He awoke, Meia's copper hair tickling his chin as he tilted his head up. Gently he sat up, Meia's head still resting on his chest as he held her in his arms.
His dreams had been plagued by dark figures and a picture of his deepest fear... Meia running from him afraid, her face deathly white. It was time to tell them who he was or to be honest had been and why Pandora held him captive in his youth.
Squall and Quistis came walking in with solemn faces, not registering any surprise at Meia being in bed with him.
'Morning.' Jayson said softly.
'Morning.' Quistis replied while Squall nodded in reply, pulling a thin folder from behind his back.
'What's that?' Jayson asked.
'Lab reports on the knife. It matches stab wounds on the victims. No prints.' Quistis replied.
'So that means Seifer's free to go right? We have positive proof he's innocent.' Jayson said excitedly.
'Yeah but then he'll be a target. We researched Pandora. Had to drag Odine out of his lab as he seemed the only likely one to know about it.' Squall said softly.
'And?' Jayson asked.
'He was quiet at first, took a few insults for me to get him to slip up.' Squall said grinning.
'He told us pretty much what you said. Supporters of Adel, raising a Sorceress' Knight to set her free. Disappeared eight years ago.' Quistis informed him briefly.
'And that knight killed them... yet how could they still be around to know that and begrudge other knights?' Jayson wondered aloud.
'Are you sure they're all dead? Maybe there were other members you never knew of?' Squall suggested.
'No... they all stayed together out of fear in case Laguna found out about them.' Jayson replied and slid out of bed, laying the sleeping Meia down gently.
'So where does that leave us?' Quistis asked.
'Chasing shadows.' Jayson said darkly.
The two of them left Jayson with their thoughts while they went to present the evidence of Seifer's release to Garden and thought of how best to release him and protect him from this mysterious Pandora.
Again the guilt was on Jayson, his plan for proving Seifer innocent had gone wrong causing a girl's death even though Seifer was free, and it all seemed to be because his past had come sneaking up on him.
Jayson clenched his fist in anger, his body shaking in rage. They should be dead, all of them bastards should be dead. He had mercilessly killed them all, even the children, they were already poisoned by their parents ideals so there was no hope for them and even if there was, no doubt they'd have come after him, cause him more pain as they revenged themselves on him.
Jayson shivered at the thought... could he really have missed someone that night? Someone who now mistook Seifer for him? Jayson stopped dwelling on that train of thought and turned to how to catch the killer.
Meia awoke, her sleepy eyes slamming wide open as her questing hand met cotton sheet rather than warm flesh. She sat up looking around wildly in fear as she spotted Jayson pulling his bloodied shirt off and once again she saw the numerous thin scars across his back.
'Did Pandora do that to him?' she thought.
'You're awake.' Jayson said softly turning to her with a smile pulling a black T-shirt on.
'And you left me alone.' She said in mock hurt, teasing him.
'Well I didn't want to disturb you. Besides you look cute asleep.' He said walking over.
'And you're saying I don't when I'm awake?' she asked pouting and then giggling she grabbed the pillow hitting him with it.
'Hey!' Jayson cried as he raised his arm to block Meia's blows.
He then tugged the pillow from her hands and pulled her to him, pulling her forward as she knelt on the bed, bringing her against his chest, her green eyes looking up into his as he tenderly brushed strands of copper hair from her face.
'Give in?' he asked softly.
'Depends.' She replied grinning.
'Oh really?' he answered grinning in return as he leant in closer.
'Will you two knock it off!?' a voice came from the next cubicle.
Jayson and Meia turned to see Zell pulling aside the curtain dividing the two cubicles, his eyes circled with black and his face unusually pale.
'I got a pounding headache.' He groaned, rubbing his temples.
'Sorry.' Jayson answered letting Meia go.
'Still feeling rough huh?' Meia asked.
'Hell yeah... feels like I got a Behemoth dropped on me.' Zell said with a faint smile.
'So what happened anyway?' he asked.
Jayson and Meia's faces fell at the question.
'They killed another girl?' Zell asked noticing their expressions.
Jayson nodded in reply unable to bring himself to say it.
'Dammit!' Zell snarled, punching the metal pole of the cubicle causing the curtains to vibrate.
'So what about Seifer then?' Zell asked in a slightly calmer voice trying to control his emotions.
'Well he's innocent and should be free though we're worried that the rest of Garden or maybe even the killer themselves will turn on him.' Meia replied sliding off the bed.
'So why are you both here? Kadowaki wouldn't let you come here just to mess about so which of you got hurt?' Zell then asked as if going through some checklist in his head.
'That would be me.' Jayson said softly.
'They knocked you out too?' Zell asked.
'No, stab wound.' Jayson said simply.
'And you're up and about already?' Zell said incredulously.
'I heal fast.' Jayson said with a faint grin.
'Hell yeah you do!' Zell retorted and started swaying, falling forward.
Jayson rushed forward and caught him, Zell steadying himself against Jayson as his eyes focused again.
'I think you should lay down again.' Jayson said softly and helped Zell back to his bed as he agreed weakly.
'We'll keep the noise down.' Jayson told him smiling getting a faint grin in reply.
He pulled the curtain back as he returned to his cubicle where Meia waited.
'Is he okay?' Meia asked softly.
'Yeah just a bit faint I guess. I reckon we should leave him in peace.' Jayson said softly and took Meia's hand.
As they were leaving the Infirmary they bumped into Dr. Kadowaki.
'You're leaving?' she said scornfully.
'Yeah well no reason to stay.' Jayson said brightly. 'By the way, Zell's woke up and seems a bit groggy. We figured he'd want to recover in peace.' He added.
Dr. Kadowaki shook her head gently and let them past, rushing over to see Zell though Jayson was able to see the fear and confusion in her eyes as she brushed past him.
'Great, another person who's changed towards me... maybe if I hadn't become a full fledged SeeD then they'd all treat me the same.' He thought to himself.
'Drifting off again?' Meia teased, nudging him.
'Hmm?' Jayson murmured. 'Sorry just thinking.' He replied.
'I know.' Meia said laughing softly. 'So my room or yours?' she asked winking.
'I think we have other things to do today.' Jayson told her softly.
'Oh...' Meia said disappointedly.
'Pandora's still about, Seifer will be freed into a riot of outrage and it's all my fault.' Jayson said darkly.
'Will you stop with the guilt?' Meia snapped.
Jayson turned to look at her in surprise.
'You didn't know this would happen. All we can do is help fix it. You don't have to take all the responsibility. Who do you think you are? Squall?' Meia ranted, her cheeks glowing red.
Jayson couldn't help but smirk at her.
'It's not funny!' she snapped.
Jayson raised his hands in an act of submission. 'I know... it's just you looked cute.' He replied.
'Smooth talk won't be tolerated either mister.' Meia told him.
'Then what do you want from me?' he replied evenly.
'Maybe some trust... tell me what's going on in that head of yours.' Meia told him.
'You really want to know?' Jayson said glancing around the empty halls.
'I asked didn't I?' Meia said placing her hands on her hips sternly.
'Well for one I'm blaming myself for this because I can't help thinking that they might have mistook Seifer for me, that I finally submitted to her will like I was supposed to.' Jayson told her softly.
'Her who?' Meia asked still looking up into his eyes intently.
'Ultimecia... I was raised to be her Knight through protecting Adel. I came to refuse the plan they had for me, didn't want to be used by some stranger even if they were going to use the face of someone familiar. Ultimecia used Adel once, not long before I was born, to search for Ellone. Ironic since Ellone put Ultimecia in her in the first place. I sometimes wonder if Ultimecia came up with the idea of creating me.' Jayson told her, his voice drifting as he was lost in speculation.
'You said last night you was a disappointment though.' Meia interrupted.
'Well they wanted a female child first, a successor to Adel who would assume Ellone's powers. Ellone herself wasn't suitable to take Ellone's powers. But as you can see I was born and when Adel was imprisoned they decided I would be the one who would free her and be her Knight, fulfil Ultimecia's plan, but I came to resent them all, turned my back on them and their destiny for me. Obviously they didn't like that idea which is why I was forced to kill them.' Jayson explained.
'That's why you said they hate failed knights? Why Seifer was targeted?' Meia asked softly and after a thoughtful pause added. 'Why did they assume you'd be suitable to take Adel's powers if you had been born a girl?'
'Because of my mother... sharing her blood would mean I'd share her potential of being a Sorceress. It should have been guaranteed since she was a Sorceress already...' Jayson said pausing, breaking eye contact as he breathed deeply and finally said. 'She was Adel.'