(a/n: La, la, la! This fic is long, isn't it? I should end it soon...contemplates over it Nah! Besides...more fun and an even more pissed off Seifer is on the way. Gonna be jumping perspectives in this chapter...yay!)
Chapter Eight- ...Into the Arms of Another Man!
Selphie ran blindly through the dormitory halls, pushing aside the damned 'Timlies' that were harassing her. Seifer couldn't have been serious, could he? It was hard to know, considering he was always under rage. She had been stupid ever saying anything to him. If only she had kept her big mouth shut then...none of this would have happened. To her, Seifer was too easily angered. Normally she wouldn't have been affected by his words but...the way that he said it. Delivered with a wonderful slap in the face and stab through the heart.
" Selphie!"
" Piss off!"
Selphie was so close to her room but the person calling out to her managed to grab her arm and swing her around.
" You're crying," Squall said.
" I noticed that!" Selphie snapped back. " Now let go of me!"
" Seifer...I knew it." Squall cursed softly, releasing her arm. " Let me--"
" No, don't." Selphie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and checked the bottom of her boots before plastering on a big smile. She had always been an ace in acting. " I'm okay. He did nothing. I never even saw him today!"
" Zell told me that he was asking why those guys are after you."
" Yeah...I'm kinda wondering that too," Selphie said, putting her hands on her hips. " I mean, even Irvine and Zell are after me."
" So...is it working?"
" What?"
" I mean...do any of the guys appeal to you?"
" No..." Only Seifer, she thought to herself. " I'm still married, you know."
" Tell me the truth -do you have feelings for Seifer?" Squall appeared interested and seemed so intense, almost like when they were in the Dollet hotel together. Selphie took in a deep breath.
" Yes," she said, not wanting to lie to him. " I just wish that he would let me in, that he would believe in me. He thinks that the whole world is against him and I want to show him how wrong he is! He's a nice person at heart. I know he is!"
Squall's expression told Selphie that he didn't feel the same way. In fact, he had that look on his face, which meant he was lost in thought; somewhere that no one had access to. Rinoa had tried but in vain. She gave up easily, but had changed him considerably during their short one and a half year relationship. Forever...yeah right. Nothing lasted forever. Maybe Seifer was right after all in turning her down.
" I want you to forget about him," Squall said, placing his hand on her shoulder. " He's not right for you."
" Don't tell me what to think!" Selphie yelled, offended that Squall believed he could control her. " If everyone would only have faith and believe--"
" Believe this." Squall bent down and kissed Selphie tenderly, his one hand on the small of her back to steady her while the other rested on her jaw. When he broke away, not only was Selphie shocked, but everyone in the hallway had come to a complete halt. Dead silence hovered above them until Irvine ran in with Quistis chasing after him.
" Use me, will you?" she shouted, her hands tightly holding onto what looked like a pie. Squall finally tore his eyes away from Selphie, who had been avoiding his gaze, and stuck out a leg in which Irvine tripped over. Quistis cornered him and smiled devilishly.
" I hope Leigh likes pie!" she said in an overly sugared tone before shoving the pie into Irvine's face. As a last insult, she kicked him in the stomach and walked away with her heels clicking against the floor.
It had been easy to run away from Squall after that incident, and she was a bit happy that Quistis had chosen that time to confront Irvine. Perhaps now the Garden students wouldn't be so focused on what had happened between her and Squall. Why the hell had he kissed her like that? She touched her lips before opening her dorm door and closing it behind her.
Seifer had never kissed her like that. There was urgency with him, as if he couldn't let go of her for the life of him. Squall, on the other hand, was soft and gentle, treating her like a doll. He also seemed infatuated with her to some chilling degree. She hated it. She desired the roughness, the pain, and raw need that Seifer felt towards her. He needed her. She knew it.
It was now clear to her why he kept pushing her away, and by his actions tonight, he only validated what she felt was truth. She had even said it to him, but he only denied it in his own bizarre way. Seifer was as good as an actor as she was. If not that, then better. He had fooled the world for so long that it was creditable how he never lost his true self.
Even though he tried, he couldn't hide it from her. She had seen the way he had behaved during their mission. He had even smiled a few times. To her it seemed that Seifer was unsure of himself. Not wanting to take any chances with hurting her, he decided to sacrifice his own happiness for her own. No, she wasn't delusional.
She didn't know what Squall was up to, but he could never shake the feelings she had for that blonde boy. He cared for her and even when he attempted to be an ass, it didn't work. If anything, Squall had just reinforced the feelings Selphie had for Seifer. She loved him, pure and simple. From his dimples, to the way his eyes crinkled in the corners when he laughed and even down to his sarcasm and frequent temper tantrums.
He was hers. Even if he denied it, fought it, and kicked and screamed along the way, he was hers. Just as she was his.
Selphie's fingers felt Seifer's necklace, which was warm with the heat of her body on one side yet cool on the other. She would get him...she was determined to get what she wanted. She kicked off her boots and clothes, and then slipped into her pajamas. It wouldn't take a lot to bring Seifer to his senses. He would miss her on his own.
" Sorry, wrong room!" Seifer opened his eyes groggily to see the person who had intruded on him walk out as quickly as they had come.
What the hell...?
He recoiled when his feet hit the cold floor but nonetheless pried himself out of bed and after the person. No one had any right to come into his room, and a Garden student would know that -even first years were terrified of the mere mentioning of his name. So what if the hype that surrounded his betrayal of Balamb Garden still remained clear; it kept him safe.
" Hey, get back here!" Seifer shouted to the retreating figure. The person suddenly darted away and Seifer chased after them, leaning down momentarily to scoop up his gunblade that was lying on his dresser. It hadn't been there before, he thought as he followed the stranger through the dark corridors. Hyperion was always lovingly polished at night and placed in its velvet black case where it slept until daybreak. That person had touched his gunblade. That person was going to die.
There was only one room left in the dormitory hall, then that person would have no where to go. Seifer slowed to walking pace when the person entered the last room and casually rested his gunblade on his shoulder. That person certainly didn't know what they were doing by entering Squall Leonhart's room. Complete suicide...well, if Puberty boy knew what he was doing. Seifer decided to follow the intruder incase Leonhart screwed up and ended up being killed. The kid bugged him, not to mention seduced his wife, but he wouldn't want to see him dead.
" Seifer, stay away from there!"
Swinging around reflexively, Seifer caught his blade neatly under Selphie's chin on the small curve between neck and jaw. Luckily, only the tip hovered above her skin but he could see that it had contact with her body; a small streak of blood slid down her neck and stopped when it touched the necklace she was wearing. His silver necklace.
Her eyes moved wearily from the blade to him, and he removed the weapon from her. She sighed, holding a hand to her chest in pure relief that he hadn't decapitated her but didn't bother to wipe off the blood.
" I had a message from Cid; someone has broke into Garden," she informed, looking at the door ahead of them. "I just hope that I can sustain him...Quistis, Irvine and Xu are on the other side of the dorms."
" You?" Seifer looked over her with disbelief. " You're wearing Moogle pajamas."
" Hey!" Selphie cried out defensively, looking down at herself and poking the small bear like creatures illustrated on her clothing. " I like these! And what about you -you're only wearing shorts!"
A smirk escaped Seifer. " Like what you see?"
" A freakin' enigma. That's what you are!" Selphie shouted before snapping her nunchaku. " One moment you're yellin' at me like I opened Pandora's Box and now..." She shook her head.
" And now I've forgotten about it. Hyne, you're so hot when you try to be threatening..." Seifer leaned in to Selphie, all thoughts from the previous night gone. What had he been thinking blowing her off like that? A hard smack on the head reminded him.
" You're not supposed to be here," she said, ignoring Seifer's glare.
" That idiot came into my room."
" Oh, so now you're going to kill him?" Selphie asked, holding up her nunchaku menacingly, as if wielding an axe. " Well, not until I get to ya first, buddy!"
" Can you ever--" Seifer was cut off when an explosion from Squall's room blew off his door. Seifer and Selphie ducked and when the dust cleared away, saw Squall slung over the shoulder of a mean looking woman. Chains decorated almost every part of her body and the black leather contributed nicely to her dark brown hair (streaked red) and crimson slashed lips.
" Hmm...Can you, like, move?" she asked, her voice high and piercing.
" She's so screechy!" Selphie cried, covering her ears and cringing.
" Oh, that's rich coming from you," Seifer responded with a short laugh, but he had to admit, Selphie was right. But Seifer didn't find her a threat. Everything about her was a joke, including her valley girl lingo.
" Hello?" Now the woman cocked her head to the side and moved one hand as she spoke. " I need to, like, get out now. Oh ya, and your pajama's are so totally out!"
Selphie's eyes widened and she put her hands on her hips. " Uhm, like, no! You can't get out!"
Seifer laughed again at Selphie's mockery but the woman was not amused.
" Okay, then I'm kicking your ass!" She put down Squall next to her and Seifer noticed her eyes lingering on the unconscious man before she pulled off a long chain from the dozens around her waist and stood up. Selphie instantly swung her Strange Vision and smacked the woman on the back but the lady lashed out with her own weapon, which wrapped around Selphie's legs and dragged her down. Taking an upward slash at her, Seifer was surprised when the woman lifted her tank top and a flash of skin caught him off guard.
After that, the last thing he saw was her metal garnished fist directed to his face.
Seifer winced as he felt something hot sting the bridge of his nose. He lashed out instinctively and a small 'ow' of protest and surprise reached his ears when he had hit something soft.
" You stupid idiot!" Selphie's voice cried out. " I should've left you there to rot!"
He opened his eyes slightly to view Selphie, who was glaring at him and rubbing her arm. They were in the infirmary together, her sitting on the edge of the all too familiar white bed. It took a moment of clearing his head of fog before how he came to this room dawned upon him.
" That girl..."
" Oh yes, her," she spit, venom overflowing from the noun. " I hope you had a nice look before she knocked you unconscious. Did you like it?"
Despite wanting to track down and rip that knuckle armed harlequin in pieces, Seifer smirked just to annoy Selphie. A terrible force of habit, but one that he wouldn't try to get rid of.
" Well, it's not like she had anything I haven't seen before."
Blood rushed to her face and she placed her hands on her hips, probably to steady herself as she trembled -from what, it was hard to tell. Anger most likely. He had to admit, he made her angry but she did the same to him. It worked out.
" Oh?" It wasn't a question, it was a demand. Her eyes bore into his, daring him to tell her what she wanted to know, something she had stopped herself from asking for a damn long time. If the indirect approach appealed to her, then so be it.
" How else would I have known your bra size?" He braced himself, waiting to be hit but instead Selphie kept her hands and feet to herself.
" So... who's are better?"
Was she actually asking this? Seifer had the urge to hit himself but not wanting to look like a fool, he pinched his leg, which was out of Selphie's view. Yes, he was still alive. Selphie waiting expectantly for the answer, and she actually sat up straighter, as if challenging Seifer to say that hers weren't. Had he woken in some mental parallel realm? Well, there was no way he was going to answer that question.
" Where's Squall?" He was actually asking about Leonhart. That girl must have punched a bone into his brain. Selphie sighed and held out a hand for Seifer to take.
" That bitch took him!" she cried out, worry overtaking her. " I hate her! While you were knocked out, she ran off with our Commander, never to be seen again..." She moved her hand in wavy motions across the air with a dazed expression on her face. " Maybe it's for the best..."
" What's the matter with you?" Seifer shouted, shaking Selphie's shoulders. She blinked and then held her head as if suffering from a migraine headache.
" I'm sorry...it's just..."
" Yo, Selphie." Zell leaned in the doorframe of the infirmary and nodded his head toward Seifer. " Cid wants to know if you wanna take him with us."
" Of course!" Selphie pushed Seifer's hands off of her and began walking toward Zell. The smaller blonde didn't seem pleased with the girl's decision but he nodded and left the room.
" What was that all about?" Seifer asked, following his petite wife. She seemed to hesitate before mumbling something incoherent. " What?"
" He wants us to go and save Squall..." she said. " Mind you, it's not like I like him or anything..."
" I never said you did--"
" ...And I always thought he was weird..."
" Who doesn't?"
" ...I didn't even want this mission but we're linked to this whole mess." She stopped so abruptly that Seifer crashed straight into her, and she nearly fell if not for him catching her around the waist. Time seemed to have stopped and Seifer couldn't seem to let go of her. Inside, he told himself to let go but he couldn't. He just couldn't. Seifer took in a deep breath, his eyes not leaving the girl's and gradually, he raised her up and placed his fingers on her chin lightly, his grip around her waist not loosening.
What is she thinking, Seifer wondered, unable to read the look in her eyes. She seemed startled, her mouth opened slightly and her lips so soft and pink...he just wanted to...
" Yo, what's with you two?"
He dropped her. She landed with a 'thunk' onto the ground, butt first. Seifer acted like he didn't care that he had let go and stepped casually over her legs while she shot him a disbelieving look.
" So, basically, you want us to go to Esthar and save the bastard?" Seifer asked, crossing his arms. Cid reddened, clearly wanting to hide his impending rage but nodded.
" Yes."
" And this 'us' includes me, who is, I assume, no longer a potential threat?"
" Give it up, Seifer!" Selphie hissed, kicking him in the shin. He kicked her back, forcing her to smack him in the arm, and he retaliated with a smack over the head.
" Order, please!" Cid shouted, standing up and pounding his fist on his desk. Selphie and Seifer stopped mid-fight and stood up straight with dignity, as if nothing had ever happened. " Zell, you will be the Commander for this mission."
Seifer could see Selphie stiffen but her automatic smile came on, one thing that masked her anger. He had learned a lot about her having been trapped in an elevator, hotel and prison cell in her company.
" Selphie, right? Wish I had the chance to get to know you."
Not in the way it had happened. Seifer was thinking of something more...physical. He couldn't help but to smirk, and luckily no one noticed. Cid continued to talk but Seifer's mind blocked him out completely.
" Nah...You're not my type!"
That statement Seifer was still unsure of, but he made a mental note to find out while on the mission. Squall was going to have to wait, Chicken Wuss would be forced to distance himself from the two of them, and Selphie would be the one put on trial; she would return with or without a certain chain around her neck.
" Okay Commander, straight through the Esthar barrier, then?" Selphie asked, leaning back in her chair at an awkward position. Zell nodded and began to read over the contract Cid had given them while Seifer resumed sleeping. Although Seifer had ignored Cid's speech, he did know what the basics of the mission were about: save Squall before the information about his whereabouts reach Laguna, and arrest the kidnapper assigned the task. Cid had said that the woman was not to be taken lightly, considering that she had murdered Salman Khan a few hours after their escape.
" Seifer, I know you're awake!" Selphie rang out in her singsong tone. " Get your ass up here and help me!"
" Feh, why should I?" Seifer shouted, not opening his eyes or stirring.
" Fire!"
He shouted as he felt hot embers on his seat of his pants but they diminished quickly. Unfortunately, the pain remained. Zell stopped reading long enough to laugh but halted abruptly upon seeing the look on Seifer's face. The smaller man coughed and fixed his eyes on the contract once more.
Unwillingly, Seifer trudged to the co-pilot seat and stared at the controls in perplexity. There were so many frickin' buttons, but Selphie seemed to tell the difference easily by how she ran her fingers diligently over the board without even taking her eyes off of the window.
" How do you..."
" You don't know?" Selphie sighed and shook her head in what he interpreted as pity. " What did Garden teach you?"
" Nothing except for shutting up little--"
" Hold it." Selphie held out one hand while managing to maneuver the steer with the other. " I don't have time to get in a fight with you." She didn't look at him once but she seemed flustered and upset as she shakily continued to steer the plane.
" Zell, get out."
The commander stared at Seifer as if he had asked him to jump out of the window.
" Yo, I'm not goin'..."
" Now, Chicken Wuss."
Zell's fist collided with the wall before he left without any further protest. It was a bit strange how the kid never put up a fight but Seifer had noticed Zell look at Selphie strangely before obliging. What was going on here?
" What the hell is going on with you?" Seifer demanded. " First you act like you're stoned, now you're on Prozac or something and---"
" Oh stop being such a frickin' hypocrite!" Selphie cried out, dipping the plane sharply to the right. Seifer lost his balance and went crashing into the window and Selphie giggled out loud, not even attempting to hide her mirth. But for some odd reason, it didn't bother him. He liked hearing her laugh and no vengeful rage overcame him.
" Seifer," Selphie managed between her airy laugh. " Can you get Zell for me? I need to ask him where to land. There seems to be a lot of Toramas around and I would hate if I killed one of those cute things!"
" Cute?" Seifer raised an eyebrow. " Those things are friggin' ugly, not to mention can kill you in five minutes flat."
" Just get -maybe I'll flash you as a reward...or just kick your ass if you don't get going. Whatever works." She winked and Seifer let out a laugh. The girl was weird...so very, very weird.
" I dunno, you don't have much to flash," Seifer countered, adding, " And you haven't beaten any one up in your life."
" Blizz--"
" Fine, fine. I'm going...stupid--"
" Fir--"
God damnit."
Try as he might, it was beyond difficult to wipe off the smile Seifer had on his face. She put him in such a strange mood; he felt mellow yet ... he was excited all the same. That stupid girl...had she really managed to break the barrier he had put up for so long. Even as he took the elevator down to the main floor in the Ragnarok, he could hear her singing an upbeat song about '...moonlight swims, crazy clothes and motorboat races.' The lyrics were ridiculous yet he had an urge to join in almost. Almost.
" Zell, where the fuck are you?" Seifer shouted, not wanting to waste his energy looking for the punk brat. " I'm gonna count to five before I blow up your T-Board." He had done it before, and he knew for a fact that Zell had hidden the sport equipment somewhere in this plane. Some people were just too predictable.
" No, Seifer, jeez!" Zell shouted, bursting out from the hanger. He looked around for his T-Board and when he realized it was no where near the gunblade artist, he threw a punch at him but Seifer took a step back and Zell fell flat onto his face.
" Less force, more skill," Seifer said, following up with a yawn.
" What're you doin' here?" Zell groaned, rubbing his nose before standing up. " I hope you didn't do anythin' to Selphie."
" I wouldn't, and it's none of your business what I do with her!" Seifer snapped, taking a step forward. Zell barely flinched.
" Uh huh. Well, it's doubtful that she'll care what you do, anyway." Zell moved to the side but Seifer matched his stride, blocking Zell's way.
" What's that supposed to mean?"
" Didn't you see her kiss Squall the other day?" Zell suddenly went pale after seeing Seifer's expression. " Aww, crap!
(a/n: Wow, my toes are freezing cold! Okay, well, I better end off here and go off to worry about the next in class commentary my English teacher might pop on us. I hate IB! Review if you hate it too! All that torchure and for what, a University Degree? Does it seem like I'll remember all that information in eight years? I am NOT bitter, just lazy, hee! .)