Trickle - 21 - Void

Why did I smash our universe into the wall? How could I kill everything between us so immediately?

.

Out in the lobby of the hotel, Zell waited for Seifer and I to return.

It turns out that there was a message from Balamb Garden. The cure to kill the poison arrived at 5:00 a.m., and they needed Seifer down there to immediately put it to use.

"The doctor that was supposed to take you back to Balamb last night, is offering to drive us all back, whenever we're ready. So...take your time...but hurry up!"

The smile, and excitedness on Zell's face, was enough to make you want to burst out laughing. He was so serious, and so happy at the same time...strange combination.

.

No one knows how relieved and lucky we are.

I looked at Seifer.

His now washed hair and cleansed skin made him look the way I always remembered him. The confident smile that he gave made me want to melt into a puddle of solace. The fear that lurked behind his faked calmness never existed. We could now breathe comfortably knowing that we will spend the rest of our lives together.

.

We walked to the infirmary quickly...all of us. It was too hard to pass up an opportunity to watch him swallow this magic liquid, that will not only help him, but also rescue me from the hands of the empty life I came close to living.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones, who wanted to witness his recovery. A smiling and applauding Fujin and Raijin greeted us.

"Hey man! They got the stuff for you!"

"CURE!"

All of us stayed quiet, with baffled looks.

Hmm. I guess Irvine was right. They are apologetic. Maybe their afraid of what Seifer would do to them.

I smiled.

"No hard feelings, right? I mean..." Raijin chuckled nervously. "...We were drunk that night, we're really sorry."

"REGRET!"

"You expect him to forgive you, for almost killing him?!"

Selphie blurted in. Her eyebrows were lowered, and I don't think I've ever heard her use that tone before.

Ignoring Selphie, Raijin held out a dark brown hand for Seifer to shake. Just to remind him...that he's sorry.

Ha! Sorry...yeah right. Don't touch him.

Squall and Rinoa leaned forward, to see if he was actually going to grab his hand. Zell was in his "fighting mode", with his fists pinched tight. Selphie stood there with one hand on her hip, with an impatient face, while Irvine watched blankly.

Seifer looked down at the hand of his attacker, and narrowed his eyes at Raijin. He wanted to kill him. The look on his face was intense, and through all this hate, and suspense in the air, it was getting hard to breathe.

Turning our heads, we watched close-mouthed as he walked past Raijin's hand, and past the clear sliding doors that read "Infirmary".

.

On Dr. Kadowaki's desk, we could see a small container, holding a clear liquid inside.

Kadowaki wasn't in, she stepped out...but she left some simple instructions next to the bottle.

Hello!

I told you I'd find a cure, didn't I? Well, I had to step out for a bit, but I have some directions for you. They're very easy to follow. Simply cleanse your hands before handling the liquid. Remove the cap, and drink it. Drink it in one gulp. You'll feel a strange tingling in your body, but it's completely normal!

Good Luck!

Kadowaki

Seifer set the note down slowly, and without saying anything, walked to the bathroom, and washed his hands.

I turned around. Smiling...wide...like the schoolgirl I've told you about. This is great! I didn't know that we would find the remedy so soon.

Squall and Rinoa held eachother, and smiled back at me. Selphie jumped up excitedly, and gave me the thumbs up sign. Irvine and Zell were joking happily, about the whole incident being over with...and in the corner of the room, by the window, Raijin and Fujin smiled at me. The smile didn't look right, but I guess nothing from them does.

I looked away.

Seifer walked out of the bathroom, drying his hands, and carefully reached for the medicine.

"Hey man! Come over here, and drink it...we want to watch you recover up close!"

Raijin pointed to an empty spot next to him.

Fujin smiled and nodded her head.

We all looked, shrugged and gave a "Yeah, why not see it up close?" look.

.

This is incredible. Who would've thought that he'd be cured today? I no longer have to dream. This container held a small amount of liquid, which could change the world. I could see the world we have a vision of inside. Ah yes, it was the lake we loved to swim in.

The amount of happiness in the room, seemed imaginary...but no...It wasn't. Everyone wanted to see Seifer put back together. The people in this room never questioned me, and asked "Why Seifer?" They could see what I see. The scared boy, the confident man, the powerful fighter, the incredible lover, the most impeccable person you're ever going to meet.

When being about seven inches away from everyone, Seifer removed the cap slowly, hesitated, and raised the edge of the glass to his lips.

All eyes were focused on him.

I looked over at Fujin and Raijin.

Raijin had his hand placed on Fujin's shoulder, lightly tapping it with his finger, while she smiled sinisterly.

That can't be right. Wait! What if this is some kind of trick? Why would they want to see Seifer recover?

Seifer tilt his head back, and raised the glass.

I don't know what came over me.

"NO! Don't drink it!"

I had to slap it out of his tight grasp, and through the struggle, we finally heard the fragile flask shatter as it crashed into a wall, and broke to pieces.

But, wait...what if it WASN'T a trick?!

I closed my eyes, thinking of what I just did.

"Quistis! What are you doing?"

Irvine yelled. Selphie looked as if she was about to cry.

Squall covered his eyes, in annoyance, while Rinoa asked why.

"What the hell Quistis? That was the cure in his hand damnit!"

Zell shook his hands angrily, trying his best not to throw me on the ground, and begin beating me.

Fujin and Raijin looked surprised, and angry at what I did.

Why did I smash our universe into the wall? How could I kill everything between us so immediately?

Seifer stood there looking at me, with a hurt, mad, and confused look.

I opened my mouth to try to explain why, but my voice was silent, and what I said didn't really make sense.

"You better have a damn good reason!" Zell continued yelling.

Away from the sighing, frustrated cries, and irate looks, Rinoa suddenly gasped, and pointed to the wall that the fluid spilled onto.

At first, we didn't see what she was pointing at.

The wall looked smooth. So far, there was nothing to see. But I looked lower to where the "antidote" splattered, and was so puzzled to find a huge hole burnt into the milky white wall; while below, the remains of the glass lay peacefully...undiscovered.

.

"I want to see you falling off the world." -Transister

Notes: Whoa! That was a near death experience! Was that really the cure? No, it can't be normal for a life saving remedy to burn a hole into a wall...can it? Who put it there? And where is the "real" remedy? It has to have been replaced...hmm, I'm sure you guys have a pretty good idea on who did this.

To see if you're right or not...wait for chapter 22!

P.s. Thanks for the reviews! I love you guys! Seriously, I do. (Am I scaring you yet?) ^_~