------'-----,--- Separated------'-----,---
Seifer was asking for her?
Quistis was shocked and amazed that Xu has actually let Zell go get her. Zell was running paces ahead of her, heading for the infirmary. They burst into the white place, which was filled with people.
"Quistis" she heard Seifer's hoarse voice scream from the back room. Quistis cringed and looked to Xu awaiting her orders. Xu nodded and gestured crisply for Quistis to go into the room.
With a glance around at the others she headed to the back room. The hallway seemed like a short walk, the door looming before her. She was scared, Quistis wasn't afraid to admit that to herself. With a great effort she reached out and eased the door open.
The room before her lay in ruins, a shadow of the sterile place it once was. The bed lay on its side, pieces of its metal frame tossed about the room. The bed side lamp and been thrown to the ground, the light bulb shattered. Trashcan over turned, lying on the tile floor. All the pictures had been torn hanging helter skelter on the walls.
Seifer sat against the back wall, his knees drawn up to his chest. His hands buried in his hair. His left arm was bandaged, and wrapped with medical tape. He was muttering softly under his breath between sobs.
"Seifer?" Quistis said her voice floating out across the room. His head snapped up, eyes boring into her. Those green eyes were changed, they looked so haunted. He had ghosts lurking deep with in.
"Quistis!" he exclaimed and in one smooth movement was up off his feet. He crossed the room, swooping her into his arms. Quistis froze there trapped in the warm confines of Seifer Almasy's arms. He was incredibly cold, no body heat coming from him.
"You're not dead" he said softly his lips close to her ear. His voice was so full of pain and terrible emotions. It struck a chord so deep in her heart. Taking a deep breath she longed to feel the ground beneath her feet again.
"Why would I be dead?" Quistis asked as Seifer slowly lowered her to her feet. She shifted uncomfortably as he took a few steps back.
"I thought I had killed you" he passed for a moment "did I?" he asked cocking his head. He reached out and touched her face softly. His hand was like ice, she could feel every curve in his finger prints as the dragged along her face.
"Are you a ghost?" he continued his hand floating over her cascade of blond hair. He pulled a piece softly, watching it fall across his skin.
"No, Seifer, I am not a ghost" she responded softly looking up into his green eyes. They reflected a lost little boy, the ghosts still lingering there. They were rimmed in red, tears tugging at the corners. It hurt her so much to see Seifer crying, that tears sprang to her own eyes.
"I didn't kill you, like I killed so many others" he fumbled backward for a moment. He tripped over a piece of the bed and turned to give it a dirty look. He kicked it sending it clattering across the floor.
"All of their blood on my hands" he whispered. He took a step back and then began pacing. Quistis' eyes watched him, moving back and forth, clad only in his leather pants. He was staring at his hands wiping them occasionally on his pants.
"I killed Squall" Seifer said stopping suddenly. He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling laughing. He shook his head, tiny pieces of blond hair springing forward to hang over his eyes.
"Squall died in time compression" Quistis' voice was shaky surprising even her. The tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. None of this made any sense; her world had been turned upside down.
"How do you think he died? I met him there on that plane of dust and I killed him. I ran my gunblade through his heart, robbing Rinoa of his love forever" his words cut into Quistis like tiny knives. Seifer laughed again reaching to touch the hilt of his Hyperion that wasn't there. Quistis was relieved they had taken away his weapon.
"So you were the victor in the end, Seifer. Does that make you happy?" Quistis said bitterly. Her voice was cold and almost seemed to chill the very air. More tears threatened to come but she banished them away, trying to concentrate only now on him.
"No, it wasn't a fair fight. He was weak, crying out for his precious love. I stole his life, just more blood on my hands" Seifer whispered staring across the room at her. Quistis watched him walk over to the window and stare out it for a few long moments. He lowered his head watching the sun play across the tile floor.
"Seifer, you are not well. We need to know what happened to you in Esthar" She said. He looked up at her slowly, rage quickly overcoming his sad eyes.
"You had me executed!" he exclaimed suddenly shoving himself away from the window.
"No Seifer, I fought for you. We all fought for you, we were there for you" Quistis said softly immediately coming to her defense.
"So tell me ghost, where were you when they did this to me!" he screamed tearing the medical bandages off his arm. The wires that ran along his bones spilled from his torn flesh, his skin tearing more with a sickening sound. She clamped a hand over her mouth and turned looking away from him.
"Don't look away; look at what they did to me!" Seifer exclaimed. He crossed the room grabbing her by her hair forcing her to look down at his mangled arm. She yelped in terror as new tears rolled down her face. He was so strong as he held her there, Quistis' face inches from his mangled flesh.
She studied the silver wiring, the blood caked to it. It was almost liquid moving with a sickening slithering sound as he flexed his muscles.
"Who did this to you Seifer?" Quistis asked softly as he slowly started to pet her hair. Carefully a released her, and she came up into a standing position. They were uncomfortably close, his breath tickling her face.
"Quistis, you feel far too real to be a ghost" he said his hand touching her face again. He left a trail of his blood there, streaked down her pale face.
"Who did this?" she asked again more firmly this time. He scowled moving away from her, beginning his pacing again. He was muttering under his breath, just soft enough so he couldn't hear it.
"They did this to me. They always came in the night pulling at me, prodding me with their silver knives" he whispered, she moved closer as he mumbled more under his breath forking a hand through his hair.
"Who are they? Tell me Seifer" she said touching his arm. He looked at her fiercely, and then looked around the room eyes filling with terror.
"It was a room like this; have to get out of here. Have to get out" Seifer said he headed for the window, trying to tug it open.
"No Seifer!" she shouted rushing after him pulling at his arms.
"They'll come again; they'll make me kill again. Always killing, all the blood" he growled angrily fumbling with the window that was not meant to open. Then with a scream he punched his hand right through the glass that was supposed to be unbreakable. Using his hands he shoved all the glass out of the window, ignoring the gashes it left across his skin.
Seifer shoved her away then, and she was sent sprawling to the floor.
"They told me I was the first, that I was the only one. That there would be more, more to kill, more for killing" he whispered as he climbed into the window sill.
"Seifer, please no, let us help you" she said struggling to get up. Would her body ever recover from all this pain? Would she ever get a moments rest? She climbed to her feet trying to ignore all the hurting.
"They wanted me to hurt you, I never wanted to hurt you Quistis" he whispered again as he shoved himself out the window.
"No!" Quistis screamed rushing towards the window. Luckily the Garden had been moving over ground, and not the ocean. She breathed almost relieved as she climbed up onto the window. The blond woman could not fight her urge to go after him.
Then the door burst open and the doctor and Xu came storming into the room.
"He went out the window, I am going after him" Quistis said staring Xu straight in the eyes.
"You are not" Xu said grabbing her by the arm and yanking her down from the window. Quistis fought against her friend, reaching for the opening to the outside. Even she couldn't explain why she wanted to go after Seifer so badly.
"You won't survive the jump" the doctor said bending down slowly to pick up the bandages left behind by him.
"Then neither will he!" Quistis exclaimed struggling to head to the window again. After all this time the thought of Seifer being dead again was terribly frightening.
"The wires, they make him far more durable then any normal human could ever be" Xu said softly as Quistis began to slump to the floor in defeat.
"Who will go after him?" Quistis asked.
"We arrive in Deling City in a few days for the meeting of the council, you are required to attend. We will send some SeeD after him for now" Xu said struggling to keep her standing. Quistis felt as if all the life had been sucked out of her, she had failed him again.
"He will kill them" Quistis whispered. Xu stared down at her, into her blue eyes.
"It is all we can do, Quistis" Xu said softly pulling her to an upright position. Quistis nodded looking over at the doctor.
"She needs rest Xu, her body still hasn't recovered from the wounds she took in Shumi" Dr. Kowdaski said up righting a trash can to toss the bloody bandages in. Xu nodded taking in Quistis' haggard appearance.
"Stay in your room till we reach Deling, get some rest Quistis" Xu said letting her go. Quistis nodded and headed out of the room almost in a trance. Her eyes felt heavy with tears, her voice thick with sobs.
Quistis walked like living dead through the halls, ignoring the stares from the other students. They looked at her terrified, their eyes always watching her.
Once in her room she stared out her window, looking at her own reflection. His trail of blood remained on her cheek. She looked at her ghostly reflection of herself, watching as tears trailed down her face.
She had let him escape. Once again she had failed him, as always she was unable to help her best student. Her mind reeled with the possibilities of what had happened to him. What had they done to him?
Now he was out there wounded and alone. Half crazed and now a creature of someone else's making. Always babbling to himself about the blood that was on his hands. The guilt of all the people he had killed hanging heavily in his heart.
Both of them were living ghosts in this world, she had tried to kill him back in the Lunatic Pandora. He had tried to kill her in Shumi. At least he had saved her that day from those other wired men.
No matter how hard Quistis tried, she had never been able to save Seifer Almasy.
------'-----,---------'-----,---
Author's Notes:
Today is the 1 year anniversary of Seiftis Forever! Congradulations to all Seiftis writers who have joined the board and are reading this right now! Thanks for sticking with us!
If you havent joined please come check it out!,
Other then that I dont have much else to say, thanks as always to all of you reading! :)