Hidden Scars

By Ara

"So you're going now?" Edea asked. A blonde boy glanced at her from the front door.

"Yes. Finally." Seifer said.

"So are you going to tell him? Finally." Edea smiled.

"Yes." Seifer said and started walking towards the beach where a boat was waiting for him.

"Seifer!" Edea yelled after him. "If you see anyone of my little darlings, tell them my best regards!"

"Ok!" Seifer said. And then he whispered only to himself; "Mom..."

*Balamb Garden. How long has it been, old friend? 10 months, a year? I can't remember. It feels... Home. I'm coming back home. But I'm so ashamed of what I have done. How can I come back and talk to him? I know, he said he forgave me, and I was welcome back anytime, but... Still the things I did were too big. I'm not completely sure if he actually did forgive me... But here I am. Home.* Seifer stood at the front gates of Balamb Garden, thinking to himself quietly.

In the lobby Seifer ran onto Quistis. She looked same as always, but her hair was falling free and she seemed to glow.

"My favorite instructor!" Seifer said, almost but not quite mockingly. And smiled.

"Well hello! So you finally decided to return home?" Quistis smiled back at him.

"Not exactly. But what's up? You... Glow!" Seifer said and was amazed how nice he was being, he had really missed this place.

"Well, me and Nida are daiting! Ain't that exciting?" Quistis said happily.

"Wow, that's great. Oh yeah, Matron sends her best regards." Seifer said.

"Oh, that's where you've been hiding all this time!" Quistis said and suddenly Rinoa stormed past them, out of the Garden. "Ouch... She finally got it..."

"What? What's going on?" Seifer asked. "Did she and Squall break up?"

"Yeah, apparently Rinoa did something terrible, and Squall won't speak to her. Other than scream 'Get out of my Garden'!" Quistis said with a sad tone. "I don't think they'll ever get back together."

"Really?" Seifer said with a smirk. "Do you happen to know where Squall himself is?"

"He has locked himself to his room for two days now. I presume you'll find him there," Quistis said, Seifer could hear that the poor girl was worried about Squall. "But he might not want to talk to you."

"I don't care. I'll talk to him." Seifer said and then he started wandering to the direction of the dorms.

*Why do I feel like this? It's been so long since I last saw him. I told him he was welcome here, I told him I forgave him. It wasn't him, it was Ultimecia all along. Why didn't he come? Doesn't he love this place, doesn't he have friends here? I really though he'd come. Fujin and Raijin are here too. Oh, why am I thinking of him, now when my girlfriend has betrayed me? Why can't I stop thinking about him for one second? I just have one wish, that he'd love me back the way that I love him...*

Squall heard someone tapping on his door. Just when he wanted to be alone. Rinoa's confession had been too big and his ever growing feelings for Seifer were driving him insane. He needed to think alone.

"Go away!" he yelled at the door. "I don't need your apologies!" he continued thinking it was Rinoa - that bitch.

But Seifer didn't want to give up, he had come all this way from Edea's House. He needed to talk to Squall, and that was what he was going to do. He tried the door, and just as Quistis had said, it was locked.

"Squall, I need to talk to you." Seifer said. "It's important."

"What? Who is it?" Squall asked. He was surprised that it wasn't Rinoa.

"What, you can't even regonize my voice anymore?" Seifer was a little hurt. "There were times when you shivered like a leaf at the sound of my voice!"

Squall hurried to open the door, it was Seifer! Finally, whatever had taken him so long? "You're back?" Squall asked.

"Well, what do you think?" Seifer mocked him. "Actually I'm not gonna stay very long, I'm just here to talk about something."

"Oh, well. This might not be the best time." Squall said, sadly, and went to sit on his bead. "I just broke up with Rinoa."

"So I heard. What happened?" Seifer asked, actually caring. "Oh, do you mind if I sit here?" he continued and tapped the bed.

"I don't." Squall replied. "Two days ago Rinoa came to me saying she had something important to tell me. She's been really busy with Timber and she's spend numerous months away from here. Turns out she's been having an affair." Squall said, and tears became to fall from his eyes.

"What? With whom, do you know?" Seifer asked feeling for Squall, Rinoa had done the same thing to him.

"Laguna. My own father! She said that he had said that she looked just like Julia..." Squall said, with his voice breaking down. "He had taken her out... many times. She had actually fallen in love with that fool! But still she wanted to keep me, Laguna was too old for her. So she decided to come clear about it... And she expected for me to forgive her! And apparently, Laguna has even asked her to marry him! Now that we're over... I think she might become my stepmother!"

"Oh, Squall..." Seifer said. How could he tell anything to Squall now!

"But, it doesn't matter! I wasn't even in love with her, really." he decided to tell the truth, what could it hurt, Seifer was gonna leave soon anyway. "I did love her, but I wasn't IN love with her... She was more like a sister..."

"Oh, I see... Why were you with her then?" Seifer asked.

"I love someone else. But it can't happen, so I settled for the next best thing." Squall said, truthfully, again. It wasn't anything like him.

"Ok. Squall I came here, because once, a long time ago, I made you a promise" Seifer said. Squall became interested, what promise? He couldn't remember.

"Yes?"

"I promised to tell you about my romantic dream someday. I'm here to do that." Seifer said, and Squall rose his eyebrow, why was Seifer's romantic dream any of his concern? "I've been building up courage since then. Now I'm ready. Squall, I'm gay." Squall looked as he had been struck by a lightning bolt. *Can this be happening?* he thought to himself.

"And, I'm in love with you." Seifer said, and let all his barriers fall with the words. Squall just stared at him.

"Oh, ok. I'll be going." Seifer said and rose to leave.

"NO! Don't!" Squall whispered, and rose too. He walked really close to Seifer and took his hand. "I was... too afraid to say it myself."

Seifer was taken by surprise, he looked into Squall's icy blue eyes, but all he saw was fire, fire of desire... For him. He put his hand around Squall's thin waist and pulled the younger boy closer. Seifer held his other hand up and touched Squall's scar lightly. Then he traced it with his fingers.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered.

"Don't be. I love it. Through these times it's been my only reminder of you..." Squall replied.

Seifer leaned towards Squall and kissed the scar. Squall buried his hands in Seifer's hair. Then Seifer kissed Squall's closed eyelids and finally he his lips touched Squall's. They shared one passionate kiss, and then the door slammed.

"Yes! I knew you had to unlock that door sometime!" they heard Rinoa's voice and pulled away from each other once the girl entered the room.

"Get away from here." Squall said, and turned his back on her.

"Just hear me out, please darling..." Rinoa pleaded.

"You heard him. Go away!" Seifer said, this was the first time Rinoa noticed Seifer.

"Well well if it ain't the Sorceress' lap dog!" Rinoa mocked Seifer. "Why don't you leave me and MY BOYFRIEND together?"

"Don't you dare insult him! You bitch!" Squall yelled at Rinoa. She stepped few steps back and tried to look innocent.

"What the hell is going on?" Rinoa asked.

"I'm with Seifer. I'm gay, and you're a stupid slut." Squall said, and let all his frustration come out.

"Dear Hyne! But... But..." Rinoa stammered. "You son-of-a-bitch!!!" She screamed and fired her Shooting Star at Seifer. "DIE!!!"

Seifer was injured badly, but not deadly. Squall picked him up, and started to walk calmly towards the infirmary. He gave a deadly glance to Rinoa.

Rinoa was left in Squall's dorm-room all alone. She stood there for moments, but then started to walk to the front gates of the Garden, again.

"Hey handsome. I heard you were back" Seifer heard Dr. Kadowaki's voice. "But I never expected to see you here so soon!"

"Uh.." Seifer moaned. "What happened?" He tried to sit, but his stomach hurt so much that he fell back on his back.

"Rinoa... she was pretty upset about... Y'know. And she got really pissed at you... And tried to kill you." Seifer heard Squall's voice from the door. "You've been unconscious for five days now... I was so worried..."

"Squall..."

"Yes, I'm here" Squall said, and came to sit on Seifer's bed. He touched the bandages on Seifer's stomach. "That's gonna leave one nice scar!"

"I'll leave you two together, so you can talk," Dr. Kadowaki said and left the room.

Squall leaned down and kissed Seifer lightly.

"I love you. I love you so much... And I almost lost you" Squall whispered. "Because of that bitch..."

"Don't worry, Squall" Seifer said. "I wasn't gonna leave now!" He rose his hand and pulled it through Squall's hair. Squall smiled at him.

"Oh, can you believe what came in the mail today," Squall said, obviously annoyed. "An invitation to Rinoa Heartilly's and Laguna Loire's wedding!"

"Ouch... She's stupid." Seifer said.

"I'm definitely not going," Squall said. "Do you wanna go?"

Seifer just laughed. "And leave you? No way."

Then Squall leaned back down and kissed Seifer again, now much more passionately.

End.

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