by

AUTHORS NOTE: All charcters featured from Final Fantasy VII/VIII are property of SQUARE software and their subsidaries. Please don't sue me. I'm just a broke college student who drools over video game bisien. All references to sexual expertise manuals and use of color levels are inspired and expanded on the original idea of Seiya Kou. Please read her piece "The Reclamation" if any of the following fan fiction confuses you. Domo arigato Seiya-kun for letting me use your idea.

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Squall wandered down the corridors of GARDEN's main building. He had an hour before he was to meet up with Vincent Valentine for his first "lesson." Squall had read some of the manual and found that he was going to have a difficult time trying to make any of the acts that he was going to perform with Vincent seem logical.

He wandered to the left and down the hall that led to the Library. Squall wasn't that fond of reading, but desperately needed something to take his mind off his upcoming assignment. He wandered through the huge double doors. The Library was virtually empty with the exception of the librarian and another GARDEN student napping on one of the couches.

Squall began to wander down the aisles of books. To the back of the farthest aisle was where they kept old documents, newspapers, magazines, and historical reference books. Squall nonchalantly slipped through the door and flicked the light on in the room. It was dusty and looked as though hardly anyone ever visited it.

He ran his slender hands across the desk and savored the feeling of the wood. He had always been a sensualist when it came to fine things. He began to contemplate how he could potentially sneak the desk out without the librarian noticing.

"Man, this is really nice work. Smooth lines, nice finish, great structure."

"Why thank you."

Stunned to hear anyone, Squall spun around to see two crimson eyes studying him very methodically. Squall felt his breath catch in his chest.

"Geez! What the hell are you trying to do? Scare me to death?"

Vincent cocked his eyebrow and gave Squall a half smile. He then promptly approached Squall and slid his arms around his waist.

Squall's eyes grew as wide as saucers. What the heck was Vincent doing? The black haired man seemed almost lazy about the embrace. Squall began to try and push Vincent away, but the man's grip tightened. His metal claw poked Squall slightly in the back and caused him to freeze.

"Mr. Valentine, get your hands off me!"

"Now, why would I want to do that?"

"Because you'll regret it!"

Vincent only smiled and then thrust his head forward locking Squall's lips with his own. Squall immediately felt all the blood rush out of his face. His knees became weak and he could feel himself growing light headed. Suprising enough, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He didn't realize that he had wrapped his arms around Vincent's neck and was parting his lips for Vincent to deepen the kiss.

Vincent drew back as suddenly as he had attacked Squall. Squall was left with a sudden empty feeling and a yearning to fill the void. He leaned forward to Vincent again, not even aware he was doing so. Vincent gently poked Squall's back with one of his claws. The sudden jab shook Squall out of his trance and he stared dumbly at the pale man in front of him.

"What the...?"

"Well, Mr. Leonhart, I see that we haven't been studying our manual very much yet. I used a very simple Level Green seduction technique on you. If you would've been prepared, you could have retaliated."

Squall scowled and pushed away from Vincent. If this was what having Vincent as a teacher was going to be like, he almost felt like forefitting. Vincent placed a gentle hand on Squall's shoulder. He tried to brush it off, but Vincent remained steadfast.

"Please, Mr. Leonhart, forgive me if I came off in the wrong manner. It is just that I am not quite used to being a teacher of any sort, and having students under me is a very different experience. If you would accept my apologies, I wish that you and I could start off on even terms."

Squall took a deep breath and let out a sigh. There was no point in arguing with Vincent. The man was an expert in this field, and if Squall wanted to remain at the top of his class, he would have to stay on good terms with his educator.

"Please, Mr. Valentine, call me Squall."

"And you can call me Vincent. All of this 'Mr.' formalities never appealed to me much."

"How did you learn to do that?"

"Do what?"

"That kissing thing. I thought my head was going to float off my shoulders." Squall responded.

"Oh, that. Well, if you would join me in our appointed room with your manual, we can start early. That is, if you are ready."

Squall nodded. He found it strange how eager he was to begin his lesson with Vincent. But, the slinky man knew alot and Squall was determined to reach Level Black no matter what it took.

"Very good. Come. I don't believe a library's back room is quite the proper place to begin training."

Squall followed Vincent out of the library and into the main corridors. The duo travelled down the main hall and to a flight of stairs. They walked down the stairs to a row of doors that had pass card locks. Vincent slid the card through door number three. The door opened and revealed a small room with a bed and a small bathroom.

"Welcome to your first day of training, Squall."

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"This is where we'll be training?" Squall gasped.

"Yes. Did you expect the staff of GARDEN to provide you students with suites? We are to keep this training as low profile as possible."

Squall continued to scowl as Vincent gestured for him to enter the room. When Squall was completely in, Vincent closed the door and secured the lock. Hearing the clicking sound made Squall's stomach knot.

"If you would please, Squall, take a seat on the edge of the bed and we can begin your first lesson."

Squall nodded and obediently took his place. Vincent paced the room nervously for a few silent minutes. He tried to sort through his mind how one would begin such training. When he had trained with the Turks, there was never a definative teacher among the pairs. They would just pick up and move along with the manual.

"What does the first chapter of the instruction manual say?"

"It discusses the acts of simple seduction. Like the stunt you pulled with me in the library backroom."

Vincent felt relieved. In least the heavy stuff wasn't close to the beginning of the manual. He regretted trying to reiterate the manual to Cid and Shera. They printed out the instructions, but because it had been so long, Vincent wasn't sure what he had put in what level.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." Vincent noted to himself.

"Vincent? Shouldn't we start?"

Vincent was stunned to hear Squall's implore. It was the first time he had heard the young man speak without a sharp hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Of course. The most simple form of seduction is using a look or gesture to influence. An example was the kiss I gave you. It is not as much the act as how one performs the task. Brushing a hand, winking an eye, or just breathing lightly on someone's neck can have as great an influence as taking them and performing more drastic sexual acts."

Squall had taken out a pen from his feather-like trimmed bomber jacket and was scribbling notes as Vincent spoke. Vincent had to admit that he was impressed by Squall's eagerness to learn. This young man was going to stay at the top of his class if it meant sacrificing everything.

"Would you like to know how I did the kiss?"

Squall looked up at Vincent and nodded anxiously. Vincent approached Squall and dropped on his knees in front of him. Their faces were level with one another now, and Vincent could see the look of concern appear in Squall's rich blue eyes.

"Don't be nervous, Squall. I have no intention of harming you."

"Yes, Vincent."

Vincent leaned forward until his lips were barely brushing Squall's. He could feel the young man's breath tremble in his chest and puff gently out of his mouth.

"You see, it's not as much the actual kiss as it is the anticipation. Seduction, however simple or complex, is about anticipation."

Vincent nuzzled Squall's top lip with his bottom one. Squall grew stiff and Vincent could sense his hesitation.

"It's all right, it's part of the learning process. If you can't be comfortable with me kissing you, I can only imagine how you'll feel with a complete stranger in an emergency."

"I...I...I know." Squall finally replied.

Squall suprised Vincent as he leaned forward sealing their kiss. The touch was so innocent that Vincent found himself being pulled forward. Squall let his mouth glide gently to the pale man's cheek and placed a whisper of a kiss on it. He returned to Vincent's mouth and very carefully parted his lips with his tongue.

Vincent was nothing short of stunned. His ruby eyes watched Squall who had his eyes shut. The young soldier was completely immersed in kissing Vincent. This wasn't possible. He was supposed to be the teacher, yet he was having a very difficult time breaking the lock.

Squall drew back slowly and rested his forehead against Vincent's. He was breathless and feeling slightly light headed.

"Was that kind of how it was supposed to be?"

Vincent was at a loss for words for a brief moment.

"Yes, Squall. I think you have the general idea."

"Show me what I can do with my hands."

"I can think of a few things you can do with...no, stop that!" Vincent silently scolded himself. He was the teacher and Squall was the student. That was all there was to it.

Vincent very gently laced his fingers through Squall's.

"See? Simple things like holding a hand or sliding a hand across someone's back can have the same effect as a kiss or intimate embrace."

"Vincent?"

"Yes, Squall."

"With your permission, I would like to ask you something."

"Of course."

"Where did you get that metal claw?"

The question was so blunt that it almost floored Vincent. He had been prepared for the inevitable, but didn't think the question would come so soon in Squall's training.

"It's a very long story, Squall. I don't think you have the time for it and I don't know if I have the patience to tell it again."

"I just wanted to know before things progress to the higher levels. Don't you think it's only fair."

Vincent sighed knowing that the young man was quite right.

"If I tell you my story than I want you to tell me how you came about getting that scar across your face."

Squall was hesitant.

"It's a deal. But you go first."

For the next couple hours, Vincent began his story about being a Turk, how he had fallen in love with Lucrecia, a scientist, how his rival had performed terrible genetic experiments on him, how he had lost his arm and had been replaced with a claw. He then told of how he came to know Cid Highwind and the rest of his old compatriots. He spoke of his battle with Sephiroth and the years later that it took for him to heal.

"So, you mean to tell me that you're older than Professor Highwind?"

"That's correct. I must apologize if that makes you uncomfortable. I was trying to keep it a secret involving my age."

"Then, how old are you?"

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"I am old enough to be your great grandfather, though I don't really even remember my birthday any more."

"Can you die?"

"Oh, yes, I am capable of doing that. I am sure that sometime my body will give out or someone will shoot me in the back. Which ever comes first."

"Isn't that rather depressing?"

"You never struck me as being one for much talk, Squall."

Squall shrugged. "Usually I don't unless there's a topic that interests me. And knowing about your past interested me."

"I hope that my age and unusual physical attributes doesn't deter your training."

"No. In fact, I think your claw's pretty cool. I just can't believe that you're the same guy who's in Professor Highwind's painting. I didn't recognize you without the red cape or the bandana."

Vincent laughed in spite of himself. "I must confess, about five years after the battle with Sephiroth, I found that the cape and bandana were more of a problem that they were worth. Besides, I found that I liked my hair down and flowing. I also found that I perfer to wear suits that don't take more than ten minutes to get out of."

"Your cape was really something. But, I agree that losing the bandana was a big improvent, no offense."

"None taken. And what about you, Mr. Leonhart. I've talked more in the past two hours than I probably have in the past four months. Tell me about your scar."

Squall paused for a brief moment. "I'm afraid that my story isn't as interesting as yours."

"That's for me to decide." Vincent said with a small smile.

Squall related from what few memories he had pertaining to his family. He spoke of his gargoyle like necklace that he never took off. It was his only connection to his past. He told of his training at GARDEN since he was a young child, his drive to become a member of SeeD, and the battle with Seifer when he was fourteen that inflicted the scar on his face.

"I was told by Cid that it was against the rules for students to fight among themselves."

"It is. Unfortunately, the scar that's on Seifer's face was due to an accident. I cut him with my gunblade during one of training sessions. He made no notice, or so I thought. He shrugged me off, but when I left the main building that night, he attacked me with his modified gunblade. I didn't have time to dodge, and he sliced my face. I never reported it, because I was afraid that he would bring up the accident that occurred earlier between he and I. Getting into SeeD is all that matters, so I try to forget the incidents that may weaken my chances."

"May I look at your pendant?"

Squall nodded and pushed his bomber jacket away from the front of his shirt. The beautiful gargoyle like pendant sparkled on a silver chain. Vincent studied the necklace and then found his gaze drawn up to Squall. Squall was looking at him curiously.

"I have no idea why I just told you all that stuff, Vincent. I don't even like talking to people."

"We seem to have a kindred bond. Neither one of us remembers much of our old past and are only looking to the future."

Squall's face remained solemn, but Vincent could feel that he wasn't quite the same hostile young man he met only yesterday.

"So, now that we've spilled our guts, what now?"

Vincent searched for something to say. He glanced down and realized that for the past three hours, Squall and him had been holding hands. Squall's eyes followed Vincent and his eyes widened.

"Our hands are going to be very cramped tomorrow."

"Hey, did I just pass Level Green?"

"Excuse me?"

Squall unlaced his fingers from Vincent's to retrieve his manual that had fallen off his lap. Vincent felt a pang of sadness that his hold with Squall was terminated.

"See!" Squall pointed to the chapter summary. "The book says that if I can expel information like personal history, data, or codes, I have succeeded Level Green. You just told me your life story, does that qualify?"

Vincent stared suprisingly at Squall. The young man had hit the nail on the head. He was definately observant and quite quick.

"Yes. I guess you did pass Level Green."

"Yes! I am good!" Squall exclaimed and he jumped up from the bed.

Vincent smiled slightly and shook his head. He rose from the bed and walked over to the door. Unlocking the latches, the light shone in causing him to shield his eyes.

He turned his attention back to Squall, who had finally finished his celebration.

"Remember, Squall, the rest of the levels are not as easy as this one, so don't get too confident."

Squall settled down to his stoic nature once again. He nodded shortly and joined Vincent at the door.

"You may return to your barracks, Squall. Our next training session will be tomorrow in this room at the same time."

Vincent turned and began to head for the stairs.

"Vincent?"

"Yes?"

Squall closed the door and approached Vincent. He could feel a ball of saliva catch in his throat. Swallowing hard, the forced the ball down into his stomach.

"Was, was I any good at the kissing?"

Vincent looked at Squall thoughfully.

"Yes, you were."

"Then, then, would you kiss me before you leave?"

"What for?"

"I...I just want to make sure I have it right."

Vincent knew that it was against his better judgement, but after the kiss he had experienced, the request was too much for him to resist.

He slid his arms around Squall's waist. Squall almost reflexively slid his arms around Vincent's neck. He leaned down slightly and claimed the auburn haired young man's mouth. A soft moan escaped Squall's lips and Vincent found the noise to be unusually arousing. He pulled Squall against him a little tighter and Squall laced his fingers through Vincent's raven black hair. Vincent parted Squall's lips and was met with an eager reply. Their tongues moved against one another as if it was a choreographed dance. Their breath lingered between them and Vincent realized that Squall's knees were beginning to buckle. He didn't want to release, but knew that the young soldier would be collapsing very soon. He pulled his mouth away, the taste of Squall teasing his lips. Squall shook his head and drew in a deep breath of air. He couldn't recall a single girl he had kissed that had ever felt like Vincent did.

"Well, I can see that your training will be moving at a much quicker pace." Vincent teased ruefully.

Squall gazed at Vincent almost dreamily.

"I think I'm going to like this kind of training."

"You had better go. You don't want to be penalized for being late for your barracks night call."

Squall released a disappointed sigh as Vincent dropped his arms. He scooted past him and began his walk up the staircase. Before he exited through the doors, he turned to faced the pale man at the foot of the stairs.

"I hope that I won't disappoint you in my training, Vincent."

"I don't think you will." he responded honestly.

Squall paused for a moment and then turned and left through the door. Vincent released a huge sigh and sunk to his knees, resting his back against the wall of the basement. He stared up at the door for a long time. Finally, he rose to his feet and headed up the staircase. Before he exited, he threw a glance at door three and felt a feeling of happiness and a touch of sadness flow over him.

"Now, Vincent, he's a student. No matter how talented or beautiful he is, he is still your trainee. It's not the time or the place to be feeling anything." Vincent reprimanded himself.

He then left through the door and headed for the main corridor of GARDEN. He quietly wondered how the other young recruits training was turning out. He decided to go and see Cid and recommend that Squall be promoted to Level Yellow.

AUTHORS NOTE: Please excuse all the heavy stuff in this level. We had to get all the past info out of the way somehow! I think you'll find the next levels a lot more entertaining! Domo arigato!