Emerald Tears 4/?
By Nix Winter
Disclaimers: I don't own them. The Final Fantasy series is a great set of games. I urge you to buy them and play. I should also point out that this story is entirely my responsibility.
Rinoa's words echoed around inside Squall's head as he waited for word about Seifer. If there was anyone in the world that he trusted to understand him, it was Rinoa. Soulmate. He doubted Seifer felt that way, but there was an intense love in those drawings.
Love wasn't a subject available in a gunblade specialist's curriculum. He thought about asking Selphie. She read all those romantic novels. Was it possible to be in love with another man? He was 19 and he wasn't some poetry nut like Selphie. It seemed kinda stupid to be in love with his worst enemy when he knew his best friend wanted to be in love with him.
And yet, when he was all alone and thinking about private things that one thinks about, in say the shower, he was thinking about green eyes. That's why he bought the emeralds. Most of the memories he had were of life in Garden where rules and discipline sorted everything out, even made up for the always being alone.
But he hadn't really been alone; he'd always known Seifer would be back to bug him. Rinoa was right. They did orbit around each other. What would life be like if Seifer were disabled, if his mind didn't come back?
Just as a rage rose in Squall at the creature who had done this to Seifer, there was a knock on his door. Quistis' voice asked softly, "Squall, are you ready? Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah," he said, "Minute."
Moment of truth, he told himself as he reached to the workstation keyboard. He'd meant to junction Shiva, but it was Cerberus who answered he summon. The protective dog spirit leapt into Squall's mind with an intensity that knocked him back to his bed. With trembling fingers, he touched the key sequence that would upload the magics he thought he might need to take care of Seifer.
"Squall! Hurry! He's gone to code!" Quistis yelled.
Squall heard her footsteps running away from his door. How had she known? He grabbed his own pager. It was turned off. Without his jacket, he ran towards the med deck. Squall passed Quistis on the way, shoved Irvine out of his way, and came up hard against the glass between the lobby and the sterile workroom.
Seifer lay face down on the table, draped completely in sterile blue, except for the back of his head which had been shaved clean in a small square, which was now covered with blood, red fading purple as it soaked into the blue cover. Squall pressed his hands to the glass, leaning against it. The monitor near Seifer's head had a flat line all the way across it, a little red heart that showed pulse was just a pink outline, still and empty. The room behind him was silent, so silent.
The doctor conducting the surgery, tugged with a pair of long tweezers at some strand of long silver hair in the center of the shaved spot. It kept growing, longer and longer. It was like some shimmering silver web collapsing on itself as the doctor pulled it out of Seifer's head. Behind him, he heard someone start to puke and someone else growl at them, taking them out of the waiting room by the sound of it. The last of the web snapped free of Seifer's head, shook and floated in the air, flashing and swimming almost with static electricity, some kind of magic. It made Squall's skin crawl.
One of the aides came forward with a split sphere which she captured the almost alive seeming web in, sealing it within a bubble. The doctor turned to Squall, pointed, then pointed at Seifer.
Full life flowed from him first. Only slightly aware that the heart monitor had started again, he threw a curaga, then an esuna. It was overkill. What happened next knocked Squall back, sent him stumbling back until Zell caught him. Zell held him as his knees gave out, and he blinked. Cerberus had unjunctioned and defected to Seifer.
Seifer's hands batted at the blue covering over him, then took a swipe at one of the med aides near him. She screamed and jumped away.
"Seifer," Squall said, not enough strength to say it loudly, then the blond rolled off the table. Louder, Squall called, "Seifer!"
The doctor motioned the aides out of the way, out of the room, as he picked up a hypodermic spray tool. Seifer was up though, naked as the day he was born, hands against the glass. "Gray eyes!"
Zell pulled Squall back to his feet and gave a little shove. Blushing, blushing very brightly at seeing his friend without clothes, Squall stumbled forward and laid his hands against the glass over Seifer's. Then he smiled. The brightest smile he'd ever smiled, just like the one in Seifer's book. "Welcome home, Seifer."
"Home?" Seifer asked, utter innocence in those emerald green eyes.
Squall pressed his hands a little more. "Home. You're safe, Seifer."
Then the doctor hit him with the injection and outright terror flashed through those green eyes as he collapsed into the doctor's arms. Squall punched the glass. "Hey! He wasn't a danger to you! Hey!"
The doctor lowered Seifer's slender, but no longer deathly frail, body to the floor. The aides rushed back in, with blankets, a hospital gown, and restraints.
"Hey!" Squall screamed again. "Don't hurt him!"
"Man," Zell said, punching Squall in the arm. "They're not going to hurt him. They're trying to help him. Look at the monitor!"
There next to the now beating heart, as they re-attached the monitor tabs, there was a golden circle. "Cerberus."
"Yeah. Seifer's junctioned and he and all there just yet, you know?"
"He wouldn't hurt us," Squall said.
"Are we talking about the same Seifer here?"
"Seifer wouldn't hurt us. She can't make him do anything now." Squall put a hand to his head, warding off the raging headache that was coming his way. "I need to sit down."
"Yeah," Zell said, disgusted, "Before I start singing Squall and Seifer sitting in a tree. Shit."
By Nix Winter
Disclaimers: I don't own them. The Final Fantasy series is a great set of games. I urge you to buy them and play. I should also point out that this story is entirely my responsibility.
Rinoa's words echoed around inside Squall's head as he waited for word about Seifer. If there was anyone in the world that he trusted to understand him, it was Rinoa. Soulmate. He doubted Seifer felt that way, but there was an intense love in those drawings.
Love wasn't a subject available in a gunblade specialist's curriculum. He thought about asking Selphie. She read all those romantic novels. Was it possible to be in love with another man? He was 19 and he wasn't some poetry nut like Selphie. It seemed kinda stupid to be in love with his worst enemy when he knew his best friend wanted to be in love with him.
And yet, when he was all alone and thinking about private things that one thinks about, in say the shower, he was thinking about green eyes. That's why he bought the emeralds. Most of the memories he had were of life in Garden where rules and discipline sorted everything out, even made up for the always being alone.
But he hadn't really been alone; he'd always known Seifer would be back to bug him. Rinoa was right. They did orbit around each other. What would life be like if Seifer were disabled, if his mind didn't come back?
Just as a rage rose in Squall at the creature who had done this to Seifer, there was a knock on his door. Quistis' voice asked softly, "Squall, are you ready? Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah," he said, "Minute."
Moment of truth, he told himself as he reached to the workstation keyboard. He'd meant to junction Shiva, but it was Cerberus who answered he summon. The protective dog spirit leapt into Squall's mind with an intensity that knocked him back to his bed. With trembling fingers, he touched the key sequence that would upload the magics he thought he might need to take care of Seifer.
"Squall! Hurry! He's gone to code!" Quistis yelled.
Squall heard her footsteps running away from his door. How had she known? He grabbed his own pager. It was turned off. Without his jacket, he ran towards the med deck. Squall passed Quistis on the way, shoved Irvine out of his way, and came up hard against the glass between the lobby and the sterile workroom.
Seifer lay face down on the table, draped completely in sterile blue, except for the back of his head which had been shaved clean in a small square, which was now covered with blood, red fading purple as it soaked into the blue cover. Squall pressed his hands to the glass, leaning against it. The monitor near Seifer's head had a flat line all the way across it, a little red heart that showed pulse was just a pink outline, still and empty. The room behind him was silent, so silent.
The doctor conducting the surgery, tugged with a pair of long tweezers at some strand of long silver hair in the center of the shaved spot. It kept growing, longer and longer. It was like some shimmering silver web collapsing on itself as the doctor pulled it out of Seifer's head. Behind him, he heard someone start to puke and someone else growl at them, taking them out of the waiting room by the sound of it. The last of the web snapped free of Seifer's head, shook and floated in the air, flashing and swimming almost with static electricity, some kind of magic. It made Squall's skin crawl.
One of the aides came forward with a split sphere which she captured the almost alive seeming web in, sealing it within a bubble. The doctor turned to Squall, pointed, then pointed at Seifer.
Full life flowed from him first. Only slightly aware that the heart monitor had started again, he threw a curaga, then an esuna. It was overkill. What happened next knocked Squall back, sent him stumbling back until Zell caught him. Zell held him as his knees gave out, and he blinked. Cerberus had unjunctioned and defected to Seifer.
Seifer's hands batted at the blue covering over him, then took a swipe at one of the med aides near him. She screamed and jumped away.
"Seifer," Squall said, not enough strength to say it loudly, then the blond rolled off the table. Louder, Squall called, "Seifer!"
The doctor motioned the aides out of the way, out of the room, as he picked up a hypodermic spray tool. Seifer was up though, naked as the day he was born, hands against the glass. "Gray eyes!"
Zell pulled Squall back to his feet and gave a little shove. Blushing, blushing very brightly at seeing his friend without clothes, Squall stumbled forward and laid his hands against the glass over Seifer's. Then he smiled. The brightest smile he'd ever smiled, just like the one in Seifer's book. "Welcome home, Seifer."
"Home?" Seifer asked, utter innocence in those emerald green eyes.
Squall pressed his hands a little more. "Home. You're safe, Seifer."
Then the doctor hit him with the injection and outright terror flashed through those green eyes as he collapsed into the doctor's arms. Squall punched the glass. "Hey! He wasn't a danger to you! Hey!"
The doctor lowered Seifer's slender, but no longer deathly frail, body to the floor. The aides rushed back in, with blankets, a hospital gown, and restraints.
"Hey!" Squall screamed again. "Don't hurt him!"
"Man," Zell said, punching Squall in the arm. "They're not going to hurt him. They're trying to help him. Look at the monitor!"
There next to the now beating heart, as they re-attached the monitor tabs, there was a golden circle. "Cerberus."
"Yeah. Seifer's junctioned and he and all there just yet, you know?"
"He wouldn't hurt us," Squall said.
"Are we talking about the same Seifer here?"
"Seifer wouldn't hurt us. She can't make him do anything now." Squall put a hand to his head, warding off the raging headache that was coming his way. "I need to sit down."
"Yeah," Zell said, disgusted, "Before I start singing Squall and Seifer sitting in a tree. Shit."