Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and all characters are creations of Squaresoft.
Summary: Slightly A/U. Raijin and Fujin search for Seifer after the Timber incident in Disc 1, only to find him brainwashed by the Sorceress Edea. He cannot recognize them any longer because of Edea's messing with his mind. How far will the posse go just to get Seifer's memories and the old him back?
"Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?
Are they as vivid as they were when you were young?
When one forgets to put the overflowing emotions of the heart to rest
They burn the color of passion.
I used to believe without a doubt that no matter what, I could reach my dreams
But that me from long ago is now asleep in my heart."
---Scarlet, "Ayashi no Ceres"
"Who are you?" Seifer repeated the question, his Hyperion looking sharper than ever.
Seifer...what's with him? And why is he with the Sorceress?, Raijin wondered.
Sorceress Edea stared at Fujin and Raijin for a long time. Fujin felt uncomfortable---the way she was staring at them, her eyes moving up and down, as if they were boring a hole, was enough to make one feel that way.
"Put down your Gunblade, Seifer. You two---you have some matters to discuss regarding Seifer, I see? Let's settle these inside." She motioned for Seifer to follow her. Raijin and Fujin shortly followed.
The Presidential Residence was splendid. Expensive oil paintings lined the walls, while all sorts of exotic items from the different countries were displayed. A large, grand crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. One couldn't help but feel almost mesmerized by its grandeur.
Edea pointed to the large couch. "Have a seat. I shall leave you to talk all you want." With that, she smiled to herself and left.
There was an awkward silence for a moment. No one knew what to say, especially since Seifer had been acting strange just a while ago. Or maybe it was his idea of a joke? No, Fujin tried to shake the thought out of her head, it would be so unlike Seifer to crack jokes, especially during serious times like this.
Seifer looked at both of them dully. "Well? Have you come to waste your time and mine just sitting here doing nothing?"
Well, this is it. I suppose one of us has to break the ice and say something. Otherwise we'd just be wasting time. Gathering all her courage, Fujin placed a hand on Seifer's shoulder and said, almost pleadingly, "Seifer. We've been looking for you all this time. And this is how you treat us? If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny at all. Come back with us to Garden."
With a perplexed look on his face, Seifer pushed her hand away from him. "Get away from me. I do not know you. Garden is the enemy. SeeD is the enemy. This is her wish." His eyes looked blank and his voice was monotonous.
Raijin banged his fist on the table. "What do you mean, 'I don't know you?' You've been acting weird, Seifer! It's like something's happened to you, ya know! Snap out of it!"
Calmly, Seifer stood up. "You are wasting my time. When are you leaving?"
* * *
"They just won't give up, will they? Oh, the things people will do for the ones they care for most. Such foolishness, and yet it is admirable..." Edea, who had been listening in on the conversation, smirked. "Yes. Of course... We can always take advantage of the situation... Emotions, after all, have caused us all to do foolish things..."
* * *
Fujin sighed. The conversation was getting nowhere. Apparently, Seifer really couldn't remember them for reasons she couldn't fathom and had no intention whatsoever of finding out who they were. But she and Raijin couldn't give up on Seifer! And after they'd gone this far just to find him...oh, what was she going to do?
Just then, they heard the clicking of heels. "Seifer, you are dismissed. You may explore the city if you wish. Leave us alone for the moment."
Seifer bowed and nodded. "As you wish, my Lady." Without further ado, he went out to see the sights of the city.
"Sorceress," Fujin bowed politely to Edea, "please, tell me, what has happened to Seifer? It is as if he is in a trance. He cannot remember us."
"It is futile to attempt to bring him back to his senses," was the calm reply.
Raijin looked disappointed. "But surely you can do something? Seifer's part of our posse. We can't afford to lose him."
Crossing her legs, she gave a smile. A dangerous but playful smile. "It's simple, really. I have taken away all of Seifer's fond memories, as I have commanded him to leave all his silly dreams behind. Therefore, all he knows is his dreams, my desires, and the enemy. So he cannot remember you. It is better this way. Think about him as a little lost puppy who only knows how to obey his master. But he is more than just a mere dog. He is my Knight. He shall be my guardian, and I shall give him what he desires in return."
"How could you do this to him?!" Fujin demanded harshly.
Ignoring Fujin, she said, "So you really want him back? He must surely be someone special to both of you."
Raijin nodded. "Yes. We'll do anything..."
Edea's eyebrow arched. "Oh, really? You'll do anything?"
"Anything," they said in unison.
She laughed. "Well, this is my condition. If you will work with my Knight and me to help accomplish my mission, I will give back his memories."
They just stared back doubtfully. Does she seriously think we are that stupid?
"I know what you're thinking. You probably think that I am making a fool out of you. Let me tell you that I am not. Once I am done with my mission, I will give back his memories. That is a promise." She paused for a moment. "Well? I shall give you time to think it over. By the time I return, you should have thought of a definite answer already." And with that she stood up and walked out.
As soon as Edea left, Fujin and Raijin began discussing whether or not to accept Edea's proposal.
"She must really think we're stupid enough to believe her, ya know," Raijin remarked.
Shaking her head sadly, Fujin replied, "I know. But we just can't leave Seifer like this! Seeing him with those blank, unfeeling eyes makes me feel sorry for him."
"Yeah. We can't leave him but if we don't accept the Sorceress's offer, we may never get to see him again. Even if she surely won't give us back his memories, at least we can get to see Seifer. And maybe we could find a way to bring him back to his senses." Raijin was more intelligent than what he appeared to be.
Fujin smiled. "You've got a point there. We could reach out to him...and maybe, we just might break whatever spell the Sorceress has put Seifer under."
"I just hope everything will turn out right," Raijin said hopefully. "But we've got to be really sure that we want to work for the Sorceress. Because I'm pretty sure that once we accept the offer, we can't back out of it, ya know?"
"I'm ready to accept the consequences."
At that very moment, the Sorceress returned.
"So? Considered my offer?"
"We'll accept it," Raijin said.
"I see. Are you sure? It's not going to be that easy...don't think I'll restore Seifer's memories back that easily..."
Reverting back to her harsh manner of speaking, Fujin replied, "AFFIRMATIVE."
"Then a deal...is a deal."
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Notes: As always, please R/R. Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated, but not flames. Any suggestions on what you want to see in this fic, you can tell me, too. Oh, and thank you to all those who reviewed. Also, to Lovelace: The title of this fic, "Broken Vow" is a song by Lara Fabian for MG2. As of now, the fic has nothing to do with the storyline of MG2 or the song, but there is a vague possibility that it might in later chapters.