The Return of Ultimecia
Author: SoulOfFlame
Chapter 6: Confessions and Realizations
Soul: Okay everyone I am going to try my very best to make this chapter better than the others. I say that a lot but I am full of new ideas and encouragement from the kind reviews I have received. Here's your next chapter, as promised. Thank Hyne for the weekend!
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The water began to encircle Quistis and she hesitated before stepping in. She felt a cool chill run down her spine, surrounding her and seemingly enveloping her body as she cautiously walked until her head was under the surface of the pool. As she glanced behind her she saw Fujin, her unforeseen liberator, turn and walk back towards the shelter she had been freed from. She turned back around and gasped as she saw a figure before her, slowly making its way in her direction. Her hands flew to her throat as she realized she could breathe quite easily under the "water" and she gaped as she scanned her surroundings, thoughts and questions clouding her mind. As the figure moved into view her eyes went wide in recollection of the person's identity. She turned to run but found that she could not turn away. Her head was telling her to leave but her heart, her heart was forcefully demanding she go forward.
"..." Quistis tried to say something to get the person's attention but found that no sound was emitted from her mouth when she tried to form the words. " It just can't be him, I left Seifer with Fujin, and she helped me escape. Unless this is a-" Thought Quistis aloud. She jumped, shocked by the sound of her voice ringing clearly around her.
"Quistis?" Seifer looked up upon hearing his name and let his thoughts communicate with the slender blonde. Quistis gazed onward in awe that Seifer was now here before her. Only, this was not the Seifer she knew to be. His hair was tousled and unkempt from lack of care, and in spaces Quistis could see it was matted with blood. He was bruised and his clothes, those that were left on him, were torn and bloodied. He lowered his gaze; emerald orbs extinguished of their normal fire, and stared at the floor of the pool. His thoughts came across weakly as if he were struggling to link his thoughts with hers.
"Oh Hyne Seifer ... what happened to you?" Thought Quistis sadly as she attempted to hold back the tears that threatened to spring forth. She had never seen Seifer so broken and spiritless, it was like seeing an entirely different person.
"Quistis, get out of here before they find you." Seifer said painfully. He had been staggering, barely conscious, when she had happened to find him. Now he fell to one knee, and Quistis could hear his ragged breathing in the same echo as his thoughts, in rhythm to her slow and painless breathing. Kneeling beside him, she gently tried to see what was wrong with him. As her eyes scanned him she noticed a large and gaping wound on his side.
"Seifer you're hurt, what happened?" She asked sorrowfully. The normally arrogant and loud man was now uncommonly reticent. He shrugged off her help and tried to stand. He managed to get on his feet before pain contorted his face and he fell, with Quistis rushing to catch him as he fell.
"I was attacked ... I couldn't stop her ... I wasn't strong enough ... I never was." Seifer said as he tried to force the faintness out of his head. What was she doing here? Didn't she realize she was in danger! "Wait since when did I care?" He thought.
"Care about what? Seifer you're babbling." Quistis said softly. She tried, gently, to force him to lie on his back.
"No I'm not. You have to leave ... NOW!" His thoughts came across angrily now and he roughly shoved her away from him. "Leave me alone. I'm here to die and that's what I'm going to do." He "said".
"Seifer ..." Quistis felt a tear slide down her cheek and looked away. This man may be a different Seifer than she had known most of her life, but it still hurt when he pushed her away.
"You don't understand Quistis; they'll find you here! I'm supposed to die, because of what I did last time! If they find you you'll die too and you aren't supposed to die yet!" Seifer tried to rise but Quistis placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder, trying to stop him. He laughed to himself and it echoed through the area.
"What's so funny?" Quistis arched an eyebrow at her old friend, becoming quite adjusted to this atypical form of communication.
"You have always been stubborn do you know that?" He "asked" her. Her eyes widened. Did Seifer just bring up something about her from their past? That was it, something was definitely wrong here. She must have fallen into and alternate universe or something. Perhaps she was hallucinating. She was jerked out of her confusion as she felt Seifer weakly grip her arm. She looked at him sadly, knowing her feelings would never be returned, and that the one man she truly cared for had given up on himself. "Go, please." He begged her.
"I can't just leave you here!" She protested. She furrowed her brows in sadness and looked at Seifer, pain gripping her chest.
"Why not? No one else would have a problem ... why do you care?" He asked her rolling his eyes and sighing.
"I do care Seifer! I care more than you could ever understand! Why don't you get it!" She yelled as she began to cry openly. She closed her eyes and turned away as the hot, unwelcome tears fell down her cheeks. She was frustrated and confused, watching the man she loved give up on himself and wait to die. She had a million thoughts running through her head and they all threatened to drive her to complete exhaustion. Seifer reached up and wiped away one of her tears.
"What are you talking about Quistis?" He asked softly. His tone changed so quickly to that of concern that Quistis was surprised momentarily. She opened her eyes and looked into Seifer's a million thoughts and emotions running clearly inside of the two eyes, normally empty of emotion. She looked down and closed her eyes again.
"I love you Seifer, I always have. I was just too afraid to admit it and so I thought that if I loved Squall it would make things better. I was scared, I-" She stopped as she felt Seifer's strong and comforting arms pull her into a tight and tender embrace. He rested his chin on top of her head and held her close to him, not caring how uncharacteristic this was, or wondering why he suddenly cared. Love was an ever changing and unpredictable luxury, Seifer knew that, and he didn't care why he felt this way. He just did.
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Fujin walked into their makeshift camp with a smug look on her face. She stopped at the edge as Seifer ad Rajin turned their gaze in the direction of their companion. Seifer noticed that she returned alone and narrowed his jade eyes at her with an unspoken promise of punishment.
"Where is she?" He asked heatedly. Fujin sauntered into the camp and sat down next to the fire, temporarily ignoring the question. "Fujin! Where is the girl!" He demanded.
"LEFT." She said simply, returning to her habituated form of speaking. Seifer rose in anger and stormed over to her, grabbing her by the collar and shoving his face into hers.
"Cut the crap Enzuria. Where is she?" The silver haired woman glared daggers at Seifer. How dare he have the audacity of using her real name!
"She got away. It is all part of my plan." She said placidly. "You would do well to learn how to hold your temper Uweigulu." She reminded the blonde man irritably.
"You two are completely inept! We are here with aliases for a reason and it would do you well not to forget that. I for one am doing my best to influence everyone we are exactly who we seem to be." Said Rajin rising and dousing the fire.
"What are you doing Nye?" Asked Enzuria pryingly. Nye elevated his gaze to silence his sister, which had little effect in dousing her curiosity.
"We must find the girl. She is of some use to our Queen and if we don't hurry we may lose what control we have over these bodies as it is." He replied icily.
"You both might, I hold a vessel created to look like my alias. The Queen condemned my human counterpart to the Antediluvian Realm." Said Uweigulu with a supercilious smirk.
"Yes but Nye is right. I already lost control when I this girl took the other to the water hole. I managed to fool this pathetic human into trapping the other girl in the Antediluvian Realm. So you see we are in no real hurry." Enzuria smirked.
"Then you are even more careless than I gave you credit for. The Queen shall be livid with you for doing such a thing without her consent." Uweigulu chastised her.
"We shall see." Said Enzuria angrily as she closed her eyes and began to chant in an ancient tongue. Uweigulu and Nye moved to join their sister and with a blinding flash of black light, were gone. No trace left to say that they had ever been.
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A dark figure sat on a throne of translucent cloth that hung in the air as if it were floating. Dressed in black and blood red, the slender form of a woman was encompassed by the silk threads of the throne. Two eyes were closed with the pupils showing through the pale and sickly skin that seemed to be stretched over the slender body. Blood red lips uttered a sigh as the woman lifted a hand and drew back the protective and invisible curtains drawn around the throne. The woman stepped into the light and looked at a locket which lay broken on the floor of the palace. The charm read: Ellone. A malicious smile spread across the woman's dark features as she remembered the pathetic human she had all but destroyed.
"Foolish three, I knew better than to choose them for such a difficult task. Yet perchance there is some candor in what the girl, Enzuria, has said about her 'plan'. I will have to castigate her for her insubordination." The figure mused as it knelt and stroked the necklace. "Then again, some people cannot stand what they deserve." Said the woman with some hidden meaning in her words. She let out a chilling and malevolent laugh that echoed terribly throughout the palace, and a shiver ran down the spine of all whom heard it.
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Soul: So what do you think? Things are getting pretty intense now, huh? I was quite happy with this particular chapter myself but as always, I want to know what YOU think. After all, I am writing this so you will all read it right? SO let me know if you can find the time to leave me a review.
Seifer: What the hell? I'm a broken man now? Give me a break I sound pathetic!
Soul: Shut up it will make sense later. Besides, now you are being nice to Quisty!
Quistis: (O_o') Erm.... Riiight.
Soul: Oh shut up both of you! Did I ASK you for your comments? No! Anyway, R&R please!
~*~Soul~*~
