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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: 9 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: Oh, yeah. Wasn't there supposed to be, I dunno, plot?
A/N: I have no shame, I will admit: I took a pot-shot at Rinoa. (And it felt wonderful.)
-0-0-0-
Diebus Fatalibus
Fated Day
-0-0-0-
With three new staff members, Squall and Seifer were able to hand off some of their duties. Selphie was given the decorators from Esthar, who immediately adored her bouncy personality, and told to furnish the place – Squall had been a little worried about what they'd end up with, but Selphie had good taste, and none of it was too insane. Zell was given orders to see to the cafeteria and the lists of possible chefs, which meant he spent a lot of time in the city, sampling dishes.
Irvine and Seifer took on the hiring of instructors and other necessary members of staff, including a nurse, librarian, and various security members to patrol the halls in the evenings and watch the entrances. Squall took on the lists of student names, crossing each of their applications with the Esthar databases that Laguna had given him access to and refusing those he found lacking. He also ended up going into the city at least once a week to argue with the Council about some new asinine attempt on their behalf to limit Garden's rights as a part of Esthar. (He always returned from those meetings in a particularly foul mood and Seifer was the only one willing to approach him until he'd calmed down.)
Ellone appeared during their second week with a skeleton staff and informed her siblings that she would be in charge of the library and to point her to a dorm room for her things. The next day, Laguna had called in a minor panic because Ellone had disappeared and Squall, who had received the call, ordered his father to call Ellone, not him and hung up on him. Then he'd proceeded to hunt down his sister and tell her off for not letting Laguna know what she was up to.
Sometime during all that, Squall had requisitioned MITs for all his new staff, including one for Quistis, which she would receive when they picked her up. He suffered through about a day of the three calling one another on their new toys – including both himself and Seifer a few times – before he informed them that if they didn't stop, he was sending the damn things back. (They listened, but ten minutes after that order, Laguna called to ask Squall how things were going and he'd thrown his MIT across the room, followed closely by many shards of ice. Seifer had only laughed a little bit before calling the scientists and telling them Squall would need a new one.)
A little over a week before the official SeeD exam, the first fifty students arrived. Squall had originally intended to invite in half that, especially with Quistis still in Balamb, but their staff was certain they could manage fifty. (Actually, they were certain they could manage one hundred, but Squall had to put his foot down somewhere.)
With students in the building and the staff vacancies filled for the moment, Squall and Seifer found a fair bit of free time on their hands. Sure, they still had meetings with the staff or the Council, and they had to be somewhat on hand for emergencies, but with the MITs and the Ragnarok, 'on hand' meant not going any farther than the Island Closest to Heaven for their training and staying relatively close to the ship, which they did.
The night before the exam – likely immediately after Xu had received the plea for assistance – Seifer received a message from Balamb asking if they wanted to attend the SeeD ball.
"No," Squall said as soon as Seifer asked.
"Selphie will want to go, and probably Irvine," Seifer continued, smirking just the slightest bit as Squall glowered at him. "Zell might enjoy seeing his friends again."
"Then you take them!"
"You'll leave me to dance with some pretty thing in heels? You know I can't control my libido."
"I'll fix that for you," Squall growled, standing and stalking over to the other teen. "Here, let me freeze your libido for a couple days–"
Seifer laughed and pulled Squall down to straddle him in the chair. "You won't come? Even for me?"
Squall scowled. "I don't like dancing, Seifer. And..." He looked away, tugging slightly at Seifer's vest. "That's where I met Rinoa. She dragged me out onto the dance floor."
Seifer soothed a hand down Squall's back. "I'll dance with you so much she'll never get the chance," he promised.
"In public?" Squall hissed.
"Oh, come on. It's Garden. We'd only be proving about half a dozen rumours about us right." Seifer chuckled as Squall huffed a bit. "Come on, please? I want to go, but I want to go with you."
Squall let out a helpless sound and buried his face against Seifer's neck. "I hate you," he muttered, breathing coldly against the bare skin.
Seifer shuddered and pressed a kiss against Squall's shoulder, which was uncovered by his jacket. "Does that mean you're coming?"
Squall muttered wordlessly for a moment, then allowed, "I suppose." As Seifer's magic did a little victory dance over their skin, he sat back and snapped, "But if you dance with anyone else or I'm forced to dance with Rinoa, you're sleeping in the office until we've dealt with Ultimecia!"
Seifer laughed.
"I'm not joking!"
The blond leaned up and kissed Squall's chin, still chuckling. "I know. We should probably let the others know."
Squall sighed and moved to get up, only for Seifer to tighten his grip on Squall's waist. Squall raised an eyebrow at him. "We can't tell them like this."
"Sure we can."
"We won't be telling them like this," Squall corrected, running cold fingers up Seifer's arms to make him let go. Once he was freed, he swooped back over to his own desk and picked up his MIT. "I'll call Irvine and Zell if you call Selphie."
Seifer sighed and picked his own MIT off his desk. "Then message Xu back?"
"If you would."
Seifer waved at him, already cradling his MIT against his ear with one hand while the other pulled over his messaging device.
Selphie was, expectedly, ecstatic about going to a dance. Zell was sort of uncertain, but he did like the idea of visiting his old home. Irvine was quite pleased at the chance to dance with so many pretty women.
Xu had requested that they all dress in their SeeD uniform and arrive sans weapons. Without even discussing it, they'd each brought their weapons to leave on the Ragnarok and hidden some knives in their boots, which got a laugh from everyone – even Squall's eyes had danced with amusement.
"So," Selphie said as Squall started through his pre-flight checks, "each of you are going to dance with me, right?"
"Of course I will, darlin'!" Irvine agreed, giving her a little swing around the cockpit.
Zell shrugged when she looked at him hopefully. "Sure, I suppose."
Selphie turned to Seifer then, eyes wide and hopeful, and Seifer sighed, jerking his thumb at their pilot. "He won't let me."
Selphie leaned on the back of Squall's chair and put on her most pitiful look yet. "Come on, Squall, please? I want to dance with everyone."
Squall, quite determinedly, did not look at Selphie. "No."
"Oh, but why not? Don't you like me?"
Squall's left eyebrow twitched. "Because I don't want to dance," he offered in his calmest voice.
Selphie sniffled as she looked at Seifer. "He doesn't like me," she said in a heartbroken tone.
Seifer snorted, watching as Squall's eyebrow twitched again. "He's just afraid my ex will drag him out onto the floor if I'm not there to save him; she likes pretty things. Like Squall."
"Don't. Call. Me. Pretty," Squall snarled, turning to glare at Seifer.
"You have an ex?" Irvine wondered. "And you think she'll be at this dance?"
"Almost certain to be," Seifer agreed. "Like I said, she likes pretty things–"
"Can we not talk about Rinoa?" Squall asked. "Isn't it enough that I'll have to put up with her at this fucking dance?"
Selphie giggled and draped her arms around Squall's shoulders, ignoring his glares. "You're so cute! How about I dance with both you and Seifer at the same time? Would that be okay?"
Squall scowled at the Ragnarok controls for a long minute before grumbling, "Whatever."
Selphie let out a squeal and spun around the cockpit. "Yay!"
"Only one, though!" Squall shouted, turning to glare at her.
Selphie danced back over and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "I know. Thank you, Squall."
"Can I get a kiss?" Seifer wondered, grinning.
"Hmm. I don't know." Selphie pretended to think about that for a bit while Squall returned his attention to the controls, grumbling wordlessly. "Just a quick one!" Selphie decided and leaned over to press a kiss to Seifer's cheek.
Seifer winked at her, only to get hit by an ever-watchful Squall. "What?!"
Squall levelled an unimpressed look at him, then turned away to lead them through the landing procedures.
Squall and Seifer led their party through the Garden to the ball, ignoring the stares they got from those students still out and about. Just inside the door to the ballroom, they met Xu and Angelica, both dressed sharply in their SeeD uniforms. They all traded salutes, then Selphie dragged Irvine off for a dance and Zell left them for someone he knew.
"I'm glad you could make it," Xu commented as the four of them stood off to one corner, sipping at champagne. "I was actually expecting you to turn me down." She looked pointedly at Squall.
Seifer chuckled. "He wanted to, but I talked him around."
"I don't suppose you'd agree to a dance, though," Angelica teased, offering the frowning Headmaster a smile.
Squall took another sip from his glass.
Seifer shook his head. "Sorry, Angelica, but Selphie's the only one who's talked him into a dance." He smirked faintly. "Well, and me."
Squall considered the consequences of tossing his glass at Seifer, then decided it wasn't worth the comments Seifer would give him about wanting him out of his clothes.
Angelica chuckled. "So Neala was right, you two are a couple?"
"What is it with women and gossip?" Seifer wondered, making both Headmistresses laugh. "Yes, we are. We're trying to keep it quiet from the Estharian Council, though."
"Neala mentioned something about assassination attempts in your sleep," Xu offered. "Sounds serious."
"They just don't like us," Squall muttered behind his glass. "They dislike homosexuality almost as much as they fear Garden. We're both."
"Well, they won't hear about it from us," Angelica promised. "Garden sticks together, SeeD even more so." She smiled. "Are you sure you won't dance with me?"
Squall levelled her with a blank look.
Seifer laughed and gently entwined his hand with Squall's free one. "Come on, before Angelica wears you down."
Squall snorted in disbelief, but set his glass on a nearby table and let Seifer lead him out onto the dance floor and away from the laughing Headmistresses.
Seifer and Squall went two dances together, ignoring the whispering around them at two men on the dance floor together. Then Selphie joined them, laughing as they twirled her between them. Seifer looked like he was loving every moment, and even Squall let slip a smile when Selphie ordered him to dip her.
The two Headmasters returned to Xu and Angelica after dancing with Selphie and they discussed recent SeeD missions for a while, as well as how the Estharian students were doing.
Xu was eventually whisked off by a handsome SeeD and Seifer excused himself to use the facilities, leaving Squall and Angelica to their own devices. Angelica was just collecting them a couple more drinks when a dark-haired young woman in a short white dress walked up to the lonely Headmaster, smiling oh-so-prettily. Squall tensed when he saw her and Angelica frowned a bit.
The girl offered Squall a bright smile. "You're the best looking guy here; dance with me?"
"No," Squall replied, voice tight.
The girl's smile just widened. "Let me guess... you'll only dance with someone you like. Okay, then...look into my eyes. You're-going-to-like-me. You're-going-to–"
"Excuse me, miss," Angelica said as politely as she could while giving the girl a sharp glare, "I don't know if you're dumb or deaf, but I do believe Headmaster Squall told you no."
The girl straightened as she considered this information. "Headmaster?" she wondered. "So you know Headmaster Cid, right?"
"Cid is on medical leave for the foreseeable future," Angelica snapped, handing Squall the glass she got for him. "Headmistress Xu is filling his position for the moment."
"Xu?" the girl murmured.
"Rinoa?" Seifer said as he returned to them.
The girl's eyes lit and she turned to the blond teen with a big smile. "Seifer! Goodness, look at you! All dressed up and no one to dance with!"
Seifer snorted. "On the contrary, you're standing next to my date."
Rinoa blinked towards Angelica, but was startled by the quiet voice of the teen she'd just been propositioning. "That would be me, Miss Heartilly." His eyes narrowed as she turned to him. "Or, should I say, Miss Caraway."
"Wha–" Rinoa turned to Seifer, a frown marring her pretty face. "Why would you tell a Headmaster of Garden my last name? To get into his pants? Have you no shame, Almasy?!"
Seifer sighed. "Do you really want to have this argument here?" His eyes flickered towards Squall, who was distracting himself with his champagne.
"I'll have this argument wherever I want!" Rinoa snapped, stomping one foot like a small child who didn't get her way.
Angelica started forward, but Squall held up a hand to stop her. "Seifer can handle her," he murmured.
"So you'll only stay with important people after you've slept with them?!"
"She's verbally attacking a Headmaster," Angelica hissed back. "And she's drawing a crowd!"
"Is that why you left me? Because I wasn't important enough?"
Squall just smirked, feeling no pity for what was about to happen to the girl who might have been his wife in another life.
"Rinoa, I left you because you're vapid, childish, and got on my nerves," Seifer said once she paused long enough to let him get a word in. "You're playing at being a revolutionary to get back at your father because he didn't put your mother's funeral above his own job, but you're doing it in the most weak-willed and cowardly way possible. If you really wanted to punish your father, you would use his name, not your mother's, and make him an outcast in his own army.
"Your 'revolutionary group' mirrors your determination, as pathetic and serious about your 'cause' as you are. Zone is always whining about stomach pains to get out of the serious work, and Watts claims to be an expert information collector, but he never checks his facts and makes people suspicious with how unusually polite he is. Jake, Andrew, and Michael are all too busy playing Triple Triad against each other to care what you're trying to do, never mind that they all suck."
"You– you–"
Next to Squall, Angelica was covering an amused smile. "I guess he can."
"Oh, and the sex was really bad." Seifer put on a cocky smirk.
Rinoa moved her arm back to slap Seifer across the face, only to find her wrist held in an impossibly cold grip. She turned to glare at the person holding her, only to find the icy grey eyes of the Headmaster who claimed to be Seifer's date staring down at her. "I would very much suggest against attacking my co-Headmaster in a room full of SeeDs, Miss Heartilly," he said in an icy voice. "Perhaps it's time you take your leave."
Rinoa felt her wrist going numb as she looked around for help, only to find a room full of disapproving gazes. Even the band had stopped playing to watch the scene unfold and Rinoa finally realised that she would have been better off having her argument with Seifer out of public, but she'd honestly thought she'd win; she always won.
"Zell," Seifer called, catching sight of the familiar blond hair, "why don't you escort Miss Heartilly to her ride?"
Zell cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward with a nasty smile on his face. "It would be my pleasure, Headmaster."
"In one piece, Zell," Squall added drily, letting go of Rinoa's wrist.
Xu, off to one side of the group and waiting to intervene if it had been necessary, motioned to the band and they quickly struck up a lively song. People slowly trickled away as Zell none-too-gently showed Rinoa out of the ballroom.
Seifer joined Squall and took his still-cold hand, absently sending his own magic to warm it up. "Okay?" he whispered.
Squall nodded. "Yeah. You?"
Seifer grinned. "Are you kidding? That felt fantastic."
Squall snorted.
"It's almost a pity to have scared such a pretty girl away," Irvine commented as he and Selphie joined the four Heads. "More of a pity that she was such a brat."
"That was all kinds of awesome," Selphie informed Seifer, grabbing onto his free arm and waving it around a bit, which Seifer tolerated with a roll of his eyes, used to Selphie grabbing at his arm by now. "And she totally deserved it."
"She's not...a bad person..." Squall offered, grimacing at their disbelieving looks. Seifer, who knew about Squall's previous life, understood where he was coming from, but didn't offer any assistance.
"Squall, she came in here and tried to, first, verbally dress down a SeeD, then hit him," Xu offered. "Never mind that Seifer's one of the Headmasters of Esthar Garden."
Squall shifted uncomfortably. "I know. It's just..." He twisted his fingers in Seifer's grasp until Seifer tightened his grip, refusing to let go. "She's naive and spoiled, yes, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person, per say. She's..." He sighed. "Whatever."
Everyone looked at Squall a little oddly for a moment before Selphie tactfully changed the subject, asking, "So, Seifer, is the sex with Squall better than with Rinoa?"
Seifer choked and turned to give the tiny SeeD a disbelieving look while Xu, Angelica, and Irvine all laughed. Squall just grimaced and took a long swallow of his champagne.
"Well?" Selphie asked when Seifer continued to stare at her.
"He wouldn't know," Squall offered, having regained his composure before the blond.
"Whaaaat?!" Selphie leaned around Seifer to give Squall a wide-eyed look.
"He won't let me," Seifer muttered, pouting a bit.
"Seriously?" Irvine wondered. "It's been, what, at least a month? What are you waiting for? The wedding vows?"
Squall set his empty glass aside and turned to Seifer. "We're dancing," he informed the taller teen before dragging him out onto the floor.
"I'd say that's Squall's way of ending that discussion," Xu commented with a smile.
Selphie sighed and took a hold of Irvine's arm, since Seifer was gone. "I guess it's not all that surprising, knowing Squall, but still..."
"It's not like they advertise their relationship," Irvine pointed out. "I don't think anyone in Esthar but us and Squall's dad know they're together. Even the rest of the staff are left blissfully unaware. This is the first time I've seen them being particularly public about it, and even still, it's just dancing. It's not like they're kissing out on the dance floor or anything."
They all turned to observe the two Headmasters. They were dancing only as close as the music dictated, moving in perfect sync, without a misstep. One could easily mistake them for a couple of friends dancing together just to get out onto the dance floor, even knowing they were together; they simply gave no obvious clues to their relationship.
"One day, they should be able to do that in Esthar," Selphie whispered. "Dancing together, or even just holding hands in public..."
"The Council won't live forever," Irvine murmured.
"We're SeeD," Selphie pointed out. "There's a very good chance they'll outlive us, even if they're all dead by the end of the year. Especially with the way Seifer and Squall are always training."
"Hey." Zell came to a stop next to Selphie, eyes joining the others' in following the two Headmasters. "I ran into Quistis outside. She said she's getting the last of her things ready and asked that one of us let her know when we're leaving."
Xu sighed. "It won't be the same without Quistis here. But..." She sighed again, making all of them look at her. "She had a really hard time this year, being an instructor. I kept trying to tell her she wasn't ready for it, but she insisted she was. If it weren't for Squall and Seifer insisting she join you lot in Esthar, I would have had to fire her tonight. I did tell them that she wasn't cut out for being an instructor, but Squall seems pretty certain that she can handle it if she's teaching with students she didn't grow up with."
"I never thought I'd make a good instructor," Irvine offered, shrugging the shoulder of the arm Selphie wasn't holding captive, "especially with how young I am, but I like teaching the little brats, and they seem to like learning from me. And they do learn."
"It helps that they're all younger than us," Selphie agreed. "I think the oldest is fifteen, but the others are all under thirteen."
"They're not used to having SeeDs around," Zell added. "It's a novelty to them, and they truly believe we deserve their respect. It's not like here, where you see SeeDs everyday and eat in the cafeteria with them, or piss in the latrine next to them."
"Thank you for that lovely mental image, SeeD Dincht," Xu replied drily.
Zell grinned, unrepentant. "The point is, Esthar's a good place for new instructors, and by the time they get used to having us around, they'll already have plenty of respect for us. It'll never be quite as closely knit as Balamb, and maybe things will get tougher once we set up the exchange programs, but it's not a bad Garden, for all that it's not quite a month old."
"It's home," Selphie decided.
"Good," Angelica said, smiling. "That's what a Garden should always, first and foremost, be: your home."
-0-
"Fuck it's cold," Zell hissed as he, Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine stole across the lawn to the waiting Ragnarok. Squall and Seifer had just called them all out there, at two in the morning, for no good reason.
The two Headmasters and Ellone stood waiting by the end of the hanger ramp, looking serious and a little sad.
"What's this about?" Quistis demanded, her teeth chattering slightly in the early morning chill.
"We're leaving on a mission," Seifer reported. "It's something Laguna set us before we started this Garden, and we can't not do it."
"You should have told us to get our gear," Irvine commented.
"You're not coming with," Squall informed them, eyes icy. "This is a two-person mission. You four need to take care of Garden in our absence."
"Irvine, you're in charge," Seifer continued over their denials, "since you have seniority at this Garden; Quistis, you're second-in-command, as you have seniority as both a SeeD and an instructor. Selphie, Zell, we expect you to support them."
"If everything goes completely to shit," Squall added, eyes piercing Irvine, "there are a list of instructions in the bottom left-hand drawer of my desk. I ask that you not go in there unless there's a real emergency, but I'll hardly be here to stop you." He offered a grim smile.
"Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye?" Selphie whispered, voice choked with tears.
Ellone stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a hug. "Because there's a very large chance that this mission will kill them."
"No!" Selphie shouted, struggling against Ellone's hold. "No! No!"
"Selphie..." Ellone whispered, holding her little sister all the tighter.
"Elle, we need to go," Seifer said neutrally.
"I'm sorry," Ellone whispered into Selphie's hair before stepping back to join the two gunbladers, leaving Selphie to Irvine to comfort.
"Take care of Garden," Squall ordered.
"You have to come back!" Quistis snapped, eyes bright with tears. "You have to!"
"You can't just leave like this!" Zell added. "What about the kids? What about this? Everything?"
Squall and Seifer said nothing in response, simply hit the control to close the hanger door, both grim-faced. Behind them, Ellone had turned away, hands covering her face.
"No!" Selphie screamed, reaching for the Ragnarok even as Irvine pulled her back, out of the way of the engines.
The four of them remained staring after the Ragnarok as it took off towards Esthar City, Selphie sobbing bitterly into the shirt Irvine had thrown on inside out when Squall had called him.
"They have to come back," Quistis whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
"What sort of dad would send his own son on a mission that meant his death?" Zell snarled, holding onto his anger to keep from crying himself.
"What kind of person would create a Garden and bring his family together, even knowing he's going to be going to his death soon?" Irvine asked quietly, heart aching. "They wanted to leave their mark, to be remembered. This was their home, and we're their family; it's up to us to make sure they're not forgotten."
"Those bastards!" Zell hissed, voice cracking as a tear slipped free. "Those fucking bastards."
"What are we going to tell the students?" Quistis whispered.
"That they're on a difficult mission," Irvine replied, shaking his head. "Tell them to keep thinking about them, to wish them luck, or pray for them, if that's in their belief system. Let them believe they're coming back, but don't outright say it'll happen; promise nothing." He gently pushed Selphie back and wiped his thumbs under her eyes. "We need to be strong for the students, and the other staff. This won't be easy, but this is our duty." He looked up at Quistis and Zell. "We're SeeD; this is what we signed up for. Loved ones die, but you keep on. Keep moving forward."
Quistis managed a watery smile. "No wonder Squall left you in charge."
Irvine nodded back towards Garden. "Let's figure out what we're going to say to everyone when they wake up in a couple hours."
"Good idea," Quistis agreed, gently prodding Zell towards Garden while Irvine led Selphie.
It was going to be a long morning.
-0-
"We're going to be landing by the Tomb again," Squall reported to the cockpit as he and Seifer considered their controls. "The Esthar technicians managed to install OCS panels on the hull, so we should be able to, mostly, camouflage the Ragnarok from curious observers, but we're not sure how well everything is going to work, so we're still staying away from the city."
"I was wondering what they were up to last week when she was in dock," Laguna commented quietly from his seat. He was outfitted in full battle gear, but none of them believed he would be required; he was only there to keep Ellone safe and fly the Ragnarok back once Squall and Seifer were gone, having been added to the DNA lock.
In the comm chair, Ellone twisted her skirt, wishing she could manage the same preternatural calm that Laguna, Squall, and Seifer employed, but she really just felt like a wreck. She was about to say goodbye to her two brothers, possibly for the last time, and was even the one sending them to their certain doom. But if she didn't do it...
"...she fired missiles on Trabia Garden and levelled it," Squall's voice from over a month ago reminded her. "...Ultimecia ended up taking over Galbadia Garden and we clashed in Centra. A...lot of people died. On both sides... ...Ultimecia's Knight had found the Lunatic Pandora and brought it to rest over Tear's Point. That started the Lunar Cry..."
'I have to choose between my brothers, and the whole world,' Ellone knew. 'Either they die trying to save everyone, or they die because no one could stop her. It's not fair.'
"We'll be stuck in the presidential residence for quite a few hours," Seifer commented in a monotone. "You might want to bring one of your magazines, Elle."
Ellone looked down at the pile of fashion magazine shoved under her chair and felt sick at the thought of looking at pretty dresses and accessories while her brothers prepared to die. "No," she whispered. "I'll be okay."
'I wish you could promise me this would all turn out okay. I wish I knew for sure that you'd be back. I wish... I wish you'd look at me – either of you – and show me just a little bit of the fear I know you must be feeling! I wish I could have screamed at you like Selphie did, to beg you to, "Stop! Go back! Let someone else die!" But I know I can't. I can't ask you not to save the world, just like you can't agree to stop.'
Squall landed them at last and they all marched out of the Ragnarok and towards Deling City, Squall pausing only long enough to lock up his ship and turn on the OCS, skipping the booby trap for Laguna's sake.
Once in Deling, Seifer led the way down into the sewers and into the presidential residence, having studied maps of the maze for the past couple of weeks during his free time. In the residence, they slipped into a cupboard near the platform Ultimecia would be giving her speech from, then settled in to wait.
Ellone didn't want to wait. She didn't want to have to think about what was about to happen, about what she was about to do to her brothers. She leaned against Laguna and took comfort in the arm he slipped around her shoulders. She took comfort, too, in the way Squall and Seifer held hands, for all that they sat apart, faces stoic masks; even if they had to go to their deaths, at least they could face them together.
Finally, it was time. They could hear the crowds screaming in the distance, and Seifer and Squall got to their feet to stretch.
"Stay here," Seifer ordered. "We'll call you out when it's time."
Ellone and Laguna nodded in understanding, and the two SeeDs slipped out to wait for Ultimecia.
They'd watched the broadcast from Timber a few days ago, but Seifer still startled a little when he saw Matron's lovely face so twisted with cruelty. 'It's not Matron,' he reminded himself, mentally shaking himself.
"Sorceress Ultimecia," Squall called.
Sharp yellow eyes turned to the two SeeDs waiting in the shadows and Edea's lips curled with a cruel smile. "What's this? A surprise attack in my own home?"
"We're not here to attack you, Ultimecia," Squall replied, opening his hands and proving he was unarmed, at least for the moment; the handle of his gunblade jutted out to one side behind him, easily within his reach.
"No? Then what? Reason with me?" the Sorceress laughed.
"We're here to help you complete Time Compression," Squall offered. "Exactly what you want."
Her eyes narrowed, distrust flaring. "And for what? Why would I trust a couple SeeDs?"
"We're not SeeDs," Seifer retorted, hoping against all hope that no one had thought to tell the Sorceress that he and Squall had been made SeeDs after all. "In case you haven't heard, we quit Garden almost two months ago."
"Ha!" Ultimecia sneered at them. "My Knight told me much the same thing, my children, but I did not believe him. SeeD is in your blood, your destiny." She slid towards them, her face a mask of kindness and mercy; it made a chill go down Seifer's spine and he fought the urge to just slam her with a fireball. The only ice he wanted anywhere near him was Squall.
"You've damned us all," a new voice moaned and the two gunbladers turned to watch Cid Kramer stumble into the room. "We're all going to die."
'Well, I guess Xu was right; he really has lost it,' Seifer thought before returning his attention to the real threat.
"We came to offer you Ellone," Squall said firmly. "Will you take our peace offering, or do we have to fight you in our mother's body?"
Ultimecia let out a high laugh and idly flicked a finger at Cid as he gave a roar of desperation and ran at the two teens, sending him flying backwards into the wall. "You've brought Ellone? Let me see her. Prove yourselves."
Seifer knocked lightly on the door behind him, the signal for Laguna and Ellone to come out.
The door opened and the two came out, Ellone whispering, "Oh, Matron. What has she done to you?"
Ultimecia laughed again. "Oh, very good, my children. Perhaps I shall take you both as my Knights. I'll rule all of eternity, with fallen SeeDs at my sides."
"We'd make terrible Knights," Seifer informed her.
"Send her back," Squall ordered Ellone and the young woman quickly closed her eyes to do so. When Edea collapsed, Squall ordered, "Now just Matron."
There was a moan from Edea's prone form and her eyes, once again dark brown, fluttered open. She looked up at Squall and Seifer uncertainly as the teens rechecked their equipment and weapons: knives, some back-up guns, Hyperion and Squall's old-new Lion Heart. "My...children...?" she whispered.
"They've damned us all," Cid moaned.
"Shut up, you pathetic fool!" Seifer spat. "We haven't damned anyone. We can't fight Ultimecia in the now, not with her possessing people; we have to go to her. Through the Time Compression, if we must."
Squall turned to his father as Ellone hurried over to Edea. "Take care of Sis."
Laguna managed a shaky smile. "I will. Go get rid of that crazy bitch for us."
"We will," Squall promised. His eyes shifted awkwardly to one side before he leaned forward and hugged his father, much to Laguna's surprise. When he pulled back, he wore a faint smile. "Goodbye... Dad."
"Goodbye, Squall," Laguna whispered as Squall and Seifer entwined their fingers and the room started to melt away. "I love you..."
And then Squall and Seifer were spiralling away into nothingness, eyes squeezed shut and thinking, desperately, of the orphanage.
The final showdown with Ultimecia.
-0-
"If we get out of this alive, I'm going to tie you to our bed and fuck you until your head spins," Seifer informed Squall as they fought their way through Ultimecia's castle.
"If we get out of here alive, you can do whatever you want to me," Squall replied drily as he slammed another monster with a bolt of ice, impaling it on the wall behind it.
"Was that a promise?" Seifer shot him a lecherous smile.
"Yes. Now stop staring at me like I'm for dinner and kill something."
Seifer chuckled and threw a couple of fireballs at some approaching Oilboyles, charring them nicely. "Look! Dinner!"
Squall sighed and dragged Seifer after him as he continued moving, with certainty, towards the tower where Ultimecia resided. They'd had to take a couple detours to get the blocks off their magic, GF and item usage, as well as the ability to draw magic – Squall had informed Seifer that Ultimecia had magic they'd want – but that hadn't been much trouble, especially with Squall's memories of the place.
Finally, they stepped into Ultimecia's tower and stared grimly up at where she sat on her dais, gunblades bared.
Ultimecia bestowed fond smiles on them as she floated down to the ground. "At last, my Knights..." she whispered, reaching out for them.
"We're not your Knights," Seifer spat, fire flaring in his eyes. "And we'd never be your Knights."
"We're SeeD," Squall added, ice frosting his voice. "It's our duty to destroy Sorceresses, especially you."
"You said you kuwit Garden," Ultimecia hissed, jerking back.
"We did, and they took us back, gave us the SeeD exam and passed us. We're the Headmasters of Esthar Garden." Squall's eyes flashed with victory as Ultimecia reeled. "We're the Liberi Fatali, the Fated Children. You will die here; whether we fall with you or not is of no consequence."
"We won't lose," Seifer added before running forward, Hyperion's blade lighting with fire as he brought it down across her chest.
Squall followed directly on Seifer's tail, delivering a similar blow made of ice from the opposite direction.
They continued to fight without falter, tossing Elixirs whenever one of them started to look tired or worn around the edges. They fought through Ultimecia, then Griever, then Ultimecia possessing Griever – Seifer finally understood why that shirt had made Squall so sick – and, finally, Ultimecia as a two-part, less-than-human creature, which they drew an impressively powerful spell from, as Squall said they could.
And through it all, they utilised a mix of Sorceresses magic, para-magic and physical attacks, ignoring Ultimecia's jeers when she'd realised that the 'Legendary SeeDs' were Sorceresses themselves.
Finally, Ultimecia let out her dying wail and Squall reached out his hand towards Seifer, reaching, reaching...
The tips of their fingers had just touched when there was nothing but darkness, the same darkness that haunted Squall's worst nightmares. "Seifer?" he called, turning around. "Sei–" His voice caught and he felt sick. 'No. Oh, please, no. No, not again. No, no, no...'
"Seifer!" he shouted, stumbling forward. "SEIFER!"
There was no answer. Squall had been left behind.
Again.
-0-0-0-
-0-0-0-
A/N: OMG! That's such a cruel place to leave it, isn't it? I'm such a meanie.
I kept getting sniffly while writing this chapter; all those goodbyes... I think I might cry. (But I didn't sniffle while writing that ending. I sort of... cackled, actually. Is that bad?)
One more chapter to go!
~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: 9 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: Oh, yeah. Wasn't there supposed to be, I dunno, plot?
A/N: I have no shame, I will admit: I took a pot-shot at Rinoa. (And it felt wonderful.)
Diebus Fatalibus
Fated Day
-0-0-0-
With three new staff members, Squall and Seifer were able to hand off some of their duties. Selphie was given the decorators from Esthar, who immediately adored her bouncy personality, and told to furnish the place – Squall had been a little worried about what they'd end up with, but Selphie had good taste, and none of it was too insane. Zell was given orders to see to the cafeteria and the lists of possible chefs, which meant he spent a lot of time in the city, sampling dishes.
Irvine and Seifer took on the hiring of instructors and other necessary members of staff, including a nurse, librarian, and various security members to patrol the halls in the evenings and watch the entrances. Squall took on the lists of student names, crossing each of their applications with the Esthar databases that Laguna had given him access to and refusing those he found lacking. He also ended up going into the city at least once a week to argue with the Council about some new asinine attempt on their behalf to limit Garden's rights as a part of Esthar. (He always returned from those meetings in a particularly foul mood and Seifer was the only one willing to approach him until he'd calmed down.)
Ellone appeared during their second week with a skeleton staff and informed her siblings that she would be in charge of the library and to point her to a dorm room for her things. The next day, Laguna had called in a minor panic because Ellone had disappeared and Squall, who had received the call, ordered his father to call Ellone, not him and hung up on him. Then he'd proceeded to hunt down his sister and tell her off for not letting Laguna know what she was up to.
Sometime during all that, Squall had requisitioned MITs for all his new staff, including one for Quistis, which she would receive when they picked her up. He suffered through about a day of the three calling one another on their new toys – including both himself and Seifer a few times – before he informed them that if they didn't stop, he was sending the damn things back. (They listened, but ten minutes after that order, Laguna called to ask Squall how things were going and he'd thrown his MIT across the room, followed closely by many shards of ice. Seifer had only laughed a little bit before calling the scientists and telling them Squall would need a new one.)
A little over a week before the official SeeD exam, the first fifty students arrived. Squall had originally intended to invite in half that, especially with Quistis still in Balamb, but their staff was certain they could manage fifty. (Actually, they were certain they could manage one hundred, but Squall had to put his foot down somewhere.)
With students in the building and the staff vacancies filled for the moment, Squall and Seifer found a fair bit of free time on their hands. Sure, they still had meetings with the staff or the Council, and they had to be somewhat on hand for emergencies, but with the MITs and the Ragnarok, 'on hand' meant not going any farther than the Island Closest to Heaven for their training and staying relatively close to the ship, which they did.
The night before the exam – likely immediately after Xu had received the plea for assistance – Seifer received a message from Balamb asking if they wanted to attend the SeeD ball.
"No," Squall said as soon as Seifer asked.
"Selphie will want to go, and probably Irvine," Seifer continued, smirking just the slightest bit as Squall glowered at him. "Zell might enjoy seeing his friends again."
"Then you take them!"
"You'll leave me to dance with some pretty thing in heels? You know I can't control my libido."
"I'll fix that for you," Squall growled, standing and stalking over to the other teen. "Here, let me freeze your libido for a couple days–"
Seifer laughed and pulled Squall down to straddle him in the chair. "You won't come? Even for me?"
Squall scowled. "I don't like dancing, Seifer. And..." He looked away, tugging slightly at Seifer's vest. "That's where I met Rinoa. She dragged me out onto the dance floor."
Seifer soothed a hand down Squall's back. "I'll dance with you so much she'll never get the chance," he promised.
"In public?" Squall hissed.
"Oh, come on. It's Garden. We'd only be proving about half a dozen rumours about us right." Seifer chuckled as Squall huffed a bit. "Come on, please? I want to go, but I want to go with you."
Squall let out a helpless sound and buried his face against Seifer's neck. "I hate you," he muttered, breathing coldly against the bare skin.
Seifer shuddered and pressed a kiss against Squall's shoulder, which was uncovered by his jacket. "Does that mean you're coming?"
Squall muttered wordlessly for a moment, then allowed, "I suppose." As Seifer's magic did a little victory dance over their skin, he sat back and snapped, "But if you dance with anyone else or I'm forced to dance with Rinoa, you're sleeping in the office until we've dealt with Ultimecia!"
Seifer laughed.
"I'm not joking!"
The blond leaned up and kissed Squall's chin, still chuckling. "I know. We should probably let the others know."
Squall sighed and moved to get up, only for Seifer to tighten his grip on Squall's waist. Squall raised an eyebrow at him. "We can't tell them like this."
"Sure we can."
"We won't be telling them like this," Squall corrected, running cold fingers up Seifer's arms to make him let go. Once he was freed, he swooped back over to his own desk and picked up his MIT. "I'll call Irvine and Zell if you call Selphie."
Seifer sighed and picked his own MIT off his desk. "Then message Xu back?"
"If you would."
Seifer waved at him, already cradling his MIT against his ear with one hand while the other pulled over his messaging device.
Selphie was, expectedly, ecstatic about going to a dance. Zell was sort of uncertain, but he did like the idea of visiting his old home. Irvine was quite pleased at the chance to dance with so many pretty women.
Xu had requested that they all dress in their SeeD uniform and arrive sans weapons. Without even discussing it, they'd each brought their weapons to leave on the Ragnarok and hidden some knives in their boots, which got a laugh from everyone – even Squall's eyes had danced with amusement.
"So," Selphie said as Squall started through his pre-flight checks, "each of you are going to dance with me, right?"
"Of course I will, darlin'!" Irvine agreed, giving her a little swing around the cockpit.
Zell shrugged when she looked at him hopefully. "Sure, I suppose."
Selphie turned to Seifer then, eyes wide and hopeful, and Seifer sighed, jerking his thumb at their pilot. "He won't let me."
Selphie leaned on the back of Squall's chair and put on her most pitiful look yet. "Come on, Squall, please? I want to dance with everyone."
Squall, quite determinedly, did not look at Selphie. "No."
"Oh, but why not? Don't you like me?"
Squall's left eyebrow twitched. "Because I don't want to dance," he offered in his calmest voice.
Selphie sniffled as she looked at Seifer. "He doesn't like me," she said in a heartbroken tone.
Seifer snorted, watching as Squall's eyebrow twitched again. "He's just afraid my ex will drag him out onto the floor if I'm not there to save him; she likes pretty things. Like Squall."
"Don't. Call. Me. Pretty," Squall snarled, turning to glare at Seifer.
"You have an ex?" Irvine wondered. "And you think she'll be at this dance?"
"Almost certain to be," Seifer agreed. "Like I said, she likes pretty things–"
"Can we not talk about Rinoa?" Squall asked. "Isn't it enough that I'll have to put up with her at this fucking dance?"
Selphie giggled and draped her arms around Squall's shoulders, ignoring his glares. "You're so cute! How about I dance with both you and Seifer at the same time? Would that be okay?"
Squall scowled at the Ragnarok controls for a long minute before grumbling, "Whatever."
Selphie let out a squeal and spun around the cockpit. "Yay!"
"Only one, though!" Squall shouted, turning to glare at her.
Selphie danced back over and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "I know. Thank you, Squall."
"Can I get a kiss?" Seifer wondered, grinning.
"Hmm. I don't know." Selphie pretended to think about that for a bit while Squall returned his attention to the controls, grumbling wordlessly. "Just a quick one!" Selphie decided and leaned over to press a kiss to Seifer's cheek.
Seifer winked at her, only to get hit by an ever-watchful Squall. "What?!"
Squall levelled an unimpressed look at him, then turned away to lead them through the landing procedures.
Squall and Seifer led their party through the Garden to the ball, ignoring the stares they got from those students still out and about. Just inside the door to the ballroom, they met Xu and Angelica, both dressed sharply in their SeeD uniforms. They all traded salutes, then Selphie dragged Irvine off for a dance and Zell left them for someone he knew.
"I'm glad you could make it," Xu commented as the four of them stood off to one corner, sipping at champagne. "I was actually expecting you to turn me down." She looked pointedly at Squall.
Seifer chuckled. "He wanted to, but I talked him around."
"I don't suppose you'd agree to a dance, though," Angelica teased, offering the frowning Headmaster a smile.
Squall took another sip from his glass.
Seifer shook his head. "Sorry, Angelica, but Selphie's the only one who's talked him into a dance." He smirked faintly. "Well, and me."
Squall considered the consequences of tossing his glass at Seifer, then decided it wasn't worth the comments Seifer would give him about wanting him out of his clothes.
Angelica chuckled. "So Neala was right, you two are a couple?"
"What is it with women and gossip?" Seifer wondered, making both Headmistresses laugh. "Yes, we are. We're trying to keep it quiet from the Estharian Council, though."
"Neala mentioned something about assassination attempts in your sleep," Xu offered. "Sounds serious."
"They just don't like us," Squall muttered behind his glass. "They dislike homosexuality almost as much as they fear Garden. We're both."
"Well, they won't hear about it from us," Angelica promised. "Garden sticks together, SeeD even more so." She smiled. "Are you sure you won't dance with me?"
Squall levelled her with a blank look.
Seifer laughed and gently entwined his hand with Squall's free one. "Come on, before Angelica wears you down."
Squall snorted in disbelief, but set his glass on a nearby table and let Seifer lead him out onto the dance floor and away from the laughing Headmistresses.
Seifer and Squall went two dances together, ignoring the whispering around them at two men on the dance floor together. Then Selphie joined them, laughing as they twirled her between them. Seifer looked like he was loving every moment, and even Squall let slip a smile when Selphie ordered him to dip her.
The two Headmasters returned to Xu and Angelica after dancing with Selphie and they discussed recent SeeD missions for a while, as well as how the Estharian students were doing.
Xu was eventually whisked off by a handsome SeeD and Seifer excused himself to use the facilities, leaving Squall and Angelica to their own devices. Angelica was just collecting them a couple more drinks when a dark-haired young woman in a short white dress walked up to the lonely Headmaster, smiling oh-so-prettily. Squall tensed when he saw her and Angelica frowned a bit.
The girl offered Squall a bright smile. "You're the best looking guy here; dance with me?"
"No," Squall replied, voice tight.
The girl's smile just widened. "Let me guess... you'll only dance with someone you like. Okay, then...look into my eyes. You're-going-to-like-me. You're-going-to–"
"Excuse me, miss," Angelica said as politely as she could while giving the girl a sharp glare, "I don't know if you're dumb or deaf, but I do believe Headmaster Squall told you no."
The girl straightened as she considered this information. "Headmaster?" she wondered. "So you know Headmaster Cid, right?"
"Cid is on medical leave for the foreseeable future," Angelica snapped, handing Squall the glass she got for him. "Headmistress Xu is filling his position for the moment."
"Xu?" the girl murmured.
"Rinoa?" Seifer said as he returned to them.
The girl's eyes lit and she turned to the blond teen with a big smile. "Seifer! Goodness, look at you! All dressed up and no one to dance with!"
Seifer snorted. "On the contrary, you're standing next to my date."
Rinoa blinked towards Angelica, but was startled by the quiet voice of the teen she'd just been propositioning. "That would be me, Miss Heartilly." His eyes narrowed as she turned to him. "Or, should I say, Miss Caraway."
"Wha–" Rinoa turned to Seifer, a frown marring her pretty face. "Why would you tell a Headmaster of Garden my last name? To get into his pants? Have you no shame, Almasy?!"
Seifer sighed. "Do you really want to have this argument here?" His eyes flickered towards Squall, who was distracting himself with his champagne.
"I'll have this argument wherever I want!" Rinoa snapped, stomping one foot like a small child who didn't get her way.
Angelica started forward, but Squall held up a hand to stop her. "Seifer can handle her," he murmured.
"So you'll only stay with important people after you've slept with them?!"
"She's verbally attacking a Headmaster," Angelica hissed back. "And she's drawing a crowd!"
"Is that why you left me? Because I wasn't important enough?"
Squall just smirked, feeling no pity for what was about to happen to the girl who might have been his wife in another life.
"Rinoa, I left you because you're vapid, childish, and got on my nerves," Seifer said once she paused long enough to let him get a word in. "You're playing at being a revolutionary to get back at your father because he didn't put your mother's funeral above his own job, but you're doing it in the most weak-willed and cowardly way possible. If you really wanted to punish your father, you would use his name, not your mother's, and make him an outcast in his own army.
"Your 'revolutionary group' mirrors your determination, as pathetic and serious about your 'cause' as you are. Zone is always whining about stomach pains to get out of the serious work, and Watts claims to be an expert information collector, but he never checks his facts and makes people suspicious with how unusually polite he is. Jake, Andrew, and Michael are all too busy playing Triple Triad against each other to care what you're trying to do, never mind that they all suck."
"You– you–"
Next to Squall, Angelica was covering an amused smile. "I guess he can."
"Oh, and the sex was really bad." Seifer put on a cocky smirk.
Rinoa moved her arm back to slap Seifer across the face, only to find her wrist held in an impossibly cold grip. She turned to glare at the person holding her, only to find the icy grey eyes of the Headmaster who claimed to be Seifer's date staring down at her. "I would very much suggest against attacking my co-Headmaster in a room full of SeeDs, Miss Heartilly," he said in an icy voice. "Perhaps it's time you take your leave."
Rinoa felt her wrist going numb as she looked around for help, only to find a room full of disapproving gazes. Even the band had stopped playing to watch the scene unfold and Rinoa finally realised that she would have been better off having her argument with Seifer out of public, but she'd honestly thought she'd win; she always won.
"Zell," Seifer called, catching sight of the familiar blond hair, "why don't you escort Miss Heartilly to her ride?"
Zell cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward with a nasty smile on his face. "It would be my pleasure, Headmaster."
"In one piece, Zell," Squall added drily, letting go of Rinoa's wrist.
Xu, off to one side of the group and waiting to intervene if it had been necessary, motioned to the band and they quickly struck up a lively song. People slowly trickled away as Zell none-too-gently showed Rinoa out of the ballroom.
Seifer joined Squall and took his still-cold hand, absently sending his own magic to warm it up. "Okay?" he whispered.
Squall nodded. "Yeah. You?"
Seifer grinned. "Are you kidding? That felt fantastic."
Squall snorted.
"It's almost a pity to have scared such a pretty girl away," Irvine commented as he and Selphie joined the four Heads. "More of a pity that she was such a brat."
"That was all kinds of awesome," Selphie informed Seifer, grabbing onto his free arm and waving it around a bit, which Seifer tolerated with a roll of his eyes, used to Selphie grabbing at his arm by now. "And she totally deserved it."
"She's not...a bad person..." Squall offered, grimacing at their disbelieving looks. Seifer, who knew about Squall's previous life, understood where he was coming from, but didn't offer any assistance.
"Squall, she came in here and tried to, first, verbally dress down a SeeD, then hit him," Xu offered. "Never mind that Seifer's one of the Headmasters of Esthar Garden."
Squall shifted uncomfortably. "I know. It's just..." He twisted his fingers in Seifer's grasp until Seifer tightened his grip, refusing to let go. "She's naive and spoiled, yes, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person, per say. She's..." He sighed. "Whatever."
Everyone looked at Squall a little oddly for a moment before Selphie tactfully changed the subject, asking, "So, Seifer, is the sex with Squall better than with Rinoa?"
Seifer choked and turned to give the tiny SeeD a disbelieving look while Xu, Angelica, and Irvine all laughed. Squall just grimaced and took a long swallow of his champagne.
"Well?" Selphie asked when Seifer continued to stare at her.
"He wouldn't know," Squall offered, having regained his composure before the blond.
"Whaaaat?!" Selphie leaned around Seifer to give Squall a wide-eyed look.
"He won't let me," Seifer muttered, pouting a bit.
"Seriously?" Irvine wondered. "It's been, what, at least a month? What are you waiting for? The wedding vows?"
Squall set his empty glass aside and turned to Seifer. "We're dancing," he informed the taller teen before dragging him out onto the floor.
"I'd say that's Squall's way of ending that discussion," Xu commented with a smile.
Selphie sighed and took a hold of Irvine's arm, since Seifer was gone. "I guess it's not all that surprising, knowing Squall, but still..."
"It's not like they advertise their relationship," Irvine pointed out. "I don't think anyone in Esthar but us and Squall's dad know they're together. Even the rest of the staff are left blissfully unaware. This is the first time I've seen them being particularly public about it, and even still, it's just dancing. It's not like they're kissing out on the dance floor or anything."
They all turned to observe the two Headmasters. They were dancing only as close as the music dictated, moving in perfect sync, without a misstep. One could easily mistake them for a couple of friends dancing together just to get out onto the dance floor, even knowing they were together; they simply gave no obvious clues to their relationship.
"One day, they should be able to do that in Esthar," Selphie whispered. "Dancing together, or even just holding hands in public..."
"The Council won't live forever," Irvine murmured.
"We're SeeD," Selphie pointed out. "There's a very good chance they'll outlive us, even if they're all dead by the end of the year. Especially with the way Seifer and Squall are always training."
"Hey." Zell came to a stop next to Selphie, eyes joining the others' in following the two Headmasters. "I ran into Quistis outside. She said she's getting the last of her things ready and asked that one of us let her know when we're leaving."
Xu sighed. "It won't be the same without Quistis here. But..." She sighed again, making all of them look at her. "She had a really hard time this year, being an instructor. I kept trying to tell her she wasn't ready for it, but she insisted she was. If it weren't for Squall and Seifer insisting she join you lot in Esthar, I would have had to fire her tonight. I did tell them that she wasn't cut out for being an instructor, but Squall seems pretty certain that she can handle it if she's teaching with students she didn't grow up with."
"I never thought I'd make a good instructor," Irvine offered, shrugging the shoulder of the arm Selphie wasn't holding captive, "especially with how young I am, but I like teaching the little brats, and they seem to like learning from me. And they do learn."
"It helps that they're all younger than us," Selphie agreed. "I think the oldest is fifteen, but the others are all under thirteen."
"They're not used to having SeeDs around," Zell added. "It's a novelty to them, and they truly believe we deserve their respect. It's not like here, where you see SeeDs everyday and eat in the cafeteria with them, or piss in the latrine next to them."
"Thank you for that lovely mental image, SeeD Dincht," Xu replied drily.
Zell grinned, unrepentant. "The point is, Esthar's a good place for new instructors, and by the time they get used to having us around, they'll already have plenty of respect for us. It'll never be quite as closely knit as Balamb, and maybe things will get tougher once we set up the exchange programs, but it's not a bad Garden, for all that it's not quite a month old."
"It's home," Selphie decided.
"Good," Angelica said, smiling. "That's what a Garden should always, first and foremost, be: your home."
"Fuck it's cold," Zell hissed as he, Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine stole across the lawn to the waiting Ragnarok. Squall and Seifer had just called them all out there, at two in the morning, for no good reason.
The two Headmasters and Ellone stood waiting by the end of the hanger ramp, looking serious and a little sad.
"What's this about?" Quistis demanded, her teeth chattering slightly in the early morning chill.
"We're leaving on a mission," Seifer reported. "It's something Laguna set us before we started this Garden, and we can't not do it."
"You should have told us to get our gear," Irvine commented.
"You're not coming with," Squall informed them, eyes icy. "This is a two-person mission. You four need to take care of Garden in our absence."
"Irvine, you're in charge," Seifer continued over their denials, "since you have seniority at this Garden; Quistis, you're second-in-command, as you have seniority as both a SeeD and an instructor. Selphie, Zell, we expect you to support them."
"If everything goes completely to shit," Squall added, eyes piercing Irvine, "there are a list of instructions in the bottom left-hand drawer of my desk. I ask that you not go in there unless there's a real emergency, but I'll hardly be here to stop you." He offered a grim smile.
"Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye?" Selphie whispered, voice choked with tears.
Ellone stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a hug. "Because there's a very large chance that this mission will kill them."
"No!" Selphie shouted, struggling against Ellone's hold. "No! No!"
"Selphie..." Ellone whispered, holding her little sister all the tighter.
"Elle, we need to go," Seifer said neutrally.
"I'm sorry," Ellone whispered into Selphie's hair before stepping back to join the two gunbladers, leaving Selphie to Irvine to comfort.
"Take care of Garden," Squall ordered.
"You have to come back!" Quistis snapped, eyes bright with tears. "You have to!"
"You can't just leave like this!" Zell added. "What about the kids? What about this? Everything?"
Squall and Seifer said nothing in response, simply hit the control to close the hanger door, both grim-faced. Behind them, Ellone had turned away, hands covering her face.
"No!" Selphie screamed, reaching for the Ragnarok even as Irvine pulled her back, out of the way of the engines.
The four of them remained staring after the Ragnarok as it took off towards Esthar City, Selphie sobbing bitterly into the shirt Irvine had thrown on inside out when Squall had called him.
"They have to come back," Quistis whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
"What sort of dad would send his own son on a mission that meant his death?" Zell snarled, holding onto his anger to keep from crying himself.
"What kind of person would create a Garden and bring his family together, even knowing he's going to be going to his death soon?" Irvine asked quietly, heart aching. "They wanted to leave their mark, to be remembered. This was their home, and we're their family; it's up to us to make sure they're not forgotten."
"Those bastards!" Zell hissed, voice cracking as a tear slipped free. "Those fucking bastards."
"What are we going to tell the students?" Quistis whispered.
"That they're on a difficult mission," Irvine replied, shaking his head. "Tell them to keep thinking about them, to wish them luck, or pray for them, if that's in their belief system. Let them believe they're coming back, but don't outright say it'll happen; promise nothing." He gently pushed Selphie back and wiped his thumbs under her eyes. "We need to be strong for the students, and the other staff. This won't be easy, but this is our duty." He looked up at Quistis and Zell. "We're SeeD; this is what we signed up for. Loved ones die, but you keep on. Keep moving forward."
Quistis managed a watery smile. "No wonder Squall left you in charge."
Irvine nodded back towards Garden. "Let's figure out what we're going to say to everyone when they wake up in a couple hours."
"Good idea," Quistis agreed, gently prodding Zell towards Garden while Irvine led Selphie.
It was going to be a long morning.
"We're going to be landing by the Tomb again," Squall reported to the cockpit as he and Seifer considered their controls. "The Esthar technicians managed to install OCS panels on the hull, so we should be able to, mostly, camouflage the Ragnarok from curious observers, but we're not sure how well everything is going to work, so we're still staying away from the city."
"I was wondering what they were up to last week when she was in dock," Laguna commented quietly from his seat. He was outfitted in full battle gear, but none of them believed he would be required; he was only there to keep Ellone safe and fly the Ragnarok back once Squall and Seifer were gone, having been added to the DNA lock.
In the comm chair, Ellone twisted her skirt, wishing she could manage the same preternatural calm that Laguna, Squall, and Seifer employed, but she really just felt like a wreck. She was about to say goodbye to her two brothers, possibly for the last time, and was even the one sending them to their certain doom. But if she didn't do it...
"...she fired missiles on Trabia Garden and levelled it," Squall's voice from over a month ago reminded her. "...Ultimecia ended up taking over Galbadia Garden and we clashed in Centra. A...lot of people died. On both sides... ...Ultimecia's Knight had found the Lunatic Pandora and brought it to rest over Tear's Point. That started the Lunar Cry..."
'I have to choose between my brothers, and the whole world,' Ellone knew. 'Either they die trying to save everyone, or they die because no one could stop her. It's not fair.'
"We'll be stuck in the presidential residence for quite a few hours," Seifer commented in a monotone. "You might want to bring one of your magazines, Elle."
Ellone looked down at the pile of fashion magazine shoved under her chair and felt sick at the thought of looking at pretty dresses and accessories while her brothers prepared to die. "No," she whispered. "I'll be okay."
'I wish you could promise me this would all turn out okay. I wish I knew for sure that you'd be back. I wish... I wish you'd look at me – either of you – and show me just a little bit of the fear I know you must be feeling! I wish I could have screamed at you like Selphie did, to beg you to, "Stop! Go back! Let someone else die!" But I know I can't. I can't ask you not to save the world, just like you can't agree to stop.'
Squall landed them at last and they all marched out of the Ragnarok and towards Deling City, Squall pausing only long enough to lock up his ship and turn on the OCS, skipping the booby trap for Laguna's sake.
Once in Deling, Seifer led the way down into the sewers and into the presidential residence, having studied maps of the maze for the past couple of weeks during his free time. In the residence, they slipped into a cupboard near the platform Ultimecia would be giving her speech from, then settled in to wait.
Ellone didn't want to wait. She didn't want to have to think about what was about to happen, about what she was about to do to her brothers. She leaned against Laguna and took comfort in the arm he slipped around her shoulders. She took comfort, too, in the way Squall and Seifer held hands, for all that they sat apart, faces stoic masks; even if they had to go to their deaths, at least they could face them together.
Finally, it was time. They could hear the crowds screaming in the distance, and Seifer and Squall got to their feet to stretch.
"Stay here," Seifer ordered. "We'll call you out when it's time."
Ellone and Laguna nodded in understanding, and the two SeeDs slipped out to wait for Ultimecia.
They'd watched the broadcast from Timber a few days ago, but Seifer still startled a little when he saw Matron's lovely face so twisted with cruelty. 'It's not Matron,' he reminded himself, mentally shaking himself.
"Sorceress Ultimecia," Squall called.
Sharp yellow eyes turned to the two SeeDs waiting in the shadows and Edea's lips curled with a cruel smile. "What's this? A surprise attack in my own home?"
"We're not here to attack you, Ultimecia," Squall replied, opening his hands and proving he was unarmed, at least for the moment; the handle of his gunblade jutted out to one side behind him, easily within his reach.
"No? Then what? Reason with me?" the Sorceress laughed.
"We're here to help you complete Time Compression," Squall offered. "Exactly what you want."
Her eyes narrowed, distrust flaring. "And for what? Why would I trust a couple SeeDs?"
"We're not SeeDs," Seifer retorted, hoping against all hope that no one had thought to tell the Sorceress that he and Squall had been made SeeDs after all. "In case you haven't heard, we quit Garden almost two months ago."
"Ha!" Ultimecia sneered at them. "My Knight told me much the same thing, my children, but I did not believe him. SeeD is in your blood, your destiny." She slid towards them, her face a mask of kindness and mercy; it made a chill go down Seifer's spine and he fought the urge to just slam her with a fireball. The only ice he wanted anywhere near him was Squall.
"You've damned us all," a new voice moaned and the two gunbladers turned to watch Cid Kramer stumble into the room. "We're all going to die."
'Well, I guess Xu was right; he really has lost it,' Seifer thought before returning his attention to the real threat.
"We came to offer you Ellone," Squall said firmly. "Will you take our peace offering, or do we have to fight you in our mother's body?"
Ultimecia let out a high laugh and idly flicked a finger at Cid as he gave a roar of desperation and ran at the two teens, sending him flying backwards into the wall. "You've brought Ellone? Let me see her. Prove yourselves."
Seifer knocked lightly on the door behind him, the signal for Laguna and Ellone to come out.
The door opened and the two came out, Ellone whispering, "Oh, Matron. What has she done to you?"
Ultimecia laughed again. "Oh, very good, my children. Perhaps I shall take you both as my Knights. I'll rule all of eternity, with fallen SeeDs at my sides."
"We'd make terrible Knights," Seifer informed her.
"Send her back," Squall ordered Ellone and the young woman quickly closed her eyes to do so. When Edea collapsed, Squall ordered, "Now just Matron."
There was a moan from Edea's prone form and her eyes, once again dark brown, fluttered open. She looked up at Squall and Seifer uncertainly as the teens rechecked their equipment and weapons: knives, some back-up guns, Hyperion and Squall's old-new Lion Heart. "My...children...?" she whispered.
"They've damned us all," Cid moaned.
"Shut up, you pathetic fool!" Seifer spat. "We haven't damned anyone. We can't fight Ultimecia in the now, not with her possessing people; we have to go to her. Through the Time Compression, if we must."
Squall turned to his father as Ellone hurried over to Edea. "Take care of Sis."
Laguna managed a shaky smile. "I will. Go get rid of that crazy bitch for us."
"We will," Squall promised. His eyes shifted awkwardly to one side before he leaned forward and hugged his father, much to Laguna's surprise. When he pulled back, he wore a faint smile. "Goodbye... Dad."
"Goodbye, Squall," Laguna whispered as Squall and Seifer entwined their fingers and the room started to melt away. "I love you..."
And then Squall and Seifer were spiralling away into nothingness, eyes squeezed shut and thinking, desperately, of the orphanage.
The final showdown with Ultimecia.
"If we get out of this alive, I'm going to tie you to our bed and fuck you until your head spins," Seifer informed Squall as they fought their way through Ultimecia's castle.
"If we get out of here alive, you can do whatever you want to me," Squall replied drily as he slammed another monster with a bolt of ice, impaling it on the wall behind it.
"Was that a promise?" Seifer shot him a lecherous smile.
"Yes. Now stop staring at me like I'm for dinner and kill something."
Seifer chuckled and threw a couple of fireballs at some approaching Oilboyles, charring them nicely. "Look! Dinner!"
Squall sighed and dragged Seifer after him as he continued moving, with certainty, towards the tower where Ultimecia resided. They'd had to take a couple detours to get the blocks off their magic, GF and item usage, as well as the ability to draw magic – Squall had informed Seifer that Ultimecia had magic they'd want – but that hadn't been much trouble, especially with Squall's memories of the place.
Finally, they stepped into Ultimecia's tower and stared grimly up at where she sat on her dais, gunblades bared.
Ultimecia bestowed fond smiles on them as she floated down to the ground. "At last, my Knights..." she whispered, reaching out for them.
"We're not your Knights," Seifer spat, fire flaring in his eyes. "And we'd never be your Knights."
"We're SeeD," Squall added, ice frosting his voice. "It's our duty to destroy Sorceresses, especially you."
"You said you kuwit Garden," Ultimecia hissed, jerking back.
"We did, and they took us back, gave us the SeeD exam and passed us. We're the Headmasters of Esthar Garden." Squall's eyes flashed with victory as Ultimecia reeled. "We're the Liberi Fatali, the Fated Children. You will die here; whether we fall with you or not is of no consequence."
"We won't lose," Seifer added before running forward, Hyperion's blade lighting with fire as he brought it down across her chest.
Squall followed directly on Seifer's tail, delivering a similar blow made of ice from the opposite direction.
They continued to fight without falter, tossing Elixirs whenever one of them started to look tired or worn around the edges. They fought through Ultimecia, then Griever, then Ultimecia possessing Griever – Seifer finally understood why that shirt had made Squall so sick – and, finally, Ultimecia as a two-part, less-than-human creature, which they drew an impressively powerful spell from, as Squall said they could.
And through it all, they utilised a mix of Sorceresses magic, para-magic and physical attacks, ignoring Ultimecia's jeers when she'd realised that the 'Legendary SeeDs' were Sorceresses themselves.
Finally, Ultimecia let out her dying wail and Squall reached out his hand towards Seifer, reaching, reaching...
The tips of their fingers had just touched when there was nothing but darkness, the same darkness that haunted Squall's worst nightmares. "Seifer?" he called, turning around. "Sei–" His voice caught and he felt sick. 'No. Oh, please, no. No, not again. No, no, no...'
"Seifer!" he shouted, stumbling forward. "SEIFER!"
There was no answer. Squall had been left behind.
Again.
-0-0-0-
A/N: OMG! That's such a cruel place to leave it, isn't it? I'm such a meanie.
I kept getting sniffly while writing this chapter; all those goodbyes... I think I might cry. (But I didn't sniffle while writing that ending. I sort of... cackled, actually. Is that bad?)
One more chapter to go!
~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
7 - Voice From the Past ||| 8 - Hold Me Without Touch
..
