Hi again. I assure you that you all have my deepest apologies. I'm really bad at updating incase you all haven't noticed and I'm trying to do better. Attaches electric nodes Now whenever I don't update for a while they will repeatedly shock me and remind me…
I hope this new chapter will breath life into my readers (especially the dead one) and maybe hook a few new ones.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8. If I did I wouldn't be writing fan fiction I would be assembling a team of awesome programmers and making the best sequel man has ever laid eyes upon.
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Vigil Felcast. The name hit him like a ton of bricks. All this time Seifer had harbored all types of conflicting feeling for Zell and he should have been throwing himself at Zell's feet begging for forgiveness.
Keeping himself composed he stood up and walked to the door. Pausing he turned around with his trademark smirk. He hadn't been acting like himself lately. "Thanks for the bedtime story but I've got to go." He then walked out of the room leaving a very stunned Irvine and Selphie behind.
Seifer walked briskly down the hall. He had somewhere to be and he'd be damned if the people here were gonna stop him.
Zell was jarred awake by a pounding on his door. Running to the door he tore it open to find a very concerned Selphie and a guilty looking Irvine.
"Is Seifer here?"
Zell looked at the brunette girl and shook his head. "No why?"
"We think he might of left Garden."
Zell's eyes widened in shock, "What? Why would he do something like that?"
This time Irvine spoke up his eye's unable to meet with Zell's. "We told him about Vigil."
Zell quickly switched from shock to anger and he grabbed the cowboy by the lapels of his jacket. "Why the fuck did you do that?"
"Well he seemed generally interested in you and completely miserable. We thought that telling him that would allow him to understand you better and that you were lonely too." Irvine took Zell's hands off his duster and stepped back.
Zell, suppressing the urge to punch something, turned to Selphie. "Get Rinoa down here quick and don't breath a word about what's happening till you get back here. We can't have Squall hearing about this yet or Seifer will be in a lot more trouble then we need."
Selphie nodded and rushed off while Zell dragged Irvine in his room the fire back in his eyes. "What exactly did you tell him?"
"About the library girl, how you met him, and how he wasn't here when you got back." The nervous cowboy rubbed the back of his head and mumbled something.
Zell leaned in closer and hissed, "What?"
"And that Seifer killed him."
"Damn." Zell fell back and went to the other side of the room. He needed to do something so he fell back into old habits and began shadowboxing. Movement calmed his nerves and allowed him to think more clearly.
'Where could he have gone? That "traveling" excuse was bullshit but that still doesn't help me.'
The memory of all the scars that riddled Seifer's body hit him and he had an idea. "How long ago did he leave?"Irvine thought for a moment, "Well about an hour. That's how long we've been searching for him. Why?"
"Because as soon as Selphie gets here we're gonna go visit someone."
"Who?"
"Vigil's parents."
Seifer trudged on wearily. He'd been gone for a little over an hour and already he was ready to collapse. He was sicker then he thought. The little voice whispering in his ear didn't exactly help either.
She'd started right outside of Garden and hadn't stopped since. Damn persistent bitch. "You know he can never feel the same for you. His existence only hurts you. Do you want to live with him in the back of your mind for the rest of your life. Just kill him."
Seifer growled as another image of Zell's blood soaked corpse flashed across his vision. He needed to concentrate to make it to his destination.
"I gave you power for you to use it." With that a euphoric wave passed through him and his body tingled. "If you'd only do as I say then there'd be no problems and you'd be free to do as you wish."
Seifer shook his head vigorously and kept walking. He'd lasted quite a few months and he wasn't about to give in to the twisted woman's ideas anytime soon.
Seifer continued on and an hour later he finally spotted his target. A small hut on the top of a hill not too far away from the Garden. Smiling he reached in his pocket and produced his list. Crossing a name off it he stuffed the paper back in his pocket and steeled himself for what was to come.
He arrogantly swaggered up to the house his face a neutral mask. 'Only five more after this one.' Was the constant mantra in his head, driving him forward.
Seifer no sooner knocked on the door then it opened to the kindly face of an older woman. "Can I help you young man?"
Seifer stood up tall, "Would you be Mrs. Felcast?" The woman nodded and Seifer launched into his well rehearsed and repeatedly used speech. "Hello. My name would be Seifer Almasy, otherwise known as the Sorceress Knight, I am responsible for a very drastic lose in your family and…"
The woman held up her hand to silence him. "So your Seifer? I've heard quite a lot about you and your quest for repentance from an old friend of mine. Arthur Sczent." Seifer visibly flinched at the name attached to some painful memories and the woman nodded. "He's in jail now."
"Excuse me?" Seifer was confused. Why would him being in jail be of any relevance to what was going on.
"After he sent us a letter with most of the details of what he did to you, we decided to visit Fisherman's Horizon and talk to the mayor. Together we decided that they needed to pay for their actions and they were arrested and sent to a prison on the mainland."
"But why? I deserved what they dished out for killing their son." Seifer was thoroughly confused now. All the other families had been cold with him and barely talked to him, opting instead to go quickly to the beatings.
"No one deserves to be raped by 6 men and thrown in a ditch to die." Seifer flinched as she grabbed his hand and dragged him in the door. "Take a seat and I'll get my husband and some tea.
Seifer took a seat and glanced around the room nervously. He was still on edge and wouldn't put it past the woman to poison the tea in order to watch him die slowly.
She returned a few moments later with a tray of crackers and sat in the chair across from him. "I bet your wondering why I'm being so kind to you." Seifer nodded and the woman sat forward in her chair. "It's because of Vigil. He would have never wanted us to get revenge especially after what's already been done to you."
Seifer nodded and shifted in his seat. It was getting unbearably hot in the small house.
The kettle started to whistle and Mrs. Felcast jumped up to tend to it. Seifer really needed to find a way out of this. He was eyeing the door and getting ready to bolt when suddenly a man came from the kitchen holding something Seifer hadn't seen in quite some time.
"Hyperion." The name brought forth all sorts of conflicting emotions. It was a weapon he used to kill people and it was his only protection in a dangerous world. After it'd been taken from him he'd had no real means of protecting himself and a part of him had been ripped out.
Standing he walked over to the man and gently took the weapon from him. It was heavy but the old familiar feeling of the weapon in his hand overwhelmed him. Mr. Felcast smiled warmly at him, "A warriors weapon is like an extension of his body. Never meant to be removed."
"Very philosophical but I was never a warrior, just a slaughterer."
"You were a soldier, fighting for your cause, believing in your leader and for your beliefs."
Seifer laughed bitterly, "I was just a dog following my masters orders."
The other man shook his head sadly, "You did believe in what you were fighting for or else you wouldn't have fought so hard. A person who fights for their beliefs and tries to attain their dreams is far stronger then a loyal lap dog."
"I suppose I did fight for my 'Romantic Dream' but it really wasn't worth what I put everyone through." Seifer sat heavily on couch and his eyes glazed slightly. Memories flashed in front of his eyes of the battles and the feelings of killing people he didn't know and trying to kill people he did surfaced.
"From the man I see before me I'd say you went through a lot as well. Everyone makes sacrifices and everyone gets hurt in war. Some just worse than others. Family's lose sons and fathers and mothers and daughters. Some people lose themselves."
Seifer nodded, noting the obvious reference to himself. He entered that war as himself, a slightly insecure guy making his transition into true adulthood, and came out completely fucked up.
"Once you've lost yourself you can't really find yourself again. It's like a blind man trying to distinguish colors, virtually impossible."
"You can't find yourself but someone else can. Think on that a while." The man then left the room and left Seifer to his thoughts.
Seifer lay down on the couch and touched the cool metal of Hyperion against his face. There was someone who could help him? Seifer mentally snorted. That was highly unlikely. Suddenly Seifer stood from the couch and made his way to the door. If he left fast enough he could act like none of this ever happened and finish what he was supposed to. It they wanted to miss out on their only chance at revenge then that was their lose. Though he didn't feel this was an adequate part of his repentance but he'd have to deal with what was he could get and worry about the rest later.
Flinging open the door he met with the surprised faces of Zell and his companions.
"Hi." Zell frowned at the flustered man before him and pushed him back into the house. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Seifer quickly masked his surprise with indifference and nodded out the door. "Far away Chicken."
Zell's eyes widened slightly at the hostility and grabbed Seifer by the arm. "Your getting in the car and going back to Garden with us."
"I'm not going anywhere with you so get the fuck out of my way." Seifer growled and wrenched his arm from Zell's grasp.
"Hello Zell." Mrs. Felcast had rounded the corner a tray of tea in her hands and smiled at them all. "You haven't visited us here in quite some time. Are you here to pick up your friend?"
Zell smiled at the her and nodded. "Yeah we decided that he shouldn't have to walk all the way back to Garden so we decided we'd pick him up."
Mrs. Felcast nodded and turned her kindly smile on Seifer. "It was nice to meet you and if you'd ever like to talk again just come for a visit."
Seifer nodded and waved goodbye with the rest of them before climbing in the car. Something about that woman made him so confused that he didn't even remember to contest being picked up.
The drive back was silent. Seifer seemed to be getting that a lot lately. That was good however because he had a lot to think about. They were so nice and they seemed genuinely happy to see him even though he'd killed their son. They'd also said some things that had started him thinking. Glancing down at Hyperion he sighed, he had his weapon back but he still felt so defenseless.
Zell watched him the entire time. He had no clue what had happened there but if they were about to set down for tea and they had given him his lost weapon then there really couldn't have been anything bad.
When they reached the Garden they all filed out of the car and stopped for a moment. Someone needed to say something but no one really knew what. Before the silence became too unbearable there was a sudden ticking noise. Zell spun around glanced at the back of the car and cursed. Right afterwards the car blew up sending them all flying around the garage.
Seifer hit the wall and was up in a fighting position in a matter of moments. His self preservation had kicked in and whoever had just tried to kill him was dead. The smoke swirled around the devastated heap that was a Garden issued car and out stepped someone Seifer had never seen before.
His toothy grin and wild red hair only seemed to be qualities that pissed him off even more. The culprit had a gun in his hand and stepped over the unconscious, and hopefully not dead, body of Selphie and walked to within five feet of him. Which was pretty brazen considering the deadly weapon Seifer had in his hand.
"So you're the great Seifer Almasy?" The redhead smirked at him and waved the gun carelessly in his face.
A groan sounded from behind Seifer and Zell stumbled out from behind a car clutching his head. He looked up and his eyes widened in shock and recognition. "Ralhn what the hell are you doing."
Ralhn's smirk widened and he shook his head. "I thought that would be obvious. I'm pointing a gun at the Sorceress Knight and just blew up that car. I'm obviously trying to kill someone."
Zell's look now changed to one of confusion. "Why?"
"Because I'm getting paid a considerably large amount of money."
"But I thought you were mentally insane and locked in the hospital ward."
"It's called acting dear Zelly and sleep spells." He then turned the gun towards Zell and leaned in slightly. "I really did have every intention of using what was in that suit case though."
Zell shuddered at the thought. "You sick and twisted bastard! Why are you trying to kill Seifer?"
Ralhn sighed and shook his head. "I'm not trying to kill Seifer." At their confused looks he sighed again. "You want me to do the whole reveal my evil plan to you villain thing don't you?"
They nodded.
"Fine."
"I am trying to kill Zell because the Sorceress put a spell on me that didn't disappear after she died. I was to kill Zell no matter what but when I got here during the war he was already gone so I had to wait for him. When he came back and the war was done I hadn't really known it was over. As soon as I got close to him the spell triggered and I'm not able to go beyond a mile from him. Do you have any idea what that does to your social life. Anyway I'd follow him around a lot in the shadows when he was going too far and such. You following so far?"
They both nodded and Zell took a sidelong glance at the door to the Garage. He needed to buy some time so that Squall and them could get through and kill the deranged psychopath.
"So why did the Sorceress want you to kill me?"
"Well I really shouldn't have to explain this one but I think I'll spare sir Knight this explanation. He fucking loves you and she wanted you dead because of that."
Zell looked up at Seifer who's mask had slipped for a moment and revealed the pain he'd been bottling up. "You've had feelings for me all that time. Even when you used to pick on me?"
Seifer just nodded not trusting himself to speak. His heart beat frantically and his palms were sweaty. He had to kill the son of a bitch but he hadn't found an opening. As soon as he would attack that gun would go off and Zell would be dead. He also needed to shut him up. He didn't need a minion of the Sorceress fucking up his life more then it already was.
Zell was now eyeing the gun leveled at him. He couldn't move fast enough at this distance to get close in or to get out of the way. So it all came down to waiting.
Ralhn smirked. "You think I've lost don't you. That as soon as one of you dies the other will get me right." He shook his finger back and forth. "No no no. I've got a new little order you see. Galbadia was going to pay me to kill one of the war heroes but they also gave me another assignment should I find the Sorceress Knight. And that was to cast a spell on him."
Raising his other hand and leveling it at Seifer the smirked widened. "It's a spell to make him a puppet of whoever cast it upon them. Very advanced and it would have never been possible without the Sorceress. Some of her magic research was salvaged and this little baby was one of them. Of course there is some kind of initiative magic coding that needs to be placed on the spells target but guess what. Our little Knight here was the first to get one. If he didn't behave he was to be her first puppet."
"So what do you think your first act as my new puppet should be? Blow up Garden? Kill a VIP? Or better yet kill the man you love." A crazed smile had replaced the superior smirk on his face and he mumbled something creating a white aura in front of him. The white aura flew into Seifer and he collapsed to the floor in a heap.
"Now Seifer. Rise and kill Zell."
The body on the floor didn't even so much as twitch and Ralhn frowned slightly. "I said. Rise and kill Zell."
Ralhn looked confused for a moment before a look of surprise graced his features. A whip snaked it's way around his neck and pulled him off his feet, a gunblade sliced through the air and disarmed him, and a shotgun was pointed at his head.
Irvine scowled down at him menacingly. "Move. Give me a reason to blow your head off."
"We need to get these guys to the med center." Zell lifted one of Seifer's arms over his neck and Nida grabbed the other arm. The rest of the injured were collected and rushed to the hospital while Irvine stood guard over the assassin.
Entering the hospital various interns were taking care of the injured slinging cures around like there was no tomorrow. Zell lay Seifer on the table and watched as the intern cast a cure on the unconscious blond and nothing happened. The intern tried again and again there was nothing.
She rushed off to get the doctor and moments later returned with an overworked and very upset doctor. "What seems to be the problem."
"Well he was hit with a spell that was supposed to control his mind and he just collapsed." Dr. Kodowaki's mouth thinned and she raised her hand and an instrument over Seifer's body.
"Damn." Doctors uttering curses was usually something to be concerned about but Zell was keeping his hopes up. The Doctor continued to examine him for about five minutes and by then they had gotten a bit of a crowd.
Looking up the doctor shook her head. "I'm afraid that Seifer is magically trapped in his own mind and he is the only one who can get himself out."
Zell's face fell. Seifer was stuck in his own mind and couldn't get out. The old Seifer would have already been out of the spell but the new Seifer was a bit more weak willed.
An intern in the back of the crowd timidly spoke up over the murmurings of the crowd. "Dr. K what about the mind link?"
The doctor looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "That would probably work but we'd need someone who he trusts and would want help from."
Zell gulped and stepped forward. "I'll do it."
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Well there ya go. I was going to make it a nice big cliffy but added the end to be nice. Also cus I haven't updated in forever.
Anyway R&R as always and thanks for all the support.