Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long…but I was in the process of moving and then my internet connection didn’t come back when I expected it to…damn cable company and their crazy people and paperwork. But here it is…hope you enjoy. Once again...thank you Seshat for doing the beta’ing for me *Grin* YOU ROCK!!!

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own any of the characters, just the idea of what will happen…well actually the boys own that, they tell me about it. So square if your listening…the idea…you can’t have…it’s mine…possession is nine tenths of the law. Any lyrics I use in this chapter belong to their respective owner, cause I sure as hell didn’t write them, ain’t getting any royalties, nada, mores the pity. “The Space Between” is by Dave Matthew’s Band.

The Dreamers

Chapter 4 - The Space Between

By LaughingWolfGirl

You cannot quit me so quickly
There's no hope in you for me
No corner you could squeeze me
But I got all the time for you, love

The Space Between
What's wrong and right
Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you
The Space Between
Your heart and mine
Is the space we'll fill with time
The Space Between...

- "Silent Lucidity" - Queensryche

Squall walked along the sidewalks, hugging the walls, as the grey clouds soared above him. Rain was in the air, he could smell it and thought to himself; ‘great, just what I needed’. His shoulders were hunched, as he was trying very hard to be inconspicuous, even though it went against his nature to walk this way. He had learned first hand to keep himself invisible, and most of the people who saw the scraggly looking transient either looked at him with pity, or with disgust moving to the other side of the street as if afraid his brand of despair was catching some how.

It had at first, left Squall with a foul after taste, but after he’d been pushed around and beaten up, he had learned. It made his heart ache that Seifer had lived this way for nearly a year after the Sorceress Wars.

Sweet Hyne it was almost enough to break him down and leave him crying on the cold cement.

The thought of Seifer, proud arrogant Seifer, a walking shadow among the masses; hiding from everyone to keep safe; left Squall cold and certainly angry at the presumptuousness of everyone around him.

How dare they treat Seifer that way! How dare they presume to think they even knew him, knew what drove him, what motivated him. Suddenly Squall was thankful that he had blocked Seifer from his thoughts, he would have hated to hear Seifer’s mocking tones, masking his pain, filling his mind.

Seifer, who would deny it all, who would cover any hurt he had felt, who would use sarcasm and arrogance, carrying it all like a mantle to cover everything up.

And what really pissed Squall off was the fact that Edea had been immediately welcomed back with open arms while Seifer who had born the brunt of publicity was ostracized.

Squall hadn’t realized he had dropped the wall in his mind and Seifer had caught the part about Edea.

“Don’t sweat it, I did stand out in the limelight, but ya know it’s where I belonged…always did say I was photogenic and I was right,” came the cheeky response.

“I still don’t think it was right, you were both brainwashed and yet she got away scot-free and you have been paying for it for nearly two years now.”

“Give it up Squally…forget it, I have, besides I’m glad she don’t have to deal with any of the shit, to be honest she was always the closest thing to a mother I had…so I’m glad to spare her any of this. I’m willing to take the up the slack for her.”

“Yeah whatever” was the disgruntled response, “hey don’t you have training to get to, what the hell are you doing in the cafeteria?”

“Stuffin’ my face, what’s it feel like huh…hell I’m on my way as we speak…don’t worry I even slunk over here the way you walk so no one would be suspicious.”

“Your hopeless you know that?”

“Aw, Squally, you do care don’tcha, “Seifer said cheekily.

“…….”

“Yup, see I rest my case…the fact that you don’t answer is all the answer I need”

“GO train and stay out of my side for a bit, you’re going to need all your wits while training with Zell.”

“Yes boss, whatever you say boss, anything else of fearless boss of mine?”

“Shut up”

“Oh damn now that is some wise shit to impart!”

Squall heard the chuckles and couldn’t help smiling himself, he even found himself chuckling out loud, the thought that nothing ever really kept Seifer down running rampant through his mind.

“And don’tcha forget it!”

”Seifer!!!”

“I’m goin’, I’m goin’, damn you’re a worse nag then Fujin’ ever was.”

Squall felt Seifer withdraw and was saddened a bit, lately whenever Seifer pulled out, he felt as if a vital part of himself was gone. It was irrational and bugged the crap out of him, but still the feeling remained.

As he continued to walk the streets looking for somewhere where he might earn a quick buck, he noticed several mean-looking males seeming to be following him. He sped up his pace and they too quickened theirs.

Squall had no qualms about fighting them, knowing that he would win, he forgot that he wasn’t in his own body for a moment, till he caught his reflection in a store-front glass window. He saw a pitiful ragged image reflected there and knew he had no real chance to beat them; they were well fed, and well rested he was sure where as he or rather Seifer hadn’t had a decent meal in…Hyne, he didn’t’ even know. He looked around the area weighing his options.

He couldn’t run into any of the stores, they would take one look at him and throw him back out and he would be back where he started; he saw the crowds up ahead by the shuttle stop and decided to hit them and try to loose the thugs there.

He put his head down and walked into the people exiting the shuttle, trying to make himself seem shorter by keeping his legs bent slightly. He would have made it if it had not been for some snobby teenage girls who made a fuss because he was standing too close to them and they didn’t like his looks or his smell. Well the smell he could understand, but the damn bitches had thrown him to the wolves and he had had to make a break for it, running as fast as he could, the streets of Dollet suddenly becoming very dark and dangerous by the second.

Seifer walked casually down the hallway from the cafeteria before walking the circular walkway of the Garden on his way to the Training center. Damn he wished they would have made everything straight forward in this place, he had always hated this circle shit, even when he was in the disciplinary committee it had driven him batty. It made harassing the other cadets hard as hell, having to walk farther around to catch them in the act of whatever act he claimed they had been doing, whether they had or hadn’t been. He didn’t realize he had been smiling fondly, but Irvine who had been about to approach Squall stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw hanging open, all thought processes stopped. While Seifer walked on oblivious.

Irvine shook himself out of his temporary stupor, still not remembering what it was that he was going to ask Squall. The horrific sight he had just been given left him shaken, Squall was not meant to smile, it looked completely wrong on his face. He stomped his foot slightly and took his hat off, running one hand through auburn locks in frustration…”Well dam, gonna have to go back to the classroom to see what it was I was goin’ to ask him..” he promptly turned around and headed back to his classroom, where he instructed the finest of Balamb how to become the best snipers they could be.

Meanwhile Seifer continued on, walking like Squall would walk…all prissy-like…nearly rolling his eyes at the thought then grinning internally at how he always watched and drooled over Squall walking the corridors. He hid it behind a contemptuous mask for anyone that caught him looking at Squall. But the lust was there under the surface, he knew that Fujin had caught it several times but never said anything, simply watched out for her friend.

He finally made it to the Training center and pulled out Lionheart…hefting it’s weight in his hands…it felt good to have a gunblade in his hands and yet it felt alien as it wasn’t his beloved Hyperion, the thought of his broken gunblade filling him with so much pain and sadness it nearly bent him over with it all.

He closed his eyes briefly trying to regain his earlier mood, pushing aside the other thoughts, when suddenly he felt Squall’s comforting presence in the back of his head…He didn’t say anything, just seemed to give him the equivalent of a mental hug and he sighed his body leaning into a non-existent hug. He took a step, and nearly tripped forward looking around quickly to make sure no one saw his lapse.

He walked further into the training center, the musty, jungle scent filing his nostrils, giving him a nostalgic feeling, he could hear the screeches and roars of the creatures in here, and he began to remember how much fun he, Fujin, and Raijin had had here, how many battles they had won, and how many cadets they had busted as well. He put Lionheart on his shoulder the way he had seen Squall do many a time and began to whistle jauntily, nothing in particular and out of tune in any case…looking for Zell.

Squall found himself running down back alleys, tripping over trash cans and jumping over bums trying to stay one step ahead of the thugs. There seemed to be five of them…all disreputable criminal types and they were probably caring weapons of all kinds. He knew if they caught him, he would be lucky to make it out alive. As he was running down this one alley he looked to the left of him as a door opened to some restaurant and his heart nearly stopped, there in the doorway wearing a dirty apron was Raijin.

He had never seen such a wonderfully beautiful sight as that big man’s smile of recognition…

“SEIFER??”

And when Raijin saw the thugs and they saw him, he got the meanest look on his face and cracked his knuckles together, causing the thugs to get nervous looks on their faces. They all had had run ins with Raijin at one time or another and didn’t’ want to have one now…the leader spoke for them all.

“That one of your friends there Raijin” he said while pointing at the bent over Squall, who was trying to catch his breathing.

“Yeah he is…you got a problem with that, ya know?” He said with a mean look on his face and the anticipation of battle in his eyes.

“Naw man…it’s cool we were just gonna have some fun with him…didn’t know he was a friend. We’ll just leave ya two then…” he said hurriedly before turning around and leaving along with the others; as soon as they left Raijin hurried over to Squall, a worried look on his face at his friend’s condition, his heart breaking at the site. “Seifer?? You ok…come on lets get ya outta here, ya know, it don’t seem to be safe for ya out here.” He held out his hand to help Squall up, but did nothing else, remembering how Seifer was always too proud and never took help when hurt.

Squall heard the name Seifer and nearly blurted out that he was Squall in, but remembered at the last moment, what body he inhabited and stood up straight and tall the way he was sure Seifer would do.

He could see the questions in Raijin’s eyes, but the bigger man kept them to himself having Squall follow him inside the little hole in the wall burger joint where he worked.

Return to Archive | next | previous