Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1

Duel

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Blood. Seifer's wound bubbled as he stood straight. Thunder in the skies above raged with God's anger. With each blow, with each slash, the thunder cut through the sky, letting the blackness bleed rain, sharp knives of Huge flames or strength and anger rose in each others eyes, death lay around the corner Ice Coldness shone through their souls, not one feeling of care lied between the two rival men. Death was the only way out, but there had been enough death. Just one more...one more single death and then no more.

Squall flung his blade forward and Seifer caught Squall's blow, throwing him off to his side, sending Squall skidding onto the ground, he landed on his left hand, which twisted painfully under him. Squall heard the crunch of breaking bones as his wrist joint buckled under his weight, splintering and breaking. Squall let out a silent yell as he gritted his teeth to bare the pain. If only he had some recovery magic on him, but he didn't. Seifer waited for his enemy to rise before he slashed his blade across Squall's back, sending the young man, not even twenty, yet again, sprawling across the ground.

"Pitiful," Seifer muttered as Squall tried to stand up, but his broken wrist couldn't hold any wait and Squall wobbled on his one handed support. "Get up!" Seifer yelled the order; flashes of lightening eliminated his face. "Get up I said!" he ordered, enjoying his sudden power over Squall. Strength. He aimed a kick at Squall, sending the young man fighting just to stand up, flying into a thick stonewall. Squall used the buildings side as leverage to stand up. He held his blade in his right hand, which was un-injured. The sword was heavy and Squall would be clumsy with it just to use it in the one hand. Seifer laughed at his weakened rival.

Squall stared at Seifer and refused to let the tears that threatened to fall build up behind his eyes, burning them. Rinoa...I won't give up! I love you!! I won't let this brute touch you! Never! Squall ignored the pain in his wrist and the deep laceration across his bleeding back. He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands. It was agony to lift it, but Squall did and stood up straight. He could have cried out aloud, the pain almost brought tears to his eyes. His lip trembled as he lifted the blade higher. All this is for you Rinoa! This pain, it is all for you! All because I love you!

Squall ran at Seifer and brought his sword down; Seifer's sword hit it aside, with the force Squalls sword reflected into Seifer's hip. The young blonde screamed an out loud and fell over against the wall as he looked at the deep hold in his side. "You bastard!" he spat.

Squall pulled Seifer upright, the young blonde man groaned at the pain. "Admit it Seifer, you've lost! You've lost everything. You can either die here now, or go. Take your pick. If you want to stay and fight, then die and die in honor, or be the coward you have always been and run away. I'm giving you the choice. Just don't let your death lay on my conscience," Squall said catching his breath and feeling the agony build up to something much greater in his wrist and back.

"I'll never back out Squall! You will die!" Seifer yelled and grinned, "Squall, you think I would let you live? I may seem easy to kill now...but you will never be able to kill me Squall! NEVER" Seifer roared and laughed.

The sky's lit up again and screamed in its terrible anger.

Kill each other. Cut each other up! Do you not see the life, the love you will be destroying? Are you blind? Are you stupid! Go ahead! Kill all what you have left! Destroy each other, rip out your hearts and feed it to the dogs! You're worthless! You pigs! What do you care! Look at what is around you! Death! Destruction! But what do you care?!? You care of nothing! All you want to do is kill! And I tell you! I'll tell you something! You will face the consequences! The death of a loved one! You protect her? Do you protect her? Then you are mad! Look at her… do you see her...DO YOU SEE? She will die and in your arms… DIE! Both of you! IDIOTS! You will regret this! Your anger will kill all those closest to you. Never again will either of your lives be the same once this is over!

Seifer ignored the huge slash to his hip, splintered bits of bone jutted out of the wound, but none of this mattered. Only the death of the other. That was all that mattered. They ran at each other, swords clashed and they stood there, eyes staring madly into each others. Death to you. Squall threw Seifer aside, sending the blonde man skidding into a deep murky puddle. Seifer screamed in agony as the filthy rain water seeped into his wound. Squall pulled his opponent up from the ground by his scruff.

"Still want to fight?" he asked with an evil sneer. Squall felt a shiver jet down his spine, this wasn't him at all. I don't sneer. I am not evil....but… then what am I doing? Sneering, laughing like a maniac. It is as if I enjoy doing this, but I've never... Squall blocked half a dozen blows from Seifer and spun round so he was on Seifer's right side. His wrist was agony; he clamped his jaw down tight to prevent any sign of pain. Seifer was slow to turn; Squalls blow across Seifer's head was fatal.

The blonde man, rival of Squall, fell to the floor.

Seifer...no..... Squall fell to his knees beside Seifer, who had fallen to the floor, his brains spilling out of his head, leaking all over Squalls legs. SEIFER!!!!!! "What have I done... I've killed him..."he whispered as he knelt by the side of the dead body, formally known as Seifer, the once loud and arrogant Seifer. But this is what I wanted wasn't it? I wanted to kill him...I wanted him dead...this is how I wanted it.. Squall felt tears come into his eyes and the pain in his wrist exploded. If I wanted him dead, if this is really what I wanted...then why am I crying..? Squall held his wrist close to his body, all his wounds bled with more blood, making his pain even greater. "Seifer...I...I'm sorry," Squall whispered, only hoping that his former rival but true friend could hear him, wherever his soul was now.

Squall stood up, still looking down upon Seifer who lay there, dead. "I hope you will forgive me one day," Squall muttered, all the guilt exploded in his heart that Squall actually cried, tears streaked his cheeks as he looked down upon the sight he would never ever forget. Seifer, now that you're dead, maybe now you can actually be happy for once and contented. Maybe now you will calm down completely. I wish though...that you had found real love. Squall thought to himself silently before he departed from the scene, limping slightly and holding his fractured wrist.

The clouds above began to tremble, Squall ignored them. Flashes of lighting exploded with in it, until huge bolt pure blue electricity struck the earth with such a force it made the whole place tremble. Squall didn't look back, he didn't want to. Instead, he just kept walking and walking. His whole body was filled with pain. Hurt from his wounds but mostly in his heart. Seifer was dead and he had killed him.

But what else could I of done? He wanted to be killed; I don't think he wanted another defeat to feel in his heart. At least now that he is gone. .he won't have to feel the defeat anymore. In a way, he has won. I am alive and I feel dead inside. I am alive and suffering. Seifer has no more sufferings. Maybe this is for the best...

Squall turned to look back to where Seifer's body lies. At first he thought his eyes were playing games with him, for Seifer's body, was no longer there. Squall stared and then ran back, to where Seifer's body had once been. He wasn't there, not one trace. No blood, no nothing, it was as if they hadn't been there, as if Squall hadn't fought with him. Gone. All gone… As if that nothing at all had happened between them.

But...my wrist is still broken and my back still hurts... Squall reasoned the thought that none of it actually did happen quickly left his head. Squall looked around; there was nothing and no one. Dawn was upon him already as the sun poked its nose out, but still, Squall couldn't see anything.

"Seifer...where are you?!?" Squall yelled out, but there was no answer, nothing. Squall stood there, feeling utterly alone. Where Seifer's body had once been, was nothing, not even one hint. Squall stood, barley breathing and in shock. "Seifer, if you can here me...I'm sorry," Squall mumbled.

Slowly he began to walk away yet again; it was too painful to stay there where Seifer's body had once lain. Lifting his head high he walked onwards and away, he had to get out of here. He had to go home and back to Rinoa and plead her forgiveness, all he wanted now was for his love to be there beside him, even though she didn't want to marry him.

I'm alone.. .all alone. Where are my friends... my friends! Quistis, Zell… Irvine? Where are all of you? Selphie... Ellone, all of you where are you! Squall suddenly began to worry. Where were his friends, all he wanted now were his friends. Mischa...Reene and Javri... of course.. Squalls heart suddenly jumped into reality. Reene, Mischa's one love. Squall had set out to help her, but only managed and so foolishly to get captured himself. How blind he had been. Hardly what you would call a good SeeD. And people call me a hero!

Squall walked through the almost deserted streets of Dollet in a blind daze. Nothing distracted him from his deep thoughts, not one sound, not one flash of colour. All he could see was Rinoa, all his friends, his father Laguna, Seifer and all the images of his past. All the painful images, along with the happy. He remembered that time when he and Rinoa had danced together, to when they had argued and he had fallen in love. His life, so full of self-brought-on misery and so much happiness, all of which he had forgotten. The only things he had remembered were the misery of it all.

Just keep on walking. Walk to the ends of the earth, the world, the universe. Just keep on walking, on and on and on. Never stop, walk out your feelings, and walk through your heart. Just keep on going, keep on walking and never ever think of stopping. Not until you reach the present, not until you realize what you have so close.

Mischa, I'll find Reene for you and I'll make sure she is safe. I'll find Javri too and then I'll go back to my friends and then to my love Rinoa. I promise I won't fail anyone ever again. I promise I'll be better.

Squall walked off, the sun rose slowly in the east; an orange haze filled the sky above. Not a single cloud was there anymore. All was quiet, all was peaceful. Not a sound, nothing, it was as if someone had blown out all signs of life. Not a single sound, not a single anything. The figure of Squall disappeared into the shadows not yet lit with the suns touching rays. Into the shadows of thoughts and the darkness of sorrows. Away to think alone to find out something he already knew.