Disclaimer : The characters are Squaresoft's. The story is mine.

Warning : Slash between Seifer and Squall. Don't say I didn't warn you before.

Love Aftermath

By Misaki Sakura

Chapter 1

/Seifer's POV/

"That's the third time you broke your promise, Seifer!" Rinoa stomps her feet in a very childish way. Very childish. What a kid.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I really had to take my mother to the hospital." It's a lie of course. I don't have a mother. Well, but she doesn't know it.

"Really?" her face pales in a very dramatic way. "How is she now?"

"Better." Gotcha! I smile smugly at my victory. What an idiot! I bet her IQ is below average. It's easier to fool her than to fool that Chicken.

"I'm going to make it up to you." I glance around the quad and see the one Squall Leonhart is sitting under a tree, eating bread with a book on his lap. In recess time like this, most of the students are here, in the quad, even that Chicken with his lousy boyfriend, Irvine. The atmosphere here is much better than in the cafeteria.

I don't know why but I spend great times making fun of the stoic brunette ever since we're back at the orphanage. What? The GFs never mess with my mind. I rarely use them. Why would I when I have my Hyperion with me? And anyway I'm strong.

Back to the present. Okay. He's reading his book, looks like a note. Probably for the later test today. Somehow I have this tingly feeling to destroy the silence around him (There's always silence around him regarding to his success in making people shut up with his icy glare).

"Look, I'll make you see some fun." Rinoa watches me as I stride across to the unexpecting brunette.

"Yo, Squall! Have some fun?" I say when I hover at him.

He glances up from his book, staring at me with his piercing blue eyes. Finally, his mouth opens. "What do you want, Seifer?" his tone is as cold as ice.

"What I want is ..." I knock his book off and throw his bread into the fountain near him. He doesn't give any reaction at first. I see everyone is laughing except Zell and Irvine who pale. Even Quistis smiles.

Squall's face turns red. And then come what I expect, for him to jump at me and try to strangle me. But still, I am startled of how strong his hands are and fall on my back with him on top of me, trying very hard to punch me but hey! I'm far too strong for him, though it takes me a little, just a little, effort to avoid his hands from connecting with my neck.

I finally manage to roll over with me ending up lying above him. I look at the panting brunette beneath me, still with his eyes flare with fury. Damn he's cute! Okay, I maybe straight but I know what kind of guy can be called cute and Squall ... he's beyond beautiful.

I realize we're in a ... very compromising position when I hear some whistles in the background. I release my hold on his hands and stand up. "So our little cub has become a lion after all."

He doesn't say anything. Instead of that, he picks his book up and walks past me, heading back to the garden. I stare at his back until he disappears in the distance.

/Squall's POV/

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I was so stupid to lose my self control like that. How ... why did I attack Seifer like that? It was so not me! And of course it'll only make him teases me even more. I hate him. Why does he have to humiliate me in every chance he has?! In front of Rinoa nonetheless.

Fine. Just because I like Rinoa doesn't mean that I'm going to snatch her from him. I remember he laughed at me and said that nobody would want me, especially Rinoa. Okay, I know she's popular but I realize she's never the smartest one. I don't want a smartest one. Well, I used to have a crush on Quistis, she's smart, but Seifer had to go and dated her. Does he want to take all the women I like?

First, it's Quistis last year. Now Rinoa. Luckily for me, this year Seifer and his whole gang will become Seed ... if he passes his exam, then he'll go on missions and barely has time to bully me. I can always hope, can I?

I don't see the way I'm going as I bump into Quistis. "Hey, Squall, watch it!"

"I'm sorry, Instructor."

"What's the problem? Are you okay?" Her glare softens. I shake my head and ready to walk away when she catches my hand.

"You can always talk to me about anything."

"There's nothing I want to talk about."

"The lesson hasn't started yet. You don't have any excuses now." She drags me to the cafeteria. Literally.

"He what?!"

"That's not unusual, Instructor ... erm, Quistis. You don't have to be that surprised."

"But I'm surprised. He'll never grow up I suppose. So who's that girl?"

"Which girl?"

"The one that sat beside him."

"Oh, that's Rinoa." At the mention of her name, I snort.

"You're ex-girlfriend?"

"She was never my girlfriend." Well, that's true. First she pestered me anywhere I go. When I realize my feelings for her, she had got bored of me and ran into Seifer's embrace. Ironic, isn't it?

Quistis acts as if she didn't hear anything and change the subject and soon our conversation only between the lessons.

/Seifer's POV/

I finally manage to detach Rinoa from me and find out that I need my time at the Training Center. So with Hyperion dangles at my belt, I make my way to the Training Center. Hoping against hope that Squall is there cause I really need a sparring partner and I know he's more than delighted to be one.

As I step in the room, I find it awfully quiet. No grats along the way, no T-Rexaurs. Boring. Where are they? Then I see something, a T-Rexaur lying on the ground obviously dead. But no signs of the cadets or SeeDs or anyone who kill it. Wait! I walk around and see Squall. How shocked I am when I find him lying on his back, his gunblade by his side, with his eyes close. I run over at him and shake him hard.

"Squall!!"

Slowly he opens his eyes. It takes a while for him to focus. "Seifer? Where ... oh."

"What happened?" my voice croaks. He stares at me wide-eyed, probably because of the concerned tone in my voice that even I don't know I have until now.

"I got hit by a T-Rexaur, that's all."

"That's all?! Let me see your head." He doesn't stop me, maybe too stunned to react as I turn him over and examine his head. There's some cold blood covering some of his hair. I cast Cure at it for first aid.

"I'll take you to Dr. Kadowaki."

"No, I'm fi-"

He let out a yelp as I lift him off his feet. I laugh. You don't hear Leonhart yelps every day, you know. He encircles his arms around my neck and, to my surprise, doesn't make further protest. He must've learnt by now that it's no use to stand up against me when I'm being serious.

I can smell the scent of mint in his hair. His shampoo. His lithe body pressed up against mine with my arms around him. Oh, Hyne. I think I'm gonna get a hard on. Suddenly the infirmary feels very far to go.

I don't understand this, I really don't. Here I am alone with Rinoa in my dorm and all I can think about is Squall. Has he eaten his dinner yet? I didn't quite make sure of it when I leave him in his dorm room. He doesn't faint again, does he? It's dangerous to leave him alone when he can get a concussion any time.

"Seifer?"

Oops! I forget about her. "Um, sorry, Rin. I'm a bit dazed. I'm a little tired."

"It's okay. Do you want me to make something for you?"

Hell, no! The last time she makes something for me to eat ended up burning half of my kitchen! "No, but thank you."

"Okay, see you tomorrow then. Sleep tight, Seifer."

What a mother hen. What a bother. But I don't say anything and kiss her. Finally I'm left alone ... with my thoughts about a certain brunette that's been in my head for ... too long.

Come to think of it, this feeling is not new, concern and all. This is the actual reason why I always spend my time fighting with him. The real thing that I want to deny. Yes, yes, yes, go on with the denial. I know I'm attracted to him since ... at the orphanage. And it continues until now. Because with him, I'm me. There's no need to pretend that I'm someone else. Because he can see right through my façade and doesn't make a fuss about it. Because I'm the only one who can see through his unspoken words. Because we're one.

And I realize I'm afraid. Far too afraid to accept that this whole thing between us stand beyond rivalry. Something deeper, something that can hurt like bitch but worth to be kept. Love ..., perhaps?

When I realize it at first, I freaked out. I tried to do something, anything just to prove this was wrong. I dated Quistis, any girls I could find but every time I could only think how good it'd feel if only it's Squall that was there with me. Hyne, I'm in love with Squall Leonhart.

I dated Quistis because I knew she had some kind of feelings towards Squall and of all people, Squall trusts her the most. I date Rinoa because I know he's attracted to her. I bully Zell because he goes far to close to Squall to my liking. I bully Irvine because he can't get his boyfriend out of Squall's way. I want to show him that they don't belong to him as he doesn't belong to them. For more, he's mine.

Enough of my self preservation and denials. Heck, I'll deliberately let the whole garden knows about this. I'm going to tell him.

And here I am with my two fellow friends, Fuujin and Raijin. They got together some time this year though I don't know how, but the strangest thing can happen, can't it?

"So ... you fall for Leonhart? But that's weird, y'know. I mean, he can kill you, y'know."

"POSITIVE."

"I know, but I ... okay, I love him."

"ASK LEONHART"

"That's what I want to do but I need your help."

"You need our help?! That's ..."

"FLOWER"

"Fuu, it's Squall we're talking about ..."

"Um ... Seifer, you like to fight him ... and he does too, y'know."

"Yeah. So what?"

"OPEN BATTLE"

"Open ... a challenge ... now you come up with something good, Rai! Yeah, I'm going to do that!"

/Squall's POV/

I read and reread the letter in my hand for almost half an hour. Actually it's not very long just a simple 'I love you. Meet me at the Secret Area 1930 tonight. Seifer Almasy.' Simple. Yeah, right.

How'd you feel if you received a love letter from your lifetime rival? Disgusted? Angry? Feeling that he's making fun of you? Start thinking that he probably knocked his head into something's so hard that made him turned idiot? I choose the last. Yeah, he definitely has gotten hit on his head by something, though I think he's idiot enough even without that hit.

"Why me?"

I don't know the answer. Probably thinks that it's funny. But most important here is how he put this ... letter into my room, on my desk, without me noticing him. The Garden has security lock system at all doors, including my dorm room. So, again, how was he able to come in here without the code?

I don't know why this makes me think too much. Just get a grip of yourself, Squall. He's joking. He's a lady's man, why would he want me, a typical ... Squall Leonhart? More to it, we're both boys, and Seifer's never into boys ..., is he?

Okay, this is not what I expected. I find another letter on the desk today right after I wake up. It says 'Figured out you wouldn't show up but I'm being serious here. I'm going to wait for you until you decide to see me. Seifer Almasy.

It's definitely a joke, but unlike yesterday when I tossed the letter into the trash under my table, I put it in my drawer and lock it. Then I pick my book and head to the class.

The third time, it says 'I waited last night and the night before and I'm going to wait tonight. Come. Seifer Almasy.'

The difference is that it's not put in my room but in the common room in my dorm. You see, as cadets we have to share the dorm room and there a common room before the doors that lead into our bedroom. So he put it on the table, which is full with my roommate's things, perfectly unnoticed until Nida said that he needed a paper to write the phone number he got from that hyper girl, Selphie, that he saw the letter.

Of course, he's not smart but he knows whose letter that is so here I am with him teasing me. Not that he knows anything about Seifer's 'Confession of Love' to me. He thinks I chickens out from Seifer's challenge. Well, no one ever sees me refuse Seifer's challenge. Come to think of it, it's a challenge. If he wants to fight me, he can ask me straight away without doing this kind of thing. Oh, and the fact that he doesn't pull any pranks at me lately, which makes this weirder. Hope he'll get bored soon enough.

'Squall, this is the last time I write this kind of letter. If you still don't show up tonight, I'm going to do something that you may not like. Seifer Almasy.'

That's the Seifer we all know and love, well, except from me that is. He finally loses his patience, which amazes me that he manages to be patient for ... let's see ... four nights? I'm not going to fall right into his trap. I've learnt not to trust him easily. Seifer's can't be trusted. I want to know if he can commit his threat at any rate, so like the other letters he sent, despite the first one, I put it in the drawer and never thinking of reading it again.

I blink. And blink. And blink. After realizing it's not a dream or a hallucination, I drop down to the floor. Okay, I had a very bad feeling this morning but I didn't it's going to be this bad. I mean, what do you feel if you have your rival confessing his love to you ... on the teacher's screen?! So he finally does his threat.

There are words 'Squall, I love you. Meet me at the Secret Area 1930 tonight. Seifer Almasy.' He does bold the letters of his name, like in all of his letters.

I can't find my voice and to my embarrassment, the whole class turns their attention at me. Some whistle, some girls glare, some just playing stupid. I wish I can do that too now, playing stupid I mean. What's this?! I'm going to go see him and hell, if I find him, I'm going to rip him to pieces. He has gone way out of line.

I find him in the cafeteria, to no one's surprise. He's sitting with Raijin and Fuujin, probably has done his field exam. I don't care.

"Hey, Squally-boy. I see you're so eager to see me. Can't wait till night falls, can you? Already regretting the nights you wasted?"

"So it's really you who did that?"

"Of course. Didn't I write my name on it? In bold? And in every letters I gave you?"

"What's this, Seifer?! Some kind of a joke?! If it is, Seifer, then I'll tell you it's not funny at all!"

I rarely shout and he knows that too since I see a very confused yet amused look on his face. "I told you I'd do something you wouldn't like if you didn't show up last night, remember? Oh, and," he adds with a hint of amusement in his voice, "You look cute when you're mad."

"What?!" do I blush? It's not even least funny. "You've gone mad, Seifer. Dr. Kadowaki will be very glad to check you up."

"I'm madly in love with you." He smirks.

My knees buckle and start to give way. Me and this genetic inheritance of mine, successfully inherited it from my moron of a father. Seifer's grin, if it's possible, gets wider.

"I think you have to take back what you said earlier, Squall. It's funny. But," he continues with a serious expression, "it's not a joke."

"Wh ... whatever!" I say that louder than necessary and walk out of the cafeteria with everyone watching me.

To Be Continued

A/N : This is my first attempt in writing fanfictions with Final Fantasy VIII's characters in it. I know Squall's a bit OOC but I don't want him to be that serious like he's in the game. R&R please.