Seifer turned roughly in the sheets as he dreamed. He was a little boy and
his Matron was telling him and the other children about the evil Sephiroth.
Then suddenly, as he clung to his Star Wars pillow, chewing nervously on
the end, a tall figure burst through the door. It was Sephiroth, only his
eyes glittered red and he seemed fifteen feet tall to Seifer in his young
form. The wicked man pointed at him and said his name. Seifer got up to run
but the other children: Squall, Selphie, Zell, all of them, held him in
place. Seifer squirmed and fought against their bonding grip but he could
not free himself. The glorified version of Sephiroth stood at his feet and
cackled maliciously. The fiendish man raised his thin sword to Seifer's
tiny neck and arched an eyebrow. Seifer was holding perfectly still so as
not to cut himself on the blade. Then he saw Sephiroth raise his fist and
bring it down hard on the butt of the sword to jam it into his throat.
Seifer awoke with a start. He was lying in a tangled mess of bedding that engulfed him. Sweat beaded on his forehead and upper lip as he stumbled to his feet shakily. "Just a nightmare." He breathlessly assured himself. He looked for a clock. It was two PM. He slept through most of the day.
He made his bed and put his clothes away. At the bottom of the bag, his coat was balled up. A few rips in the soft leather that were result from his last fight before time compression still existed. But to Seifer, it was good as new. He held it to his chest, inhaled its scent, and then hung it carefully and lovingly in the closet.
He missed his gunblade with an ache in his heart. He lost it in the time compression. If only he had been holding it. He wondered where it was now, lying in some field, in someone's museum, or maybe even at the police station. He was still recovering from the disorientation of time compression and the feeling of the sorceress gone from his mind and body when they picked him up. Regaining control of oneself was a hard thing to do, especially in a jail cell. Seifer put everything back in order then grabbed his street clothes. All he wanted to do was shower the sweat from a hard night's sleep off and get out of his prison garb. Not to mention, he really had to pee.
Sephiroth was watching the news and scowling at how old he looked. Every station was covering the story. People were shocked by Judge Madre's decision. Most were outraged. One woman was protesting outside the courthouse. "How can our government accept putting two well-known masterminds in a house together with an electric fence the only barrier between them and the outside world?!" Sephiroth blushed at the compliment; he never viewed himself as a mastermind, it just came naturally. "Just think what they could accomplish if they put their minds together! It could be the end of the world as we know it!" she screamed into the reporters' camera. Sephiroth clicked off the TV as she continued her rant.
"And I feel fine." Sephiroth said, smirking at his own dark humor. He heard a noise and watched as a groggy Seifer stumbled with an armload of clothing from his room to the bathroom. "We'll need a little work first." Sephiroth said to himself as the puffy-eyed Seifer again refrained from eye contact.
Sephiroth was angered by his relocation from one world to another back when he was banished ten years ago. At first he wished they would have left him for dead, but now he was glad. The people of this new planet seemed foolish and obtuse. It appeared that teenagers were running everything while the adults sat at home. He was very unimpressed by the organization known as SeeD. It seemed to be a group of arrogant adolescents sent to do all the dirty work. If only he had known that there were other worlds. He might have traveled to them before he was evicted from the old one. He wasn't sure who had done it, or what the advantage of it was. But the people here all seemed like they knew of his deeds in the last world, so it must not be too uncommon.
Seifer sank down into a tub of hot water and smiled. Baths were out of the question in prison. He splashed water over his face and hair. He lay a hot washcloth over his eyes and put his head back against the wall.
Half an hour later the water went cold. Seifer stood up and toweled off. His fingers were white and pruned. He hated that. He found his shaver and quickly scraped it along his chin. He liked to pretend that he actually had to shave every morning, but the truth was, he never did grow facial hair that much.
Seifer brushed his teeth, spiked his hair, and then gave himself a warm-up lecture about facing Sephiroth. Why was he so afraid of this man? He never had a problem facing anyone or anything in his whole life. His last encounter with the Sorceress had left him weak and insecure. He wasn't able to handle the fear like he used to, and that scared him more than anything. Nevertheless, He strode into the hallway, feeling confident. He stopped in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of juice and grabbing a piece of bread to eat, he hated toast. Still feeling poised and self-assured, he walked over to the couch. Sephiroth sat beside it in a chair. Seifer thought he was going to faint. He quickly pulled himself together, plopping onto the couch and consuming his orange juice in one gulp.
"Morning." Sephiroth chirped. "Sleep well, did you?"
Seifer starred at the older man with shock. He sounded cheery, not malicious. "Y-yeah. H-hi." Seifer stammered stupidly. Then he narrowed his eyes and found his balls. "I slept well, sir. How about you??" Sephiroth smiled at him and nodded. Seifer was at a lack for words. "So, whatcha doin'?"
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Watching TV."
"Are we on?" Seifer asked somewhat excitedly, slouching down on the surprisingly comfortable couch.
Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Stupid question." He flipped on the television as a big-haired news reporter commented on how nice it was to be rid of two major threats at once. Sephiroth made a 'tch' noise and turned the TV back off.
"They aren't rid of us!" Seifer said angrily. "If anything, they've just made us angrier." Now this was what Sephiroth wanted to hear.
"I thought you 'didn't do anything?'" Sephiroth smirked, mimicking the younger man in an exaggerated whine.
Seifer glared at the silver-haired man, forgetting all fear, his usual pompous nature emerging. "I didn't." He sneered. "But these assholes sure make me wish I had!"
Sephiroth gave the blonde a crooked smile. Then there was a knock on the door.
Seifer pulled the door open with an annoyed sigh. He was shocked when he saw the visitor. "Squall!" He said, surprised. "What'd you want?"
Squall retained the demeanor of a SeeD soldier. His face showed that he was on a strictly business mission and not here for friendly chat, not that Seifer would want that. "Mr. Almasy." He nodded his head and stepped into the house. "Mr., well, Sephiroth, sir." Again, a curt nod. "I'm here, as your SeeD consultant, to make sure that you have settled into your new environment properly and see if you have any needs we weren't prepared for."
"Were not animals, Mr. SeeD, or whatever, we have 'adapted' quite well to this new habitat." Sephiroth scoffed. "So you can talk to us like humans. Not specimens."
"I'm sorry." Squall said, it sounded genuine. "Is there anything you need or want that I can assist you in getting?" He rephrased. "Is that better, sir?"
"Hmm." Sephiroth already didn't like this one, "Do you think I could get some weights or any other workout equipment. I'd like to stay healthy."
"Agreeable." Squall said, "You?" He indicated Seifer, who was glowering at him from the door.
"Yeah," Seifer folded his arms across his chest and took a few steps towards his long-time rival. "I want my gunblade, Hyperion."
Squall almost laughed. "Why? You don't need it." He walked up until his face was right next to Seifer's. He was a smaller man in height and build, but he knew Seifer couldn't touch him if he wanted to. "What makes you think they would agree to arm you anyway?"
"I miss it," Seifer said, resisting every urge in his body to push the slighter man away from him, "wouldn't you? I just want to have it, it's mine."
"One, I would never 'lose' my gunblade." Squall whispered only loud enough for Seifer to hear. "And two, I would never raise my weapon against an innocent. So never compare your problems to me again. You'll never see your weapon or your girlfriend again." He smiled smugly.
Seifer had to think a moment before he realized whom Squall was talking about. He stepped back and doubled over in laughter. "Who, Rinoa?!" he choked through laughter. "You can have her. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Squall turned bright red. "She's the sweetest, nicest woman I have ever met and I love her!" he exclaimed, "She loved you. before you became the homicidal lunatic that you are."
Seifer fell backwards and landed on his butt in laughter now. "I'm lucky she didn't turn me homosexual let alone homicidal!"
"You'll never see your weapon again!" Squall hissed grabbing the door handle. "Enjoy your eternity." Thus, he left; slamming the door so hard the house shuddered.
Seifer laughed a bit longer before he stood up, wiping tears from his eyes. "God, I needed that!" he said to Sephiroth who was watching in bemusement. "I haven't laughed that hard since the last time Rinoa asked me to marry her." Seifer smiled at Sephiroth with no hint of arrogance or gloat of defeat. Only a smile of content.
Sephiroth felt himself smiling uncontrollably at the man before him as well. Except that for the first time in a long while, his smile was not snide, nor did it hide a vindictive plan. It was genuine.
Seifer's t-shirt was caught, pushed up above his belly, exposing a set of muscled abs; his hair was tousled and still wet from his bath, his lips exposed his dazzling white teeth. Sephiroth thought he was falling in love with the young, healthy man. The last thing he needed, in his mind, was another pointless crush to get in the way of his plans. but he couldn't control himself.
Squall got into his car where Rinoa was waiting.
"How'd it go?" she asked, patting his hand. She could tell he was upset because his face was flushed as he slammed the car door.
"Some people never change!" he yelled, revving the engine before speeding away.
"You wanna talk about it?" she cooed.
"No."
"Well, I want to." Rinoa pouted.
Squall rolled his eyes. "Seifer is his same old asshole self, and Sephiroth is a scary man. He's like, 'Silence of the Lambs!'" Squall punched the steering wheel. "Why did I have to be put on this job?"
Rinoa gave him a fake, concerned look. "Did he say anything about me?" Squall glared at her a moment. "Yeah, but it wasn't very nice."
"What?!" Rinoa squeaked. "What, did you say to get him to say bad things about me?"
Squall thought for a moment. He had a difficult time concentrationg when Rinoa talked so fast. "I said that you loved him befo-"
"YOU WHAT?!" Rinoa was livid, cutting Squall off in mid sentence. "I can't believe you said I still liked him! I'm with you now!" She punched him in the arm.
"Ow! Hey!" Squall tried to calm her. "I said that you." It was useless. She wasn't going to let him get a word in. The nagging wouldn't stop until after the trip back. This is why he liked to keep his mouth shut.
Seifer awoke with a start. He was lying in a tangled mess of bedding that engulfed him. Sweat beaded on his forehead and upper lip as he stumbled to his feet shakily. "Just a nightmare." He breathlessly assured himself. He looked for a clock. It was two PM. He slept through most of the day.
He made his bed and put his clothes away. At the bottom of the bag, his coat was balled up. A few rips in the soft leather that were result from his last fight before time compression still existed. But to Seifer, it was good as new. He held it to his chest, inhaled its scent, and then hung it carefully and lovingly in the closet.
He missed his gunblade with an ache in his heart. He lost it in the time compression. If only he had been holding it. He wondered where it was now, lying in some field, in someone's museum, or maybe even at the police station. He was still recovering from the disorientation of time compression and the feeling of the sorceress gone from his mind and body when they picked him up. Regaining control of oneself was a hard thing to do, especially in a jail cell. Seifer put everything back in order then grabbed his street clothes. All he wanted to do was shower the sweat from a hard night's sleep off and get out of his prison garb. Not to mention, he really had to pee.
Sephiroth was watching the news and scowling at how old he looked. Every station was covering the story. People were shocked by Judge Madre's decision. Most were outraged. One woman was protesting outside the courthouse. "How can our government accept putting two well-known masterminds in a house together with an electric fence the only barrier between them and the outside world?!" Sephiroth blushed at the compliment; he never viewed himself as a mastermind, it just came naturally. "Just think what they could accomplish if they put their minds together! It could be the end of the world as we know it!" she screamed into the reporters' camera. Sephiroth clicked off the TV as she continued her rant.
"And I feel fine." Sephiroth said, smirking at his own dark humor. He heard a noise and watched as a groggy Seifer stumbled with an armload of clothing from his room to the bathroom. "We'll need a little work first." Sephiroth said to himself as the puffy-eyed Seifer again refrained from eye contact.
Sephiroth was angered by his relocation from one world to another back when he was banished ten years ago. At first he wished they would have left him for dead, but now he was glad. The people of this new planet seemed foolish and obtuse. It appeared that teenagers were running everything while the adults sat at home. He was very unimpressed by the organization known as SeeD. It seemed to be a group of arrogant adolescents sent to do all the dirty work. If only he had known that there were other worlds. He might have traveled to them before he was evicted from the old one. He wasn't sure who had done it, or what the advantage of it was. But the people here all seemed like they knew of his deeds in the last world, so it must not be too uncommon.
Seifer sank down into a tub of hot water and smiled. Baths were out of the question in prison. He splashed water over his face and hair. He lay a hot washcloth over his eyes and put his head back against the wall.
Half an hour later the water went cold. Seifer stood up and toweled off. His fingers were white and pruned. He hated that. He found his shaver and quickly scraped it along his chin. He liked to pretend that he actually had to shave every morning, but the truth was, he never did grow facial hair that much.
Seifer brushed his teeth, spiked his hair, and then gave himself a warm-up lecture about facing Sephiroth. Why was he so afraid of this man? He never had a problem facing anyone or anything in his whole life. His last encounter with the Sorceress had left him weak and insecure. He wasn't able to handle the fear like he used to, and that scared him more than anything. Nevertheless, He strode into the hallway, feeling confident. He stopped in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of juice and grabbing a piece of bread to eat, he hated toast. Still feeling poised and self-assured, he walked over to the couch. Sephiroth sat beside it in a chair. Seifer thought he was going to faint. He quickly pulled himself together, plopping onto the couch and consuming his orange juice in one gulp.
"Morning." Sephiroth chirped. "Sleep well, did you?"
Seifer starred at the older man with shock. He sounded cheery, not malicious. "Y-yeah. H-hi." Seifer stammered stupidly. Then he narrowed his eyes and found his balls. "I slept well, sir. How about you??" Sephiroth smiled at him and nodded. Seifer was at a lack for words. "So, whatcha doin'?"
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Watching TV."
"Are we on?" Seifer asked somewhat excitedly, slouching down on the surprisingly comfortable couch.
Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Stupid question." He flipped on the television as a big-haired news reporter commented on how nice it was to be rid of two major threats at once. Sephiroth made a 'tch' noise and turned the TV back off.
"They aren't rid of us!" Seifer said angrily. "If anything, they've just made us angrier." Now this was what Sephiroth wanted to hear.
"I thought you 'didn't do anything?'" Sephiroth smirked, mimicking the younger man in an exaggerated whine.
Seifer glared at the silver-haired man, forgetting all fear, his usual pompous nature emerging. "I didn't." He sneered. "But these assholes sure make me wish I had!"
Sephiroth gave the blonde a crooked smile. Then there was a knock on the door.
Seifer pulled the door open with an annoyed sigh. He was shocked when he saw the visitor. "Squall!" He said, surprised. "What'd you want?"
Squall retained the demeanor of a SeeD soldier. His face showed that he was on a strictly business mission and not here for friendly chat, not that Seifer would want that. "Mr. Almasy." He nodded his head and stepped into the house. "Mr., well, Sephiroth, sir." Again, a curt nod. "I'm here, as your SeeD consultant, to make sure that you have settled into your new environment properly and see if you have any needs we weren't prepared for."
"Were not animals, Mr. SeeD, or whatever, we have 'adapted' quite well to this new habitat." Sephiroth scoffed. "So you can talk to us like humans. Not specimens."
"I'm sorry." Squall said, it sounded genuine. "Is there anything you need or want that I can assist you in getting?" He rephrased. "Is that better, sir?"
"Hmm." Sephiroth already didn't like this one, "Do you think I could get some weights or any other workout equipment. I'd like to stay healthy."
"Agreeable." Squall said, "You?" He indicated Seifer, who was glowering at him from the door.
"Yeah," Seifer folded his arms across his chest and took a few steps towards his long-time rival. "I want my gunblade, Hyperion."
Squall almost laughed. "Why? You don't need it." He walked up until his face was right next to Seifer's. He was a smaller man in height and build, but he knew Seifer couldn't touch him if he wanted to. "What makes you think they would agree to arm you anyway?"
"I miss it," Seifer said, resisting every urge in his body to push the slighter man away from him, "wouldn't you? I just want to have it, it's mine."
"One, I would never 'lose' my gunblade." Squall whispered only loud enough for Seifer to hear. "And two, I would never raise my weapon against an innocent. So never compare your problems to me again. You'll never see your weapon or your girlfriend again." He smiled smugly.
Seifer had to think a moment before he realized whom Squall was talking about. He stepped back and doubled over in laughter. "Who, Rinoa?!" he choked through laughter. "You can have her. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Squall turned bright red. "She's the sweetest, nicest woman I have ever met and I love her!" he exclaimed, "She loved you. before you became the homicidal lunatic that you are."
Seifer fell backwards and landed on his butt in laughter now. "I'm lucky she didn't turn me homosexual let alone homicidal!"
"You'll never see your weapon again!" Squall hissed grabbing the door handle. "Enjoy your eternity." Thus, he left; slamming the door so hard the house shuddered.
Seifer laughed a bit longer before he stood up, wiping tears from his eyes. "God, I needed that!" he said to Sephiroth who was watching in bemusement. "I haven't laughed that hard since the last time Rinoa asked me to marry her." Seifer smiled at Sephiroth with no hint of arrogance or gloat of defeat. Only a smile of content.
Sephiroth felt himself smiling uncontrollably at the man before him as well. Except that for the first time in a long while, his smile was not snide, nor did it hide a vindictive plan. It was genuine.
Seifer's t-shirt was caught, pushed up above his belly, exposing a set of muscled abs; his hair was tousled and still wet from his bath, his lips exposed his dazzling white teeth. Sephiroth thought he was falling in love with the young, healthy man. The last thing he needed, in his mind, was another pointless crush to get in the way of his plans. but he couldn't control himself.
Squall got into his car where Rinoa was waiting.
"How'd it go?" she asked, patting his hand. She could tell he was upset because his face was flushed as he slammed the car door.
"Some people never change!" he yelled, revving the engine before speeding away.
"You wanna talk about it?" she cooed.
"No."
"Well, I want to." Rinoa pouted.
Squall rolled his eyes. "Seifer is his same old asshole self, and Sephiroth is a scary man. He's like, 'Silence of the Lambs!'" Squall punched the steering wheel. "Why did I have to be put on this job?"
Rinoa gave him a fake, concerned look. "Did he say anything about me?" Squall glared at her a moment. "Yeah, but it wasn't very nice."
"What?!" Rinoa squeaked. "What, did you say to get him to say bad things about me?"
Squall thought for a moment. He had a difficult time concentrationg when Rinoa talked so fast. "I said that you loved him befo-"
"YOU WHAT?!" Rinoa was livid, cutting Squall off in mid sentence. "I can't believe you said I still liked him! I'm with you now!" She punched him in the arm.
"Ow! Hey!" Squall tried to calm her. "I said that you." It was useless. She wasn't going to let him get a word in. The nagging wouldn't stop until after the trip back. This is why he liked to keep his mouth shut.
