Disclaimer - If FF8 were a butterfly, it would always evade my net.

A/N - This was a difficult chapter to revamp... in part because it's one of the longest chapters in the story but mostly because of the battle. Kit and I suck at writing fight scenes. We accept this as a fact, though we'd like to think there's been some improvement here over the original, even if it's only a tiny improvement.

Chapter Six

"I should have killed him when I had the chance," Squall growled out, his hands clenching into fists and a look of pure hatred briefly flashing across his face.

Personally, Seifer thought Squall looked kind of sexy that way. Well... not just 'kind of sexy' but 'incredibly fuck-able.' Swallowing and putting his mind back on topic – psycho, serial rapist/attempted murderer on the loose while they were trying to assassinate a Sorceress – Seifer took a few deep breaths and added the second thing that he knew Squall wouldn't like. "I don't think it's a coincidence that he's here instead of D-District when there's a Sorceress in town."

"You think he might be her Knight?" Squall asked.

The question hung in the air for a long moment and then, reluctantly, Seifer nodded. "There's no proof, but we both thought Caraway was holding something out on us. This could be it."

Stepping forward slightly, Quistis spoke up. "It could also be that McCormick simply managed to find a loophole in his sentence that allowed him out of jail. It's bad timing that it happened now and terrible that it happened at all, but this subject is sidetracking up from our mission."

"D-District is where they send people who are meant to be forgotten. You don't simply get out on a loophole." The way Squall inflected his words, Seifer got the impression that only years of well-practiced self-control was keeping Squall from marching out into the city and simply disposing of McCormick. "It doesn't matter whether or not he's Sorceress Edea's Knight. Our target remains the same. Just... be prepared for the possibility of having to fight him regardless of whether Irvine shoots her or not."

Seifer nodded sharply. The only thing keeping him in check at the moment was the certainty that he'd be meeting up with McCormick that evening on the Sorceress' float. Self-control had little to do with the preternatural calm that settled upon him. He remembered killing McCormick once before – mere hours before torturing Squall in D-District. The memory sat heavily in Seifer's mind and he found that he couldn't take pride in it. McCormick had been unarmed and, even as he'd lay dying, he taunted Seifer by telling him that he was becoming a monster.

At the time, Seifer had scoffed at the thought and then marched off to play the part of the dutiful Knight, tasked with torturing information out of his long-time rival. He could see the irony in it now... the painful truth that McCormick had been right and it was Squall who called him on it time and again.

This time, however, things would be different. McCormick was free and armed; he was already stalking a new victim. If they were lucky, McCormick would be the only one to die that night. The evil inside McCormick would die with him.

If Edea died, however, then her magic would jump hosts – as would Ultimecia. Considering the crowd that would be gathered for the parade, the magic would likely be drawn to multiple hosts. Ultimecia would have her choice of Sorceresses to possess, each of varying degrees of power, and there would be no telling just which one she would choose until she elevated her latest victim into a position of prominence.

If Headmaster Kramer knew anything about Ultimecia at all, then there was no way these orders could have originated with him. Kramer was an idiot, to be sure, but this took stupidity to a whole new level.

Unfortunately, this meant NORG was likely the culprit behind the orders and there was no telling what NORG thought was really going on. The Garden Master was so paranoid and greedy, he probably thought the Kramers were taking over Galbadia together in some over-elaborate scheme to kill NORG and steal his money.

Resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall, since it would mean he'd have to explain everything to Squall (at the very least) and he didn't want to sound like a crazy person, Seifer kept his mouth shut and quietly led his team back out to finish scouting the area.

Around three, they gathered back at the hotel again to find Rinoa had already returned. She had a bracelet on her wrist that Seifer was suspicious of; it looked familiar but he wasn't certain where he'd seen it before. Offering a halfway sincere apology to Squall, Rinoa managed to get back into the group's general good graces despite the way she'd stomped off like a five-year-old earlier.

They all agreed to spend the rest of the day holed up in the hotel in order to stay out of McCormick's sight. If he recognized even one of them, their cover would be blown. The girls wound up back in their room and Irvine and Zell left with them. Left alone in the hotel room with Squall, Seifer felt all the regrets he'd harbored six months earlier come rushing back.

Seifer could clearly recall the way Squall had looked at him as he'd lain bleeding all over the parking lot, staining the asphalt. There had been fear in Squall's eyes: worry and horror, too. Squall Leonhart did not look scared for anyone, yet that night he'd clearly felt afraid for Seifer. That alone had terrified Seifer when he'd awoken in the hospital. The hospital workers could have attempted to drill the concept of his near-death experience into his head and failed utterly had it not been for the memory of Squall's expression. What should have been a moment of triumph over both McCormick and Kramer had been transformed into a nightmare. Seifer's life flipped upside down and he gave into the knee-jerk reaction to be an ass to everyone around him.

It was a reaction that hadn't dulled until some three weeks earlier when he'd been sick... or, rather, got sent back in time from the moment of his actual death.

Strange, really, how things worked out.

"Squall..."

"Hmm?"

Seifer had been gazing out the window, but he turned now to ensure that he had Squall's attention. "That night... when McCormick nearly killed me... I was an ass to you afterwards. I was freaked out, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you." It wasn't really an apology, but Seifer doubted Squall had ever expected to receive even this much from him about it. Seifer actually wanted to apologize properly, but the words felt inadequate and stuck in his throat, refusing to let him verbalize them.

Eyes widening, Squall attempted to give an uncaring shrug. "It's fine."

The silence returned, but with an awkwardness that itched at Seifer. He had no idea what to say – though there were so many questions Seifer wanted to ask.

Why did you follow me into town that night? Why do you keep saving me? Why...

Why can't I get you out of my head?

Seifer kept telling himself all he was feeling was a crush, but it was like he was hoping that if he thought it enough times then he'd finally believe. Were crushes really like this, though? He knew what those were like – more lust than emotional connection and more idealized images than acceptance of reality. Though Seifer's feelings for Squall were most certainly lustful, he was as much attracted to Squall's personality as he was to the brunet's tight ass and beautiful eyes.

"Just... don't ever act that way again, okay?"

"Huh?" Seifer gave Squall a startled look. "I hate to break it to you, Squall, but acting like an ass is my default setting."

"No... I mean..." Squall appeared frustrated and grew silent.

"I'm not telepathic, Squall. I thought we'd established that I can't hear your thoughts unless you speak them."

Squall's eyes grew distinctly annoyed. "You acted like it didn't matter to you whether you lived or died. Don't ever act that way again."

Relaxing, Seifer flashed Squall a grin. "I won't. I promise."

While Squall gave everyone a last minute pep-talk – which was more talk than pep – Seifer pulled Rinoa aside.

"It took me a while to place that bracelet you're wearing but I've seen pictures of magic inhibiting devices before. That's one of Odine's bangles; supposedly there were about... oh, I don't know, 19 that were misplaced after the last war?"

"I just thought it was cute," Rinoa told him nervously, trying to play dumb.

"It cuts off a person's ability to use magic, but only if they're junctioned. It's like a personal anti-magic field. Galbadian armor has been designed to counteract the bangle's effects and it's hit-or-miss when it comes to blue witches. What makes you think it could possibly work on a Sorceress?"

"It might... if she's not that powerful, then it might work," Rinoa insisted.

Seifer shook his head slowly. "It isn't likely. Rinoa... if you take that to the Sorceress before the parade starts, then there won't be anyone to save you if something goes wrong."

"I'm not some damsel in distress! I don't need some big, tough mercenary to swoop in and save me all the time," Rinoa hissed.

Seifer laughed at her indignation. "No, you're not a damsel needing to be rescued. You're a wanted terrorist. You're also not my client; you're Squall's. So if your plan fails, I probably won't even notice."

Rinoa sighed and nodded. "I get what you're trying to tell me. I'm not your mission. I'm not your girlfriend. I'm not anything."

"You're my friend," Seifer corrected gently. Then, with a smirk, he added, "an irritating, kind of idiotic friend, but I try not to judge."

"You're an ass."

"So I'm told."

Sighing sadly, Rinoa gave him a wry look. "You really don't love me like I love you."

"You don't love me, Rinoa. You love the idea of love." Seifer gave her his best 'don't bullshit me' stare.

Wilting a little further, Rinoa nodded. "Maybe."

Moving back over to the group, Seifer caught the tail end of Squall's instructions. "If the assassination attempt fails on all fronts, we're to regroup in the alley behind the hotel. Having two plans in effect increases our chances of taking out the Sorceress, but we have no idea what abilities the Sorceress has in addition to the magic we're capable of. No one has ever prepared us for the eventuality of fighting a Sorceress, but I know I can count on all of you to do your best. We're all Garden trained."

"And that makes us super-special-awesome!" Selphie declared with a grin. Squall nodded, his eyes sparking in amusement and his lips twitching as though to ward off a smile.

"Any last questions?" There was silence and Squall turned to Rinoa. "Are you staying here or at your father's?"

"I'll be here," she promised, clearly lying through her teeth. "If you guys aren't back by eleven... er... twenty-three-hundred, I'll go to the back alley. Otherwise, I'll just watch from the parade from the balcony... or maybe the TV coverage."

Squall rolled his eyes, but didn't call her on the lie. "Let's head out," he told the rest of them. Leading the way out of the hotel room, Squall waited for the door to shut before asking Seifer what he'd told Rinoa.

"Since, as always, Rinoa intends to do whatever the hell she wants to, I told her that, when her plan fails, there won't be a safety net to catch her this time. I just wanted to make sure she knew that her odds of getting rescued are pretty slim but we're not going to stop her from screwing up either."

"I don't like it," Squall grumbled.

Shrugging, Seifer said, "well, it wasn't like I could just tie her to a chair for the evening." Seeing the speculative gleam in Squall's eyes, he protested, "no, we're not going back to tie her to a chair. Just think of all the lewd remarks you'd have to hear from Irvine tonight if you do. There's no way to win this, Squall, but I'm pretty certain that it'd be worse if you had to listen to 'kinky' cowboy jokes all night."

"..." Squall sighed and gave an affirmative nod. He scowled a little more deeply in displeasure as they split up to lead their respective teams out of the hotel.

"Normally, I love getting to say 'I told you so,' but in this case..." Seifer trailed off, gesturing to the window where the quartet could finally see the Sorceress. After having listened to her rambling, confusing speech (admittedly, Seifer understood it a little better this time, but it sounded a points like Ultimecia had forgotten just what time period she was in; the crowd reactions gave away when she killed the president) without being able to see her, it was nice to get a good view of Matron. Seifer cringed a little at the weird... he hesitated to call it a hat, but there wasn't any better word for it. Her super-long fingernails in the gloves... that was pretty out-there too.

Recalling how he hadn't found any of this strange in the last time line was pretty worrying to Seifer. Just what had she done to him in that other life anyway?

"She just murdered the President of Galbadia in front of what is basically everyone in the city and now she's showing off her rapist Knight, much to the joy of the common folk. I hate this country." The indignation he felt at the sight of McCormick kept Seifer focused on the present, letting him push aside his questions about his other life.

Zell snorted softly in what might have been morbid amusement. "This must be why Balamb Garden avoids taking Galbadian missions," he speculated.

"You two should get away from the window," Quistis admonished. "Someone might notice you."

"Everyone's too focused on the Sorceress to do anything other than fawn over her. They're not going to notice two blond guys lurking in the darkened window of the gate's control room," Seifer responded, though Zell backed off. "Chicken-wuss," Seifer muttered, ignoring the irate shadow boxing that met his comment. Turning away from the window with a huff, Seifer frowned darkly at the sound of cheering outside.

He remembered the distinct rush of pleasure he'd felt when he'd been on the float, feeling as though he was as much the person being cheered for as Edea was. He'd felt wanted – needed – in a way that he'd never experienced before. He'd been so naïve, thinking that what he felt was real. The crowd's adulation turned to hatred the moment Ultimecia's true colors shined through.

This time, however, it was McCormick who received the crowd's adoration, stood at the Sorceress' side, and was hailed as a Knight. Despite not wanting to be manipulated again, Seifer felt just a little jealous. Besides, McCormick being a Knight was a complete joke. Knights were supposed to be chivalrous and McCormick was anything but. Though, it wasn't really possible to be a proper Knight and be Ultimecia's Knight, was it? Not that it mattered. McCormick wouldn't last long in his new found position; Seifer would assure that personally.

Shaking his head a little, Seifer leaned against the wall beside the window – just barely out of sight – and listened halfheartedly as his team chattered about random things. Quistis was worried about Rinoa's feelings being bruised. Selphie hoped that Irvine wouldn't psych himself out since he was 'sensitive.' Zell just wanted the parade to finish.

"You okay, Seifer?" Selphie asked, moving to stand in front of him. She couldn't quite manage to stand still, however, and she bounced lightly as she grinned up at him.

"Yeah, why?"

"You look unhappy... brood-y," she declared, adding observantly, "you scowl more when Squall isn't around. He's happier around you too, I think. But then, I guess the two of you have been friends for a long time."

"Not really. We fight more than anything," Seifer told her.

"Huh. I haven't seen it yet."

"You will," Seifer predicted with a morose shrug. "Whatever the reason, Squall's gotten talkative around me. It won't last, though. He'll forget his reasons and go back to being his usual, introverted self."

"What do you mean about him forgetting?" Zell asked, having been following the conversation.

Seifer shrugged, but Quistis spoke up. "You mean the GFs, don't you? They make us forget things."

"More than you'd think," Seifer agreed. Turning to the window again, he changed the subject. "It's almost time. Think Squall and Kinneas are in place yet?"

"Of course they are," Quistis responded archly.

Silence descended on the group as they waited for the float to pass under the gate. It was moments like this when he missed the feel of the scar on his forehead and the matching scar that had run between Squall's eyes. Scarring up Squall on the day of the exams wouldn't have earned him any points with Quistis – and Hyne knew he'd needed to be on her good side that day – but he missed his scar all the same. He'd developed a habit during the war of running his fingers over the scar whenever things got stressful or he over thought his situation. Without the scar there, Seifer wasn't sure he could calm himself properly.

Taking note of the time, Seifer gestured for Quistis to stand by the switch and wait for his signal. The float was passing under the front entrance of the gate and the clock tower was lowering, the carousel clock rising in it's place. Irvine had to take his shot now or risk the closing of the gate alerting the Sorceress to the danger she was in.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Seifer heard what could only be the sound of a gunshot ricocheting off a Protect shield and an inhuman shriek of displeasure. Giving Quistis the go-ahead, the gates dropped into place. Seifer was barely aware of climbing down to the ground floor, but the next thing he knew he was at the door, trying to yank it open. Magic singed his hands, however, as two elementals slithered in through the keyhole and from under the door. The creatures took the form of large snakes: one made of fire and the other of ice.

"Shit!" Zell exclaimed. "What the hell are those things?"

"Elementals," Quistis told him. "They're beings made of pure magic. The Sorceress must have had them on the float to protect her from anyone who might mean her harm."

"How'd they know to come here, though?" Selphie asked as they all readied their weapons while watching the creatures warily.

"They're drawn to magic. The four of us are the second highest concentration of magic in the area, since we're all junctioned," Seifer theorized. "I don't think they intend to let us leave. We're going to have to fight our way out. Selphie," Seifer turned to the copper haired SeeD, "I want you to head back upstairs; there's a ladder outside the window that's meant as a fire-escape. Get the door open from the other side, okay?"

"Aye, sir." Selphie snapped off a salute and then scurried back up the ladder.

"Trepe, what do you remember about how to kill elementals?"

"They're strong against physical attacks since their bodies are merely constructs. They can be annihilated if exposed to enough magic of the opposite type."

Seifer nodded; he'd figured that would be the case, but it never hurt to double check. "Alright, then this is a magic only fight; I'm sure the two of you can figure out what spells to use on which elemental. Trepe, stick to the fire elemental; Dincht, I want you fighting the ice elemental."

The duo saluted and turned to carry out their orders. While they started their magical attacks, Seifer waited for Dincht to move out of the way before unleashing a Fire Cross attack on the snake-like ice-elemental. He smirked in satisfaction as the creature sizzled and began to melt, leaving a visible trail of water on the floor. It wasn't beaten yet, though. It lunged at Seifer, though he deflected the attack with the flat of his blade, stumbling back a step in surprise at just how much force the creature was able to put into it's attack.

The fire-snake had managed to singe Quistis' hair on the ends and she was drowning it in frustration, attacking it with a combination of water and ice magic with more speed behind her attacks than Seifer expected. It rather looked like Quistis might be able to finish off her monster before Seifer and Zell finished with theirs.

With his competitive spirit roused, Seifer doubled his efforts to melt the elemental. Of course, that was when the door was yanked open from the outside, revealing Selphie. She grinned and then froze as the two elementals turned to face her. "Oh crap," she swore right as the two things rammed into her.

Seifer didn't hesitate to charge through the opening and into the cramped space created by the wall and the float. He wasn't even certain he was using his junctioned Guardian Force – Alexander – as he slammed a fire spell into the ice elemental. It wasn't like any fire spell he had stocked, though; the flames ran through the snake-like form as though they were scouring it, melting it from the inside in a matter of seconds.

Selphie had already sprung to her feet, speed casting blizzards on the remaining elemental. It fizzled out more slowly than it's frozen counterpart, but it's death was still fairly quick. Reaching up, Selphie ignored the water that was seeping into her dress and the stench of smoke in the air as she grabbed onto Seifer's arm and allowed herself to be hauled to her feet.

Beaming, Selphie declared, "that was fun."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. What was that spell you did? I've never seen anything like it?"

Shrugging, Seifer didn't answer the question; he wasn't exactly sure what to say, after all. He'd been able to call on fire magic while unjunctioned before, but he'd never been able to cast anything like that. With Alexander junctioned, he should have only been able to use the spells he had in stock, yet somehow... Seifer turned to the control room doorway and shook off his unease.

He could figure out what it meant later. They had a job to do.

"You two coming?" he asked, seeing his fellow blonds still standing just beyond the doorway.

"We can't." Quistis flicked her whip towards the doorway only for it to rebound against a red field of energy that briefly crackled to life in response to her attack. "Zell, go check the upstairs window. I'll see if the sewer access point has been affected. We'll join up with you two when we can."

Zell nodded sharply and hurried away from the doorway.

"The Sorceress seems pretty determined not to deal with us," Seifer observed quietly. "Selphie, you and I are going to have to take her on by ourselves for now. Trepe... by the time you and Dincht are able to join us, if things have gone bad... get out."

"Seifer..."

"That's an order."

Quistis smiled at him sadly and nodded. "You really are a good SeeD," she told him and then spun away.

"Think they'll be okay?" Selphie asked.

"I think they're safer than we are right now," Seifer responded gently.

The gate closest to the palace shuddered under an impact and Seifer turned to see Squall jump out of a convertible that he'd apparently crashed sideways against the bars. Easily slipping into the gateway, Squall sprinted over to them. "Why aren't you up on the float yet?"

Tapping the barrier on the doorway with the tip of Hyperion before sheathing it, Seifer told him, "technical difficulties."

Zell came back down from the second floor. "The window's covered too."

"So's the sewer access," Quistis chimed in, walking back into view. "We'll get this barrier down and join you three shortly."

"Remember what I said," Seifer told her.

Quistis bobbed her head in agreement. "Of course. Now go."

The float was a purple and silver monstrosity made of plastic, paper mache, and LED lights mounted on a remote controlled truck. Fortunately it had good spacing for handholds and the three SeeD were able to scramble quickly up to the top where Edea and McCormick were waiting. It was also rather convenient that whoever had been controlling the float had let it stop once the gates went down. Seifer had no doubt that, had the truck been revving it's engine in some futile attempt to knock down the gates, the three SeeD would have found the short climb to the top more than a little difficult.

Hauling himself atop the float and then scrambling to his feet, Seifer felt his stomach lurch as he came face to face with McCormick. There was a smirk lighting up the bastard's face as he eyed Selphie's short, wet dress. "Aww, Almasy, you shouldn't have," he drawled, waving the gun in his right hand towards Selphie. "Trying to make up for sending me to D-District by bringing me such an exquisite present? I wonder how much it'll take to make her scream for me."

"Son of a bitch," Seifer snarled at the same moment Squall stepped forward, growling the words "sick bastard." They each drew their gunblades, placing themselves between McCormick and Selphie.

"It speaks," McCormick trilled in mock delight. "Now tell me, what gender are you, anyway?" From someone else, Seifer might have found the question funny. From McCormick, however... "You're just enough like a woman that maybe toying with you wouldn't be a waste of time. I could let you watch, if you'd like, Almasy. You strike me as the voyeuristic type, after all; not willing to stand back and pretend nothing's happening when there's a chance you can get off too."

Tightening his grip on Hyperion, Seifer's gaze flicked to Squall to meet the brunet's steel-colored eyes. In the face of a hated enemy, all the blue had drained from Squall's irises, leaving behind a determination to win... and a signal to move now.

Rushing McCormick, Seifer cast Protect on himself so that he wouldn't have to worry about the close range shots that were headed for him. The bullets ricocheted off his shield, but he didn't worry about who they might hit. He doubted there was a person on that float who wasn't protected by magic. His assumption was proven right, at least where McCormick was concerned, when Hyperion glanced off the ex-SeeD's own Protect.

Recoiling slightly, Seifer narrowed his eyes and considered his option for a moment. Protect didn't just reflect attacks; when properly cast, Protect could hurt a careless attacker by rebounding the energy they expended back at them. Magic could penetrate it, but Shell was the counterpart to Protect meant to remedy that defensive hole. When the two spells overlapped, however... they grew weak to combined attacks.

Seifer didn't know if McCormick had cast Shell already, but it was a safe bet that he had. Latching onto one of the Firagas he had stocked within him, Seifer poured the flames into Hyperion and, without hesitation, launched himself at McCormick. A fiery cross burned in the air around him as he slammed into McCormick's shield for a second and then the magic buckled under the onslaught. Though most of the force and magic of Seifer's attack had bled away when the shield came down, enough remained to scorch McCormick's clothes and leave a bloody slice across his chest.

That was enough to put a smirk on Seifer's face while McCormick's expression morphed from cocky to pissed off.

Squall and Selphie were already attacking the Sorceress, but Seifer payed them only enough attention to keep the two fights from intersecting. McCormick's connection to the Sorceress was weak; McCormick had no love for women – Hyne alone knew what the man's true thoughts about his opposite gender were – and Seifer had no doubt that the only respect McCormick held for Ultimecia was for her command of magic. So long as he was distracted by Seifer, McCormick wouldn't think to fight in tandem with the Sorceress.

Divided they would fall, or so Seifer hoped.

Firing a few more shots off of Seifer's Protect shield, and ducking to avoid the ricochets, McCormick feinted and rolled out of the way, exchanging his guns for a collapsible sword and casting a new Protect as he returned to his feet. He fell into a defensive stance, smirking at Seifer as if to say 'mine's longer.'

The expression on Seifer's face drew into an almost feral smile. He much preferred sparring with Squall, but cutting McCormick down to size before gutting the bastard sounded like such fun at that moment.

Unfortunately, that was the moment Ultimecia had enough of the SeeDs attacking her. There was a familiar sound, like ice cracking on a frozen lake. Both Seifer and McCormick turned to face the Sorceress as long icicles floated around her, bobbing in breeze.

She saw Seifer for the first time and smiled. "My true Knight," she crooned. Flinging her hands in a negligent gesture, her icicles lanced towards Squall.

Selphie dove to the right and Squall moved towards the left, dodging two of the sharp shards. He wasn't so lucky with the third; it struck him in the shoulder, lodging itself there. Squall teetered for a few moments, shock clouding his eyes and causing visible bewilderment on his face. Unbalanced, Squall lost his footing and fell off the ledge to the ground below.

Ultimecia was laughing with Edea's voice and Selphie was screaming, but it all sounded so far away to Seifer. Squall needed him now.

Seifer didn't really recall moving forward, parrying McCormick's attempts to block him, or breaking past the ex-SeeD's Protect a second time. The next thing he was completely aware of after watching Squall fall from the float was the way Hyperion felt in his hands as it pierced McCormick's chest, carving through bone and likely a lung as well.

Coughing up blood, McCormick opened his mouth as if to speak, but Seifer pulled Hyperion's trigger. He watched as the other man was blasted off the float and into the far wall. He didn't bother to stay to see McCormick crumple to the ground like a broken doll; there was no surviving that attack and Seifer had more pressing matters to attend to.

Ultimecia was already gone, however.

"What the hell?" Selphie exclaimed. "She... she walked through the back of the float and she's just gone!"

"What do you mean?" Seifer responded, only paying her half the attention she really deserved. He was already headed to where Squall had fallen from the float.

"The back of the float went all wavy, like it wasn't really solid or something, and she just walked through it."

"Then she's gone and our mission failed. Time to regroup and get the hell out of Deling," Seifer declared, moving to descend the float. He only climbed down a few steps before jumping the rest of the way. The impact jarred his legs, but he didn't fall on his ass so he counted it as a win.

Dropping to his knees beside Squall, Seifer inspected the wound. Despite the ice that had been shoved into Squall's right shoulder, Squall was still breathing shallowly. There was a puddle of water and blood beneath the brunet but, as far as Seifer could tell, the ice didn't go all the way through Squall's shoulder. It was a bad wound, but the ice was slowing the blood flow which Seifer hoped was a good thing. He wasn't a field medic, though. He did know, however, that the way Squall was shivering was a very bad sign.

"Selphie. Curaga on three," Seifer told her, grabbing hold of the ice spear. "One... two... three..." he pulled the ice out, Squall's body jerking in a pained response. Selphie's unique multicast ability had kicked in as well, So Squall was hit with three of the high-powered healing spells.

The wound on Squall's shoulder visibly shrank, though the rips in his shirt were clearly permanent. At least the jacket had been missed.

"He'll be fine," Seifer assured Selphie, though the words were as much for his own benefit as they were for Selphie's. "We need to get him out of here before any soldiers show up... or the Sorceress comes back. At least McCormick's dead." Seifer shook his head ruefully. "We had no idea what we were doing here."

Seifer shook Squall, trying to get him to wake, but the brunet just groaned in pain, his eyes not giving any indication of opening anytime soon. Sighing, Seifer scrambled to think of a plan. "Selphie, go join Trepe and Dincht. Take Squall's gunblade with you; I can't handle two gunblades and carry Squall all at the same time. We'll rendezvous in the back alley as agreed, alright?"

She wanted to protest. Seifer could see it in Selphie's eyes; she didn't want to leave them behind, but she knew this was the best plan. It wasn't a good one, but it was all they could do. "Aye, sir," she told him, saluting crisply before grabbing Revolver and darting away.

After casting a Cura on Squall, Seifer carefully picked up the brunet and struggled to his feet. Squall was lighter than Seifer had expected, but he suspected that had a little something to do with the adrenaline running through his system. Edging past McCormick's corpse, Seifer approached the gate, wondering just how the hell he was going to manage getting both himself and Squall through the slender space between the bars. Reluctantly, Seifer slid Squall through first, placing the lithe teen on the ground and then squeezing through himself.

Retrieving Squall, Seifer escaped into the pandemonium beyond the gate. He hadn't really been paying attention before, but it was as though Irvine's gunshot and the fall of the gates had awakened everyone to the fact that Deling had been murdered before their very eyes and to the sound of their cheers. Confused and disturbed by what had occurred, the crowd had turned into a mob. There were soldiers everywhere, trying to restore order, but none took notice of the tall blond man carrying a wounded brunet away from the gate house. They were more concerned with the group trying to set cars on fire down the street and the crazy guy shooting bullets up in the air.

Winding his way through the crowds, Seifer did his best to stick to the shadows. He was headed in the general direction of the hotel, but that had less to do with the rendezvous and more to do with the fact that there were fewer people in that direction. He hoped that the others would be there; getting Squall to safety would go a lot smoother if the brunet woke up with his gunblade back with him.

If Seifer lost both Selphie and the Revolver... he suspected Squall would turn manic and strangle him.

"Seifer!"

Starting slightly at the sound of his name, Seifer turned towards the speaker. "Minion?" he asked worriedly, hoping he'd recognized the voice correctly.

"Yeah, it's me," she responded. Her dark, almost navy hair was chin length, a major change from the waist long hair she'd sported the last time he'd seen her. Yet there was no mistaking the young woman and Seifer felt rather relieved to know she was alright amidst the riots. Cadell smiled at him, glancing at the unconscious brunet in Seifer's arms. "So... can I assume this," she waved her hands about negligently, "has a little something to do with you?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Seifer told her, knowing full well she'd take that as a yes. "I need to get him out of here," he added, glancing down at Squall.

"Need some backup?"

Seifer sighed and nodded unhappily. He didn't want to get Minion involved in this, but he knew her type. There was no convincing her to just go on her merry way until she knew he'd be okay on his own. "Don't make a scene; I don't want us to be memorable. No magic, Cadell," he specified for emphasis.

"Oh, fine." Seifer could hear her disappointment as the magic that buzzed on her fingertips died off. "So, did you see what the Sorceress did to Deling?"

"I didn't have a good vantage point, but I know she killed him." Seifer adjusted his grip on Squall as he let Minion lead the way.

"I can't decide if she should be arrested or awarded a medal," Minion declared, grinning with almost morbid glee. Seifer hoped it was a leftover from whatever spell the Sorceress had used to charm the crowd. "After all, the tyrant's dead. That's a good thing, right?"

"It's only good if his replacement isn't worse," Seifer told her. "This one should be arrested." Ignoring the surprised look Minion gave him, he edged into the alleyway and headed for the hotel. The alley, unlike the street, was empty; it looked like he was going to be the first one to arrive after all. Hopefully that didn't mean Quistis had gotten the others lost in the sewers. It worried him that Irvine and Rinoa weren't there, though. "I need to wait here for the rest of my... friends, Minion. I know you're concerned, but you need to head out."

"Your friend is hurt pretty bad, Seifer," Cadell protested. "Until the others get here, you should have at least a little backup."

"We'll be fine," Seifer protested, looking for a good place to put Squall. The 'lighter than expected' effect was wearing off; the brunet was starting to feel heavy in his arms.

"Don't be so macho," Minion huffed. "You always act like you need to do everything all by yourself, but it wouldn't kill you to accept help every once in a while."

"It could get you hurt if they connect you to me." Seifer set Squall down on a relatively clean looking section of ground behind the hotel. The man-hole entrance to the sewer was a few feet away, so it seemed to be the ideal spot to wait. Taking a moment to inspect Squall's wound, Seifer winced; it still looked bad.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yeah." Seifer didn't know if he was lying or not. Squall had survived this in the other reality, but then he'd been whisked away by the Sorceress' soldiers and healed with magic – more magic than was strictly safe, actually – so that he'd be well enough for interrogating.

Seifer didn't want to overdo the magic on Squall, but he couldn't risk the wound getting infected or worse... pulling out a potion, Seifer poured it on the wound, watching in relief as it immediately grew a little more healthy looking. The potion would take care of any risk of infection for the moment, and if Seifer waited for an hour or so, it'd probably be safe enough to use a few more Cures.

There was a grating noise as the manhole cover started to lift. Hand hovering over his gunblade, ready to draw it any second, Seifer stood and placed himself between Squall and the potential danger. Minion came to stand beside him, her stilettos firmly in hand.

Quistis' head popped out of the dark hole as the cover finished sliding aside; Seifer breathed out a sigh of relief. "Trepe... Dincht and Tilmitt are with you, right?"

"Affirmative," Quistis confirmed, hoisting herself out of the hole. "We got away clean." She eyed Minion warily as she helped Zell and Selphie clamber out after her. They had to hand up Squall's Revolver, but it seemed to be in good condition.

"This is Cadell Minion," Seifer introduced the raven haired girl to the group. "I've known her about two years; she used to be a cadet at Galbadia Garden." Giving Cadell an irritated look, Seifer hoped that she'd run off to safety now that she knew he'd be okay.

Stowing away her weapons, Minion kept her eyes on Quistis. "I don't have many friends, Seifer. You can't blame me for wanting to see you safe." Striding forward, Cadell took Quistis' right hand in her left and brought it up, her face leaning down so that she could drop a kiss on Quistis' knuckles. "Quistis Trepe, I presume?"

A faint blush appeared on Quistis' cheeks. "Y-yes..."

"Even in Galbadia Garden we've heard of the SeeD prodigy, Quistis Trepe," Minion told her, still holding her hand. "The stories speak of your keen intelligence and prowess with a whip , but they never mentioned how devastatingly gorgeous you are."

Selphie giggled softly and then smacked Zell, who was staring at the two women with his mouth hanging open in shock. Seifer rolled his eyes and muttered, "laying it on a bit thick, eh Minion?"

"Shut up, Almasy," Cadell hissed, glancing back at him a moment before returning her attention to Quistis. "The next time you're in Deling City, call me. I'll give you a tour of the city you'll never forget. Seifer can give you my number... and my email address." Reluctantly releasing Quistis' hand, Minion took a few steps backwards, towards the alley's exit. "Now... as far as anyone needs to know, I wasn't here... I saw nothing... I didn't even get up this morning." Winking outrageously, Cadell turned and raced off into the dark.

"She's... uh..." Quistis trailed off uncertainly.

"Was she flirting with you?" Zell asked, sounding just as dazed as Quistis looked.

"She was flirting with Trepe," Seifer confirmed, snickering quietly. "Quite shamelessly too. It's always interesting when Minion shows up. Now, we need to get out of the city," he said, changing the subject. "We'll need to get a car and renting is going to take too long. The nice thing about the riot, however, is that no one will miss a car if we steal one.

"There's a place not far from the city – about a forty-five minute drive – called the Tomb of the Unknown King. It's an archeological dig under Garden jurisdiction, due to the large number of monsters that congregate inside the ruins there; supposedly they're drawn there by GFs hiding in the tomb. If we go there, legally Galbadia can't touch us... assuming even know who they're looking for."

Pausing a moment, Seifer added, "we'll give Kinneas and Rinoa another half-hour to regroup with us, but then we need to get out of here. If they don't show up tonight, we'll send someone back to look for them tomorrow. Anyone want to add anything?" he asked, more to give Quistis a chance to fill in something he may have overlooked than because he thought Selphie or Zell had any ideas to add. Squall, of course, had nothing to say since he was still unconscious.

"I think you covered everything," Quistis told him, sounding relieved. "Are you sure Rinoa isn't just up in the hotel rooms? I could go check..."

"Trust me, she left not long after we did." Seifer shrugged and took a seat beside Squall. There was no way Rinoa would have changed her mind and stayed out of things, so she had to be running around out in the riot somewhere, preferably with Irvine watching out for her. As long as the two of them didn't get caught, they'd all be safe for the night.

At least, that was what Seifer kept trying to tell himself.