disclaimer: FF8 does not belong to me.
Chapter 6
"We'll split into teams then when some other SeeDs arrive," Irvine said tiredly. The debate on what to do had been going on for an hour after they had found Lion Heart in the river. The lion charm had been ripped from the gun blade's hilt and had caught on a rock. The blade was buried in the sand when they found it and the argument had erupted from there. The statue that Seifer had found continued to baffle them no matter how many times it was brought up. Carl seemed set to rip the towns in the area apart just to find a hint as to where the missing commander might be. The doe eyed SeeD, obviously the more sensible of the two, had shot that idea down in record time.
"Any chance that we have of finding Commander Lionheart might disappear by the time those slow pokes arrive," Carl argued. Irvine pushed the urge to hit the destructive SeeD to the very back of his mind and settled to glare at him instead. Seifer, however, didn't hold back his violent urges and hit the SeeD on the back of the head.
"And any clues that we may find to his whereabouts might disappear too if we tear the towns apart you idiot!" He shouted. Selphie nodded in agreement and settled into Irvine's lap.
"I agree with Ivy's idea," she stated and snatched the hat off his head to place on top of her own. The doe eyed SeeD nodded as did Seifer. Carl fumed and glared at them.
"And that doesn't win you any points, kid," Seifer said, glaring right back at the young SeeD.
"How long will it be before more SeeDs arrive?" the doe eyed SeeD asked.
"Should be in a few hours," Selphie answered. The doe eyed SeeD nodded a bit and glared at Carl.
"Stop sulking you jackass," he spat. Carl glared at him and flicked him off.
"Stop brown nosing then!" he shot back. Irvine quirked an eyebrow at the silently feuding pair of SeeDs and deducted that they must have some bad blood between them.
"Adam, why don't you check to see if Garden has sent us a message yet?" Selphie suggested. The doe eyed SeeD nodded and stood. He walked out of the room and towards the elevator leading to the control room. Seifer turned the small television in the room on and flipped past a few channels.
"Wait, Seifer, go back," Irvine said as something caught his eye. Seifer went back a few channels and stopped on the news feed from some town near Esthar. The screen showed what looked to be a hospital erupting into flames for no apparent reason. Fire fighters were trying desperately to put the growing inferno out before the flames leapt to any other buildings and began to devour them. The news caster was also saying something about people engulfed in flames walking from the building. From what Irvine could see, the people's faces were twisted into ghastly images of pain and fear. Their charred skin hung from their bodies and revealed burning muscles. Irvine felt the cold fingers of dread tear through him.
He felt a darkness fall over him as he continued watching. He was dimly aware of Selphie calling him, of some one shaking him. His mind filled with the images of those charred bodies, the flames devouring the building like hungry wolves, the cold feeling in his chest growing. There was the feeling of something warm blowing across his neck and something warm pressing against his front. He felt a stinging in his hands and something warm beginning a sluggish path down his hand. He blinked at the black television screen and saw brown hair covering some of his vision. Arms were wound tightly around his shoulders and someone's breath was ghosting over his flesh.
"Irvy?" Selphie questioned in a small voice. Irvine blinked again and leaned his head against hers slightly. Green veiled his vision temporarily and he felt the cold feeling being chased away. Selphie pulled back from him a bit and stared at him with worried emerald eyes. He blinked up at her confused.
"Are you ok?" she asked. He nodded numbly and glanced around the room. Seifer had his head in hands and Carl looked about as pale as a sheet. Adam stood in the door way looking just as scared. Selphie hugged him to her again and let him bury his face in her shoulder. The images were forever burned into his memory. He tasted something metallic in his mouth and raised his hand to wipe it away. His hand came away smeared with blood.
The shadow looked around the rain drenched town and sighed heavily. The feeling of darkness had not left him yet and only grew as he drew closer to them. He knew that something was wrong when he had spied the lion statue on the river banks five nights ago. The message disturbed even more. He had a feeling that whatever they meant was happening involved him, the black eyed demon that was so broken up over the death of the sorceress that he was driven insane by it. The shadow had found the demon's journal in his study one day. The things inside were disturbing. Shortly after, the black eyed demon had left. The shadow had taken his journal from the study and kept it with him. He had meant to show it to them but they had left shortly after the demon had. The building had fallen apart then.
The shadow held the leather bound book in gloved hands and stared at it. The maliciousness hidden on the pages was frightening. Every detail of what he would do was outlined among the pages. The shadow continued its way down the street towards the outskirts of town. The rain pounded the sidewalk and the umbrellas of the town's folk mercilessly. He knew that the Lion's friends would be out searching for him. He had to reach them soon.
Darkness consumed his damaged body in a warm cocoon. He could feel himself floating as images flew past him, to fast for him to see. He knew that these images were important. Important for what though? Foggy images of faces flittered past him and names brushed against his ears. He felt something wrapping around him and heard the soft sound of the waves lapping at the beach like a cat with a bowl of cream. He felt the gentle sea breeze run her fingers through his hair and felt the warm, sun drenched sand along his skin. He could hear children shouting and he could feel someone cradling him. Something was being held against the back of his head and the sound of someone crying flittered over to him.
The feeling of the sand beneath his fingers was taken away as he was picked up and carried somewhere. He didn't know where this person was taking him and his heavy, sluggish limbs refused to move. His eyelids refused to open so he could see his carrier. The sound of a door opening reached his ears and soon he was set down against something soft. Running footsteps also reached his ears and he felt someone's hand wrap around his. He could still hear the crying as the warm hand around his was brushed away. Gentle fingers ran through his hair and removed the cloth that was against his skull. His body was pulled up into a sitting position and set against something soft of warm.
There was a stinging sensation against his head for a few moments and then something was wrapped around it. He could feel the light start to dance around on his eyelids gently as he was laid back against the soft thing. The hand returned and someone's voice prompted him to wake up. He shifted slightly and the light burned his eyes as they fluttered open. He slammed them shut again and he could hear a squeal of joy as someone called out "He's waking up!" He tried again to open his eyes and the light wasn't so harsh this time. A woman's gentle face entered his vision. She looked worried and relieved. Why would she look relieved? He blinked up at her drowsily as she slipped an arm under his shoulders to help him sit up. Children stared up at him and a little girl with tear stains on her cheeks was gripping his hand.
'Why are you crying?' he thought and tried to voice his question but no sound would leave him. The girl's green eyes spilled with tears as she hugged him. The woman rubbed the little girl's back as the children crowded around the couch he was on. Darkness began to creep along his vision as the images and feelings drifted away from him. He tried to reach out a hand to catch them, prevent them from leaving him again. Fingers curled around his and held his hand. He blinked slowly and when he opened his eyes again, a pair of worried gray eyes stared back at him. He blinked again and stared at her questioningly. She smiled a bit and leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"You were staring off into space and wouldn't look at me when I called you," she explained.
"Oh," he murmured. "Sorry," She shook her head and smiled.
"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling today?"
"Ok," Star poked his head into his line of vision and squealed a bit. He smiled slightly and raised a hand to pet the little moomba. He could feel something in the back of his mind begin to crack a bit and the sound of the seagulls crying out to one another as they flew fluttered through his mind. The girl above him began to unwrap the bandages around his arms.
"My name's May," she said. "I'm Lony's older sister."
"Nice to meet you," he said.
Dollet
Black eyes stared around the city and glinted happily in the afternoon light. He was drawing closer to them he knew. With every town and every city that he entered he was getting closer to them. He couldn't wait to hear that orchestra play. Not only would the instruments of the humans be playing but the screaming metal would playing as well. The crackling of the flames and the explosions would fill him with the darkest pleasure that he could find. The lion, the raven, the hawk, the rabbit, the owl, the chocobo, and the knight would all be screaming as the flames ate their bodies. The red ambrosia from them would be the sweetest. The raven would release her dark aura as the last of the ambrosia fell from her veins. But right now, he had to seek out his next source of nourishment and listen to the orchestra play again.
Chapter 6
"We'll split into teams then when some other SeeDs arrive," Irvine said tiredly. The debate on what to do had been going on for an hour after they had found Lion Heart in the river. The lion charm had been ripped from the gun blade's hilt and had caught on a rock. The blade was buried in the sand when they found it and the argument had erupted from there. The statue that Seifer had found continued to baffle them no matter how many times it was brought up. Carl seemed set to rip the towns in the area apart just to find a hint as to where the missing commander might be. The doe eyed SeeD, obviously the more sensible of the two, had shot that idea down in record time.
"Any chance that we have of finding Commander Lionheart might disappear by the time those slow pokes arrive," Carl argued. Irvine pushed the urge to hit the destructive SeeD to the very back of his mind and settled to glare at him instead. Seifer, however, didn't hold back his violent urges and hit the SeeD on the back of the head.
"And any clues that we may find to his whereabouts might disappear too if we tear the towns apart you idiot!" He shouted. Selphie nodded in agreement and settled into Irvine's lap.
"I agree with Ivy's idea," she stated and snatched the hat off his head to place on top of her own. The doe eyed SeeD nodded as did Seifer. Carl fumed and glared at them.
"And that doesn't win you any points, kid," Seifer said, glaring right back at the young SeeD.
"How long will it be before more SeeDs arrive?" the doe eyed SeeD asked.
"Should be in a few hours," Selphie answered. The doe eyed SeeD nodded a bit and glared at Carl.
"Stop sulking you jackass," he spat. Carl glared at him and flicked him off.
"Stop brown nosing then!" he shot back. Irvine quirked an eyebrow at the silently feuding pair of SeeDs and deducted that they must have some bad blood between them.
"Adam, why don't you check to see if Garden has sent us a message yet?" Selphie suggested. The doe eyed SeeD nodded and stood. He walked out of the room and towards the elevator leading to the control room. Seifer turned the small television in the room on and flipped past a few channels.
"Wait, Seifer, go back," Irvine said as something caught his eye. Seifer went back a few channels and stopped on the news feed from some town near Esthar. The screen showed what looked to be a hospital erupting into flames for no apparent reason. Fire fighters were trying desperately to put the growing inferno out before the flames leapt to any other buildings and began to devour them. The news caster was also saying something about people engulfed in flames walking from the building. From what Irvine could see, the people's faces were twisted into ghastly images of pain and fear. Their charred skin hung from their bodies and revealed burning muscles. Irvine felt the cold fingers of dread tear through him.
He felt a darkness fall over him as he continued watching. He was dimly aware of Selphie calling him, of some one shaking him. His mind filled with the images of those charred bodies, the flames devouring the building like hungry wolves, the cold feeling in his chest growing. There was the feeling of something warm blowing across his neck and something warm pressing against his front. He felt a stinging in his hands and something warm beginning a sluggish path down his hand. He blinked at the black television screen and saw brown hair covering some of his vision. Arms were wound tightly around his shoulders and someone's breath was ghosting over his flesh.
"Irvy?" Selphie questioned in a small voice. Irvine blinked again and leaned his head against hers slightly. Green veiled his vision temporarily and he felt the cold feeling being chased away. Selphie pulled back from him a bit and stared at him with worried emerald eyes. He blinked up at her confused.
"Are you ok?" she asked. He nodded numbly and glanced around the room. Seifer had his head in hands and Carl looked about as pale as a sheet. Adam stood in the door way looking just as scared. Selphie hugged him to her again and let him bury his face in her shoulder. The images were forever burned into his memory. He tasted something metallic in his mouth and raised his hand to wipe it away. His hand came away smeared with blood.
The shadow looked around the rain drenched town and sighed heavily. The feeling of darkness had not left him yet and only grew as he drew closer to them. He knew that something was wrong when he had spied the lion statue on the river banks five nights ago. The message disturbed even more. He had a feeling that whatever they meant was happening involved him, the black eyed demon that was so broken up over the death of the sorceress that he was driven insane by it. The shadow had found the demon's journal in his study one day. The things inside were disturbing. Shortly after, the black eyed demon had left. The shadow had taken his journal from the study and kept it with him. He had meant to show it to them but they had left shortly after the demon had. The building had fallen apart then.
The shadow held the leather bound book in gloved hands and stared at it. The maliciousness hidden on the pages was frightening. Every detail of what he would do was outlined among the pages. The shadow continued its way down the street towards the outskirts of town. The rain pounded the sidewalk and the umbrellas of the town's folk mercilessly. He knew that the Lion's friends would be out searching for him. He had to reach them soon.
Darkness consumed his damaged body in a warm cocoon. He could feel himself floating as images flew past him, to fast for him to see. He knew that these images were important. Important for what though? Foggy images of faces flittered past him and names brushed against his ears. He felt something wrapping around him and heard the soft sound of the waves lapping at the beach like a cat with a bowl of cream. He felt the gentle sea breeze run her fingers through his hair and felt the warm, sun drenched sand along his skin. He could hear children shouting and he could feel someone cradling him. Something was being held against the back of his head and the sound of someone crying flittered over to him.
The feeling of the sand beneath his fingers was taken away as he was picked up and carried somewhere. He didn't know where this person was taking him and his heavy, sluggish limbs refused to move. His eyelids refused to open so he could see his carrier. The sound of a door opening reached his ears and soon he was set down against something soft. Running footsteps also reached his ears and he felt someone's hand wrap around his. He could still hear the crying as the warm hand around his was brushed away. Gentle fingers ran through his hair and removed the cloth that was against his skull. His body was pulled up into a sitting position and set against something soft of warm.
There was a stinging sensation against his head for a few moments and then something was wrapped around it. He could feel the light start to dance around on his eyelids gently as he was laid back against the soft thing. The hand returned and someone's voice prompted him to wake up. He shifted slightly and the light burned his eyes as they fluttered open. He slammed them shut again and he could hear a squeal of joy as someone called out "He's waking up!" He tried again to open his eyes and the light wasn't so harsh this time. A woman's gentle face entered his vision. She looked worried and relieved. Why would she look relieved? He blinked up at her drowsily as she slipped an arm under his shoulders to help him sit up. Children stared up at him and a little girl with tear stains on her cheeks was gripping his hand.
'Why are you crying?' he thought and tried to voice his question but no sound would leave him. The girl's green eyes spilled with tears as she hugged him. The woman rubbed the little girl's back as the children crowded around the couch he was on. Darkness began to creep along his vision as the images and feelings drifted away from him. He tried to reach out a hand to catch them, prevent them from leaving him again. Fingers curled around his and held his hand. He blinked slowly and when he opened his eyes again, a pair of worried gray eyes stared back at him. He blinked again and stared at her questioningly. She smiled a bit and leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"You were staring off into space and wouldn't look at me when I called you," she explained.
"Oh," he murmured. "Sorry," She shook her head and smiled.
"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling today?"
"Ok," Star poked his head into his line of vision and squealed a bit. He smiled slightly and raised a hand to pet the little moomba. He could feel something in the back of his mind begin to crack a bit and the sound of the seagulls crying out to one another as they flew fluttered through his mind. The girl above him began to unwrap the bandages around his arms.
"My name's May," she said. "I'm Lony's older sister."
"Nice to meet you," he said.
Dollet
Black eyes stared around the city and glinted happily in the afternoon light. He was drawing closer to them he knew. With every town and every city that he entered he was getting closer to them. He couldn't wait to hear that orchestra play. Not only would the instruments of the humans be playing but the screaming metal would playing as well. The crackling of the flames and the explosions would fill him with the darkest pleasure that he could find. The lion, the raven, the hawk, the rabbit, the owl, the chocobo, and the knight would all be screaming as the flames ate their bodies. The red ambrosia from them would be the sweetest. The raven would release her dark aura as the last of the ambrosia fell from her veins. But right now, he had to seek out his next source of nourishment and listen to the orchestra play again.
