Xerampelinae

Chapter Twelve

By Scarlet Fever

Zell stared out to the ocean. They were going to go back to Galbadia soon, but Squall had decided to tinker with something on the Ragnarok. He swore it wasn't anything major, and promised to make it fast. Edea had also gone onto the Dragon Ship with Squall, so Seifer and Zell were alone. Maybe Squall knew that both blondes wanted to be far away from The Tomb Of The Nameless King, far away from the pasts that had caught up to them, reached out, getting them in an iron grip.

Zell couldn't believe it. He knew that Lillith was telling the truth, but it was hard to accept that his mother was Adel. How would he learn to accept it? He didn't think he ever could. Adel was a horrible, bloodthirsty monster. Did that mean Zell himself would be one, as well? He was a soldier for Garden. He'd killed people before. Was he just as much a murderer as his mother?

The martial artist reared his head up when he heard the ghostly whisper of his name that had been following him like a shadow since they'd left Lillith's realm.

"Zell?"

Zell blinked, for that time, his name sounded real, coming from real lips, instead of materializing from air. He looked, seeing Seifer standing beside him, worry and concern mirrored in his tired blue eyes.

"Zell?" Seifer repeated.

"I'm okay...." Was the dull reply.

"No, you aren't. And, nobody blames you for not being alright...." Seifer sighed, pressing his fists into the small of his back as he and Zell looked at the ocean, always constant, so unlike Seifer and Zell's turbulent lives. "But, I understand..."

Zell nodded. He knew that Seifer understood. Seifer, and maybe Lillith, would be the only people who would really understand. Being the child of a tyrant wasn't an easy thing to deal with. It sort of put things in perspective for Zell. He'd always had sympathy for someone like Rinoa, who complained about her father, how he carried ideals that she didn't agree with. But, now, that sort of anger to a parent seemed small and petty. At least General Caraway was a good man, and he only wanted the best for Rinoa. Zell could never say his mother, his blood mother, was a good woman. Maybe she'd been at one point, but Adel Viator had ceased to exist when Adel had waged war on Esthar. A war that was started because of Zell.

"Oh, God..." The tattooed blonde trailed off. "Adel started the war on Esthar because of me...."

"Shhh....." Seifer wrapped his arms around Zell's small frame. "Don't say that.... Adel started the war because she was cruel, twisted and bitter."

"It's never going to be the same again... Is it?" Zell asked.

Seifer shrugged against his lover's body. "Life changes.... We'll deal with it..."

Zell stared out into the ocean again. "Will we?" He sighed sadly, pressing his head to Seifer's chest, finding his lover's heartbeat. After being surrounded by death in Lillith's castle, Xystus, it was nice to hear the telltale signs of life coming from Seifer. It was very comforting and familiar. He blinked, his lips parting when he saw the waves becoming higher. It was slow and gradual, but it was happening. They were breaking into white foam, cresting majestically in front of them. Zell could feel the moisture rising in the air, and splashes of the salt water gently coming to rest on his face. He also noticed that there was a distant tingling moving over his body. It was like using magic, but it was a totally external experience, whereas using magic was internal, and the tingling would be originating from in Zell's chest. He briefly looked away from the ocean, and at Seifer, whose eyes were closed, his forehead pressed to Zell's. There was a calm look on his face, free of concentration. The tingling feeling was hitting Zell's skin wherever Seifer was touching him, which was most of his body. Zell knew he could have been afraid, being wrapped with Sorcery, but he wasn't. He would never be afraid of Seifer. At that moment, he was more afraid of himself.

He looked back out to the water, where the waves rocked higher and higher, and yet, didn't break onto the shore. At the sandy beach, the waves were still gently lapping, as they had before, as they always would. Zell watched as the now tsunami height waves came together at the center of the ocean, creating a funnel of destruction. If that water tornado had been moving towards land, it would be highly dangerous. But, it just spun in the center of the ocean. Zell looked closely, and could see fish and whales still in the water, swimming as if nothing was happening. It was beautiful. The sun hit the cylinder of ocean, causing it to reflect the beautiful light, like a wet stained glass window. It created silhouettes of the aquatic life, and hit the high waves that moved around the base of the cyclone. The light was amazing, and it took Zell's breath away.

Edea came out of ship, wondering what was happening. She could feel the Sorcery in the air. She wondered if something was wrong. What she saw made her gasp in surprise, and delight. It was very beautiful. She took in the whole picture, feeling very proud as well.

"Holy shit..." Squall whispered, looking at the pillar of ocean, containing sea life, that was reflecting the sun. "Amazing..." He looked to where Seifer and Zell were standing. "Seifer's doing this, isn't he?"

Edea nodded, her voice stolen. When she regained it, she turned to Squall. "It's beautiful.... He's truly a great Sorcerer..."

"So, that's hard to do?" Squall asked, gesturing out towards the water.

"Not just the cyclone. Any Sorcerer or Sorceress could do that, but the sheer control... I mean, controlling the way the sun hits it, controlling the fish, controlling the waves, all at the same time as moving that cyclone. And..." She pointed to the beach. "The high waves don't even hit the shore. Seifer has learned to hone his powers.... Maybe even better than me...."

Squall looked at the water, his eyebrows raised high on his face. The cylinder was starting to lower back into the ocean, and the waves were rescinding. All went quietly back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Zell let his breath out slowly. "Wow...." He pulled slightly away from Seifer so he could look him in the eyes. "That was amazing...."

Seifer smiled, no sign of strain on his face. "You liked it?"

Zell smiled sadly. "You did it to make me feel better...?"

"Maybe...." Seifer trailed off.

Zell planted a couple of quick kisses on Zell's lips. "Thank you...."

"Guys..."

They both turned when they heard Squall call for them.

"We can leave now...."

They nodded, and walked towards the Ragnarok, hand in hand.

"What am I going to do, Seifer?" Zell asked hollowly.

"What do you mean?" Seifer asked. "Be the same person. Adel may have given birth to you, but she's not your mother, nor was she ever your mother. Ma is your mother."

"I know...." Zell breathed out.

"Do you guys want to stay in Galbadia tonight?" Squall asked. "It's starting to get into late afternoon, and we'd be flying at night...." Squall frowned. He didn't like flying at night.

"Sounds good...." Seifer trailed off. "Are you going to see Rinoa?"

"I haven't decided yet...." Squall muttered tersely. "Are you okay with that, Matron?"

"I'm fine with it. It will give me a chance to do some shopping...." She smiled. "Seifer, I'm very pleased with your level of improvement. That ocean manipulation showed great concentration and psychic strength."

"Thank you, Matron...." Seifer murmured sadly. "Come on...."

"Do you want to get married?"

Selphie blinked, her large jade eyes looking even larger than usual. "What?"

"Well, you should have paid attention the first time..." Irvine trailed off, smirking. He snapped his mitten clad hands open and closed at her. "Too bad you're deaf."

"I'm not deaf!" The brunette exclaimed. Her and Irvine were taking a walk in the woods. The temperature had cooled off significantly because of the setting sun in Trabia. But, even at high noon, Trabia was cold. "You just caught me off guard. You want to get married?"

"Why not?" Irvine asked, snatching his cowboy hat off his girlfriend's head.

"Because! We're too young.... Because.... You'd cheat on me, and then I would have to divorce you...."

"Have I cheated on you yet?"

Selphie frowned. "I don't know... You sure do look at Sylvia a lot...."

Irvine laughed, wrapping an arm around Selphie's slight shoulders. "It's not my fault she has such a great rack."

Selphie scoffed, shoving Irvine away. "You scumbag."

"Oh, come on!" Irvine exclaimed. "It's not I've never caught you sneaking a peek at Seifer's ass..."

She sputtered, hands on her hips. "Well, I....err...."

"So, tell me. Why don't you want to get married?" Irvine frowned playfully. "What, am I not husband material?"

"It's not that..." Selphie trailed off, clasping her mittened hands in front of her chest. "Just... What's the rush?"

"I love you...." Irvine cocked his head. "But, if you don't want me.... Fine, consider the offer off the table..." He winked at her.

She sighed. "I love you, too."

"Too late..." Irvine teased, trailing off. "Hey, what's that?"

"Hmmm?" Selphie asked, looking to where he was pointing. In the distant horizon, they could make out what looked like a pillar in the ocean. It looked very small and faraway. "I wonder what that is...?"

"I...." Irvine trailed off. "I don't know...." He turned to Selphie. "Must be a ship or something..." He smiled, waving his hand. "It doesn't matter..." He wrapped Selphie in a warm embrace. "Let's not talk about that."

Selphie smiled, kissing Irvine gently. She suddenly shivered, something passing through her.

"Cold?" Irvine asked, smirking at her with a teasing glint in his periwinkle eyes.

She shook her head. "No...." She frowned deeply.

Irvine noticed her confusion, the distress written all over her girlish face. "Selphie... What is it?" He looked around them. They were surrounded by trees. "Is it a Snow Lion or something?"

"No.... I don't know....." She shook her head. "A bad feeling....." She dug her fingers into Irvine's upper arms. "I feel.... sick, but not at the same time..."

"I don't understand..." Irvine cocked his head, his eyes glimmering with concern.

She shivered again. "Neither do I...... Neither do I. It feels... evil... and familiar....." She laughed suddenly. "The same sort of feeling I got when we fought Ultimecia."

Irvine just blinked at her. "Ultimecia?"

She laughed. "I know, it sounds pretty stupid." Her apologetic giggle turned into a frown. "But, I still can't ignore it.... The fear. Just like I couldn't ignore it when we were fighting her... When we were fighting Adel, too...."

"But, you got past it..." Irvine squeezed her slight shoulders. "And, I'm sure it's nothing...."

She nodded. "Yep! Just my imagination...." She narrowed her jade eyes mischievously. "What if she's watching us right now? What if Adel wants to steal me away from you and add me to her harem?"

Irvine snorted. "You're not sexy enough to be in anyone's harem...."

Selphie scoffed. "And, you want to marry me....?" She put her fists on her hips. "And, you know you wouldn't be able to stay faithful to me..."

"Who said I would?" Irvine winked.

"Asshole..." Selphie muttered, letting Irvine lead her through the woods back towards Trabia Garden. But, the small soldier couldn't just ignore that gnawing ache in her stomach, her fear digesting her internal organs. It was like a cold snake was living in the pit of her body, devouring her from the inside out. She remembered the feeling so clearly from when they'd fought Adel and Ultimecia. And, Irvine was right. They'd defeated Adel, they'd defeated Ultimecia. They'd killed both Sorceresses a long time ago. So, why were those awful, cold feelings bringing themselves up again? And, now? She remembered seeing Zell and Seifer in the graveyard in Trabia. Were they unearthing something, without even knowing it? Selphie chuckled to herself, feeling foolish for thinking such outlandish thoughts. Suddenly, the feeling was gone, like she'd never felt it. That caused Selphie to frown deeply. How come that fear would just vanish, after being so tangible and raw within her? She looked back to the ocean. That shadowy pillar, which had most likely been a ship on its way to Galbadia, had vanished.... Just like the dark feeling inside of her. As Irvine gently pulled her through the woods, she just prayed that it was all a coincidence.

Squall frowned, walking down the downtown streets of Deling City. It was night, but it never really seemed to be dark in the Galbadian capital. They had rented rooms at the Galbadia Hotel. Edea had gone off shopping, and Squall didn't really feel like joining her. He also didn't want to interrupt Seifer and Zell, who both looked very tired and very preoccupied. Part of him did want to bother them, but he ignored it. Squall himself couldn't sleep, so he decided to go out for a walk, to think. Squall was a master thinker, and a master of the internal monologue, so he was already hours deep in discussion with himself. And, he still didn't know what he was going to do. What he was going to do about his growing desires for Seifer and Zell. He knew that he didn't romantically love them. Sure, he loved them the way that you loved best friends, but the desire wasn't really linked to that. No, it was linked to a basic need in Squall, and Seifer and Zell were there, and queer, and he figured that was all that really mattered.

Squall knew that he was developing curiosities towards members of his own gender. There was no denying that. He wanted to discover what it was like to kiss and touch and fuck another man. He already knew what it was like to do those things with a woman... Better yet, with Rinoa. Rinoa was the only person he'd had intimate relations with. And, he knew Seifer and Zell, which gave it a level of comfort, so maybe that's why he wanted them. With something so new to him, it would be better if he knew the partner well, and trusted them. But, Squall didn't want to interfere in Seifer and Zell's relationship, so he decided not to bring it up with them at all.

One of the brightly lit bars caught his attention. Not really because it stood out from the others, but because he noticed that there weren't that many women, and the women that were around were draped all over other women. Maybe it was a sign. He was standing in front of a gay bar.

Well, no time like the present.... Squall muttered to himself, jamming his hands into his pea coat. He went into the bar, and was assaulted with tragically loud techno music, and the smell of cigarette smoke, as well as something underneath. The smell of sweat and sex. It smelled very male. He looked at the faces of the men he'd passed. Some of them were looking back at him, giving him interested looks. There were a lot of men here that were kind of like him. That effeminate pretty look about them. Squall knew he would never be a handsome man, and had often cursed his pretty looks. It wasn't that people mistook him for a woman, but his face would always be fair and youthful, his lashes would always look like he was wearing mascara. He would never be that masculine beautiful that Seifer and Irvine were. Hell, even Laguna was more masculine than Squall was.

Squall looked over when he felt a hand on his hip. Very strong, very forward.

"Hey....."

Squall looked the other man up and down. He had hair the colour of amethyst, a very bright purple that looked vibrant and shiny in the dark light. It hung in his eyes, cut shorter in the back than at the front, sort of like Squall's own hair. Squall could tell that the other man was high as a kite, for his pupils were pinpricks, lost in the pale green of his eyes.

"Hello..." Squall greeted, making it obvious that he was giving the other man the once over.

"Never seen you in here before...." His voice was low and breathy, and he leaned in to make himself heard over the music.

"Never been here before..." Squall answered, turning his face towards the other man. It was a very forward gesture, and Squall wondered if he was coming off as a slut.

"That would explain it," the man laughed, his fingers moving up Squall's side. "Do you want to dance or something...?"

Squall bit his lower lip, hoping to send the proper signals. He was very new at acting coquettish. It must have worked, because the hand on his hip tightened, and an interested smile spread over.... What's his name's lips. He had a very nice mouth. Some of the man's hair fell over one of his eyes, and Squall brushed it away. "What's 'or something' mean?" Squall was pretty sure that he knew what 'or something' meant.

When the other man cocked his head, Squall followed, their hands joining together. Briefly, the auburn haired SeeD knew that this was a pretty slutty thing to do, but he didn't really care. He'd only slept with one person in his entire life. Hell, he'd only ever done most stuff with one person in his life. He was allowed one seedy one night stand. And, he knew that Purple Hair felt the same way, because he didn't bother introducing himself. Squall just kind of blinked when he was led into a room near the bathroom. It was very dark, and there was some sort of dim blue lighting, which showed that the large room was already sort of occupied. So, more couples had had the same plan as Squall. He didn't scoff, or run away, but just looked. There were pairs, threesomes, and groups, all fucking each other, or giving blowjobs, or eating someone out, and none of them even looked up when Squall and this purple haired man entered.

Squall found himself being pushed against the wall, and found that his mouth was being attacked. Purple Hair tasted like sex, and Squall was instantly kissing him back, with force. The fact that they were surrounded by other naked, fucking men didn't bother him. He couldn't throw stones when he was going to have sex with someone he didn't even know. Squall's tongue whipped around in the other man's mouth, and it felt really good. It was a lot different than kissing a woman, or better yet, kissing Rinoa. It was hard and wanting, not cuddling and loving. It wasn't to show affection, but show want and desire. Squall's hands moved over the other man's shoulders, feeling the muscles. This was the most different part so far. Feeling something hard against him. Feeling sweaty muscles, instead of fleshy curves. And, the hardness bumping against his own was really different, too. It caused Squall to moan, and the other guy to laugh.

Purple Hair pulled away, and Squall watched under hooded lids as he pulled out a condom. He was very relieved. He would have asked eventually, before they actually started fucking, but was glad that someone else thought of it.

"I guess I should tell you my name... It's Botany."

Squall hooked his fingers in the waistband of Botany's pants. "Well, at least I don't have to mentally call you Purple Hair now."

Botany laughed, pulling Squall's jacket and shirt off, running his palms down Squall's chest. "You're so hot...."

"Squall."

"Nice name." Botany raised his eyebrows. "Now I don't have to mentally call you Scar face." Botany began pulling Squall's pants off. The auburn haired man toed his boots off, making it easier to pull his pants off his legs. A brief flash of embarrassment entered Squall's mind. What was he doing? He was standing naked, and hard, in front of a complete stranger in a room full of other naked strangers, about to be fucked, or fuck... He still wasn't sure what was going to happen.

Squall gasped when he felt nude flesh press against his own. While Squall had been feeling slightly skanky, Botany had removed his clothing as well, and now, was thoroughly sucking on one of Squall's nipples. Squall ran his hands through Botany's hair, tugging on it, which caused the purple haired man to bite into the nub of Squall's nipple. Squall rocked his hips, and the feeling of having someone hard against him, a dick pressed against his own, made Squall pant. He felt a little bit of restraint within him, not wanting to moan too loudly in a room full of naked, fucking men. He felt hands hard on his hips, and before he knew it, Squall was spun around so he was facing the wall. Botany's lips fell on the backs of his shoulders, and Squall threw his head back, spreading his legs when he felt a finger run between his ass cheeks, finding the puckered entrance to his body.

Squall draped his forearms against the wall, pressing his forehead into them when he felt Botany pull off of him for a second. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he could hear the sound of something being opened. The condom? Squall couldn't help by murmur deep in his throat when he found out that it was lubricant, and a greased finger pressed into him, quickly joined by a second. This was going to be a fast fuck, and that was more than okay with Squall. He didn't want a lot of foreplay. The fingers were moving around in Squall's ass, and he couldn't help a high pitched gasp when the fingers brushed his prostate. Fingering was something that Rinoa had refused to do, so he relished his first time. It was the most fantastic thing he'd ever felt. He moaned lower when Botany began to make compact circles over his prostate. There was also a tinge of pain involved. The pain of having his rectum stretched out. To Squall, it felt pretty good, and it was the sort of pain that he liked. The hand that wasn't inside him moved up Squall's chest, and began playing with his nipples. Squall threw his head back, gasping, when the fingers were pulled out, making Squall feel very empty, his gaping hole exposed to cold air for a moment. There was another pause, and then hardness pressing against his primed entry.

"Ready?" The voice in his ear was a wanting pant, that suggested penetration, even if Squall wasn't ready. Squall wasn't given time to answer when he felt Botany's cock begin to push into him. Just the head at first, then more and more of the shaft, very slowly, almost teasingly. Squall felt a hot wave pass over him, and a fire push up his spinal cord. He couldn't describe how it felt to be anally penetrated. He'd never felt anything like it. When the cock moved over his prostate, Squall couldn't help but moan. Who cared if the other guys heard him? Squall didn't. He also heard Botany moan, and they both let out breath when Squall felt the other man's testicles cradling his ass. Squall's legs felt like they were shaking, and it didn't help when Botany began to thrust into him. The other man positioned himself so he was fucking Squall in a way that was hitting his prostate directly. Squall moaned softly, panting outward every time the head of Botany's cock hit that sweet spot.

Squall's eyes, which had been lazily closed the entire time, opened when he felt a hand that didn't belong to Botany move on his stomach. Both of Botany's hands were on his hips, and Squall was being fucked in earnest. The hand belonged to another man, who was smirking at Squall. The hand then moved down his belly, and cupped Squall's hard shaft, which was sort of dewed from precum. The other man, who had dark hair and eyes, waited, his hand encircling Squall's dick, waiting to see what Squall would do. Squall gave him an inviting gaze, and the dark haired man fell to his knees in front of Squall. So, now he was being fucked, and sucked off by total strangers. Squall couldn't help but smile into his forearms. He briefly wondered what Seifer and Zell were doing. If only they could see him now....

Rinoa crossed her arms around, her shopping bag hitting her elbow. She had decided to walk around Deling City after going clothes shopping. She'd bought a nice peach chiffon dress that she planned to wear on her date the next day. She smiled to herself. She was going on a date with a guy she'd met in line at the newspaper stand. Rinoa liked to buy issues of the Timber Post, as well as Pet Pals, and there was a man, also buying Pet Pals. He and Rinoa had started talking about their dogs. She'd told him about Angelo, and he told her about his Doberman Pinscher, Jenova. It turned out his name was Clark, and he happened to have two tickets to the Opera. Rinoa hadn't been to the Opera in a long time. When she was a child, she'd gone a few times with her Mother and Father. After Julia had died, she'd gone once or twice with her Dad, but then they'd started arguing, and she'd moved to Timber. There wasn't an Opera in Timber. Rinoa decided that she would wear some of her Mother's old jewellery, like the antique pearl necklace and matching drop earrings. All of those things had been left to Rinoa after Julia's death, and were in a safe behind the painting of her mother in the hallway.

Rinoa frowned as she walked into her neighbourhood. She thought of the dream she'd had, about the bleeding painting and the two awful apparitions at her door. When she'd first woken up from the dream, she hadn't known who was at the door, but she did now. Ultimecia and Adel. The raven haired woman didn't understand why she would dream of them so long after their defeats. And, why would she dream about them coming to her door? Rinoa felt like she was losing her mind.

After the dream, she'd also noticed something... off within herself. She couldn't quite understand it. It was sort of like after she'd woken up from the coma that Ultimecia had put her under, and yet, more distant. Rinoa felt very scared, but then would laugh at herself. What was there to be scared about? She clutched the bag with her nice new dress tighter to herself. She saw the burning amber and bubbling crimson eyes that she'd seen in her dream. She also saw the burning amber eyes of the woman she'd seen in Timber. The woman with the hood, so tall, so.... familiar. What was going on? Rinoa figured she should maybe try and get in contact with Squall. She then frowned. No, she wouldn't call her former boyfriend. She knew she would eventually be friends with him again, but for now, she wanted to live her life totally away from Squall Leonhart. But, she couldn't ignore that feeling within herself. Maybe she should try to contact Doctor Odine.

Rinoa then laughed. Maybe it was all in her mind, and if she went to the well-renowned, yet odd doctor, and it was nothing more than her imagination, she would feel totally stupid. She already felt totally stupid, and she hadn't even told anyone. She laughed again, but it died on her lips when she looked up the sidewalk. She could see the familiar gates to her father's mansion, but she could also see unnatural shadows by the big poplar trees that hid the house from the street. Normally, the trees cast strange shadows anyway that had scared Rinoa as a small girl. But, they were too large, and the tree didn't normally sprout wings. She froze on the spot, just gaping. She could see four glittering gems, shiny against the night, unmoving, trained on her. The gems were eyes. Topaz and Garnet, Amber and Ruby. Ultimecia and Adel. The ochre eyes looked like hourglasses, and Rinoa felt like the sand in them, that her life was running out. Adel's eyes, up much higher because of her alien height, were like pools of blood, bubbling with hatred.

"Welcome Home....." The voices cooed, echoed and layered, with something deep behind them, that sounded like a vibrato echo. Like there were more than two voices speaking.

Rinoa gasped when someone banged into her from behind. "Watch where you're going, bitch!" They snarled, and continued on their way.

Rinoa's frightened, coffee coloured eyes averted to the other person on the sidewalk for a brief second. Then, when she looked back at the poplar, the gems were gone, leaving only the blank air in front of the old trunk. All in Rinoa's mind. Her breathing sounded so loud to her, like she was screaming into the night.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Rinoa asked to herself, still glued to her spot on the now deserted sidewalk.

While Squall was getting royally fucked in the back room of a gay bar, Zell and Seifer were laying on the bed of their Hotel room, doing a little fucking of their own. Seifer was laying on his back, his legs draped over Zell's shoulders as his boyfriend pushed slowly in and out of his body. He pressed the side of his face into the pillow, burying a throaty moan as Zell rammed into him, hitting Seifer's prostate with his thrust. Seifer's entire body was singing, and he knew that it wasn't only from Zell's touch. He could feel his own powers moving over both of them, and he knew that Zell felt it, too. It was harder for Seifer to control his new powers when he was in a very emotional state, and there wasn't anything more emotional than getting fucked by one's lover.

Zell ran his hands down the back of Seifer's thighs, pushing roughly into Seifer's body, smiling gently at the moan that Seifer let out. He knew he wasn't really hurting Seifer, and that the tall blonde actually liked it a little rough. Zell himself also liked to exact his dominance, because, if Seifer really wanted to, he could throw Zell down and make the smaller blonde his bitch for the rest of time. Zell's hands moved from Seifer's long legs to his broad, perfectly sculpted chest. The martial artist's fingers curled into Seifer's flesh, leaving scratch marks, as the whisper that had been plaguing him since they left the Tomb Of The Nameless King, reverberated in his ears.

Seifer purred, liking the stinging discomfort. He slammed his hips against Zell's, whimpering as something was hit deep within his lower intestines. He furrowed his brow in real discomfort when the Sorcery that had been running over his skin like a thin piece of fabric began to feel like he was bathing in insects with many legs and painful pinchers and stingers.

Both men gasped, and Seifer's eyes widened as he felt Zell's hand wind around his throat, and the sex became anything but fun. Seifer liked a little bit of pain, but it was to the point where Zell was raping him. He tried to breathe in, but Zell's strong hand was solidly around his neck, bruising his throat. He could hear that strange whisper in his mind, and wondered if Zell could hear it, too. Zell's eyes were closed, and his head was bowed as he fucked Seifer mercilessly.

Seifer closed his eyes, feeling light-headed. For brief moments, he could see the guards videotaping him while they humiliated him. He could see the rotting image of Zell crucifying him and... He shuddered, and Zell's hand tightened around his throat. The black that Seifer could see behind his eyelids was beginning to be pricked with light, white and hot, which turned a pale yellow, and began to burn like small little suns.

Zell couldn't believe that he was choking Seifer, that he was being so cruel with his lover. But, he couldn't control his body, and found that the only thing he could hear was his name, whispered in a horrible voice from millions of miles away, and yet even closer than Seifer was to Zell now. He could still feel the pleasure of the actual sex with Seifer, but it was becoming distant. He began to feel heat, and could also feel bugs moving over his skin. He knew it was Seifer's power, but it felt much darker than that. He opened his eyes, and found that everything in the room was tinted red, like Zell was looking at the world through a veil of blood. Seifer was still gasping beneath him, and Zell could feel blood running down his thighs from Seifer's body.

Oh, God...I'm hurting him.... Zell began to think of the video of Seifer being raped by those Galbadian Soldiers, began to think of the dead image of himself, tearing into Seifer as the scarred blonde screamed for mercy.

You kan't hurt a God... Or, Goddess, as it were.... There was an awful laugher in his head, and Zell opened his eyes wider, seeing Seifer's head lolling back and forth. For a brief moment, he could see clearly, the seeming blood in his eyes vanishing. He was looking down at Seifer's face, turning from side to side under his choking hand. The blonde hair was momentarily white, that pale silver that may as well have been snow. He could see those black marks snaking over pale cheeks. He could see Seifer's face as Ultimecia.

A shudder of desire went through Zell's body. Something in him curled in disgust, the something that was really him, but it was becoming farther and farther away, until the angry lust was all he could feel. He was seeing Seifer Almasy as he should have been. Zell jammed into that body beneath him again and again. Faintly, he could hear Seifer's wails of protest, but slowly, surely, they turned into howls of agreement, of pleasure. He could feel something entering his body, pushing Zell himself out of the way. And, he knew that it was Adel. He knew it was his mother. Had Adel been waiting this entire time? Had she been waiting for an opening?

Seifer thrust back into Zell, the feeling of crimson falling between his legs like Heaven to him. Seifer himself was sobbing deep within his body. It was just like when he'd been under Ultimecia's control. And, now, he felt that way again. His self was being oppressed within something that Ultimecia had created. He could also feel something far more familiar than Ultimecia could have been. Xerampelinae. She was in there somewhere, helping Ultimecia exact her goal. Had Seifer played straight into his former Mistress's hands? This time felt different than the last time. It was far more violent, far more encompassing. It also had a dark pleasure to it that Seifer knew had nothing to do with himself, or with Zell for that matter. It had everything to do with the lustful desire that Ultimecia felt for Adel, that desire for power and chaos.

Seifer opened his eyes, and looked into Zell's eyes, crimson pools of blood staring down at him with lust, and anger. Not anger directed at him, but anger directed at just about everything else. That residual anger that shaped him. He could see the fiery strands surrounding Zell's face, could see the black marks, that were like his tattoo, flowing onto his face, could see the sharpened fangs in Zell's mouth, which was open while he was panting in lust. He could see time fading away as he looked at his lover.

Zell moaned, firing his ejaculate into Seifer's body, collapsing onto Seifer's chest, which was covered in sweat. His fingers relaxed around Seifer's throat when he felt the other man come against him. Slowly, they moved their heads so they were looking at each other. To anybody else, it would have been as if nothing had happened. Their faces weren't the visages of Ultimecia and Adel, but the familiar faces of Seifer Almasy and Zell Dincht. Or, Zell Viator, as it were.

"Welcome Home...." Seifer whispered, his eyes staring into crimson pools of boiling anger and desire for vengeance. He could see the reflection of time falling in Zell's eyes, falling amber sand.

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