~The Messenger and the Knight~

~A storm and pondering~

~Irvine~

It was dark in the quad a thunderstorm having blocked out the sun on a usual hot summer day. A flash of lighting followed by a bang of thunder.

"Ahh, make it stop Irvy" Selphie screamed holding Irvine tight pressing her face against his chest.

"Don't worry darlin, should be over soon" strokes her back soothingly not even looking at her. His gaze was fixed across the quad on Quistis Trepe, whom he'd secretly been seeing for the past two weeks.

~Quistis~

Quistis was not afraid of the weather and never was, she had always found thunder quite soothing. She was grading GF essays, sitting in a dark corner with a small flash light attached to her clipboard. Silently whispering to herself.

"D-"

"F"

"D-"

She came across Seifer's essay on Diablos, which unlike the others was not on Shiva, nor looked like it was copied from a book.

"B-"

His paper was A+ material, she just didn't want to come off soft grading her newly reinstated student. She had to admit though he still was the same cocky bastard outside the classroom, but inside the classroom he had buckled down and was actually doing his homework.

She looked over hearing Selphie's scream, catching Irvine's stare and smiled towards him. She felt awful keeping her relationship with Irvine a secret but she knew how much it would crush Selphie if she found out. But sooner or later she knew that Selphie would either catch them or she would tell Selphie. 'Poor Selph.'

She sighed feeling suddenly depressed and continued grading papers.

"F"

"F"

"F"

~Seifer~

Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin walked towards Garden from Balamb, soaked. Seifer kicked Raijin in the butt for making him go fishing with him down at the Balamb pier.

"Jackass" he kicked Raijin in the butt again.

"Ow, that hurt, ya know?" Raijin whined rubbing his posterior.

"No shit, Jackass" Goes to kick him again but stops seeing the fearsum look from Fujin.

"THINK. POINT. ACROSS." Fujin spoke placing a kiss on Raijin's cheek and wrapping her arm around his shoulder, giving Seifer a brief smile.

'If anyone can put up with AND keep Raijin in line it's Fu.' Seifer thought with a smirk on his face looking at the happy couple. 'Everyone in this stinking place has someone else, except me' he sighs his smirk fading, 'looks like the sorceress' knight, or lapdog as people had come quite accustomed to calling me, is destined to be alone.'

He walks inside the front gates of Balamb Garden right behind Raijin and Fujin. 'I remember when they were the ones following me.' his smirk returning to it's rightful spot.