Keepers
Chapter Three
By Seshat
Disclaimer: All the characters, places etc., are the property of Square, not me (::sniffs::). I'm just borrowing them for my own nefarious purposes. I promise they'll be tidied up, and sent home all clean an' sparkling.
Feedback: YES PLEASE!! I'd really appreciate your thoughts on my work. Read and Review (I'll give you chocolate!). Flame if you feel the need, I can always do with a good laugh.
Rating: Starting to live up to NC-17 now…
Keepers
Chapter Three
By Seshat
Heat.
It was everywhere, consuming him, burning him alive.
Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the fire licking at his skin, tracing lazy, intricate patterns. Despite a vague notion that he shouldn't, he could sense himself reacting, arching up to the scorching touch.
Soft fingertips traced burning paths down his chest, teasing, lingering, nibbling away at any control he had left. Feverish kisses and warm breaths trailed lower, as he tried to open his eyes, tried to move, wanting to reciprocate the sweet torture.
And failed.
What the fuck…?
His panic was cut short before it began, as a warm, wet mouth engulfed him, fierce and tender.
In that moment, it didn't matter that he had no damn clue what was going on. Something suddenly snapped in his soul, all he could feel, all he knew for sure was that he wanted this, needed this, craved it even more than the row of little labelled bottles in his bathroom cabinet.
Lust, and longing, and love, all radiated from the intense, intimate touch, and for the first time in forever, he felt his defences slip out of reach, felt all the fear ebb away in a blinding rush.
Seemed he couldn't cry out, either. At least, he hadn't heard himself do it.
A gentle kiss brushed against his lips. Abruptly he found himself staring up into eyes the colour of shadows on snow, of polished gunmetal.
He blinked.
The eyes changed. Now they were the exact shade of the last vestiges of twilight over the ocean.
Then they were harsh, frozen gold.
No…Gods, please, no…
He squeezed his own eyes shut, felt the hot trickle of tears against his face. Something forced them open again, relief coursing through him as grey eyes watched him.
The same…but different. Blank. Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Oh, fuck, then this wasn't…
"Squall!"
The only thing that greeted him in the darkness was the quiet ticking on the clock, and the ethereal glow of a quarter moon's light through the high bedroom window.
But…
Seifer sat up slowly, disorientation fading, as he became acutely aware of the tears drying on his face, and the sweat soaked clothes clinging to him.
And the raging hard-on.
The last thing he remembered was arriving back at Garden, and Quistis's motherly threat that unless he got some rest, she'd be forced to cast Sleep on him. He'd almost considered letting her; at least he couldn't conveniently forget magic the way he could all the sleeping pills Kadowaki kept prescribing. But, for once in no mood to argue, he obediently disappeared to his room, intending to pace the floor for an hour, or however long it would take to convince her.
It turned out he hadn't even managed to take off his coat before passing out.
For five hours.
Cursing his weakness, her persistence, and a hopelessly wrinkled trenchcoat, he stalked reluctantly to the shower.
They didn't have time for this. He'd already wasted most of the evening, hours that could have been spent deciding what to do next, where to begin what would surely be an impossible search. Time better used analysing the scant information they'd picked up in Timber.
Information he was yet to share with the others…
Although the shower was hot enough to leave rivulets of steam on the bathroom mirror, the water felt blessedly cool against his flushed skin, serving as an uncomfortable reminder of the erection that was demanding his attention.
Vivid flashes of the dream flipped through his mind like a spinning rolodex, sending feverish chills gliding along every nerve, culminating at the urgent throb he was trying desperately to ignore.
Well, it had been five hours…a few more minutes really wouldn't make that much difference…
Bracing one hand on the cold tile shower wall, he let the other follow the water streaming down his chest, fingers closing around his shaft, just as an overwhelming guilt closed around his heart.
Damn it, he shouldn't be getting off on these crazy nightmares, especially not now…
He closed his eyes, trying to resist the building sensations even as his hand stroked faster. All he could see were those eyes, morphing into one another as if there were playing on a continuous loop in his head, angry, accusing and betrayed.
He may have woken up screaming Squall's name, but…
"I'm sorry…" He managed to whisper, before his furtive climax hijacked every last sense. "I'm so sorry…"
Spent, he leant back against the tiles, slowly sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the shower floor, his chin resting on his knees.
He stayed there, shivering, until the water ran cold, and the tears were washed away.
"...so anyway, Laguna walks in, and just sorta stands there looking at them, then he said..."
Selphie's excited tirade cut off abruptly, as the office door swung open. Tired green eyes swept over each of them, ending with a slight shake of the head.
"Oh, please, don't stop on my account. I'm sure we're all just dying to know what President Clueless...sorry, Sir Laguna had to say." Seifer leant against his desk with a smirk, Quistis' glare bouncing right off him. "Hey Selphie. Betcha missed me, huh?"
"Seifer." She nodded, curtly.
"So, you still shacking up with the most powerful idiot in Esthar?"
"I am not shacking up with..!" She began, exasperated, before folding her arms, turning away with a huff. "It won't work, you know."
"Hell, can't blame a guy for trying." Seifer grinned, apparently oblivious to Selphie's embarrassment. "Hope we didn't drag you away from something important?"
"There is nothing more important than my friends." She stared at him, and even Zell could feel the unpretentious hostility in her eyes, an accusation that never failed to hit its target. "And I still consider Squall and Rinny as my friends."
Seifer looked away, his boots suddenly requiring his undivided scrutiny. Zell wondered if Quistis hadn't just misunderstood when she said Seifer was getting some rest. Impossible as it had seemed, he actually looked worse now than he had earlier. There were pronounced dark shadows beneath red-rimmed eyes, his slumped posture screamed exhaustion, and the beloved trenchcoat was creased.
"Yeah, well, we...I, appreciate it."
Selphie blinked, clearly surprised by his sincerity.
It was still strange, how sweet, affectionate Selphie Tilmitt, everyone's friend, continued to harbour such resentment towards Seifer. Zell understood her reasons; he would have felt the same had the missile attack on Balamb been as successful as the one on Trabia. But it was years ago, and the ex-Knight had paid his penance a dozen times over. While Seifer always acknowledged he could never make up for the acts committed under Ultimecia's control, Zell conceded that his behaviour since had earned some kind of exoneration.
Yet out of all of them, she was the one he'd have thought least likely to hold a grudge. She talked a good fight, but deep down she wasn't interested in vindictive revenge.
On the other hand, maybe much of her attitude could be blamed on a certain cowboy's disappearance.
"I'm still not sure what I can do..." She sighed. "But I couldn't just sit around, doing nothing."
"Yep, nothin' like a good bit of violence to catch Sefie's attention." Zell laughed, wincing at how subdued it sounded. Selphie poked her tongue out at him.
"Very funny. Actually, Lag..." She paused, correcting herself with a small smile. "I mean, President Loire, was going to come with me, but I convinced him not to. I figured you guys'd be going nuts enough, you really didn't need Squall's dad driving you crazy."
"How's he doing?" Quistis asked. "This can't be easy for him either..."
"He's okay, I guess. Dealing, like the rest of us..."
"Does he realise he may be a target?" Seifer interrupted.
"A target?" Selphie frowned. "You don't think Squall would..."
"We don't know anything. Until we do, we can't afford to take risks. We might all be in danger. Whatever else he is, he is in charge of the most powerful country in the world, and a country that has consistently been a target for the Sorceress since Hyne was a boy." He shrugged. "He might have been safer if he had tagged along."
"You could have told me that before I left!"
"Whatever. Doesn't matter now anyway." Seifer dismissed Selphie's outrage with a casual wave of his hand. "Any news since Timber?"
"Nothing." Quistis shook her head. "I know it's a long shot, but maybe the attack was just a one-off, maybe it was just some crazy grudge against Timber, and..." She trailed off, as did her hopefulness. "Okay, so maybe not. But they've taken no action since, and that has to be a good sign."
"Yeah…" Zell muttered. "A good sign that they're planning something, and we still have no damn idea what."
Seifer averted his gaze again, an odd expression crossing his face fleetingly.
"There is somewhere we can start." He sighed. "Cause I for one don't believe that they've been hiding out in the wilderness for the past five years, without speaking to a soul. How have they been surviving? Where have they been living, where have they been getting money?"
"If anyone had seen them, we'd have heard…" Quistis protested.
"Not if they were in touch with someone who hates me even more than Selphie." Seifer grinned weakly, as Selphie blushed.
"I don't hate you."
"If you say so darlin'." He put on an elaborate Galbadian drawl. Selphie narrowed her eyes.
"Bastard."
"Yeah yeah." Seifer shook his head with a wry smile. "Anyway, I still think we should pay General Caraway a little visit. Even if he doesn't know anything, aside from being a fucking liar, he's as much of a target as Laguna."
"And if Rinoa's got it in for Daddy dearest, we might be able to intercept them there." Zell shrugged. "It makes sense. Plus, it's better than hanging around here waiting for them."
"What, now?" Quistis frowned.
"Why not." Seifer nodded. "Selphie, you think Laguna'll mind if we take the 'Rok on a little joyride up to Deling?"
"Hell, no!" She grinned. "So we're actually doing something? About damned time, Commander."
She and Quistis left, and Zell was about to follow them until a quiet, defeated sigh stopped him.
Normally, he made no secret of the fact that Seifer Almasy's feelings weren't something he lost much sleep over. Sure, the guy had had it rough, but he wasn't the only one. Not that Seifer was holding a pity party, but if he had been, Zell would have taken a raincheck. He'd bought a lot of the hell he'd been through on himself. And he'd dragged them along for the ride.
But all through that, in all the years and struggles since, he'd never seen Seifer as anything but determined, proud, arrogant. Not even Squall leaving had changed that, at least not outwardly. The determination had been a little more desperate, and irrational, but never...never like this.
Never this broken.
Head down, eyes shut, and Zell doubted Seifer even realised he was there. For a moment he honestly wondered if the Commander had finally fallen asleep on his feet.
Shame Quisty wasn't here, he could have won their bet…
"Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Seifer looked up, the brief anxiety in his eyes fading so quickly, Zell wasn't sure he'd actually seen it at all. In its place appeared a guarded glare. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be?"
"I get the feeling there's something he's not telling us..."
"Please…" Zell rolled his eyes. "There's a million fucking reasons you shouldn't be okay. We both know that. Don't dare give me the same crap you feed Quisty, because she's not here and you don't have to tip-toe around me."
"What…" Seifer laughed, humourlessly. "Just because I know you don't give a shit about me, I can be honest with you?"
"Does that mean you aren't being honest with her?"
"I'm not hiding anything from her." Seifer snapped. "Or any of you. Why would I do that, when we're all fighting for the same thing? If there was something I knew that would help us get him back, why wouldn't I tell you? What the hell am I supposed to know anyway? No-one knows anything, remember…?"
Zell cocked his head.
"Who are you tryin' to convince, Almasy?"
Seifer looked away.
"If I knew anything I seriously thought was important, then I'd tell you. Isn't that enough?"
"Guess it's gonna have to be." Zell nodded. "But if you're lyin' to me, if anything happens cause of the things you're not sayin', then…"
"Yeah, okay…I get the point." Seifer pushed away from the edge of the desk, and strode towards the door. "Let's go."
Conversation over, Dincht. Now shut the fuck up.
He was still reeling from Zell's painfully accurate suspicions, as the Ragnarok took off towards Deling City. When had Chickenwuss become so damned perceptive anyway? Must have been around the time when the rest of Seifer's world had been falling apart without him even noticing. He knew he'd done a pretty convincing job of covering up his anxiety - he must have done, he'd passed the patented Quistis Dincht Paranoia Test. She could pick up a half-truth from ten miles away, so how the hell had Zell seen through the act?
No, it wasn't an act. He hadn't lied. Not really…
Some traumatised kid tells him a crazy fairytale about The Vessel of Adrasteia, and he's meant to base an entire battle strategy on that? No, that would be insane. Almost as insane as the inexplicable dread he felt every time he replayed the little girl's words in his mind. Every time he heard that word.
Given the choice of sitting in the back of the ship, watched alternately by concern and suspicion, or enduring Selphie's hostility in the cockpit, Seifer opted for the latter. There was something about the way Zell was staring at him that was making him decidedly uncomfortable. And not in the good way.
"We'll be there in about twenty minutes." Selphie didn't even look up as he walked in, as if she hoped he'd go away if she ignored him for long enough.
"Fine." He shrugged, sitting down. The awkward silence stretched for a while, as he gazed absently out of the window, and she kept her focus firmly on anything that wasn't him.
"I meant what I said, you know."
"Which part?" he glanced at her. "That I deserved every terrible thing that could feasibly happen to a one human being? That I shouldn't have survived Time Compression at all, but should have been sent straight to the lower reaches of hell to rot for all eternity? What else…? Oh, yeah, that really delightful suggestion that Squall should have disembowelled me with my own gunblade. That was pretty cute…"
She stared at him.
"You remembered all that?"
"Fuck, I make a point of remembering insults as severe as that. Y'know, just in case I wanted to use them myself someday, pass them off as my own genius." He half-smiled. "I never said you didn't have a right to your views. You were just saying what everyone else thought."
"I…I was actually talking about what I said earlier. When I said that I didn't hate you."
"Oh."
"I don't. Hate you, I mean…but I'm not doing any of this for you. I'm doing it for Squall."
"That's okay." He shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be very grateful."
"You don't honestly believe that, do you?"
"That Squall'd be grateful?" He frowned.
"That you're going to get him back."
Her words struck him so hard, he wondered for a moment whether she'd summoned Doomtrain. Of course they were going to get Squall back. It wasn't a choice, there wasn't a Plan B. There had never been much that Squall truly needed him for, but he needed him for this, and damned if Seifer was going to let him down. And if Squall could drag him back from the grip of some of the most powerful Sorceresses the world had ever known, then he could rescue Squall from Rinoa.
Of course, Squall would just scowl and say he didn't need rescuing…
"Yeah." He nodded. "I do."
"And if you don't?" she persisted.
"What the fuck's with this, huh? Don't you want him back?"
"You know I do. We all do…but…" She sighed. "What if he doesn't want to? I remember you weren't really having warm fuzzy feelings when we tried to knock some sense into you…"
He turned back to stare out of the window. Not for the first time, he was amazed by their conveniently sketchy memories of the last Sorceress War. Truth was, they hadn't tried to bring him back. They'd fought him, they'd told him he'd lost it, but no-one had come up with a viable alternative. No-one had turned around and said `Seifer, we want you back`. Well, no-one apart from Fujin, but he'd been too far gone, too frightened to turn back by that time to listen. A million times he'd wondered if things would have turned out differently if Squall had leapt up onto that parade float, told him how much he still loved him, asked him to come home.
The least he could do was give Squall that chance. If he could look him in the eye and swear he'd rather die for Rinoa, then Seifer would just have to deal with that.
"It's his decision…"
"What about Rinoa?"
"You think I give a shit about her?" He glared. "If she thinks she's coming back with us, then…"
Selphie smiled.
"No, I meant how we're gonna deal with whatever spell she's put him under. That's what Sorceresses do, right? Brainwash you?"
Fuck…He hadn't lied so much to them since the last Sorceress War either. But he couldn't bring himself to crush the hitch of hope in her voice. If it was anyone else, maybe, but if she knew…he didn't want to find out whether Selphie would make good on her threats.
"Yeah…"
"So we're gonna have to snap him out of that first, right?" She nodded. "Man, it'd be a lot easier if we knew what they wanted…If it was just some power trip, what did she hope to gain by destroying Timber?"
"I don't…" he shook his head. To hell with it. If he piqued her interest he could sit back and let her do all the work. Not only that, but he could even blame it on her afterwards. Perfect. "I did pick up some vague details in Timber, but…"
"How vague?"
"Considering it came from some spaced out nine year old, I'd say pretty damn vague." He shrugged nonchalantly, quashing the familiar shiver of fear that always accompanied the idea of telling anyone. "Some weird shit I'd never heard of…"
"What was it?" she pressed. "I've got access to a huge resource library up in Esthar. Accounts of all kinds of monsters, magic and Sorceresses dating almost right back to Hyne…that is, if you wanted me to check anything out for you?"
Oh, Sefie, you're way too easy to play.
"It was probably nothing…" he hesitated. "I don't want to waste your time."
"Go on, tell me. If it's gonna help Squall, then I don't consider it a waste of time."
"Well, this little kid thought she'd heard Rinoa say that she was searching for something called the Vessel of Adrasteia…"
For a city that was always decked out like a gaudy, glittering Christmas tree, Deling still reminded him of summer. Of that summer. Damn it, if Time Compression really worked, then by rights he should have been back there…then. Back when he started making stupid mistakes, back before he made his worst.
Back before I lost you.
Either that, or it should have killed him. Right now, he'd have taken which ever came first.
Having arrived in the city prepared for a bureaucratic battle to even speak to Caraway, the distinctly eager welcome made him wary. The general wasn't exactly the sparkling pinnacle of congeniality, not unless there was something in it for him. And he was still head of the Galbadian Army - Balamb Garden SeeDs probably still ranked dead last on his favourite people list. Just above that arrogant kid who'd put crazy ideas of rebellion into his daughter's head.
Just one more regret.
They were instructed to wait in a drawing room, and he was mildly surprised at the level of familiarity the others had with the mansion. He'd never been there before, all his meetings with Rinoa had been away from the place, away from her father. Looking back, their relationship had been nothing but clandestine meetings, and fanciful plans. No damn wonder the poor kid had gotten the wrong idea. She'd been an innocent bystander to his dreams, just like the rest.
They trooped into the opulent study, extravagantly done in greens, gold and red. Selphie trotted over to the window, with it's perfect view of the city, Quistis perched on an ornate love-seat, Zell paced. Seifer idly glanced over the bookshelves that took up the majority of the east wall, before sitting down at the huge oak desk, propping his boots up on the smooth wood.
The other three gaped.
"What?" he grumbled. "Don't look so worried, I'm not breaking anything. And if the jerk's gonna make us wait, then I'm damn well not standing!"
"No, it's not…" Selphie stared at him. "It's just that last time…you looked so much like…" she blinked, as if coming out of a daze. "Never mind. It's nothing."
"Fine. You guys sure as fuck picked a bad time to start freaking out." He muttered. "Ain't as if this city holds any great memories for me either, you know."
"I said it's nothing." Selphie snapped. "Just drop it, okay?"
She was spared another smart retort by the authoritative entrance of General Caraway. Quistis stood from her seat, Seifer just smirked from his.
"I assume this is about Rinoa?"
"And I assume you've heard what your sweet little girl did to Timber." Seifer shrugged. "Last count, two thirds of the town's population was dead. Where is she?"
"Even if I knew, do you honestly believe I'd tell you?" Caraway glared. "If it wasn't for you, she would never have become involved in all this business!"
"With all due respect, sir…" Quistis began.
"I'm aware that you hold me fully responsible for what happened to Rinoa." Seifer interrupted. "Which is fine, I don't really give a shit. If I had my choice, I'd stay as far away from her, and from you, as humanly possible. But it doesn't matter who's fault it is, she's a Sorceress. She's our problem now, a problem we could deal with a hell of a lot more effectively if you co-operated. Your precious little daughter has just left thousands of people dead, and I can guarantee they won't be the last. Not unless she's stopped. Trust me, sir, you can't change the past. But if you know where she is, or what she wants, then you can prevent her from hurting innocent people…from hurting herself."
"Am I meant to believe that you care what happens to Rinoa? You're only here for your own priorities Almasy, and there isn't a soul left who doesn't know what those are." Caraway sneered. "Do you really think you're fooling anyone, Commander?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but someone cut in before him.
"Believe whatever the hell you like. The fact is that we're SeeD. It's our duty to stop the Sorceress…whoever she might be. Man, we went up against the woman who raised us as her own, don't think we're gonna have some big crisis of conscience about some sappy little Princess that almost got us all killed a dozen times over." Zell frowned. "So you'd better start talkin'."
Hyne. If it wasn't enough to be concerned about him, Chickenwuss was defending him now. What kind of insane hallucination was this, exactly?
"No-one's saying we want to fight your daughter." Quistis said, placatingly. Caraway looked as though we wasn't sure who he wanted to kill first; Seifer, Zell or himself. "We'd rather it didn't come down to such a confrontation at all. However, it's more than likely that we will have to face the Sorceress and her Knight at some point, and that could be made so much easier if we knew what we were up against. The perfect outcome would be to stop them before they do any more damage. To others or to themselves. If there's any information you have that could help us find them, help us bring them back, then…" she glanced at Zell, a faint smile on her lips. "You'd better start talkin'."
Caraway sighed, exasperated.
Trust the good old voice of reason to get through where sarcasm and anger failed.
"I haven't spoken to Rinoa for months. I haven't seen her for longer still. They…" he glared in Seifer's direction again. "They stayed here for a short time after they left Balamb Garden. I was under their strictest confidence, should anyone from Garden enquire about them, I was to deny all knowledge. One morning, they were gone. She didn't contact me for weeks afterwards, and I knew better than to try and find her. I most certainly did not know of any intentions to destroy Timber. Or anywhere else, for that matter."
"She never told you where they were staying?"
Seifer could hear Quistis' questions, could make out the words, the movements. But his mind was focused solely on one word.
Them. As in together. As in a couple.
"No. And I didn't ask. She'd only have lied to me, there wasn't much point. She isn't a child anymore, I can't force her home."
"And the last time you spoke, did she sound…normal?"
"She sounded a little…distant, perhaps." The General conceded. "But that's far from being odd behaviour as far as Rinoa's concerned. She always was a flighty girl. Headstrong and flighty, just like her mother…"
"Did she say she was looking for something?" Seifer asked, dragging himself back to the conversation before he drove himself crazy, and before Caraway could take them all on a little memory lane trip. After all, they knew Rinoa was a ditz. And so was her mother. She had to be, she'd been impressed by King Klutz himself for Hyne's sakes. And by General Caraway.
"Looking for something?" Rinoa's father echoed. "Like what?"
"Anything. A person, a place, an artefact…anything."
"Not that I recall…" Caraway frowned. "Although if she was looking for something that belonged to her, most of her things are still here at the mansion. She never put much weight on material possessions. Nothing apart from her mother's ring."
Damn. He'd been so sure they would find something in Deling, some clue. Unfortunately, it didn't sound as though Caraway was lying either; there was an underlying edge of paternal, wistful worry in his voice. Poor guy probably just wanted his little girl back safe.
Yeah, just like I want the only person I'll ever love back, safe.
Besides, it was obvious from what he'd learnt in Timber that the Vessel had never been in Rinoa's possession. It wouldn't be upstairs in her bedroom, lost someplace between frilly pink pillows, and stuffed animals with names like Tedward and Cuddles. Why tear an entire town apart looking for something you already owned? And why Timber? If this Vessel was as it sounded, some mystical artefact, then why would it be hidden in some backwoods town? And much more importantly, what did it do, and why would a Sorceress want it?
He'd hoped to find those answers in Deling. He should have known better than to think it would be that easy.
Another fragment of the little girl's story clicked in his mind; Rinoa's fury at him.
"She was cross with you, she kept saying your name over and over, she kept telling the man who was with her that it was your fault. That you'd taken it from her."
Did Rinoa think that he had the Vessel? Surely he'd know if he possessed something of enough importance that innocent people had to die for. Aside from some clothes, a few books, a state of the art television set and Hyperion, he didn't actually own anything. And he certainly hadn't taken any of those things from Rinoa.
Fuck…none of this was making any sense.
He lowered his boots from the desk, and stood.
"And that's it? She didn't say anything out of the ordinary, anything about where they were, where they were going, what they were doing…did she say anything about me?"
Four pairs of eyes turned to him at that last remark.
"I've told you all I know, Commander." Caraway said, briskly. "If I knew of anything else that would ensure my daughter's safe return, then I would have been sure to mention it. If she does contact me, I'll let you know. Now, if that's all…?"
"Yeah, that's all…" Seifer brushed past him, headed for the door. Behind him, he heard Quistis thanking the General for his time and assistance. They should have been thanking him for being such a prize tool. At least no-one could reproach Rinoa for wanting to be as far away from this idiot as possible.
The others caught up with him outside. The cool city night was uplit by dozens of floodlights, and it suddenly occurred to him that you could never truly see the starlight in Deling. Just the fake approximation of it.
"Well, that was a total waste of time." Zell sighed, tiredly. He ran a hand through drooping hair, and stifled a yawn. "Any other suggestions?"
"It's still possible they might show up here…" Seifer shrugged. "Plus, it's late. We might as well check into the hotel, work something out in the morning…Caraway's still a target…"
"D'you really think it's worth it? I mean, it's obvious the guy doesn't know anything." Zell shook his head. "And we still know absolutely zero about their plans. We should just head back, and…"
"And what?" Seifer snapped, furiously, frustration and fear eroding at his restraint. "You'd rather we just quit, huh? Just went on back home when he's still out there somewhere? Do whatever the fuck you want, Chickenwuss, I'm not giving up on him that easily!"
"I wouldn't bother."
They all spun around at the intruding voice.
"Because the Squall Leonhart you knew is already as good as dead."
To Be Continued…
Authors' Notes
I know, I know…really mean place to leave it. Apologies also for the delay in posting this chapter, I haven't been able to get near my computer for the best part of a week (that does mean, though, that I've got the next couple of chapters done, give or take a sentence or three. Yay for me!).
As always, PLEASE REVIEW, let me know what you think. Thanks again to everyone who've already done so.
Hey, has anyone else noticed the uncanny things SpellCheck throws out when it runs across the characters names? For Rinoa, it suggests "Rhino" (Duh…), and for Seifer, it suggests "stiffer" (snigger…) and "seizure". No? Oh well…I thought it was funny.
I'll go now…