AN: Yet another randomly begun fic. SxS - now with plot! Squall's on the verge of china syndrome (meltdown – nuclear style), and the only person who knows and can do anything about it is (you guessed it) Seifer :)
Disclaimers: ff8 characters are © Squaresoft
Warnings: Angst, language and SxS
---SEIFER---
Well fuck me. I think in dumbfounded amazement. A reverse summoning. Squall couldn't pierce the silence spell to summon the GFs to him, so he fucking sent me to them! Only, I don't recognise this place. I quickly run through my mind the list of GFs that the brunette, to my knowledge, could possibly have.
It's not cold and icy, so rule out Shiva. Nor is it hot and fiery, which rules out her opposite – Ifrit. Not that I'd expect Squall to have Ifrit anyway. I haven't been electrocuted yet, so I don't think it's Quezacotl, and the silence rules out Siren. I appear to be floating, so that rules out Brothers, Cactuar and Tonberry. Diablos was always impatient – I'd have been attacked already – so rule him out. Not Carbuncle, nor Leviathan, nor Cerberus. I don't know who got my GF – I'd quite like him back actually – but I doubt he'd like Squall. Pandemona? No – Pandemona was Fujin's, and I know Irvine returned the stolen GF. Alexander? Doomtrain? Both unlikely GFs for Squall. Maybe Bahamut or Eden, but I think I know which GF it is.
After all, the ring is called Griever. How Squall has Ultemecia's GF I don't know. I don't want to speculate on whether Griever joined them after the fight, or if Ultemecia somehow had the GF from the future. I turn slowly, hearing a noise behind me. I look up, and up some more, and then even further, craning my head backwards to see the GF's face. I know he was big enough in our dimension when Ultemecia summoned him, but here, in his own dimension, he's bigger than huge. This is one battle I don't think I'll win. Then again, I survived Odin – I killed Odin. But that was on my own ground, on my own terms. And he was a hell of a lot smaller.
Holy Hyne, mother of all, protect us from harm, in thy name we ask, as we fight in thy name. The old Centra prayer that Edea taught me rushes through my mind as I try to reassure myself. It's no use. The meaning of reassurance evaporates from my being in front of the towering Griever. Nervously I swallow, realising that I still haven't drawn Hyperion. Great – I'm gonna die without even having a chance to defend myself.
My mind is racing at Squall's deviousness, seeking the flaw in the logic. Vaguely I wonder why the GF hasn't attacked, and it dawns on me. The GFs are summoned against enemies. They're not used to having enemies deposited on their doorsteps, as it were. I have no drawn weapon, and I'm not a sorceress, so at the moment I'm not even being perceived as an enemy. Griever doesn't know what to make of me! So, for a while I'm safe. How long, I'm not sure, but I'll take any time I can buy to think. When GFs are summoned they make their attack and vanish again, whether they destroy the enemy or not. Reverse the process. The enemy is sent to the GF, makes its attack and vanishes again, successful or not. So all I have to do is attack, and hope like hell my theory is true.
I hesitate, unwilling to test a theory that could backfire disastrously. The outline of Griever begins to waver, and then the GF seemingly vanishes. I blink and frown in confusion. What the hell is going on?
"Thou art courageous indeed to face such a one as I without drawing thy blade." I turn at the voice behind me. A man stands there. My frown deepens. "I wouldst know the name of the one who has done so." He waits for me to answer. I struggle to find a voice.
"Seifer Almasy." His solid red eyes bore into me. After a moment he nods in thought. A breeze comes out of nowhere, making his long white hair blow out behind him. It reminds me of Griever's mane, and I realise with a sudden chill that this man is Griever.
"Thou art much in the mind of my master. Why dost thou seek to enrage him?" I frown, barely hearing the question, the first statement echoing in my mind. Squall's thinking of me? I suppress a sarcastic snort at my sudden hope. Sure I'm in his mind. The guy's probably wondering if he's killed me or not. Or why Griever's taking so long.
"What?" It's an automatic response as I realise the man, GF, is waiting for an answer.
"Why dost thou seek to enrage him?" Griever patiently repeats.
"Oh." I wonder that Griever doesn't realise what's happening to Squall. Or perhaps he does. Perhaps he wants to know if I know what I'm getting into. "I..." It's harder to say than I thought it would be. "I want to help him." The man tilts his head to one side, and I suddenly feel incredibly embarrassed. Almost unconsciously I hunch up inside my trenchcoat. He laughs, and I straighten defensively. But somehow I know he's laughing with me, not at me. Tentatively I smile back, and he nods approvingly.
"My master hides himself for one reason only. He is afraid that thou dost not love him..." Griever stops as I almost die on the spot of shock. I wonder if Edea knew, but dismiss the thought. If she knew Squall, loves - I struggle to think what I've never dared to think before - me, then she'd know that I love him. Now, maybe I'm being dense and lovelorn, but surely that would open up a whole, non-combative, array of options.
I cough weakly. "You're sure about that." The GF looks surprised. At least, I think he does. Those solid eyes of his make Squall look like an open book for pre-schoolers. I nod, and gesture feebly for him to continue. He thinks for a moment.
"If thou were to show him thou dost, then he would undoubtedly become himself once more." Great. So I tell Squall I love him, wring a similar confession out of him, and then have to defend my ass against his enraged person. Although, maybe convincing him I mean what I say is gonna be the hardest part, considering all the stuff I've just said. Perhaps I should just grab him and screw his brains out. After all, good sex is often the remedy for too much emotion – and I speak from personal experience. Of course, there is the minor matter of just how Squall is gonna take all this. Maybe, and now my conscience is getting in on the act, I should apologise for everything. And I don't just mean everything I've said today. I sigh.
"Alright." Griever nods approvingly, and before I know it, the world I left behind, and Squall, is fading back into view.
AN: OK, this was gonna go one way, then I decided it could go another, so, please don't kill me before it's done...
Duran Of Folsena; I promise this is a 'proper' happy ending *grins* :)
Sidhe_ranma; sorry bout the cliff *giggles* least I know u'll b back 4 more... Hope this chapter's longer, not really checked that, still, the whole fic's suddenly gotten longer, at least the idea has...
Faery_of_fun; 'pologies for how long its taken me to post this, got cswk comin out of my ears, literally! Lol – still, I'll try and write faster, honest ;)
Gwendolyn_flight; I can tell u what the plan 'was', cause it's changed, so im not givin ne thing away... Seifer/Edea's plan was to force Squall to express his anger... suffice to say, that's kinda changed, kinda...
Kaze; glad u like it, little less suspense for a coupla chpts...
Redrum; thankie for ur continued kind reviews *grins* - I'd add something else, but it'd give the game away :)