I don't own Squaresoft or the characters. It all belongs to them. And I thank them.

Cell Mates

Seifer walked into the crowded courtroom for what would be the last time. He held his breath and ducked through the door, almost blinded by the flash of cameras. Of course every news station in the country would be there to witness the sentencing of the Sorceress's knight. A man from Timber Maniacs shoved a microphone under his nose and asked, "Mr. Almasy, what do you think the verdict will be?" Seifer pushed past the reporter, batting the microphone away from his mouth with his free hand, the other having been securely handcuffed to the Esthar officer leading him to the front of the courtroom.

Seifer sat down at the small table set for him in the middle of the room. The judge looked down upon him with contempt. The air in the courtroom was heavy and sticky from the number of people that filled it. The snap of the cameras and the murmur of the crowd were silenced by the harsh rapping of the gavel on the large oaken desk. The judge glared down at the young man sitting beneath him with sadistic glory. Seifer stared back defiantly, keeping his jaw set and his chin high.

The jury began to file into the room. Each member kept their faces straight and a few didn't even raise their heads to look at the blond teenager displayed to their judgment. The last man to walk in remained standing and at the judges consent, stated, "We the jury, find the defendant, Seifer Almasy, guilty of treason." The man sat, obviously feeling no remorse as he glared at Seifer condescendingly.

The judge twisted his mouth is an approving smile at the jury members then turned to glare at Seifer once again. Seifer bowed his head and scowled. What was to become of him, death row, life in prison. torture? The judge coughed roughly, forcing Seifer to lift his head and acknowledge him.

"You, Seifer Almasy, have been found guilty." He let the words sink in and linger in the air before he continued. "In light of the fact that you insist that your actions throughout the duration of time compression were completely against your will, I have adjusted your sentence to fit accordingly." Seifer looked around the room, confused and inwardly frightened by the deadening silence, only occasionally broken by the snap of a camera. He refocused his attention on the judge who now glowered sternly at him. "The punishment should fit the crime, should it not?"

Seifer sat dumbfounded as the obnoxious robed man stared cruelly at him. Seifer realized that the judge expected him to answer the question. "Umm...Yes, sir." His voice was cracked and hoarse.

"Yes." He repeated the answer with finality. "That is why I have arranged a special situation for you. Just as you made we, the public, the people of the world, disappear into nothingness, void of time, so shall you." Seifer could not imagine what he was in store for now. "Of course, that may seem like the perfect escape for you. That is why I have arranged a companion, a man whose soul purpose will be to watch over you, keep you in check at all times." A wicked laugh escaped the Judge's throat, it echoed through Seifer's head, making him feel suddenly nauseous. "But we cannot just put any man in this position, so I found someone with the same past as you.only he admits to the crime!" Seifer was undisturbed as the doors flew open, forcing a breeze to swipe by him. The crowd gasped in shock as a tall man was led through the doors. "Sephiroth!" The Judge concluded.

Seifer was startled from his daze as he lifted his head to see the man that his Matron once told him stories about, the evilest man in all the worlds. He stood at a height of six-foot-one and was surprisingly young looking for his age, which Seifer thought had to be in the late sixties. Sephiroth's long, silver hair spilled over his shoulders and down his back. His emerald eyes glistened as they connected with Seifer's light green ones. Seifer gawked for several moments until the judge coughed to get his attention. Seifer realized his mouth was hanging open and quickly shut it.

"There will be plenty of time for the two of you to get acquainted, Mr. Almasy. Now back to your sentence. You will live in a house on the outskirts of Timber. There, you will be given the supplies you need to live and an officer will visit you weekly. Should either of you leave the premises; the law will be notified immediately. You have been inserted with tracking devises; there will be no escape. This is a permanent arrangement, mind you! Furthermore, there will be no outside visitors, so I hope you don't have girlfriend."

Seifer stared coldly at the judge and fought down the sudden need to yell, once again, that he had had no control over his actions. Now they were making him live with a psychopathic war-wager that Seifer thought was just a ploy to frighten children into behaving. Seifer shuddered at the thought of living with the scary man that now, like he, glared menacingly at the judge.

Seifer felt the familiar feeling of handcuffs being placed on his wrists. As he exited the courthouse, through all the flashing cameras and cheering, leering citizens, Seifer saw a familiar face. In the back of the courthouse, looking at him through cool, blue eyes stood Squall Leonheart. Seifer and Squall's eyes connected, for a brief moment, Seifer was sure he saw a hint of sorrow in his rival's eyes. But the compassion was soon replaced with the distant, indifferent look Squall usually sported as he focused his eyes elsewhere. Seifer looked down at his boots, the only thing they had let him keep, biting back tears. The standard prison garb, brown shirt and pocket-less pants, adorned the rest of his body. He felt vulnerable and uncomfortable without his coat; he wondered where it was now.

Trying to uphold his noble, proud posture, Seifer strode from the courthouse and into the streets. A police vehicle was waiting to take him to his new home, along with a crowd of citizens. Some held signs that said "Seifer was brainwashed" but most were there to see the teenager that they despised above all other things. They threw stones at him and spat at his feet. Before they shoved him into the squad car, a reporter pushed through the police and thrust a tape recorder in front of his face.

"Seifer, what are your feelings on the verdict?" The young woman asked loudly, pleading with her eyes for him to answer the question before the police removed her.

Seifer scowled at her, then smirked, then started laughing. What did he have to lose? "Well, ma'am. That judge was a real dick." He winked at the stunned reporter as the policeman slammed the door, nearly smashing him in the face. He laughed at the swelling crowd as he pulled out, mocking them and their signs. He would never see them again and he couldn't think of a better situation to be in at the moment.



Stay tuned for chapter 2