As he watched the panic around him, the frenzy over the two dead girls, he smiled secretly to himself. He wasn't afraid of being caught, no, he'd been too careful for that. There wasn't a single shred of evidence to connect him to the crime. Besides, he was a friendly guy and a high ranking SeeD with a clean record. No one would suspect him of such terrible crimes. For one thing, the Gunblade was not his weapon of choice; he used it only to kill. He was an information specialist, not a fighter.
So, they'd found the two girls. They hadn't yet discovered the other four, and at this, he laughed. He couldn't wait for them to discover the remains that were hidden right here in Garden. He he anticipated this discovery with the kind of glee a child awaits dawn on Christmas morning. He was proud of his work, his art. Others might say it was brutal and disgusting, the things he did, but he thought of them as an art. The women were his canvas, his portraits of pain and suffering. And they were all so lovely in their deaths, so pale, so innocent in their final moments. Pain and fear purged them of their stains. They saw in the final seconds of their lives the error of their ways, and it purified them. That was true beauty.
The perfect thing about it was that someone else would take the fall. Someone he hated. It was only right that the legend should be blamed. It was set up so perfectly, and no one would ever know better. But, he'd have to be careful. He'd have to control his desire to kill once the legend was locked up. If he messed up, the legend might go free. He couldn't have that.
He had already planned his next kill, and it would be the most perfect of all because she was free of the stains that marked the others. She was pure, untainted. He imagined that she would be perfectly angelic in that final moment, and the most beautiful of all.
She would be his greatest work of art.
Squall Leonhart went directly to his dorm when he returned from Balamb, rather than going directly to the Commander's office. He wasn't quite ready to tell Quistis the news, nor was he up for explaining it all. He was having a hard enough time making sense of it on his own, and sharing it with someone would only complicate and confuse things. He dropped his bag on the floor and flopped onto the bed, though he wasn't tired. All he wanted to do was lay there and feel sorry for himself.
If Rinoa had stopped loving him, that would be one thing, but she'd said she still loved him. Those words had stirred up all the old feelings he'd had for her in the first place, the ones he thought he was over. Truth be told, he'd never been over any of it, he'd just told himself that so that he wouldn't be miserable with her gone. Now, he was miserable again. She'd said she loved him. But she'd said she loved Seifer too. And it was Seifer she was with, not him. Seifer she'd sailed away with and started a family with. That should have told him everything he needed to know, but hearing her say that she still loved him was enough to remind him that he had never stopped loving her.
And because she was still with Seifer and not him he began to hate her a little too.
Damn it.
Before he could slip into a self imposed coma of depression, there was a knock at the door. "Enter," he mumbled.
"Hey man," Irvine Kinneas said as he stepped into the room. "What's up?"
"The ceiling," Squall muttered.
Irvine looked up to see that, indeed, the ceiling was up, and he chuckled. "Cute, Squall. I can tell just by looking at you that you got a bug up your butt or something. Feel like talking?"
"Not really."
"Figures," Irvine said. "By the way, Quistis is looking for you. Be warned, she's on the warpath."
"Great," Squall said and sat up. "That's the last thing I need."
"Man, it's been crazy here with all this shit going on. I kind of don't blame her, you know. She's got a lot to deal with right now."
"What are you talking about?"
"You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Oh, man. Some nut job has been killing female cadets. Two found dead in the last two days, both sliced up. It's pretty sick, if you ask me. I didn't see the photos, but I heard it's pretty gruesome. Suffice it to say, Quistis isn't exactly in the best mood."
"Which cadets?" Squall asked, as if it mattered. He was stalling. When Quistis was in a bad mood, she wanted to talk to him, and he didn't know if he could handle being burdened with her troubles too. He had enough of his own to deal with, and he couldn't even handle those.
"Ingston Cortman and Sylania Dulene," Irvine said.
Squall hadn't expected to hear names he was familiar with. He'd dated both girls very briefly, despite the fact that they were senior cadets. It was forbidden, of course, but often overlooked by the staff, so no one really minded much. Besides, both girls had been eighteen and on the verge of graduation or expulsion. Old enough for someone Squall's age to date.
Squall shuddered and put his hand on his forehead. Ingston had reminded Squall of Rinoa, in both looks and personality. Sy, well, she had been all talk and no substance. Between the two, there had only been a handful of outings, and he hadn't gotten to know them too well before they dropped him.
"You ok?" Irvine asked.
"Yeah," Squall replied. "I'd better go see Quistis."
"Hey, do me a favor. Be nice to her for a change. She's blaming herself for all this, and she could really use someone to talk to. If that's not too much to ask."
"I'll try."
In Quistis' office, he was asked to have a seat. There was a stack of files on the desk, and several more on the chair beside it. There was also a half eaten sandwich and a thermos of coffee. Quistis usually ate her lunch in the Quad, Squall knew, so he figured it must have been a really bad day in Quisty land. He sighed and drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair as he waited. He hoped this wouldn't take all day. He had some moping to do.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Squall," Quistis said as she breezed in, perfectly balanced on a pair of heels, looking her usual professional self. "It has been insane around here today."
"So I've heard," he replied.
"Coffee?" she asked as she sat down.
"No thanks," he said. He and Zell had downed an entire pot early this morning, and the thought of more made him sick to his stomach.
Quistis sat back and sighed and stared at the files for a moment.
"Is there any particular reason you wanted to see me?" he asked.
She nodded absently and took a file from the stack. "I'm going to have to write you up for failing to check in last night. And for not having a pass to be off premises."
He stared at her. "You're joking."
"I wish I were," she said. "Effective today, no one, and I mean no one, is allowed to leave Garden without permission. You want a night on the town, you must clear it with me first."
Squall sighed.
"And," she continued. "Any future dates must be chaperoned by a staff member."
"That's crap," Squall groaned.
"Crap, but necessary. I'm sure you've heard the news."
"Irvine informed me earlier, yes."
She sighed and removed her glasses. "I'm sure he did. But there's a lot that Irvine doesn't know, that no one outside this office knows."
"Meaning?"
"Squall . . . you're the only suspect."
Squall was aghast. "Me?!"
"Yes, you."
What the hell? How could he be a suspect? He hadn't set foot in Garden for more than two months until today. "I don't understand, Quistis. Why me?"
She sighed and picked up a note pad. "You dated both girls, am I correct?"
"Yeah, but only a couple of times. I don't see how that would make me a suspect. Sy went out with a lot of guys, not just me."
"I know that," Quistis said testily. "Believe me, I've been looking at every possible angle here, ok? But the fact is, you dated both of them. Both were murdered with a gunblade."
"A lot of people use them now."
"I know that too. If you'd let me finish, maybe you'd see where I'm coming from," Quistis said. "Sylania was killed last night, shortly after your train arrived. You didn't check in last night, so technically, we don't know where you were. Ingston was killed about two and a half months ago. Her remains were found by hunters a couple of days ago, in the woods. You were here two months ago, were you not?"
"Yeah, but . . ."
"Did you leave Garden at any time?"
"I went to visit Zell," he protested. "That's where I was last night."
Quistis rubbed her eyes. "I'm sure Zell will vouch for you, but the problem is that we don't have record of you clearing your visits to Zell at any time."
This was not happening. How could Quistis think that he'd done it? They'd known one another a long time, and though he hadn't been as nice as he should have, she had to know that he wouldn't do something like this.
"There are a couple of detectives from Balamb that want to speak to you," Quistis continued. "They've asked for your file, and they want me to put you on suspension until further notice."
"Hell, Quistis, why don't you just lock me up in the Brig while you're at it?"
"Don't joke," she admonished. "They wanted me to do exactly that, but I'm not going to. I told them a suspension would be enough for now. But I have to ask you. Did you do it?"
"No, I didn't do it!" he cried and he slammed his fist against her desk. "How could you even think it?"
"Squall, calm down. I don't think you did it, but those detectives do. Right now, I'm trying my best to prove them wrong, all right? But I need your help to do that. I need you to be patient for now, so just relax, ok?"
First Rinoa and now this. "When it rains, it pours," he mumbled and closed his eyes. "Why the fuck is this happening to me?!"
"I don't know, but we'll find out."
They sat in silence for several minutes. Quistis stared at Squall. Squall stared at his hands.
"We're going to get you out of this, Squall. Trust me, ok? They can't charge you with anything if they don't have any evidence against you other than what we have now. And you have an alibi for the time you were not at Garden, as long as Zell remembers the visits. If you didn't do it, they won't be able to come up with anything."
It didn't make him feel any better to hear her say this, but he kept that to himself. She was trying to calm his fears, trying to help him, and he didn't have the heart to say anything.
"So, until further notice, you are expected to stay with someone at all times or spend your time in public places. That way, should something happen, you have a witness to back you up," she said. "I'd like you to help Selphie out in Student Services while you're on suspension. She's swamped and she could use the extra help. Please report to her office first thing tomorrow morning."
Great. Now Selphie was going to baby-sit him. It wasn't that he didn't like her, but her constant cheeriness would drive him crazy. Hell, she might drive him to murder.
"Am I dismissed?"
"For now," Quistis said and she looked sadly at the half eaten sandwich and dropped it into the trash. "I'll let you know when the detectives arrive."
He nodded. "Thanks, Quistis," he said.
"You're welcome," she replied.
"Uh, I'm going to get something to eat," he said, a tremor in his voice as he stood up to leave. "Would you like me to get you anything?"
Quistis smiled for the first time since she'd walked into the office. "That would be great."
At first she'd thought that she was finally pregnant, but she wasn't. She and Irvine had tried so hard these last five years to have a baby, but to no avail. There was no reason they couldn't, Dr. Kadowaki had said, but still, after years of trying, there was no baby. Several miscarriages, but no baby. It made her sad to see the nursery she and Irvine had spent so much time decorating was going to waste. It depressed her to see the crib that Irvine built by hand sit empty and the frilly yellow curtains fade.
Since she'd become a Sorceress, she was prone to premonitions and strange feelings just before something happened, but this feeling didn't have anything to do with Sylania Dulene's death. No, it was something else, and it was affecting her concentration. An itch she couldn't quite scratch.
She'd already checked in with Irvine ten or twelve times today, so it wasn't him. And Quistis was stressed, but otherwise fine. Squall had returned from his mission in good health, so it couldn't be him either. She called Zell twice, just to make sure that he was ok, too.
That left only one other.
Rinoa.
There was a special bond between Selphie and Rinoa. They were sisters, but they also possessed the ability to contact one another through telepathy, as sorceresses are able to do. Selphie had tried to reach Rinoa this way thousands of times in the last five years, and not once was she able to get a clear connection. Rinoa had always shut her out, refusing to let Selphie in her mind. How many times had she reached Rinoa, only to be told to go away? Selphie had lost count.
She closed her eyes and thought of her sister, pictured her, and was once again told to go away. But this time, Rinoa was crying when she said it.
"Leave me be, Selphie."
Rinoa said nothing. Seifer thought she might already be asleep, but then he heard the sound of her crying softly. Every now and then, she did this, and he never knew what to do to comfort her. It was her decision to sail away from Balamb, it wasn't like he forced her to leave. On the contrary. He'd thought that maybe she'd feel better once she saw her old friends, maybe she'd stop being so sullen.
He'd begged her to stay a few days, to visit Garden. Secretly, he'd hoped she would. He was growing tired of living on a boat, in cramped living quarters, tired of eating seafood day in and day out. He didn't breathe a word of this to her, of course, because he did enjoy the adventure of exploring the world, but he also wanted a home, a job, friends, maybe. He wouldn't have minded visiting Garden at all. He had some apologies to make, after all.
Seifer knew what a fool he'd been. He looked back on those years with regret, and he'd faced up to what he'd done, though he knew that there was no forgiving any of it. He didn't expect anyone to forgive him. In short, he'd grown up, mellowed, and he quit lying to himself about how wonderful and great he was. There was nothing wonderful or great about what he'd done. He'd just been a stupid kid who believed every pipe dream Ultimecia fed him. None of her promises had come true.
Adel's promise had come true, however, but that was not Adel's doing by any means. Rinoa had chosen him over Squall, by some miracle, and he was thankful for that. Rinoa had given him her heart and two beautiful children. Because of this, he felt like the luckiest man on earth.
Though he knew Arden was Squall's son, it didn't matter. Seifer was the one who raised him, who cared for him, he was the one who loved him, not Squall. It was he who Arden called Daddy. If it came down to it, he'd be willing to die for the kid, no matter what.
And Althea. Hyne, wasn't she something else? Never was there a more rambunctious, feisty little girl. Althea was his darling, his baby. She had her mother's eyes, and his personality. He couldn't help but spoil her rotten.
So Rinoa lay beside him, crying softly into her arm, and he didn't know how to comfort her. "Don't cry, baby," he whispered and pulled her tight against him. "It'll be all right." He said this with confidence, but he wasn't so sure things would be all right.
"I didn't tell him, Seifer."
"Why not?" he asked as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "He needs to know he's got a son."
"I know, but he was so angry with me, I couldn't."
"You should have told him anyway. It's not fair."
"Since when have you ever cared what was fair to Squall or not?" she asked.
"Don't pick a fight with me Rinoa," Seifer warned. "I don't care, but I thought about it a lot, and if I were him, I'd want to know."
"Please, Seifer, I just want to go to sleep, ok?" she whispered.
"Fine," he growled. "But some time soon, you have to tell him. If I have to make you, I will."
Rinoa rolled over and glared at him. "Don't threaten me, Seifer."
"That's not a threat, it's a promise."
His urge to kill was growing more frequent. At first, it had only been once or twice a year, when he was younger. Then, once a month. Now, it was all he thought about. It was all he wanted to do. He didn't want to go to his office and push paper all day. No, he wanted to take life, destroy it, defile it. He wanted to create a work of pain and agony, to bring hurt to someone. He was growing impatient. He had to, no, needed to kill. He wanted them to find the body hidden here in Garden. He wanted them to discover the girl he'd left in the fire cavern. Only the discovery of a body would help calm the urge to kill again. It was pure vanity, he knew, but he needed to be recognized, he wanted them to see what he could do, how beautiful a woman could be in her death. He wanted this now, but he would have to control himself.
But if they didn't discover the others soon, he would have to do it again. The perfect one could wait.