DISCLAIMER: I do not own Squall or Seifer. I had a pair of muses but they kind of wandered off…. ^-^’

Author's Notes: The others characters and ALL song lyrics found within this fic are MINE. Please do not steal without permission.

This story takes place a few years after the game takes place. I don’t really elaborate on what happened to the other characters. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the story itself. I don’t really spend a lot of time on the other characters because they aren’t completely relative to the story.

All but one section is written in Seifer’s POV. The POV change is listed so don’t worry about being confuzzeled. :D

This was written for a contest on a SxS mailing list. Please read and review :D Feel Free to e-mail me comments at Sodoshiin @ hotmail.com

Thanks to Elise Maxwell and WolfPilot06 for being meh betas!

Darkness Falls

Chapter Nine

By Sodoshiin

The stage seemed hotter than usual, the crowd bigger, the air heavier.

Squall sang a few feet in front of me, glowing with perspiration.

Yomi looked like he was about to die.

By the time the set had ended the band was out the back door and relaxing in the cool night air.

Ignoring the stink of the alleyway garbage cans I lit a cigarette and stared up at the clear night sky.

Yomi and Bach were discussing later plans while Edan disappeared back into the club to find his girlfriend.

After a few seconds I heard footsteps come up to me and the cigarette disappeared from my fingers. I snapped out of my haze, watching blankly as Squall took a long drag from it. After placing it back in between my pointer and middle finger he planted a kiss on my lips.

“What was that for?” I smirked at him, taking another drag.

“Dunno.” he shrugged, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. “Just because I can.”

“I’m gonna get a drink. Wanna come in with me?” I brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes and watched him as he boredly kicked a stone with the tip of his boot.

“I think I’m gonna stay out here for a few more minutes, I’m still kinda hot.” He nuzzled against my hand and smiled.

“Meet me in there in a few minutes?”

He nodded as I flicked the remains of my cigarette onto the gravel and backed up toward the door. I waited until he turned his eyes off me and began to stretch before I opened the door and headed back in.

“You guys feel like getting out of here?” Edan asked as soon as I’d stepped inside. I moved to let one guy pass me and head out the back before joining him at the bar.

“I dunno. Might be a good idea. I think we’re all a little tired.” I ordered a jack daniel’s and leaned against the counter. “Squall had a late night last night…”

“Before or after you guys got back home?” Bach snickered, tugging the latest flavor of the month under his arm. She was cute, probably in her early 20s.

I gave it less than 24 hours.

“So are we going to gather up the gear and get the hell out of here or what?” Yomi eyed me. “We’ve all decided that’s the plan. You guys can stay around here for as long as you want.”

“Yeah yeah yeah….” I sighed. The bartender set my drink on the table and I chugged it down fast enough to get odd looks from my band mates. “I’ll go grab Squall okay?”

“Depends, where are you planning on grabbing him?” Bach winked at me, nudging me as I stood.

“Just for that you can pay for my drink.” I pointed a finger at him, grinning. “Where and how I touch Squall is none of your business.”

“Hey, I just want to know what’s going on when I can’t sleep tonight.” Bach raises his arms in defense.

“Who says that won’t be me?” the girl under his arm giggled.

I didn’t stick around for the rest of the conversation.

Passing the same guy I had on the previous trip near the door I opened it, preparing to pull out another cigarette.

The air felt nice, and for a second I couldn’t blame Squall for staying out for so long.

As the door closed behind me and my eyes adjusted to the dark, the cigarette I’d been about to light fell from my lips.

And I screamed…

Yomi

The police said it had been a case of mistaken identity. The guy who’d done it had been high off his ass, looking for some idiot who his girlfriend had been cheating on him with.

They said it had been quick. That the pain, if there had been any, had been short.

He’d been knocked over the head with something, a brick that had fallen from one of the buildings, then, when he was unconscious, the guy had slit his throat….

We’d only been on the other side of the door when it had happened.

I watched Seifer slowly make his way in between the policemen. He looked like he was lost in a dream, his eyes were open, but he didn’t seem to be focusing anywhere. He seemed to keep an even distance away from the body, as if he was afraid.

Afraid to accept.

Squall was dead.

For some reason I was calm, I accepted it, but I had reacted quite yet.

I could hear Sineade crying, Edan talking frantically to one of the policeman, Bach shrieking on the phone to someone….the people behind the police line shouting.

But Seifer….

He was kneeling now, staring down at the body.

I wish they’d just close his eyes.

A shaking hand reached out…brushing against the cold, white fingers splayed over the silent chest.

I moved forward, moving past the officers, surprised they hadn’t tried to stop any of us….

I reached him just as he began brushing the hair away from a pair of storm grey lifeless eyes.

Neither of us said anything, but remained in silence as the noise escalated around us.

I think we both started to cry at the same time.

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