Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

What if Seifer turned Ultimecia down in the broadcast station? What if Squall became her Knight instead? Would Seifer be able to lead Garden to victory? AU, rated M for Seifer's mouth.

I do not and never will own Final Fantasy VIII

//\\

"I don't care what you call me. I am not going with you!!" Squall could hear Seifer's voice echo through the broadcast station corridor. When he finally could see what was going on, he halted in surprise.

Seifer had let President Deling go, and instead held his gunblade in a threatening manner on some strange woman, someone who Squall had the strangest feeling he'd met somewhere, but had no idea of where the faint feeling of familiarity came from. The feeling was even stronger than when he'd seen the strange girl in the training room with Quistis. It was important that he knew who the woman was; he knew it. Who was she…?

Seifer caught sight of him. "Back off, Leonhart," the failed SeeD called out. "This lady is real bad news. I'll handle this."

"Like you handled the exam? Don't make me laugh." was the automatic retort. He was Squad Leader of the team assigned to Timber; the course of action was his to decide. Plus, after so many years of sparing with Seifer, verbally and otherwise, actually listening to him was next to impossible. From what he could see, the woman Seifer was holding at the point of his gunblade was utterly relaxed, as if she wasn't being threatened by someone who had vary nearly passed the SeeD exam, though the reason he'd failed was definitely not for lack of skill.

She laughed, a lovely and carefree sound, light as tinkling water. For a moment, Squall thought he heard the sound of waves, ocean waves, pounding on the shore. Abruptly, he shook his head, dislodging the sensation. Focus, you are a SeeD on mission; a screw up now could cost lives.

Like Zell's mistake likely already had. Deling now knew that they were from Garden, thanks to a truly amateurish mistake from the tattooed blond. How on earth had the martial artist passed the psych prerequisites for the exams while still being capable of making that kind of mistake? Garden could expect retaliation for this. It was his job to be sure the mission didn't get any more fucked up than it already was.

Drawing his own gunblade, he motioned Seifer to back off. The blond frowned, but stepped back a few paces, obviously recognizing that this wasn't the time or place for a disagreement. Turning to the strange woman, he asked bluntly, "Who are you."

She laughed again. "You know me, Squall. I've been looking for you for years."

What? Who was this person, why did she claim to know him, and did she say she had been looking for him? Forcibly, he repeated his words, trying to keep the conversation on grounds he understood. "Who are you? What do you want?"

She ignored his words. Moving closer, she disregarded the threat of his naked gunblade and ran gentle fingers over the new scar that Seifer had given him. "Poor Squall. Trying so hard to be grown up. Trying to put your heart on ice, so that it doesn't hurt so much when they leave you. Am I right?"

Who was this woman? How did she know his secret fear, the reason why he avoided everyone back at Garden? If he wasn't close to anyone, it wouldn't hurt so much when they left. And they would. They all left. Everyone did. Who? He couldn't remember…

"You're wondering who I am? Don't worry about that now. Come with me, and I'll make everything clear." Why couldn't he concentrate? Could she read his thoughts?

"Hey, Puberty-Boy! Snap out of it!!" distantly he heard Seifer shout, but it didn't matter. Nothing did, except that voice, slipping through all the chinks in his armor, settling around his soul.

"I don't need you around anymore." There was a harsh edge to the seductive Voice, but surely he was mistaken. A heavy thud followed by a cry of pain sounded, but it was beyond his notice. "Come Squall, come to me and you will never be alone again. I alone will never leave you, I promise."

Not hearing the protests voiced by his rival, instructor, and teammates, Squall followed his Sorceress away.

//\\

Eyes watering with pain, Seifer watched his rival leave. Holy Hyne, what had that bitch hit him with anyway? He'd had harder hits from Puberty Boy and shaken them off with ease. But one intangible touch from some mind-raping bitch and he was frozen. Not literally, as he wasn't physically pinned down by ice.

He cast his mind back to when he'd first encountered the bitch. After Chicken-wuss made the worst possible mistake in the handbook, he'd been backing out of the broadcast studio with his hostage when he'd felt something touch his mind with the subtlety of frost. Given that he preferred Ifrit to Shiva, the cooling touch was more than enough to get his attention.

Instantly, his priorities had shifted from the hostage, to the bitch screaming THREAT all over her prissy clothes and hair. Then she started calling him a boy, saying that to shed his childhood he needed to come with her. NO ONE called him a boy. Not even Leonhart. Hyperion had still been unsheathed, and he used it to try to get her to back off. No matter what she called him, no matter whatever it was she was offering, he wasn't interested.

He'd hoped that she'd back off when he told her "no" since she didn't seem to be intimidated by Hyperion, but Leonhart had chosen that moment to barge into the standoff, redirecting her attention. He could almost 'feel' her decision, the cool calculation that said that if she couldn't have the one; then she'd take the other, just if not more, capable one.

Then she started pushing every emotional button Leonhart had. Like it hadn't been all that hard to figure out that Leonhart feared being abandoned, but letting his rival know he knew would show that he cared. And everyone knew that those who put on an icy front did so as armor (he ignored the whispers in his head that said that his brash arrogance was another way to shield the same vulnerability). He'd tried to regain his rival's attention, anything to keep the bitch out of his mind, but had only ended up in his current predicament.

He swore as luridly as possible, absently internally smirking at Instructor Trepe's and Chicken-wuss's embarrassed flushes at his vocabulary. He also noticed that the yellow messenger-girl (he thought her name was Selphie Til-something or other) was fascinated by the colorful phrases; likely too busy embedding them in her memory to be shocked. Leonhart was gone, ensnared by a mind-sucking leech that wanted to use his skills for world domination or some other such purpose. Truthfully, he didn't have much of a problem with the reason. Though he hadn't passed the exam, he'd taken it enough times to be well aware of the fact that SeeDs were mercenaries who if contracted to do so, would gladly slaughter an entire country and not lose a single minute of sleep over it. What he did mind was the fact that she had stolen his rival to do so. Leonhart was His.

A thought occurred to him, and he chuckled, almost in spite of himself. Instantly, Instructor Trepe was on his ass. "What's so funny, Seifer." She demanded.

"Just that you'll have to make me a SeeD now." He grinned, showing all his teeth.

"What the Hell are you talking about Seifer!!? You failed the exams, broke out of detention, caused an international incident, and endangered Garden. Why on earth should you be made a SeeD!"

"I won't deny the first two, but the third was the intention for an assigned mission, I just speeded the process up a bit. As for the last, that was Chicken-wuss being even more of a moron than he usually is, not me. As for why I should be made SeeD?" he grinned again. "I'm the only one who has a chance to Hyne of kicking Leonhart's ass and bringing him back to Garden. Not that I need to be a SeeD to do that of course."

The good instructor blinked, the actual logic behind Seifer's reply momentarily stunning her. Then her composure returned. "You make good points, but I doubt Headmaster Cid will instate you as a SeeD simply to catch Squall. I know the two of you are extremely talented but there are plenty of SeeDs that are equally skilled."

"You just don't get it, do you Trepe." The blond groaned, getting to his feet. "It's not a question of skill; it's a question of stubborn. Only one person is both good enough with weapons, and bullheaded enough to go head to head with him and get out alive, and that's yours truly. Not to mention, Puberty Boy's found the one person be believes will never leave him, so he's going to fight all that much harder for that." The blank looks on his companions' faces infuriated the blond. "Hyne's fucking balls, I can't be the only person who figured it out! One of the ways I found to get him going all out was to imply that I'd leave and get another sparring partner. It's the whole reason he avoids people back at garden, if he isn't close to anyone, it won't hurt when they leave. And in his mind they always leave. Now he's got a mind-fucking bitch in his head that tells him that she will never leave him. Do the math, Instructor."

"But Squall wouldn't betray Garden!" Seifer glared at the spiky blond, it was his fault that all this was happening. He needed to keep his beak shut to avoid any more chances of something going wrong again.

"Puberty Boy's not in his right mind, Chicken-wuss, or did you not just hear me? Now keep your beak shut before I need to do it for you." he waved Hyperion for extra emphasis, sheathed the gunblade, and shook his head regretfully. "Come on, someone has to tell the Old Fart about what happened to Leonhart. With any luck, we'll get a mission to retrieve him." Without another word, he strode out of the backroom; the SeeD's following behind him. Reentering the main studio, he nearly tripped over a dark haired girl dressed in blue that looked pretty familiar. "Rinoa?"

She smiled at him, "Hi Seifer. Sorry to hear that you didn't make it as a SeeD."

"The only reason I failed, is that I discovered the true objective of the enemy during the exam, and disobeyed orders to neutralize it. The other members of my squad passed just fine." he replied shortly. He shook his head, impatient. He didn't want to think about the exam just now. Right now, all he could think about was getting Leonhart's skinny, leather-clad ass back to Garden where it belonged. There was no one else in the whole facility able to give him a proper fight if the brunet was gone. That's all there was to it. If he got SeeD status to go along with the return of his rival, that would be just a bonus. On the other hand, thanks to Chicken-wuss's loose lips, there was Galbadia's potential retaliation to consider. If the tattooed freak had simply kept his mouth shut like the messenger girl, there wouldn't be this problem. Sure Deling would have been furious, but he wouldn't have known exactly who to blame for the attack.

"Seifer," Trepe called from behind him, no doubt trying to keep up.

"What?" he insolently replied.

"How do you know so much about the Sorceress?" she asked, honestly curious.

"Is that who the broad with the serious case of fashion maladjustment was?" he asked, half seriously. At Trepe's angry glare, he put his hands up in mock-surrender. "I didn't know who she was, not precisely. She tried to get her hooks into me, first. I was in the process of telling her to go the hell, when Leonhart interrupted me, and caught her attention. I could see her getting to him, but nothing I did made any difference. You arrived; she disappeared, taking Leonhart with her. You know the rest."

She blinked, and adjusted her glasses. "Wow, you actually made a mature decision. I'm surprised at you."

He snarled, wishing he could call Ifrit down on her smug little head. Unfortunately, he wasn't Junctioned, given that he hadn't had enough time during his break out to grab a GF. Plus, with his luck, Leonhart might have had his favorite GF with him when he…. was taken. But then, Squally-boy had always preferred Shiva and had a low compatibility with Ifrit. And while some SeeDs would call leaving Garden without at least one GF suicide, he knew that his physical skills with hand-to-hand and his weapon were more than enough for most monsters and any soldiers he would find. His ass was toast if he went up against another GF, but hey, he hadn't planned on fighting them.

Fighting…. right, there was something that he had to do right now. Sure, the job was technically supposed to be done by Leonhart, but as he was unavailable, Chicken-wuss and the messenger-girl were morons whom he doubted were even aware of the legalities behind what he was about to do, and Trepe had no initiative to speak of, the job fell to him. Going up to Rinoa, obviously the on-mission contact for the Forest Owls, he told her using the formal language required when invoking the Breach of Contract Clause, woven in to any SeeD contract, "as your immediate errand has been completed, and as Garden has other responsibilities to care for at this moment, I hereby cancel the contract between us. If you have any complaints with how SeeD has handled itself in the field, or would like to negotiate another contract once Garden has completed its other business, I suggest you speak to Headmaster Cid Kramer at Balamb Garden for any details that may come up." A formal SeeD salute, to which his old girlfriend clumsily returned, and he went back to his openmouthed companions. Predictably, Trepe pitched a fit as soon as they were outside the range of civilian ears.

"You had no right to dissolve the contract Seifer." If her voice got any colder, she'd be imitating Diamond Dust. "None whatsoever. You have no authority when it comes to Garden matters..."

"But that's where you're wrong, Trepe." He flashed one of his trademark smirks. "As a member of the Disciplinary Committee, I have authority equal to that of an Instructor." Huh. Why had that of all things made Tight-Ass-Trepe color? Who cared? "Even though I'm not officially a SeeD, Disciplinary Committee members have the authority to override even the orders of assigned Squad leaders in the field, if there is evidence of breaches of Garden conduct in order to neutralize potential situations detrimental to Garden." Seifer cast a predatory look at Dincht, whose tattoo was standing out in even starker relief than usual. "And I think that we have 2 such instances here, a case of desertion and a case of implication of Garden's presence during a mission, therefore I am more than justified in taking command." He grinned, bouncing on his toes in false good cheer. "So, who's up for going to Galbadia Garden?"

"Wait!" the group paused, looking back to see Rinoa running after them. She stopped just behind them, panting slightly from the effort of catching up. "Could you take me with you? I just heard from Zone, I can't stay in Timber any longer; the Galbadian army's destroyed the hideout. The others got away, but the army's looking for me, and I don't have any way to get out of town on my own." She turned on the full force of what she believed to be her charm of Seifer. To think he'd actually fallen for it once upon a time. Hyne's balls, what had he been drinking then? "I know that the contract is no longer valid, but… could you do me this one favor? Please?"

"Sure!" squealed the messenger-girl, though Trepe looked a bit cautious at the prospect. But then, she'd be more aware of what could go wrong with escorting an unaffiliated civilian through the wilds and into a Garden without a contract. If the contract had still been active, it wouldn't have been a problem, but Seifer stood by his decision. The mission had been too much for three rookies, even if Leonhart had been one of them. The prospect of Galbadia's retribution, was more than enough reason for Garden to pull in its reserves, not to mention whatever it was that the Sorceress-bitch had planned that required someone of Leonhart's caliber to pull off. If he had to guess, the Timber independence mission wouldn't be the last one to be canceled. Ah fuck it, there was no getting away from the fact that he had to escort clingy-Miss Rinoa at least all the way to Galbadia Garden, perhaps longer if he didn't manage to ditch her there.

"Fine, just don't slow us down. I know you can take most monsters, but don't make one of us come back and save you." He snapped, relenting with ill grace.

//\\

Squall stood tall behind his Lady, who had revealed Herself to be the Sorceress Edea, soon-to-be appointed Peace Ambassador by President Deling. He snorted at the foolish notion that anyone could command his Lady, but for now it suited Her purpose to allow the president to believe he did so. It was Her that had convinced the idiot to drop all measures against Garden, though truthfully he would have been hard-pressed to carry out the promised retaliation, as an offensive against Garden, so soon after stating his desire for Peace, would damage his plans in the long run. He watched as She finished addressing the fool, knowing full well that She was only waiting for the right time to dispose of the trash. Finally She left, not waiting to be dismissed, as was Her right.

"Have you finished the security arrangements for the parade, My knight?" She asked; referring to the parade scheduled to follow the ceremony confirming Her appointment as they passed through the halls to return to Her rooms.

"Yes."

"Did you have to dispose of many guards before you found ones who can be trusted?"

"Some. Not as many as I expected. The guards are trained to be loyal and follow orders, no matter who happens to be giving them."

"Good. Will the security arraignments be enough to thwart any schemes by SeeD should they try to infiltrate?"

"I can't predict how the Gardens will act."

"Do you think they will try to get you back?

"Even if they try, they will fail. My place is at your side."

That startled a laugh from Her. "My Loyal Lion." She said as he opened the door for Her. "I have a gift for you as a token of My faith in you."

"The only reward I need is to continue serving you."

"That is exactly why I must give you this." She crossed the entrance hall, entering Her private chamber and came back carrying a gunblade case. "Take this, Squall Leonhart, take this and use it against My enemies."

Opening the case, he found a gunblade unlike any he had ever seen before. It was of the Revolver design, the same as his current gunblade, only this gunblade glowed with a deadly pale blue gleam, illuminating the stylized drawing of a roaring lion inscribed onto the blade. Almost against his will, Squall's left hand flew to the Griever pendant he had never taken off. It was a perfect match.

"Does it have a name?" he said, awe shinning through his voice at the magnificence of the weapon, only daring to ask anything of his Lady due to his preoccupation with the magnificent gunblade. As soon as he realized what he had done, he hastened to apologize. "Forgive me. It is not my place to question you."

She smiled indulgently. "I will allow it this time. Yes, it does have a name, one that is well suited to you. It is called LionHeart. As you are My knight, and you have the heart of Griever himself, it is only right for you to wield it."

Slowly, reverently, he picked up the gunblade. Kneeling before his Lady with the glowing gunblade in a formal salute he promised, "As long as I wield this, all of Your enemies might as well be already dead."

Looking at the ground in submission, he didn't see the cold, cruel smile bloom on Her face at his words.

//\\

By the time the party arrived at Galbadia Garden, Seifer was nearly ready to unsheathe Hyperion and gut someone, preferably Chicken-wuss or Rinoa. The whole way there she hadn't shut up at all, talking about everything her spoiled little mind could come up with, and actually encouraging Tilmitt, who was enough of a chatterbox on her own, And let's not forget the weird dream encounter where he'd appeared to be an idiot who talked too much and could hardly tell which end of his gun was the business end. But, there was something about the moron that almost reminded him of Leonhart, something in the way he looked when he'd study a problem, but then the idiot would ruin it and spout some inane nonsense.

When Trepe reported back from her meeting with Headmaster Martine that apparently Deling had somehow decided not to move against Garden, Seifer's eyes had narrowed. He didn't for a moment believe that an egomaniac like Deling would have simply called off the hunt. That smelled like a cover-up for something that was going to be even more fucked-up than a direct attack on Garden when the shit hit the fan. He could see the relief on the chicken's face when he realized he wouldn't be to blame for a massed attack on the only home he knew, but Seifer had just enough compassion for the idiot not to twist the knife any deeper than he had already. He had other things to worry about.

Like what the fuck had happened to Squall? According to the Galbadian Headmaster, there had been no word of Leonhart's movements, which was fucking impossible, as there were very few who answered his rival's description, or came close to matching his skills. Seifer was positive that his own movements had been noticed by at least 3 Garden information specialists, despite choosing to travel backcountry as to avoid the Galbadian army. The only reason he could find for having no word was that someone was covering up Puberty-Boy's movements from high up, like perhaps, the Sorceress-bitch.

The only bright spot he could find at was reuniting with his posse. Fujin and Raijin had been detailed to send new orders to Squall's team, and had been understandably alarmed that the Sorceress had been able to corrupt Leonhart of all people, well, as much as Fujin could be alarmed. He didn't know what the orders were; he'd been tossed from the room with Prissy-pants Rinoa while Trepe and the others were briefed; at least, not officially. Fujin and Raijin had filled him in on the specifics. It was a termination order on no less than Sorceress Edea herself, co-signed by both Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden, and Headmaster Martine of Galbadia Garden. A Galbadian sharpshooter would be attached to the party from Balamb for the actual deed, the Balamb SeeD's were to provide back up and support.

He planned on attaching himself to the party as well. Both Messenger-girl and Chicken-wuss were too new to know much of anything about field operations, and Trepe couldn't put on her uniform without orders. Someone would have to be the there to keep the details straight, not to mention, there was always a chance that the sniper would miss, and that meant that he'd have an opportunity to face Leonhart. Putting Puberty-Boy in his place again would do wonders for his mood.

Lazily, he straightened up from his slouched posture as the three from Balamb with the addition of one newcomer neared his position. Seifer eyed the well-worn shotgun of the newcomer, held in an easy firing position even within the relative safety of the owner's home Garden. This would be the sharpshooter, young certainly, but without a doubt good at his craft or he wouldn't be assigned to the mission. There was a predatory laziness to the sniper's movements, one Seifer had seen before in others who practiced the same trade.

"And who are you?" the sniper asked, almost rudely. Seifer grinned at the implied challenge. This looked to be almost as fun as baiting Leonhart.

"The name's Seifer Almasy, Cowboy. And do I get a return introduction?

"Irvine Kinneas. Now why would such a handsome man as yourself be waiting outside the door?" the last was said in a polite drawl that almost masked the implied challenge and threat in the words. Almost.

"Waiting." was all he replied, flashing Kinneas with one of his trademark smirks. He could see the Cowboy visibly struggle with his temper, then forcibly relaxed, settling into a determinately affable grin. Oh, yes, the Cowboy was definitely a fun one to be around. His smirk widened by a hair.

A smack on his shoulder, thankfully on his left one to prevent the bruise from impacting the use of Hyperion, recalled his mind to business. "BEHAVE" the silver haired girl intoned.

"Why are you still here, Seifer? You aren't coming with us." Why oh why couldn't Trepe give it a rest? He had every right to go on the mission, not that she was aware of his reasoning.

"Afraid I am, Quisty." He gave her his most sincere smirk, internally gloating over how she recoiled at the expression. "You're going to run into Leonhart on your mission, and given that the handbook, prevents you from arresting fellow SeeD personnel on mission without the presence of at least one Disciplinary Committee member…." He trailed off, letting her draw her own conclusions.

"There's no word that Squall will be with Sorceress Edea." She protested.

"Quisty, Quisty, Quisty, I know independent thought is hard for you, but please try to use your brain." How on earth had Trepe passed the exams, let alone made Instructor while being that thick? "You know how good Garden intelligence is: Headmaster Martine wasn't at all surprised to see you, was he? The only way for Leonhart's movements not to be noticed was if someone high up in the Galbadian government was cloaking them. Any guesses who?"

The cowboy was looking between Trepe and himself, likely unsure what was going on. Likely Trepe and the others had neglected to mention that one of their own had been taken over by the target. "Not to interrupt or anything, but who's this 'Leonhart' you're talking about?" he asked, addressing Seifer.

"Squall Leonhart, rookie SeeD, and the second best gunblader in all of Balamb Garden, was Chicken-wuss and Tilmitt's squad leader on a mission to Timber. I followed them there, knowing the situation called for more than three rookies. Trepe followed me. In Timber, we came into contact with the Sorceress, and she took Leonhart over. Evading the Galbadian Army, we came here. End of story." There was no need to tell anyone who didn't already know about the fact that the Sorceress had tried to get into his head; his reputation would never stand it. His posse was a special case. Looking at Trepe, he could see that she wasn't going to budge. All right, so he'd have to get creative….

"Say, Trepe," and Seifer noticed how he'd caught the attention of the Instructor by the use of her surname rather than the irritating diminutive. "Neither of us are going to back down on our stance on Leonhart's movements and your mission orders. Therefore, I propose a bet."

"A bet?" Trepe's disgusted face at the sheer prospect nearly made Seifer crack up laughing.

"Yeah, a bet. Let me come with you this one time, and if Leonhart is somewhere only Hyne-knows where, I'll return to Garden, and submit myself to whatever punishment you, the Headmaster, or the Garden master's flunkies think up. I won't resist, even if the punishment is something along the lines of imprisonment, exile from Garden, stopping calling the Chicken names, or even turning over Hyperion." The last clause should tell Trepe he was serious, despite the irreverent tone. Everyone knew he held far too much respect for his weapon to risk it lightly. He could feel the questioning gazes of his posse on his back, but ignored them for now. This was too important for questions.

He could see that he was drawing Trepe in to his proposal almost against her will. She was suspicious of him, and she had good reason to be. Little did she know that in her suspicion, she was playing right into his hands.

"And if you're right, what would you get?"

He laid a hand on his heart, showing exaggerated sincerity. "Why, nothing but being able to make decisions and join SeeDs on missions without you second-guessing my every move. And SeeD status would be nice."

His last addition had been a mistake, and he knew it was one as soon as it left his mouth. Whereas before Trepe had been staring to follow along with Seifer's plans, but now she completely shut down. "I have no authority when it comes to making you SeeD, but even if I did, I wouldn't. You proved yourself unfit to handle to responsibility in the exams."

He forced a frustrated sigh from between his teeth. He needed Trepe's cooperation and go along with his plans, just this once. And given that Tilmitt had very kindly donated Ifrit to him on the trip over here, he had the means to incinerate Trepe if he wanted to, but indulging his temper just now would do more harm to his plans than good. Releasing another breath, he attempted to use reason.

"If this is about my exam results- forget it. Nothing I say will do anything to change your mind. But answer me this, do you trust Squall's judgment? Before he was taken by the Sorceress, that is."

At the blonde's instant nod, he restrained the victory dance and continued on. "I know it doesn't mean anything in the end, but Squall respected and supported my judgment during the exams, and you passed him. Probably with very high marks, am I right? You just said yourself that you trusted his judgment. Either both of us were wrong then, or both of us were right. Given what Garden later found out about the Galbadian Army's motives…." He trailed off and let the facts speak for themselves.

"You still disobeyed orders." The Instructor was reluctant to let go.

"You've got enough combat experience to know that orders don't mean shit on a battlefield. Particularly orders that tie a unit to a spot, when it might be more than clear to the commander that the enemy is very interested in something somewhere else and the unit is needed elsewhere." He sighed. "I got everyone to this Garden safely. Trust that and trust Leonhart's assessment of my command abilities if you don't trust anything else. "

A breathe, and with no reaction from Trepe, he turned, and walked away, toward the Galbadia Garden's front gate, the silent shadows of his posse following. He'd played his best card and lost. Now, how to Hyne was he to drag Leonhart back to Garden? He'd been so sure that he'd be able to tag along with Trepe's little gang, but apparently, his presence wasn't wanted. Maybe he should have gone with the bitch. At least then everybody wouldn't be questioning his motives about why he stayed with Garden after he failed the exams, or why he broke out of detention to give his rival back up. No, not everybody was against him. His posse was loyal. If he defected from Garden, he knew that they'd follow him in a heartbeat.

His mind froze on that thought. Fujin and Raijin would follow him to the ends of the earth and into the bowels of hell before he asked them to. Who did Leonhart have? No one. None of the few relationships Squall Leonhart had formed before his defection meant squat when faced with a Sorceress with a taste for mind-control. There was none willing to go to the wall and past it for Leonhart, and Seifer found himself actually pitying his absent rival for that.

Lost in his thoughts, Seifer didn't pay any attention to the calls behind him, before a yellow blur of copper-haired energy zoomed around him to catch his attention. "What are you doing waking away, Seifer? I've never seen Quistis get owned like that before. That was awesome!! I mean, you actually got her to back down and change her mind, which from what I've heard is like, totally impossible to do. You have to tell me how you did it-"

"Darlin' let the man get a word in edgewise." Kinneas thankfully interrupted as Seifer was getting a bit lost in all of Tilmitt's babble. "She was saying that you managed to change Miss Trepe's mind about allowing you to come along. She accepts the terms of your bet."

He couldn't help it. He went into his post-battle victory routine. Everyone had one, even Leonhart, much as the brunet liked to deny it. Another punch to the back of the shoulder from his posse was required to settle him down. "IDIOT" Fujin said without heat.

"Ya did look pretty ridiculous there Seifer, ya know?"

"Shut it you two. I actually got one over Tight-Ass Trepe for once. Don't you know how rare that is?"

"Call me that one more time, and I'm changing my mind again. One screw up from you, and the deal is off." Even Trepe's 'friendly' warning wasn't enough to dampen Seifer's spirits. They had a Sorceress to kill, and a stubborn lion to convince to return home, but things were as good as they could get, at least without Leonhart bowing before him in submission that is.

Owari

Till chapter 2

Please, please don't kill me!!!! I know you all are waiting for chapter 3 of Cloudy Skies, I know!!! But the plotbunny ambushed me and wouldn't let go!!!! And while I was writing it, Seifer took over control of his parts and you know how stubborn he is!! I promise on the holy bible of Microsoft Word not to work on this story until I've updated Cloudy Skies. You have my oath as a writer.

I had the hardest time writing Squall for some reason: perhaps the Lionhearted one dislikes expressing himself, even through the medium of my story. In contrast, I couldn't get Seifer to shut up…….

My first foray into Final Fantasy VIII, and my first Final Fantasy story that has made it this far. Who hooo!!! Now review and tell me how I did, Or Squall will glare at me and Seifer will stick me with Hyperion for reversing their roles and ….. ;looks furtively over shoulder;