The Silk of The Flame
"Souls and Ashes" Trilogy; Part One A/N : This is the first part for a three story plan I have, I plan on uploading a chapter every couple of days, so please review and tell me what you think :) This story follows the group dynamic during the game's events, including several other mission SeeD undertakes .
Warnings : Lemony yaoi-isms in later chapters, foul language, adult themes possibly including rape, drug use and murder. Contains character death later and is set in mild AU. Contains a lot of unpopular pairings (?) like ZellXRinoa , just cuz :P
I couldn't be your friend
My world was too unstable,
You might have seen the end,
But you were never able
To keep me breathing
As the water rises up again ..
Chapter One: Something about those Eyes
"Look at them, goddamn Galbian's everwhere"
Squall had to admit, there were an awful lot of them.
Most of them were in uniform, the dark blue of their tight outfits
almost black in the dimness of the club, periodically flashing a
vibrant colour in the brightness of a strobe light. But some were just
wearing military style clothes with their gunblades threateningly on
show.
Squall didn't like the music, too much bass and not enough vocals. In
total honesty, he didn't even like the club that much.
"Thankyou soo much for coming with me Squall"
Selphie was already gyrating her hips in time to the music as she walked.
The clingy, crimson dress that had been wrestled on to her by Quistis
two hours before rode up as she leaned over the bar to shout in the
barman's ear.
Squall averted his eyes and scanned the club.
Zell, Quistis and Irvine were meant to be here already but he couldn't
see them anywhere in the crowds of dancers and drinkers.
He looked away when Selphie pressed a drink into his hand and grabbed
his other hand to lead him to an empty booth.
Selphie squealed in delight.
"Gonna be so much fun!" She punched the air and squall rolled his eyes at her.
Selphie made a face at him while reaching into her dress for her cigarettes.
"You shouldn't smoke you know, its so bad for you"
She gave him her patented 'you're an idiot' look.
"I have curaga, the only way I'm getting cancer is if smokes dull magic-"
She put the cigarette in her mouth and muttered "fire" at her hand out
of the corner of her mouth.
A small ball of flame appeared and she lit her cigarette on it, then
she closed her hand and the flames died with a puff of smoke.
"-and since they don't. I shall continue to look fucking sexy in this
dress and enjoy a nicotine buzz, k?"
Squall smirked.
Unlikely as it was, Selphie was Squall's best (and to some extent, only) friend.
He found her annoying, yes, and generally too loud to hang around with
it at first, but Selphie, being incredibly stubborn and enthusiastic,
had refused to leave him alone. Even through cold looks, silence, and
one word answers. Eventually a friendship had blossomed between them.
Selphie knew a lot about Squall that no one else knew.
For example, that his ring had a name, that he hated physical contact
because of his ex, and that his ex was a boy.
Yeah, she knew a lot that no-one else knew.
"You know what? Gimme one."
Selphie's eyes widened, and she coughed on her cigarette.
"You quit ages ago"
"You have curaga right?"
She appraised him for a moment before shrugging and handing him a cigarette.
He looked at her dryly as he held the unlit cigarette in his mouth.
"Fire" she said, flicking a small spark of flame towards the end of
the cigarette.
Selphie was the best magic caster on the SeeD team, hands down.
Quistis, was the most intelligent and Squall had the brawn, while Zell
was the, er... cutest.
Squall sighed as the familiar feeling of smoke filling his lungs.
"Where are those guys?" Selphie asked, obviously ruffled.
Squall scanned the room again, looking for a recognisable hairstyle.
He felt a spasm of shock as he connected with another pair of eyes
across the room.
They were hooded under a galbadian hood, but they were definately
looking straight at him. Dark eyes, full of malelovence and... evil?
He felt the warmth hit his body as Ifrit's protective presence
appeared insitinctively.
"Squall. What's wrong?" Selphie had stopped smiling. Her cigarette was
poised languidly at the side of her mouth and her token GF,
Pandemonium, was on her shoulder. About 6 inches high, the cat like GF
tilted its head inquisitively at squall. The bright red jewel on its
forehead was glittering with defensive energy.
"Its okay, nothing. Nothing, really, some guy was staring me out"
Squall looked back to the soldier.
And he was gone.
Squall turned to look around the room in more detail and-
"Hey you guys! Hey, guys!" Selphie was shouting and waving from the booth.
Quistis was jittering over to the booth, struggling to walk in high
heels on the glassy black floor.
"Sorry we're late" she said, sitting down next to selphie.
"Where are the others?"
"Getting drinks" Quistis said, sighing as she slipped off her high
heels and kicked them under the table.
"Damn heels, don't know why I wear them... Jesus, what's with the
firey atmosphere Squall? I'm sweating already!"
Selphie took a big drag on her cigarette and patted Pandemonium as it faded
like the cigarette smoke she exhaled in a cloud.
"He got antsy cuz some guy was staring at him."
It was selphie's turn to roll her eyes.
"A -galbadian soldier-" Squall rephrased. "I could feel the evil coming off him."
Selphie looked at him more sternly.
"He doesn't know you're a SeeD right?"
"Of course he didn't, our cover is flawless" Quistis said, waving her away.
Squall settled down,feeling a littlereassured.
Irvine and Zell appeared holding two drinks each. Zell sat next to
Squall and Irvine grabbed a nearby stool and pulled it to the end of
the table.
"Hey guys" Zell said, taking a huge swig of a beer.
He was already very drunk.
"What time does the target arrive?" Quistis asked, nervously tucking a
loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"In about twenty minutes." Selphie said, checking her tablet phone.
"Are you sure it isn't too risky? This pendant nullifies all Magic
that you throw at the target, if we lose him in the fight or we get
overpowered, ir will fall into Adel's or Ultimexcia's hands, and
we're screwed."
"For all we know Ultimecia is on her way right now, we haven't seen
Rinoa since the Lunar Cry and we have no idea where she could be
hiding, or what she'll do to anyone who gets in her way"
"We need this General of the Galbadian Army, dead." Zell slurred.
"Once he's dead -hiccup- we can focus on finding my Rinoa and giving her the pendant so Ultimecia can't control her -hic-"
Selphie stubbed out her cigarette and lit another.
"Jesus, Selphie." Quistis said, with an eyeroll.
"I'm nervous." She said as she took a sip of her drink.
The next few minutes passd in a quiet buzz of general anticipatory chatter.
The music changed pace and the trancy lights began to slow and dim down.
"Ughh, I hate this music". Squall sighed as he stubbed the cigarette out on the side.
Zell nodded his agreement and Quistis disagreed, saying she liked it.
"Oh, there he is!" Selphie said, pointing across the room.
Squall looked up and glanced at Irvine across the table.
"Let's go."