See first chapter for details.
A Fate Worse Than Death
Chapter 14
3rd Person:
"Hyne, I'm hurrying, already!" Seifer, green eyes crossed in momentary annoyance, was pulling his boots on while trying to ignore the look Squall was giving him. The brunette hadn't said anything since they woke up, and yet he still managed to convey a sense of impatient urgency as he stood a few feet away, blue eyes following the blonde's every move.
A last muffled rush of air fleeing a now foot-occupied shoe, and the taller man was ready, adjusting his long coat and snatching Hyperion from where it lay gleaming on the coffee table. Revolver already in hand, Squall made for the door, stopping only to confirm that Seifer was following.
The hallway, though not exactly crowded, was certainly more full than they'd seen it in awhile, and the blonde smiled a bit, resisting the urge to sling an arm over his companion's shoulders as he gazed at his fellow classmates. He knew that the leather-clad mercenary wasn't outrageously fond of public displays of affection, and so he settled on a happy sigh. Blue-grey eyes shifted to look at him, but Squall did not move his head.
"As fun as our little vacation was, I gotta say I missed this," he informed the younger man, smiling at a group of people he recognized. A few girls blushed and walked a little faster, talking excitedly to their friends. Squall, obviously of another opinion, looked away, still not saying anything. He watched the passing students warily, as if afraid they would suddenly lunge at him.
"C'mon, man. It isn't that bad. We've got a field lesson today, anyway. Seems like we picked the perfect day to rejoin our fellow SeeDs-to-be." He paused, frowning a bit, and turned to Squall, "You alright? Haven't said anything all morning. I thought you got over that." The brunette shot him an unreadable look, and then shrugged.
"I don't exactly love my fellow students," he said softly, shifting his grip on the Revolver again. He glared at the next group of people that passed a bit too closely, and jerked his head in the direction of the exit.
"Let's just go," Boots clicked sharply on the floor as he walked, and Seifer fell into step beside him. The air, despite the regulated temperature of Garden, grew chilly. The blonde sighed.
Squall:
I would have been a lot happier just staying in my room for the rest of forever. Sure, I was looking forward to finally getting to fight again, and Revolver was practically burning in my hands, silver edge glowing in that strange way it tended to do when battles were nearing, but I didn't really enjoy spending time with the other students.
Not like I was some wimp that everyone picked on; a bookworm more suitable for spells than swordplay, but I still got more than my fair share of shit. People just didn't know what to do with the quiet ones. I'm sure they all thought I was going to blow up Garden or something, and so were convinced that they should make my life as horrible as possible so that…
So that what? I'd do it sooner? Where was the logic in that? Holy fucking Hyne, these people really were stupid.
Not like I'd blow up the school anyway. I never was one for explosions. That was more Seifer's style.
Are you going somewhere with this? Or shall I just return to your memories? Shiva lounged on the other side of the ice, glittering in my mind's eye. She seemed impatient, a bit anxious. She hadn't been summoned in so long, not since…
My arm itched. I pushed the notion out of my mind.
Eager to fight again? I asked, giving her a half-smile. She shifted a bit behind the diamond wall. Pale blue lips pulled back in cold grin, and she ran a hand through her hair, small ice crystals ringing eerily in the silence of my mind.
Oh, how little you know, my Lion. I am eager as a breeze is a hurricane. As the mist of Blizzard is my Diamond Dust. She laughed, cold and beautiful as the howl of a snowstorm, and I shuddered in spite of myself.
There is no word that you know of for what I am. Just show me the enemy. I will shatter it; make the skies snow blood and scaled skin. How sad this little island of yours makes me, with its fish and caterpillars. I was a bit surprised, unused to such bloodlust from the goddess of apathy, but I couldn't help but feel similar. I could practically taste the gunpowder and shredded skin, the screams of dying things and the sweat and Sleep and Poison, and I too, felt a bit anxious, not to mention the sudden need to brush my teeth.
Shiva sighed, and stopped her momentary pace.
I miss the cliffs of Esthar, the mountains of Trabia. I long for Ruby Dragons and the ancient halls of Centra, where the Warrior King resides. I will take you there, someday. He would like you, my Lion.
I wondered where Guardian Forces kept their memories. Did they store them with my childhood, or had they a place of their own? Could a Guardian Force have a Guardian Force, eating away at the past that ate away at mine? I wondered what Shiva had been, what she was, what woman resided in her pale skin.
Had she ever loved? Been loved? Had she fought as I do, or had a family? Did she like to read on starry nights, or play in the snow as seemed to be popular with children-that-weren't-me?
What would happen to he when I was gone? Would she be passed on to another? Would she speak of me to them? Where did Guardian Forces go when they weren't with us? I couldn't bear to think of her fading into nothing, lost and forgotten. How did one go about becoming a Guardian Force?
Shiva? I asked, my voice suddenly hollow, lonely in my thoughts. I didn't like the way it sounded. Weak. Scared. Worried. This was not me. I pushed it aside. Her eyes turned to me, and she waited.
How did you become a Guardian?
Her reaction was not what I expected.
Seifer:
I would say we were back to square one; back to before when these silences were normal, only we weren't, because Squall was not attempting to kill me. Not that I knew of. Instead, he was just walking straight ahead, his gait determined as the air temperature dropped a bit with each step. I wondered how he could move without running into anything. I mean; he couldn't see. Did Shiva guide him?
I was mildly surprised when we made it all the way to the 2nd floor classroom without him even looking like he was thinking of running into anything. He walked straight into the room, ignoring Quistis's obvious happiness at his return, and sat down in his seat at the back of the room. I followed him like a lost puppy; a feeling I most definitely did not like.
People started staring as soon as I sat next to him. I just glared at them and took up my customary seating position; daring anyone to comment. No one did.
Not to my face, anyway. I could hear plenty of whispers, but those weren't my concern. Within minutes the class was called to attention and given a brief rundown of what today's 'lesson' was to be.
Boring, from the looks of it. I could feel the need for something more exciting beginning to worm its way into my chest, already, and we hadn't even started. Apparently Garden was of the impression that their students, less than a year away from becoming SeeDs, would gain the needed experience making sushi out in the field. We were supposed to kill fish. Fish. What sort of training was that? The fish were even at an unfair advantage; they were out of water. So we're essentially going to try and kill something that is flopping around on the beach throwing Sleep spells at us.
But whoa. Watch out. If on the rare occasion the Sleep actually works, you will be brutally flopped upon.
We were so totally fucked if a Sorceress actually showed up.
I sighed, waited patiently for Quisty to finish warning us about sharp fins (though, in all fairness, infections were kinda painful), and then nudged Squall, who appeared to have returned to the world of the living. He looked distinctly confused, but I didn't have time to ask about what, because he told me.
"She laughed at me." He ran a hand through his gorgeous hair, turning to face me with his customary frown. I remembered that we were in a public place seconds before I pulled him into my lap. I didn't need him to hate me right now.
"Who?" I asked, not entirely following what could barely be called a train of thought, "Shiva?" a brief nod, and I felt my eyebrow rise. This seemed interesting.
"I asked her how she became a Guardian, and she laughed at me, and said 'only you would ask that' and then she said that I'd find out…someday." He gave a frustrated sigh, and I frowned a bit.
I'd never really wondered where they came from. They were there; wasn't that enough for him? I mean…it's not like they were people, right? Or…were they? Where did they come from? Why were there GFs in the first place? Ifrit had a personality; that was sure enough, why hadn't I wondered where it came from?
"I…I never really thought of that," I admitted a bit sheepishly, and he cast me a sidelong look, his gaze unreadable. For a brief moment I considered asking Ifrit, but then I realized that if Shiva hadn't told Squall, there was no way Ifrit would tell me. I wasn't completely sure he even liked me.
There was a short pause, and then I stood.
"We should get going," I told my…roommate? Friend? Boyfriend? I kinda liked the sound of the last one, and indicated to the students already leaving, "Maybe if we're lucky we'll find a Bomb or something. Hyne, this is gonna be boring."
Squall gave a small nod and stood, and I took a step back so as to let him out of the booth, nearly tripping over someone in the process. It was Zell. [1]
3rd Person:
The martial artist grinned as he scrambled out from behind Seifer, letting the taller blonde regain his balance. Gloves flashes black and silver on his fists, and he bounced a bit on his toes in the perpetual dance of movement that was Zell.
"Hey, man!" he stilled, just for a second to nod in greeting at Squall. There was no response, "This is gonna totally kick ass, right?" his enthusiasm was met with blank stares from both his comrades, and his smile faded, replaced by a slight look of annoyance that was gone almost before it appeared.
"Dude, we're in the same group. Weren't you listening?" He stopped, ran a careful hand through his hair, and put his hands on his hips. Seifer blinked.
"What do you mean, 'group'?" he asked, eyes narrowing into a glare. Next to him, Squall sighed.
"Whatever," he growled, standing, "Group or no, let's go." He'd made it two steps when Zell stopped him, holding out his hand and shaking his head. Squall's eyes flickered to his face in question.
"Naw, man. We gotta wait for our other group member. Four to a group, one for a healer. He'll be over in a second." A frown on pale lips, and the brunette crossed his arms in impatience. Seifer looked extremely irritated.
"Who is it?" he demanded, all-too-ready to be done with this stupid exercise. Maybe if he got back early he could go to the training center. Zell shrugged, looked over his shoulder, and pointed.
"That guy," he informed them, indicating to a man with short black hair that was conversing with Quistis. Squall looked as if he might be worried, though it was hard to tell, and Seifer just looked appalled.
"Uhm. Fuck that?" and then he was headed towards the door, his roommate walking quietly in his wake. Zell, caught off guard, scrambled to his feet and rushed after them, determined not to be left behind.
Seifer:
"This is so boring! I'm sick of playing healer. Make Leonhart switch with me, won't you Seify?"
I was really, really trying to ignore Nida, but he was making it hard. Though I hated to admit it, he was a good healer, but he was also the sorriest fighter I'd ever seen. He had, for reasons unknown, chosen a spear as his weapon, and he could barely lift the damn thing. He didn't seem very happy when I had told him as much. Lucky for me, I didn't care.
"Listen Nida," I ground out, turning so quickly Squall almost fell over in his attempt to stay near me. I shot him an apologetic look and focused on the dark-haired man again, "You given position as healer for a reason, okay? Just like Leonhart was not given position as healer for a reason. He would not heal someone unless they were KO'd, and even then he'd toss you a Phoenix Down and maybe a cure if you're lucky," Squall, surprisingly, was not glaring. Instead, he was staring at our surroundings with mild disinterest. I guess he knew the truth when he heard it.
"Because he," I continued, "has for reasons unknown adopted the belief that everyone should take care of themselves and no one else." I paused, watching as Nida looked thoroughly unconvinced, and I saw his eyes fall on Zell.
"Plus you suck at combat," I added before he got any ideas, and then not for the first time I turned and stalked off towards what I hoped was a different section of endless grassland. Squall fell into step beside me, and Zell half-jogged somewhere to our right. Nida sulked for a few minutes before he apparently realized that we really would leave him there, upon which he ran to catch up.
It had been like this all day. Nida didn't seem content with the risk-free job of healer, instead trying to get rid of what was obviously a more skilled fighter in what I could assume was an attempt to be near me.
Not that I blamed him, but it was still annoying.
Squall had pretty much ignored everyone all morning, and but for the occasional lingering glance it was almost as if he wasn't aware of my presence. It drove me fucking insane. I didn't understand him, and every time I thought maybe I might finally understand the giant emotional tangle that was Leonhart I'd come across a knot or a loose end and wind up back where I had began.
Though I appeared to be making progress regardless of this. He was always a bit closer than strictly necessary, and in battle I couldn't help but be annoyed at the speed with which he completely wiped out our foes before I could get a shot in; or, as he probably saw it, before they could hurt me.
But that was probably just wishful thinking.
I frowned as I remembered our few small battles. We'd mostly encountered fish, a giant caterpillar or two, and one strange jellyfish-type thing. It wasn't until the last battle that we'd even acquired a Scan spell, and so we were still in the dark as to names and attributes. It was depressing, in a way. I'd all sorts of small amounts of powerful spells stored from my numerous travels, and yet I'd been hard-pressed to obtain a Scan.
It was about then, trying to remember the exact incantation that would activate one of my few remaining Thundaga spells that the Silence struck.
Only it wasn't Silence. Not the spell. It was instead a complete lack of anything, any of the constant noise that had until about two seconds ago had been a meaningless white noise. Funny, how you don't miss something until it's gone. And gone it was; it was simply and suddenly so quiet I could hear my heartbeat. I could hear Squall's heartbeat. I could hear Zell's dancing footsteps, and I could taste wrongness in the air like the acidic flavor of Poison.
"Something's wrong," I whispered needlessly, and Dincht, standing still for the first time in forever, nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, man," I saw Leonhart out of the corner of my eye, staring at something just over a small rise, but my attention was on Zell for a moment, "I'm seriously freaked right now; but I'm not too sure why. Maybe it's the quiet." He bounced a bit on his toes, and then from a few feet to my right Squall spoke, still facing away from us.
"Or all the dead bodies," he added, voice as disinterested as it had been all day.
I wasn't completely sure I wanted to see what he was looking at, anymore, but then I was next to him, staring out over a small valley that was marbled green and red with blood.
Things littered the earth, and it took me a moment to identify them as limbs. Limbs from what looked to be every type of creature that inhabited Balamb, even down to humans.
"Oh, sick." Nida whispered, and from the looks of it he was about to be.
I was, too. My eyes, as if drawn by some morbid magnet, would not leave the shattered bodies, taking in severed arms and legs and…appendages, and I involuntarily took a step back.
Squall, however, looked mildly bored, but anxious, as if waiting. He was poking something with his Revolver; what appeared to be something's elbow. Or maybe its head. I wasn't too sure, but I wasn't curious enough to check. Apparently satisfied, he turned back to me, and I saw a flicker of…some emotion pass behind his storm-wrought eyes. Concern, maybe?
"Let's find whatever did this," he ran a gloved hand through his hair, gesturing to the hill-ridden horizon with the tip of his gunblade, "I haven't even been able to summon Shiva, yet, and she wants out."
I wasn't sure if I'd just heard him correctly. He wanted to find the thing that had killed what could very well be an entire population of monsters (and even a few unfortunate people) and attempt to kill it?
"What?!" I hissed in a lowered voice, still under the strange impression that I should stay quiet, "You want to look for this thing? It killed an entire fucking army, here! Are you-"
"-suicidal?" he finished for me, wry smile twisting his lips. I felt immediately guilty (I doubted I'd ever overcome that) and sighed. Squall just shrugged.
"I can always run," he stated, and I shook my head in bewilderment, but nonetheless made for the direction he appeared to want to travel in.
"Hyne, let me survive today," I whispered as we made our way through the killing-ground, Zell and Nida following quietly behind, still stunned. Squall glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Relax, Seifer, I'll protect you," a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, and I couldn't help but smile in return.
"You know," I told him, swinging an arm over his shoulders, "that has got to be the first joke I've ever heard you tell."
"I wasn't joking." He scoffed, shooting me a glare that may or may not have been feigned.
But he let my arm stay where it was.
End Chapter 14
[1] I like Zell ^_^
I was going to write more, but this seemed like an all right stopping place. Sorry for the long wait ^_^;; I'll probably update something like once every two weeks.
Dedicated to everyone who sent me emails and instant messages (I'm on a different computer so I can't confirm names. Sorry. ^_^;;) telling me that I was cool and to get my rear in gear for this chapter. You know who you are.
Also I love reviews. They make Squall stop moping and Seifer loves ego boosts, and they are like air to me, only I cant breathe them and I'm not sure it'd be healthy if I could.
So, yeah. Sorry there wasn't much going on in this chapter. I'm building up to something…kind of.
Another poll!
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I mean the style, but events may also factor. Doesn't really matter, so long as you give me some sort of reason as to why.
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