Let Me Make It Alright
Chapter 10: "Long Day's Journey"
By Angry Angel
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own anything related to the Final Fantasy series. It's all property of Squaresoft, or Sqare Enix if you prefer. So please, be kind and don't sue me
Important Note: I am yet again working on reposting this story. I found several mistakes in the first chapters, and some things I simply wasn't too happy with. I hope you can forgive the mayhem that this story will be until I actually manage to repost all the chapters I found to be erroneous. Unfortunately, I'm sure that there will still be plenty of mistakes to be found -- Blame it on English not being my first language if you're feeling kind, or blame it on me being a lazy bum and horrible speller if not.
Reposted chapters will be marked by two quotation marks ("). I know that reposting will go slow, but hopefully I'll be finished before the revelation of the very last chapter of "Let Me Make It Alright".
Now, on with the story!
Let Me Make It Alright
Chapter 10: "Long Day's Journey"
By Angry Angel
"Are you kidding?"
"Seifer Almasy? The Seifer Almasy?"
Selphie shook her head wildly at her boyfriend, then nodded it just as enthusiastically at Zell. The blonde martial artist pulled his face to a grimace that didn't leave much room to wonder about his opinion on "the Seifer Almasy".
"So what do you mean, you 'found' him?"
"Weeeeell, it wasn't really me, you see. It was some SeeDs from Galbadia Garden," she shrugged. "They snatched him up causing trouble in Deling City together with Fujin and Raijin!"
Selphie giggled at the thought, whereas the rest of the group didn't seem too entirely amused.
"Did he hurt anyone?" Cid inquired carefully.
"Naaaaw, he just smacked the heck out of some meanie that was making fun of him for being the sorceress' knight or something."
Edea cringed slightly at that statement. She still had a hard time reminding herself that it hadn't been her that had mind-controlled Seifer Almasy, that it hadn't been her making him do all those horrible things.
Edea's husband understood her dread immediately, and he looked down upon her full of pride and understanding.
"It wasn't you fault, love. It was Ultimecia, don't forget that."
"I know, I know. Still, I feel responsible for what happened."
"Edea..."
She dismissed his concern with a wave of her long, slender hands and a smile, quietly thanking him for caring but at the same assuring him that she was just fine.
"So, erh, what do you expect us to do, Selph?" Irvine broke the moment.
"We'll take him here, of course!"
Selphie frowned as if that answer had been nothing short of obvious.
"Seifer? Here? I don't like that idea at all," Zell snarled.
"I know you don't like him, Zelly, but he could be helpful, you know."
"How could his annoying ass possibly be helpful? He's just a loud mouthed troublemaker, him and his dim-witted posse."
"Yeah, okay, he's a teeeeny bit difficult, but I think he'd be good for Squally."
Both Irvine and Zell gasped at the idea, their eyes just about ready to pop out of their sockets, while Selphie looked totally content and proud of herself.
"HIM? Good for Squall? He's about as good for Squall as a bucket of chocobo dung!!" Zell groaned.
"Aww just listen to me, Zelly! Wasn't Seifer always the one that could raise Squally's temper? That's what you told me, remember? And I know it was like that when we were kids, too."
"Great, okay, so right now we got a lethargic and repulsing Squall, and as soon as Seifer's ass shows up here we'll have a pissed off and murder-lusting Squall. Great improvement, Selph," the blonde snarled sarcastically.
Selphie's lips jutted into a pout, but before she could retaliate Zell's cynism with a mouthful of her own, Cid suddenly raised his voice.
"You know, she might be right."
All heads turned to the director.
"With all due respect, Director, but what's the point of getting Squall more pissed off than he already is and all?" Irvine wondered.
"Anything is better than his current apathy. Somebody needs to wake his spirits, and from what I have heard and seen, Seifer Almasy was always rather successful at breaking through to Squall."
Selphie bounced up and down, obviously still very in favour of her own idea. Zell and Irvine still didn't seem entirely convinced, which was probably due to the fact that they disliked Seifer just as much as Squall did.
Or so they thought, anyway.
"Where is he right now, Selphie?" the director continued.
"Weeeeell," she jabbed her finger at some vague line on the paper, "On this fax it says that they are keeping him in Galbadia Garden for now. They wanted Squall's opinion on what to do with him."
"I think you're right. You should send a team there to pick him up and take him here as soon as possible. Don't tell Squall for now, we better keep this a secret until we have talked to Seifer."
"Director-"
Zell commenced another attempt at objecting to the idea, but was quickly silenced by Doctor Kadowaki, who had been watching the scene silently thus far.
"Tatata, Cid is right. None of us was able to even pinch as much as a hole into Squall's shell yet, and we don't have the time to wait for him to open up himself. We all know that he'd rather drop dead on the spot, anyway. And you boys don't want that to happen now, do you?"
Her stern gaze rooted Irvine and Zell to the spot feeling extremely guilty and uncomfortable. They shook their heads sheepishly, which was greeted by a triumphant giggle from Selphie's side.
"Yay, it's final, then! We'll go and pick Seify up, Seify up!"
She finished her sentence with a little victory dance that caused the people around her to sweat-drop in dismay.
"Quistis will be delighted to hear the news," Zell groaned, slumping his shoulders.
"She'll understand," Edea soothed him, "I understand your frustration, Zell, but we need to do whatever we can to help Squall."
"Yeah, but Seifer-"
"If it doesn't work, we can always kick his ass back to the curb, I reckon," Irvine suddenly mused, a strange glow alight in his cerulean eyes.
"Fine. Just make sure that it'll be my pleasure to take care of that," Zell added.
At the possible chance of kicking Seifer Almasy's butt once again, the two young male SeeDs suddenly didn't seem quite as grumpy anymore, and they caught themselves daydreaming of ways to remove the perma-smirk from their archrival's face.
"Well, damn. Guess I'm gonna tell Quistis, if she's awake," Zell sighed.
"I'll take Cid and Edea to their rooms," Irvine offered, "I'll meet you in our room, Selph."
The group grinned at the kiss that Irvine Kinneas placed on his girlfriend's head, which caused the tiny girl to jerk her hand up and shoo him away.
"My haaair!"
Under soft chuckles, Irvine threw both his arms and eyebrows up in defeat.
"My bad, my bad."
She shook her head in played anger, but of course she was easy prey to her boyfriend's boyish charm, and thus she glomped him tightly. After she was finished with Irvine, she hugged everyone else in the room, too.
"I'm sooo glad to see you two again!" she said to Cid and Edea, who both smiled at her.
"Nighty night!"
Waving her little hands frantically, she bounced out of the room, closely followed by Zell, who was caught somewhere between being upset and being humored.
Edea and Cid both said good-night to the doctor, before they let Irvine lead them to their room. When the cowboy left them, he sighed quietly and tilted his hat lower into his face.
A long, long day was finally over.
=To be continued!=