A/N: Hey! I know it's been awhile since the last chapter—I've been SWAMPED
with work and finals. Hope you enjoy the chapter! And don't forget to
review to tell me how I'm doing! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!
~*~
Seifer, Selphie, and Zell climbed down the slimy ladder to the depths of the Deling Sewers. "Yuck!" Selphie complained. "This is so gross!" She jumped off the ladder and frantically wiped her hands on Zell's jacket. "Hey!" Zell shouted.
Annoyed, Seifer said, "Will you two shut up?! If Kyle hears us, he'll just teleport with Quistis somewhere else! Now let's make sure we're all equipped. You guys have your weapons, right?" In response, Selphie took out her nunchaku and Zell held up his gloved fists. Seifer nodded and said, "Let's move."
They began to run through the sewers, but were soon ambushed by three Red Bats and two Creeps. Seifer slashed through the bats, Zell punched the Creeps, and Selphie unleashed magic on all of them. Before long, they were facing at the corpses of the monsters at their feet. "Come on!" Seifer shouted, while hopping onto a waterwheel. "Wait for me!" Selphie cried, jumping on last.
'Where would I be if I were a kidnapper?' Seifer thought. His bright green orbs inspected every shadow, nook, and cranny large enough for a person. 'Dammit, Quistis! Give me a clue! Anything!'
"Seifer! We may have a problem…" Selphie was crouching on the ground near the waterwheel. Inspecting a puddle of blood on the floor, she dipped her fingers in. "This is blood—and it's still warm. Now, if this is human blood… Quistis either really kicked Kyle's ass, or—"
Seifer interrupted and said, "I don't want to think about it. Any other clues?" Selphie pointed ahead, and there was a trail of blood spots leading around a corner. Seifer unsheathed his gunblade and whispered, "Bring it on, son of a bitch!"
The three followed the trail around the corner, weapons poised to strike.
~*~
Quistis' eyes reflected dread, while Kyle's only reflected desire. "Quistis, you understand, don't you? I need to keep you as my hostage, my victim!" She desperately cried, "But WHY?! Kyle, you could do so much good, yet you choose to live this destructive life! Don't do this!"
He smiled at her, and kissed her forehead. "I knew that was how you'd react. Nobly pleading for your life, and making me feel like it's all for my good. So righteous…" He turned and swished his Katal through the air. "No, it would be a shame to ruin your perfect body with slashes and slits. Hmm, how should I do it?"
She whispered, "Do what?" But she already knew the answer.
Kyle wildly laughed and replied, "To kill you, of course!"
~*~
Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine ran through the streets of Deling City. "Does anybody have any clue where the sewers are?" Irvine asked. Rinoa asked, "Are you SURE that we're supposed to go to the sewers, Squall?"
Squall nodded his head. "I'm positive. But we need to find the entrance! None of us were ever in the sewers, when we were assigned to assassinate Edea. I can only recall one entrance, when Caraway gave us the mission briefing. Come on!" They ran toward the archway in the heart of the city's roadways.
~*~
"W-What the—" Zell stuttered. The three stood in front of the biggest missiles they had ever seen. "Oh. Shit." Seifer shook his head and whispered, "Well, now we know where the missiles are. We better pray that we don't set them off." They did an about face, and tiptoed away from the artillery. "Oh man! I may never see Larissa again! There's so many hot dogs I haven't eaten; so many Combat King issues I haven't read!" Zell moaned. Selphie forcefully smacked Zell in the face. "Pull yourself together man! The sooner you stop worrying, the sooner we can get Quistis and get the hell out of here!" Seifer and Zell stared at her with astonished faces. "All right Selphie!" Seifer commended. "Now let's go!"
"I guess the blood was just planted," said Selphie as she ran. "But I know she's still here somewhere…"
Seifer nodded and said, "Let's hurry up and find her."
~*~
Quistis watched Kyle pace back and forth in front of her. He finally asked, "I need to know one thing: if you weren't with Seifer, would you have kissed me back? Would you have loved me back?"
Without pausing, she replied, "Yes."
'This may be my last chance to escape death. I need to play up to him, as Squall advised. Maybe it'll save my life!' she thought.
He smiled and said, "We'll see." He pulled up another chair in front of her and whispered, "Let's see if you can stay true to Seifer, or come to me." He roughly grabbed her to him and crushed his lips against hers. The kiss was smothering, and mainly a demonstration of dominance on Kyle's part. He wanted to see how pliable she was, as he deepened it, and softened it. Though disgusted, Quistis kissed back. 'Don't back off, Quistis. You can't afford to!'
Soon, he pulled away from her and took a deep breath in. "Hmm. I wonder," he said. "You don't seem the type to just cheat on your boyfriend on impulse. Either you're desperate for your life, or you really like me. I wonder which it is?" His coffee-colored eyes sparkled as he lit a cigarette. He closed his eyes, took a deep drag, and blew out the gray smoke from his mouth. Running his slender fingers through his short black hair, he closed his eyes. Then he said, "I really don't care what the reason is. I just need to keep you as a hostage until my demands are met."
She hung her head. Kyle walked over to her, and began to stroke her face. Quistis asked quietly, "What are your demands?" He shook his head and replied, "That's a secret—for now. The fun's about to get started, you'll see! I've got a little surprise in store for your friends, who happen to be very near. In fact, Seifer, Zell and Selphie are in the sewers as we speak, searching for you. On top of that, Squall, Rinoa and Irvine are en route to the sewer entrance! The fun is just beginning, Quistis, it's only just beginning."
She paused for a moment and asked, "What happens now?" in a fearful tone. Her cerulean eyes mirrored her feelings of dread and horror.
Kyle let out a chuckle from the depths of his throat. "Let's see…" he pondered several options, then said, "I want to see what you've got. Might as well, before I take your life." He sliced the ropes that bound her, and she fell to the floor. He sat next to her on the floor, then tucked a stray lock of her golden hair behind her ear. He whispered words of a spell, and red particles flowed from his fingers to Quistis' heart. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, and she looked around. All she saw was her bedroom back at Garden, and Seifer sitting next to her.
Kyle gently began to kiss her face, and he firmly held her body close to his. She could feel his heartbeat racing through her shirt, and his body heat against her skin. Every moment of the embrace thrilled her, and she craved more. "Seifer," she whispered. All the while, Kyle thought, 'What does it matter that she doesn't love me? As long as she's under my hallucination spell, to her, I am Seifer."
~*~
Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine finally reached the archway in the center of Deling City. Irvine ran full speed at the door in order to break it down. He smashed his body against the door, but failed to open it. He landed with a thud onto the pavement. "Ouch…" he moaned. Rubbing his temples, Squall shook his head and walked calmly to the door. He turned the handle and the door opened. "Get up, jackass!" Squall said. "We don't have any more time to waste!" They entered the room and Rinoa spotted a trapdoor. She swung it open, and a ladder was revealed. "Yes! This must be it!" she exclaimed in relief. Then they proceeded to climb down into the darkness of the Deling Sewers.
~*~
~*~
Seifer, Selphie, and Zell climbed down the slimy ladder to the depths of the Deling Sewers. "Yuck!" Selphie complained. "This is so gross!" She jumped off the ladder and frantically wiped her hands on Zell's jacket. "Hey!" Zell shouted.
Annoyed, Seifer said, "Will you two shut up?! If Kyle hears us, he'll just teleport with Quistis somewhere else! Now let's make sure we're all equipped. You guys have your weapons, right?" In response, Selphie took out her nunchaku and Zell held up his gloved fists. Seifer nodded and said, "Let's move."
They began to run through the sewers, but were soon ambushed by three Red Bats and two Creeps. Seifer slashed through the bats, Zell punched the Creeps, and Selphie unleashed magic on all of them. Before long, they were facing at the corpses of the monsters at their feet. "Come on!" Seifer shouted, while hopping onto a waterwheel. "Wait for me!" Selphie cried, jumping on last.
'Where would I be if I were a kidnapper?' Seifer thought. His bright green orbs inspected every shadow, nook, and cranny large enough for a person. 'Dammit, Quistis! Give me a clue! Anything!'
"Seifer! We may have a problem…" Selphie was crouching on the ground near the waterwheel. Inspecting a puddle of blood on the floor, she dipped her fingers in. "This is blood—and it's still warm. Now, if this is human blood… Quistis either really kicked Kyle's ass, or—"
Seifer interrupted and said, "I don't want to think about it. Any other clues?" Selphie pointed ahead, and there was a trail of blood spots leading around a corner. Seifer unsheathed his gunblade and whispered, "Bring it on, son of a bitch!"
The three followed the trail around the corner, weapons poised to strike.
~*~
Quistis' eyes reflected dread, while Kyle's only reflected desire. "Quistis, you understand, don't you? I need to keep you as my hostage, my victim!" She desperately cried, "But WHY?! Kyle, you could do so much good, yet you choose to live this destructive life! Don't do this!"
He smiled at her, and kissed her forehead. "I knew that was how you'd react. Nobly pleading for your life, and making me feel like it's all for my good. So righteous…" He turned and swished his Katal through the air. "No, it would be a shame to ruin your perfect body with slashes and slits. Hmm, how should I do it?"
She whispered, "Do what?" But she already knew the answer.
Kyle wildly laughed and replied, "To kill you, of course!"
~*~
Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine ran through the streets of Deling City. "Does anybody have any clue where the sewers are?" Irvine asked. Rinoa asked, "Are you SURE that we're supposed to go to the sewers, Squall?"
Squall nodded his head. "I'm positive. But we need to find the entrance! None of us were ever in the sewers, when we were assigned to assassinate Edea. I can only recall one entrance, when Caraway gave us the mission briefing. Come on!" They ran toward the archway in the heart of the city's roadways.
~*~
"W-What the—" Zell stuttered. The three stood in front of the biggest missiles they had ever seen. "Oh. Shit." Seifer shook his head and whispered, "Well, now we know where the missiles are. We better pray that we don't set them off." They did an about face, and tiptoed away from the artillery. "Oh man! I may never see Larissa again! There's so many hot dogs I haven't eaten; so many Combat King issues I haven't read!" Zell moaned. Selphie forcefully smacked Zell in the face. "Pull yourself together man! The sooner you stop worrying, the sooner we can get Quistis and get the hell out of here!" Seifer and Zell stared at her with astonished faces. "All right Selphie!" Seifer commended. "Now let's go!"
"I guess the blood was just planted," said Selphie as she ran. "But I know she's still here somewhere…"
Seifer nodded and said, "Let's hurry up and find her."
~*~
Quistis watched Kyle pace back and forth in front of her. He finally asked, "I need to know one thing: if you weren't with Seifer, would you have kissed me back? Would you have loved me back?"
Without pausing, she replied, "Yes."
'This may be my last chance to escape death. I need to play up to him, as Squall advised. Maybe it'll save my life!' she thought.
He smiled and said, "We'll see." He pulled up another chair in front of her and whispered, "Let's see if you can stay true to Seifer, or come to me." He roughly grabbed her to him and crushed his lips against hers. The kiss was smothering, and mainly a demonstration of dominance on Kyle's part. He wanted to see how pliable she was, as he deepened it, and softened it. Though disgusted, Quistis kissed back. 'Don't back off, Quistis. You can't afford to!'
Soon, he pulled away from her and took a deep breath in. "Hmm. I wonder," he said. "You don't seem the type to just cheat on your boyfriend on impulse. Either you're desperate for your life, or you really like me. I wonder which it is?" His coffee-colored eyes sparkled as he lit a cigarette. He closed his eyes, took a deep drag, and blew out the gray smoke from his mouth. Running his slender fingers through his short black hair, he closed his eyes. Then he said, "I really don't care what the reason is. I just need to keep you as a hostage until my demands are met."
She hung her head. Kyle walked over to her, and began to stroke her face. Quistis asked quietly, "What are your demands?" He shook his head and replied, "That's a secret—for now. The fun's about to get started, you'll see! I've got a little surprise in store for your friends, who happen to be very near. In fact, Seifer, Zell and Selphie are in the sewers as we speak, searching for you. On top of that, Squall, Rinoa and Irvine are en route to the sewer entrance! The fun is just beginning, Quistis, it's only just beginning."
She paused for a moment and asked, "What happens now?" in a fearful tone. Her cerulean eyes mirrored her feelings of dread and horror.
Kyle let out a chuckle from the depths of his throat. "Let's see…" he pondered several options, then said, "I want to see what you've got. Might as well, before I take your life." He sliced the ropes that bound her, and she fell to the floor. He sat next to her on the floor, then tucked a stray lock of her golden hair behind her ear. He whispered words of a spell, and red particles flowed from his fingers to Quistis' heart. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, and she looked around. All she saw was her bedroom back at Garden, and Seifer sitting next to her.
Kyle gently began to kiss her face, and he firmly held her body close to his. She could feel his heartbeat racing through her shirt, and his body heat against her skin. Every moment of the embrace thrilled her, and she craved more. "Seifer," she whispered. All the while, Kyle thought, 'What does it matter that she doesn't love me? As long as she's under my hallucination spell, to her, I am Seifer."
~*~
Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine finally reached the archway in the center of Deling City. Irvine ran full speed at the door in order to break it down. He smashed his body against the door, but failed to open it. He landed with a thud onto the pavement. "Ouch…" he moaned. Rubbing his temples, Squall shook his head and walked calmly to the door. He turned the handle and the door opened. "Get up, jackass!" Squall said. "We don't have any more time to waste!" They entered the room and Rinoa spotted a trapdoor. She swung it open, and a ladder was revealed. "Yes! This must be it!" she exclaimed in relief. Then they proceeded to climb down into the darkness of the Deling Sewers.
~*~