Island Closest to Hell..."
"Exactly." Ellone shot them a sweet smile. "I'm going to sit in the hanger while you two keep me safe. Without cheating."
"We never cheat," Seifer insisted, standing from his chair and stretching as Squall turned off the engines. "Well, Squall? Up for a challenge?"
"What challenge?" Squall muttered. "It's only the Island Closest to Hell. Now, the paperwork on my desk, that is a challenge."
"I dunno, you're starting to develop a bit of a stomach right here– Ow! No ice! That's cheating!"
"You called me fat."
"I did no such thing! I just said you're– Look! Blue Dragon!"
Ellone laughed to herself as she took a seat on the ground in the hanger. Then she slipped the tiny video recording device she'd borrowed from Laguna's office out of her pocket and flipped it on. Quietly, so the teens wouldn't hear her, she said, "Welcome, Headmaster Martine Middleton, Headmistress Angelica Fields and Acting Headmistress Xu Han, to the Island Closest to Hell. In front of me, you'll see Esthar Garden's new Headmasters, Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy, taking on a... Seifer called it a Blue Dragon? I don't know a lot about these high-level monsters, but I do know that Squall and Seifer train here a lot.
"Maybe neither of them really graduated, and maybe they never made SeeD, either, but you've got to admit, for a couple of ex-cadets, they sure know their way around a monster. Erm, two monsters... I think that's... a T-Rexaur? Yeah, I've seen them a couple of times in the Balamb Garden Training Centre. Anyway, I told them they couldn't cheat, so they've probably got a couple of spells junctioned, but they're not using any magic or GFs. They'll be fine though, 'cause they do this all the time.
"You know, Squall and Seifer were the first two Garden cadets. Uncle Cid sort of built Garden for them. At first, it was just him and a couple of his old army friends, trying to control a five and six year old." She laughed, shaking her head. "His messages to us were always so funny, filled with all sorts of stories about how much trouble they were getting into and how Squall and Seifer were only interested in hitting each other with sticks, not learning anything.
"But, then, one day, the stories just stopped. Uncle Cid was more concerned with money, with expanding, and Squall and Seifer sort of got lost in an influx of students. No one even remembers that they were the first, not anymore. I mean, I do, but I'm just another civilian.
"It's sort of my fault, I think, that they left Garden. Squall will go on about how it was his choice and there were more important things than making SeeD. And I suppose he's right – SeeD isn't the end all, be all, but it's pretty close, especially for someone who can only remember snippets of his life before Garden. But he ran into me in the library, and I'd slipped my guards again. He was so angry with me, and maybe worried. And then he took me on a trip, and took me all the way to Esthar to see Uncle Laguna, who I hadn't seen in seventeen years. Seifer followed us 'cause he's always followed Squall. They sort of follow each other. Always have.
"The people of Esthar didn't trust Seifer and Squall at first. I mean, they were Garden, and it didn't matter if they'd effectively dropped out, they still had started there, had grown up there. Fighting is a part of who they are, almost as much as breathing, and that scares the Estharians. It really scared the Council; they placed all sorts of constraints on Squall and Seifer, always arguing and stuff. It finally got to the point where Seifer refused to have anything to do with the Council, wouldn't even hear what they'd been up to, what they'd been talking about.
"Maybe... a week ago, the White SeeD – my protectors – came knocking on Esthar's front door. The Council was really freaked out, 'cause it was SeeD, you know? So they called the closest thing they had to SeeD, no matter how much they detest Squall and Seifer. And Squall and Seifer won. They tried to solve things peacefully, like the Estharians wanted, but the White SeeD don't do things peacefully, and they got into a fight.
"Uncle Laguna said it was absolutely brilliant. Squall and Seifer just sort of flowed, and they took down six fully-trained SeeDs – no matter what Squall says about how pathetic the White SeeD are – by themselves. They didn't kill a single one, and then they helped them back to the ship. And when the Estharians heard, they started demanding that Squall and Seifer have a place on the Council, 'cause that's what they deserve. But Seifer hates the Council, and Squall only puts up with them because he doesn't want to chance Seifer accidentally killing one if they tick him off too much. It was agreed that Squall and Seifer would start up a Garden in Esthar, and they could accept whatever students they wanted and pick whatever staff they wanted. It's all up to them.
"Uncle Laguna told me this morning that Squall and Seifer were having trouble getting you three to even talk to them, and Squall would be really upset if Uncle Laguna went behind his back about making you three listen – he's not really used to having a dad, yet, but they're working on it – so I thought I'd try instead. Squall never stays mad at me long, so it should be okay."
Ellone turned the camera away from the fighting figures in the near-distance and gave the viewer her best impression of Squall's glare. "So, you listen here: Squall and Seifer are my little brothers, and they haven't had a lot of good in their lives. Garden was created for them, and Garden forgot them. Everything you have, everything you are, is because of those two. Don't you dare snub them."
"Sis?" Squall called. "You okay?"
Ellone smiled and flipped the recording off, slipping the machine back into her dress as the two teens wandered back over. "I'm okay! Are you feeling better, now?"
Seifer idly swung Hyperion in a circle, flinging monster blood across the grass. "Oh, yeah. Definitely better." He grinned a bit madly, a streak of blood – Ellone couldn't tell if it was his own or from something else – drying just under his left eye.
Ellone wrinkled her nose. "You two need a shower. And new clothing."
"We keep a couple changes on the Ragnarok, near the showers," Squall offered, tugging off his jacket and giving it a helpless look. "I need to stop wearing this when I'm training."
Seifer, who had wisely left his coat in the cockpit, snorted. "Idiot."
Squall sighed and dropped the ruined jacket over the handle of Revolver, the blade having been shoved into the ground. He pulled off his sleeveless tee next and proceeded to use it to clean off his gunblade.
"Boys," Ellone muttered, shaking her head and climbing to her feet. "I'll be in the cockpit. Away from you and your..."
"Boyish ways?" Seifer suggested with a winning grin.
"...I was going to say something about you being blood-covered, but I suppose that works too."
Squall waved her on, inspecting his blade. "We'll be there once we've showered and changed."
"If you take too long, I'll start playing with the controls," Ellone threatened.
"He locked them to his DNA!" Seifer called after her as Ellone headed for the lift.
Ellone shook her head, amused and somehow unsurprised at her brother's paranoia. She'd sort of been expecting him to do something like that ever since Laguna had announced during the opening party for Esthar Garden that he was giving the Ragnarok to Squall.
Not that Squall's DNA locking kept her from accessing the onboard messaging service, which was linked into the emergency radio and homing beacon and couldn't be locked. It only took her a moment to hack into Laguna's messaging client – she had been raised by SeeD – and hook up the recording device. Another couple moments saw the large data file attaching to a message, which she then sent out to Martine, Angelica and Xu.
By the time Squall and Seifer got back up there – Seifer so very obviously watching Squall's ass, while Squall so very obviously ignored him – Ellone was back in her seat, reading one of the magazines she'd stored in the communications chair, where she preferred to sit.
"Haven't you read that one already?" Seifer wondered as Squall went through his pre-flight checks. Ellone had yet to see him skip them, although Seifer swore he'd forgotten at least twice.
Ellone turned the magazine and considered the cover for a moment before shrugging. "Nope."
"Anywhere else you want to go?" Squall wondered as he started the engines.
"Home for lunch," Ellone replied. "At the palace, with Uncle Laguna and Kiros and Ward and Fuu and Rai. Not in your office." She shot Squall a look over the top of her magazine, which he rolled his eyes at.
"We should hire a cook," Seifer commented as they turned back towards Esthar.
"We should hire two cooks. At least," Squall retorted. "Over half those applications are for boys between ten and fifteen. You do remember what it was like at that age, right?"
"Good point. We'll hire three cooks." Seifer rubbed at his chin. "I think I need a shave."
Squall's eyes flickered towards him. "If you must."
Seifer's lips curled with a smirk. "What was that, Squall? You like my stubble?"
Squall held out an ice-covered hand when Seifer moved to rub his cheek against Squall's, effectively stopping the blond before he could do much more than consider it.
Seifer sighed and flopped back in his chair, both of them ignoring Ellone's giggles behind them. "Maybe I'll ask Rai if he knows any good chefs in the city. Fuck knows the Council is tossing us enough money to buy all the chefs on the planet."
"Let's avoid that," Squall suggested drily. "The only reason our funds are so large is because the Council wants us out of their hair."
"What little they have left," Seifer added under his breath, though both of the other two heard him.
"I can't imagine why they dislike us so much," Squall added, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, you're the one who insults them with a smile."
"I don't smile," Squall reminded him.
"Whatever." Seifer waved that away. "You insult them in the most disturbingly polite way you can. It's really creepy. And kind of hot."
"Can you go five seconds without thinking about sex?" Squall wondered, exasperated.
"Sure. I can go five days without thinking about sex. Not that I'd want to." Seifer turned to give the giggling Ellone an overly dramatic wink.
Squall shook his head, quietly amused, and set about turning them so they could land without bumping into either of the other two ships. "I'm going to have to start parking out by Garden," he commented to no one in particular.
"But then you'll never come into the city!" Ellone complained.
Squall turned off the engine with a sigh and turned to look at Ellone. "Sis, they've got another two ships being built right now. There's barely enough room for three ships on this landing platform, I shudder to think how many scratches Ragnarok will get trying to move around four other ships."
"We'll still come into the city," Seifer promised. "And there's nothing saying that you can't come visit us."
"I can't drive," Ellone muttered.
Squall reached down and pulled his sister to her feet. "I'll teach you," he promised, linking their arms together. "Come on, lunch."
Ellone sighed, but was cheered by Squall's promise; she wouldn't mind learning to drive and no longer need a chauffeur to go anywhere outside the city. There'd never been a need for her to learn before, having grown up on a ship, but now that she was living on land, it was a bit more important. Anyway, it would be nice to feel a bit more self-sufficient; it was hard having two such successful little brothers.
The others were pleasantly surprised at having Squall and Seifer join them and they spent lunch listening to Raijin talk about a minor explosion in the restaurant he worked at early that morning, as well as their attempts during the rest of the morning to salvage the day.
Seifer did eventually get around to asking about chefs and Raijin promised to ask around. He wasn't secure enough in his own skills to take a position at Garden, but he was willing to get the word out that Seifer and Squall were looking. Fujin, meanwhile, promised to talk to her boss about giving Garden some of their older model vehicles, so the two Headmasters wouldn't have to keep renting them every time they wanted to travel between the city and Garden.
An hour and a half later, Squall and Seifer were finally able to make their excuses and get away. "I like them, really I do," Seifer commented drily as they waved to the smiling guards outside the palace entrance, "but sometimes I'm glad we don't have to live there anymore."
Squall shrugged. "Perhaps if we weren't parked so far away, they wouldn't be so clingy."
"They can take that one up with the Council. Personally, I'm kinda glad to be so far away from the city." Seifer glanced back towards the palace, gleaming in the sun. "I've got nothing against Esthar, but I'm used to small towns."
"I know." Squall paused at the split that would take them either to the Airstation, or the rental company. "I should move Ragnarok while I'm thinking about it."
Seifer nodded. "I'll meet you back at Garden, then? I don't like not having a car in the building."
"Sure," Squall agreed and they separated to collect their vehicles.
At Garden, they met by the lift and took it up together, silently bemoaning the states of their desks.
"I'm sure Martine is hoping I've given up," Seifer mentioned as he dropped into his chair and reached for his messaging device. "It's been almost four hours since I... last... What?" He blinked in disbelief at the message from Martine.
Squall, who had found messages from both Xu and Angelica in his own inbox, had opened one, eyebrows raised. Angelica mentioned his sister and Squall sighed. "Ellone."
Seifer let out a quiet laugh, having read Martine's own mention of the young woman. "Well played, Elle."
"I'm not sure I want to know what she said," Squall muttered, popping open Xu's message and reading it over. "What's Martine say?"
"He wants to meet with us. Angelica and Xu?"
"Angelica would like to meet up to discuss terms of an exchange program. She'd still like Selphie to get her SeeD certification before letting her join us, but she and Xu are apparently discussing an alternate SeeD practical for Selphie and Zell, to get them certified before handing them over." Squall glanced up at Seifer, almost smiling at the dumbfounded look on the other teen's face. "I know. Final choice on whether or not they want to transfer is going to be left to Selphie, Zell and Quistis, but they're willing to do it."
"Fuck," Seifer breathed, glancing back at Martine's message. "Elle, what did you say to them?"
Squall shook his head. "Trabia and Galbadia don't get along too well, so maybe we should plan separate meetings for both of them. I'd say divide and conquer, but..." He shot Seifer a look.
Seifer sighed and shook his head. "I'd prefer to show a united front myself, and not just because there's a chance one of us will lose control of our power. You said Angelica wants to talk about setting up an exchange program?"
"That's what she's implying. Selphie's future seems to be up to her and whatever SeeD exam Xu sets up. You're suggesting we wait and get some actual students before meeting with her?"
"It would be for the best," Seifer agreed, tapping out a quick message to Martine. "Not sure what his schedule might be like, but it'll be easier for us to go to him, especially since we're still trying to sort things out here as it is." He cast a helpless glance at his desk. "I hope at least Quistis comes; she'd be way better with paperwork than I am."
"Hm," Squall agreed, sending his own message to Angelica. He also typed out a quick message to Xu requesting that she keep him updated on any further developments towards the special exam for Zell and Selphie, and to let him know how Quistis responded to the requested transfer. Once that was done, he set the message tablet back in its rest and returned to his desk. With a sigh, he dove back in.
-0-
Martine had been intrigued by their assurances that they could get to Galbadia Garden at any time, so had cleared a slot of time for their meeting the very next day. Squall and Seifer had debated the pros and cons of landing the Ragnarok within viewing distance of Galbadia Garden on their way to the western continent, eventually agreeing that if the Council was willing to open their borders for an exchange program, they couldn't bitch about Ragnarok being seen by anyone outside Esthar.
So Squall parked right outside.
By the time the engines were off and they'd cleared the hanger, they'd gathered quite the crowd, including a grinning cowboy, who walked right up to them. "Look at this! What is it?"
"It's the Ragnarok," Seifer answered as Squall closed the hanger door and set about locking his ship against any curious students. "Squall's dad gave it to him."
"I can't decide if Laguna's awesome, or just insane," Irvine decided. "This is Esthar technology?"
"At its finest," Seifer agreed. "She was originally built for space-flight, but we use her for... pretty much everything, actually."
"What sort of guns has she got?" Irvine wondered, eyeing the large ship appreciatively. "Looks like a particle cannon."
"It is," Seifer agreed. "And two multi-barrel lasers. She could probably level a town, if we set our minds to it."
"Is she the only one Esthar's got?" Irvine asked, and the other students nearby leaned in, lines of worry on their faces.
"She’s one of three," Squall answered, waving a negligent hand, "and they're working on another two right now. We'd have more, but when Esthar closed their borders, there wasn't much point."
"I sure hope Esthar doesn't decide to start another war," Irvine mentioned.
"Not going to happen," Seifer said with certainty. "They're practically pacifists, for all that they know their way around a gun. Our gunblades practically had them fleeing in terror."
Squall sighed. "We're here to see Headmaster Martine," he interrupted.
Irvine nodded. "Yeah, figured as much. I'm supposed to take you up." He grinned and motioned for them to follow him into the building. "We thought you'd take a boat to the coast near Deling and drive in, not that you’d land on our front lawn. Good show, though."
"A moment," Seifer requested before turning back to the curious crowd milling around the Ragnarok. "Hey, you lot! Just thought I should warn you that it's booby-trapped! Don't touch it if you don't want to end up in the infirmary!"
Squall let out a faintly sad sound. "I was hoping they'd be daring enough to try opening the hanger..."
"That's a great way to start out a working relationship with Galbadia Garden," Seifer responded drily as they continued their way into the large Garden. "I thought you were supposed to be the brains behind this operation."
"I am," Squall informed him. "They should know better than to go around playing with technology they know nothing about."
"You just wanted to see someone laid out from the electrical charge you set to build up in the console," Seifer accused.
Irvine snorted, catching sight of Squall's smirk. "You two here as ambassadors, then?" he asked.
"Not really." Seifer shrugged. "We're here to work out an exchange program, of sorts."
"What, between Galbadia's army and Esthar's?"
"No, between Galbadia Garden and Esthar Garden," Squall offered quietly as they started up the stairs to the second level. The lift to the Headmaster's office, he knew, was only accessible from the second floor.
"Esthar has a Garden?" Irvine asked, stopping and turning to stare at them. "What, seriously?"
"It's only existed for three days, Kinneas," Seifer commented with a smirk. "Don't get your panties in a knot."
Irvine shot Seifer a disgusted look and asked, "If it's only existed for three days, why are you two..." He blinked, suddenly understanding, and turned to Squall with an incredulous expression. "What idiot made him Headmaster of a Garden?"
Squall snorted while Seifer full-out laughed. "The Estharian Council of Ministers. They figured I could keep him under control, and I figure that any student aspiring to join Garden should have enough spine to put up with him in charge."
Irvine shook his head. "I pity your students. Come on."
"What, no shock over Squall being in a position of power?" Seifer complained as they continued towards Martine's office.
"Squall won't go around abusing that power," Irvine retorted. "You, on the other hand..."
"Behave," Squall ordered when Seifer opened his mouth to unleash one of his infamous insults on the cowboy.
Seifer huffed, but obediently subsided.
When Irvine shot Squall a surprised look, the gunblader raised an eyebrow at him before nodding at the lift in front of them. "This it?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Irvine shook his head and hit the call button. "I'm supposed to go in with you." He shot them a suspicious look, but Squall's face was a closed book and Seifer was still looking mildly disgruntled about being told off before.
As soon as the lift opened, Seifer took the lead, striding confidently up to where Martine was rising to meet him. "Seifer Almasy," he offered, hand out.
Martine took the offered hand, eyes approving. "Martine Middleton. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. And this must be Squall Leonhart?" He turned and offered his hand to Squall, who shared a quick hand shake.
"I am," he responded.
"Please, sit," Martine directed, taking his own seat. "Kinneas, you as well." Once they had all settled into chair, Martine continued with, "Kinneas, Headmasters Squall and Seifer were requesting your transfer to their Garden. I'm not fond of losing one of my best sharpshooters, but it's your choice where you'd prefer to go. I know your father wants you to follow him into the army after graduation, but he'd be willing to let you go where you want."
"But I'll be graduating next year," Irvine said, looking at the two gunbladers with a surprised look. "There's not much point in me transferring to a new Garden."
"We don't want you as a student, Irvine," Seifer explained. "I told you on our way up here, we've barely had the place for three days; we're looking for staff right now. Sure, setting up a proper working relationship with the other Gardens is important–" He nodded to Martine, who smiled easily back, "–but we can't have a Garden without people. There's only so much Squall and I can manage alone."
Irvine shook his head. "Okay, fine. So, why me? I graduate next year. What could a cadet do?"
"You're the best sniper in Garden," Squall quietly offered, "and in the top ten best sharp shooters. Who else would we ask to teach a bunch of pacifists how to shoot?" His eyes smiled at the faintly embarrassed look Irvine wore at that. "We want people we can trust, Irvine, and you're one of those few."
Irvine shook his head. "I haven't graduated," he pointed out, though there was a certainty in his eyes; if they wanted him, he was there. They were family.
"And we have?" Seifer snorted. "We're hardly going to refuse someone because they haven't taken a final exam. Especially someone we asked first."
Irvine glanced at his Headmaster, who was smiling faintly, then back at the two older teens across from him. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'll do it."
Seifer grinned. "Excellent."
"But if you call me 'Little Miss', I'll use you for target practise."
Seifer snorted. "Fair enough."
Martine nodded and leaned forward over his desk. "Excellent. Now, perhaps we should discuss this exchange program you keep mentioning."
Seifer shrugged. "Sure. We're not looking to officially start anything until after the summer holidays, to give our students and staff time to settle in, but we would like to set up something. Esthar's willing to let Garden cadets into the continent, but they have stipulations, mostly concerning bringing weapons inside the city. We're far enough outside the city limits that it shouldn't be an issue, but everyone needs to understand that the Council is not going to be lenient about this. They do not want armed cadets in the city."
"And technology-wise?" Martine wondered, eyes greedy. "It is hard not to notice your ship."
"The Ragnarok is not a Garden-owned vehicle," Squall interrupted firmly. "It's my ship. The other Super-High-Mobility-Flying-Ships belong to the President and Council, and all use of them will be at their discretion. So far, there aren't any plans to use them in conjunction with Garden, but that may change in the future." His eyes narrowed. "If Galbadia wants access to Estharian technology, you can start your own talks with President Loire and the Council of Ministers; that is out of our hands."
"Esthar doesn't employ a great deal of weaponry-based technology, anyway," Seifer agreed, shrugging. "We've got some advanced vehicles and defensive technology, as well as whatever Odine's cooking up in his lab, but there's not a lot of interesting new things for Garden to use."
Martine looked a little disappointed, but asked, "Do you think Esthar would be willing to share their technology?"
Seifer looked to Squall, who shrugged. "President Loire seems open to it, but the Council isn't. If Galbadia goes into it offering to sign a non-aggression treaty, you might have more luck, but I can't say for certain either way. So far as I know, Esthar's only opening its borders for Garden because they were running out of options; I don't know how much luck you'd have from a governmental stand-point."
"I see." Martine sighed a bit. "Very well, I'll let President Deling know what you've told me."
"I'd caution him against using any force, no matter how fucking obnoxious the Council gets," Seifer suggested with a disgusted look. "And they will be obnoxious, I assure you. But any threats on Galbadia's behalf will just see Esthar closing its borders again, even to Garden, and I doubt any of us want that."
Martine grimaced. "No, we don't. I'll pass on the warning. Thank you." He turned his gaze back to Irvine. "Kinneas, you're free to move out whenever you want. I'll leave transportation up to Esthar." He nodded to Squall and Seifer.
"Of course, sir," Irvine agreed as the three teens stood, recognising a dismissal when they heard one.
"We'll be in touch," Seifer promised.
"Good luck," Martine replied, waving them out.
In the lift, Squall turned to Irvine. "We can pack you up and take you now, or come back to get you any time over the next few days – your choice."
Irvine considered his hands for a long moment before shrugging. "Are you willing to wait half an hour or so for me to collect my things?"
"Certainly," Seifer agreed. "If you don't mind us following you around, we'll even come with. I've never been to Galbadia Garden before."
"Sure. This way." Irvine led the way through the halls, asking, "What's Esthar like, anyway? The city, not the Garden."
"Huge," Seifer replied, grinning a bit. "They've got buildings taller than this Garden, and the presidential palace could easily fit two Galbadia Gardens inside. Everything is blue and they have a transit system that's even more efficient than Deling's buses. Quicker, too."
"Are we really not allowed to carry weapons inside the city?" Irvine wondered.
"You can get away with concealed knives and any magic or GFs you junction, but no obvious weapons," Seifer offered, shrugging at Irvine's appalled look. "I know, trust me, but you get used to it, eventually." He sighed. "We're still trying to work out a system for people who take their weapons with them to the city for whatever reason."
"We're not telling the students they can get away with concealed weapons," Squall added before turning to Seifer with a thoughtful look. "Maybe see if the rental place is willing to store weapons? And we can ask Laguna to assign some guards there that know to keep an eye on anyone coming in from Garden. The Council should approve that without any fuss."
"The rental place would be more willing if we already got the go ahead from Laguna to station guards," Seifer replied, nodding.
"Hmm..." Squall pulled out his MIT as they stepped into Irvine's empty dorm room.
"What's that?" Irvine wondered as Squall dialled his father's number and turned away.
"Mobile Instant Transmission Communicator," Seifer answered for Squall. "MIT for short. They're Esthar's newest creation. Come on, let's pack your stuff while he's talking with Laguna."
"President Loire," Laguna said as he picked up.
"Laguna, Seifer and I just had a thought."
"Uh-oh." Laguna let out a laugh. "Okay, what's up?"
"We've been trying to figure out a way to keep students from walking around the city with any weapons, even when they need them to get there. Is there any way we can set up a sort of 'weapons check' in or near the rental shop? Or wherever else you intend for students to enter by."
Laguna shuffled some papers on his desk. "I don't see why not. Would Garden be willing to check their weapons, though? Especially when someone might walk off with them."
"I somehow doubt anyone in Esthar would run off with a weapon," Squall commented drily, earning him a chuckle from his father. "We were thinking you might be willing to staff a few guards, though. Especially ones who know to look for concealed knives."
"Are you suggesting you're willing to leave your own knives at home?" Laguna teased.
"I don't need knives to handle any trouble," Squall retorted, rolling his eyes. "Especially not in Esthar, of all places. Could we work something out?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll run it by the Council on Monday. Once they've agreed, I'll work out a rotation with the head of the army. Was there a specific time you wanted this put together by?"
"Whenever." Squall waved a hand at that, then glanced over his shoulder at where Seifer was helping Irvine pack and teasing him. "Would you let Sis know we'll be returning to Garden in half an hour or so with Irvine? She wanted me to let her know when everyone's arriving."
"Certainly. Were you intending to drop by for dinner tonight?"
"No. Do we need to?"
Laguna sighed. "No, not really. It would be nice to see you, though."
Squall pinched the bridge of his nose, faintly irritated. "You are perfectly capable of coming to visit us, Laguna. We have too much work to do as it is, and constantly running back to the city for some meal or another doesn't help."
"I know, I know," Laguna soothed. "I'm sorry if asking bothers you so much. Is it okay if we come to you for dinner? I wouldn't mind meeting Irvine again, and I know Ellone would like to see him."
Squall sighed. "Whatever."
"We'll see you tonight, then," Laguna decided.
Squall hit the button to end the call and joined the other two on Irvine's side of the room, which was much cleaner than his roommate's. "Laguna said he'll mention the idea to the Council on Monday. Also, he and Sis are coming by for dinner tonight. Possibly the others, as well."
"It'll be nice to see Sis again," Irvine commented neutrally, watching as Squall and Seifer brushed hands briefly, "and Laguna's okay."
Squall shrugged. "Anything I can help with?"
Irvine quickly set him something and they finished everything in record time. Carrying Irvine's things, they made their way out to the Ragnarok, where they found a couple of students out cold off to one side while a couple of others were very carefully looking at but not touching the command panel, whispering ways to get around Squall's booby trap.
"Here," Squall said, dropping the two bags he'd held at Seifer's feet before pulling out a knife and tossing it with deadly accuracy into the panel in question. The panel sparked, then exploded in the students' faces.
Seifer sighed and leaned down to pick up Squall's bags while the shorter gunblader stalked over to the gaggle of students, murder in his eyes. "Honestly. You'd think they would have learned after the first one hit the ground."
"Is the ship going to be okay?" Irvine wondered, shifting the bags in his arms.
Seifer snorted. "He was just turning off the booby trap."
Irvine shot him a disbelieving look. "It looked like he just blew the entire panel."
"Nah." Seifer started towards the ship as Squall opened the hanger door. "He had to cut whatever wires he crossed, and it exploded a bit, but the Ragnarok is far more resilient than you think. And he's scary clever when he traps it. One of the technicians at the Airstation back in Esthar didn't listen when Squall told him not to touch something in the cockpit and they found him frozen solid after a few hours."
Irvine shook his head, watching the younger gunblader as they all boarded. Squall didn't look like much, really, but they'd heard about Balamb's gunbladers in Galbadia, so he knew the teen was quick on his feet and a master of his difficult weapon. After eating lunch with everyone over a week ago and watching Squall and Seifer in Martine's office, he also knew that Squall was serious to a fault, rarely smiled and had a pretty good head on his shoulders, though he could lose it, just like anyone else. He and Seifer also seemed to be together, which was cool with Irvine.
'I'll be living and working with them from now on,' Irvine reminded himself as he was led up to the cockpit. 'Life should be interesting.'
"Just sit anywhere," Seifer offered as he dropped his bags near the lift. Squall was already running through his pre-flight checks in the pilot's chair. "It's a relatively short flight, unless... Hey, Squall?"
"Hm?" Squall didn't bother looking up.
"Do you want to swing over the city? Show Irvine what we're living next to."
"Sure." Squall flipped a couple of switches and the engines roared to life. "I hope, for their sake, that those brats stayed away from the hanger door."
Seifer chuckled. "More the pity if they didn't." He turned his seat to look at Irvine as they raised off the ground. "Most of the rooms aren't furnished yet, but I think there's a couple of singles with the basics. There's supposed to be a team coming over from Esthar next week to figure out what all, exactly, we need, so if you decide you want a bigger room or a different bed, make a note and we can let them know when they show up."
Irvine shrugged. "Sure thing. What do you want me doing until there are actually students around?"
Seifer grinned. "You can help us with paperwork."
Squall snorted. "You can get some training in the plains around Garden, if you'd like, or go into the city. Tears' Point, to the south of us, is something of a tourist attraction, if you wanted to avoid the city. There's also Odine's lab, which is between us and the city. If you happen by on one of Odine's good days, you can wander around and be in awe of his insanity; if it's one of his bad days, he'll kick you out before you can fully get through the front doors."
"He also has a bad habit of talking your ear off," Seifer added, shaking his head. He'd only met the crazy scientist once, but that had been more than enough for his sanity.
"He likes to expound on his brilliance," Squall agreed drily. "Irvine, come here."
Irvine blinked, but obediently stood and walked over to stand between the two chairs. Seifer had turned back around by the time he got there, so he leaned an arm on each chair-back. "What's up?"
Ragnarok dipped slightly and Irvine's breath caught as the blue cityscape came into view. It was... It was huge, certainly, but it was also a creation of architectural genius – or insanity – with buildings curling every which way and reflecting the sun at unusual angles.
"Welcome to Esthar," Seifer offered, grinning as he watched Irvine's shock.
"You said I could go exploring?" Irvine asked Squall.
"As long as you leave your gun behind, yeah," Squall agreed. "Sis would jump at the chance to show you around, too. You can ask her at dinner." He smoothly turned them to the east and towards Esthar Garden.
Irvine grinned a bit as he saw his new home. He wasn't surprised to see the swirling blue and purple motif or the semi-transparent walls that made up most of the upper floors. He was a little surprised to realise there were no roads leading to or from the building – why bother building a Garden and no access – but then they were landing and he was swept up in Seifer's excitement at getting to show off his home.
Squall followed at a slower pace than Seifer and Irvine, shaking his head and gathering the bags that had been left behind in Seifer's rush out the door.
-0-
Irvine managed to join the quiet life at Esthar Garden without a hitch. His first afternoon, he got dragged around Esthar City by Ellone, having a fantastic time. He felt a little bad that evening, however, when he got back late and found the two Headmasters eating sandwiches over piles of paperwork.
"Do you need any help?" he asked, standing awkwardly in the doorway of the large office.
Squall glanced up from the application he was reading through. "No, not really. You look tired."
Irvine shrugged a bit helplessly. "Sis was quite excited about showing me around," he admitted. "I can stay in tomorrow and help you guys, though."
Seifer shook his head, not even bothering to look up. "Xu asked for all three of us to show up tomorrow afternoon, after lunch. She's probably got something nasty in store."
Squall sighed. "I doubt it's anything like that," he said, sounding rather like it was a conversation he'd had before. "Angelica said Selphie's at Balamb, so it's probably about working out her and Zell's SeeD exam."
"Then why does Irvine need to come, too?" Seifer demanded, finally looking up.
Squall glanced up towards the ceiling helplessly. "I don't know. Contrary to belief, I do not, in fact, possess all the answers to the universe." He turned back to Seifer while Irvine snorted in amusement. "Maybe she just wants to meet everyone, since the others are already there. Maybe she's planning to feed everyone to NORG." Seifer burst out laughing. "I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow. Are you going to finish your sandwich?"
Seifer shook his head, still chuckling, and held the plate out.
"So we have a meeting tomorrow?" Irvine asked as Squall started in on Seifer's last sandwich.
Squall nodded. "We'll meet at the Ragnarok at twelve thirty."
"Okay. Good night, then."
"Good night," Seifer answered for both of them while Squall returned to his paperwork.
As Irvine headed for the lift on the far side of the administrative floor, the heard Seifer say, "I have a vague recollection of you saying you wouldn't be trapped behind a desk for the rest of your life."
"This is hardly for the rest of my life."
"And if it is?" Seifer wondered as the lift pinged.
There was a long silence and Irvine held the door open, straining to hear Squall's response.
"I'll leave."
"I'll come with you."
"I know."
Irvine stepped into the lift, letting the doors slide shut behind him. He didn't want to see Seifer and Squall leave, not again. 'If it gets so bad that they're going to leave, I'll do something,' he swore. 'Sis is back, and Selphie and Zell will soon be here, and Quisty too, once this year's SeeD exam is over. I'm not letting my family fall apart again.'
-0-0-0-
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A/N: So, I'm off to do NaNo again this year. I'm working on an original piece – or two, depending on my muse – that'll be posted on my LiveJournal when I have an acceptable amount for a 'chapter', so if you're interested, head on over there.
But, worry not, this fic is complete, so updates will continue every Tuesday, regardless of the trials and tribulations associated with bashing out 50,000 words in a month. ^.^"
On that note... Only three more chapters. XD
~Bats ^.^x
Chapters:
1 - Won't Make It Alone ||| 2 - Give Up Everything
3 - Fly Over Me ||| 4 - Stars Collide
5 - Stars Shedding Tears ||| 6 - Never Felt So Far From Home
7 - Voice From the Past ||| 8 - Hold Me Without Touch
9 - Diebus Fatalibus ~ Fated Day ||| 10 - Never Let You Go
..
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Author: Batsutousai/
batsutousaiBeta: Shara Lunison/
tsuki_no_suzu & Shivani/grazhirChapter: 8 of 10
Rating: T
Pairings: Squall/Seifer
Warnings: AU, minor canon-fuckery, slash/yaoi
Summary: Alone in Time Compression, Squall sets out to make them all a happier ending.
Disclaim Her: I adore Ellone. Just a little bit.
A/N: This chapter is unusually long, but it's also full of filler, so...
This chapter, also, takes the POVs of characters other than Squall or Seifer. Not sure how it reads, all things considered, but there you go.
Voice From the Past
-0-0-0-
"I should have known it was too easy," Squall muttered, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. The Council had agreed to their insistence that they be allowed to bring in outside staff with only a token resistance; actually getting those people from outside Esthar, however, was turning into a chore and a half.
Having basically quit Garden as cadets, Martine wouldn't even look at their messages, and Xu wasn't much better, especially since Cid had apparently had a nervous breakdown after Squall's last message. The Trabia Garden Headmistress, Angelica Fields, was willing to talk to them, but she was against sending a student who hadn't graduated or taken the exam yet away from her Garden, unless it was to take the exam.
"I say we take the Ragnarok out and just kidnap the lot of them," Seifer muttered. He'd been the one dealing with Martine and his messages to the stuck-up Headmaster had been getting progressively more insulting for every two hours that they were ignored.
"The Council would call us up on charges of abusing technology or some such bullshit." Squall sighed. "You know, I almost miss Cid. He would have handed Quistis and Zell right over with a smile. Xu just cites regulations at me and occasionally drops a comment about Cid's mental state. Bitch."
"Maybe if we signed up for the SeeD exam next month–"
"Unlike some people I know, I don't care to take the SeeD exam twice," Squall snarked. "Especially not when there's a good chance it'll be the exact same as the one I already did."
"Oh, burn."
Squall's MIT buzzed on his desk and he hit the answer button as he returned his attention to the list of interested student names the Council's runner had dropped by that morning. "Leonhart."
"Squall, I demand you take me on a trip," Ellone ordered through the mobile device.
Squall raised both eyebrows. "Have you seen the amount of paperwork I have to go through? Sis, we haven't even had time to train, never mind taking you somewhere."
"I don't care," Ellone declared. "You're going to meet me at the Airstation in forty minutes and take me wherever I want to go."
"Sis–"
"No buts!" The line went dead.
Squall glanced over at Seifer, a peculiar look on his face. "Sis is demanding we take her out on the Ragnarok," he stated.
Seifer pointed at his overflowing desk. "See this?"
"Tried that."
Seifer sighed and gave the mess of papers on his desk a tired look. He, honestly, wasn't even sure where the 'in' pile was and where the 'out' one was anymore, the mess having lost all designations sometime before they went to bed last night. "Maybe she's right. We've hardly left the building in two days; we could use the break."
Squall rubbed again at the bridge of his nose, then shoved away from his desk before he could talk himself out of it. "Right. Let's go."
They had a car parked in the empty Garden garage and Squall tossed Seifer the keys, too irritated to drive. Seifer liked driving when he was irritated, though. Especially on the open plains of Esthar. 'Should have taken some nausea potion,' Squall complained to himself as Seifer squealed out of the garage onto the plains, maxing out the speed gauge and grinning a little madly as they went flying over a bump.
"I really hate you sometime," Squall muttered as they climbed out at the car rental.
"No, you hate my driving. There's a difference."
"You are not flying my ship. Just so we're clear."
"I wouldn't drive the Ragnarok like that car."
"No, you won't. Because you're not flying my ship."
Ellone was waiting for them at the Airstation, smiling as they walked up to her. "Good. Come on." She slipped her arms through both of theirs and led them inside, only to be forced to wait as many of the staff stopped to talk to the two gunbladers.
Once they were all in the ship and Squall had been cleared for take-off, Ellone directed, "East."
"Any particular spot east?" Squall asked drily as he flipped the controls and turned them east, easing on the acceleration.
"I'll know it when I see it."
Squall traded a look with Seifer. "Okay, Sis," he agreed, shaking his head. 'We're taking a break. A very long, Sis-directed break. But I should be looking through the student lists–'
"Here!" Ellone announced.
Squall set the controls to land even as Seifer checked his map and said, "Elle, this is the Island Closest to Hell..."
"Exactly." Ellone shot them a sweet smile. "I'm going to sit in the hanger while you two keep me safe. Without cheating."
"We never cheat," Seifer insisted, standing from his chair and stretching as Squall turned off the engines. "Well, Squall? Up for a challenge?"
"What challenge?" Squall muttered. "It's only the Island Closest to Hell. Now, the paperwork on my desk, that is a challenge."
"I dunno, you're starting to develop a bit of a stomach right here– Ow! No ice! That's cheating!"
"You called me fat."
"I did no such thing! I just said you're– Look! Blue Dragon!"
Ellone laughed to herself as she took a seat on the ground in the hanger. Then she slipped the tiny video recording device she'd borrowed from Laguna's office out of her pocket and flipped it on. Quietly, so the teens wouldn't hear her, she said, "Welcome, Headmaster Martine Middleton, Headmistress Angelica Fields and Acting Headmistress Xu Han, to the Island Closest to Hell. In front of me, you'll see Esthar Garden's new Headmasters, Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy, taking on a... Seifer called it a Blue Dragon? I don't know a lot about these high-level monsters, but I do know that Squall and Seifer train here a lot.
"Maybe neither of them really graduated, and maybe they never made SeeD, either, but you've got to admit, for a couple of ex-cadets, they sure know their way around a monster. Erm, two monsters... I think that's... a T-Rexaur? Yeah, I've seen them a couple of times in the Balamb Garden Training Centre. Anyway, I told them they couldn't cheat, so they've probably got a couple of spells junctioned, but they're not using any magic or GFs. They'll be fine though, 'cause they do this all the time.
"You know, Squall and Seifer were the first two Garden cadets. Uncle Cid sort of built Garden for them. At first, it was just him and a couple of his old army friends, trying to control a five and six year old." She laughed, shaking her head. "His messages to us were always so funny, filled with all sorts of stories about how much trouble they were getting into and how Squall and Seifer were only interested in hitting each other with sticks, not learning anything.
"But, then, one day, the stories just stopped. Uncle Cid was more concerned with money, with expanding, and Squall and Seifer sort of got lost in an influx of students. No one even remembers that they were the first, not anymore. I mean, I do, but I'm just another civilian.
"It's sort of my fault, I think, that they left Garden. Squall will go on about how it was his choice and there were more important things than making SeeD. And I suppose he's right – SeeD isn't the end all, be all, but it's pretty close, especially for someone who can only remember snippets of his life before Garden. But he ran into me in the library, and I'd slipped my guards again. He was so angry with me, and maybe worried. And then he took me on a trip, and took me all the way to Esthar to see Uncle Laguna, who I hadn't seen in seventeen years. Seifer followed us 'cause he's always followed Squall. They sort of follow each other. Always have.
"The people of Esthar didn't trust Seifer and Squall at first. I mean, they were Garden, and it didn't matter if they'd effectively dropped out, they still had started there, had grown up there. Fighting is a part of who they are, almost as much as breathing, and that scares the Estharians. It really scared the Council; they placed all sorts of constraints on Squall and Seifer, always arguing and stuff. It finally got to the point where Seifer refused to have anything to do with the Council, wouldn't even hear what they'd been up to, what they'd been talking about.
"Maybe... a week ago, the White SeeD – my protectors – came knocking on Esthar's front door. The Council was really freaked out, 'cause it was SeeD, you know? So they called the closest thing they had to SeeD, no matter how much they detest Squall and Seifer. And Squall and Seifer won. They tried to solve things peacefully, like the Estharians wanted, but the White SeeD don't do things peacefully, and they got into a fight.
"Uncle Laguna said it was absolutely brilliant. Squall and Seifer just sort of flowed, and they took down six fully-trained SeeDs – no matter what Squall says about how pathetic the White SeeD are – by themselves. They didn't kill a single one, and then they helped them back to the ship. And when the Estharians heard, they started demanding that Squall and Seifer have a place on the Council, 'cause that's what they deserve. But Seifer hates the Council, and Squall only puts up with them because he doesn't want to chance Seifer accidentally killing one if they tick him off too much. It was agreed that Squall and Seifer would start up a Garden in Esthar, and they could accept whatever students they wanted and pick whatever staff they wanted. It's all up to them.
"Uncle Laguna told me this morning that Squall and Seifer were having trouble getting you three to even talk to them, and Squall would be really upset if Uncle Laguna went behind his back about making you three listen – he's not really used to having a dad, yet, but they're working on it – so I thought I'd try instead. Squall never stays mad at me long, so it should be okay."
Ellone turned the camera away from the fighting figures in the near-distance and gave the viewer her best impression of Squall's glare. "So, you listen here: Squall and Seifer are my little brothers, and they haven't had a lot of good in their lives. Garden was created for them, and Garden forgot them. Everything you have, everything you are, is because of those two. Don't you dare snub them."
"Sis?" Squall called. "You okay?"
Ellone smiled and flipped the recording off, slipping the machine back into her dress as the two teens wandered back over. "I'm okay! Are you feeling better, now?"
Seifer idly swung Hyperion in a circle, flinging monster blood across the grass. "Oh, yeah. Definitely better." He grinned a bit madly, a streak of blood – Ellone couldn't tell if it was his own or from something else – drying just under his left eye.
Ellone wrinkled her nose. "You two need a shower. And new clothing."
"We keep a couple changes on the Ragnarok, near the showers," Squall offered, tugging off his jacket and giving it a helpless look. "I need to stop wearing this when I'm training."
Seifer, who had wisely left his coat in the cockpit, snorted. "Idiot."
Squall sighed and dropped the ruined jacket over the handle of Revolver, the blade having been shoved into the ground. He pulled off his sleeveless tee next and proceeded to use it to clean off his gunblade.
"Boys," Ellone muttered, shaking her head and climbing to her feet. "I'll be in the cockpit. Away from you and your..."
"Boyish ways?" Seifer suggested with a winning grin.
"...I was going to say something about you being blood-covered, but I suppose that works too."
Squall waved her on, inspecting his blade. "We'll be there once we've showered and changed."
"If you take too long, I'll start playing with the controls," Ellone threatened.
"He locked them to his DNA!" Seifer called after her as Ellone headed for the lift.
Ellone shook her head, amused and somehow unsurprised at her brother's paranoia. She'd sort of been expecting him to do something like that ever since Laguna had announced during the opening party for Esthar Garden that he was giving the Ragnarok to Squall.
Not that Squall's DNA locking kept her from accessing the onboard messaging service, which was linked into the emergency radio and homing beacon and couldn't be locked. It only took her a moment to hack into Laguna's messaging client – she had been raised by SeeD – and hook up the recording device. Another couple moments saw the large data file attaching to a message, which she then sent out to Martine, Angelica and Xu.
By the time Squall and Seifer got back up there – Seifer so very obviously watching Squall's ass, while Squall so very obviously ignored him – Ellone was back in her seat, reading one of the magazines she'd stored in the communications chair, where she preferred to sit.
"Haven't you read that one already?" Seifer wondered as Squall went through his pre-flight checks. Ellone had yet to see him skip them, although Seifer swore he'd forgotten at least twice.
Ellone turned the magazine and considered the cover for a moment before shrugging. "Nope."
"Anywhere else you want to go?" Squall wondered as he started the engines.
"Home for lunch," Ellone replied. "At the palace, with Uncle Laguna and Kiros and Ward and Fuu and Rai. Not in your office." She shot Squall a look over the top of her magazine, which he rolled his eyes at.
"We should hire a cook," Seifer commented as they turned back towards Esthar.
"We should hire two cooks. At least," Squall retorted. "Over half those applications are for boys between ten and fifteen. You do remember what it was like at that age, right?"
"Good point. We'll hire three cooks." Seifer rubbed at his chin. "I think I need a shave."
Squall's eyes flickered towards him. "If you must."
Seifer's lips curled with a smirk. "What was that, Squall? You like my stubble?"
Squall held out an ice-covered hand when Seifer moved to rub his cheek against Squall's, effectively stopping the blond before he could do much more than consider it.
Seifer sighed and flopped back in his chair, both of them ignoring Ellone's giggles behind them. "Maybe I'll ask Rai if he knows any good chefs in the city. Fuck knows the Council is tossing us enough money to buy all the chefs on the planet."
"Let's avoid that," Squall suggested drily. "The only reason our funds are so large is because the Council wants us out of their hair."
"What little they have left," Seifer added under his breath, though both of the other two heard him.
"I can't imagine why they dislike us so much," Squall added, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, you're the one who insults them with a smile."
"I don't smile," Squall reminded him.
"Whatever." Seifer waved that away. "You insult them in the most disturbingly polite way you can. It's really creepy. And kind of hot."
"Can you go five seconds without thinking about sex?" Squall wondered, exasperated.
"Sure. I can go five days without thinking about sex. Not that I'd want to." Seifer turned to give the giggling Ellone an overly dramatic wink.
Squall shook his head, quietly amused, and set about turning them so they could land without bumping into either of the other two ships. "I'm going to have to start parking out by Garden," he commented to no one in particular.
"But then you'll never come into the city!" Ellone complained.
Squall turned off the engine with a sigh and turned to look at Ellone. "Sis, they've got another two ships being built right now. There's barely enough room for three ships on this landing platform, I shudder to think how many scratches Ragnarok will get trying to move around four other ships."
"We'll still come into the city," Seifer promised. "And there's nothing saying that you can't come visit us."
"I can't drive," Ellone muttered.
Squall reached down and pulled his sister to her feet. "I'll teach you," he promised, linking their arms together. "Come on, lunch."
Ellone sighed, but was cheered by Squall's promise; she wouldn't mind learning to drive and no longer need a chauffeur to go anywhere outside the city. There'd never been a need for her to learn before, having grown up on a ship, but now that she was living on land, it was a bit more important. Anyway, it would be nice to feel a bit more self-sufficient; it was hard having two such successful little brothers.
The others were pleasantly surprised at having Squall and Seifer join them and they spent lunch listening to Raijin talk about a minor explosion in the restaurant he worked at early that morning, as well as their attempts during the rest of the morning to salvage the day.
Seifer did eventually get around to asking about chefs and Raijin promised to ask around. He wasn't secure enough in his own skills to take a position at Garden, but he was willing to get the word out that Seifer and Squall were looking. Fujin, meanwhile, promised to talk to her boss about giving Garden some of their older model vehicles, so the two Headmasters wouldn't have to keep renting them every time they wanted to travel between the city and Garden.
An hour and a half later, Squall and Seifer were finally able to make their excuses and get away. "I like them, really I do," Seifer commented drily as they waved to the smiling guards outside the palace entrance, "but sometimes I'm glad we don't have to live there anymore."
Squall shrugged. "Perhaps if we weren't parked so far away, they wouldn't be so clingy."
"They can take that one up with the Council. Personally, I'm kinda glad to be so far away from the city." Seifer glanced back towards the palace, gleaming in the sun. "I've got nothing against Esthar, but I'm used to small towns."
"I know." Squall paused at the split that would take them either to the Airstation, or the rental company. "I should move Ragnarok while I'm thinking about it."
Seifer nodded. "I'll meet you back at Garden, then? I don't like not having a car in the building."
"Sure," Squall agreed and they separated to collect their vehicles.
At Garden, they met by the lift and took it up together, silently bemoaning the states of their desks.
"I'm sure Martine is hoping I've given up," Seifer mentioned as he dropped into his chair and reached for his messaging device. "It's been almost four hours since I... last... What?" He blinked in disbelief at the message from Martine.
Squall, who had found messages from both Xu and Angelica in his own inbox, had opened one, eyebrows raised. Angelica mentioned his sister and Squall sighed. "Ellone."
Seifer let out a quiet laugh, having read Martine's own mention of the young woman. "Well played, Elle."
"I'm not sure I want to know what she said," Squall muttered, popping open Xu's message and reading it over. "What's Martine say?"
"He wants to meet with us. Angelica and Xu?"
"Angelica would like to meet up to discuss terms of an exchange program. She'd still like Selphie to get her SeeD certification before letting her join us, but she and Xu are apparently discussing an alternate SeeD practical for Selphie and Zell, to get them certified before handing them over." Squall glanced up at Seifer, almost smiling at the dumbfounded look on the other teen's face. "I know. Final choice on whether or not they want to transfer is going to be left to Selphie, Zell and Quistis, but they're willing to do it."
"Fuck," Seifer breathed, glancing back at Martine's message. "Elle, what did you say to them?"
Squall shook his head. "Trabia and Galbadia don't get along too well, so maybe we should plan separate meetings for both of them. I'd say divide and conquer, but..." He shot Seifer a look.
Seifer sighed and shook his head. "I'd prefer to show a united front myself, and not just because there's a chance one of us will lose control of our power. You said Angelica wants to talk about setting up an exchange program?"
"That's what she's implying. Selphie's future seems to be up to her and whatever SeeD exam Xu sets up. You're suggesting we wait and get some actual students before meeting with her?"
"It would be for the best," Seifer agreed, tapping out a quick message to Martine. "Not sure what his schedule might be like, but it'll be easier for us to go to him, especially since we're still trying to sort things out here as it is." He cast a helpless glance at his desk. "I hope at least Quistis comes; she'd be way better with paperwork than I am."
"Hm," Squall agreed, sending his own message to Angelica. He also typed out a quick message to Xu requesting that she keep him updated on any further developments towards the special exam for Zell and Selphie, and to let him know how Quistis responded to the requested transfer. Once that was done, he set the message tablet back in its rest and returned to his desk. With a sigh, he dove back in.
Martine had been intrigued by their assurances that they could get to Galbadia Garden at any time, so had cleared a slot of time for their meeting the very next day. Squall and Seifer had debated the pros and cons of landing the Ragnarok within viewing distance of Galbadia Garden on their way to the western continent, eventually agreeing that if the Council was willing to open their borders for an exchange program, they couldn't bitch about Ragnarok being seen by anyone outside Esthar.
So Squall parked right outside.
By the time the engines were off and they'd cleared the hanger, they'd gathered quite the crowd, including a grinning cowboy, who walked right up to them. "Look at this! What is it?"
"It's the Ragnarok," Seifer answered as Squall closed the hanger door and set about locking his ship against any curious students. "Squall's dad gave it to him."
"I can't decide if Laguna's awesome, or just insane," Irvine decided. "This is Esthar technology?"
"At its finest," Seifer agreed. "She was originally built for space-flight, but we use her for... pretty much everything, actually."
"What sort of guns has she got?" Irvine wondered, eyeing the large ship appreciatively. "Looks like a particle cannon."
"It is," Seifer agreed. "And two multi-barrel lasers. She could probably level a town, if we set our minds to it."
"Is she the only one Esthar's got?" Irvine asked, and the other students nearby leaned in, lines of worry on their faces.
"She’s one of three," Squall answered, waving a negligent hand, "and they're working on another two right now. We'd have more, but when Esthar closed their borders, there wasn't much point."
"I sure hope Esthar doesn't decide to start another war," Irvine mentioned.
"Not going to happen," Seifer said with certainty. "They're practically pacifists, for all that they know their way around a gun. Our gunblades practically had them fleeing in terror."
Squall sighed. "We're here to see Headmaster Martine," he interrupted.
Irvine nodded. "Yeah, figured as much. I'm supposed to take you up." He grinned and motioned for them to follow him into the building. "We thought you'd take a boat to the coast near Deling and drive in, not that you’d land on our front lawn. Good show, though."
"A moment," Seifer requested before turning back to the curious crowd milling around the Ragnarok. "Hey, you lot! Just thought I should warn you that it's booby-trapped! Don't touch it if you don't want to end up in the infirmary!"
Squall let out a faintly sad sound. "I was hoping they'd be daring enough to try opening the hanger..."
"That's a great way to start out a working relationship with Galbadia Garden," Seifer responded drily as they continued their way into the large Garden. "I thought you were supposed to be the brains behind this operation."
"I am," Squall informed him. "They should know better than to go around playing with technology they know nothing about."
"You just wanted to see someone laid out from the electrical charge you set to build up in the console," Seifer accused.
Irvine snorted, catching sight of Squall's smirk. "You two here as ambassadors, then?" he asked.
"Not really." Seifer shrugged. "We're here to work out an exchange program, of sorts."
"What, between Galbadia's army and Esthar's?"
"No, between Galbadia Garden and Esthar Garden," Squall offered quietly as they started up the stairs to the second level. The lift to the Headmaster's office, he knew, was only accessible from the second floor.
"Esthar has a Garden?" Irvine asked, stopping and turning to stare at them. "What, seriously?"
"It's only existed for three days, Kinneas," Seifer commented with a smirk. "Don't get your panties in a knot."
Irvine shot Seifer a disgusted look and asked, "If it's only existed for three days, why are you two..." He blinked, suddenly understanding, and turned to Squall with an incredulous expression. "What idiot made him Headmaster of a Garden?"
Squall snorted while Seifer full-out laughed. "The Estharian Council of Ministers. They figured I could keep him under control, and I figure that any student aspiring to join Garden should have enough spine to put up with him in charge."
Irvine shook his head. "I pity your students. Come on."
"What, no shock over Squall being in a position of power?" Seifer complained as they continued towards Martine's office.
"Squall won't go around abusing that power," Irvine retorted. "You, on the other hand..."
"Behave," Squall ordered when Seifer opened his mouth to unleash one of his infamous insults on the cowboy.
Seifer huffed, but obediently subsided.
When Irvine shot Squall a surprised look, the gunblader raised an eyebrow at him before nodding at the lift in front of them. "This it?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Irvine shook his head and hit the call button. "I'm supposed to go in with you." He shot them a suspicious look, but Squall's face was a closed book and Seifer was still looking mildly disgruntled about being told off before.
As soon as the lift opened, Seifer took the lead, striding confidently up to where Martine was rising to meet him. "Seifer Almasy," he offered, hand out.
Martine took the offered hand, eyes approving. "Martine Middleton. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. And this must be Squall Leonhart?" He turned and offered his hand to Squall, who shared a quick hand shake.
"I am," he responded.
"Please, sit," Martine directed, taking his own seat. "Kinneas, you as well." Once they had all settled into chair, Martine continued with, "Kinneas, Headmasters Squall and Seifer were requesting your transfer to their Garden. I'm not fond of losing one of my best sharpshooters, but it's your choice where you'd prefer to go. I know your father wants you to follow him into the army after graduation, but he'd be willing to let you go where you want."
"But I'll be graduating next year," Irvine said, looking at the two gunbladers with a surprised look. "There's not much point in me transferring to a new Garden."
"We don't want you as a student, Irvine," Seifer explained. "I told you on our way up here, we've barely had the place for three days; we're looking for staff right now. Sure, setting up a proper working relationship with the other Gardens is important–" He nodded to Martine, who smiled easily back, "–but we can't have a Garden without people. There's only so much Squall and I can manage alone."
Irvine shook his head. "Okay, fine. So, why me? I graduate next year. What could a cadet do?"
"You're the best sniper in Garden," Squall quietly offered, "and in the top ten best sharp shooters. Who else would we ask to teach a bunch of pacifists how to shoot?" His eyes smiled at the faintly embarrassed look Irvine wore at that. "We want people we can trust, Irvine, and you're one of those few."
Irvine shook his head. "I haven't graduated," he pointed out, though there was a certainty in his eyes; if they wanted him, he was there. They were family.
"And we have?" Seifer snorted. "We're hardly going to refuse someone because they haven't taken a final exam. Especially someone we asked first."
Irvine glanced at his Headmaster, who was smiling faintly, then back at the two older teens across from him. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'll do it."
Seifer grinned. "Excellent."
"But if you call me 'Little Miss', I'll use you for target practise."
Seifer snorted. "Fair enough."
Martine nodded and leaned forward over his desk. "Excellent. Now, perhaps we should discuss this exchange program you keep mentioning."
Seifer shrugged. "Sure. We're not looking to officially start anything until after the summer holidays, to give our students and staff time to settle in, but we would like to set up something. Esthar's willing to let Garden cadets into the continent, but they have stipulations, mostly concerning bringing weapons inside the city. We're far enough outside the city limits that it shouldn't be an issue, but everyone needs to understand that the Council is not going to be lenient about this. They do not want armed cadets in the city."
"And technology-wise?" Martine wondered, eyes greedy. "It is hard not to notice your ship."
"The Ragnarok is not a Garden-owned vehicle," Squall interrupted firmly. "It's my ship. The other Super-High-Mobility-Flying-Ships belong to the President and Council, and all use of them will be at their discretion. So far, there aren't any plans to use them in conjunction with Garden, but that may change in the future." His eyes narrowed. "If Galbadia wants access to Estharian technology, you can start your own talks with President Loire and the Council of Ministers; that is out of our hands."
"Esthar doesn't employ a great deal of weaponry-based technology, anyway," Seifer agreed, shrugging. "We've got some advanced vehicles and defensive technology, as well as whatever Odine's cooking up in his lab, but there's not a lot of interesting new things for Garden to use."
Martine looked a little disappointed, but asked, "Do you think Esthar would be willing to share their technology?"
Seifer looked to Squall, who shrugged. "President Loire seems open to it, but the Council isn't. If Galbadia goes into it offering to sign a non-aggression treaty, you might have more luck, but I can't say for certain either way. So far as I know, Esthar's only opening its borders for Garden because they were running out of options; I don't know how much luck you'd have from a governmental stand-point."
"I see." Martine sighed a bit. "Very well, I'll let President Deling know what you've told me."
"I'd caution him against using any force, no matter how fucking obnoxious the Council gets," Seifer suggested with a disgusted look. "And they will be obnoxious, I assure you. But any threats on Galbadia's behalf will just see Esthar closing its borders again, even to Garden, and I doubt any of us want that."
Martine grimaced. "No, we don't. I'll pass on the warning. Thank you." He turned his gaze back to Irvine. "Kinneas, you're free to move out whenever you want. I'll leave transportation up to Esthar." He nodded to Squall and Seifer.
"Of course, sir," Irvine agreed as the three teens stood, recognising a dismissal when they heard one.
"We'll be in touch," Seifer promised.
"Good luck," Martine replied, waving them out.
In the lift, Squall turned to Irvine. "We can pack you up and take you now, or come back to get you any time over the next few days – your choice."
Irvine considered his hands for a long moment before shrugging. "Are you willing to wait half an hour or so for me to collect my things?"
"Certainly," Seifer agreed. "If you don't mind us following you around, we'll even come with. I've never been to Galbadia Garden before."
"Sure. This way." Irvine led the way through the halls, asking, "What's Esthar like, anyway? The city, not the Garden."
"Huge," Seifer replied, grinning a bit. "They've got buildings taller than this Garden, and the presidential palace could easily fit two Galbadia Gardens inside. Everything is blue and they have a transit system that's even more efficient than Deling's buses. Quicker, too."
"Are we really not allowed to carry weapons inside the city?" Irvine wondered.
"You can get away with concealed knives and any magic or GFs you junction, but no obvious weapons," Seifer offered, shrugging at Irvine's appalled look. "I know, trust me, but you get used to it, eventually." He sighed. "We're still trying to work out a system for people who take their weapons with them to the city for whatever reason."
"We're not telling the students they can get away with concealed weapons," Squall added before turning to Seifer with a thoughtful look. "Maybe see if the rental place is willing to store weapons? And we can ask Laguna to assign some guards there that know to keep an eye on anyone coming in from Garden. The Council should approve that without any fuss."
"The rental place would be more willing if we already got the go ahead from Laguna to station guards," Seifer replied, nodding.
"Hmm..." Squall pulled out his MIT as they stepped into Irvine's empty dorm room.
"What's that?" Irvine wondered as Squall dialled his father's number and turned away.
"Mobile Instant Transmission Communicator," Seifer answered for Squall. "MIT for short. They're Esthar's newest creation. Come on, let's pack your stuff while he's talking with Laguna."
"President Loire," Laguna said as he picked up.
"Laguna, Seifer and I just had a thought."
"Uh-oh." Laguna let out a laugh. "Okay, what's up?"
"We've been trying to figure out a way to keep students from walking around the city with any weapons, even when they need them to get there. Is there any way we can set up a sort of 'weapons check' in or near the rental shop? Or wherever else you intend for students to enter by."
Laguna shuffled some papers on his desk. "I don't see why not. Would Garden be willing to check their weapons, though? Especially when someone might walk off with them."
"I somehow doubt anyone in Esthar would run off with a weapon," Squall commented drily, earning him a chuckle from his father. "We were thinking you might be willing to staff a few guards, though. Especially ones who know to look for concealed knives."
"Are you suggesting you're willing to leave your own knives at home?" Laguna teased.
"I don't need knives to handle any trouble," Squall retorted, rolling his eyes. "Especially not in Esthar, of all places. Could we work something out?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll run it by the Council on Monday. Once they've agreed, I'll work out a rotation with the head of the army. Was there a specific time you wanted this put together by?"
"Whenever." Squall waved a hand at that, then glanced over his shoulder at where Seifer was helping Irvine pack and teasing him. "Would you let Sis know we'll be returning to Garden in half an hour or so with Irvine? She wanted me to let her know when everyone's arriving."
"Certainly. Were you intending to drop by for dinner tonight?"
"No. Do we need to?"
Laguna sighed. "No, not really. It would be nice to see you, though."
Squall pinched the bridge of his nose, faintly irritated. "You are perfectly capable of coming to visit us, Laguna. We have too much work to do as it is, and constantly running back to the city for some meal or another doesn't help."
"I know, I know," Laguna soothed. "I'm sorry if asking bothers you so much. Is it okay if we come to you for dinner? I wouldn't mind meeting Irvine again, and I know Ellone would like to see him."
Squall sighed. "Whatever."
"We'll see you tonight, then," Laguna decided.
Squall hit the button to end the call and joined the other two on Irvine's side of the room, which was much cleaner than his roommate's. "Laguna said he'll mention the idea to the Council on Monday. Also, he and Sis are coming by for dinner tonight. Possibly the others, as well."
"It'll be nice to see Sis again," Irvine commented neutrally, watching as Squall and Seifer brushed hands briefly, "and Laguna's okay."
Squall shrugged. "Anything I can help with?"
Irvine quickly set him something and they finished everything in record time. Carrying Irvine's things, they made their way out to the Ragnarok, where they found a couple of students out cold off to one side while a couple of others were very carefully looking at but not touching the command panel, whispering ways to get around Squall's booby trap.
"Here," Squall said, dropping the two bags he'd held at Seifer's feet before pulling out a knife and tossing it with deadly accuracy into the panel in question. The panel sparked, then exploded in the students' faces.
Seifer sighed and leaned down to pick up Squall's bags while the shorter gunblader stalked over to the gaggle of students, murder in his eyes. "Honestly. You'd think they would have learned after the first one hit the ground."
"Is the ship going to be okay?" Irvine wondered, shifting the bags in his arms.
Seifer snorted. "He was just turning off the booby trap."
Irvine shot him a disbelieving look. "It looked like he just blew the entire panel."
"Nah." Seifer started towards the ship as Squall opened the hanger door. "He had to cut whatever wires he crossed, and it exploded a bit, but the Ragnarok is far more resilient than you think. And he's scary clever when he traps it. One of the technicians at the Airstation back in Esthar didn't listen when Squall told him not to touch something in the cockpit and they found him frozen solid after a few hours."
Irvine shook his head, watching the younger gunblader as they all boarded. Squall didn't look like much, really, but they'd heard about Balamb's gunbladers in Galbadia, so he knew the teen was quick on his feet and a master of his difficult weapon. After eating lunch with everyone over a week ago and watching Squall and Seifer in Martine's office, he also knew that Squall was serious to a fault, rarely smiled and had a pretty good head on his shoulders, though he could lose it, just like anyone else. He and Seifer also seemed to be together, which was cool with Irvine.
'I'll be living and working with them from now on,' Irvine reminded himself as he was led up to the cockpit. 'Life should be interesting.'
"Just sit anywhere," Seifer offered as he dropped his bags near the lift. Squall was already running through his pre-flight checks in the pilot's chair. "It's a relatively short flight, unless... Hey, Squall?"
"Hm?" Squall didn't bother looking up.
"Do you want to swing over the city? Show Irvine what we're living next to."
"Sure." Squall flipped a couple of switches and the engines roared to life. "I hope, for their sake, that those brats stayed away from the hanger door."
Seifer chuckled. "More the pity if they didn't." He turned his seat to look at Irvine as they raised off the ground. "Most of the rooms aren't furnished yet, but I think there's a couple of singles with the basics. There's supposed to be a team coming over from Esthar next week to figure out what all, exactly, we need, so if you decide you want a bigger room or a different bed, make a note and we can let them know when they show up."
Irvine shrugged. "Sure thing. What do you want me doing until there are actually students around?"
Seifer grinned. "You can help us with paperwork."
Squall snorted. "You can get some training in the plains around Garden, if you'd like, or go into the city. Tears' Point, to the south of us, is something of a tourist attraction, if you wanted to avoid the city. There's also Odine's lab, which is between us and the city. If you happen by on one of Odine's good days, you can wander around and be in awe of his insanity; if it's one of his bad days, he'll kick you out before you can fully get through the front doors."
"He also has a bad habit of talking your ear off," Seifer added, shaking his head. He'd only met the crazy scientist once, but that had been more than enough for his sanity.
"He likes to expound on his brilliance," Squall agreed drily. "Irvine, come here."
Irvine blinked, but obediently stood and walked over to stand between the two chairs. Seifer had turned back around by the time he got there, so he leaned an arm on each chair-back. "What's up?"
Ragnarok dipped slightly and Irvine's breath caught as the blue cityscape came into view. It was... It was huge, certainly, but it was also a creation of architectural genius – or insanity – with buildings curling every which way and reflecting the sun at unusual angles.
"Welcome to Esthar," Seifer offered, grinning as he watched Irvine's shock.
"You said I could go exploring?" Irvine asked Squall.
"As long as you leave your gun behind, yeah," Squall agreed. "Sis would jump at the chance to show you around, too. You can ask her at dinner." He smoothly turned them to the east and towards Esthar Garden.
Irvine grinned a bit as he saw his new home. He wasn't surprised to see the swirling blue and purple motif or the semi-transparent walls that made up most of the upper floors. He was a little surprised to realise there were no roads leading to or from the building – why bother building a Garden and no access – but then they were landing and he was swept up in Seifer's excitement at getting to show off his home.
Squall followed at a slower pace than Seifer and Irvine, shaking his head and gathering the bags that had been left behind in Seifer's rush out the door.
Irvine managed to join the quiet life at Esthar Garden without a hitch. His first afternoon, he got dragged around Esthar City by Ellone, having a fantastic time. He felt a little bad that evening, however, when he got back late and found the two Headmasters eating sandwiches over piles of paperwork.
"Do you need any help?" he asked, standing awkwardly in the doorway of the large office.
Squall glanced up from the application he was reading through. "No, not really. You look tired."
Irvine shrugged a bit helplessly. "Sis was quite excited about showing me around," he admitted. "I can stay in tomorrow and help you guys, though."
Seifer shook his head, not even bothering to look up. "Xu asked for all three of us to show up tomorrow afternoon, after lunch. She's probably got something nasty in store."
Squall sighed. "I doubt it's anything like that," he said, sounding rather like it was a conversation he'd had before. "Angelica said Selphie's at Balamb, so it's probably about working out her and Zell's SeeD exam."
"Then why does Irvine need to come, too?" Seifer demanded, finally looking up.
Squall glanced up towards the ceiling helplessly. "I don't know. Contrary to belief, I do not, in fact, possess all the answers to the universe." He turned back to Seifer while Irvine snorted in amusement. "Maybe she just wants to meet everyone, since the others are already there. Maybe she's planning to feed everyone to NORG." Seifer burst out laughing. "I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow. Are you going to finish your sandwich?"
Seifer shook his head, still chuckling, and held the plate out.
"So we have a meeting tomorrow?" Irvine asked as Squall started in on Seifer's last sandwich.
Squall nodded. "We'll meet at the Ragnarok at twelve thirty."
"Okay. Good night, then."
"Good night," Seifer answered for both of them while Squall returned to his paperwork.
As Irvine headed for the lift on the far side of the administrative floor, the heard Seifer say, "I have a vague recollection of you saying you wouldn't be trapped behind a desk for the rest of your life."
"This is hardly for the rest of my life."
"And if it is?" Seifer wondered as the lift pinged.
There was a long silence and Irvine held the door open, straining to hear Squall's response.
"I'll leave."
"I'll come with you."
"I know."
Irvine stepped into the lift, letting the doors slide shut behind him. He didn't want to see Seifer and Squall leave, not again. 'If it gets so bad that they're going to leave, I'll do something,' he swore. 'Sis is back, and Selphie and Zell will soon be here, and Quisty too, once this year's SeeD exam is over. I'm not letting my family fall apart again.'
-0-0-0-
A/N: So, I'm off to do NaNo again this year. I'm working on an original piece – or two, depending on my muse – that'll be posted on my LiveJournal when I have an acceptable amount for a 'chapter', so if you're interested, head on over there.
But, worry not, this fic is complete, so updates will continue every Tuesday, regardless of the trials and tribulations associated with bashing out 50,000 words in a month. ^.^"
On that note... Only three more chapters. XD
~Bats ^.^x
1 - Won't Make It Alone ||| 2 - Give Up Everything
3 - Fly Over Me ||| 4 - Stars Collide
5 - Stars Shedding Tears ||| 6 - Never Felt So Far From Home
9 - Diebus Fatalibus ~ Fated Day ||| 10 - Never Let You Go
..
