"Mweh heh heh!" Teal was sitting at the table, a Kuroneko-sama backpack over her shoulders and her Kyo hat on her head (a/n: from trigun and fruitsbasket, if you've never heard of them then don't ask, but they're bloody brilliant, go read them sometime!).
"This is so hard," I moaned.
Seifer, who sat next to me, grinned. Under the table he put one hand on my knee. "C'mon, it's fun."

I knew what he was doinghe was passing me a card. I reached under the table to adjust the jacket tied around my waist and took the card from his hand. Y'see, we were all playing a card gameDuel Monstersand it was sooo fun, but it took some getting used to. Seifer and I were on one team, Teal and Spencer were on the other.

"Huzzah! Beat this!" cackled Teal madly, slapping down a combo that ended the game.

As it turned out, spending time here was the most fun I'd ever had. I did get restless, though... it was my second day not leaving that house. We had been here two whole days and I hadn't been outside once. Grrr. I looked to Seifer, a pleading look in my eyes. He averted his gaze, which meant 'not a chance, but I feel guilty telling you no.' I sighed.

"Teal" I began, but Seifer caught my arm in midsentence.

He knew that if Teal took me outside, then we'd most likely get lost, seeing as neither of us had any directional skills whatsoever and we were miles from civilization.

"I'll take you outside," he sighed reluctantly.

Did I have to have someone with me at all times? Everyone was breathing down my neck. I needed my space... I felt smothered, with them all covertly watching me. Some people would feel safer, but that constant vigilance bothered me.

"Thankyou," I muttered.

He opened the doorit was dark outside, but the stars shone brilliantly and fireflies floated around us.

"So... you were going stir-crazy already?" he smiled grimly at me.

"Yes," I replied bluntly.
"I'm just warning you, Sierrawe might be out here for a long time."
"We're in the middle of nowhere. How dangerous can it be for me to go out on my own once in a while, Seifer? So much has happened in the past week. I need... time to think."

He sensed my distress and slipped his arms around my waist. I was facing away, but I could almost feel his bright eyes on me. Seifer drew me close to him.

"Close your eyes, and take a deep breath."
I did so. "This isn't helping."
"What will?"
"Civilization. A nice, long, hot shower. Time to talk to Sefie."
"How about a kiss?"
That caught me off guard. "W-what?"

"Will a kiss make you feel better?" he smiled at me.
"If you're asking my permission, go for it. But I think I'll be a terrible kisser."

He chuckled. "I somehow doubt that."

I was glad I carried my bag with me. I pulled out my hit-clips-radio-thingy and turned it on, grinning. It was tuned to one of those soft-rock stations and was playing 'Have I Told You Lately' by Rod Stewart. He laughed but looked thoroughly embarrassed that I carried my miniradio everywhere with me.

"Viola!" I said proudly.
"Okay," he sighed. "Are you done being melodramatic?"
"I just want to, y'know, play a fluffy song for a fluffy moment," I said defensively.

Seifer leaned forward and kissed me. One thing's for sureI'll never forget that. Needless to say, he asked me out.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
I nodded, smiling, blushing, wishing more than anything Selphie could see me right now. My cell phone vibrated, but I ignored it. I rested my head on his chest, and I felt his chin resting lightly on my hair. It was perfectand then I heard it. A faint, sickly sweet laugh in the back of my mind. I froze.

"Sierra, what's wrong?"
My knees went weak, and I couldn't talk. I mouthed wordlessly, trying to warn him. My legs buckled and I fell into him. He caught me, looking alarmed, and held me. I wanted to scream, drop me, I'm getting possessed, but it wasn't that simple.

"Sierra!"

"Ulteme..." That was all I could get out. My voice cracked, then faltered all together.

My dear, sweet child. Why do you fear me so?

Because you killed my brother.

I felt drunkI was watching through my eyes, but everything was blurred at the edges and someone else was in control.

"What is it, Seifer?" Ultemecia said in my voice. I wanted to be sick.

"Sierra, are you okay?"
"Mm hm," she smiled.

I tried to scream, warn him, anything. I willed my legs to move, but they stood firmher will was a thousand times stronger than mine. He looked at me suspiciously.

"Whatever you say..."

"What's the matter, Seifer?" she asked innocently. "Is something bothering you?"
"You... you..." he struggled to find words.
"What about me?" she twisted my face into a confused, hurt look, and I wanted to kill her. I had never hated that strongly. I wanted to kill her.

"You aren't..." he started, then stopped.

"You're much smarter than I gave you credit for." She smiled a wide, toadlike smile. "You thought you could hide her from me? She is my vessela little tool. I'm always connected to her, like a killer connected to their victim... a tie that can never become worn down or severed."

You should have taken me to Esthar, Seifer, I wanted to cry. He tried to come up with a solution, biting his lip.

"You can have her," he muttered.

"Now that's a good boy," she smiled again. "Run along and pretend you didn't see anything."

"Okay. How am I supposed to explain what happened to Sierra?" he looked coldly amused. I wanted to die. Seifer... how could you?

"Tell them she needed some time alone... she went on a walk, but not very far. She'll be back soon."

"Alright." Seifer turned around and walked off casually.

My heart was broken in two. I wanted to cry. I was shattered. I had taken all that I couldand I gave up.

(a/n: Seifer's point of view!)

I ran to the house, panic ballooning inside my chest and threatening to swallow me whole. It had workedUltemecia believed that I didn't care what happened to Sierra. It was part of my plan... I had to get Teal. She was a sorceress. She'd know what to do. I burst through the door. Spencer blinked.

"What's wrong with you, man?"

"Teal! Where's Teal!"
"Oooh! Oooh! Here's Teal!" said Teal excitedly, poking her head through the doorway. "What does Seifer need?"
"Sierra! Ultemecia got her!"

"Ooooooooh, that's bad news, Ulty is scary."

"Don't just stand there!" I yelled in anguish. It had hurt to fake that I didn't care.

"I can't sense her signal," Teal said softly.

"What's that mean?"
"She's... asleep."

"WHAT!"
"Ulty put her there..." Teal shuddered.
"Where!"

"Ulty put her in the darkness of the human mind... she's trapped. It's like a severe, sorceress-induced form of schizophrenia, or even autism. Sometimes it's so bad, the person regresses and then it just stops, and they never wake up. It's soooo scary. The human mind is a scary, scary place. It's so hard to escape."

I could tell by the look on Spencer's face that Teal had been there. "What do the sorceresses call it?"
"The sorceress said to me, 'I put you in the box, and now you can't get out'. And those were the last words I heard for three years." She was shaking, which surprised me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"I have to find Sierra, I can't let her go through that!" Teal suddenly burst out.

She ran out the door, and I followed her. Spencer was close on my heels. The darkness was complete outside. The stars had seemed to have dimmed from their former glory. Teal took a deep breath and walked in one direction, occasionally taking a random turn.

"I'm getting a strong sorceress signal," she muttered. "From that bunch of trees over there. Do you have your weapons?"
"Yes," Spencer and I chorused.

"I have a few spare bangles, but I'm afraid to use them. They might hurt Sierra more, so I can't use them. But I have my hand gun, and if things get desperate, I'll use it."
"You mean we might have to" I began, shocked.
"We might have to hurt her. It may be the only way to weaken the sorceress enough for me to force her out."

"Oh." I squeezed my eyes shut. The memory of my brother stabbing her was fresh in my mind.

"Don't worry, Seify, it'll be fine. Sierra's a tough girl..." Teal said, but by her tone of voice, I could tell that Teal wasn't at all sure that Sierra was going to ever be okay again.

"I hope," I said, drawing a shaking breath.

A ringing voice came from the trees. "Ahhh, I knew you were to weak to walk away from her."

I whirled around to face the trees, cursing under my breath. She had known my plan the whole time. "Damn..."

"No need for language, Seifer," she smiled sweetly, walking out of the trees.

I knew that it wasn't Sierra, but seeing Sierra's body, her smiling face, made me fall into a deep spasm of anger and fear. How could she steal the body of my Sierra? I closed my eyes and took another shuddering breath, trying to stay calm.

"Let her go right now, or I'll track you down, and I will kill you."
"I am not the one who did the most damage here... it was you."

"Stop with your sick mind games!"

She laughed. "Don't you see, my dear boy? She has given up! She's dying... and I am not the cause. She's been through so much heartbreak, she just couldn't take you acting as if you didn't care. Physical damage is a small, trifling subject compared to emotional damage. She's been dumped, she's lost her brother, and at one point she was raped and had a stalker. She just couldn't handle your rejection. She can't hear anything you say, can't see you. She'll just lie inside, dying. If I ever do let her go, she'll be just as I left her... locked in that tiny box in her head."

"Let her out!" I yelled at the top of my voice.

Spencer had to grab my arm to keep me from doing anything stupid. I had no idea her past was so rough... why didn't she tell me? I had just added to her hurt... And maybe my plan to help had only done more damage.

"What if I just... let her go? She'll be a vegetable. Nothing can bring her out..."
"Something can," said Teal boldly.

"Something none of you have to give," said Ultemecia/Sierra smoothly. "I think I'll leave her to rot..."
"No!" I cried in complete loss. "You can't do that!"
"Watch me..." and Sierra crumpled to the ground. Her eyes were open, and her mouth was stuck in that smile that had melted my heart, but hurt worse than ever now because I knew that smile was forced by Ultemecia.

I pulled her against me. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, wake up..." I burried my face in her hair.

Her eyes are what scared me most. They were empty holes, no longer the shining diamonds I remembered that captured my heart. They stared accusingly up at me. I cried, my tears falling and beading on her hair. Teal knelt and shook Sierra's shoulders.
"Don't fret precious, I'm here, step away from the window," I whispered waveringly, hoping above all else that she could hear me. The song wasn't all that nice, but that line was romantic, and I wanted her know that I loved her. "And..." I thought of another song. "You're my survival, you're my living proof, my love is alive and not dead."

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked.

"I'm trying to get her to respond."
"She won't"

"She will."

"Whatever you say man," he muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. I knew that he was reliving his sister being 'in the box'.

"And remember what I said... Your destiny is untold. Your future is unknown. But what fun would life be if nothing was ever new or exciting? You'll never be able to experience anything new and exciting if you don't wake up... I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Sierra... Please, wake up. For me."

I didn't feel anything at first, then... I felt a small tug at my shirt sleeve. I looked down, alarmed and hopeful. Her eyes were closed, but her hand was trembling.

"...S..."
"TEAL! SPENCER! SHE'S OKAY!" I yelled, making them jump.

"Sei... Seifer..."
"Oh, God, Sierra, I didn't really mean it, you know I didn't." I hugged her tightly. "You scared the shit out of me. I was just trying to get help for you. I didn't mean to hurt you... I had no idea... of all those damn hardships in your past... But I want to help you get over that, I want to help you create good memories to cover up all the bad ones."

"I love you, Seifer," she mumbled into my shirt. "Thankyou... For saving me."

I played with her hair absently. "Sierra... I think you saved me more than I saved you." I picked her up and was surprised that she didn't object. She must have been really exausted.

We walked off toward the house... I had a feeling that the threat was over though... and I could live the rest of my life with Sierra.