Red + Red + Rose // Chpt. Sixteen // Finale
"Don't move! Lower your weapon!"
All eyes turned to Rinoa who was standing up near the doorway with her gun trained on Blake. The agent had just taken down two of his men that had come bounding towards her. Though her head was injured, she regained her senses quickly and was now trying to negotiate with their crazed enemy in an attempt to save her friends. All their lives were, in fact, at risk at the moment, though her main concern was Quistis. The others were not in immediate danger and weren't being restrained by anything.
At that time, Rinoa knew that Blake, was just about ready to pull the trigger. He wanted the girl to work for him but with all the problems they had caused, he was now beginning to realize that she really wasn't worth any more trouble. Even when regaining control of the situation for a few moments, he could tell that things did not look good. They probably had some kind of back-up units that would be arriving shortly and more then half of his men were exhausted.
Their foe was a desperate, murderous one. Yet, even he had limits and enough intelligence to realize the danger that loomed ahead. The police and FBI would have plentiful evidence to convict him if they walked into the penthouse. Just on the streets there were numerous rumors about him that were floating around, being circulated around Chicago. It would only be a matter of time before all of his crimes caught up with him and he was taken away in a squad car. Unfortunately, he planned on killing everyone before letting that happen. If he was going to go down, he'd bring all of them with him.
"I'm not moving one square inch to follow any of your commands."
"Drop your gun, now."
"Heh, nice try but if you shoot me then your beloved Quistis will die as well. Don't make any rash moves."
"I'm not playing around, let go of her!"
"You won't shoot, you don't have the backbone to kill me."
"Don't count on it."
"Look at yourself. If you shoot me, you'll be a murderer. You'll have blood all over your hands . . ."
"I was sent here on a mission. I'm a federal agent from the bureau of investigation and there's no time to waste with your stupid attempts to prolong your life."
"Ha," He sneered, "You're just like the rest of them."
"I…don't want to shoot…you." She took a worried glance at Quistis, "But if you don't free those hostages then I'm going to have to. Why do you always have to make this so difficult. Just release them!"
"Fine. You don't want to talk then lets finish this." He smirked evilly and tugged Quistis' head back, raising his hand up to slap her. She winced but still held her grip on the pistol.
"Don't touch her!" Rinoa yelled, though her voice meant to sounds threatening, it had come out as a cry.
"Christ, just let her go." Seifer growled."
"Why, Seifer, so you can rape her again?"
"Shut up, just shut the fuck up."
Both Squall and Rinoa turned to him with repulsed looks on their faces as they silently questioned the blonde male.
"He didn't do anything!" Quistis managed to shout, just as Blake's hand started to come down and connect with her face.
"Stop! Please stop!" Rinoa threw down her gun and raised her hands in the air in an effort to stop him.
His hand came slamming down while she tried to brace herself for the impact and closing her eyes. It stopped, a fraction of an inch away from her cheek which was already stained from the blood that once ran down her temple. She quivered, breathing deeply and trying to hold back a scream.
"Hey!" Blake shouted, suddenly taking the gun and his hand away from her head, shoving her aside.
Before the girl had a chance to react, she saw the entire horrifying event take place before her eyes. Squall was reaching into his jacket to grab a shiny, black object. She presumed it was a pistol that he had been attempting to keep hidden, however with the sudden danger that had approached Quistis, he couldn't afford to wait any longer. Assuming that their attacker was too busy concentrating on the girl he had in his custody, the agent had whipped it out and aimed it at Blake.
Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen this and panicked. Spinning around to face Squall, his gun no longer rested on her, instead he pushed her away and growled. In pure rage, the maniac swore and pulled the trigger. A cry was heard from the other side of the room where Rinoa came dashing forward, diving in front of her partner just as the bullet tore through the air and there was a roaring explosion. The female agent shoved her entire body in front of him and yelled out in agony as the piece of ammunition ripped through the fabric of her light blue duster and broke through her flesh. It embedded itself deep inside of her and a sudden warm, sticky, red fluid began forming around the wound as she fell to the ground and slid a few feet before coming to a stop.
"Rinoa!" Squall shouted, eyes widened in both shock and horror.
He leapt over to where she laid in a heap on the floor, moaning in discomfort and hugging herself. Her face was contorted with pain and she was trembling in both fear and the surprise she felt from the intensity of the shot. Squall took her in his arms and held the other agent close as she opened her tear-filled eyes to look up at him. At that time, everything else was forgotten while he held her, feeling his own eyes begin to burn as they filled with water that threatened to spill down his face. Stroking her hair gently, he tenderly brought her closer and supported her.
"Rinoa…" He choked on her name in a vain attempt to stop himself from crying as well.
"Squall, I'm glad…that you're okay."
"You're so dumb, you shouldn't have even tried to do something like that!" Though he had meant to sound harsh, his voice came out just barely more audible then a whisper, "So…dumb."
"Don't say that…I just wanted to help. I was scared that you would die and then everything would be over. Please…" She whimpered, "Don't let go."
"Shh, you need to conserve your strength."
"I don't want to die alone here. Even if I do pass out before we make it out…don't leave me here!" She pleaded, raising her arm, that wasn't wounded, to gently trace the contours of his face.
"You're not going to die, not like this."
"I'm shot."
"I'm going to get you out, don't worry." He glanced at her shoulder worriedly which was now completely stained crimson, soaked in an fast-growing puddle on the floor.
"I'm gonna lose too much blood. I'll just slow you down."
"Forget about that, you're going to live." He said, struggling to believe his own words.
"There's not too much time left. You guys can still get out of here alive and rescue Quistis if you hurry." She whispered.
Their faces were so close that they were practically touching as they spoke in hushed tones. He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped away a tear that had begun to fall, staring deeply into her coffee brown eyes that appeared to be in so much anguish right now. She leaned forward and softly kissed him on the lips, forgetting about the current situation. Though a bit confused, he responded and massaged her tongue with his for just a moment. It only lasted for a brief minute in time, however that one kiss sealed them together, forever.
For once in his life, the hard, cold Squall Leonhart was finally able to open up and lower his walls to the person that was dying for him right now. She had saved his life, and it was only then that he had realized how much she meant to him. Their previous fights, his unwillingness to get close to anyone . . . all way forgotten when the ice finally melted from his heart. The angel was hurt, and now it was up to the lion to go against fate.
"I'm scared to close my eyes because…what if I can't open them again and I can't see your face or hear your voice…?"
"Just rest, don't worry, I won't go away."
"When I close my eyes it goes dark though, and I can't stand the darkness."
"I'll be here…"
"Why…?"
"I'll be 'waiting' here…"
"For what?"
"I'll be waiting for you…so…if you come here. You'll find me. I promise."
"But where?" Her voice was becoming weak and strained, "I'm afra-"
He put his finger to her lips and brushed her bangs away from her eyes to meet her gaze for just a second longer.
"Just close your eyes and don't let go." He scooped her up as she closed her eyes, relaxing, and allowed him to carry her over to the bed where Seifer waited, his mouth agape.
Quistis smiled, even though it was too late, Squall had finally been able to open up to her and they shared that time. It was odd, sometimes, how things worked out but everything happened for a reason. One event triggered the other and perhaps it was fate that this had to occur. If Rinoa had not been shot, Squall might never have realized how much he truly cared for her and, though it was a tragic way to find out, at least now the couple finally understood each other.
Sadly, there was no time to think of that because Blake was quickly recovering. She looked at him only to discover that the bullet Squall had shot only grazed his abdomen and ribcage. He had already lost quite a bit of blood and was injured as well. Yet, he was still pulling himself to his feet and now limped over her from where she lay on the ground when ducking for cover.
He sent a murderous glare in her direction and frowned in disgust. She wasn't concerned about that though – It was the gun in his hands that troubled her. He looked very willing to kill her in that instant; blaming Quistis for everything that had happened these past few hours when, in fact, it had been his fault.
Before she could stand up, he lowered the weapon so that it was trained on her. She back up, using her arms and legs to push away from him. The killer let out a crazed laugh as he took a step closer to where she struggled to get away.
"I'm going to enjoy this…immensely." His voice was hoarse, accusing, and came out little more then a whisper. It had changed from his usual cold, icy tone that usually gave her shivers. This one, however, made her want to crawl under a rock.
"As if you didn't derive enough enjoyment from shooting Rinoa." She replied coldly.
"Quistis, I have to admit – you're one stiff bitch and I can't stand all of your virtues. You're going to go straight to hell and, guess what? I'm going to be the one who's gonna send you there."
"There's no more will to fight. They're going to lock you up and throw away the key, asshole." She threatened back.
"Heh, well at least Seifer got a try. You hated that, didn't you? Was he good, Quistis? Or maybe he was a bit too rough…" Her opponent sneered.
"Fuck you. Seifer and I never did anything. It was fake and you're a goddamned idiot."
"Oh, but I already had my fun with you. Seifer was right when he said you were 'tight.'"
"You're lying. I shoved you away before anything happened."
"Heh, looks like I gave you too much credit. You really are stupider then you appear."
She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion and stared up at him.
"Poor, innocent Quistis. . . never even thinking about what went on before you awoke in my conference office."
At that moment, her face turned a ghastly pale shade of white as the impact and weight of his words hit her. She wanted to vomit as waves of nausea washed over her. Biting her lip, the girl blinked back hot tears of humiliation, praying that it was not true, just as he grabbed her neck and tugged her into an upright position.
Shaking her head, she refused to believe that he had done anything to her. The thought was simply too horrible and disgusting to comprehend. Reaching up, self-consciously, Quistis crossed her arms, covering her practically exposed chest. She looked at him with pure hatred; accusations and questions dizzying her mind. He only smiled and shrugged slightly, knowing full-well what she wanted to ask him but couldn't bring herself to do.
"Are you going to verbalize any of your thoughts, my dear?" He snickered.
"Y-You despicable, perverted. . . bastard! I-"
"Uh-uh, be careful what you say now. Remember, I'm the one in control here. You know, considering that you were asleep, I'd say you were pretty damn good. You probably don't remember even though at the beginning you were awake for the most part and screaming to get away."
"Please. . ." She whispered, "Just stop."
"You arrived in a car, guarded by around six of my men. They took you up to my room where Seifer and I were waiting with the ropes and other supplies. Seifer was a bit shocked to see you; he even wanted to talk to you before we knocked you out and got the camera set up."
"Seifer…?" Biting her lip, her entire body trembling, she turned to look at him.
"Don't believe him, Love! He's a lying bag of scum."
Blake turned around and pointed the gun at him for a moment, scowling.
"We woke you up and I slipped you some pills before you had a chance to figure out what was going on. They took effect immediately, as drugs often do. I tied you up to the bed and started taking off your clothes while Seifer began filming the entire thing with eager eyes to watch. I wasn't surprised when I saw your body. I figured you were tone and, how can I say . . . well-kept in certain areas…"
"This is bullshit! I never filmed anything, Fucker."
"I don't know what to believe anymore." She confessed, frowning in thought.
"I tested you out first, feeling my way around before moving on to better things."
Her skin crawled and a chill went down her spine, afraid of what he was going to say next. She wanted to cover her ears and believe Seifer, but something was forcing her to listen. Paralyzed in fear, she stood there and took in all that he was saying, feeling numb all the while.
"To my surprise, just as I went to stick it in you, you woke up and started squirming, trying to get away. The ropes kept you in place though, as I had my fun. The sound of your pitiful crying and the sight of all those tears streaming down your face only made it better." He finished the gruesome tale.
"You're a liar! This can't be the truth!"
"He's insane Quistis!" Seifer shouted.
"I'm perfectly sane. In fact, I can even recall when you-"
"Shut the fuck up." Seifer demanded, rage flashing in his eyes.
Her skin turned to gooseflesh when he cupped his hand around her chin and raised her head so that their gaze was locked.
"Too many details for you? I could go on and on, but I'm sure that it would bore you. Plus, Seifer has already experienced this all first-hand, so what would be the point?"
"Get you're bloody hands OFF OF ME!" She pushed his arm away and staggered backwards, "How could you even make up such a disgusting lie?!"
At that moment, Seifer came charging at their foe from behind and tackled him to the ground. He growled and tried to shake the other man off as her ally wrestled for control of the weapon. The fought, rolling over and landing punches on each other. She ran over to where they were battling and kicked Blake, using all her force, in his already-wounded rib cage. The enemy howled out in pain and cursed as she struck him with every last bit of her strength, showing no mercy. Holding nothing back, she pounded on his back with her fists in an intoxicating rage. The emotion filled her body as she brutally hit him time after time while Seifer was beating him as well.
He rolled over just then, grabbing onto her hand and smashing it into the floor. She cried out and could only watch as he took hold of Seifer's arms and flung him away. Thinking quickly, she ignored the pain and lunged at him, knocking him down just as he regained his balance. He pinned her to the floor easily, fueled by adrenaline. In a blind fury, the lunatic began cutting off her oxygen supply as she struggled to get him off. Choking and desperate for air, Quistis brought her arms up and took a swipe for his face, her nails gashing a wound on his cheek.
He hissed but did not stop applying pressure to her neck. Her lungs ached for air and her head felt like it would explode at any moment if she did not have air. Seeing this, after regaining his senses, Seifer shoved the attacker off of her and onto the floor. She gasped for air and let out a strangled cry of relief, bringing her hand up to the sore are to examine it. Thought there were marks from his hands, her glands did not appear to be too swollen.
Seifer now had their opponent on the ground in a headlock, however he swung back his elbow and knocked the wind out of her friend. She got up and lifted her foot up to kick him but he had been anticipating the move and counter-attacked by latching onto her leg, bringing her to the ground once again. He used this chance to reach over to where his gun had been knocked out of his hands, scrambling to get it in his grasp once again. She saw him and grabbed onto his outstretched arm, throwing herself on top of the foe. He rolled over before she could get a good grip though, and sent her flying off.
The weapon was now only a few feet away from him and he crawled towards it eagerly. Just as his hand was about to close around it, Seifer gripped onto Blake's ankle and pulled him back, landing a powerful punch to the man's lower back, which caused him to curl up into somewhat of a ball-like position. The blonde male punched him again, this time it was aimed at his wounded side. Seeing the fist coming at him, their enemy grabbed onto it and twisted, making Seifer groan in pain as he tried to pull away. The ruthless criminal did not let go, though, and began tugging at her teammate's arm, practically pulling the limb out of its socket.
Frantically, Quistis crawled over to where the two men were fighting and dug her nails into Blake's hand that was restricting Seifer's. The blood-thirsty murderer turned to her and sharply brought his hand up to connect with her face. Pain rippled through her body as Quistis felt her head forced to the side and a stinging sensation took over her now-red cheek. She tried to get up, but he wouldn't let her have the chance.
"I'm so fucking sick of you!" He shouted, and slammed her head against the floor. Before she had time to recover, he tore out a fistful of her hair and she screamed, kicking back her foot in a vain attempt to get him away. But he was too overpowering and dodged it without much effort.
Not wasting any more time on the ground, he stood up and loomed over where Quistis lay on the ground, choking back cries. Living up to his cold-hearted nature, he scoffed at her and raised his foot to ram into her head. Acting purely out of instinct, she raised her arms up to grab hold of his foot, pushing it do the side roughly. It caused her attacker to lose his balance and come crashing down on top of her. Scowling, the girl mustered up all of her strength to shove him off and gain control of the situation, despite the overwhelming pain that she was experiencing. But he had a firm grip on her and pressed her down on the floor with one hand while using the other to reach for the gun. Panicking, she rolled over from under him and made her opponent unintentionally push the pistol further away.
Cursing, Blake leapt at her with outstretched arms. However, before the madman got a chance to knock her down once more, she gasped as Seifer shielded her from him, fighting their enemy's punches while attempting to retaliate with his own moves. She brought her hand up to her head and softly rubbed the painful wound. Feeling barely any blood, she took a deep breath before leaping to her feet and dashing for the gun. It was almost in her grasp, so close as she flew through the air. Seifer held Blake down, using all of his force to overpower the older and more experienced man.
The next few moments passed as though they were in slow-motion. She felt her body hit the ground but ignored the discomfort, concentrating only on the revolver. Her hands enclosed around the cool, dark metal and she tightened her grip around it quickly, as she slid across the floor. Quistis had to close her eyes for a moment, blinking to make sure what she was seeing was real. It was finally hers and she could bring their foe down. Not wasting any more time, she spun around and trained it on the bastard.
"Seifer, watch out!"
He turned to look at her just in time as she released the safety. In a burst of speed, her companion jumped off of the enemy and hurried over to where Quistis stood.
"You took everything away from me. My life, my friends, my self-worth and confidence, even my dignity. In all fairness, you deserve to die. But I could never kill someone intentionally and I think you know that. Even after all the pain and shame you caused…" She swallowed and her hand began trembling, "I just wanna go home …"
Slowly, she passed the gun to him, carefully watching their enemy as her cursed under his breath. With fire in his eyes and a deep hatred, he swore at them, promising revenge. Seifer scoffed at him and took aim.
"So, you're going to kill me? Hypocrites. If you wanted the killing to end, all the senseless murder to come to and end, you wouldn't be doing this. You're just like the rest of them. See? Quistis, my dear … Seifer can be just as much as a cold-hearted killer as I am."
"I'm not going to kill you, although as much as I'd like to, I'm being mindful to how Quistis wants things to be done."
"And what does the bitch want?" He growled.
"I want to go home now without living in constant fear that someone is after me."
"Heh, don't count on that. As long as I'm alive, you're always going to have to look over your shoulder."
"Just shut up. You won't be going anywhere when you're locked up in a prison cell." The female countered.
"And to make sure you don't try to come after us …" Seifer frowned, "We're going to have to do something to restrain you until the Popoes get here."
"Let's just go, he's finished." Quistis tried to convince her ally.
"Not until I'm sure that he's not going to escape."
"Heh heh, think I'm afraid? I've been shot dozens of times. Think it'll stop me from getting away from the police? Hell no. I've still got men, I've still got an escape route."
"Fuck you." Seifer cursed at him, his finger growing a bit more tense on the trigger.
"Do it." Blake called him on, obviously not afraid or if he was, he was definitely doing a good job at not showing it, "Coward."
"Coward? No I don't go blackmailing people and trying to hurt the people they care about." Her companion replied angrily.
"That's the way of the world. Kill or get killed, I've said it thousands of times before." He spat.
"You're a cold hearted bastard." She said to him in an icy tone while glaring.
"That's what it takes to survive. Hmph, at least I don't hide behind people and get them to fight for me."
"You get others to do your dirty work … that's the same thing." She countered.
"We form a bond, an alliance and therefore we help each other." He explained.
"It doesn't look like tha-"
"I don't give a fuck what it looks like to you. Now, lets go!" He ordered Seifer to make a decision.
Taking a deep breath, the blonde male stepped back and readjusted his grip on the weapon, but his aim did not waver. He had his shoulder wrapped around Quistis and she moved back with him as well, then turned to look at him. For a moment, he stared back, not knowing what to say. He knew that Blake would escape if he did not kill him here and now, yet she refused to believe that. Seifer brought a hand up to his forehead and wiped away a few drops of perspiration, shaking his head as though deep in thought.
"Tie him up, then we can leave." She suggested softly.
"That won't do anything. He'll get out of ropes easily. He's the one that taught me how to do it …"
"The only way that you can stop me is death. So come on already, Seifer, or are you turning into as pussy?" Blake mocked his opponent.
"Not another word." He ordered, clenching his jaw.
"Fine, do I have to give you a reason to do it?" He asked in a rage, "Fine then, I'll tell Quistis what you did to-"
Seifer braced himself and pulled the trigger, not being able to listen to the deceit anymore. Blake's body flew backwards through the air as the bullet connected with his shoulder. He slammed into the bed and his head made a sickening thud upon contact. The man hissed in pain, clutching onto his wounded arm. He looked ready to murder the other man, had he not been injured. Infuriated, their foe roared in anger, issuing disturbing threats.
"That was for Rinoa, Fucker. I don't need you to remind me what happened."
"I'm going to murder you Seifer! And I'll kill that stupid bitch too! I'll hunt everyone of you down and believe me, it won't be pleasant. YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR OF ME!" He managed to spit out before coughing up blood. His eyes glowed with a fiery hatred and he ignored the pain, trying not to let them see him gasping for breath.
Quistis, though a bit afraid, huddled closer to her savior. He threw the gun away, pleased that it was out of ammunition and moved his arm down from her shoulder, to her hand. Acting quickly, he spun around and began leading her out of the room. Even with their injuries and exasperation, they began running down the hall.
"I'll kill every last fucking one of you! You have my word on that!" They heard him call from the room before more sickening gurgling noises were audible.
He led, turning around corners and guiding her down the multiple, confusing passageways. She gripped onto his hand tighter, not wanting to get lost as they continued to race through the maze-like building in order to get out. Her breath and heartbeat increased, both became louder and soon that was all she could hear over her footsteps. Seifer was panting as well but he kept up the pace, not wanting to slow for even a second. She wondered why … especially since they were out of danger. Couldn't they just pause for a moment? They were both rushing and she was blind to the area around her though, using all of her energy to force her legs to move while concentrating on her companion.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins and aided in fueling her to run faster. However, keeping up with Seifer was getting more impossible by the second and she found herself beginning to get dragged. The struggle was a hard one with her speed rapidly deteriorating and her agility dived lower as well. It took every ounce of strength in her body to keep herself from passing out due to the multiple wounds and the fact that she suddenly felt sleepy. Still, she moved on, pushing her legs to go faster, avoiding the dizziness that she was now experiencing. It was hard to concentrate on anything as her vision became blurry and she began to gasp for air.
Knowing they were almost out, she ran on, despite the waves of pain that rippled through her fragile body. Her arm felt like it would be torn out of it's socket if this kept up, but she pushed the aching to the back of her mind. All she could think about was escaping as her heart pounded and she began to tremble from the effort it took to sprint without stumbling.
Please let us make it out! Don't let me die in here when we're so close. I know that we're almost safe; just about in the clearing. I can't stop now, not when we've almost won this last battle to end the war. I won't quit when I can practically taste victory, not like this. I don't care how sore my body is or how light headed I feel. Getting out is all that matters. We've got to make it away … safely …
She crashed into Seifer as he suddenly stopped. Feeling her form go limp in his arms, he held onto her so that she wouldn't fall. He looked worried as he brought her close before turning to stare in the direction that they had been headed … Where three of Blake's men stood, blocking their path. Shaking her head in frustration, Quistis refused to give up, even though it was impossible to go on. He swore, angrily forming a first at the sudden turn of events.
No! Not after everything we went through! This can't be the end. This can't be real. I don't want to believe this, I don't want to damnit that we're trapped once again. Why is there always a dead end?! Why is everyone always against us? Why can't things just work out? Because life is never fair, and yet we force ourselves to carry on … we have to.
Blinking back hot tears of rage, she raised her hands along with Seifer as the enemies pointed their pistols at them. However, their expressions suddenly changed when the guards lowered their weapons and stepped aside in the hallway. Surprised, she stared at them in confusion while her partner did the same.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Go, there's still time for you to get out if you hurry." One of them said.
"Huh?"
"It's over. Blake's finished, there's no more need to fight." Another one of the men explained.
"Reno, Rude, & Tseng … I owe you." Seifer replied with a relieved smile.
"Hurry up, the door's straight ahe-"
"Guys, get Quistis out of here."
"Seifer…?" She turned to him, confused.
"He's still alive, still fighting. I know it."
"Let's just go. The police can deal with him." She tried to pull him but he wouldn't budge.
"Go on, Love. Trust me on this one."
"I don't want to leave you here!"
"Take my word on this. I'm begging you…" He pleaded, not wanting to fight.
"No! If I ever lost you to this maniac, I couldn't live with myself."
He shook his head in frustration and scowled.
"I said," He began, taking on an angry, cold tone "get out!"
"Oh, so that's what it's going to be like? You think you can suddenly pretend to be angry and I'll just crumble. Sorry, that's not the case. If you won't go, I won't either."
"Listen to me," He began yelling, "I didn't come this far to have the bastard get free. Now leave or I'll MAKE you leave."
"You can't fight him in you condition, anyway. What would be the point?" She tried reasoning with him, "And you can't convince me that you're angry either because I know it's just a ploy to-"
"Argh. You don't get it …" He waved his hand in front of her face, "He's going to get out if I don't stop him. I'm the only one that knows how so leave it up to me and go with them."
Although his tone had softened, his eyes had not and his stare still demanded that she left. Her eyes burned back at him, though not with the same fire.
"I don't want to leave you here …" She said quietly.
"I give you my word … I'll be alright."
"Don't make me do this." She sighed, biting her lip in defeat.
"Would I lie to you?"
"……"
"I know there were mistakes made in the past but now, I promise that I won't die. Go."
"Promise me one thing." She asked him.
"Anything for you, Love." He forced a smile.
"Please come back." She wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug. His lips met hers and they kissed, passionately, for only a minute before he gently pushed her away.
"I'll catch up with you later." He told her.
"I don't want to lose you because I've already lost too much."
"Don't worry." He broke away from their embrace and released her hand, "I won't forget about you."
"I won't forget about you either."
He nodded to the three men and Reno placed his hand on her shoulder as Seifer began to jog back .She resisted the urge to break away from the men as they led her away from him in the opposite direction. Choking back cries, she allowed the redhead to try comforting her as she frowned while watching him disappear around a corner. Her heart longed to be with him but she forced herself to move on. Though they tried their best, she was inconsolable and refused to talk to them.
"We're almost out." Tseng announced, and she looked up to see the door a few feet away.
"Will he be alright?" She managed to ask, her voice shaking.
"He'll be fine." Rude replied, gruffly.
"How do you know him?"
"Worked together." The same man answered.
"You're friends?"
"One might say that." Tseng entered the conversation.
"Oh … were you the people …" She trailed off, unable to finish the question.
"That attempted kidnapping you? No, we were involved in other affairs." He informed her.
"Other affairs?"
"Detail isn't necessary. We've known Seifer for a long time, since he first started working the corners. He's a tough son of a bitch and he'll make it out alive."
"I hope so."
"Doubting him? Heh, I don't even see how you could even want to see him again after everything he's done." The man laughed.
"What are you insinuating?"
"Maybe he's changed, I don't know. Forget it."
"He's been there for me. Everyone makes mistakes."
"He's lucky then, to find a girl like you."
They opened the doors and she stepped outside into the pouring rain. Thunder clapped in the distance and lightning streaked the sky that was covered with dark, ominous storm clouds. They loomed above in the darkness of the night, hiding the moon and stars.
Shivering, she looked around to find the entire building surrounded by police cars. There were several men that dashed inside as soon as they got out. Then they led her away. She felt them taking her over to a car and they held her hands behind her back before pressing her against the vehicle and the men began barking out orders. Growing uncomfortable as they searched her for weapons, she frowned but didn't try to fight them. Weakly, she followed the officers over to where another man stood, staring at her.
"You're Quistis Trepe, correct?"
"That's right.' She replied coldly.
"Leonhart told us about you when he came out of here. You're lucky to be alive."
"I'm aware of that. Where did Squall go? Is Rinoa alright?"
"Relax, he hopped on an ambulance with the girl. They said she was going to be fine. The bullet bounced."
"Why in the world did you wait so long before going in? We could've been killed!" She accused, unable to hold back her questions any longer.
"We wanted to make sure everyone got out alive because Blake has access to an extremely powerful explosive device. Surprising him could prompt him to get nervous and a bit trigger happy."
"Bullshit. That's why you call in a negotiator. The way I see it, you're all imbeciles. But that's not important right now because Seifer Almasy is still inside and he's in danger!"
"We were told that Seifer was employed by the enemy." The chief began," Leonhart advised us to wait for the guy, but we can't take that risk."
"Seifer is the reason that I got outs safely! He's on our side and you can't do this!" She tried to break away from the men but the held her in place.
"Calm down and wait just a minute. What do you mean he 'saved' you?" The man inquired.
"You heard me." She tensioned her arm muscles and the men tightened their grip, "He led me out and he would probably be here right now beside me if he hadn't gone back to make sure that Blake wasn't going to get away."
"You mean he's not conspiring with the enemy?"
"No, he's not. That's why you've got to get him out of there!" She pleaded, "Squall must have told you something …"
"We'll see what we can do but I'm not guaranteeing anything. We have no proof that he's really not working for Blake aside from 2 peoples' stories."
"I swear to you that he's with us. There's no time for you to contemplate over it, he could die in there!"
"So how do you suggest that we get him out?"
"How should I know? You're the police, you should know." Quistis yelled.
"I'll have to talk to my superiors. This type of thing requires-'
"Seifer is going to die in there if you don't do something. I don't have time to waste while you discuss his fate as a committee." She argued.
"You can't just tell us how to run the squad. What do you plan on doing if we refuse to go back there, Miss Trepe?"
"Then you're all murderers," She accused, "You know perfectly well that I can't do anything. I can't get away, you've got me trapped here. I can't force you to go in and save him. Hell, I can't even give you any evidence that he's not our enemy. But if you have one shred of decency in you… If you can find it in your heart… I'm begging you to rescue him."
"I just don't think-"
But they didn't have a chance to continue because suddenly there was a deafening explosion that shook the ground. The officers pushed her down to cover her and she squeezed her eyes shut as the sound of shattering glass was audible. Then, a loud clapping noise, similar to the roar of thunder could be heard. Her heard pounded once again, she gasped for air as an intense feeling of heat washed over and suffocated her. Smoke began filling her lungs, only making her choke and cough while she struggled to breath with the added weight of someone on top of her.
She was too afraid to look up, too frightened to see the entire penthouse engulfed in flames with dark clouds of smoke rising into the air. Quistis didn't want to believe that everyone inside had been burnt to a crisp, refused to accept that Seifer was dead. Her world was falling apart; everything was crumbling from under her.
Slowly, the men began standing up but she remained glued to the ground, despite their best efforts to pull her up. Her limbs felt like they were being weighed down and filled with sand; it was impossible to move and she didn't want to either. All she could hear was the thundering of her own heart over the shouts and commands that the men were barking frantically. She could hear them calling for firetrucks and ambulances but knew that the latter would not do any good to the people inside that building. It was too late to salvage their lives, too late to save Seifer.
No, he couldn't have been in there. He had to have gotten out safely before that explosion. He must've started going back but when he saw those men coming, he left with them and nobody, aside from Blake, died. He's not dead. He can't be dead, it's impossible. Even if he didn't come out the front doors, there are other exits, windows, anything. Those men that went in knew about the bomb. Even if they thought he was with the enemy, they still have a responsibility to save him if his life is in jeopardy.
But what if he tried resisting them? What if he thought that they were attackers and he ignored them? No, Seifer wouldn't do that. Though he can be thick-headed on occasion, he has SOME common sense … enough to know when his life was at risk and he needed to get out.
"Miss. Trepe, are you alright?"
She looked up, finally, and heard the crackling as everything that was trapped in the fire was burnt. The rain met the scorching flames and they hissed angrily, refusing to die down as more thick smoke billowed out. Ashes were spewed into the air along with sparks and bits of debris flying ever which way. She saw the fire coming out through the windows while glass continued to break from the intense heat.
"Can you move? Someone get her an ambulance! She's going into shock!"
She tried sitting up, tried to form words but they wouldn't come. The thick smog burnt her throat and her lungs as she tried to hold back a coughing fit.
"Help will be here soon!" She heard someone yell.
Tell me he survived. I want to see his face again. I want to hear his voice. I'm not alone … If I reach out to him, he will be there. If I call out his name, he'll answer. Seifer! Where are you?! … Am I … alone?
"Here it comes, move aside everyone. The firetrucks are here too!" The chief yelled.
Sirens droned everything else out but she ignored them, now focusing all her energy to tell the police that she was alright, that she didn't want to be dragged to the hospital without knowing if Seifer was okay. But Quistis could the paramedics coming closer and bit her lip, doubting that she could resist them.
"Can you speak at all, Miss Trepe?"
"Seifer …" She managed to murmur.
"What? Don't think of him now, what's important is your well-being."
"Did they…" She coughed, "Did they get him out in time?" The girl asked them, her voice barely rising above a whisper.
"Who?"
There were two hands around her waist now and then a neck brace was snapped around her, followed by a blanket. She numbly let them strap her down to the stretcher as she turned to look at the Sergeant. He appeared worried, like he did not want to tell her something, he was holding it back.
"Check her blood pressure!" One of the Doctors yelled.
"Why are they taking me away? I don't want to leave when he might still be alive." She mumbled.
Quistis attempted wriggling away from the doctors but it was no use. They had her locked down so that all she could do was clench her hands into fists in frustration. There was no reason for her to be taken. She wasn't suffering from shock, she had to find Seifer.
"What aren't you telling me?" She questioned him, her voice getting a small bit better, "What's the point of all of this?"
"Listen to me, now. You're suffering from shock along with multiple lacerations, smoke inhalation, and most-likely a concussion. You need to go with these people now. I think that's what Seifer would tell you to do if he was here right now." He seemed saddened, "But you must know, just as well as I do, that nobody could have survived that explosion. It's a physical impossibility."
They began wheeling her over to the ambulance after hooking up a few tubes and taking their readings with various tiny devices.
"I'm not in shock or denial." She said firmly but quietly, "And Seifer isn't dead."
"Don't do this. Just go to the hospital peacefully and try not to think about him."
"How can I not think about it?! I just saw an enormous explosion and one of the people that I care for very deeply might be hurt."
The man looked upset, pitying what he thought was her inability to accept the truth. She appeared to be so frail, so weak on that portable mattress as they secured her and the girl didn't even bother to resist them anymore.
"Alright then," He said, "We'll take a look around the building … if we have time."
Even she, in her current desperate state, could tell that what he said was a blatant lie just to put an end to the quarrel. There would be no searches, no scans of the area for missing people, no rescues.
"Look, officer …" She sighed out of weary, "I know that it's hard to believe. I know you think it's pointless and I'm crazy … Hell, if I was in your position I'd probably saying the same damned thing. But you've got to take my word on this. As disbelievable as it may seem, I don't think he died back there. Now look into my eyes, and tell me that I'm delusional." She demanded.
He stared at her for a moment as they continued wheeling and she stared back at him.
"Please, just LOOK for him. I'm not asking you to organize a huge search party and scour the entire area all night long. As much as I'd like you to do that, I know that it won't be possible. So, Sir, if you could just keep an eye out for him and take a quick walk around, that would allow me to rest in peace, knowing that I did everything I could to save the man that I've grown to love … that I've bonded with so deeply."
"……"
"I'll go with them without a fight," She motioned to the paramedics that were now lifting her up into the ambulance and putting a mask on her, "And I'll be okay knowing that you did everything you could as well, under the circumstances."
For a moment she thought he'd just shake his head and ignore her plea, because it would probably be the logical thing to do. However, he reluctantly nodded and this time it was the truth.
"I'll check … just incase." He agreed, finally.
"I have your word on it?"
"You have my word, Quistis." The man said, just before they slammed the vehicle's doors shut and she rested her head down on the pillow.
It's over. This is finally the end. I should be happy that I'm alive; thankful that I made it through everything. Except he's not here to share that happiness with me and I can't let go just yet. I won't give up now, because that's what you would have wanted. I have to live, even though things seem to be hopeless.
"Goodbye, Seifer. I'll be seeing you in a while. Whether it's in a hospital bed lying next to me, or up in heaven in a few years' time, I'll never give up on finding you, Love."