A/N: I'd like to take a moment and thank everyone for their nice supportive
reviewing; I really appreciate it! And special thanks to those who have
reviewed every (or almost every) chapter: Faltering Hues, Athena88,
Quistis' twin sister Sunny, Dragoness Eve, METATTEM, and Heavenz Little
Angel! Sorry if I forgot anybody! Anyway, on with the story!
Seifer's frustrated gaze swept every inch of every corridor he passed through. Selphie and Zell followed closely, and didn't dare to disturb him. They just ran alongside, with eyes peeled and ears open.
All of a sudden, they heard a bloodcurdling scream echo through the darkness. The three froze, and didn't dare to breathe. The screech resonated through their ears, and their blood ran cold as they recognized it. Dread burned in their stomachs like ulcers. Selphie whispered what the other two were thinking at the moment. "Rinoa?"
Zell looked at her in shock, and Seifer nodded slightly. 'Hyne, please let her be all right,' Seifer silently prayed. Though he wasn't in love with her anymore, she was still part of the team, and one of his best friends. Reluctantly, he said, "Let's just keep going. She's not alone; Squall and Irvine are sure to be with her. We need to focus on Quistis right now; she's all alone with Kyle!"
Selphie nodded, and Zell straightened. They followed Seifer through the next gateway, but their thoughts now concerned Rinoa.
~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER~
When Rinoa backed away from the ladder to explore her surroundings, her warrior's instinct was to unsheathe her weapon and look for danger. She held her pinwheel tightly and looked around the musty sewer passage. Her sorceress' intuition was alerting her that someone similar to her was near. 'Could it be another sorceress?' she asked herself silently.
Sensing something was wrong with Rinoa, Squall asked, "Have you found anything? Do you sense something?" She frowned and held a finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet for a moment. Tilting her head, she could sense a strange energy. She said, "Someone with a similar body chemical makeup is close in proximity."
With a blank look on his face, Irvine said, "In English, please?"
Rinoa shook her head and replied, "Let me dumb it down a little for you. I can sense that someone similar to me in chemical makeup is very near. Meaning, there is a sorceress, or a sorcerer, close by."
She walked over to a wall and said, "This is where the strongest vibes are coming from. If only I could…" She paused and closed her eyes. Huge angel wings unfolded from her back, as in her Limit Break. The pure, snow-white wings radiated white light, and her feet slightly lifted off the floor. She brought her arms up and chanted a spell. Azure sparkles of magic surged from her fingertips into the wall. The wall began to wave like a mirage, and then it dissolved altogether, revealing a hidden passage. Rinoa's wings folded onto her back, and her feet touched back onto the ground.
Squall and Irvine looked in disbelief at Rinoa for a moment. She flipped her hair and said, "Surprised, eh? Well, don't just stand there! Come on! Someone obviously didn't want this passage to be found, so something must be hidden there. And I've got a feeling that the someone is Kyle, and the something is Quistis."
She cautiously walked into the passage first, weapon poised to strike. Halfway in, she turned around to make sure Squall and Irvine were following. Sure enough, they were vigilantly guarding her from behind. Suddenly, something knocked her weapon out of her hand, and she whipped her head over to the assailant. A cloaked figure roughly put her into a neck lock, and put a knife to her throat. She screamed, and the two disappeared into the shadows of the tunnels. Squall and Irvine called her name in unison, but to no avail.
Squall's hand curled into a fist, and reluctantly said, "We should continue. We have no idea where she is, and she may be in the same spot as Quistis. Let's continue down this passage, and see where it goes."
Irvine nodded and followed Squall down the secret corridor; not knowing what surprises lay ahead.
~MEANWHILE~
Kyle held Quistis to him; she was still under Kyle's delusion. "Seifer, I love you," she professed. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "I love you too, Quistis." They began to kiss deeply and soon reached the point of no return. Suddenly, Kyle had a feeling that someone was near. Not just someone, but a sorceress. 'They've come for Quistis, and they've brought a sorceress! How did they know that I'm a sorcerer? I have to go stop them before they find me!' he thought. He gently broke the embrace.
"I have to leave you, but only for a moment," he said, getting up from the bed. She pouted and said, "Promise you'll be back soon?" He nodded and gave her a kiss, then left the room.
He closed and locked the door behind him, then pulled on a cloak. He teleported through the wall to greet the intruders.
~BACK TO PRESENT~
Rinoa could hardly breathe as her cloaked aggressor brought her to a secret room. He threw her into a locked room and slammed the door behind him. She ran to the door and pounded on it, which set off an electric force field. The force of the electricity caused her to be thrown across the room into a wall, and knocked her unconscious.
The assailant watched the whole episode with glee. 'There's no way she'll get out of there. Without her, they'll never be able to find Quistis, and she'll be all mine!' he thought. An arrogant chuckle erupted from the depths of his throat and escaped his smirking mouth. He deliciously licked his lips, then left with a swish of the cloak. 'Mustn't keep Quistis waiting…'
~*~
Quistis lay on the bed face up, looking at the ceiling. The white swirls on the ceiling mingled perfectly with the elegant pink walls. She looked over at her door, which was closed. It was white with pink flowers painted on the sides. She began to close her eyes, but she suddenly sat upright in her bed. Her golden tresses hung down her trembling shoulders. 'I don't remember flowers on my door! ALL doors in Garden are the electronic, ugly gray ones. Where am I?' She looked around, and saw some subtle differences. 'This definitely is NOT my room. What's happened to me?'
She put her head in her hands and thought of her last full memory. The last hour was a total blur, which scared her. 'Last I clearly remember, I was with Kyle. He was holding me, and he whispered something. Then I was with Seifer all of a sudden…'
Her eyebrows raised as she realized what happened. 'I wasn't with Seifer at all—it was Kyle the whole time! He must have put me under a spell! Which means…' her thoughts trailed off. She whispered the rest of the thought: "…I almost slept with Kyle!" She clasped a hand over her mouth at the thought.
She heard footsteps approaching the door. She froze, not even breathing.
'He doesn't know I'm out of his spell!' she frantically thought.
The doorknob clicked.
Her eyes widened with panic and she looked around the room. There was NO way she could let him find out that she wasn't under his trance anymore. 'What do I do?' she thought. Suddenly, a little light bulb in her head went off. She smiled as the door opened.
The door creaked open slowly, the man behind it oblivious as to what was about to happen…
A/N: Yay! I love writing this story, but have been SO busy! I'm glad to be posting this chapter! I really liked it; but I have a feeling I'll like the next chapter even MORE; that is, when I write it. *^_^* Well, I have one demand: 50 reviews and I'll post the next chapter! Oh, come on, that's only 4 more!
One last thing: Do you think I made Rinoa too brave and/or intellectual? Just wondering…
Seifer's frustrated gaze swept every inch of every corridor he passed through. Selphie and Zell followed closely, and didn't dare to disturb him. They just ran alongside, with eyes peeled and ears open.
All of a sudden, they heard a bloodcurdling scream echo through the darkness. The three froze, and didn't dare to breathe. The screech resonated through their ears, and their blood ran cold as they recognized it. Dread burned in their stomachs like ulcers. Selphie whispered what the other two were thinking at the moment. "Rinoa?"
Zell looked at her in shock, and Seifer nodded slightly. 'Hyne, please let her be all right,' Seifer silently prayed. Though he wasn't in love with her anymore, she was still part of the team, and one of his best friends. Reluctantly, he said, "Let's just keep going. She's not alone; Squall and Irvine are sure to be with her. We need to focus on Quistis right now; she's all alone with Kyle!"
Selphie nodded, and Zell straightened. They followed Seifer through the next gateway, but their thoughts now concerned Rinoa.
~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER~
When Rinoa backed away from the ladder to explore her surroundings, her warrior's instinct was to unsheathe her weapon and look for danger. She held her pinwheel tightly and looked around the musty sewer passage. Her sorceress' intuition was alerting her that someone similar to her was near. 'Could it be another sorceress?' she asked herself silently.
Sensing something was wrong with Rinoa, Squall asked, "Have you found anything? Do you sense something?" She frowned and held a finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet for a moment. Tilting her head, she could sense a strange energy. She said, "Someone with a similar body chemical makeup is close in proximity."
With a blank look on his face, Irvine said, "In English, please?"
Rinoa shook her head and replied, "Let me dumb it down a little for you. I can sense that someone similar to me in chemical makeup is very near. Meaning, there is a sorceress, or a sorcerer, close by."
She walked over to a wall and said, "This is where the strongest vibes are coming from. If only I could…" She paused and closed her eyes. Huge angel wings unfolded from her back, as in her Limit Break. The pure, snow-white wings radiated white light, and her feet slightly lifted off the floor. She brought her arms up and chanted a spell. Azure sparkles of magic surged from her fingertips into the wall. The wall began to wave like a mirage, and then it dissolved altogether, revealing a hidden passage. Rinoa's wings folded onto her back, and her feet touched back onto the ground.
Squall and Irvine looked in disbelief at Rinoa for a moment. She flipped her hair and said, "Surprised, eh? Well, don't just stand there! Come on! Someone obviously didn't want this passage to be found, so something must be hidden there. And I've got a feeling that the someone is Kyle, and the something is Quistis."
She cautiously walked into the passage first, weapon poised to strike. Halfway in, she turned around to make sure Squall and Irvine were following. Sure enough, they were vigilantly guarding her from behind. Suddenly, something knocked her weapon out of her hand, and she whipped her head over to the assailant. A cloaked figure roughly put her into a neck lock, and put a knife to her throat. She screamed, and the two disappeared into the shadows of the tunnels. Squall and Irvine called her name in unison, but to no avail.
Squall's hand curled into a fist, and reluctantly said, "We should continue. We have no idea where she is, and she may be in the same spot as Quistis. Let's continue down this passage, and see where it goes."
Irvine nodded and followed Squall down the secret corridor; not knowing what surprises lay ahead.
~MEANWHILE~
Kyle held Quistis to him; she was still under Kyle's delusion. "Seifer, I love you," she professed. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "I love you too, Quistis." They began to kiss deeply and soon reached the point of no return. Suddenly, Kyle had a feeling that someone was near. Not just someone, but a sorceress. 'They've come for Quistis, and they've brought a sorceress! How did they know that I'm a sorcerer? I have to go stop them before they find me!' he thought. He gently broke the embrace.
"I have to leave you, but only for a moment," he said, getting up from the bed. She pouted and said, "Promise you'll be back soon?" He nodded and gave her a kiss, then left the room.
He closed and locked the door behind him, then pulled on a cloak. He teleported through the wall to greet the intruders.
~BACK TO PRESENT~
Rinoa could hardly breathe as her cloaked aggressor brought her to a secret room. He threw her into a locked room and slammed the door behind him. She ran to the door and pounded on it, which set off an electric force field. The force of the electricity caused her to be thrown across the room into a wall, and knocked her unconscious.
The assailant watched the whole episode with glee. 'There's no way she'll get out of there. Without her, they'll never be able to find Quistis, and she'll be all mine!' he thought. An arrogant chuckle erupted from the depths of his throat and escaped his smirking mouth. He deliciously licked his lips, then left with a swish of the cloak. 'Mustn't keep Quistis waiting…'
~*~
Quistis lay on the bed face up, looking at the ceiling. The white swirls on the ceiling mingled perfectly with the elegant pink walls. She looked over at her door, which was closed. It was white with pink flowers painted on the sides. She began to close her eyes, but she suddenly sat upright in her bed. Her golden tresses hung down her trembling shoulders. 'I don't remember flowers on my door! ALL doors in Garden are the electronic, ugly gray ones. Where am I?' She looked around, and saw some subtle differences. 'This definitely is NOT my room. What's happened to me?'
She put her head in her hands and thought of her last full memory. The last hour was a total blur, which scared her. 'Last I clearly remember, I was with Kyle. He was holding me, and he whispered something. Then I was with Seifer all of a sudden…'
Her eyebrows raised as she realized what happened. 'I wasn't with Seifer at all—it was Kyle the whole time! He must have put me under a spell! Which means…' her thoughts trailed off. She whispered the rest of the thought: "…I almost slept with Kyle!" She clasped a hand over her mouth at the thought.
She heard footsteps approaching the door. She froze, not even breathing.
'He doesn't know I'm out of his spell!' she frantically thought.
The doorknob clicked.
Her eyes widened with panic and she looked around the room. There was NO way she could let him find out that she wasn't under his trance anymore. 'What do I do?' she thought. Suddenly, a little light bulb in her head went off. She smiled as the door opened.
The door creaked open slowly, the man behind it oblivious as to what was about to happen…
A/N: Yay! I love writing this story, but have been SO busy! I'm glad to be posting this chapter! I really liked it; but I have a feeling I'll like the next chapter even MORE; that is, when I write it. *^_^* Well, I have one demand: 50 reviews and I'll post the next chapter! Oh, come on, that's only 4 more!
One last thing: Do you think I made Rinoa too brave and/or intellectual? Just wondering…