Religion is bullshit

[Tigron-X]

I agree that life is a fickle thing. We really don't know the entire absolute truth of what anything truly is. Some will try to explain it the best way possible, others will go off with their imagination. Doesn't matter what you choose (cause you'll never discover the answers that we seek in our own limited lifetime) The universe is way to complex and we can only assume to know what we think we do by what we can see. But there are things that can't be explained and are above our heads. Either you refute that shit like that exists or you can accept that there's something higher for us to comprehend.

If there truly was a God it would just be easier to just tell us what the whole meaning of life and our purpose is.. Perhaps God doesn't even care about us. Maybe there's no God. I can't give you definite answers and no one else can either. It is only arrogant and egotistical to say that you know the truth. With what evidence can you back yourself up on this matter, what can one do to understand... so many questions, too many twists and turns and eventually you will find yourself plunging down a rabbit hole of insanity and still utterly confused at the whole arrangements of life.

The best we can only do is just enjoy the fact that we are alive and make the best of it no matter how you choose to do so. We are an insignificant ass spec in the grand scheme of the universe that is. What makes us so special?? There could be 100 different Earths with people like ourselves out there that we haven't discovered (because of our limited technology).

Pick a belief and stick with it, but don't let it hold you back from learning and understanding the nature of things. Take pleasure in your choices but respect others choices as well. They are just as lost as you are and everyone else is in the same boat.

What the fuck do we really know anyways

No, it matters what you choose to believe. Whatever you choose to believe will affect the way you think. When I read what you said here, it sounds like relativism.

But, truth is absolute.

No one here is claiming to be omniscient.

However, religious followers and leaders claim to have contact with an omniscient and omnipotent being. And, this is absolute nonsense.

Going back to your father's argument...

You pointed out some very good questions. However, look at your father's argument even closer, and maybe it's even an error of yours as well. Metaphisics deals with epistomology, ontology, and cosmology. What your father gave you was some sort of religious metaphor. When I read it I got this notion that at first he's talking about some place outside of reality, and in this alternate reality exists a wall. But then all of a sudden it gets confusing because it attempts to connect reality with this alternate reality. How did the wall all of a sudden become part of reality?

Furthermore, he references some sort of benefits and consequences of choosing this metaphorical path that leads to an unknown. Every choice leads to a consequence. So there's no disputing that. What I find issue with is "benefits." If it leads to an unknown, then he can't claim there are benefits because he doesn't know.

Or, maybe the benefit is that you don't have to deal with reality because you've put up a wall and chosen not to be a part of it? After all, he did claim it's boring.

[Tigron-X]

You are aware theres a lot of religious scientists right? If they can find the balance, who are you to say that it doesn't exist?

Science is at odds with religion because science is an empirical and experimental activity. Religion, however, is the acceptance of beliefs/ ideals without proof.

Religion presents ideas as facts without proof. It is whimsical.

I'm sure they experience more ambivalence than balance.

[gran guerrero]

Let me elaborate a little more on what we were discussing.

I was arguing with him about the idea of miracles existing and supernatural shit that a lot of religions like to talk about to help further their "righteous cause." The reason that most religions exist is in fact because their prophet/savior/leader could perform miracles or some sort of variation that is closely connected to the unknown. Many people are ignorant and they see a little magic show and they fucking believe in God all of a sudden. Bunch of sheep if you ask me but that's not the point I'm driving here.

I was basically going off on his religion because of these so called miracles and that they don't exist, or that they are not miracles, just something that didn't belong in their time (like discovering the use of chemicals to make explosions, certain odors and shit, blah blah blah). That without these things, religion would hold no merit cause no on would be interested in it.

I agree on some of the philosophy that has been generated from religion (good morals that are taught to people to live good lives). There's nothing wrong with educating the dumbed down masses. Unfortunately greed, corruption and other things have led to the downfall of what was suppose to be enlightening for the people.

My father gave up to me this idea of the wall that people can see clearly what's on one side of this wall (security, peace, serenity, etc...) that solely exists because for people who are cautious or don't have any interest in going higher into what they consider their reality. This is where metaphysics came in. The idea that there was something more to what is presented. That is why some people like my father who go deep within Religion (knowing full well of the hypocrisies and evil that has been committed in their organizations name) just so they can find something deeper. Something more meaningful. Basically he's looking for God (Yeah believe it or not, highly religious people still will probably fight with themselves over the existence of their creator)

Metaphysics isn't exactly real, but it pushes the limitations that we presented ourselves in our conditioned minds. In the beginning we did things we thought was right because the leader of our church/temple/etc... told us too. Then we believed in the scientific and knowledgeable minds because we thought they knew what they were doing too. But the thing is this. The world is a lot more complicated and no one has all the answers. We can either feed each other bullshit and listen to the lies. Or we can take the journey ourselves and discover spirituality in our way. Yes, my father has accepted Islam, but he's not the prototypical muslim you will find any where else. He has different views and perspectives because he interpreted the Quran in his own way. He's even read the Torah and the Bible, and every now and then he gets into a debate with the local jehova witnesses.

At first I hated the thought that my dad was just becoming apart of the rest of the flock that is the ignorant masses. Now though, I've considered that he's not doing this just because it is comfortable for him (he could have chosen any religion he wanted to, but he picked the one thats known to him - which basically is saying why learn a new language?), but because he is looking for peace. He's suffered through an 8 year war (iran-iraq war), and a revolution that has led to govt. oppression. He has escaped and tormented his life trying to gain a new one away from his home in America just so I can lead a better life. He's sacrificed a lot of things for his family and all he wants now is to feel safe. To feel relaxed knowing that if he dies, then maybe he can go to a superficial (if not imaginary) place in the sky where he can enjoy happiness and peace for all eternity.

No one knows for certain if that's what happens when you die, but because we don't know we have fear. Our fear has led to us trying to explain what we don't know. Everyone's got their own perspective, and you do too. There's no need for anyone to believe in anything and at the same time there's no reason why anyone can't believe in whatever they want to.

Next thing you know tomorrow is going to be the end of the world and we can finally figure out whether or not God exists or not. In the meantime just enjoy what you have and continue living without bothering your fellow man. That's all we can really do.

[Jones]

/thread

good post, gran

[the_paul]

For all the talk in here about how terrible religion is, people also haven't mentioned that it does do a great amount of good in the world. I don't care if you admit it, but the goods and services (material) offered by these churches or mosques or whatever the equivalent is is something to be commended. I agree with what gran said, if religion doesn't cut it for you and you're happy without it, fantastic. If you need to follow the 5 Pillars or the Catechism to the letter and you're happy, ok sweet you do you. If you believe in God and don't go to Church or whatever and you're happy with it, excellent. I just don't see the need to start a thread like this to bash those of us that gain something from religion. It kind of pisses me off burnt, it's not a discussion, it's a flat out lack of respect. I'm surprised trancetunes hasn't posted here yet. I hate the guy, but he probably died of a broken heart at this. It seems like you made this thread to 1) wave your dick around about being atheist, 2) talk shit to those of us here that feel differently than you (see any "Atheists are stupid" threads floating around here? I must have missed them), or 3) to project your dissatisfaction with the choice you made concerning religion on those who went down the other path. Personally, I think it's a combination of all 3. Whatever it boils down to, it was pretty gay. I will say that at least you had the sense to see gran's sensible post and drop it there. If you were trolling, well played you got me and I take my hat off to you. If you weren't, you've officially lost the atheist title and subscribed to the religion of DoucheFaggotry. 24 is the high priest and you're his savant now, congratufuckinglations.

/involvement
/rant

EDIT: Misread, it was jones who posted that. So you're still a douchefaggot of an even higher order now.

[curse]

I agree with parts of everything from your guys posts, and in the end I think the important thing that matters is that we all learn to respect eachother for our beliefs regardless of religion or science. learn to incorporate both ideas in a pleasant way.

Example 1 Religion = imagination from humans that something exists that can't be proved by science.

Example 2 Science = the human logic (Knowledge) and understanding of things that can't be proved by religion.

Albert Einstien said that he thought imagination was more important then knowledge but perhaps even that great mind is wrong when I put it this way....

Knowledge and imagination can go hand in hand greater together then they are seperated.

See how easy that was to break down in a simplified way for you all to understand?

[curse]

Don't just isolate your mind to just one narrow view of things.... OPEN your mind as much views and possibilites from other people as possible in different ways to have a better understanding of things.


/End Thread

[Galleleo]

Science without religion is lame, Religion without science is blind.

[Bioture]

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

[Zeebu]

this is a bad idea

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

Hey friends I just finished some Final Fantasy 8 Squall/Seifer YAOI fanfic, please R/R?




Let the Rain Fall:

Celebration!

The world rejoiced as Sorceress Ultimecia was defeated by SeeD.

Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartily, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt were treated as heroes for defeating the tyrannical sorceress who wished to reduce the world into a single moment.

Time Compression was averted and countless lives were saved. The young heroes celebrated their time of peace by returning to their "normal" lives. They retuned to Balamb Garden, restoring it to its former glory. Quistis returned to her normal class, Selphie and Irvine were in charge of a unit whose purpose was to restore Trabia and Galbadia Garden, and Zell was busy being the lazy fighter that he was. Rinoa trained to master her Sorceress Power with former Sorceress Edea's assistance. Squall learned of his biological father, Laguna, and was immediately placed in charge of Balamb Garden by Cid Kramer himself.

Yes, this time of peace was much welcomed to the young heroes.

However, it took only three years for this peace to end as a new battle approached against a force unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Rinoa Heartily stormed out of the commander's office with her face red. She slammed the door behind her and taped into her Sorceress Power to rained thunder and lighting down upon the Garden. It was safe to assume that she was royally pissed off by a certain tight pants wearing, Gunblade swinging, and sorceress killing SeeD. She threw her arm up into the air, again, calling down another bolt of lighting

All of Balamb Garden quacked as she went to the elevator. Her raven hair flowed behind her as she made SeeDs and students run out of her way. They didn't want to risk pissing of the young sorceress any further then the commander did. The elevator doors swung open, while she spun around to face that damn office door. The hem of her aqua sundress flowed behind her.

"Fuck you, Squall Leonhart!" she shouted, angrily. "I hope you choke on your own blood!"

The doors closed and the elevator went down with a light ding.

The SeeDs and students moved out of their hiding places, shaking their heads as they saw the furiously, pissed off sorceress leave.

"What do you think the commander did this time?" asked one of the students.

"He probably forgot their anniversary," said a SeeD.

"Nah, their anniversary wasn't for another week," said another SeeD. "He probably forgot it was her birthday."

"I thought her birthday already passed?"

"Whatever the commander did, it must've been horribly horrible."

"I heard that if you don't get back to work, I'm kicking you all out of the Garden!"

The SeeDs and students turned around to see their commander and headmaster of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart standing at the office doorway. His arms were crossed over his lean and muscular chest, over shirt and tie he wore. His tight-fitting, black slacks clung to his perfectly, toned legs. His brown hair swayed lightly to the side as he craned his neck slowly to the side.

Everyone immediately ran off to their stations, getting back to work.

Squall retuned to his office, slamming the door behind him. He was returning to his desk when he saw a bolt of lightning flash across his window. "Knock if off, Rinoa!" he shouted, angrily. He sat himself back down on his chair, dropping his head on his mahogany desk. "I would much rather be locked up in the D-District Prison then have to put up with Rinoa for another moment."

"Ouch, glad she's not here to hear that one." Zell stood at the doorway with his arms on his sides. He was leaned against Squall's doorway, trying to act all cool in front of his best friend. Squall had to admit that Zell was starting to grow on him like a little brother or a bothersome fungus.

Zell waltzed into the office, wearing his SeeD uniform, without any consent from Squall. He spun one of the chairs around and sat down with his legs wide open as he pressed his chest against the back. "So Squally, what's up?" he asked. "Well something other then Rinoa trying to open a black hole to suck you into and tare your souls to tiny shreds."

"You're so cheery," said Squall as he returned to boring paper work. "What do I owe the pleasure of gracing me with your presence?"

"Well, we don't want to start another Sorceress War and seeing as how Rinoa will kill you on sight, maybe I should escort her off the continent," suggested Zell. Squall had to pick his head up, unsure of what was just happening. Was Zell actually offering to do something helpful out of his own free-will? "I mean, I'm not trying to ship her off into the loony bin, but maybe someone should keep an eye out for her. The others would do it, but their too busy with their lives to help. And well…Seifer…he's out of the question now."

Squall nodded his head.

His longtime rival, Seifer Almasy, had poofed out of existence shortly after Ultimecia's defeat. No one knew where he ran off to. Ellone had kept an eye out for him for a while, but even she lost track of him. It was clear to all of them that Seifer didn't want to be found. The only thing Squall cared about was if Seifer was still loyal to the evil sorceresses or if they were successful in knocking some sense into him after Adel/Ultimecia tried to Junction Rinoa into Adel's body.

"Alright, Zell," said Squall, "go ahead. You have my blessing."

Zell shook his head as he went up to Squall's face. He placed a gloveless hand on Squall's forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever. "Are you sick? Is that why Rinoa dumped you? Were you cheating on her with a prostitute?" asked Zell. "Wait, why did Rinoa dump you."

Squall rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. "I refused to marry her," he said, so bluntly. "She wanted to take this relationship further, I was comfortable. She wants kids, I barely found out my father who my father is and learned that he is a complete moron. Need I really say more?"

"Nope!" Zell said, simply. "I'll take care of Heartily for you, I'll make sure she doesn't go off the deep end and try to blow up the planet. I'll call and check in with you whenever I can."

"Good luck, Zell."

Zell laughed as he walked out of the office. "HA! I don't need luck!" he said to his best friend. "I got Ifrit and Siren with me. Those two will keep me safe from her magic."

Squall sighed as he realized this would end badly for his friend. He had half the mind to send Shiva, Alexander, and Diablos with him, but decided to leave him be. He would let Zell learn the hard way that Rinoa wasn't an easy person to tame. Plus, she had the Carbuncle, Leviathan, and Eden on her side. The rebel princess was a general's daughter and a young sorceress, there was no controlling her.

It was cold, colder then it was supposed to be.

Seifer held onto his bare chest as he rolled out of bed. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched his stiff muscles. He had worked so hard yesterday with the other men that he crashed out with all his clothes on. That was terribly odd and rare for him. He normally never wore any, or very little, clothes to bed.

He slowly rose up and popped his stiff back. He limbered up his muscles to get ready for another day out in the snowy mountains, working his ass off. That was something he wasn't looking forward too, but someone had to pay for their wooden cabin, keep the water flowing, pay the heating bill, and pay for the groceries. All he had to do was cut down some trees, load them up into trucks, and a tare the earth apart with heavy machinery.

The red curtains were pulled back so he could see the snowy field around the frozen mountains. Small villages like this one were popping up everywhere, but it still wasn't enough to stop these snowstorms. If he didn't know any better, he would say Squall was here and purposely using Shiva to freeze him out.

"I'm so fucking cold!" shouted Seifer.

"Breakfast is ready."

Seifer turned around to see the door open and a young boy standing near the doorway. The boy appeared frail and delicate just like the snowflakes that fell from the sky as he wore Seifer's red pajamas. His skin was awfully pale like he was ill, but he was in perfect health. His chocolaty hair was framed perfectly around his round face. His hair was parted to the side, his bangs covering his right eye. Speaking of his eyes, they were the most gorgeous shade of green that Seifer had the pleasure of looking into.

In the boy's hand was a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with a steaming, hot cup of coffee in his other hand. The boy wore a smile on his face with his rosy lips parted slightly. Seifer welcomed this edible sight as he threw their sheets back on the bed before sitting down on top of it.

Seifer sniffed the delicious food as the boy handed it over to him. "It smells fan-fucking-tastic," he said to the boy. "Your prowess in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me, Max."

"And your prowess in bed never ceases to amaze me, Seifer," said Max. The boy kissed Seifer's cheek before getting off the bed. He slowly shrugged out of the shirt, which was followed with the pants. He stood in their bedroom, wearing just his briefs as he stripped off Seifer's oversized clothes. "I'll be in the shower if you need me. Your boss called and said to be ready for work in forty minutes. He'll drive by to pick you up."

"Alright," said Seifer. "Enjoy your shower."

"Enjoy your breakfast."

Seifer did just that as he ate the food and drank the hot coffee.

His thoughts flashed as he remembered meeting this strange boy, two years ago.

It was cold, colder then any Hell that Seifer had the intelligence to come up with. He didn't even remember why he left the Horizon for this Trabia hellhole.

He would die here, he would die for everything he did, he would die for his sins.

Oddly enough, Seifer was okay with dying. He was okay with his life coming to an end as he froze to death. After everything he did to those who cared for him, he deserved to be put to death. He started a second Sorceress War, he nearly destroyed the world, he nearly killed his childhood friends for what? He did all of this for some stupid dream.

He wasn't good enough to be a knight, a hero.

He deserved to be put to death.

As he lay there, on the frozen field, he felt warmth on his flesh as a hand touched his cheek.

"Are you okay? Please don't be dead. I'll get you some help right away."

Seifer, slowly, picked his head up and saw an angel standing over him. The boy's hair swayed in the frozen breeze along with the white clothes he wore. Light gently flowed from his hands, providing sustenance for Seifer that kept him part of the living world. A pair of blue wings emerged from the boy's back as he was healed.

He swore he was seeing things, he had to be seeing this.

"You're…Sorcer…ess," he whispered.

"Actually, I'm a Sorcerer," said the boy. "My name is Max. I've been waiting for you for a longtime, Seifer Almasy. I heard that you were going to cart your ass over here."

"Why are you saving me?" he asked, feeling strength restored to his muscle.

"Well, every good Sorcerer needs a Knight," he said, simply. "I was wondering if you wanted to fill in the position." He leaned down and kissed Seifer on the cheek. "I promise I won't abuse you and leave you like the others."

And with those words said, Seifer's senses dulled as he fell into a deep sleep.

He had eventually woke up after that and found himself inside this cabin. The cabin was barely standing when he first arrived, but since then they've fixed it up nicely. It was now hospitable for humans to leave with a heater for every room. Max had apparently been living on his own without any money for a longtime before he found Seifer.

All that changed for them once they were together.

Seifer kept Max safe and Max gave Seifer a purpose again.

The two were young and in love, much to Seifer's original displeasure. It took almost two years, but Seifer eventually got over it. He was proud to say that he was in love with Max, and young Max was dumb enough to fall for Seifer. The twenty-one year old hunk just had that effect on the sixteen year old boy.

Max retuned from his shower with only a towel around his waist just as Seifer finished his breakfast. His skin was nearly dry but he still sat down on the bed anyways. Seifer placed all his dishes on the nightstand as he wrapped an arm around Max and pulled him against his chest.

Max closed his eyes, falling asleep in Seifer's arms.

Squall made it out of his office before midnight and was wandering around the streets of Balamb, dressed in his traditional coat, pants, and multiple belts. He was tired of being cooped up in the Garden day and night so he would sometimes wander around town to get away. He even went to the Dincht household just to get a free meal and get away from the silly drama of his teenage pupils. Not that he could say much, he was only twenty after all.

He wandered around in silence, walking down the stone road. He eventually made it to the harbor were only two ships were anchored. He went down to the railing and stared out in the dark ocean.

In all the silence, Squall finally found peace within himself. He had cleared Rinoa out of his head, he was starting to get over his father issues, and he managed to escape his school long enough to be alone. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he took in the fresh, saltwater breeze.

Well, he was at peace with the universe, until it started to rain around him.

"Fuck my life!" he shouted.

He ran towards one of the covered pavilions for cover against mother nature. He would remain there until either the rain stopped or it lightened up enough for him to get a room for the night. He knew that would never happen and he would more then likely have to run all the way through the heavy ran to the hotel. He was going to be so wet and sick once he went through this ordeal.

A soft laughter could be heard behind him as he heard the rustling of a plastic bag. "You weren't exactly prepared for a storm, weren't ya?" Squall turned around to see a boy sitting on top of a crate.

He had a bag of chips in his hands and he was munching away at that happily. The boy was thin and pale, but he didn't seem to be unhealthy in Squall's eyes. He was just one of the lucky ones. He wore an all black outfit, which consisted of a black shirt, black jeans, and a black sweater with a black belt. His hair was yellow blond that reminded him so much of Seifer, but was twice as long. The boy's hair was brushed to the side to cover his left eye and went down past his ears and neck. Squall could see one, blue eye through that curtain of hair.

The boy handed over the chips to Squall. "Hungry, big guy?" he said, smiling.

Squall smirked at the kid as he took a chip from the bag. "Isn't it passed your curfew?" he asked.

"Isn't it passed yours?" said the boy.

Squall had to admit, he was impressed with the boy's sharp tongue. The kid defiantly had some bite in his bark. "I'm twenty," he said, simply. "I don't have a curfew. You're like what, twelve? You don't live in Garden, do you?"

"Sixteen," said the boy, "and no I don't, Headmaster Leonhart." He brushed his hair further to the side before digging his hand back into his bag. He smiled at Squall as he noticed the surprised look on his face. "I'm a civilian, not one of your students. Although, I wouldn't mind if that means I get to spend some time in your office. Then again, I'm not sure I would survive that hectic SeeD final that I've heard everyone talking about. You hear a lot of things when you work as a waiter in a bar."

"Apparently," said Squall, ignoring the boy's obvious attempt at flirting. "I assume my students complain about me a lot?"

"They call you an Ice Prince with a heart colder then any Blizzard spell," said the boy. "They say you might be a big, war hero, but you're a total jerk when it comes to be a normal human being. Oh, and that you're incapable of a stable relationships! And they keep having pools going when you would break up with your girlfriend and get back together."

"How wonderful of them," he said, taking a chip out of the bag. "I have such wonderful students."

The boy nodded his head as he stared at his nearly empty bag. "They're good kids," he said to Squall. "They just needed to vent out their frustrations. They never give me any trouble either, I can't say the same thing about the sailors here. At least your kids don't grab my ass or the other servers' asses whenever we walk by. You taught them well."

Squall began to sincerely smile as he took another chip. "Thanks, I'm glad to know that I'm doing something right," he said, softly.

"My name's Matt," said the boy. He hoped off the crate and picked up a green bag from the ground. He handed over the rest of the chips to Squall. "I have to get going. It was fun talking to you, Headmaster Leonhart."

"Just call me Squall."

Matt nodded his head as he pulled out an umbrella from his bag. "Alright, Squall," he said, smiling. "You want to walk with me back to the hotel? The bar I work and live is right next door to it. I doubt you want to walk back all the way to Garden in this weather."

"I'll accept your offer, but I should probably hold onto the umbrella," said Squall. "I'm like twice your size."

"Being five three isn't a bad thing!" said the boy.

"Of course not," said Squall. "But being five nine is better."

He held the umbrella between them as they walked out of the pavilion. Matt took his chips away from Squall and began to munch on them as they walked up the road. The boy wore a soft smile on his face as he turned to the crescent moon that was blocked by storm clouds in the sky. He gently rubbed his fingers together, lessening the storm around them.

Matt turned back to Squall, watching the handsome SeeD in the nightlight.

Let the Hunger End:

The sound of rain crashing against his bedroom window woke up Squall's senses. The SeeD slowly rose up from his bed, stretching his stiff limbs in the process. He was sore and exhausted from all the training that he went through this past week. The SeeD exams were slowly getting closer and Squall refused to send his students into harm way until he checked the surrounding area to be certain that it wasn't too dangerous for them. They examinees may be taking their final exam, but they were still Squall's students. He was responsible for their safety and well-being until they passed their exams and became full-fledged SeeDs.

The combat simulations he went through were highly painful and exhausting, but he figured most of the candidates should be able to handle it. Now, whether or not they collected enough points would be a different story. If they went through another experience like his final exam then they could be screwed. His students would be on there own in that case, but he would send Quistis, Xu, and Nida to provide support, while he continued to run the school.

Squall never realized just how hard it was to run the Garden. Being the Headmaster didn't mean just a mountain load of paperwork, but it also meant being in charge of the well-being of over a thousand students and the faculty. If he made just one bad decision then it could be the end of them. It wasn't this bad went it was just six of them and they were fighting off Ultimecia. This supreme load of shit that was just weighing him down.

Squall needed a night to himself. He hadn't had a day off in a month. The last one he had was when he got rained on by the docks and met that Matt boy. While monitoring the students and the instructors, he heard some of his students talking about the boy and his work ethics. Some of the girls talked about how cute the boy was, while the boys were busy making fun of him for his weaker appearance.

A soft sigh escaped Squall's lips as he turned to his window. The storm had quieted down considerably in the past five minutes. That was a good sign for the Headmaster as the sun slowly began to shine. He should take the day off, Xu could run the show for a day, plus it was a Saturday. If he had the right to take a day off then it would be today.

What would he do on his day off though? There was the obvious thing to do, which was workout, but he wasn't in the mood for that. Then there was the option of flying over to Esthar and see his father, but he really didn't want to do that. Sure, Ellone would probably be there or she would be wandering around the sea with the White SeeDs, but he didn't really want to go through the effort of searching for them.

That left him with one other, obvious, choice.

He would go to Balamb for the day and enjoy the city by the sea's nightlife.

Plus, he would probably get a free meal out of Matt or maybe at a cheaper price since he was a little low on Gil right now.

Trabia Garden was fixing up, quite nicely. Thanks to all the donations from President Laguna, the SeeD training ground was making a steady recovery. It didn't hurt to have all the Esthar scientists and soldiers there to help them rebuild the destroyed home.

Selphie was smiling broadly as she saw her stage fixed. She would finally have her Garden Festival that she had worked so hard to make. All the ones she held in Balamb were a smashing success, thanks to Squall's willingness to work with her. She wanted to carry that tradition to the remaining students and faculty of the dreary fields of Trabia Garden.

That was the young woman's greatest wish.

Selphie stood there in her Seed uniform, looking very professional instead of her cheery, fairy-like appearance. She was so happy to see her old home near completion. The Esthar scientists even managed to repair most of the Centra features that were build underneath the Garden that were ruined by the missile.

She regretted not being able to stop the missile attacks, but at least she was able to give Balamb Garden a chance not to suffer a similar fate. She was happy to accomplish that much, at least.

Irvine walked up towards her with a grin on his face. The cowboy sharpshooter walked up to her in his traditional, cowboy outfit with that hat that he was rarely seen without. His ponytail swayed behind him as he made his way to her. He placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, kissing the girl on the cheek.

"Hello, Darlin'," he said with a faint accent. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awesome," she said, softly. "The Garden is almost finished being rebuilt and the stage is almost ready for the Garden Festival next month. Can you believe that we got so much done in three years?"

"You're a beast!" he said, jokingly.

Selphie began to laugh as she punched him in the arm. "You're such a weirdo!" she said, laughing. Irvine had his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest. She smiled softly as she leaned against his chest. "I guess that's what I like about you though. Even if you are a womanizing man-whore sometimes."

"I've given up my Casanova ways for you, Selph," he said, smiling. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you. I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Selphie.

The young couple stood there as they watched the reconstruction slowly being done to the Garden.

Seifer had a lit cigarette in his mouth as he stared off into space. He was forced to stand outside of the house because Max hated it when he smoked inside the house. It was nearly below freezing and he couldn't even be inside the hose to smoke a damn cigarette. He had just got done with a long day from work, but Max wouldn't let him inside till he was finished with that damn cigarette.

"Fucking brat," mumbled Seifer. "I'm freezing my balls off and all he gives a damn about is catching lung cancer."

"I heard that!" Max was standing by the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged him tight. His brown hair swayed to the side as he turned his head to the side a bit. The boy just stood there with a seductive twinkle in his eyes.

Seifer glared at his young lover as he blew out the rest of his smoke. He threw the dead bud to the ground, stomping his boot on it. "Can I come into my house now?" he shouted, angrily.

Max nodded his head as he handed over the hot cup to Seifer. "You may now," he said, smiling. Seifer took the hot cup from him and began to drink it. Seifer felt the warmth of it, instantly. Max led him back inside the house, out from the harsh cold.

Seifer was still in his work attire: a thick coat, a flannel shirt, carpenter boots, and thick snow boots. He was partially warm thanks to the hat an gloves that he wore, but he was still freezing. The hot chocolate worked its magic at it's warmed his body. He was sure though that Max had a little more to do with it then the drink though.

A warm fire was lit in their living room, which now had a TV in it. The small, loveseat was next to the fireplace with a coffee table in front of it then their TV on the other side of the room. There were no other walls so their "dining" room was right there. There was a small table there for the rare dinners that they had for company. The kitchen was a little impressive and came with a breakfast counter where they ate most of their meals at.

Their cabin in the snow was warm and comfy, the perfect getaway. Next to their kitchen was their small, guest bedroom that they never used. Seifer mainly used that as his workout room and Max had his bookshelf in there as well. Next to that was their small bathroom, which managed to fit a tub big enough for the two of them with a showerhead above that for when they needed to shower. And next to their bathroom was their bedroom where they had a lot of "fun" inside.

Max went over to the kitchen where their dinner was just about done cooking. He cut off the gas stove and stirred the pasta he made a bit. Their entrée was done so now he could finish fixing up the salad before he served the starving Seifer his food. Lucky for him, Seifer would always change and use the bathroom before he ate.

Seifer stripped down to his boxers, throwing all his clothes next to the front door. He paraded around in the near nude to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Once he was finished pissing, he would go into their bedroom to put on a pair of pants and his trench coat.

He loved that damn trench coat so much that couldn't live without it.

As Seifer dug his coat out of the closet, he saw the large case hidden in the depths. On it was a cross over it, which stored his Gunblade, Hyperion, within it. He briefly touched the case as he tried to block out all the memories of his battles with it. He did a lot of horrible things with Hyperion. He tried to destroy his childhood friends and the world with that weapon.

Seifer vowed to never pick up that weapon again until he finally found redemption and was purged clean from his sins.

"Dinner's ready," said Max. He stood next to Seifer with his hands behind his back. The boy had a soft smile on his face as he stood right there. "You hungry, babe?"

Seifer nodded his head as he pulled out his trench coat. He closed the door and put it on, covering part of his hard muscle chest. "Yeah, I'm starving," he said, softly. He followed his boyfriend out to the kitchen and took in a deep breath. He could smell the delicious aroma of the food, which only made his hunger grow. "Dinner smells so good too."

"Thanks," said Max. "I knew you would like it."

"You guessed right."

Seifer pulled onto Max's hand and spun him around. Max crashed against Seifer's chest and was soon greeted by the blond's lips. Max moaned softly as Seifer lifted him up, deepening their kiss. Seifer held onto his young lover before he placed him back on the ground to stand on his own.

Seifer kissed his cheek before going over to his plate to eat. A beer was already waiting for him on the table, which only brightened up his day. He sat down and started to eat the meal that Max worked so hard to prepare for him. Max laughed, softly, as he went over to his own plate and started to eat as well.

Quistis Trepe made her way into Squall's office, catching sight of her former pupil as he tried to get out of there like a bat out of Hell. Her blonde hair swayed to the side as she watched him, curiously. She wore a simple skirt and blouse with her glasses on. Her engagement ring glistened on her finger as she stood with her hands to the side. The instructor was very relaxed and centered as she saw Squall filling everything away.

"What are you doing?" she said, loudly.

Squall snapped out of his trance as he held onto a stack of paperwork. "I'm putting everything away, as you can tell," he said, calmly. "Is there something I can help you with, Instructor Trepe?"

"Nothing at all, Headmaster Leonhart," she said, laughing. "I assume you're taking the day off from your duties."

"I haven't had a day off in a long time," said Squall. "I could really use the day off. I already told Xu so she'll take over the Garden for the day."

"Well, that's good," said Quistis. "I hope you enjoy yourself and try to avoid getting into too much trouble."

Squall huffed as he put the last stack of paperwork in the filling cabinet. He sighed and brushed his hair back as he turned back to her. He wore a simple, gray button-up with acid-washed jeans that looked really good on him. "I never get into trouble," he said, calmly. "Besides, Fujin and Raijin took off to Timber to help with the Resistance, and Seifer has dropped off the place of the planet, plus Zell is chasing after Rinoa now. I have nobody to get into trouble with. I am free to live a normal life."

"We're hardly normal," laughed Quistis, "but I'll let you live in your fantasy world, Squall."

"Goodbye, Quistis," he said, while grabbing his car keys.

Quistis stepped aside as the SeeD made his way out of his own office.

Squall was actually looking forward to his night out on the town. For once, he didn't have to worry about a curfew or a psycho villain trying to destroy the world. He could actually enjoy himself for a nice change. Especially, now that he got over a majority of his childhood, abandonment issues that he spent seventeen years harboring.

If there was one good thing about his relationship for Rinoa was that she did a good job at making him break out of his shell.

Squall made his way into the bar next to the only hotel on the continent of Balamb. It wasn't like it was a big continent so there wasn't much that could be said about that. He entered the bar and was greeted with the smell of booze, cigarette, and decent food. The only thing he really cared about was getting some food in him and maybe a drink or two.

He found an empty table by the bar, taking a seat there. He pulled the "menu," which was only a sheet of paper with a few meals scribbled on there. It was mostly seafood, but there were a few other treats on there that caught Squall's attention.

"Well, it's a surprise see you here, Squall." The young man picked his head up to find the young teen waiting him. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans, a simple outfit for a simple teen. Matt had a faint smile on his face as he carried a small notepad in his hands. "I thought you went poof after that storm. I was kinda hoping to see you here soon."

"Really," said Squall. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Matt laughed at Squall's embarrassing attempt to either make small talk or flirt. Either way, Matt found it pretty funny as he opened his notepad to a blank page. "Yes you are," he said, smiling at him. "Now, what would you like to drink? Could I get you an appetizer as well?"

"I'll just take a beer for now," said Squall. "I'm still deciding what I want to eat."

"A beer it is then," said Matt. "I'll get that for you right away." Matt disappeared to the bar, while Squall stared at the weak menu. He found something that seemed promising when Matt finally returned with an open bottle of beer in his hands. The young waiter placed it in front of him and took his notepad out again. "Now, what would you like to eat? Or do you still need more time to decide?"

"Can I have the Triple Burger with extra fries?" said Squall.

Matt nodded his head as he scribbled the order down. "Sure you can just because you're so special," he said, jokingly. "Anything else I can get for his Highness?"

"A less, talkative waiter, perhaps," said Squall.

"Ouch!" laughed Matt. "You have a painful sense of humor. Then again, I heard a lot more painful stuff back where I came from."

"And where did you come from?" asked Squall.

Matt shook his head as he closed notepad. He stuffed it in the sack around his waist with a smile on his face. "I'll never tell," he said, smiling. "Besides, I like to keep an air of mystery around me. It keeps everyone interested and wanting more. Plus, I usually get a bigger tip out of it."

"Nice try," said Squall. "I'm not falling for that trap though."

"It was worth a shot," said Matt. "I'll go place your order."

The boy took off, while Squall began to drink his beer and took in the chill, bar atmosphere.

Yeah, Squall picked a great day to take the day off from being Headmaster.

Rinoa slammed her shot down on the counter. She stuck her tongue out, while letting out a horrible sound from her mouth. That shot went down exceptionally rough as it slowly burned her insides.

"Remind me again why I'm drinking with you?" she yelled at Zell in a Dollet bar.

Zell slammed his shot down and bit down on his lime. He smacked his hand on the table as he took in the sour and burning taste. "You came because you thought it would be fun," he said, swallowing his pain. The burning went down as he let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think we should do anymore shots. Three is enough, I say."

"Agreed," said Rinoa. She threw her layered hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Zell. The strap of her black dress was exposed now that her hair wasn't covering it. She even showed off part of her tan lines "Why did you follow me anyway? It's not like we were close or best friends like you are with Squall."

"Someone has to watch over you," said Zell. "You're one of the few sorceresses left in the world. There has to be someone to be there for you." He got his new drink, which was a strong scotch that went down smoothly. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she got her mixed drink. It was sweet, but the alcohol content was strong enough to knock out a grown man. It was a good thing that she was a grown sorceress so it didn't have as much of an effect on her. "That makes me so much better," she said, bitterly. "I don't need your charity, Zell; I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you to be doing Squall any favors by looking out for me. Ugh, I think Squall's gay. He wears like super, mega, tight, leather pants that just make him look really gay."

"Squall isn't gay. And actually, I was the one to suggest it," said Zell. He took a sip from his glass before placing it back on the counter. The young man turned towards the young sorceress with a rather serious expression on his face for once. "I'm not doing this as a charity case. I really do care about what happens to you, Rinoa. After everything we've already been through together, I care about what happens to all of you. I know Squall can take care of himself, plus he has Ellone and Laguna if he really needs it. Quistis is getting married so that's her future husband's job to watch out for her. Selphie and Irvine have each other to look after. That just leaves you, me, and Seifer. Personally, I want nothing more to do with Seifer and I'm glad he disappeared to Hyne knows where. I figure that you need my help way more then anyone else does. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to turn to and you need a Knight to protect you."

Rinoa placed her hand on Zell's mouth, stopping him from speaking any further. She had a soft smile on her face with a single tear running down her cheek. "Thank you, Zell," she said, softly. "Thanks for being a true, honest friend. I would be honored to have someone like you as my Knight."

Zell started to smile as he and Rinoa returned to their drinks.

It was near midnight on the snowy fields.

Seifer had his arm around Max as they curled up in the loveseat with a blanket over them. They were completely nude with the fireplace keeping them warm, a bottle of empty wine on the floor, and sweat and cum stuck to their skin. Max's butt was a little sore from what happened last night. He would be hurting in the morning as he tired to make it to the bathroom, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

Sex with Seifer was the closet to Heaven that Max could ever get to in this life.

"I am so tired," whispered Max as he kissed Seifer's perfect chest.

The blond started to laugh as he held onto his thin lover. His hands rubbed down his bony shoulders towards his cute butt. The only bit of fat that Max had on his body could be found in his butt and a bit in his stomach. That was it; the rest was all skin and bones. Although, Seifer did love how Max's cute butt bounced when he smacked into it.

"I could use a nap, myself," said Seifer.

Max chuckled, softly, as he started to close his weary, green eyes. Sleep would take over him soon as he curled against Seifer. Even if Seifer were to fuck him, while standing, Max would probably be knocked out.

Seifer brushed the boy's hair away from his face. He wrapped the blanket around them more so it would do a better job of keeping them warm. It didn't hurt that the fire did a good job of keeping their feet warm. He heard a faint yawn escape Max's mouth, which only made the cyan-eyed man chuckle. "You should go to sleep if you're so tired," he whispered.

"I should," Max whispered back.

Seifer kissed him on the forehead, which sent the young sorcerer to sleep. This boy never ceased to amaze him. It always amazed Seifer at how this boy brought out the kinder, loving side of him that he never thought existed. He always thought he was just an insane, violent, and aggressive man that would never show any true compassion for another living thing.

Max had changed him, Seifer just wondered if he was good enough for the boy.

Let the Bones Break:

Squall slashed the monsters away at the Training Center with his weakened Revolver model of his Gunblade. He easily could've killed the monsters with his strongest Gunblade, but he decided to get stronger by going at a lower level. The stress would push him to be stronger so that he could protect everyone around him.

Quistis was with him, as usual. She never wanted Squall to be on his own in this room because he had a tendency to push himself to death. Everytime she left Squall alone, he would come back with blood all over his body, half the time it would all be his. He would nearly kill himself with his insane desires to become a stronger warrior.

They defeated a T-Rexarus together just like they did all those years ago.

"The SeeD final is coming up," said Quistis as she attached her whip to her side. She grazed her finger over the cool metal as she went over to Squall's side. "Tomorrow the Cadets have to go to the Fire Caverns."

"I know," said Squall. "I remember how the procedures work. Everything is all set up for them. I have a mission ready for them, as well."

"What would that mission be though?" asked Quistis. "You've kept their final under lock and key. Does anyone know what you have planned?"

Squall shook his head as they made their way closer to the exit. He was tired and in desperate need of a hot shower. He had enough monster blood caked into his skin that he was dying to get if off him. "I'll tell you what I have planned later," he said, softly.

Quistis was very curious about all of this. The SeeD final exam was the biggest operation that the Garden had pulled. Under normal circumstances, it was just a mock battlefield simulation with situations that the Cadets would face as SeeDs. However, there were occasions where the Cadets would go onto an actual battlefield to fight in actual combat.

Quistis knew that the world was experiencing a time of peace. Unless, there was something that he didn't want to tell her. "Well, you'd better tell me soon, Squall," she said, angrily. "Otherwise, I might have to send Ellone after you."

Before Squall had a chance to react though, a loud, commanding voice caught both of their attention. "Squall!" They both looked around when they saw a woman in a SeeD uniform coming after them. Her raven hair and flawless features shinned even in the horrible, fluorescent lightning of the Training Center's hallway. Xu was just as radiated as ever. In her hands was a stack of papers that she was in need to get signed. "I have some papers that need the Headmaster's signature."

"Fun," said Squall. "Are these for the final exam?"

Xu nodded her head as she handed the papers over to him. She gave him a pen after acknowledging Quistis presence. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Quistis would be here with Squall, she always played the babysitter/motherly role. "Everything is ready, we just need your signature," said Xu. "Then we can ship the Cadets off to Centra once they pass their qualification exam."

"Centra!" shouted Quistis. "You're sending them to Centra?"

Squall nodded his head as he added his signature to the paperwork. He had been planning the exam for months now, making sure that everything would be perfect. "Centra is the perfect place for their final," he told her. "There's challenging enough monsters, the landscape is difficult to navigate in, and there's the threat of immediate danger."

Squall was just too calm about all of this.

Quistis was very curious about what Squall was exactly planning.

Max walked into the snowy path that led into town. He was supposed to be getting some much needed groceries. Their house was nearly empty with only a few crumbs surviving. Seifer only ate them out of house and home. Plus, he would like to eat, too.

The boy walked down the path with a knife strapped to his hip. He was ready to get into a fight with a monster if needed. It was a good thing that he had the Sorceress Power; otherwise, the monsters would have a field day devouring him. He would be a yummy treat for them to eat.

He listened to the serene beauty of nature that just made the boy float with joy.

So much joy in fact that it took him a while longer to feel the overwhelming sense of evil. His senses began to react on overdrive as he collapsed onto the snow, panting for air as he felt the evil around him. A horrible taste began to bubble up in his mouth with him wanting to throw up.

"Dear gods," he whispered. "What is this? What is this power I'm feeling?" He held onto his stomach as he felt a sharp pain prick at him. He wanted to throw up so bad that it just hurt him. "It's hungry…it wants to kill the world."

Max looked up into the sky, realizing just how bad it would be once this evil awakened.

Seifer threw the last pile of wood into the truck, finishing his shift for that day. He went back inside the small building that they had set up for the workers that had all the necessities needed to survive the cold. He went to the lounge area, throwing off all the coats that he wore.

The other men in the building ignored Seifer's loner presence, worrying about their own problems.

Things remained as normal until Seifer's boss began to yell at him. The man called for the blond to come into his office, which Seifer did without hesitation. He followed his boss into his office, waiting to hear what the man had to say to him.

"You're one of the best workers I have, Seifer," said his bald, middle-aged employer. The chubby man sat down at his desk with a lone folder on it. Seifer guessed that business just wasn't doing as well as usually. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sending you to Trabia Garden to help with the restoration project there. I have four other workers going with you, but you will serve as a supervisor."

Seifer's entire body froze up as he heard that word. Being sent to Trabia Garden would be a death sentence for him. He was the reason why the Garden was destroyed in the first place. This just couldn't be happening. If he went to Garden then he would for sure run into someone who would recognize him then he would be much screwed.

Especially if Selphie was there and if Selphie was there then so would Irvine.

Then Squall would find out about him and cut his head off.

"I'm sorry sir," said Seifer, "but I can't go to Trabia. I have to think about Max."

"Don't worry about him," said his boss. "The dormitories of the school are fully functional again. I'm already submitting the paperwork to accommodate you and the others. You can take Max with you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"It's not just that," said Seifer, "I just…"

"Listen, Seifer," said his boss. "You have to go to Trabia. You're the only one I can trust to go there and make sure that the other guys stay in line."

Seifer sighed as he realized there was no way he would win this. If he had been the old Seifer then he would've already killed the man. However, he was trying to turn over a new leaf, a normal leaf. He didn't want to be the cold-blooded killer that he used to be. Besides, maybe this was the gods' way of helping him make amends for his sins. Restoring the Garden just may save him.

"Alright," said Seifer. "I'll do it."

His boss was pleased with him as he got up to shake his hand.

The qualification exam was today for SeeD. If the Cadets passed this field exam then they would be able to take their final exam at Centra. Squall was doing everything in his power to keep it a secret with only Xu, Quistis, and Nida being the only ones in the entire Garden to know. Squall escorted the two dozen Cadets with Xu and Nida at his side. They all wore their official SeeD uniforms, showing off what the Cadets were striving to achieve.

Nida had broken out of his shell considerably since the Second Sorceress War came to an end. The short-haired brunet was appointed to Chief Operating Officer after Balamb became a mobile Garden, and continues to hold that position along with Chief Technician. He had worked hard to earn his title, which he gained most recognition after the Battle of Gardens. The SeeD operative even earned the attention of Instructor Quistis Trepe then finally bucked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.

Xu and Nida stood at Squall's sides, while they waited for him to finish his speech to the Cadets at they stood at the entrance of the Fire Cavern.

"Alright guys," said Squall, "this is it for you. Today will decide if you get to take the final exam or not. Inside the cavern lies the Guardian Force, Ifrit. If you can manage to defeat him and the monsters that lurk inside then you will prove yourselves worthy to take the exam. So, I suggest that you give it all you got."

The Cadets saluted their Headmaster, shouting with a chorus of "Yes Sir."

Nida and Xu led the Cadets into the Fire Cavern, while Squall remained behind to await their return.

Rinoa leaned off the balcony to the hotel that they were staying in Timber. She forgot how beautiful her former home was. The town recently achieved liberation from Galbadia once the Sorceress War came to an end. The town now earned its full independence with its people free from the conflict. Even with the newly restored Galbadia Garden not too far away from Timber, it didn't stop the people and their joy.

She cradled her stomach as she felt a horrible pain gnawing away at her soul. Her ties to the Greater Powers alerted her to the danger that was about to overshadow their precious world. Something so horrible was about to rise and it was craving for their world's final destruction. It was something so old and powerful that it didn't care who got in its way when it came to the destruction of the planet.

"What are you?" she whispered, softly.

Zell came into the balcony, running around in the new outfit that the town paid for. He was only partly responsible for Timber receiving its independence. Him, Squall, and Selphie only got dragged into the resistance when Rinoa called Cid Kramer for help when they just became SeeDs. The town was eternally grateful to SeeD not just for helping in their liberation, but for riding them of the evil Sorceresses. In their eyes, Zell was a champion for the people and a superhero to the kids.

Zell was bouncing on it with his new, running shoes and black, track suit. It was loose, but not too loose that it would screw up his reflexes or get his ass killed. He went to the balcony and took a stand beside Rinoa. "Something bothering you?" he asked. He pointed at her face, noting at how odd she looked. "You look super pale. Are you sick or something?"

Rinoa shook her head at the sickness comment. "Or something," she told him. She stared up at the twilight sky, seeing the reds and oranges that began to mix together in the once, blue sky. The Moon was starting to reveal itself, which only reminded her that Ultimecia used her as tool to awaken Adel from her space prison. Then came the Lunar Cry, which only brought more monsters to the world. The feeling she was having was a million times worse then having Ultimecia using her body. "I feel something evil stirring."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell.

"It means that there's another battle in the horizon," said the young sorceress. "I don't like this one bit." A tear came down her soft cheek as she turned to Zell. There was obvious fear written all over her face as she sensed the dark calamity. "I'm scared, Zell. I'm so scared at what's coming. What's rising is probably as old as our planet, maybe older or younger. I don't know, but I do know that it's very angry."

"I don't like the sound of this," said Zell. "Do you have any idea at all who we might be up against next?"

Rinoa shook her head as she kept her eyes locked on his. Zell was beginning to pity to poor Sorceress since he knew that she had a deeper connection to the planet then any of them ever would. "I don't know who it is nor what it is," said Rinoa. "All I do know is that Ultimecia was just the beginning. There is something bigger and scarier in the horizon, and it's fangs are growing."

Zell listened to her revelation and prayed to the gods that they would survive whatever was coming after them.

Over an hour had passed since Squall had sent the Cadets in with Xu and Nida. It was an hour too long if he had any say in it, which he did. There was something very off about all of this. This had never before happened to all of his Cadets. It was normal for only a few to pass the qualification exams or a few who didn't pass.

If there was anything that Squall learned during the Sorceress War was to trust his instincts. And his instincts were screaming at him that something was terribly wrong with the situation. Something must have happened to the Cadets and the SeeDs that went in after them.

Squall swung The Punishment model of his Gunblade around, violently. The massive, black and red blade sparkled in the sunlight as he charged into the cavern. If he ran quickly enough then he had a chance to figure out what could've gone run with this examination.

He sliced apart the monsters that got in his way as he entered the pits of "Hell". The place was literally as hot as being inside a volcano. It was no wonder that the fiery GF, Ifrit, chose to have the Fire Caverns to serve as his domain. The beast would be at his most comfortable here.

He was familiar with the terrain since he had been here once before with Quistis for his own qualification exam. He knew well that Ice Magic was the key to surviving the caverns, and it was a good thing that he had plenty of it. This way he could keep himself cool and freeze all the monsters that dared to cross paths with him.

The Gunblade Specialist ran to the depths of hell to where Ifrit made his home and where surely his Cadets and SeeDs would be in.

What he saw though, shocked and horrified him.

Instead of the Cadets battling the Guardian Force, Ifrit, they were locked in mortal combat with some foreign monster. The monster was easily the size of a Ruby Dragon and just as powerful, yet it took on a different appearance. It had dark red scales on its body with sparkling wings and fangs long enough to tare a man apart. The claws on its paws were horribly long and the paws themselves were as long as Squall's leg.

The monster blew out a storm of green fire, blowing all the remaining Cadets away. Horrible screams filled the air as some of the students were thrown into the lava, burning slowly to death. Squall felt a horrible pain in his heart as he watched four of his students be incinerated by the lava. Those who managed to survive were running as fast as they could out of the cavern.

Xu and Nida were the only ones left standing to fight the monster. Xu was fighting the monster with her Chain Whip, doing every bit of damage that she could do to it. Nida was busy trying to distract the creature with his saber by stabbing his exposed casings. The monster unleashed a wave of green fire that managed to be neutralized by a Shell spell that Xu must've casted on them earlier.

Squall went charging after the monster with The Punishment in his hands. He swung the massive Gunblade, slicing off a chunk of its nail in the process. The monster howled in pain with a smile forming on Squall's lips as he slowly avenged his students.

"This creature is too strong!" shouted Xu. "It rose up from the pit instead of Ifrit."

"It killed eight students!" shouted Nida. "I casted Scan on it and learned nothing from the spell."

"Well then, it'll make killing it all the more fun!" Squall shouted, angrily. He swung the Gunblade back as he gathered the Para-Magic that was Junctioned into his being. This creature was clearly a fire type monster, which meant it would be vulnerable to Ice Magic. Lucky for him, he was Junctioned to Guardian Force of Ice, Shiva. "Diamond Dust!"

A pillar of ice rose up from the ground in front of him. Trapped inside the ice was a blue woman who broke through her frozen prison. Shiva raised her arms into the air, gathering a ball of ice. She unleashed her frozen power upon the monster, blasting it with a storm of incomprehensible ice. The ice shattered around the monster that made it barely twitch.

The monster howled green fire from the depth of his maw as Shiva faded away.

Squall collapsed to his knees, suddenly feeling his power zapped out from him. Nida and Xu also collapsed in the process with the remaining Cadets escaping the cavern. Squall could barely move at all, barely enough to even look at the maw of this horrible creature. His entire body froze in fear as he saw the monster slowly making his way over to him.

The dragon was going to kill them, slowly and painfully.

Squall had a terrible feeling that he would die here with Nida and Xu.

"Damn," hissed Squall. "I…I can't believe that it will end like this."

"Gaia's Wrath!"

A giant boulder rose up from the ground in front of the SeeDs. They pushed themselves away from the boulder just before it shattered apart into tiny pieces. A dark-skinned man rose from his knees with only a tan loincloth covering his body. His bulging muscles were clearly shown as the colossal creature began to attack the monster.

The monstrous dragon hissed at the man, while the man simply crossed his arms over his chest. His presence alone was enough to shake the ground around them that eventually caused the earth to crack. The dragon looked down for a moment just as a boulder landed on it's wing, breaking it apart. The monster howled in pain before the earth completely opened up, swallowing it whole.

The man disappeared with the ground repairing itself. The SeeDs realized that this creature that defeated the monster was Guardian Force. This wasn't that particular Guardian Force's domain so that must mean that there was a summoner around here who had the GF Junctioned into them.

Squall was the first to get back on his feet and investigated the surrounding area. He turned back just in time to see a fleeing shadow. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the fleeing figure to be Matt. It was the same Matt that was with him during the storm and who served him at the bar.

Squall just couldn't believe that this kid saved their lives from the monster. It just made no sense at all to him, especially since the kid wasn't even a part of Garden. This kid came with far more secrets then Squall could ever have anticipated.

"Just who are you," whispered Squall. "What are you?"

Seifer returned home after hearing that he would be sent to Trabia Garden in two weeks to help with it's restoration. He was dead set against going to Garden, but he knew that he had no other choice. He just prayed that he could stay out of the way of who even had the slightest chance at recognizing him. If he could at least hide his scar then he could pull off just being some guy who looked like him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't that fortunate.

Seifer walked into his home and dropped all of his work things, expecting to have Max tackle him out of the doorway. He took a few steps into the living room and just saw how empty the house felt. That was what worried him most. His Sorcerer was never this quiet before. Max was always loud and doing something to pass the time.

"Max!" shouted Seifer. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were completely empty. "Max!" He ran into their bedroom, thinking that he might be taking a nap on their bed. There was still no sign of Max there either. He ran into the spare bedroom/office and saw that he wasn't in there either.

Panic filled his soul as he ran into the bathroom, praying that the boy would be in there.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sound of Max crying. The boy was curled into a ball and sitting in the bathtub. The boy was shaking in fear as Seifer released a sigh of relief, knowing that the boy was at least in their home. However, Seifer hated the sound of the boy crying and knew that something most be wrong with him.

Seifer went to the tub, removed his shoes, and climbed inside the tub with Max. He wrapped his arms around the teary eyed boy with Max pressing his body against him. "What happened?" he asked, softly. "Did someone attack you, Max?"

"No," Max whimpered as he choked on his tears. "I…I had a vision."

"About what?" asked Seifer.

Max kept crying as he held onto the flannel shirt that Seifer was wearing. The boy was trembling, terribly, against him as fear and panic was swallowing his being whole. "I need you, Seifer," cried the boy. "I need you to protect me. I need you to be my Knight. I…I can't lose you!"

"What happened, Max?" Seifer asked a little louder.

"I saw the end of the world!" cried Max. He looked into Seifer's eyes with his own eyes covered with tears. The powerful declaration that the boy made was enough to make even Seifer feel afraid by the harsh words. "I saw evil destroying our world and devouring it with the darkest of darkness. The worst part is…we can't stop it."

Seifer admitted to himself that Max's words made him feel like shit. A declaration that powerful could only mean that the boy was dead serious when he meant that the world was going to end. However, he just couldn't believe it. He couldn't' believe that the world was going to end that easily. There just had to be something that could be done.

Seifer kept holding onto Max, rubbing on the boy's back. The soothing sounds he made from his mouth seemed to calm Max down some. "Don't worry," he said, softly. "I won't let that happen. As your Knight, I will protect you. I'll stop this evil even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

As reassuring as that felt to know that Seifer was going to protect him, Max knew that Seifer stood no chance against this evil…on his own.

Matt returned to his single-bedroom apartment above the bar he worked at. His manager was kind enough to give him that empty apartment since no one used it for about a decade. The manager got his own sweet crib by the water.

Matt was content with his home, preferring it for its ease to get everywhere since the bar was around the center of town. The tiny apartment had only a single bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny living room which also served as his bedroom with his mattress pushed to the side of the wall. A clothes rack severed as his closet with a single dresser holding the bulk of his things.

It was a tiny home, but it was perfect for him.

The youth collapsed on the loveseat that served as his one of the only pieces of furniture, along with his table. He curled into a little ball with his metal boomerang placed on his lap. The feel of the cool metal felt good before that slid off the shorts he wore. The boy was exhausted from the magic he used to defeat the monster. Summoning the Guardian Force, Titan, took a lot of energy out from his body.

"This is a bad sign," he said, softly. "The Guardian Forces are being affected by all of this…this cold only mean one thing. The end of the world is drawing near. Please Squall, please stay strong for this. I don't want to lose you in all this darkness."

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Let the Sorrow Flow:

Only two days had passed since the travesty at the Fire Caverns that took the lives of a dozen SeeD Cadets. Headmaster Leonhart was going through hell as he struggled to repair the damage that was done to the accreditation of his Garden. Things weren't looking that good for him though. At least a dozen students had been pulled out by concerned parents who heard about the incident, while other students were leaving on their own will.

Squall didn't blame them though. He couldn't protect them against that monster. Oddly enough, no one died during the Battle of Gardens; he was able to protect them all. This time though, students horribly burned to death in the lava pits while he was powerless to stop it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with a painful yell escaping from his stressed lungs. All he could do was just yell his anguish out, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He heard that it was supposed to be helpful, but so far he felt nothing but pain. He was a failure as a SeeD and a headmaster…he was just a failure.

"All those lives lost!" growled Squall. "They died for what purpose? To pass a stupid exam! At least at Dollet we were fighting an army! They died with a purpose then…this time…this time they were just lambs to a slaughter. I couldn't save them!" Tears of anguish and guilt began to flow from his eyes, making him feel worse. He collapsed on his chair, slamming his face down on the desk. "I failed them…"

"Easy there, brother." Ellone Loire stood at the doorway with her pale hand touching his doorway. The staff on Squall's floor had evacuated during his episode, providing Ellone with the ease of breaking in. The young woman walked into his private office as Squall continued to beat himself up.

Her black hair had grown down to her back, making her appear older and gentler. She had on a green dress with a matching wrap that made her look a lot thinner then she was. She placed her hand on her adopted brother's shoulder, forcing the headmaster to get up from the desk. It had been years since she's seen Squall cry like this. The last time was in fact the day before the orphanage had burned down. Seifer wanted to be a super bully, which meant Squall was suffering for it.

"It'll be okay," whispered Ellone. "You'll be okay."

Squall looked into his beloved sister's eyes, ending his pathetic crying. He wasn't a crybaby anymore; he had to be stronger than that. "Why are you here?" he whispered. "I thought you were in Esthar with Laguna."

"You mean dad?" corrected Ellone. "I left…I wanted to see you for a while. Is that a crime?"

"No, it's not," whispered Squall as he turned his head to the side.

Ellone sighed as she tried to figure out what was eating away at him. She heard from Nida and Xu that it had to do with the Qualification Exams that killed all those students and the parental community trying to eat away at him. That alone could get a man to kill himself, but Ellone knew Squall better than that. She knew that Squall was a tricky onion that had many layers that you needed to peel away at before you could find out the problem.

That's where she came in; she was an excellent onion peeler.

Squall was busy with his thoughts to really pay attention to his sister anymore. There was one memory that replayed specifically in his head. He knew that the Guardian Force that destroyed the monster didn't belong in the caverns. That GF was bound to somebody, and he had a strong suspicion he knew who.

He needed to find Matt, and soon.

Seifer sat on their bed with Max curled up against him. The boy was still trembling about the vision he had of the planet being swallowed up by a monster. Seifer wasn't sure how literal that was because he never heard of a monster that could swallow an entire planet. Not that he was trying to play around with the situation. He saw just how badly Max was pained by all of this; it bothered him to see his lover like this.

As Max's Knight, it was Seifer's duty to make his sorcerer feel safe.

Max had finally fallen asleep by now, which gave Seifer more time to think about what was about to happen to their world. He needed to think of a threat that would be big enough to endanger their world. The Island Closest to Hell and the Island Closest to Heaven would be a good place to start looking if their names were what they literally meant. A supernatural nexus that lead to Heaven and Hell…yeah, that's a good place to start. Another would be in Esthar, where he could beat some answers out of Dr. Odine. Edea would also be a good person to talk to, she was a former sorceress who had Ultimecia shoved down her throat. She might know a lot more than they did about a potential apocalypse

This would all have to wait until later though.

Seifer slowly moved out of their bed and went over to his closet to get packed. He was leaving for Trabia Garden soon. He was going to pack up some of their things that way they would be ready to leave. As much as this sucked and he was risking his life, Seifer knew there was no avoiding this.

Sooner or later, he was bound to run into the Balamb Garden gang...it looks like it would be sooner though

Seifer was not liking this one bit.

"Fuck my life," he whispered.

If only he knew just how dangerous this could be for him. If they found out he was alive, especially Squall or Selphie or Zell, they might hold some old grudges and try to beat him to death. Sure, Max would probably zap them but that would lead to Rinoa getting involved in the fight and he wasn't sure how powerful she became after absorbing Adel's Power. Of course, Quistis and Irvine would soon join the fight after that then things would just end horribly.

Man…this really did suck.

Either way, he was screwed. They could have him arrested and thrown into the D-District Prison where they could torture him like he did to Squall. Or instead, they could just simply kill him and be done with it all. There was like no chance in hell that he would be forgiven for his past sins. Who could blame them though? He was a horrible, little prick who deserved the cruelest fate possible.

It looked like the gods agreed by sending him to Trabia Garden.

When Seifer gathered everything that he was going to pack up, he turned around to see Max sitting on the bed. The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed as he tried to figure out what was happening. "You going somewhere?" whispered Max.

"The boss is sending us to Trabia," said Seifer. "I'm packing our things…we leave soon."

"Isn't that where Selphie is?"

"Yeah."

Max got up from the bed, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He forgot he was even wearing anything after that nightmare of a vision. He tried too hard to suppress that horrible memory, but it wasn't going to be that easy though.

Max threw his arms around Seifer, surprising his blond lover. Seifer held onto him still, though. His grip on his young body was so strong that it made Max feel like he would snap in half if Seifer held him any tighter. He liked that though.

Seifer did do a good job at making him feel safe… like a good knight was supposed to.

Seifer inhaled the boy's scent, trying not to think about anything or anyone else but him.

Matt was sitting on his couch, eating some stale noodles that he should've eaten sooner. It was stupid of him for eating them right now since they would make his stomach feel all gross and yucky later, but he was a bit of a masochist. Then again, wasn't everyone? Didn't everyone like to be hurt in some way? Now, he wasn't saying that he liked to get abused, he was just a bit funnier in a way.

"Yum yum, gross noodles," sang Matt. "Yum yum, gross noodles."

He was too busy singing to himself to hear the approaching footsteps outside. The boy was amusing himself with loud music and stale noodles when he heard a loud knock on his door. It was so loud in fact that it made him almost jump out of his skin. He nearly dropped his noodles in the process, but he used his magick to keep them in the cup.

A relieved sigh escaped his throat as he got up from the sofa. He brushed his blond hair back and picked up his discarded t-shirt. He was only wearing his shortest of underwears that cut off around his thighs with blue and yellow stars all over it. He felt like a little nerd as he walked to the door with no pans on, but that's what they got for bothering him on his day off.

Somehow, he just knew that it had to deal with work. When Matt opened the door though, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't work. In fact, it was the hunky headmaster of Balamb Garden that stood outside his door with that gorgeous body of his right there.

"Well," said Matt, "hello there, Squall. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Squall. "May I enter?"

"You may," he said, politely.

Matt was feeling really embarrassed about wearing his underwear now though, but Squall hadn't seemed to notice yet.

Squall strutted into the apartment, looking around at the tiny place. It looked pretty cozy though even though he was willing to bet that his old dorm was bigger than this. He was going to behave though since he was on a secret mission. He was going to figure out if this boy really was the one who destroyed the monster or not…even if he had to use seduction as a weapon.

And boy was Squall Leonhart dressed to kill with that tight, leather outfit on that showed off every bit of his body. It took everything that Matt had no to pop a boner right there or jizz in his pants. Matt was biting on his lip as he walked to the kitchen to get his guest something to drink, the only thing he had was soda. He was sure that Squall wouldn't mind though.

"Thanks," said Squall as he took the soda. He drank half the bottle, gulping like a beat which got Matt even more excited. Squall could tell the seduction technique was working, now he just needed to distract Matt with something so he could to a little reconnaissance. "Nice place."

"I'd like to think so," said Matt, he even giggled a bit. Why was he giggling? He felt like a total idiot now, he should go slap himself to death. "Excuse me for a minute, Squall. I need to go to the restroom for a minute."

The boy made things too easy for him as he ran off to leave Squall alone.

A smirk formed on Squall's face as he began to move. He was quick and silent about going through everything in the boy's place, trying to find any sign that he was the one who destroyed the monster. The SeeD remembered the weapon that he had on him that day. It was a boomerang, and his memory was strong enough to remember the style and shaping.

If he just found that then it would be all the proof he needed.

He crouched underneath the bed, next. He stretched his arm as far as he could to the end when he felt his fingers touch something metal. He pulled it out with the object not resisting him a bit, when he pulled his arm out he found exactly what he was looking for. It was the exact same boomerang that he saw at the Fire Caverns.

"So it was you," whispered Squall as he returned the boomerang under the bed. He had all the evidence he needed to bring the boy in for questioning. Nobody at the Garden knew of his master plan of his, seeing as he only came up with it five minutes after Ellone left his office. This wasn't the brightest of his plans, but it did yield some results for a change, which was al that he could ask for.

Squall got back on his feet and sat down on the bed just as Matt walked out of the bathroom. The boy had splashed some water on his face to calm him down. He even drank a glass of it to be sure he kept his sanity. Matt began to smile at Squall as he saw him there on the bed, laying completely on it now.

"What are you doing?" asked Matt.

"Relaxing," said Squall. "It's kind of hard to do since your bed sucks."

"We can't all be rich educators like yourself," laughed Matt.

"Well…I haven't been doing that well at my job."

"I heard about the Fire Caverns' incident," said Matt. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Me too," sighed Squall. He got up from the bed and decided that this was his cue to leave the place. He would come later to bring Matt in, even if the boy was kicking and screaming about it. There was no way he was letting him escape, but he did feel guilt about all of this.

He felt so guilty, in fact, that he let his emotions get the better of him for once. He went over to Matt and took hold of the boy's hand. "I'll see you later," he whispered. The SeeD leaned towards him, kissing the boy on the cheek. Matt was blushing horribly as Squall escorted himself out of the apartment, leaving Matt alone.

Matt sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. There was a burning smile on his face when he had a brief vision of what Squall was doing while he was in the restroom. His Power alerted him of the incoming danger and what Squall had planned.

"Too good to be true, Mr. Leonhart," he whispered. "It looks like it's time for me to pack up."

He had a train to catch now so that he could escape from this potential betrayal.

When Squall returned that evening with Nida, he was in for more than he bargained for.

Nida was hot on Squall's tail as they pushed through the citizens of Balamb. He was completely in the dark of what Squall had planned so far in the dark that if Squall wasn't his boss and his fiancé's friend that he would ditch him. It was a shame that hit entire Level 8 paycheck depended on this man.

Squall was back to his cold, lone wolf personality as they marched up the steps. Nida was right behind them with many questions popping up into his head. "What are you doing, Squall?" asked Nida. "Why are we here? What are you not telling me."

"I think I have a lead about the monster at the Fire Caverns," said Squall. "I found the one who defeated the monster so now we're going to question him."

"Great, who is it?" asked Nida.

"A kid who works as a waiter at the bar."

Nida stopped in his tracks, while Squall kept on walking. Now, this was just getting to be too weird for him. They were going to arrest a kid? A kid who supposedly defeated a monster that not even three SeeDs could hurt?

Nida shook his head as he started to run after Squall again. "Wait a minute, you can't be serious!" he shouted. "A kid couldn't take down that dragon. Not even Shiva could stop that unreadable bastard!"

"I saw him, Nida," said Squall, "now shut up!"

That was all that needed to be done to shut him up.

Squall stood at Matt's door with his Gunblade in hand. He wasn't going to use that to break his way in though. The SeeD Commander kicked the door down, breaking it off its hinges. The loud crack flooded the entire hallway as Squall marched in with a cautious Nida following behind him.

A pissed yell escaped Squall though when he saw that the entire place was in ruins. It was obvious that Matt had left in a hurry, especially with his window open. Squall was mad that he waited too long. He shouldn't have taken those two hours to get set up, he should've just taken the kid right then and there.

Nida was scratching his head as he looked around the place. He was a good enough scout to tell that the kid only left right away. "This kid is smart," he said, softly. "He left in a hurry. I can have Xu try and track him down for you, if you want."

"Do it," growled Squall.

Squall turned around and left with half the tension in the room leaving with him.

Nida kept snooping around though to see if he could find anything suspicious though. He wandered around the apartment to see if there was anything that could help him track the kid down. That's when he decided to move the bookshelf a bit to see what was behind it. What he found where a few symbols that looked a tad familiar to him.

"Magick," whispered the SeeD. "The kid's got magick in him. That's going to make him more difficult to track." He touched the symbol, seeing that it had been dried for a long time. He scrapped a bit of it off the wall to see it composition when he recognized it on sight. "Shit! This is blood magick. Damn, this kid is strong to pull off something like this. I'm willing to bet that this is a protection spell too…but protection from what?"

Nida kept his theories to himself as he went over to the window. The kid used this as his escape point, which was a solid idea. The SeeD stuck his head out the window when he saw something flapping around in the wind. He looked down a bit to see an envelope tapped to the brick wall. Now, this was going to be very promising.

He took the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Squall. So the kid and the headmaster knew each other, all the more interesting. Nida decided to be a bit of a snoop so he opened it to read the letter for himself. He'll think of something alter after he read the letter. His jaw dropped though when he read the entire contents, he had to read it a second time to be sure that it was true.

For starters, he was shocked about his commander's sexual orientation, but then again, he wasn't totally surprised. Second, this kid was packing some serious heat. And third, the world was going to end!

"I need to rush the wedding," whispered Nida as he walked out of the apartment like a zombie.

Dear Squall,

By the time you get this letter, I'll already be long gone. Don't try to look for me because I don't want you to find me. I'll come to you if you need me. Don't ask how I'll know, I just will.

Thanks for the kiss earlier today. It made me feel really good, but I don't like that you were snooping around in my home. If you wanted to know about the Fire Caverns, you should've just asked me . You should've been honest with me, but I don't blame you for that. It's your job to worry about the safety of your students…I'm sorry I wasn't able to save them sooner.

You need to know something though, Squall. I don't know what's going on with the world, but the world is changing. A dark power is about to rise and it's making everyone and everything that can feel it feel like shit. I can't even begin to comprehend what this dark storm is. It's worse than any of the sorceresses you've been up against in the past. This Power is primordial to the core. I don't know anything about it, but I'm going to try and find the answers.

I need your team to be ready though…the apocalypse is about to begin.

See you soon…I love you,

Matt

When Squall was done reading the letter, he collapsed onto his chair, and felt no chance for surviving the coming storm.

[Squeezer]

i didnt read this hole thread did we figure out if religion is bullshit?

[Bioture]

no seriously has anyone here NOT thought about final fantasy 8 yaoi?

[Tigron-X]

Gran, it is very sad and unfortunate what your father has experienced. I seriously empathise with what your father has been through. And, it does explain his religiousity – which I will get into, but I’m going to break down your comments step- by-step since you said so much.

Let me elaborate a little more on what we were discussing.

I was arguing with him about the idea of miracles existing and supernatural shit that a lot of religions like to talk about to help further their "righteous cause." The reason that most religions exist is in fact because their prophet/savior/leader could perform miracles or some sort of variation that is closely connected to the unknown. Many people are ignorant and they see a little magic show and they fucking believe in God all of a sudden. Bunch of sheep if you ask me but that's not the point I'm driving here.

Reality is both rational and material – logical and empirical. So, there is no supernatural shit. Anything that anyone has ever experienced is natural. Wisdom is the ability to label them properly. That’s the bottom line.

Gran, it looks like you get that there are no miracles, there are no supernatural events.

I agree on some of the philosophy that has been generated from religion (good morals that are taught to people to live good lives). There's nothing wrong with educating the dumbed down masses. Unfortunately greed, corruption and other things have led to the downfall of what was suppose to be enlightening for the people.

Religion fails at upholding morality, reason, integrity, virtue, and truth. There are so many atheists who reject Christianity because they’ve actually read the Bible.

It sanctions the killing of people for various reasons, but it states, “Thou shall not kill.”

It declares that a woman who is raped by a man is to be married to that man.

Just the simple fact that the book contains these 2 moral contradictions tells me that the book is neither holy or divine.

If you want morality, reason, integrity, virtue, and truth, then stay away from religion. Religion is not philosophy.

My father gave up to me this idea of the wall that people can see clearly what's on one side of this wall (security, peace, serenity, etc...) that solely exists because for people who are cautious or don't have any interest in going higher into what they consider their reality. This is where metaphysics came in. The idea that there was something more to what is presented. That is why some people like my father who go deep within Religion (knowing full well of the hypocrisies and evil that has been committed in their organizations name) just so they can find something deeper. Something more meaningful. Basically he's looking for God (Yeah believe it or not, highly religious people still will probably fight with themselves over the existence of their creator)

Yes, the more one has to lie to him/her-self the bigger it gets. Eventually, you will start believing the lie. Truth, however, is a very powerful thing because we are naturally rational beings. So, of course deeply religious people struggle with their own beliefs. As truth comes out, the lie has to get bigger to cover it up. It is insanity.

And, given what your father has been through, could you blame him for rejecting reality or wanting to escape reality?

I’ll say more on this below.

Metaphysics isn't exactly real, but it pushes the limitations that we presented ourselves in our conditioned minds. In the beginning we did things we thought was right because the leader of our church/temple/etc... told us too. Then we believed in the scientific and knowledgeable minds because we thought they knew what they were doing too. But the thing is this. The world is a lot more complicated and no one has all the answers. We can either feed each other bullshit and listen to the lies. Or we can take the journey ourselves and discover spirituality in our way. Yes, my father has accepted Islam, but he's not the prototypical muslim you will find any where else. He has different views and perspectives because he interpreted the Quran in his own way. He's even read the Torah and the Bible, and every now and then he gets into a debate with the local jehova witnesses.

No, metaphysics deals with reality. What religion tries to do is make it’s fantasy world a part of metaphysics. While I commend them for trying to prove this spiritual world they speak of, it’s not going to happen.

I’ll post a great video on cosmology at the end of all this.

At first I hated the thought that my dad was just becoming apart of the rest of the flock that is the ignorant masses. Now though, I've considered that he's not doing this just because it is comfortable for him (he could have chosen any religion he wanted to, but he picked the one thats known to him - which basically is saying why learn a new language?), but because he is looking for peace. He's suffered through an 8 year war (iran-iraq war), and a revolution that has led to govt. oppression. He has escaped and tormented his life trying to gain a new one away from his home in America just so I can lead a better life. He's sacrificed a lot of things for his family and all he wants now is to feel safe. To feel relaxed knowing that if he dies, then maybe he can go to a superficial (if not imaginary) place in the sky where he can enjoy happiness and peace for all eternity.

No one knows for certain if that's what happens when you die, but because we don't know we have fear. Our fear has led to us trying to explain what we don't know. Everyone's got their own perspective, and you do too. There's no need for anyone to believe in anything and at the same time there's no reason why anyone can't believe in whatever they want to.

Next thing you know tomorrow is going to be the end of the world and we can finally figure out whether or not God exists or not. In the meantime just enjoy what you have and continue living without bothering your fellow man. That's all we can really do.

When I read this, I feel sadness. (not the sarcastic sad. Actual sadness.) What your father went through is a horrible thing to experience. It is traumatizing. And, any man that desires virtue and pursues virtue is going to have to face him/her-self in order to find happiness and peace with oneself. Religion provides an easy way out, so to speak, but its claims are not real.

Now, I don’t know the depth of what your father experienced, so I’ll just speak in the abstract.

If you kill somebody, you can’t go to that person and gain forgiveness. The same goes for certain childhood experiences because you might not know the person anymore or they might be dead and so on. All in all, there are experiences that cannot be fixed and made right by directly confronting the individual(s) that are associated with a given experience.

So, the Abrahamic Religions claim to provide forgiveness, but it’s a façade. i.e. There is this invisible being that has authority over all of existence, and it has the power to forgive you for your transgressions. (Of course, I’m only scratching the surface here.)

An individual who has been abused, tortured, raped will feel dehumanized; they will experience disassociation. Your dignity, your pride, your ideas of self-worth will be stripped away from you. The Abrahamic Religions claim that you will be resurrected, and you will live happily ever after if you “believe.” The religion also gives you a feeling of retribution because those who are evil will suffer, i.e. those who transgressed against you will suffer.

It’s no wonder people get angry with me because I tell them this is all bullshit. Because, once you get rid of religion in your life, you have to face these “demons” from your past.

Look closely at what your father is saying. He wants to reject reality. He wants to remain disassociated from those events he experienced.

But, religion will not give you salvation. If you want to overcome past events, then go to therapy. And, find a therapist that will help you explore your emotions. Because, once you’re dead, you won’t experience anything anymore.

And, before someone comes at me with balancing the two, let me say: Just as you can’t go North and South at the same time, you can’t believe in religious dogma and also overcome past experiences. You cannot gain truth with lies, and without certainty, there is no truth.

For all the talk in here about how terrible religion is, people also haven't mentioned that it does do a great amount of good in the world. I don't care if you admit it, but the goods and services (material) offered by these churches or mosques or whatever the equivalent is is something to be commended.

As I said above, you cannot gain truth with lies, and without certainty, there is no truth. All the "good" can be achieved without the lies and subjegation and abuse.

I agree with parts of everything from your guys posts, and in the end I think the important thing that matters is that we all learn to respect eachother for our beliefs regardless of religion or science. learn to incorporate both ideas in a pleasant way.

Example 1 Religion = imagination from humans that something exists that can't be proved by science.

Example 2 Science = the human logic (Knowledge) and understanding of things that can't be proved by religion.

Albert Einstien said that he thought imagination was more important then knowledge but perhaps even that great mind is wrong when I put it this way....

Knowledge and imagination can go hand in hand greater together then they are seperated.

See how easy that was to break down in a simplified way for you all to understand?
Don't just isolate your mind to just one narrow view of things.... OPEN your mind as much views and possibilites from other people as possible in different ways to have a better understanding of things.

Rejecting lies does not narrow the mind, but accepting them does.

This notion that religion is imagination is a farce. You cannot believe the world is flat and round at the same time. If it can’t be proven by science, then it doesn’t exist. It’s that plain and simple.

And read that very carefully. Because, it’s imperative to distinguish technological hinderances from attempting to prove that which does not exist.

The inability to prove the existence of God is not due to technological hinderances.

Science without religion is lame, Religion without science is blind.

Yeah… ok… here, let me give you a dose or reality and we’ll see just how blind these fellas are. :\






Inconceivable nature of nature

Asking why?

Seminar on cosmology:

[Jerome Scuggs]

Actually, that is a perfectly good method if it sticks to a set of strict methodological rules. 1000 is a bit on the small side to generalize over such a crowd, but if the selections have been made according to methodological rules, the method is correct.

but is the result?!?!?!

[gran guerrero]

Tigron I get it, you don't trust religion. They've told lies and spread a lot of evil and try to justify their actions with fancy propaganda and yatta yatta yatta.... I get it.

Yet you are coming off arrogant to a lot of people here explaining everything as if you had all the answers. Tell me what is the truth? Really I would like to know. Absolute truth too, not just the shit you can find in textbooks, because those are written by man and man only has so much knowledge that is limited.

People choose religion because it is easy. It's easy to help them escape. Now why don't they go to some therapy? Or do drugs?!?? or fucking meditate or seek the truth themselves.

You don't understand that maybe those people already did all of that. And yet they never found their answer. They are still searching, or maybe they are just lost. Religion offers security. It offers community. It offers a chance to feel wanted and to be apart of something that is bigger than them.

I do not believe in religion, but I believe in the idea. I do not like how they went about their business for the "greater good" but I don't see why people shouldn't believe in what they want to because you don't believe in it. Nor vice versa where they should hate you for not believing in what they believe in.

If you want my opinion on what I believe in is this;

Everything is energy. It was never created, nor it can be destroyed (you could say I believe in an infinite universe -- where a majority of scientists agree that it is finite). It always existed, we are apart of it and will always be apart of it from now and forever. You break everything down to its molecular level we contain the same elements of everything else that merely exists. We are just a mass of these energy particles that has formed a shape with its own consciousness. We are merely a bubble in the wave of life. Where does this river lead I do not know. Where it came from I do not know. What is our purposes I do not know. What do I know? Absolutely nothing. And trust me I thought I knew, I thought I had all the information and tried to philosophize with not only my friends and family but with myself. I was arguing with my very soul of my own existence. I realized that this search for truth sometimes makes me go into loops and I lose myself in confusion and insanity of questions, questions and more questions. It never gave me one iota of happiness and I look towards those who did find their tranquility. They are ignorant of the world and the universe yet they are more clear and precise with what they know. They have a sense of clarity that is above and beyond that which I could ever comprehend. Perhaps I am too analytical for my own good and try to break everything down and rebuild it and so on and so forth as if I am trying to figure out the scheme of things. I was looking for the master plan that the architect drew of our beings and surroundings, but I forgot why it was that I came to be in the first place. It's like I've lived this over and over again and continuing to make the same mistake and error every single time. To be aware of myself has taught me pain. Living hurts. Yes I might be going into some Buddhist philosophies, and I agree with a majority of it. Buddha amongst other teachers of previous time were just that... Teachers. They were trying to tell us something that couldn't be properly explained because there is no explanation. We all just want to be happy in our way. So I'll give up trying to fight those who don't share the same belief set as me, I'll stop trying to change the world. I am merely here to enjoy the ride and when its over, maybe then will I learn absolute truth (and I'm willing to bet it is something that no human being could ever imagine).