Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or any characters used in this fan fiction.
Author's Notes: Another chapter is posted on ! Guys, I'd love to thank you a bunch for the reviews you've given in chapter one. I'm quite pleased that people still read my fics ). Well, here is chapter 2 of E.W.A.K.
Encounters with a Knight
By: Aurenzo
"I'll find you..."
Walking through the dingy halls of the manor, the rest of the gang had been searching for the lost instructor. They had been worried and troubled if Ultimecia had found her. The only sounds that were heard were the clicking of battle boots and soft inhales and exhales from the group's lungs. The castle had been eerily quiet and couldn't wait to get back to their time and finally have rest.
"This place creeps me out." Selphie shuddered. Irvine's arm happened to go around the miniscule girl's shoulders and gave her a seductive grin. Glaring, she slapped his hand away and smirked to find the cowboys pride-filled shoulders drooping after the slap. Zell wanted to stifle a little giggle but couldn't help but crack at Irvine's attempt to hit on Selphie.
But now was not the best time to do that. They had to beat a corrupted evil sorceress and find their blonde companion as well. Squall could feel a headache coming one but Rinoa melted it away with her heartfelt smiles. Squall couldn't help but smile back. Just a little bit.
The group found themselves in a big open area. It resembled the ballroom back then when Squall had first met Rinoa but a bit gothic and eerie. Squall spotted a hairclip in the middle of the ballroom. The little plastic invention suddenly jerked Squalls thoughts as he mentally panicked to discover it was Quistis'.
The embraced was cut off when Seifer looked at his instructor. He saw the cascade of blonde waterfalls covering the blonde's body. Her look brought back the youth in her face. He found it to be different from the crisp tight bun she had it back in Garden.
"Hyne, I'm glad your back." Quistis' voice broke his reverie and was faced with reality. The masculine blonde feared that he might hurt them again. Seifer abruptly stood up and reached for the door. The only thing that was blocking his exit was Quistis' arm holding him back.
"Where are you going?"
"Y-you have to leave. I don't know if she'll control me again."
"But I don't want you to go!"
"If we ever get lost, I'll find you no matter where you are."
"But-"
"Please listen to me Quisty! Promise me that you'll let me leave and we'll find each other! But right now I have to let you go."
Seifer jerked his arm away from Quistis. His hand ascended from his side to the open air to summon a black portal just like the one Sorceress Edea had used back in the Timber Broadcasting station. Strong arms had embraced the blonde one last time and then Seifer lifted and brought her near the ebony pit of darkness. "Goodbye Quisty. See you later." That was all the Hyperion welder had said before pushing Quistis gently to the portal back to where he had found her, the Ballroom.
Just as the group was about to leave, a black mist had hovered over the heads of the mercenaries. Screams were heard as Quistis came out of no where and landed into the unexpected arms of Zell Dincht.
"Quistis?!" strings of shocked greetings came from the orphanage gang and Rinoa. Their shoulders were lifted with gladness and relief. Even Squall had broken his frozen mask to show that he as well cared for the short lost instructor. Now that the gang was back, they were going to finish the mission that – the soon to be heroes of Gaia – had started.
"What happened to you?" Squall questioned. Quistis struggled to keep a serious tone in her features. She didn't want to give her friends the distraught of discovering Seifer in the castle. "I apologize for wandering off. I must've gotten carried away and wandered out of the party." She lied. The Lionheart wielder didn't buy it but he shrugged it off signaling everybody to continue their quest.
A mild storm was brewing in the ebony sky. Clashes of white lightning roared as the fated children set foot on the roof of their destiny. Squall reminded to equip their guardian forces and have healing items and offensive magic ready in hand. They knew this battle won't be a simple task. When everything was in check, two leather gloves held the rusted handles on the dark doors.
As doors revealed what was inside, everybody was getting ready to fight the biggest battle of their lives.
"Ultimecia..." Squall glared while gritting through his teeth.
The black winged angel could only just smirk.
As white light engulfed the area, Quistis stumbled through the nothingness. Remembering what Selphie had said, her rapid beatings in the heart soon turned into a calm monotonous rhythm. Quistis paused as she reflected on her life and looked for a blissful piece of her memory to bring back to her time.
... little Quisty entered the doors of the grotesque building called 'Garden' ...
... fingers trembling timidly at the first caress of the whip...
... her first sight of a familiar tall little boy with sandy blonde hair ...
... fighting along Xu on her very first mission ...
... soft hands handshaking with the callused hands of the Headmaster ...
... accepting her instructors license from the hands of Headmaster Cid ...
... grey cobalt eyes glaring at her ...
... spitting insulting remarks at the scarred blonde ...
... in the classroom with Seifer serving detention ...
... in the train car with Seifer ...
... feeling strong arms embrace her ...
... Seifer ...
In a cascade of grey with red crosses stitched on the arms, the man who owned it was covering his whole body with it. His teeth clattered as his feet were starting to go numb. Seifer grunted as he fell into the fresh cold snow. But anything was better than under the control of that crazy bitch he called Ultimecia.
Seifer got out of arms reach from Ultimecia. Sneaking through on of the portals outside of the entrance of the castle, he had to choose the one with similar climate to Trabia. Mentally swearing, right now he could go for a hot cup of coffee or even one of Ifrit's limit breaks. His legs gave up and Seifer collapsed. His last though was of the woman who had forgiven him. 'Quistis...'
Frigid air entered her lungs as Quistis began to open her eyes. She squinted when the sun glistened of the frigid floor of ice. Confused, Quistis rubbed her body for body warmth trying to happen why she ended up in the frigid glaciers of what seemed to be Trabia.
Walking through the rough terrain of Trabia, Quistis searched for a town or even a village. Sighing, all she could see was an endless area of snow and ice. Minute by minutes, parts of her body started to feel numb. Breathing became difficult and her legs struggled to move step by step. How ironic that the 'Ice Queen' would die in an ice cold terrain. This made Quistis chuckle a bit.
But there was that last string of hope for Quistis to hang on. Using all her strength, she climbed up a small hill only to find a pile of tattered grey things in the middle of Quistis' viewing range. As a gust of wind blew in the objects' direction, the grey tattered cloth revealed a blonde man with a scar between his cat green eyes.
As if a massive amount of weight was lifted off her shoulders, Quistis used the newly found strength within her to reach the still body of the ex-knight of the second sorceress. Finally stumbling through the piles of snow, Quistis bent down to turn Seifer around. Using SeeD standard instructions on identifying a status of a downed mercenary, Quistis grabbed a pile to make a makeshift pillow for Seifer. Fingers slid across his neck to check a pulse. With a sigh of relief, she found that he was still breathing, lightly.
Quistis' previous panic attack soon turned a calm state. She had no clue what to do next. Seifer's chest had moved slightly. Fingers became numb as they succumbed into the temperatures of what may be Trabia. Failing to find a pulse due to her numb hands, she could maybe find a heart beat with her ears. Quistis lowered down to have her side of the face touch his leather covered toned chest.
The rhythm of Seifer's heartbeat was faint. Trembling, Quistis was afraid to see that Seifer could die. All these panicking thoughts soon were cut off when an arm had embraced the upper body of Quistis. Relief came over Quistis once again when she found that Seifer was alive and already trying to make body heat with his and hers.
Looking up, she found a huge smirk on his face. Blue eyes flared as she was tricked into thinking that he was dead. He knew all along that Quistis was right there. Opening an eye to reveal emerald orbs, he saw a flustered face probably from embarrassment or even anger. Seifer knew that it was the second choice and he winced to prepare for a verbal whiplash.
"Hmm... you feel so warm." Seifer closed his eyes with a smirk growing by the second. Quistis' face turned from an angry beet red into an embarrassing shade of dark pink.
At least he was safe.
Aurenzo's Notes: And there you have it! Chapter two is finished and I'm ready to sleep. Sorry to keep you waiting but here it is. I'm probably going to turn this fic into a humour later in the chapters. Previously, I wanted to have a dark and angst one but I couldn't help but have humour in here.
Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated and may be replied in the next chapter a/ns. Later days everyone!