Chapter Text
Two weeks later in Balamb, the SeeD graduation ball was in full swing. Although the night was now advanced, the partygoers were out in force, enjoying themselves more freely than what was considered acceptable for SeeD conduct.
Though the ballroom and quad were jubilant, other parts of the Garden were silent. The atrium was completely empty, the only sounds coming from crickets in the nearby training grounds. Although it wasn't unusual for this part of the Garden to be quiet after the nightly curfew, the partying elsewhere made it seem unnatural and eerie.
At the top of the elevator in the atrium's central pillar, the headmaster's office was in darkness. Even the atrium had basic flood lights for security; the office, however, was black, except for silver moonlight coming through the windows behind Squall's empty desk. Here there was no one -- no crickets, not even the sounds of the party below.
The minutes ticked away in the forlorn office, nothing eventful happening except the gradual creeping of moonlight across the floor. But soon a sound could be heard: the distant tapping of metal, coming up the elevator shaft. It repeated itself monotonously, like steps in a march, gradually clinking louder and louder. Soon it was clear there were not one but three sets of tapping sounds, resonating rhythmically up the shaft.
As the tapping neared the top, it mixed with panting and heavy breathing until just outside the elevator doors, it stopped. Two heavy thuds shook the doors, and then, very slowly, the door panels peeled apart, a crack of black darkness gradually widening between them. At the bottom of the crack, two gloved hands reached out from the shaft, their fingers silently wrapping around the edge of each door. Following them came a head with a steel helmet, mechanical red eye goggles glowing in their sockets, a blue cloth mask covering the mouth and nose.
The head turned this way and that, scanning the room through the red night vision of the goggles. Satisfied they were alone, the figure pulled the rest of his body through -- a steel chestplate over a blue uniform, black boots, a gunblade sheathed at his hip.
Seifer rolled onto the dark floor and stood. He turned back to the shaft to help another figure -- Fujin, dressed in the same uniform of Galbadian soldiers, but smaller in stature. Together they helped Raijin, wearing the largest G-Soldier uniform they could find (which was still a little snug on him), and a massive metal box strapped to his back.
After a moment to catch their breath, Seifer nodded to each of them. Raijin lumbered over to the windows behind the desk, slipped the metal box off of his back, and began assembling the zipline that they would use for their escape. Fujin stepped to the side of the elevator and pulled open the maintenance panel. Consulting a notepad from her pocket, she reactivated the lift system, disabled during their climb up from the underground MD level. Seifer leaned against a wall, his arms crossed, brooding silently as he watched Raijin and Fujin work.
As Raijin finished the zipline rig, Seifer came over to help mount it above one of the large windows. Together they unsealed and carefully removed a thick pane of glass, laying it to one side. As Raijin manned the zipline's trigger mechanism, Seifer looked out over the Garden campus below. Far across the moonlit lawns and shimmering fountains, Seifer could make out the dark roof of the parking garage. Taking a small metal tube from his belt, he aimed it at the roof and pressed a button on the back. A red laser flickered on, beaming down to the garage. Seifer kept the beam trained and stood waiting, but it wasn't long before the flash of another beam signaled back, streaking briefly over his eyes.
Seifer gestured to Raijin, who gripped harder on the zipline trigger and pulled. There was a sudden pop of pressurized gas as the hook shot out across the campus, towing a thick steel rope in its path. They couldn't see the hook in the night, but they felt the line grow tight; they knew their partners had succeeded in securing it to the garage roof.
Raijin grunted with satisfaction as Fujin walked up to join them. Seifer turned away from the window. "Alright, this is it. Take your positions."
Raijin and Fujin nodded before dispersing through the office. Raijin entered the dining room, stationing himself in a corner just behind the door. His bulk was difficult to conceal, but it was highly unlikely their target would look to this part of the room. Seifer and Fujin went to one side of the elevator. The pillar containing it curved out somewhat, putting the doors forward of the office walls, making a little corner from which they could conduct their ambush.
More time passed, the assailants not daring to move or speak as the night wore away. Standing in their corner, Fujin felt an incredible tenseness coming from Seifer at her side. His breathing was short and irregular, and it seemed like he was radiating extra heat. Not for the first time in this campaign did Fujin worry about Seifer, about the thought of him facing Ultimecia again. It was clear a lingering trauma was resurfacing in him, something that not even twenty years of distance could fully heal.
They heard a whirring sound and felt vibrations in the pillar wall, and Fujin was forced to set aside her concerns once more. The vibrations stopped for a moment, accompanied by a distant chime as the elevator opened far below. But then the noises started again, growing louder as the elevator cab came up the shaft, closer and closer to the office level.
Another chime sounded, this time right in the office. With their night vision, Seifer and Fujin could see a tiny pulse of light flash from the elevator controls. Then a much brighter light entered -- the light of the elevator cabin flooding into the room. It projected a bright rectangle on the office floor, except for a shadow in the middle: the silhouette of a woman, the subtle trace of a party dress around the shapely curves of her hips, the round conical shape of her head suggesting long and silky hair draping down her shoulders. Rinoa had come.
Seifer held his breath; this was perhaps the most dangerous moment of the whole operation. The open window and the zipline were shrouded in darkness, but if Rinoa noticed them, they would have to act quickly before she could defend herself. Without the element of surprise, Seifer knew, they would never stand a chance.
But Rinoa didn't notice the open window. She stepped out of the elevator and headed into the dining room, preoccupied with her thoughts. She didn't notice Raijin hiding in the corner as she briskly walked around the long table, making for the entrance to her apartments. Seifer and Fujin followed, briefly sensing Raijin as they proceeded silently into Rinoa's private rooms.
The first room they entered, the living room, was as dark as the office. But there was dim light coming through a crack in the open bedroom door. Seifer stepped up and glanced in. Through the red tint of his goggles he could see a mahogany four poster bed, a matching wood writing desk, and a row of windows shaded black with night. Rinoa herself, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Seifer took a quick breath and patted his hand against the crucial part of their plan -- an Odine bangle, silver with a blue bulb and petals like a purple lotus; seemingly innocuous, but in reality an electrical marvel that would make powerless any sorceress. This was the solution they had come up with -- the only conceivable way to subdue Rinoa without wounding or killing her.
Satisfied that the bangle was switched on and ready, Seifer gently pushed the door open and entered. He saw that the dim light was actually a brighter one coming from another room, through open double doors leading into Rinoa's dressing room. From there he heard shuffling sounds and the opening and closing of drawers.
He bent his head slowly around the frame of the doors, risking a look inside, the night vision goggles adjusting instantly to the sudden change of light. He was awed to see that the dressing room was almost the same size as the bedroom, paneled in deep-stained cherry wood, with soft ceiling lights shining down onto hanging dresses and gowns. Rinoa, he saw, had her back turned to him, fishing for something in a cabinet near the end of the room.
Seifer readied himself to act; now was their chance. But just as he began to step forward he froze, his mind blank. Their plan was to capture Rinoa, the bangle waiting at his belt to incapacitate her. But Seifer's shaking hand was hovering past it, coming instead to the hilt of his gunblade. A sweat was breaking out under his helmet, his eyes unable to close as he stared piercingly at Rinoa's bare neck. Maybe it was a trick of his red-tinted goggles, but Seifer had the haunting impression that Rinoa's white dress was instead a wine red, like the gown Ultimecia was wont to wear. It seemed even that instead of black hair, Rinoa had ashen gray, styled into beastly horns on either side of her head. Seifer knew everyone was depending on him, but all he wanted to do was strike her -- to cut off the head of this crimson queen and end it all right here.
Seifer continued to hesitate with his hand over his gunblade, but then he felt someone take hold of his wrist -- not painfully, but firmly. Fujin held Seifer for a moment, feeling him resist as he trembled under her grasp. But soon he began to relax, allowing Fujin to gently move his hand back over the Odine bangle. Seifer sighed, taking the bangle up. Fujin let go as he stepped forward, silently and resolutely.
Seifer felt his heart throbbing as he approached, even as Rinoa innocently searched her armoire for the piece of jewelry Quistis had asked for. She was only a few paces away from him, though it seemed with each step that she never got any closer. But within a moment he had reached her, standing only an arm's length away. Even this close however, he once more had to pause. It had been over twenty years since he had seen Rinoa; up close, looking at the paleness of her skin, the sheen of her fine black hair, he couldn't help but wonder how little she had changed. His thoughts sank back into their shared past: rolling on a park lawn one warm Deling City night, their laughter mingling as they wrestled on the grass, the twinkle of lamplight in her eyes as she grinned at him, pressing herself close… Almost in response to this memory, Seifer raised his hand toward Rinoa's arm, longing to caress…
Rinoa seemed to feel something was amiss and turned around. She didn't recognize Seifer underneath his disguise, but her eyes widened with fear as she understood her danger. Before she could react any further, Seifer's outstretched hand came down swiftly and seized her wrist, and in one more movement he slapped the Odine bangle onto her arm. It hummed to life, sending an electric current through Rinoa's body. Through his goggles, Seifer watched as Rinoa's eyes became distant, her pupils dilating and shrinking, her eyelids heavy with drowsiness; he felt her body spasm once or twice as she struggled against the bangle, desperately fighting to maintain her consciousness.
But she soon had to succumb; her eyes closed and her body went limp, slumping toward the floor. Seifer knelt and caught her before she fell. Holding her, he felt a sorrowful pity -- struck by her peaceful repose in his arms, saddened by what she was destined to become.
He heard Raijin step up beside Fujin, the two of them hanging back by the door. Conscious of them watching, he lay Rinoa down on the floor, then rose and faced them: "Take her."
Fujin and Raijin took Rinoa and carried her out of the dressing room. Seifer followed them through the bedroom, the living room, and the dining room, back into the dark office. They were almost done, he thought, the one task remaining to ride the zipline down to the garage and make their escape. Then it would be on to the Esthar Sorceress Memorial, where Ultimecia would be sealed -- for as long as fate was willing to contain her.
Raijin and Fujin paused for a moment as they changed their grip on Rinoa. But while waiting, Seifer suddenly suspected another presence in the room. He turned instinctively toward the elevator and saw through his night vision a young SeeD, in full dress uniform, her hand falling to the rapier-like gunblade on her hip…
Leaning on the starboard rail of their loaned Galbadian warship, Quistis looked across the pre-dawn sea, watching the shimmering black waves in the yellow light of the setting moon.
She was worried; Seifer wasn't back yet. Quistis of course knew their plan had failed the moment the alarms went off. Everyone had hurried away from the ball, scrambling to find the source of the commotion. With SeeD efficiency they swiftly tracked Seifer to the front gate, where he was only able to escape with some luck and a hastily cast Blind spell. Quistis kept her cover, helping Xu with the fallout as long as seemed appropriate before leaving the Garden to rendezvous with the ship. But although Seifer had left with a head start, she had been the first to arrive.
A thin sliver of blue dawn was just appearing on the horizon when she spotted a black shape on the water; in one moment she recognized it as the getaway team's boat. It sped up to within a stone's throw before the driver cut the motor, coasting the remaining distance to the warship. Galbadian navy sailors tossed lines down to the boat, and up the ladder came Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin.
As Seifer removed his helmet, Quistis eyed him with concern. "What went wrong?"
Seifer brushed past her without a word. But before entering the ship he paused, as if in afterthought; without turning around, he waved for her to follow.
They went through a narrow corridor and up some stairs to the ship's bridge. The lighting was dark at the moment, giving the navigators a clearer view of the dim horizon. Galbadian soldiers and some of her own SeeDs were seated at glowing orange consoles, working hand-in-hand to coordinate their next move. Seifer took no notice of them and walked to the back of the bridge, where gray bulkhead doors led to the officer cabins.
He entered the admiral's stateroom -- finely furnished with a navy blue carpet, a long wooden desk, and small sofa chairs for lounging. An inner door led to a separate bedroom and bathroom. The desk itself was softly lit by a small desk lamp, and on the wall behind it hung a large black flag, boasting the white three-pronged sigil of Galbadia.
As Quistis closed the door after her, Seifer went around the desk and sat heavily in a red leather office chair. His expression was blank as he unbuckled his metal chestplate, nonchalantly dropping it on the floor next to him.
Quistis walked up and stood across from him, a single hand on her hip. "Well? What happened?"
Seifer shrugged. "We got busted. Some kid SeeD followed Rinoa up the elevator. Armed too, with a gunblade."
Quistis frowned in thought. "There aren't many gunblade specialists in the world. What else did you notice about them?"
"She was a girl, black ponytail. Not that it freakin' matters anyway," Seifer grumbled as he leaned away from the desk.
Quistis nodded. "That must have been Nexi."
"Squall's kid?"
"Yep. Top of her class, too. Bad luck… she's one of the last people you'd want to have caught you, besides Squall himself."
"Bad luck," Seifer repeated, rubbing his forehead in exhaustion. "We ain't gonna get that close to Rinoa again. SeeDs are gonna be thick as bees around her for a while." A dark shadow passed over his face. Thinking back on the night, he wondered if he was wrong not to kill her, leave her in a pool of blood -- a pretty message to Squall for not opening his eyes to the goddamn truth.
But of these evil thoughts, Seifer said nothing. Quistis was watching him closely, and he wanted her confidence… and perhaps something more. "You all have quite the life now," he remarked sadly, a tiny glint of envy in his eyes as he reflected on the luxuriousness of Squall and Rinoa's apartments. "Rich, respected… not sure what a guy like me brings to this game."
Quistis felt her heart wrench with pity. Two weeks ago she wouldn't have given a damn about how he felt. But working with him to take on Rinoa, she had steadily become more and more impressed with him. He had shown exceptional leadership qualities: inspiration and determination, as well as empathy to his followers. She had more than once overheard her own SeeDs chatting excitedly about him, surprised at how different he seemed from the callous and cruel Seifer they had grown up hearing about. Quistis herself had begun to wonder where he'd be now if he hadn't flunked out of his SeeD exams all those years ago.
She walked around to his side of the desk and leaned against it, only a foot away from him. Her legs glowed in the light of the desk lamp, her skin smooth and pale under her gray uniform skirt. Seifer thought he could smell a hint of perfume. "You're a born leader, Seifer. Those kids out there, my students, you inspire them." And then, with a blush, lowering her hand until it touched his, she added: "You inspire me, too."
Seifer looked up with a sly glance. "You know, Headmaster…" he began. But a sudden knock on the door brought them back to business. Quistis stood up quickly, straightening out her uniform as Seifer spun around in his chair: "Come!"
The door opened, and briskly in walked Jason, the young SeeD from Galbadia who had escorted Seifer to Quistis' office. "Sir! Ma'am!" he saluted. If he noticed anything awkward about Quistis' blushing face or Seifer's lax pose, he didn't dare show it. "Our plant in Balamb reported in; three SeeDs have been dispatched from Balamb Garden."
"Who, Jason?" Quistis asked.
"The headmaster's children, ma'am," he answered.
Seifer leaned up from the chair, conscious to project a more dignified air of authority. "Where're they headed?"
"Timber, sir. Our monitors at Timber station also reported an expedited reservation for the next train to Esthar. We have high confidence that's their destination."
"They must be investigating the Odine bangle," concluded Quistis.
Seifer chuckled dismissively. "That's not going to get them very far. I can't imagine them doing anything that would get Odine to crack."
"Sir," Jason ventured, "may I have permission to pursue them?"
Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Jason gulped. "I believe one of them can be converted, sir."
"You mean join our side?" Seifer mused. "Which one?"
"Nexi, sir."
Seifer went silent for a moment, remembering the night before. "I've got my doubts, kid. She sure seemed pretty loyal to Rinoa while chasing us out of the Garden. What makes you think otherwise?"
Jason reddened slightly. "I… spoke with her, sir. At the dance. She said she's uncomfortable at home, seemed interested in transferring to Galbadia."
Seifer gave Jason an amused, incredulous smile -- the kind a father might give to a son who is thinking more with his hormones than with his head. But Quistis offered Jason some support. "We know from Ellone's junction how Nexi felt when she saw Rinoa in Timber. And after last night, we'll need every asset we can get before we make another attempt."
Seifer reluctantly agreed, nodding curtly. "Alright, kid. Build your team. But don't let her get any new leads on us. You bring her in and don't say a word until she's securely in our custody."
"Yes, sir!" Jason saluted with vigor. He spun on his heel and nearly skipped his way out of the room.
Seifer swiveled back to Quistis with a grin. "Headmaster," he asked, "are you free this morning?"
Quistis smiled coyly. "That depends on what you have for me. You're the boss."
"Me?!" Seifer feigned shock as he rose, resting his hands on Quistis' hips. "You're the one with the whip."
"Ah, so that's how I tame you!" Quistis sensually pulled a black whip from behind her and slung it around Seifer's waist, tugging him greedily into the adjoining bedroom.
Several hours later, Quistis stepped back onto the bridge, glowing with perspiration as she tucked a single strand of loose hair behind her ear. As she turned to walk away she nearly bumped into Fujin, leaning against the bulkhead. Fujin's eye was like a dull garnet as she stared steadily at Quistis, her silver hair twinkling in the glare of the overhead bridge lighting, her face expressionless.
Quistis said nothing, feeling a little trepidation. She didn't know: had Fujin ever been romantic with Seifer? Was she jealous?
Fujin pushed gently off of the bulkhead and stood straight, her eye never leaving Quistis. She took a single step closer, and with a soft voice she uttered one word: "Caution."
Quistis looked back perplexed. It sounded like Fujin was threatening her, but her face suggested otherwise: no trace of anger or contempt, neither a smile nor a frown, solemn and earnest.
Quistis risked clarifying: "W-what do you mean?" she stuttered. But Fujin simply raised a finger to her lips and turned away, walking slowly to the nearest exit.
Several days later, Seifer stood on an entirely different sort of bridge. All was dark except for the dim red glow of overhead lights, illuminating the anxious SeeDs who sat at their stations awaiting orders. They had trained for weeks, scouring ancient texts about the operation and maintenance of Galbadia Garden's "mobile shelter" mode. They had successfully completed their dry run only the day before, and now was the moment of truth: powering up a system that had lain dormant for twenty years, and a thousand before that.
To the left of Seifer stood Quistis, re-reading the last page of the startup procedures to make sure she understood them thoroughly. "Initiate systems check."
As the SeeDs typed commands into their terminals, Jason entered the bridge. He walked slowly up to Quistis and Seifer and gave a nervous salute.
Seifer was silent for a moment as he observed the awkwardness of Jason's body language. "Report?"
"I'm sorry, sir. We can't find her anywhere on the MD level." Jason swallowed. "We believe she escaped."
Seifer and Quistis exchanged a look. Just the night before, Jason had stumbled on Nexi in Deling City and brought Seifer an offer to meet. He had accepted, out of amusement more than anything else, and even brought her to the Garden. But Seifer it turned out had been right about her; rather than join them, she revolted, blowing a hole in the wardroom on her way out.
But her escape should have been impossible. Once the bulkhead doors were closed and sealed, she should have been trapped on the MD level. Jason, Seifer suspected, was not being fully honest with him about the circumstances of her escape.
No matter, he thought. Squall's brat had no power to stop their plans.
"Systems check completed, ma'am. No anomalies reported."
"Proceed."
A tense silence filled the room as one of the SeeDs turned a bright yellow key and pushed a flashing red button. Outside the bridge, in the great shaft beneath the Garden, a humming noise began. Crackles of blue electricity danced up the sides of the walls and along the exteriors of the bridge bulkheads.
"Interphasic transformers online. Core temperature approaching operational levels."
Seifer shuddered with anticipation. This was it -- his whole crusade against Ultimecia, culminating into this very moment.
"Dark matter containment is fluctuating."
"Draw Demi from the lateral stabilizers. Have engineering refine more units to compensate."
Fujin and Raijin, Quistis and her SeeDs, Cid's political connections, Caraway's military support… and Seifer himself, leading them all.
"Containment reading normal. Stand by until power levels reach critical mass."
Seifer pulled down an intercom mic. "Students and SeeDs of the Garden, soldiers of Galbadia!" His voice echoed across the Garden above him, in every hall, in every classroom. "Today is the moment we have all been preparing for. The sorceress we fear is among us, but not for long. We are going to Balamb Garden to fight her. You know your duties. Obey your commanders, and we will have victory. Today, the sorceress' reign ends before it begins. Today, the sorceress dies! "
The SeeDs stationed in the bridge whooped and applauded as Seifer disconnected the mic, bowing profusely. But Quistis moved closer to him and whispered: "I thought we discussed trying to save her first."
"And so we shall, my dear Headmaster," Seifer replied haughtily. "But if that fails, there can be no hesitation… from any of us."
Quistis looked alertly at Seifer's face. He was smiling at her, proud, handsome… and cruel. A glint in his eye was warning her that today, he had no interest in mercy. Quistis wondered clearly for the first time…
"Critical mass achieved. Activating halo inversion in 3… 2..."
…if this whole enterprise had been a fatal mistake.
"Inversion commencing."
The entire bridge rocketed upwards. As they accelerated toward the concrete roof of the shaft, the bridge and everyone in it began to glow blue. At such terrible velocity, it looked like they would smash into the roof, but instead they passed right through it. Seifer saw the whole bridge swallowed by solid rock, phasing past him like liquid as they thrust upward. And then all at once, they cleared the rock and daylight struck them, the Garden's campus laid out below as they lifted higher and higher from the ground. As they rose, he saw the Garden's golden halo coming down around them, blindingly bright and spinning rapidly, encircling the Garden as it descended. The bridge began to slow its ascent, but even as it came to a stop there was a great noise from below; the halo was coming to a rest near the ground, a great cloud of dust whirling around it as the Garden tore itself from the earth.
As the dust settled and the noises stopped, Seifer walked forward to the windows and looked down. The sunlit morning was clear, the sky blue and crisp above the rocky desert of the land below. Beneath him he saw the Garden halo rotating slowly, cushioning them as they floated above the ground.
Seifer let out a triumphant laugh, the sun shining golden on his face. But then he grew solemn as he felt the full weight of the moment. Today, his legacy would be worth remembering, after so much failure, so many missteps. Now, he was not only on the right side of history; he was making that history.
It was time to be the hero.
Raijin ducked as the porcelain mug smashed on the wall near his head, just as he was passing from the kitchen into his Deling City living room. "Watch it, man!" he yelled at Seifer. "You're welcome to break any of my shit, but don't touch Ji's, ya know?!" Seifer flinched like a beaten puppy and flopped down despondently onto Raijin's couch -- the same one he had been sleeping on for the past several weeks.
They had fought in Balamb all right, taken on Rinoa… but the calamity that resulted would haunt the world for generations. They were right, it turned out; Rinoa was Ultimecia. But what they hadn't realized was how their own actions would make that happen. Coping with the power of Hyne inside her, Rinoa had been hanging onto her sanity by a thread -- a thread easily snapped when Squall bit the bullet for her.
The Lost Children had disbanded in the aftermath; Caraway recalled all of the soldiers at Seifer's disposal, and the SeeDs went back to the Garden. Quistis, he found, would not even return his calls. Now Seifer had nothing, couch surfing between Fujin and Raijin's apartments, moving from one to the other whenever he sensed he was getting on their nerves.
To add insult to injury, the mission against Ultimecia was moving on without him. Nexi, that spoiled punk kid of Squall's, had been promoted and was leading Balamb's response to the crisis. Over the weeks she had brought together Esthar, Galbadia, and the Gardens, uniting the resistance against the threat of Ultimecia.
That was supposed to be his job. What the hell was she doing in this story?
Fujin had been leaning against the wall while Seifer tore apart Raijin's living room, her face deadpan as she watched him rage. Now she came and sat down next to him, her posture straight and her back rigid, looking him in the eye. "Explain."
Seifer was quiet for a moment more, then sighed and threw up his hands. "It's just… not fair," he lamented. "This was supposed to be our moment. We were doing the right thing this time, fighting the right enemy… Why did it still end up like this?"
Fujin gulped. It was time they told him, and maybe they were decades overdue, about how she and Raijin felt. She made sure he was looking right at her, and then gave her opinion: "Selfish."
"...Selfish?" Seifer stared incredulously at Fujin, wrenching himself away from her. "You mean me? "
"Seifer, stop!" Raijin interrupted before he could grow violent again. "She's right, man!" In the stunned silence that followed, he spoke quieter, trying to be more conciliatory. "You've been doin' the right thing, but for all the wrong reasons, ya know?"
Seifer said nothing, his face frozen as he stared in front of him. Raijin was surprised -- this was the first time he could remember Seifer actually listening . He looked to Fujin for confirmation, who nodded encouragingly.
Raijin sat down in a chair across from them. "You wanna save the world, but you're doin' it for glory -- you wanna be famous; you wanna be the hero . Hell man, this was why you wanted to be a SeeD -- what did ya say to Squall after your exam? 'We would've been heroes if it weren't for that withdrawal order.' That's been your dream, man. And then Ulti promised you that dream by makin' you her knight, and she hurt you. Bad ." Here, Raijin had to hold back his big, burly tears, his voice trembling with emotion. "It always comes back to hurt you, ya know? The dream -- the dream is what hurts ya."
Seifer sank deeper into the chair, a forlorn look on his face. He felt naked, and in feeling naked he felt like nothing; nothing, except for all the might-haves and despair that he imagined himself to be made of. "But… I'm nothing without my dream… and I want to help."
Fujin took his hand. He shuddered at her touch, but let her keep it. "They need your help." Seifer's ears perked up; Fujin rarely spoke in long sentences, filled with "unnecessary words" as she put it, unless she really needed to drive a point home. "Squall's kids? Against Ultimecia? No chance, none at all. They need you." She gave his hand a tight squeeze. "But when you go, don't go for you. Go for them, not for glory. Don't dream for you; dream for them. Give them hope for their future. Give… and they'll give back."
Seifer sat still for a long moment. Then, for the first time in years, maybe in his whole life, a small tear ran down his cheek. It glistened as it entered the cleft of his scar, spreading lightly across it before dripping down onto his shoulder. "I… I need a little more time," he resolved to say.
Fujin nodded, a gentle smile warming her stern face. Raijin reached across and took Seifer's other hand in his strong, brotherly grasp. "Man, it's like we keep tellin' ya: we're with ya. Always have, always will."
Far in the south of the world, on the outermost tip of the desolate Centra continent, there stood the ruin of a stone lighthouse. A spiraling ramp led down from its door to a rocky path, leading to what was left of a stone temple -- the building that had once been Edea's orphanage. Another path led from the orphanage to an endless field of flowers. But before the field began there was a small cliff, overlooking a soft sandy beach. Here on this cliff, everyone was gathered in a sort of memorial service.
Seifer stood a small distance behind the crowd, Raijin and Fujin at his side, glancing at all the familiar faces. Irvine and Selphie were there with a pile of kids around them; Ellone had one arm hooked into Laguna's, standing with a delegation from Esthar; SeeDs from Galbadia and Balamb stood together side by side, their black and gray uniforms alternating like the crests and troughs of stormy waves.
He particularly noticed the leaders of the SeeD; Quistis was in the front, chatting in quiet words with Xu at the head of Balamb. She glanced over to Seifer, and on seeing him looking back at her she blushed, turning quickly away.
But Seifer wasn't going to let things go like this. He took a breath and went to them, standing a small distance away until he got her attention. Quistis stared back at him with wide eyes, but asked Xu to give her a minute and walked over. "What is it, Seifer?" she asked coldly.
Seifer felt his heart pang with guilt at the obvious pain in her voice, but understood that he could not fully heal it -- only help close the wound. "I know it won't mean much," he said humbly, "but I want to tell you I'm sorry."
Quistis blinked. On the contrary, any words of apology from Seifer did indeed mean something, since he said them so rarely. "Thank you, I appreciate that," she answered.
"And… for what it's worth," Seifer dared to add, "I'll always remember the good times we had."
A tinge of pink came to Quistis' cheeks, but a slight twinkle came into her ocean-blue eyes. "You know, Seifer…" she said, a wisp of a smile adding to her graceful complexion, "I think I will too."
Seifer nodded and they gave each other cordial bows. Quistis turned back to Xu as Seifer moved on, determined to make his humblest admission yet. Nearing the front of the crowd he paused, looking at the young SeeD who was preparing to address the gathering: Nexi, Squall's middle child and the head of Balamb's Anti-Sorceress Task Force. She stood a few paces away in full dress uniform, looking from face to face as her memories of each passed across her like the shadows of clouds. She was thin for her age, her black hair kept in a ponytail with two long hairpins, her eyes lucid and pale. Seifer saw that she was nervous, needing extra time to gather courage for her speech despite the fact that everyone here knew her. She was an introvert, Seifer realized, nervous in the spotlight, needing that extra push to stand out in a crowd. A lot like Squall, he remembered.
Seifer cheeks flushed as he stood, paralyzed for a moment by the sheer irony of what he was about to do. But then he felt an encouraging hand on his shoulder: "You got this, Seifer," the voice of Raijin consoled him. Seifer nodded resolutely, stiffened himself proudly, and stepped forward to Nexi.
Nexi didn't see him approaching until he was almost face to face with her. As she registered him, her eyes widened a bit, her voice dumbstruck. Not giving her a moment more to wonder, Seifer spoke his peace: "I know I can't repair all the damage I've done," he said quietly, "...but I want to help, if I can."
Nexi worked hard to cover her surprise, imagining how difficult it must be for a man like Seifer to adopt this level of humility, let alone submit to taking orders from a kid. "You are welcome to," she replied. "Report to the Garden within 48 hours. We'll discuss your assignments then."
Seifer nodded, his face hard as stone. He turned slowly away to rejoin Fujin and Raijin, who patted him affectionately on the back. His face was red, his jaw locked as he struggled against his own pride. But as he listened to Nexi lead the memorial service for Squall and Rinoa, he felt a kind of peace begin to grow in him, like a tiny seedling -- a sense of belonging, to something bigger than himself.
Seifer Almasy, at long last, was on the path to redemption.