***Misted Reality: Part 1***
In the depths of a tortured soul you are utterly alone. Within the confines of your own mind you can truly taste the horrors of who you are. When left to your dreams nothing can save you if you are trapped beneath yourself.
/Seifer Almasy stalked through the hallways of Balamb Garden, his gleaming Hyperion hanging menacingly at his side. Students were fleeing in all directions to escape his deranged glare and merciless gunblade. Something inside of him had snapped./
/It was as if he had been woken from a dream and thrown into the leading role of a nightmare fairy-tale. One where he didn't play the helpless victim, but the slaughterer of innocence instead./
/Coming to the end of the hallway, another poor lamb was added to the carnage, as Seifer swung his gunblade with brutal force. It was one of the younger classmen. About 12 years old. Just a child......./
/(Hehe.....a child.....like me......a lost, little boy......heh......they'll all die.......) Seifer thought cruelly, a twisted smile spreading wider across his face. He truly was enjoying his actions, breathing in every scream, every face contorted with pain. He'd become some sadistic monster. He enjoyed killing. He enjoyed the fear in someone's eyes before he cut them down amidst their whimpered cries for mercy. He was now what everyone said he would one day become; a nightmare, his nightmare./
/Seifer found himself laughing at the presence of his adversaries up ahead of him. The cowboy. The messenger girl. The chickenwuss. The old friend. The old enemy. The new love..... They were all there, not too far away now, rushing people to safety to save them from his blade. They were coming for him./
/Irvine appeared first to block his path, the self proclaimed ladies man. He aimed his silver shotgun squarely at Seifer chest, his finger trembling on the trigger./
/ "Stop Seifer, don't make us do this. Please...." he sounded so sincere./
/ "Stop.....?" Seifer repeated vaguely. "Why would I want to stop? I'm having too much fun...."/
/Irvine barely blinked in the time it took Seifer to strike. In a moments time, his razor-sharp gunblade had slashed Irvine's beautiful Exeter free of its barrel, leaving the gun useless in his hand. He looked up into Seifer's fierce, psychotic eyes just as cold steel pierced through his stomach in an explosion of pain./
/ "Irvy!!!" sweet, little Selphie cried as she ran up to the grisly scene, just as Seifer was slowly pulling his gunblade free from the dying, young man. "Irvy......."/
/ "Dead and gone, little girl...." Seifer sneered, running a finger along his bloody blade, as he stepped over Irvine's withering form towards her. "Don't you want to join him? I'm sure they could use a little sunshine in Hell......"/
/Selphie's eyes grew wide as Hyperion gashed deep across her chest, sending her sprawling to the floor. She was trembling, with tears of pain and disbelief pouring down her once glowing face, as Seifer walked on past her.
/ ".....we.....trusted you......" she gasped out, but Seifer merely grinned back at her heartlessly, continuing on./
/ "Damn you, Seifer!" Zell screamed, backing fearfully away as Seifer drew near him. He'd been hurriedly rushing people to safety, not realizing that Seifer was nearly upon him until it was too late, and he now found himself cornered against a nearby wall. "We believed you were our friend, you lying son-of-a-bitch!!"/
/Seifer only grinned more deeply, pinning Zell to the wall with his gunblade pressed firmly to the short blonde's throat. Zell's breath quickened, but he glared unwaveringly back at Seifer nonetheless. Seifer gave a short laugh, acting as though he might pull away, but just as Zell grasped onto that small portion of hope offered him, Seifer slashed across his throat sharply. Zell gasped and gurgled, struggling to stop the bleeding with fumbling hands as he fell to the floor. Seifer paused only a moment to savor the boy's suffering, before moving on his way./
/Rinoa stood before him now, no weapon in her hand, only pleading eyes that begged for understanding./
/ "Seifer.....after all we've been through, how can you do this? Killing people who care for you, people you care about, too.........."/
/ "People I care about?" Seifer echoed, barely containing his laughter. "You're so oblivious, Rinoa. I don't care about you. I just wanna see you suffer....."/
/Rinoa stared on in shock as Seifer plunged his gunblade through her chest, ripping it fiercely from her again, as he let her crumble to the ground. Any last words she may have offered him, were lost as he moved on once again, casting her a scornful glance as he went./
/The mighty Squall Leonheart stood alone now, having rushed the last of the helpless bystanders to safety. He stood trembling before Seifer, his gunblade pointing accusingly at the evil, white knight as he approached. Squall's eyes were filled with pain and anguish as he looked passed Seifer to the trail of his slaughters friends./
/ "I never fully trusted you...." Squall began darkly, in a quivering voice. "I kept telling them.....that we had to be careful.....that you might turn on us......but they didn't listen to me.......and now........GOD DAMN YOU! I'll make you pay for this, do you hear me, you fucking monster!?! DIE!!"
/Squall charged blindly ahead at Seifer, the clang of gunblades chiming in the air as their weapons met. They were a blur of blades and fury, true warriors fighting their last battle. Sadly, Squall was in no state to fight, at least not at his best. He was so overcome with grief and hatred that he didn't stand a chance. It took Seifer no time at all to remove Squall of his gunblade, leaving him helpless./
/ "You should thank me. I'm going to send you to your friends now, after all," Seifer grinned, advancing on the defenseless Squall./
/ "Go to Hell, Almasy," Squall replied through clenched teeth, his head held high despite his angered tears, as Seifer's Hyperion drew ever closer. Seifer's smile grew wider, and in a sudden movement, he pierced his gunblade into Squall's chest, pulling his rival close to him, so that their faces nearly brushed up against one another./
/ "Save me a place...." Seifer whispered into Squall's ear, and then threw him from his gunblade to slam against a nearby wall. The lion had been vanquished by the knight, and lay dying in his own pool of crimson./
/Seifer looked around him, admiring his accomplishments. So many dead and dying SeeDs, and all because of him. That thought widened his horrid grin even more, but it lasted only a moment. He suddenly realized that there was someone missing......../
/ "Seifer......" a soft voice whispered from behind him. "Oh, Seifer. Why? They cared for you, I care for you...................I love you........"/
/Seifer closed his eyes as he turned to face the owner of that haunting voice. He opened them slowly once he was facing her, taking in all her ethereal beauty. The golden hair, the sapphire eyes, the tears pouring down her porcelain face........./
/ "Quistis......" he whispered, the cruelty fading from him in that precious moment, as he looked into her eyes like the lost, little boy he was, and she looked back at him, searching for some signs of hope. He'd done so much, hurt so many, but she couldn't give up on him that easily. She truly loved him, and she just couldn't believe that there could be no hope. There was always hope. There had to be.........right?/
/Seifer's psychotic grin returned, his eyes once again becoming something so terribly cruel. Nothing could reach him anymore, not even the woman he loved./
/Seifer raised his gunblade high above his head, as Quistis looked up at him in fear, with lost traces of broken promises and shattered romance pouring from her soul through her tear-filled eyes. Then, in what appeared like slow motion, Seifer began to bring the blade fiercely down....../
"NO!!" Seifer called out, springing up in bed. He was suddenly back in his own room, safe within the walls of Balamb Garden, and free from the shackles of his far too real insanity. Covered in a cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably, Seifer brought a shivering hand up to his head, running his fingers through his damp, rustled hair. Slowly, his breathing began to return to normal, but those images of the dead and dying were carved forever in his mind.
It had been another one of those nightmares. The same he'd had every night since Ultimecia's defeat. Even now, nearly a year later, after having made friends out of his old enemies, they were only getting worse. Why, he couldn't explain, but each night they seemed to become more vivid, and even more frighteningly real.
Holding his face in his quivering hands, Seifer let the tears fall, falling himself into a state of suffering pain left by that monster of his horrid dreams. Himself.......
**********
In the depths of a tortured soul you are utterly alone. Within the confines of your own mind you can truly taste the horrors of who you are. When left to your dreams nothing can save you if you are trapped beneath yourself.
/Seifer Almasy stalked through the hallways of Balamb Garden, his gleaming Hyperion hanging menacingly at his side. Students were fleeing in all directions to escape his deranged glare and merciless gunblade. Something inside of him had snapped./
/It was as if he had been woken from a dream and thrown into the leading role of a nightmare fairy-tale. One where he didn't play the helpless victim, but the slaughterer of innocence instead./
/Coming to the end of the hallway, another poor lamb was added to the carnage, as Seifer swung his gunblade with brutal force. It was one of the younger classmen. About 12 years old. Just a child......./
/(Hehe.....a child.....like me......a lost, little boy......heh......they'll all die.......) Seifer thought cruelly, a twisted smile spreading wider across his face. He truly was enjoying his actions, breathing in every scream, every face contorted with pain. He'd become some sadistic monster. He enjoyed killing. He enjoyed the fear in someone's eyes before he cut them down amidst their whimpered cries for mercy. He was now what everyone said he would one day become; a nightmare, his nightmare./
/Seifer found himself laughing at the presence of his adversaries up ahead of him. The cowboy. The messenger girl. The chickenwuss. The old friend. The old enemy. The new love..... They were all there, not too far away now, rushing people to safety to save them from his blade. They were coming for him./
/Irvine appeared first to block his path, the self proclaimed ladies man. He aimed his silver shotgun squarely at Seifer chest, his finger trembling on the trigger./
/ "Stop Seifer, don't make us do this. Please...." he sounded so sincere./
/ "Stop.....?" Seifer repeated vaguely. "Why would I want to stop? I'm having too much fun...."/
/Irvine barely blinked in the time it took Seifer to strike. In a moments time, his razor-sharp gunblade had slashed Irvine's beautiful Exeter free of its barrel, leaving the gun useless in his hand. He looked up into Seifer's fierce, psychotic eyes just as cold steel pierced through his stomach in an explosion of pain./
/ "Irvy!!!" sweet, little Selphie cried as she ran up to the grisly scene, just as Seifer was slowly pulling his gunblade free from the dying, young man. "Irvy......."/
/ "Dead and gone, little girl...." Seifer sneered, running a finger along his bloody blade, as he stepped over Irvine's withering form towards her. "Don't you want to join him? I'm sure they could use a little sunshine in Hell......"/
/Selphie's eyes grew wide as Hyperion gashed deep across her chest, sending her sprawling to the floor. She was trembling, with tears of pain and disbelief pouring down her once glowing face, as Seifer walked on past her.
/ ".....we.....trusted you......" she gasped out, but Seifer merely grinned back at her heartlessly, continuing on./
/ "Damn you, Seifer!" Zell screamed, backing fearfully away as Seifer drew near him. He'd been hurriedly rushing people to safety, not realizing that Seifer was nearly upon him until it was too late, and he now found himself cornered against a nearby wall. "We believed you were our friend, you lying son-of-a-bitch!!"/
/Seifer only grinned more deeply, pinning Zell to the wall with his gunblade pressed firmly to the short blonde's throat. Zell's breath quickened, but he glared unwaveringly back at Seifer nonetheless. Seifer gave a short laugh, acting as though he might pull away, but just as Zell grasped onto that small portion of hope offered him, Seifer slashed across his throat sharply. Zell gasped and gurgled, struggling to stop the bleeding with fumbling hands as he fell to the floor. Seifer paused only a moment to savor the boy's suffering, before moving on his way./
/Rinoa stood before him now, no weapon in her hand, only pleading eyes that begged for understanding./
/ "Seifer.....after all we've been through, how can you do this? Killing people who care for you, people you care about, too.........."/
/ "People I care about?" Seifer echoed, barely containing his laughter. "You're so oblivious, Rinoa. I don't care about you. I just wanna see you suffer....."/
/Rinoa stared on in shock as Seifer plunged his gunblade through her chest, ripping it fiercely from her again, as he let her crumble to the ground. Any last words she may have offered him, were lost as he moved on once again, casting her a scornful glance as he went./
/The mighty Squall Leonheart stood alone now, having rushed the last of the helpless bystanders to safety. He stood trembling before Seifer, his gunblade pointing accusingly at the evil, white knight as he approached. Squall's eyes were filled with pain and anguish as he looked passed Seifer to the trail of his slaughters friends./
/ "I never fully trusted you...." Squall began darkly, in a quivering voice. "I kept telling them.....that we had to be careful.....that you might turn on us......but they didn't listen to me.......and now........GOD DAMN YOU! I'll make you pay for this, do you hear me, you fucking monster!?! DIE!!"
/Squall charged blindly ahead at Seifer, the clang of gunblades chiming in the air as their weapons met. They were a blur of blades and fury, true warriors fighting their last battle. Sadly, Squall was in no state to fight, at least not at his best. He was so overcome with grief and hatred that he didn't stand a chance. It took Seifer no time at all to remove Squall of his gunblade, leaving him helpless./
/ "You should thank me. I'm going to send you to your friends now, after all," Seifer grinned, advancing on the defenseless Squall./
/ "Go to Hell, Almasy," Squall replied through clenched teeth, his head held high despite his angered tears, as Seifer's Hyperion drew ever closer. Seifer's smile grew wider, and in a sudden movement, he pierced his gunblade into Squall's chest, pulling his rival close to him, so that their faces nearly brushed up against one another./
/ "Save me a place...." Seifer whispered into Squall's ear, and then threw him from his gunblade to slam against a nearby wall. The lion had been vanquished by the knight, and lay dying in his own pool of crimson./
/Seifer looked around him, admiring his accomplishments. So many dead and dying SeeDs, and all because of him. That thought widened his horrid grin even more, but it lasted only a moment. He suddenly realized that there was someone missing......../
/ "Seifer......" a soft voice whispered from behind him. "Oh, Seifer. Why? They cared for you, I care for you...................I love you........"/
/Seifer closed his eyes as he turned to face the owner of that haunting voice. He opened them slowly once he was facing her, taking in all her ethereal beauty. The golden hair, the sapphire eyes, the tears pouring down her porcelain face........./
/ "Quistis......" he whispered, the cruelty fading from him in that precious moment, as he looked into her eyes like the lost, little boy he was, and she looked back at him, searching for some signs of hope. He'd done so much, hurt so many, but she couldn't give up on him that easily. She truly loved him, and she just couldn't believe that there could be no hope. There was always hope. There had to be.........right?/
/Seifer's psychotic grin returned, his eyes once again becoming something so terribly cruel. Nothing could reach him anymore, not even the woman he loved./
/Seifer raised his gunblade high above his head, as Quistis looked up at him in fear, with lost traces of broken promises and shattered romance pouring from her soul through her tear-filled eyes. Then, in what appeared like slow motion, Seifer began to bring the blade fiercely down....../
"NO!!" Seifer called out, springing up in bed. He was suddenly back in his own room, safe within the walls of Balamb Garden, and free from the shackles of his far too real insanity. Covered in a cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably, Seifer brought a shivering hand up to his head, running his fingers through his damp, rustled hair. Slowly, his breathing began to return to normal, but those images of the dead and dying were carved forever in his mind.
It had been another one of those nightmares. The same he'd had every night since Ultimecia's defeat. Even now, nearly a year later, after having made friends out of his old enemies, they were only getting worse. Why, he couldn't explain, but each night they seemed to become more vivid, and even more frighteningly real.
Holding his face in his quivering hands, Seifer let the tears fall, falling himself into a state of suffering pain left by that monster of his horrid dreams. Himself.......
**********