Chapter XXVIII:
The trip to Galbadia and then the car ride went without
complications, much to Squall's surprise and relief. Luckily for him, he didn't have to ride in the same car as
Quistis, and made sure to keep Seifer and Zell away from each other as
well. Sticking them together in any way
would probably be a very bad idea.
They arrived in Deling City at 10:45 am, and the streets
were already full of people who were rushing towards the Presidential Residence
where the execution would take place. Even though there were guards everywhere, the huge crowd made it easy
for the Garden members to blend in with them, even if the weapons they carried
were given a few suspicious looks. Squall and Seifer's gunblades in particular. The area in front of the huge building that Zolqer Temeka claimed
as his home was so filled with Deling citizens that it was literally impossible
to get through. So many people that
wanted to see 'Caraway's murderer' pay for his crimes, even though the real bad
guy was, once again, their own president. How could they fail to see that even after everything Temeka had done?
"How do we get inside?" Irvine wondered, glancing over at
the commander.
Squall frowned, but easily slipped into his role as leader
this time, aware that he couldn't allow his mind to drift to personal problems
today. The fact that he hadn't slept
much the past 48 hours did not, amazingly enough, break his concentration. "Nalhan's kept captured in there somewhere,
I'm sure. I suggest we split up in two
– four of us provide a distraction to get the guards away, and the four others
go inside to find Nalhan and Temeka." Looking around, he motioned for the others to follow him to the edge of
the crowd. "Our best shot is to get
around to the other side of the building. There won't be so many people there, and if we're careful and quick, we
could knock down the guards without drawing attention. From there we can climb up to the balcony,
and four of you," he turned to them again, "Let's say, Quistis, Seifer, Jadina
and Nida, stay there to cause a commotion and deal with the wave of
guards. Irvine, Selphie, Zell and I
will go into the building and rescue Nalhan, and hopefully dispose of
Temeka. We have exactly one hour from
now before the execution."
Quistis sent him a questioning look, as if asking why he
had placed her on the outside team, but he just ignored it. Seifer narrowed his eyes, probably having
wanted to be in the centre of the fight – meaning, inside the Presidential
Residence – but he didn't say anything, either. Cautiously, they moved closer to their target, still trying to
mingle with the crowd as much as possible. Once out of the public area, the eight of them snuck down the along the
side of the building, where they bumped into four Galbadian soldiers who were
easily taken care of. Reaching the
place where Rinoa once had made her way up to find Edea and give her the 'Odine
Bangle' - which had just led to one of those many times Squall had to rescue
her – the team were ready to carry out their plan. Squall gave a nod of his head, then started to climb up on the
large wooden boxes that were stacked there, then onto the lower part of the
roof. The others followed him.
On the balcony where Temeka was going to hold his speech
later on and where Nalhan was going to be executed, there was still only
guards. Ten of them, and they got their
hands full as Quistis and the three others of her team appeared from the side
of the roof. More guards came running
from inside, but unfortunately for them, the SeeDs were by far more skilled
fighters, and had better magic. Seifer
seemed like he was having a blast, enjoying the audience below. A loud murmur rose in the crowd, then complete
panic and confusion. Some just watched,
while others started running about and almost knocking down people on their
way. The guards down on the ground soon
had enough work with trying to calm them down.
While all this was going on, Squall, Selphie, Zell and
Irvine took the given opportunity to make their way past all the fighting and
through the balcony entrance. Inside
they were immediately met by another wave of guards, who didn't last long. Soon they discovered the Presidential
Residence was a maze of different halls and stairs and doors, and they really
had no clue of where to go.
"Man," Zell looked around in bewilderment, "Where do we
go?"
"Hm," Squall eyed the stairs near the middle of the hall
that led up to the next floor, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with a gloved
hand. "They're probably keeping Nalhan at one of the lower floors. You three go check it out, and watch out for
the guards. I'm going to find out
what's up there."
Selphie blinked, "But Squall – you can't go alone."
He whirled around to them and snapped, "I'll be fine, just
go! We don't have the time." With that, he made his way for the stairs,
leaving no room for arguments. The
three friends looked at each other, then went down to the floor below.
(Squall, why didn't you take any of them with you?)
… I want him alone.
(Why?)
(You want revenge, don't you?)
Squall ignored her. Once by the top of the stairs, he figured he was also at the top
floor. By one end of the hall, there
was a large window, and by the other end, a single door. And two soldiers guarding it. Upon spotting him, they pulled out their
swords and ran over to attack, but didn't even have time to be amazed at
Squall's skill with the gunblade before they were both lying bleeding on the
carpet. Sighing, the young commander
closed his eyes for a few seconds, then headed for the door. He hated this. Hated killing other human beings. They weren't monsters, they were just doing their job, just like
him, and no matter how necessary it was, he always hated it.
Taking in a breath, he then braced himself before kicking
the door open.
The room was large and bright, with a high ceiling made of
glass and white walls. Except the wall
that faced out to the main street of Deling City – it wasn't a wall at all, but
instead a huge window. Apart from a
desk and a chair in front of this window and a few decorating plants, however,
the room was empty. And in the centre
of it, a tall, blonde man of about 34 or 35 years old was standing, dressed in
a plain white shirt and grey pants. His
green eyes were perfectly calm, but hard. In his right hand was a sword, not unlike the ones his guards used, but
slightly more fancy looking. Surprised
to find that the president was the only person there, Squall looked about quickly
to be certain it wasn't any kind of trap, then took a couple of steps forward.
"SeeD Commander Leonhart," Temeka spoke. His voice was even, as if he had been
waiting for this all along, and didn't bear any trace of surprise at all. Squall's eyebrows shot up in suspicion.
"What, not going to ask how I know your name? I didn't, really, I just assumed you were
the leader. Nalhan's little friends
aren't very good at keeping their secrets."
So Temeka had found out about the last time Nalhan had
hired SeeD. And once noticing what was
going on in the building, he had obviously suspected that the visitors from
Balamb Garden would get past his guards. The president seemed wary, but yet sure of himself. Squall didn't waste his voice on giving him
a reply, but instead readied his gunblade and continued towards Zolqer.
"You're right," the older man said, "Enough small
talk." He leapt forward, more swiftly
than Squall had expected him to, and swung his sword at the young SeeD's
face. Squall blocked the attack just in
time to avoid getting his head sliced in two. Zolqer Temeka knew how to fight – apparently he had been a Captain of
the Galbadian army for a reason. If
Squall just could get him alive… he'd have to pay for his crimes, for what he
had done to Timber and Dollet, and for most likely having arranged General
Caraway's death.
It didn't seem like Zolqer was planning on having both of
them get out of there alive, however. He kept up the strikes of his sword with astounding skill, and it didn't
take too long before the sleep deprived Squall was beginning to get tired. The attacks were too rapid for him to be
able to cast any magic spells. He was
alone in this; all the others were busy somewhere else in the building. He had chosen to be alone in this, and was
beginning to think he had made a mistake.
I can't do this…
(Don't lose faith in yourself now, Squall! You've managed worse before, this is just
one man. Come on!)
The others… will take care of him.
(Squall – Squall, watch out!!)
The sharp blade of Temeka's sword whipped through the air
and cut through Squall's black leather jacket, easily sinking deeply into his
right arm. Wincing in pain, Squall lost
his concentration and didn't react in time when the president proceeded to
knock the gunblade out of his hand, then place a well aimed kick in his
stomach, forcing him to fall backwards.
"Would've thought you'd last longer," Zolqer growled
quietly, sword lifted to finish the job. Squall looked up just in time to see a shadow up on the roof above. The next thing they both knew, the
well-known sound of shattering glass was heard, and a figure in a white trench
coat fell from the broken ceiling, knocking Temeka down with his own weight and
then stepping on the top of his back with one heavy boot to keep him
there. Seifer sneered, kicking away the
fallen president's sword with his other foot. "That's for kicking Squall's ass. Only I'm allowed to do that."
Watching Squall struggle to get back up as quickly as
possible, Seifer grinned at the expression on his former rival's face, "I got
bored."
A horde of seven or eight guards came rushing in the door,
but Seifer reacted immediately and lifted his Hyperion threateningly, "One step
closer, and I'll kill him! Slowly and
very painfully too. And don't doubt for
a second that I'm capable of doing it."
The soldiers gave Zolqer - who had a hard time turning his
face to actually look at them as he was still pressed against the floor – a
look, wordlessly asking him what to do. "Do as he says!" The president rumbled, "Go!"
A little hesitantly, the guards eyed the three of them a
second time before leaving the room, closing the door behind them. "Good boys," Seifer smiled slyly to himself,
then glanced down at Zolqer again. His
expression suddenly changed into a dangerous frown, and he kicked the president
roughly in the side, who groaned and crumpled up in pain. "That's for Fujin and Raijin, you bastard,"
the young blonde hissed, "Go on, Squall, finish him."
After casting a Cure spell on himself and retrieving his
Lionheart gunblade, Squall looked back at Seifer and swallowed, then shook his
head. "I can't," he turned his gaze to
look down at the helpless president, "I – I don't believe in revenge."
"You don't believe in revenge," Seifer repeated in a
mocking tone, "Are you, Squall Leonhart, standing there and telling me you
don't feel like making this guy pay for what he did to Rinoa? What he did to Rinoa and thousands of other
people without ever giving it a second thought?"
Squall frowned, "There's no point to it, Seifer! Killing Temeka isn't going to undo any wrong
he's done. It's Galbadia's job to
punish him, not ours."
"It'll make you feel better." Seifer narrowed his eyes dangerously. Temeka started to move and try to say something, but Seifer just
pressed his boot against the side of the older man's head instead and kept the
tip of his gunblade against his lower back, silencing him. "President Zolqer Temeka, responsible of
Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly's death. Maybe she would have been Rinoa Leonhart someday if this man right here
hadn't killed her, killed her and her friends and evened the town she fought
for with the ground. He murdered her
without even knowing, without ever caring. Rinoa, the woman you loved, is dead, Squall. And it wasn't your fault, it was his. If you're not going to end his life for it,
then I sure as hell will." There
was an unexpected tone of bitter emotion in Seifer's voice, and he stared at
Squall harshly, expectantly.
Squall's eyes were moist. Without having any real control of his own actions, he emitted an angry
cry and ran forward, weapon raised. Seifer's foot moved just in time as Zolqer gave one last scream of
terror before the blade of the Lionheart closed the distance between itself and
the president's throat.
Seconds later there was a whole lot of noise in the hall
outside before seven people burst into the room: Six SeeDs and one Adar
Nalhan. They all stopped and stared in
shock as they found Seifer and Squall standing over the bleeding body on the
floor. Quistis blinked and made several
attempts at speaking before finally finding her voice again, "What in the
world…?!"
Wiping blood off his gunblade with a black gloved hand,
Squall turned and calmly walked towards the oldest of the seven. "Adar Nalhan, Galbadia is in your hands now."
Chapter XXIX:
Selphie absolutely loved being the centre of
attention. Proudly she stood on the top
of the stairs outside the small church in Balamb Town, arm in arm with her
husband. She was Mrs. Kinneas now, only
18 years old, and she didn't doubt for a minute that this was the right
decision. All around them people were
standing, waving, throwing rice, taking pictures. Smiling and cheering. Selphie was a sight to behold in her pure white wedding dress, that was
tight down to her waist but then widened around her legs, and it was so long
you couldn't even see her feet. Her
wedding bouquet consisted of equally white lilies, and a whole lot of females
had already gathered in front of the couple in hopes of receiving it. Somewhere further away, she could spot
Headmaster Thomson and her friends from Trabia Garden, as well as Irvine's
foster parents. She had never expected this
many people would come!
Bright green eyes sparkling, Selphie looked up at Irvine
and smiled. "You should wear a tuxedo
more often. It suits you."
The redhead laughed softly and brushed her veil aside to
kiss her another time, causing the crowd to cheer more loudly. He was dressed in the traditional black with
the white shirt, and had luckily left his hat behind, though his long hair was
still pulled back in a pony tail. "No
way, honey," he replied, brushing his nose against hers, "These things are
uncomfortable."
"At least you aren't drowning in your clothes!" Selphie chirped. Irvine grinned and leaned in to whisper.
"Don't worry, you won't be wearing that dress for long…"
Her eyes widened in mild shock, but she only giggled,
"Irvine!"
"C'mon, Sefie. It's
time to get rid of the flowers," he winked at his young wife, who ironically
enough was a few months older than himself, and motioned towards the group of
eager girls.
Still giggling, Selphie turned her back to the others and
threw the lilies over her shoulder, "To the next lucky girl!"
There was a loud squeal from a young woman dressed in a
SeeD cadet uniform, and she jumped up and down happily while clutching onto the
bouquet. While one of her friends
congratulated her, Nikki – the two others were both part of her little gang –
stood off to the side and pouted.
"We'll just see who gets lucky first!" she
snapped. The friend who had caught the
flowers turned to her with a smirk.
"It won't be you, at least. Your prey's already taken," she nodded in Irvine's direction.
Nikki's brown eyes narrowed, "Well, well – oh, whatever." She shook her head in frustration and walked
off.
Nearby, Jadina gave a light sigh of disappointment, "Oh
well. It was worth a shot." She leaned down to pat Angelo's head, who
responded by wagging her tail. The dog
had gotten used to the company of her new mistress, although it was obvious she
still missed her original owner. Indeed, no one could ever take Rinoa's place.
Zell watched her quietly, while swallowing several times
and trying to find the nerve to speak up. His girlfriend looked so beautiful in her dark violet dress. It was sleek and shiny, simple and not
really anything extraordinary, but on her, it was perfect. In his opinion. After fumbling with something in his pocket for a long while, he
finally took out a small object and closed his hand around it. With his other hand, he took a hold of
Jadina's wrist to get her attention, and she turned around to him.
"Jade… I've… uh, wanted to give you this for a while, but…
the time never seemed right," he blushed and looked into her questioning face.
"What is it?"
Unfurling his fingers, Zell revealed a small, silver ring
in his hand, with an engraved heart on it. Jadina's expression lit up in surprise.
"I made it myself…," he explained, "Like… it's not a real…
y'know, definite promise, or anything… But, I thought it'd be nice to… have the
possibility there." Warily, he watched
her for her reaction.
But he didn't have to say anything else. Jadina stepped forward and hugged him
tightly all of a sudden, almost causing him to drop the ring. Smiling, Zell kissed her on the cheek and
took her left hand to place the home-made piece of jewellery on her finger.
"Aren't they a lovely couple?" Edea watched the newly wed SeeDs with misty eyes, caught
somewhere between present and memories of the past. "They always fit so well together. Even as children…" Cid
smiled at her and laid an arm around her shoulders.
However, as he caught sight of a familiar figure among the
lot of people in the streets outside the Balamb church, the headmaster let his
arm slip away again and took a step forward. "Seifer!"
Even on a day like this, Seifer Almasy was wearing his
usual white trench coat, but he'd had the decency to change to a more formal
shirt and pair of pants. Lifting an
eyebrow sceptically, the blonde looked over at Cid as he motioned for him to
come closer, then stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugged, and walked over.
"I'm glad to see you here," Edea commented brightly once
the young man had stopped by them, regarding him in a friendly manner.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Seifer's reply was
accompanied by a characteristic smirk.
Cid cleared his voice and straightened his vest, then
peered at Seifer over the edge of his glasses, "I have to say I've heard quite
a few good things about you after the last mission in Deling, Mr. Almasy."
Mr. Almasy? Seifer looked amused, "Oh, really?"
"Yes, the recently appointed President Nalhan has given you
a lot of praise. But he's not the only
one," Cid put a hand on his hip, "Although Quistis didn't quite approve of you
going against orders, they all agreed it was good thing you did. You probably saved Squall's life."
"And he still hasn't thanked me," the blonde mocked
exasperation, "But what else is there to expect from him?"
The headmaster sighed, "Seifer, please be serious for
once. I'm telling you this for a
reason," he paused, making sure the teenager remained silent this time, before
continuing, "What I'm trying to say is that I've been, somewhat reluctantly,
convinced of where your loyalty lies. Edea is right, you have indeed changed, and I'll go as far as saying
that I trust your judgement. Even if
you're still a bit too much on the wild side, in my opinion. You'd be a good asset to Garden. So what I'm offering you is… the SeeD title
you strived to get for so long."
And Seifer's jaw dropped. Truly too stunned to speak, he only stared at Cid, as the aging man
chuckled.
"Let's just say the rescue of Adar Nalhan was your fourth
field exam, and you passed it. Don't
worry about the written exam, you've already taken that enough times, so it's
not necessary. You're a bit of a
special case."
"I…" Seifer took in
a breath, looking between the two Kramers in bewilderment. He couldn't quite decide how he really felt
about this. He hadn't even considered
it possible ever since he'd betrayed Garden for Sorceress Ultimecia, and
getting this thrown at him now caused mixed emotions of pride and happiness,
hesitation and regret all the same. It'd mean facing his past for every day for the rest of his life, or as
long as he remained a SeeD. It would
mean having to deal with everyone's prejudices against him without having the
option to run away. And at the same
time, it gave him the opportunity to use his fighting skills for a greater good,
it gave him back his home, and he would have achieved what he'd originally
planned for his life.
Dilemmas.
"I… will have to think about it," he forced out at
last. Cid nodded.
"That is fine. Take
your time, please, we don't want you rushing into anything you're not ready
for."
Edea smiled, "Oh, he's ready, dear, he just needs to figure
out if it's what he really wants."
Looking at his former Matron, Seifer mouthed a 'thank you'
to her, then gave a nod to Cid before turning to walk away. When they could no longer see him, he
cracked a small, sincere smile.
Once he was out of view, Edea turned around to find another
pair of familiar faces heading in their direction. She greeted Laguna and Ellone pleasantly as they walked up to her
and Cid, and after formal things like shaking hands with the President and
sharing of less formal hugs with Ellone was over with, Cid spoke first.
"I'm most pleased that you both made it. Selphie is overjoyed, and Irvine's glad,
too."
"I can't believe she's getting married before me!" Ellone giggled and shook her head a little,
and Laguna eyed her.
"Hey, hey, what's the rush? You're still young!"
The chestnut haired woman just laughed. Edea looked up at Laguna, folding her hands
in front of her, "Oh, that's right… Squall told me he wanted to talk with you."
The Estharian president was visibly surprised. "You're kidding. I – I thought he hated my guts."
Edea shrugged, "Stranger things have happened, Mr.
Loire. Just don't be too fast in your
approach. He needs time to adjust."
Laguna couldn't help but grin. Ellone was smiling, too, but then she glanced around with a
searching look.
"Speaking of Squall – where is he?"
It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday in late August, and the
only chill was a mild, but cool breeze coming in from the west. Squall stood alone out in the open, green
fields of Balamb Island, staring at the distant mountains with an empty look,
dressed in his SeeD uniform. Just two
days earlier it had been his 18th birthday. Today, two of his best friends had gotten
married.
Friends. His best
friends.
Carried by the wind came a single, small and pure white
feather, swirling through the air with more ease than the bird it had most
likely come from. Squall blinked stormy
blue eyes, feeling his heart leap at the mere sight of it, but still he reached
out and grabbed it midair as it came close to him.
A coincidence.
(Is that what you believe?)
Breathing in deeply, he held the air in before letting it
out again through a trembling sigh.
She stood a short distance behind him, with her hands on
her back and her eyes locked firmly on his still figure. In her mind a battle was being fought: to
approach, or not to approach.
What she had thought she wanted she had begun to
doubt. What she'd thought would feel
right felt so wrong. It wasn't her
place to push herself at him, it wasn't in her power to help. Only in that weak moment he had turned to
her because she was the closest target, something to lean on for comfort while
trying to forget.
Part of her wished to believe this, convinced that it was
the truth and that thinking otherwise would be to fool herself. Part of her wished – oh, wished so deeply –
that she was completely wrong. To
approach, or not to approach. To love,
or not to love. Either way, no matter
what she chose, she knew that it would hurt her, in one way or another.
But as she looked at him then, watched him stand there in
pain and solitude, watched him go through every day and having to face his
greatest fear without anyone taking that burden off him – as she watched him be
so alone… The decision had already been made. God help her, even if it might not be returned as she'd hoped, she loved
him so. If she could make him suffer
less by fooling herself, then so be it – or even if she could just make him
realize what he felt and what he wanted… no matter what it was, no matter where
she'd go afterwards, it would be worth it.
Squall felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He found himself looking back into the
familiar, soft yet almost-always-stern face of Quistis as her ice blue eyes
stared at him with a strange set of emotion that he couldn't quite make
out. Her dress was dark red, almost
blood red, with matching gloves that reached all the way to her elbows. Her golden hair was loose, and she had no
glasses. It suited her. She was beautiful.
"The party is in the other direction."
"I know. That's why
I'm here."
So he wasn't fond of big masses of people celebrating
things, whether it be SeeD graduation balls, his birthday or a wedding, but
that was no big secret. Quistis smiled
half-heartedly, but it was gone within the second. "How do you feel?"
Please don't ask. "Fine."
Those cold eyes narrowed, and she turned away
slightly. His lips moved but he
couldn't get out a sound, and only kept his eyes on her. Don't turn away, his expression pleaded, but
she couldn't see it. Don't walk away
this time too, don't let my mistakes push you away, because I need you, I…
(Tell her.)
"Quistis," Squall almost faltered, but managed to pull
himself together in time, "I… You-… You're my only choice."
The ice frown melted, and the blonde woman looked at him
again, the hurt in her eyes gone and replaced with surprise.
"And… I can't… do this without you," he chose his words
carefully.
Relief, joy… hope. For the first time in her life, Quistis Trepe was glad to be wrong. Another smile crossed her lips, but still it
didn't last long. "It's not going to be
easy."
"Nothing in my life has ever been easy," he answered, "It's
a risk I didn't dare to take for so long… When I finally did, it
backfired. But I… realize… there's so
much more to lose by not risking again."
For half an eternity, the flash of a second, time stood
still as the breeze died down, and blue met blue. Then as the world began to move again, she reached forward with a
hand. Squall seemed to consider it for
a brief moment, then took it in his own.
"We're going to miss the party," she whispered.
Just as they began to walk back towards Garden, the wind
picked up again. Squall gazed up at the
clouds, then opened his other hand to look at the white feather he was still
holding. Tenderly, he caressed it with
his thumb, and the next thing he knew, it was sailing away in the air again,
continuing its journey from west to east. Squall Leonhart smiled.
To the woman who taught me how to live.
Chapter XXX:
Twenty years later…
It was early afternoon, and the sun was shining upon Deling
City – but the light did not reach the office in the Presidential Residence. The dark curtains blocked the windows, not
allowing the room to be lit by anything but a single lamp upon the wooden
desk. Darius Nalhan sat down in his
chair heavily, having just closed the door behind one of his advisors, after
finally getting him out of his office. Citizens complaining about this and that, trouble stirring up in east, a
storm destroying a village in west, army wanting more money, schools wanting
more money, everyone wanting more money, better lives, less burdens – and it
was all his responsibility. All his
responsibility ever since the accident just a few months earlier… The boy laid his head down on the desk,
staring at the picture that stood there just next to the lamp. It showed an aging, short man, with silver
hair that had once been black. Next to
him was a woman, a beautiful brunette that probably was nearly twenty years
younger than himself. They were
smiling.
Darius sighed heavily, then closed his eyes. They were brown, like his father's, but his
hair was thick and dark chestnut coloured like his mother's, and while he
wasn't exactly the tallest male ever, at least his height was pretty
average. Looks that he had been rather
content with and busy tending to. Now
he didn't have the time to worry about petty things like that, didn't have time
to anything, really, except working and sleeping. Sleep, it was such a tempting thought. No one would see him… just fifteen minutes… maybe thirty…
"No, this is no life for a nineteen year old child." The voice was soft, soothing, like a mother
cooing to a baby. Darius immediately
blinked his eyes wide open, stumbled out of the chair and whirled around to
look at the one who had spoken.
She was stunning.
A woman in her mid-twenties, certainly no older than that,
stood by the end of his room, her back just an inch away from the wall. She was dressed in a deep scarlet dress, a
long one that flowed beautifully around her lithe body, and covered her
feet. Her fingernails were long and
violet, and her hair reached all the way to her knees – it was white, and
spread around her like fine silk. Her
face was pale, her lips blood red – and her eyes, her eyes were a startling
cold shade of blue. She smiled at him
in a smug, yet seductive manner.
"How did you get in here?!" Darius snapped, angry and
confused at the same time.
"How… does not matter as much as why, dear Darius my
child," was the woman's response. Her
smile lingered, and she took a few steps forward. For a moment Darius thought he saw her float instead of walk, but
it was probably only his imagination and lack of sleep.
"My friends call me Darius," he said coolly, "You will
address me as President Nalhan."
She chuckled, a soft, yet mocking laughter, and kept
approaching his desk with fluid movements. "Your father was President Nalhan, child. My name is Yvivina Gar'ena. But you may address me as Yvivina… for now."
As she came close to him, Darius edged away, pressing
closer to the back of his chair, but he still stood up straight and tried to
remain in a state of authority. "What
business do you have here, Miss Gar'ena?"
The laughter came again, and she sounded even more amused
this time. "Darius, Darius, Darius… Such a young boy with such an innocent name… in such a
powerful position." Yvivina shook her
head dramatically, her smile fading as she turned to look him in the eyes –
just for a brief second. Then she
reached out with slim fingers to grab the picture on the desk. She lifted it up, studying it. "Adar and Rosanna Nalhan… A tragedy, isn't
it? Out driving one day, their first
free time together in years… all cheerful and oblivious. And then all of a sudden…," she put the
picture down and looked at him again, "… nothing. Not unlike what happened to a certain General a long while ago,
I've heard… Only he just lost his wife and not his own life. No, that happened much later."
And she laughed.
Darius could only watch her in surprise. But then his expression hardened to a glare
and he cleared his voice, not letting her words get to him. He couldn't. Stay calm, stay firm. "Miss Gar'ena, this is all irrelevant. If you don't state your business here right now, I'm going to have to
have you removed from my office!"
"Is that a threat?" Yvivina raised her delicate eyebrows, her blue eyes twinkling with that
same, cruel amusement. "I adore
threats, my child. But only the real
ones." Darius started to say something,
but before he could, she was even closer to him – and one of those violet
fingernails caressed his clean shaved chin gently. "Are you a real threat, dear Darius Nalhan? Are you a threat to me?"
The young President backed up against his desk now, until
he couldn't go any further. She locked
gazes with him, and somehow he couldn't look away, couldn't escape. She was so beautiful. If he had leaned back any further he would
have been lying on the desk. "Please, miss… leave."
Yvivina ignored him. "Or perhaps, child, perhaps I am a threat to you? Or maybe even… I am an answer to your
dreams… To your inner, deep desires. Is
a little girlfriend able to answer those dreams, Darius? Don't you ever long for something true,
something… pure?" Her fingers moved up
his cheek, slowly, like a snake, and she came closer, ever closer. Her lips locked onto his like their gazes,
and Darius only stared, couldn't protest, couldn't… think.
When she let go, she still held his head in both her hands,
her nose touching his, and a predatory grin crossed her face. "Perhaps we are the answers to each other's
dreams, my Knight. Together we will
find a world beyond komprehension. Together, we kan konquer every dream that ever existed… In any time."
Her eyes sparkled a bright golden.
"All I need, child, is your help to get to power…"
The End