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?
"Don't want your hand; this time I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom, I'm dying again"
---"Going Under", Evanescence
"My Lady. You requested for my presence?" Seifer bowed with reverence, as a good Knight was expected to.
Edea nodded. "About last night's parade," she began, shaking her head in disappointment. "I wasn't expecting you to lose. He is, for Hyne's sake, a year younger than you. You say you are better than him, and yet he beat you. And it was a one-on-one match. I am disappointed."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't prepared---"
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I know very well that you are a better fighter than he, but it is your ego that gets in the way. Because you think you have much more experience than he, you do not take him seriously. Yet in the end, you were defeated."
"I will do better next time. I shall not fail you."
"Make sure you keep to your word. I expect better next time." The raven-haired seductress caressed his cheek gently and looked at him with wistful eyes. "Don't let me down. Tomorrow you are to interrogate the SeeDs, for I demand to know what exactly SeeD is. Start with your nemesis first. Surely he will not tell. Torture him until he spills the truth, and if he still remains stubborn, leave him to die and interrogate the others. I am sure one of them will definitely tell, accidentally or not. Also, tell your subordinates to prepare themselves...if all goes well, we will move to Galbadia Garden, our new base, after the interrogations are carried out."
"Yes, m'lady."
With a serious and stern expression plastered on her face, the Sorceress looked at him straight in the eye. "I have high expectations for you, because I know that you have so much potential. I have...molded you to be submissive to my orders, but I want you to be able to discern for yourself and to act out my orders on your own accord. Remember, it is time to grow up and leave behind your boyish whims. Become a man. I have told you so many times. You are dismissed."
Seifer bowed again and left.
* * *
Leave your childhood whims behind. It's about time you became a man.
Edea had been repeating herself too many times. She had told him that over and over for maybe a thousand times already. Perhaps she assumed that Seifer still hadn't grasped the concept fully. He was a man, he knew, both physically and mentally. So how come she still thought of him as a child? What, exactly, did she want him to do for her? So many questions...
"Damn. I might as well get a drink at the bar," Seifer muttered to himself.
* * *
"Almasy! You've been a regular here lately," the bartender commented.
"Yeah. Give me the usual." Seifer found a place to sit. While waiting for his drink, he sat idly, observing the other customers, at the same time, thinking about Edea's orders. His gaze fixed on two familiar figures sitting not so far away from him. One was a tall, dark and muscular man; the other was his exact opposite---a demure-looking and petite albino.
"Man, the parade sure was something, huh? Like a scene out of an action movie, ya know?"
The albino took a small sip of her drink. "KNOCK IT OFF, RAIJIN."
"Aww, c'mon Fuu, you've gotta admit, it sure was cool!"
"..." The one known as Fujin didn't say a word and continued drinking. After a short pause, she spoke up. "Say, have you seen Seifer lately?"
"Nah, why?"
Seifer's ears perked up. He didn't really mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he wanted to know what the two thought of him. He was also hoping somehow that they would drop hints about themselves. For now he wasn't really sure who to trust. Was Edea or Fujin telling the truth? Of course he knew better than to doubt his Mistress, but sometimes her actions did seem suspicious. Why did she forbid him from making any personal contact with Fujin, or possibly even Raijin? Why was it that she appeared to be hiding something from him? And if she was hiding something, what was it? He leaned forward, not even aware that his drink was already on the table.
"Just asking. He still doesn't remember us, but I think he's beginning to believe us. At least, I think he does. Hyne knows what exactly the Sorceress is doing to him. Sometimes, he seems interested to talk to me; and sometimes he just wants me to go away." She shrugged. "I'm starting to feel like giving up on him."
Raijin's eyes widened. "You can't be serious, can you? That's not the Fuu I know! What happened to the posse?" He banged his fist lightly on the table. "Who was the one who said, 'We can't give up on him', huh? You did. And now you're thinking of giving up on him? Well, I won't stand for that, ya know. Even though I don't really talk to Seifer that much these days, I'm staying."
Fujin bit her lip. She didn't know whether to cry or to scream in frustration. "That's quite an inspirational speech, Raijin. Wow," she said, in a half-sarcastic tone. "So...if you're staying, then I suppose I'll stay too. Though I don't know what is going to become of Seifer. If we can reach out to him or not. We can only hope for the best..." she sighed wearily.
"So? Ya think we should be heading back now?" Raijin asked, as he handed over some gil to the bartender.
"GO AHEAD. I'LL STAY."
"Suit yourself."
* * *
The blond sighed. He wasn't able to hear any interesting tidbits from their conversation, and he probably wasn't going to hear any more, seeing that the albino was the only one left. Damn. Finishing his drink in an instant, he got up and left, leaving the payment on the table. At the same time, Fujin got up to leave too.
Seifer found it almost coincidental that he was taking the exact same routes as Fujin; almost as if he was following her. Finally they reached a dark alley. No doubt, danger would be lurking by. Seifer cursed his boots for making so much noise at a place and time like this. Just then Fujin turned her head and saw him.
You again.
She glared at him angrily. "Are you following me? Because you aren't being funny, you know that?"
He didn't want to start an argument with her, so he used a slightly gentler tone of voice. "I wasn't following you. It just so happened that we are taking the same routes. I saw you at the bar."
She nodded. "I see. Any new orders from the Sorceress?"
"Yes. Tomorrow I'll be interrogating the SeeDs. Then if there will be no disruptions, we'll be moving to G-Garden, our new base. So just keep yourselves prepared in case anything happens."
Fujin looked down to the floor. Her feet shuffled uneasily. "You...aren't going to do anything serious to Squall and the others, are you? Like killing them or subjecting them to severe torture?"
Seifer smoothed his hair with his hand and shrugged. "Maybe. If they won't tell. Why do you ask?"
The silver-haired girl hastened her pace. "How could you? The Seifer I knew before would never do that for no particular reason at all. Sure, he was an excellent fighter, but he was never the type to kill someone for no reason at all. She's changed you, Seifer. She certainly has. What happened to the Seifer I knew?"
"Ah, but there is a reason. To squeeze out information from them." He smirked. "And as my subordinate, you have no right to tell me what to do and what not to do."
A long silence passed between both of them as they continued walking. After a while, Fujin's pace quickened. "Don't follow me. I'll be heading back. Good night, Seifer."
* * *
What happened to the Seifer I knew?
Seifer's mind was uneasy as he reflected on Fujin's words. I suppose the old Seifer is gone. I have made my transition. I am now the Sorceress' Knight... but am I really happy with this? Have I really changed a lot?
I think my words were too harsh somehow. Fujin took a deep breath and sighed. I shouldn't have let my words come out as that biting. It isn't his fault entirely after all. It's the Sorceress who is to blame...but still... he has changed. I'll still wait for him, though. The optimistic side of me is telling me that he will return to his old self. No matter how long it will take, it will be worth the wait.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Notes: Thanks to all who reviewed! In response to Kotori's question, my primary sources of inspiration are Andersen's fairytale "The Snow Queen" and Meteor Garden II (the song Broken Vow, particularly). And Lenne: An Irvine fic? Maybe I'll write one. Stay tuned! R/R.