Back to Balamb
Chapter 6 - Memories
By Kaerith
Author notes:
I don't own any of these characters. You can still send me money. Please? (j/k)
Send me an email if you liked/hated it. Just keep in mind that I am a person with feelings and pepper spray.
Back to Balamb
Chapter 6 - Memories
By Kaerith
SQUALL:
"Hey, Squall." I looked up from the toy Ragnarok I was playing with.
"Whaddya want, Seifer?" I glared at the boy standing two steps away from me. He looked kinda scared, 'cuz he kept standing on one foot then the other. "Gonna tease me again? Y'know what Matron said the last time she caught us fighting."
"Nah, I don't wanna fight anymore."
I stood up. "Huh? Why?"
"I… I just wanna be your friend. Can I?" Seifer started shuffling his feet, kicking up puffs of dry sand. I thought for a long time.
"Okay. Just don't be mean to me, or Zell, or Irvine. 'Kay?"
"Okay. What about Selphie and Quisty?"
I made a face. "They're girls. They have girl germs."
He nodded. "Eww, cooties!"
I made a face. "Yup. Hey, let's go find spiders to throw on them!"
"Yeah!" He followed me as I left my Ragnarok model in the sand. We ran toward the lighthouse where lotsa big Daddy Longlegs spiders lived.
I lay in my bed in Zell's room, propped up on my elbows. I remembered that afternoon, throwing spiders on the girls. I smirked as I remembered Selphie jumping around and screaming. Quistis just stood there, gently picking the spiders off of her clothes and placing them carefully in the sand. I didn't remember much past that day, just glimpses of me and Seifer playing together. The memories seemed to be returning chronologically.
I looked at the digital clock across the room. Seventeen hundred hours. I laid back down, planning to nap for another forty-five minutes before taking a quick shower and heading to the cafeteria. But a knock on the door changed my plans.
"Go away!" I groaned, while I got off my bed. Groggily, I walked over to the door and opened it. "Sei- uh, Kevin. What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Hmm? 'Bout what?" I asked, yawning. I leaned against the door frame as he invited himself in. The blonde seated himself on Zell's brightly patterned couch, propping his boots on the coffee table. The table was presently littered with "Weapons Monthly" and various car and power-boarding magazines. I shut the door and collapsed in an armchair. The "Ego Chair," Zell called it. He claimed anyone sitting in the Ego Chair would be so comfortable that their ego would keep growing until they started ordering people around. I currently sat sideways in it, legs hanging over the right arm.
"You look like shit," he commented.
"Well, thanks. Could you be any more blunt?" I asked sarcastically. "Whaddya do, invite yourself over to insult me?"
"Nah, actually. Not really. I just came to apologize."
"For what?" I said, staring at him. Well, looks like he is being blunt.
He shrugged. "Anything. Everything." Seifer shifted his legs to the floor and leaned forward a bit. "Um… look, I've been getting some memories back of the orphanage. 'Bout how we were friends and all that."
I interrupted him. "Yeah, me too. Do you know what happened to make us stop being friends?"
Seifer shook his head. "Nope. Not yet. You?" It was my turn to shake my head. "Well, I just wanted apologize for being such an asshole the past few years. And especially for the whole Ultimecia thing."
"Yeah, well, we all knew you were being controlled."
"I wasn't at first. It started at Deling City."
"We all noticed a change in you in DC." We sat uncomfortably for a couple minutes. "Um… That it?"
"Yeah. So could we be friends again? Y'know, I need as many people on my side that I can get."
"So, I'm just another person you want as an ally?" I half-teased.
Seifer rose. "Nah, I'm serious."
I stood too. "Of course. All that crap's in the past. It's all good." I held out my hand. "Put it there, pardner," I drawled. He did. We shook hands. "Okay, that it?"
"Yeah, that's it. See ya at dinner." He went to the door.
"You, too, Kevin." He waved and closed the door. I yawned, and sat in the Ego Chair, writhing around until I was in the most comfortable position. "Umm…" My eyes closed. I felt like I was sinking into the cushions. Very nice…
ZELL:
I opened the door to my room to see Squall sleeping in my Ego Chair. "Hey!" I gave him a sharp kick in the foot. "Erm?" He muttered, and half-opened his eyes.
"What are you doing in my chair?"
"Being comfortable," he lazily responded.
"Get up, get up!" With each syllable I gave him another kick, one hitting him in the shin.
"Ow! I'm up, I'm up!" He stood and rubbed his shin. Selphie slapped my back playfully. "You meanie!"
"C'mon, Squally, time for dinner!" I said, earning a glare from the brunette. I went in my room and rifled through a drawer in my nightstand for my second-favorite pair of chopsticks. "Chinese for dinner," I said, walking back into the living room. I clicked my chopsticks enticingly.
Squall rolled his eyes while Selphie giggled. He muttered something under his breath. "What was that?" I asked sweetly. Squall just stalked into his bedroom.
SELPHIE:
Quisty, Zell, Seifer, Squall, Nida, Neria, and me were seated at a corner table in the cafeteria. Zell was talking about a cat one of his old friends had. "…So, since then, every time I would walk in this guy's apartment the cat would fly towards me, and sink it's claws right into my family jewels!" I leaned my elbows on the table and laughed really hard. So did Quisty and Neria. The guys were smiling a little bit, between exaggerated pained groans. "Ohmygosh!" I gasped, clutching my sides. "Tee-hee-hee!"
Quistis wiped tears from her eyes and said, "Wow, Zell, I never knew you had that effect on cats!" I couldn't help it; my lemon-lime soda sprayed out of my nose. "Ow!" I said, wiping it with a napkin. I was still laughing, so was everyone else.
"Geez, Sel, say it don't spray it!" Zell commented. After my laughing had calmed a bit I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Soda kind of stings, doesn't it?" Neria said as sympathetically as she could between giggles.
"You would know," Zell began, "'Cuz that one time I-" Neria cut him off by clapping both hands over his mouth. Seifer raised an eyebrow and grinned. Zell was struggling to get out of his girlfriend's grip, but she held on.
"You go, girl!" I cheered her on. She whispered something to Zell and his struggles ceased. "Nevermind," He said after clearing his throat.
Squall leaned back. "Everyone in the cafeteria is watching," he said dryly.
"Let 'em watch," I said. I mopped the spilt soda off the table.
It was really, really good to be hanging out with Quistis, Squall, Seifer, and Zell again. Nida and Neria are fitting in, too. It's so cute, I thought glancing at the couples. Quistis sat next to Nida with his hand resting on her lower back. Neria had released Zell and was perched on his lap, tousling his hair. I just miss Irvy and Rinny.
I turned to Squall. "How's Rinoa doing?" He kept in touch with her. They hadn't ever really become a couple. She had tried, but he saw her as more of a little sister.
"She's okay," he said. "She's gotten back in her father's good graces after marrying that Galbadian soldier. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Rinoa's pregnant."
"What?!" I lightly smacked him on the back of his head. "You should have told me sooner! How far along is she?"
He thought. "Almost four months, now, I think."
"Good for her," Seifer said, nodding. "Maybe a kid'll calm her down a bit. Although that would be too much to ask with Selph." He rolled his eyes.
I pounced on Seifer, sitting on his lap and giving him a headlock. He loosened my arms and grinned at everyone. "Nope, definitely too much to ask."
"You'd make a cute couple," Neria commented. "Are you two together?"
I made a face. "Me with this loser? Naw. Besides, I'm too girlie for him."
Quistis raised an eyebrow, "Ah, prefer men, do you , Seifer?"
Seifer grinned again, shrugging. "Eh, I've gone both ways. If I had to choose it would be men."
"Well, I prefer men, too. But they have to be more obedient than this one," I said, tapping him on the head.
"That's me. Always the rebel." Seifer struck a pose. Hard to do with me straddling his hips and tightening my headlock, but he managed to pulled it off.
"Wow, Selphie, I never thought you were that type of woman," Nida commented, pulling Quisty closer to him.
I did my whole little innocent girl act, causing everyone at the table to laugh. Except Squall. He was sneaking off. I gave him a little wave behind Seifer's back and he waved, too.