Premise: After the final battle with Squall, Seifer thinks he's about to die, when he finds himself in an precarious situation. It seems that he's stuck in a world where he's stuck in Squall's shoes and Squall in his. SxS

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its affiliates (c) Square. And the line "This is my story. This may be our last chance..." is taken from Final Fantasy X.

Sadame

Prologue - This Is My Fucked-up Story

By Solaris

I only hate three things in this world with a passion. The number one on my list is the name of a person who managed to make my piss-poor life a living hell. Not that my existent wasn't a bane for humanity itself, the ultimate mother of all evil managed to put my life upside down, shake it by the collar, kicked it in the dirt and pissed all over it. Heh. Not a lot of people liked that description, but personally, I find that it fitted how I felt just fine.

The second thing in my list is being ignored by others, especially from those who I care about...a lot....Damn, that doesn't really make my life seem all that great, does it? I don't know what in Hyne's name decided I should be born into this world, but it sure doesn't have my sympathy. Hell...it's times like these that I wish the wise guy who thought it would be fun to bring me into this world, only for the purpose of messing it up, would just keel over and die. And I'll be standing over him watching while he does.

The third is a massive headache, which I am currently sporting. Now, let me paint a picture, I'm lying bleeding on the floor after one hell of a battle. I have just found out that number one on my list had used me all this time and managed to fuck up my life while she's at it. And I know that number 2 is happening because...for Hyne's sake, no one is here right? Not one soul. Wow. I feel the love.

Well pardon the sarcasm, but I have the right to be sarcastic while I bleed to death, dammit! Not to mention my head feels as if someone had split it right open using Hyperion. I suppose I'm lucky, if that isn't something. By what I can only deduct from the hazy 'memories' I have of the past 6 hours, I should be feeling pain from a couple of broken ribs, bullet holes here and there and finally, a stab to the abdomen. Hmm...I don't remember how that happened actually...

I've been lying on the dirt for some time now. I can't even be bothered to open my eyes anymore, it's just too hard. Hyne...I wish it would end now. Come on Leonhart, you've got to kill me to seal your victory. Nah, I doubt it, he's probably enjoying the fact that I'm dying very, very slowly. I can only guess what happened to him in the D-District cell, I don't even remember.

Suddenly, a bright light hits my eyes and I flinch, though the lack of strength in my body prevented me from moving away. Next thing I know, however, someone starts shaking me on the shoulder, urging me to wake up.

"-fer!"

The familiarity of the voice nags my mind, but I'm far too tired to think right now. And far too gone. But even as my mind tells me, 'The hell with it. Just die already,' my heart—do I even have one?—tells me otherwise. If this is my last moment alive, I might as well leave the world with a few well-chosen words to be remembered by.

"Seifer! Wake up!"

Let me tell you something, I will never, ever, make fun of people who can't get up in the morning. It's really pathetic how I can't even open my eyelids right now. But I struggle and stubbornly, my eyes open. The bright light made me flinch again and it takes a few seconds before my eyes can get used to the light.

"Quistis! He's opening his eyes!"

"I can see that, Selphie."

Eh? Damn, now I know why that voice is so damn familiar! Shit, it's Selphie! Miss bundle-of-energy herself. Shit, shit, shit! I do not want to leave this world with that hyperactive teenager around! Where the hell is Hyperion when I need it?

"Hey Seify!" The face comes into focus and I resist the urge to grimace.

"Seify?" I croak. And then comes the high-pitched giggle.

"Did the big, bad bully beat you up, Seif?" She asks. I blink at her, confused. Even more so when I realize where I am. I'm back in Garden, because I'd know Dr. Kadowaki's office anywhere. I sit up, slowly. Something—I call it instinct—is telling me that there is something very strange about all of this. Definitely so, I think, as I look down at myself and realize I haven't as much as a drop of blood on me. But that damn headache is still there.

"I'd like you to know that I have explained all of this to the headmaster. And Almasy will be punished, no doubt about it." Quistis said, lacking her usual glare. I stare at her blankly, like a complete ass. I have my reasons though, I don't get why the hell she said what she said. Can't she just tell me, "Seifer, you're going to be punished for this" or something? Well Duh! I kind of expected that, because even though my number one hate dragged me into this shit hole, I should have fought, with everything I had, against her hold of me. But instead, I succumbed to it, like the idiot that I am.

"Instructor Trepe!" A shrill voice shouts. "Tell that cadet to lie back down, he's in no shape to be sitting up!" Dr. Kadowaki enters the room, obviously displeased. She marches to where I'm sitting and pushes me back down. "Mr. Leonhart, when I tell you to lie down, it means lie down."

I don't catch it until a fraction of a second later, when I immediately sit up again and of course, only makes her more pissed off. "Seifer Leonhart! I don't want you sitting up just yet!"

"Wh-what did you just call me?"

"Seifer Leonhart." She deadpans. "That is, your name, is it not?" I look for signs that she's joking, hell I even look at Quistis and Selphie. But both of them seem to be confused as to why I'm acting like this...

"Is this a joke?"

"I assure you, Mr. Leonhart, that it is not. Seifer, I will not ask you again."

It took me two hours to realize that the people around me WERE being truthful. And believe me, being stuck in a world where I was called Seifer Leonhart made me wary. How did I get here? Was it the Time Compression? Was it Ultimecia's doings? I had no answers. But I wondered, as I laid on the bed in the infirmary, how different the Squall in this world is. Was he the same cold and silent lion that roamed the Balamb Garden I know? Or did he pick up my personality traits along with my bad reputation and my surname?

That brought a smile to my face. I honestly I cannot picture Squall walking around demanding others' attention. It was too...weird. There was no other word for it.

I stand here now, at the end of all this, retelling this story the only way I know how. By experiencing it again, every step of the way. This is my fucked-up story. This may be my last chance...

Return to Archive | next