Disclaimer: This story is not for profit, just fun. My fun, mostly, but I am so glad others are enjoying it too. Thank you for the characters, Square Soft.

Hero

Chapter Six

By Race Ulfson

I had been dozing but I woke up instantly when the Sleepe spell hit me. I pretended to be asleep as I was carried off, mainly to avoid having to answer the questions I knew would be coming. With Shiva's help I had pieced together a better idea of what was going on. I assumed I was going back to a Garden.

I knew it wasn't a Garden or a Hospital when I was placed on a waterbed.

I waited a few after the door closed and then decided Shiva and I needed to get out of there.

Only, I couldn't.

I couldn't get purchase. I couldn't traction. I couldn't figure out how to get my cast entrapped legs over the high wooden sides. Everytime I rolled close enough to the edge, I sank too low into the bed.

It felt like I was in a crib. Or a coffin. I had gotten myeself wedged in a ridiculous position and I thrashed uselessly until I was exhausted.

Shiva shifted in my mind, reminding me that she was there. I calmed myself down enough to partially sit up. I leaned back on both my arms, which changed the pain from ignorable to distracting. I looked up.

There he was, standing in the doorway, big and tawny and arrogant as any lion.

Laughing at me.

I decided, at first, to play dumb. "Who are you? Where am I?"

I could see on his face he was thinking about lying to me. That would have been surreal, he lying to me while I lied to him and both of us pretending to believe it.

Then his eyes narrowed. "Don't dick with me, Squall. I know you have Shiva. I can take her out and get the truth from her."

I didn't want to lose Shiva. "Fuck you, Seifer," I said. "She won't talk to you; she doesn't like you."

He laughed again, an easy sound. I never laugh out loud, I can't. Doesn't sound right, doesn't feel right. "It would be a sin to break you two up now." Seifer pushed away from where he'd been lounging against the door jamb and padded over to me.

I shrank back into the bed. I'm not afraid of Seifer, never was, but there's a certain awful anticipation that comes when you suddenly notice the predator has noticed you. It came to me then exactly how helpless and dependant on him I was. I wasn't going to eat unless he brought me food and I wasn't going to sleep unless he brought me pain killers.

The thought was ... erotic.

Seifer spoiled the mood by fluffing the pillows and rearranging me on the bed as if I were a child. He started doing hospital type things to me with a surprisingly competent air. I found myself relaxing somewhat. I was so used to Seifer doing humiliating things to me that it was almost reassuring. And the warmth from the waterbed was nice.

I slept a lot, ate what Seifer gave me, improved slowly. I wondered why he didn't cast Curaga on me... but if I were healed, I wouldn't be his captive anymore.

I could have cast Cure on myself. Did he wonder why I didn't? Or did he figure, as I did, that even healed it was the heavy casts that kept me in the bed, helpless?

Eventually I was feeling well enough to be bored. I watched Seifer for a while. He sat at his desk, reading, making notes, checking things on the computer. Ordinarily I would have had no problem with Seifer ignoring me. I would have done whatever I had to do and ignored him right back.

But I didn't have anything to do. I wanted a drink. Instead I actually initiated a conversation.

"What are you doing?"

The Almasy smirk. "Reading about human parasites."

Keeping my voice neutral, I asked, "Any particular reason?" I closed my eyes and waited for the punchline.

"Know thy enemy. Makes you itchy after a while, though. It's for my Microbiology class."

"You're studying microbiology?" I don't know why I was shocked. I was always the better student but if something caught Seifer's attention, there was no stopping him.

"Trying to get into Med School, " he said, sounding shy.

I felt even more adrift, even more of a loser. It occured to me that Seifer had always been the one with the dreams, the plans. He had always set the goals. He was still moving forward. I was trying to get off the path.

More snidely than I meant to, I said, "Is that why you are practicing without a license?"

He came and lightly ran his hands over me. "Just playing doctor."

Now that I had his attention, I didn't want it. I closed my eyes and turned my face away.

Seifer stroked my hair. "You cut it." It was an accusation.

"It's been 4 years. I needed a more professional look." I'd been hoping for a more adult, more masculine look, too, but having seen my father I knew that was hopeless.

"Squall."

I opened my eyes. Something in his voice warned me. I thought it had come time for the inevitable interrogation. I sighed.

"I have to go back to work tomorrow."

Fear smothered me. He was going to leave me. "No," I whispered.

I don't think he heard me, because he kept talking. "I was putting off using the Curagas because you lost so much blood..."

"No," I said, shaking my head. I was going to be alone again.

"And the spells don't really knit your bones properly, they just sort of hold you together."

Shiva stirred. I held my breath, trying to stay focused on the goal. The goal was to stay calm. I kept thinking, he's leaving me again. He's leaving me all alone and helpless and I can't do anything about it.

The true goal was not to be alone anymore.

"What you need to do is disjunction Shiva so-"

"No!" I hauled myself up into a mostly sitting position, back against the headboard. "No, no!"

"Squall..." Seifer reached for me and I slapped his hand away.

"You're not taking her," I hissed. "You are not leaving me all alone!"

Reasonably, he said, "Squall, Shiva blocks magic effects. That's why-"

"No!!" I reached for the bedside table and threw the first thing my hand closed on at Seifer. The water carafe hit him in the chest. I followed that with everything else I could find.

He stood, unmoving, blinking slowly at me. The part of my mind that was still rational knew Seifer was fighting for control of his temper. I took advantage of the situation to try to get away from him before he took Shiva, before he left me again. I went wild and some how I managed to partially fall out of the bed.

When he caught me I hit him as hard as I could.

 

Sorry, the scene is long and I felt it best to break it up somewhere. More soon! Yaoi alert!

Return to Archive | next | previous