Disclaimer: I don't own…either of them.
Seifer hadn't known what to expect after death.
He hadn't really thought about it. He hadn't expected to die actually, or rather; he had expected to die each day but never really thought how. It was the curse of being a mercenary.
He guessed that this was the afterlife. It was remarkably plain. It did look like paradise, but rather boring without any monsters about. He saw a road in the distance, but only walked over to a rather flat area and sat down.
"Hello" a girl smiled at him, "are you waiting?"
Seifer only just realized he felt sore "huh?" he asked, looking at her back over his shoulder.
"You're here" she said, gesturing "not there" she waved at the road "almost everyone goes on."
"Waiting? I'm not-…" he paused "I guess I am" he shrugged "so?"
"Hmm" she frowned lightly before giggling and held out a hand "dilly dally shilly shally" she said "come on, there are a few others over here."
He realized that he had been here before. A road led forward, but it quickly hid amongst the fog, blocking what was along it.
"Come on, sit" she said, gesturing hurriedly "I'm Aerith" she introduced.
"Seifer"
"You use a gunblade?" a black-haired man asked eagerly "cool" he said "right Angeal?"
The older man sighed "yes Zack, it is" he said absent-mindedly, glancing at the road that led away, the one that led on. He shook his head firmly before returning his gaze to the road that led towards them.
The girl giggled, before perching herself on Zack's leg "we're waiting too" she said.
So Seifer found himself waiting. He was there when a blond tanned stranger wandered down the road, but never managed to leave the fog completely. Instead, he frowned before turning around and walking back. He ended up coming back later, walking alongside a dark-haired girl. They passed on by, ignoring the group entirely as they headed towards the other road, running toward an older trio waiting for them, others following them.
Two women passed by the group to walk towards the foggy road, both looked nervous. Then a teenage girl and a young boy came. They sat on the edge of the fog, motionless, before returning abruptly. A group of four and the two women from before appeared briefly, the two women headed off, but the other four didn't. Instead, they made to return, one woman being urged by a male.
She ended up returning, and settled next to Seifer to wait, eyes focused on the ground, her gunblade resting across her legs. The teenage girl and the man who had urged her on ran to her when they saw her after leaving the fog. She smiled before grasping them both, but she insisted on waiting until a teenage boy also arrived.
Seifer saw when Cid died, passing on by him, accompanied by a man that somehow resembled him, one who Aerith had started to approach before smiling sadly as he passed on by.
Then a man in a red cape carrying a book arrived, eyes focused on his book, he ignored them. But Angeal stood and followed him to the other path, nodding to them once.
So it was Seifer, Aerith, Zack, and the silver-haired man named Sephiroth, the one whose clothes were stained with blood, who waited.
The man whose grip tightened on his sword whenever others passed by.
"How much time has passed?" Seifer asked Aerith.
"Oh, um, a long time?" she said sorrowfully. She had hugged a dark-haired young woman, promising to meet later. She turned back from waving after a young couple walk off "time passes differently" she admitted, greeting a man with red eyes and a red lion.
"Huh" Seifer had only seen Cid, Edea and Xu "how long have you been waiting?"
"Sephiroth's been waiting the longest" she admitted "Zack refused to leave; I guess he was stubborn enough to insist."
"Was he waiting for you?"
"Zack refused to leave Sephirtoh alone" she admitted "it's hard to wait unless you…have someone you need to wait for."
Seifer thought of the person he was waiting for. Squall, shorter than him but by no means delicate. Dangerous with his gunblade; and passionate in bed…the one time they'd had. His grip tightened on his gunblade, how could he have been so foolish to not realize earlier? To not waste time?
"I think it's been…twenty years for your world" she said slowly "we'll probably wait longer."
Time passed. Seifer saw Rinoa walk by, older, more tired, a ring not on her finger (he smirked at that). He found the window that allowed him to peek at the living. But he found Squall's life boring (since, paperwork, the least he could do was train or something, though he was inwardly grateful that no one else had been in his bed). His posse walked by, but Seifer waved them on, promising to meet up later. Fuujin had nodded before dragging on Raijin. Zell ended up joining them, fleeing from Seifer's taunts of 'Chickenwuss'.
Seifer found himself staring at a blond.
"That's Spike" Zack said proudly "isn't he cute?" he cooed.
The blond was still living, but his eyes looked dead. He sat on a cliff, leaning against a large sword, another in his lap. He looked tired. Around him was only ruins.
"Mako sure messes you up" Zack muttered under his breath "Spike's waiting too" he told Seifer quietly "he's alone you see, has been for awhile" his expression was sad "but that's alright, he'll be happy here."
Sephiroth was the only one who did not look at the living. Instead he remained seated, polishing his sword, especially one place where he acted as if there was blood only he could see. He flinched whenever a blond passed by.
Soon, Aerith and Zack began to wander off, sometimes walking back from the other road.
Then, abruptly, Irvine was there. He nodded at Seifer, flirted with Aerith, and kissed Quistis's hand before she continued on. When Selphie arrived she squealed before throwing herself at Irvine. They hurried off, matching rings glinting on their fingers.
Then, when it was just Seifer and Sephiroth, he arrived. Squall stared at Seifer, disbelief shining in his eyes, before clinging to him as tightly as Seifer held him.
"Eh Princess, missed me?" Seifer asked; his tone gentle.
"Bastard" Squall muttered into his shoulder "no one else was good enough to spar with."
Seifer laughed, draping an arm on Squall's shoulders "come on" he said "the others are waiting?"
"Whatever" Squall paused "they're here too?"
"Yeah, every one of them" Seifer assured him. They began towards the other road. He caught sight of Aerith and Zack hurrying towards them.
Then, he remembered, and glanced over his shoulder.
Sephiroth was standing, back ramrod straight, military. In front of him was the blond. He looked tired, and he stared at Sephiroth, an empty look on his face. And then, slowly, he reached forward so his hand touched the silver-haired man's, a light shining in his eyes. And then Sephiroth was leaning over him, and Cloud was smiling…
And while he didn't see it, Seifer was pretty sure they kissed.
He redirected his thoughts toward the brunette under his arm. Maybe before they reached the other road they could find some place out of sight.
It had been awhile after all.