Time's Scars
Chapter Fifteen: Infected Soul
Once Squall had recovered from his state of exhaustion, he went into the room where Seifer was being held. He needed to know, was Seifer possessed? If so, how could he try to help?
Seifer and Squall had always been rivals, but Squall still felt pity for Seifer. After all, he was a person. Knowing that the man inside was not Seifer, but simply was using him as a vessel, made Squall angry. Sure, Seifer had done bad things in the past, but he still had a future. Maybe he could make up for his misdeeds.
It was surprising to Squall how much he really did care about his so-called 'rival'. He no longer felt anger towards him. All he could feel was pity and compassion. Maybe it was part of being an Elf. After all, they were peaceful, caring people. But why had he never felt it before? Was it simply because he was out in the open about his identity?
He arrived in the room and quietly closed the door behind him. Seifer lay on the bed, motionless, with a few slight burns on his hands and face. Squall walked slowly to his side.
Cautiously, he reached out a hand and touched a finger to Seifer's forehead out of sheer curiosity. He just needed to know if Seifer was possessed. He felt it with Rinoa, maybe he could with Seifer.
He was very cold, like Rinoa had been. But before Squall was able to process that fact, he felt a powerful force hit him. He flew back against the wall and fell to the ground.
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"Hey, he's waking up!"
"Welcome back, Squall."
His eyes fluttered open. Above him was a doctor, who was peering into his eyes. Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Quistis, and Rinoa were in the room.
Rinoa ran to him and hugged him. "Gosh, you scared me to death!"
"What? What the…what happened?" He asked.
"Well," said the doctor, "We found you on the floor in Seifer's room, unconscious. Do you remember why you lost consciousness?"
"I…I'm not sure. It was like I was thrown. Something…inside of Seifer did it."
Rinoa sighed, "Well, that's another problem. Seifer is gone."
"Gone?"
"Yeah." Said Selphie, "He just wasn't there. It was really weird. The window was open, so we think he escaped."
The doctor finished examining him and stood up straight. "Well, I see no reason to admit you to the hospital. You appear to be in good condition. Nothing abnormal is going on. You are free to go whenever you'd like."
The doctor left, and Squall got up. He didn't feel right. Immediately, he lost his balance and fell when he tried to stand.
"Woah, buddy!" Zell yelled, pulling Squall back up and setting him on the bed. "You're still a little worn out. The doctor told us you might be."
Rinoa looked at Irvine. "Go get him a wheelchair, okay?"
"Coming right up, mylady." Irvine grinned, turning and exiting the room.
"Will he be okay?" Selphie wondered.
"I hope so. Maybe a little rest will help. Let's get you back to your room for awhile, okay?" Rinoa replied.
Irvine brought in the wheelchair, and he and Zell put Squall into it.
Rinoa took the handles in the back. "I'll take it from here."
She wheeled him back to his room. Well, more like their room. She practically lived with him. Most of her clothing was there, and all of Angelo's toys were there as well. The only one who seemed annoyed by the dog's presence was Zulu, Squall's cat. Rinoa had been surprised at first to know Squall had any pets. Zell told her that he found it as a stray. He couldn't care for it and was going to take it to the pound, but Squall insisted on keeping the animal, and took it for himself.
"Home sweet home!" She sang when they arrived inside.
"Yeah, right."
"Want anything to eat?"
He shook his head, "Not really. I don't feel too great right now."
"Really?" She asked.
She came over to him and put a hand to his forehead. "What's bothering you?"
He sighed, "I don't know. I just feel…strange."
"Well, how about you sit in a more comfortable chair, okay?"
Squall's room as a Commander was much larger than the normal SeeD dorms. He had a living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. The place was furnished. It was a little dull, but still had a cozy element to it.
She wheeled him to a chair in the living room area. She went to help him out of it, but he quickly batted her away.
"I can do it." He growled.
He managed to push himself up with his arms and barely made it into the chair as his body collapsed from under him.
A/N: Short, sorry! I have been working on school stuff like crazy. Lots of big projects due and tests coming up. I'll try to have another chappy out next weekend. Drop me a review, and maybe it'll be sooner!