AN: Some people are just incorrigibly demented, and I happen to be one of them. The
continuity is probably messed up. The facts are probably screwed up. The names have been
changed to protect my right to misspell. Just read it. I apologize in advance.
~~~
"Warped," part two
~~~
She woke up to a groan, not clear, upon first hearing it, whether it was her own. She had
returned to reality, if this limbo could be called that, and her back was sporting a nasty injury
that no amount of contortion would allow her to see.
She raised herself on broken hands, away from his heartbeat....heartbeat? She lifted a finger
to his mouth and felt warm air. He was alive! She would have danced if she wasn't in so much
pain.
"Squall." instead of shaking him she smoothed the lines of his t-shirt, the messy dark marks
on his face, and continued to stroke his cheek absently, long after the smudge was gone.
"Wake up," she begged, as if had willed his unconsciousness. It wasn't that she was afraid...or
maybe it was that she was afraid—afraid of her hallucinations, afraid that she might really go
insane if she didn't talk to someone else soon...
She thought about her dream, wondering if it had been just that and nothing more. The little
details were beginning to haunt her. They'd left the dance early? Why had Squall mentioned
Seifer's name? It was as though he'd been at the party as well...but he'd *failed* the SeeD
test...in her reality. If it was just a dream, why was it so damn detailed, anyway?
It was then that Squall opened his eyes, and she noticed at once how cloudy they were, how
removed from the world they were in. And then she watched the pain swirl in, the name
already on his lips...
"Rinoa?" A question before reality hit. He had seen her die.
Selphie watched him blankly as he sat up, grimacing. His face grew darker than she had ever
seen it. He was embarrassed by the utterance of a name...by remembering that *she* was
dead a second too late. She might have said something, but what was there to say? She
turned away to give him time, winding her arms together...
"Selphie? Hyne!" She turned her head, and he was behind her, his eyes wide as he stared at
her back. She tried to use his voice as a mirror to see how bad it really was. "What
happened?" He touched her shoulder and a chill traveled through her.
"I don't—I don't remember." She was using that phrase far too frequently for comfort these
days.
He frowned.
"Why your back? She was in front of us."
She didn't know what to say. It had never occurred to her why she was hurt so much more
than Squall seemed to be, when they had both been fighting together.
"How did you find me?"
"I was walking...I don't know how I got here before that...it seemed like I was always
walking...and then I ran into you."
"There's no way off."
"I know. I've been around it three times."
"I'm sorry." He shook his head. She was going to ask him what he was sorry about, when he
looked at her softly, suddenly reminding her of the dream. She was glad he couldn't see her
face as he took her shoulder for balance and raised a hand just over the skin of her back, "I
should have done this sooner. Did your cure blow away?" The magic was hot, and his voice
was gentle, soothing her like a bath. She eased backwards mindlessly, leaning into him with
relaxed muscles, buzzing with heat.
"Selphie?"
On some level, she had heard him call, but she was already slipping away, and by the time
she opened her mouth to answer, he was gone.
~~~
She gathered herself together, hollow body aching with the first, unimaginable pain. It was
always dark at the beginning, when she radiated out of nothing. Ultimecia. One.
Not one. Ultimecia, Edea, Rinoa, Ultimecia.
Once one, but not anymore. *Should have* been one.
Ellone.
Ellone, Edea, Rinoa, Ellone.
Adel.
How many times could she do this, and remember? It was too much for her body; her mind.
There were too many of them; too many things that came between Ultimecia and Ultimecia,
the way it should have been.
But there was again hope. Faint and shimmering, it beckoned to her from the center of
darkness, inside.
The white light devoured her face slowly, eating her brain and dripping down her throat, first
slow and then faster. The world came together inside as she dissolved. She could not scream
or hear or see, but she could feel the light radiating against her carved-out jaw.
That was when she knew it hadn't worked.
Selphie.
Ultimecia, Edea, Rinoa, *Selphie.*
The light roared against what was left of her body, and she exploded into the dark.
Ultimecia, Selphie, Ultimecia.
It would not be so hard anymore, with only one of them between to destroy.
She would again be Ultimecia.
She would again be one.
~~~
END, 2.
continuity is probably messed up. The facts are probably screwed up. The names have been
changed to protect my right to misspell. Just read it. I apologize in advance.
~~~
"Warped," part two
~~~
She woke up to a groan, not clear, upon first hearing it, whether it was her own. She had
returned to reality, if this limbo could be called that, and her back was sporting a nasty injury
that no amount of contortion would allow her to see.
She raised herself on broken hands, away from his heartbeat....heartbeat? She lifted a finger
to his mouth and felt warm air. He was alive! She would have danced if she wasn't in so much
pain.
"Squall." instead of shaking him she smoothed the lines of his t-shirt, the messy dark marks
on his face, and continued to stroke his cheek absently, long after the smudge was gone.
"Wake up," she begged, as if had willed his unconsciousness. It wasn't that she was afraid...or
maybe it was that she was afraid—afraid of her hallucinations, afraid that she might really go
insane if she didn't talk to someone else soon...
She thought about her dream, wondering if it had been just that and nothing more. The little
details were beginning to haunt her. They'd left the dance early? Why had Squall mentioned
Seifer's name? It was as though he'd been at the party as well...but he'd *failed* the SeeD
test...in her reality. If it was just a dream, why was it so damn detailed, anyway?
It was then that Squall opened his eyes, and she noticed at once how cloudy they were, how
removed from the world they were in. And then she watched the pain swirl in, the name
already on his lips...
"Rinoa?" A question before reality hit. He had seen her die.
Selphie watched him blankly as he sat up, grimacing. His face grew darker than she had ever
seen it. He was embarrassed by the utterance of a name...by remembering that *she* was
dead a second too late. She might have said something, but what was there to say? She
turned away to give him time, winding her arms together...
"Selphie? Hyne!" She turned her head, and he was behind her, his eyes wide as he stared at
her back. She tried to use his voice as a mirror to see how bad it really was. "What
happened?" He touched her shoulder and a chill traveled through her.
"I don't—I don't remember." She was using that phrase far too frequently for comfort these
days.
He frowned.
"Why your back? She was in front of us."
She didn't know what to say. It had never occurred to her why she was hurt so much more
than Squall seemed to be, when they had both been fighting together.
"How did you find me?"
"I was walking...I don't know how I got here before that...it seemed like I was always
walking...and then I ran into you."
"There's no way off."
"I know. I've been around it three times."
"I'm sorry." He shook his head. She was going to ask him what he was sorry about, when he
looked at her softly, suddenly reminding her of the dream. She was glad he couldn't see her
face as he took her shoulder for balance and raised a hand just over the skin of her back, "I
should have done this sooner. Did your cure blow away?" The magic was hot, and his voice
was gentle, soothing her like a bath. She eased backwards mindlessly, leaning into him with
relaxed muscles, buzzing with heat.
"Selphie?"
On some level, she had heard him call, but she was already slipping away, and by the time
she opened her mouth to answer, he was gone.
~~~
She gathered herself together, hollow body aching with the first, unimaginable pain. It was
always dark at the beginning, when she radiated out of nothing. Ultimecia. One.
Not one. Ultimecia, Edea, Rinoa, Ultimecia.
Once one, but not anymore. *Should have* been one.
Ellone.
Ellone, Edea, Rinoa, Ellone.
Adel.
How many times could she do this, and remember? It was too much for her body; her mind.
There were too many of them; too many things that came between Ultimecia and Ultimecia,
the way it should have been.
But there was again hope. Faint and shimmering, it beckoned to her from the center of
darkness, inside.
The white light devoured her face slowly, eating her brain and dripping down her throat, first
slow and then faster. The world came together inside as she dissolved. She could not scream
or hear or see, but she could feel the light radiating against her carved-out jaw.
That was when she knew it hadn't worked.
Selphie.
Ultimecia, Edea, Rinoa, *Selphie.*
The light roared against what was left of her body, and she exploded into the dark.
Ultimecia, Selphie, Ultimecia.
It would not be so hard anymore, with only one of them between to destroy.
She would again be Ultimecia.
She would again be one.
~~~
END, 2.