War Story
Chapter Eight: Things Happen
By PasifiKStaR
Author's Note: I'm aiming for 10 chapters. ONLY TEN. Personally, I wanted this fic to be more fast paced, too. If you guys want, I can repost the original chapters 6 & 7 AFTER the fic is over. It won't really change the plot or anything. Questions? Comments? Concerns? EMAIL ME!
All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.
"Seifer!"
The blond man didn't seem to even realize he'd been shot as Quistis skidded to a stop several feet from him. Irvine whirled around and swore as he saw Seifer standing there, a dazed look on his face as a dark red liquid began to soak through the sleeves of his shirt.
"Holy shit!" Irvine growled as his eyes widened. "Selphie! Cover us!" Irvine shouted as he darted back up the hall.
Without any hesitation, the petite brunette whirled around and held her place as she held the gun firmly in hand. Her eyes narrowed as she sent bullets flying towards their assailants. "Zell! Quistis! Give them fire cover!" Selphie yelled.
"Right!" Zell stammered as he reached into the holster beneath his top layer of clothing and pulled out the gun. Quistis stood beside him and quickly shook herself out of shock as she grabbed her Beretta and began shoot. A bullet flew by Quistis' head and she hardly realized it in the adrenaline pumped moment.
Irvine swept down and grabbed Seifer under his good arm before the blond fell forward. "Hyne, Seifer! Come on!" He gasped out as he heaved Seifer's arm over his shoulder and dragged her forward. "Snap out of it!"
The commanding officer's eyes blinked and he looked around. He swore and began to run forward along side Irvine, who go of his arm. "Seifer, are you okay?" Selphie asked as the two men darted past them. "Everyone, get back!"
Zell and Quistis did as they were told and lowered their guns. The barrage of bullets continued to fall on them as they ran towards the door. "Kinneas! Cover them!" Seifer ordered as he threw his body against the door. The heavy metal flew open and Seifer held it open as he yelled for Quistis, Selphie, and Zell to run out first.
Irvine continued to fire back at the soldiers and winced as a bullet grazed his thigh. He let out a curse and Seifer looked back at the soldier, his hand still placed over the bleeding would on his upper arm. "Irvine! Seifer, hurry!" Selphie shouted. "Fujin and Raijin are waiting for us!"
"Trepe to V-1! Trepe to V-1! We need fire cover immediately! Over!" Quistis yelled into a small device pinned to her shirt's collar.
"V-1 to Trepe, we're coming right now, ya know! Over!" a male voice responded. As Irvine and Seifer ran out of the doorway, they heard the sound of a revving engine and looked up.
"Booyaka! Here they come!" Selphie yelled energetically as a heavily armored vehicle flew from the shrubs in front of them.
Fujin was standing up, amazing keeping her balance as the vehicle bounded to a stop in front of the squad. Her hands were placed on the handles of the turret as she narrowed her eye. "Get in!" Zell shouted as he threw open the door and jumped inside.
"Get ready to cover us, Fujin!" Seifer shouted as he ran towards them.
"Here they come!" Selphie yelled as she ran into the car and held her gun in hand. Quistis pulled Seifer into the car as Irvine jumped in and closed the door after them.
Bullets implanted themselves on the side of the car and Seifer turned to Raijin, who was in the driver's seat. "Get us out of here!" he yelled demandingly as Quistis held him back in his seat.
"What about the Commander?" Raijin asked, confused. He looked around the inside the cabin and didn't see the blue eyed commander anywhere.
"Those were his orders, Raijin! I'll explain later! Now get us out of here!" Seifer growled angrily at Raijin's questioning.
"Yes, sir!" Raijin quickly turned back driving and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. Above them, Fujin eyed the men who were shooting at them and squeezed the trigger.
The sound of a machine gun fire echoed in the area above the roar Raijin and Fujin's modified engine. Zell sat in his seat and cringed at the sound of gun fire as Selphie fumbled around in the back. Irvine was sitting down in the back seat, looking over the wound on his leg. "Damn...that's going to leave a mark..." he mumbled.
"Got it!" Selphie piped from the back seat. She lifted up a white plastic case that was worn with dirt and dust all over it. There was a big red cross in front, marking it as a medical kit. She sat down next to Irvine and placed the box over her lap as she lifted the latch.
"Ow!" someone growled in front of her. "Watch what you're doing, woman!"
"Stop moving around then!" Quistis growled back as her slender hands grasped Seifer's arm firmly and held it in place. "Selphie, do you have any alcohol in there?"
"Quistis, I don't think this the time to drink-" Zell began, but Quistis rolled her eyes.
"I meant RUBBING alcohol," Quistis replied. "For the bullet wound!"
"We have some alcohol wipes," Selphie said as she handed Quistis a large packet of them. "We have to try to stop the bleeding. Here's some gauze, too."
"Irvine, how are you holding up?" Quistis asked as she tore open the back and pulled out an alcohol soaked rag. She handed it to Zell to hold while she slipped on some gloves.
"I've gotten worse," Irvine shrugged. Selphie told him to hold the alcohol wipe she held before grabbing the pant material around his wound. With a quick jerk, it ripped open to reveal a shallow cut that was oozing out blood. Selphie shook her head as she snapped on the rubber gloves. Irvine looked down just as Selphie slapped the alcohol wipe on his skin. "AH! Hyne, Selphie! A little bit gentler next time!"
"I wouldn't be hoping for a next time if I were you." Selphie giggled as she wiped the cloth against Irvine's bloody thigh.
"I can do it myself." Seifer snapped.
"I'm well aware that you CAN," Quistis snorted as she glared at Seifer. "But it's easier if I do it!"
"No! How do I even know you know what you're doing! For all I know, you'll infect it or something!" Seifer retorted warily.
"Seifer! Stop being a baby and let me see the damn thing!" Quistis yelled.
"I think that you've done enough for one day," Seifer said as he pulled away from her and snatched the wipe from her with his good hand. "I got this because of YOU, you know."
"Oh please," Quistis seethed as she watched him tug off his jacket. She rolled her eyes and helped him take it off quickly before he had a chance to complain. "I didn't TELL you to stop in the middle of a shower of bullets and GET shot."
"Ah! Watch it!" Seifer hissed as the jacket sleeve rubbed against his wounded arm. He glared at Quistis. Carefully, he raised his hand and began to disinfect his bullet wound with the wipe.
"I think you'll need more."
"You know what?" Seifer snapped as he turned to look at her. "Just shut up. I can do this. I've been shot on the field before. I'm perfectly capable of fixing myself up!"
Quistis narrowed her eyes. "Fine! Be that way!" she hissed as she shoved the coiled gauze at him. "Excuse me for caring, your selfish, arrogant jerk."
"Oh, I'M the arrogant one? YOU'RE the one who decided to spring some declaration of love at me during the most inappropriate moment EVER!" Seifer yelled. "How was I supposed to act? Did you expect me to sweep you up and carry you out to safety?"
Quistis let out a shocked gasp as her face turned bright red "I EXPECTED you to keep running and perhaps yell something about talking about it later! I didn't expect you to stop there and get shot!" she shrieked defensively.
"Despite what my dashing good looks and witty personality might imply, I'm not exactly showered with confessions of love from women every day of my life." Seifer replied haughtily.
Behind him, Selphie and Irvine began snickering and tried to lower their voices as they crouched down. "Dashing good looks..." Selphie snickered as she put a large white bandage over Irvine's thigh.
"Witty...RIGHT." Irvine mumbled under his breath. Seifer looked over his shoulder and shot them a deadly glare.
"Fine then! I take it back!" Quistis said suddenly. Seifer stopped in the middle of wrapping his arm in a bandage and turned to look at her with a frown.
"What do you mean you take it back? You CAN'T take it back!"
"I said it and I can take it back! I don't love you." Quistis told him coolly. She crossed her arms and looked away in a huff. Seifer let out a growl and frustratedly continued bandaging his arm.
Zell looked around nervously as Fujin slipped into the cabin and closed up the gun turret above them. "Everyone okay?" she asked simply. She looked behind her and frowned. Everyone was in their own and she could feel the heavy tension in the air. Selphie and Irvine were snickering in the back while Zell pretended there was something to look at on the wall. Seifer was bandaging a bloody arm and Quistis was pouting between them. Fujin groaned and sat back in the passenger's seat. "Miss everything..."
"Hey, after this, we should all go on a long vacation," Irvine said as he limped against Selphie. "I'm thinking a nice tropical resort. What do you guys think?"
"The next escape you have from here, I'm definitely coming with!" Selphie beamed him a warm smile. Irvine smiled back down at her intently and leaned down to kiss to the top of her head.
"Is that a promise?" Irvine asked teasingly.
"Like I'd leave you alone to go on VACATION." Selphie retorted proudly before giggling. Quistis chuckled and nodded.
"She has a point. Someone has to watch you, Irvine." Quistis added. Selphie nodded.
"See, even Quisty knows I can't leave you alone." Selphie grinned. Irvine groaned and shook his cowboy hat topped head.
"Come on, ladies, do you really think of me like that?" Irvine asked smoothly. The two women nodded and Zell snickered. "All right...fine...but you can't leave, Selphie. Even if I just end up going to some small place like Winhill. Got it?"
"Got it," Selphie giggled as Irvine squeezed her shoulders. "And the next time, we head out to a tropical resort!"
"Sounds good to me," Zell said as bit into a hotdog from the cafeteria tent. "Wef shoulf allf goo."
"Chew, Zell, chew." Quistis sighed as she rolled her eyes. They were walking out of the cafeteria tent. The sun had long since set. They had first gone straight to the medical tent to bandage up their wounded.
Irvine's cut was cleaned and re-bandaged. It would leave a scar, but, as it was merely a skin wound, it wouldn't really have any negative effects. But he was still instructed to keep off it to give the skin a chance to heal. Zell discovered that part of his spiky blond locks had been shot off. Upon discovering that, he nearly fainted.
Seifer had gone into surgery immediately to remove the bullet that was imbedded in his arm. As the group waited, they heard him swearing constantly as the small bullet was removed and his wound sewed up. Two hours later, he walked out, an angry look on his face as white bandages wrapped his upper arm. He looked at the squad who had been waiting for him and cursed.
His explanation on Squall's disappearance was short and brief. He told them what happened to Rinoa and the disturbing room lined with frosted caskets. He described the girls that were inside them and how young they were and why they were there.
"We aren't leaving them, are we?" Zell gasped. "I mean, we're going back right?"
"Not until we figure out a way to get that sorceress OUT of Rinoa," Seifer told them. "Until then, don't do anything brash. I need to make some phone calls and figure this out."
He had been more mature than Quistis thought he could possibly be. He was calm, collected, and extremely solemn. Not that she could blame him after what he had seen and found out. His life long friend was possessed and his commanding officer willingly turned over all the pressures of leading Diablo Squad on to his shoulders only to stay with their sorceress posessed nurse.
Quistis looked at the paper bag of food in her hands. "I'm going to drop this off at Lt. Almasy's tent," Quistis told them as they reached a fork in the path way. "I'll see you guys later."
They nodded and waved good-bye as Quistis made a left and headed for Seifer's tent. She hadn't seen him go get dinner, so she and the others packed some food for their new and wounded leader. She stopped in front of the front flap and cleared her throat.
"You can come in, Quistis," a masculine voice said from within. Quistis wrinkled her nose and was about to ask how he knew as she slipped underneath the flap and into the room. "I can hear you walking a mile away," Seifer grinned from where he was sitting up on the edge of his bed. He was shirtless and the bandage was wrapped all around his arm keeping it tightly closed off until the skin and muscle could repair itself.
"We thought you might like something to eat," Quistis said as she approached him with the paper bag. "We didn't see you at the cafeteria."
"I had to report to someone," Seifer said tiredly. He reached out with his good arm to get the bag and Quistis handed it to him. "Thanks...have a seat." He patted the area next to him on the bed and Quistis looked around hesitantly before taking a seat.
"How's your arm?" Quistis asked casually. She looked down at her hands as the blond male next to her pulled out a hamburger and bit into it. Seifer chewed and swallowed before answering her.
"I've gotten worse," he grumbled. He looked over at her and studied her. "You all right?"
She jerked her head up and turned towards him. "Of course I'm all right. I wasn't the one who got shot."
"But you were shot at," Seifer reminded her. "Amazingly, they only managed to get me and Kinneas. And Dincht's hair, but I'm not counting that."
Quistis grinned and nodded. "It was quite a rush. I've never felt so alive in my entire life."
"That's because you were faced with death in the form of little metal objects flying at you," Seifer retorted. A moment of silence came between them as Seifer took another bite and ate it. "Is that why you said it?" he asked, his eyes looking away.
"Said what?" Quistis asked. Seifer rolled his eyes and put his half eaten hamburger down.
"Said you loved me, what do you think?" he said as he rolled his eyes. He watched as her body tensed up and her eyes quickly diverted themselves else where. "You told me that because you thought you were going to die, right? People do some crazy stuff when they think they're going to die."
He glanced over at Quistis and was met with a disapproving frown and a hurt expression in her sapphire eyes. "No," she spat out simply. "I told you because I wanted to tell you then before I lost my nerve. I said I love you because I mean it, you jerk."
Seifer's eyebrows furrowed slightly and he sat up straight. "I thought you said you took it back."
"I did take it back."
"But you just said you MEAN it...not MEANT it..." Seifer grinned. Quistis rolled her eyes and stood up.
"I don't have time for this. We should start trying to figure out ways to get Rinoa and Squall back-"
"Quistis, sit down," Seifer told her sharply. "That's an order," he added. Quistis glared at him and grudgingly sat down next to him. Seifer smirked to himself and tossed the remainder of his meal in the near-by trash can. "My Commander gave me orders I intend to carry out. But we can't do anything until we figure out a way to free Rinoa from the sorceress. Until then, we have to prepare for what's coming."
"I know..." Quistis nodded in agreement.
"I've spoken to the man who assigned this mission to Squall and myself. I've been looking over all the information I can and tomorrow we'll come up with a plan," Seifer assured her. "As of right now, so long as Squall is there, his connection to Rinoa should keep things calm for now."
Quistis nodded again. "I am a little bit more relieved knowing that Squall is with Rinoa."
"He knows what he's doing," Seifer agreed. "It's late. You've been traveling and shot at all day. You need to get some rest. You're done investigative work before, right?"
"Yes, I've done several. My work's basis is on investigative journalism." Quistis told him proudly. Seifer nodded and grinned.
"Good, because we need someone to investigate," He stretched his arms and leaned back against his bed. "I'm starting to be glad that you're here."
"Oh, you're just STARTING to?" Quistis scoffed. She rolled her eyes and turned her head away just as warm arms wrapped around her tank top clad shoulders.
Under his arms, Seifer felt Quistis' body stiffen once more and quickly grow warm. He smiled and buried his face against the side of her neck. He closed his eyes as Quistis relaxed in his arms. "I wish you didn't come here," Seifer whispered softly. "I wish you didn't have to experience what you've seen since you came. The bombing, the kidnapping of a friend, the bullets coming at you...the feeling of death waiting. It's not easy being a soldier. We don't just point a gun, shoot, and get on with our lives. It's not that simple."
Her hands went over his arms and squeezed them gently as she leaned back against him. She closed her eyes and turned her head towards his, rubbing her cheek against his head. "I know," Quistis admitted. "But I wanted to come here. I don't regret anything. You shouldn't either."
"I don't want to see you get shot. I don't want to see you get left behind or killed," Seifer breathed. "I've lost too many people and seen too many deaths. I don't want you to be one of them." His breath was warm against her soft neck. He could feel her pulse against his lips as he pressed them down against her pale skin.
Quistis giggled as it tickled her and shivered in his grasp. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I accepted the offer," she paused and blushed in the dim light. "Except for you. You were quite a surprise."
A low, amused laugh echoed behind her and Seifer pulled his face away. He pressed his forehead against hers and smiled. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises." he smirked. He pulled her down against him as he kissed her softly, his good arm wrapping itself around her body as he fell back against his bed.
She pulled away gently, her blond bangs falling over his bare chest as she smiled at him. "Seifer?"
"What?"
"You never replied from what I said today."
"Oh...you mean you don't get it?" Seifer asked incredulously. "You're wrapping my arms in my bed and I just told you I don't want to see you killed. I think that says it all."
Quistis sighed and buried her face in his shoulder. "Men..."
"Yes, sir," Seifer nodded as he held the phone up to his hear. "I understand, sir. I will get right on it, sir. Thank you, sir!" His ears heard the dial tone and he put the phone back down.
Quistis looked up from his bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "What was that about?" she grumbled. Seifer looked back over his shoulder at the sleepy woman wrapped in a coarse military issued blanket. Her hair was twisted all over her head as she sat up and held the blanket to her bare chest.
"I was speaking to General Caraway," Seifer said. He swiftly bent down and kissed her forehead. "Sorry for waking you."
"I had to get up anyway," Quistis yawned. She looked around for her clothes and Seifer tossed them towards her as he passed her discarded piles of clothing. "Thanks...how long have you been up?"
"Long enough...Hyne, there is so much stuff on sorceresses, my eyes are bleeding." Seifer grumbled as he fell back on a chair by his desk. He ran his hand down his face as Quistis stood behind him and slipped her arms around his broad shoulders and leaned forward, resting her chin on his head.
"Let me have a look," Quistis told him. "You might just be too stupid to understand any of it." She added coolly.
Seifer rolled his eyes and pulled her on to his lap. "You know what just to say, don't you?" he mumbled as he kissed her neck. Quistis ignored him and began to shift through his papers. "Quistis?" he asked as he found her unresponsive. He pulled his head away and frowned. "All right, fine...I'll get us something to eat."
"Uh-huh...you do that," Quistis nodded. She took his seat and began to look through the folders of confidential paperwork and took a deep breath. "Might as well start from the beginning..."
"Has anyone seen Quistis?" Zell asked as he put down the Glock and looked around the shooting range. "I haven't seen her for three days..." he frowned.
"She's been doing research and helping Seifer out," Irvine replied as he lowered his gun and turned to his teammate. "Selphie's been running all over the place getting them more information. They're hell bent on bringing back Squall and Rinoa."
"Oh...well, if it's for a good cause..." Zell mumbled. He lifted up the gun once more and was in the middle of changing the magazines when Selphie ran in energetically.
"You guys!" Selphie gasped as she skidded to a stop and ran into the counter. She stumbled a bit and pushed Irvine away as he attempted to help her straighten up. The messenger was nearly out of breath as she began gushing out what she was trying to say.
"Selphie! Selphie, calm down!" Irvine said as he held his hands up to try to calm her. "What's going on?"
Selphie took a deep breath and looked up at them. "Quistis found something!"
The flaps of Seifer's tent flew up wards and the two blondes by the desk looked up simultaneously. Papers were scattered around the desk as a laptop was set up in front of Quistis. She was sitting in front of the desk and Seifer stood behind her, bent over and leaning with his good arm against the table.
"What'd you find?" Zell asked earnestly as the trio entered.
"Hold on a second there, chicken-wuss," Seifer said with a frown. "Have a seat...this might take a while to explain."
Quistis rolled her eyes. "It only took a while to explain it to you because you got confused. I'm sure everyone else will get it." Quistis spat out simply. Seifer shot her a glare as she spread out some papers in front of her.
"Just answer this question," Irvine said as he stood behind Selphie, who took a seat on a chair. "Will we be able to get Squall and Rinoa back?"
Quistis took a deep breath and nodded. The let out a sigh of relief, but Quistis quickly shook her head. "But there is a problem. The plan isn't fool proof and there's a really high risk that even if we manage to get the sorceress out of Rinoa's body...Rinoa might not make it."
"What do you mean?" Selphie asked with a frown.
"She could die!" Seifer grumbled. "What do you think it meant? Even if the sorceress leaves Rinoa's body, the way we're going to get her out might kill her!"
"What do you MEAN the way we're going to get her out?" Irvine asked as his eye brows furrowed.
Quistis took a deep breath. "It's called time compression," Quistis explained. "The things that those girls were in, those frosted caskets. They basically freeze a person in time and preserves their body. While that's happening, there is no mental action taking place. Basically, while the body sleeps, the mind sleeps, too."
"The plan was to get Rinoa into one of those. If the sorceress wants to escape, she'll have to go into the nearest body with any sort of magical properties while Rinoa is being compressed. The reason all those girls were in those cases were because they had untapped powers, like Rinoa. If we can get her to leave Rinoa's body and get into her old one, we can seal her away in time compression." Seifer explained.
"The problem is that our technology for reversing the time compression isn't as advanced as it could be and if Rinoa's body struggles too much, it might affect the process and Rinoa might not be able to come out of the compression alive," Quistis told them. "As far as we know, Rinoa's mind is still awake and when the sorceress vacates her body, she'll be flung into conciousness and that'll effect the compression. Basically, her body won't be compressed correctly and she'll die."
She looked up at the group that entered behind wire rimmed glasses and took note of their torn expressions. Selphie looked down, mentally weighing the options. Irvine took his hat off and scratched the back of his head, his face contorted in concentration. Zell frowned and gave her a determined look.
"I think we should do it." Zell stated.
Seifer narrowed his eyes. "You came up with that conclusion quickly. Are you forgetting that she could DIE in the process?"
"If we don't try, we won't find out," Zell said insistently. "And you said that she could die IF her body struggles. If we get Rinoa's body into the compression without struggling, she'll be fine."
"Yes, but HOW are we going to do that?" Irvine asked him. "There's no way in hell a sorceress is going to let us put her into time compression without a fight."
"I don't care," Selphie said as she looked up at them pleadingly. "We have to try! Rinoa may be untapped, but she has a lot of power. Quistis, you've read Rinoa's files...you know what kind of damage the sorceress could do in Rinoa's body."
"She can level cities and take over countries in a matter of weeks," Irvine agreed. "All right, I'm in."
"Seifer, what do you think?" Quistis asked as she looked up at the tall blond. The man behind her rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I think it might work if we can get Squall to help us," Seifer mumbled. "So long as he's there, he might be able to help us get Rinoa into a chamber without struggling too much."
"Then it's settled?" Selphie asked curiously. Seifer nodded.
"It's settled."
It was cold. He was so cold. He would've shivered if he could move, but he found his body trapped in the midst of such a frost, it was too painful to bare.
"Open your eyes," a voice urged him carefully. "You can do it..."
The muscles of his face twitched slightly as he struggled to open his eyes. He could feel the blood returning to his face and the movements become less flinch like. He blinked numerous times before one could even glimpse ice blue eyes beyond dark lashes.
His vision was blurry. He squinted as he tried to make out the figure in black dress before him. In the back of his mind, alarms began to go off, but he paid no attention to them. His eyes focused on the face. A pale face framed with layered dark hair, a familiar smile, and brown eyes.
His own eyes narrowed as his vision cleared and he saw an unfamiliar look in her typically warm eyes. "Ri..." he began. His throat contracted before he could get the word out and he winced.
"I'm so glad you came back," she said, obviously pleased. "I was beginning to think I'd have to go after you myself. But I knew you'd come back. After all, you are connected to this body, are you not? You are connected to me. You are my shield. My knight. You could never leave me alone, isn't that right?"
He felt his head moving as his body slowly climbed out of the frosted glass chamber that he had discovered an unknown amount of time ago. He looked around and saw the room lined with caskets. Slowly he turned back to her and was met with the superior look on her face.
He felt his body kneel down before her and she extended her hand to him. "Yes, my mistress."
She chuckled and nodded, ecstatic that after days of putting him in the chamber, he had worn down from the cold, short tempered soldier to the obedient knight before her. "Perfect, Squall. Perfect."
Seifer winced pulled away in his bed as he felt an elbow poke him rather roughly on the side. He shifted slightly and settled back into bed. Before he could completely drift off, another sharp jab quickly woke him up. Green eyes narrowed and turned, tiredly, to the blond sleeping next to him. He blinked sat up worriedly, a frown on his face.
Quistis laid next to him, her head turning sharply from one side to the other as her pale hands gripped the blanket they laid under. Her eyes were squinted closed and her hair was getting all over her face. Her pink lips parted and she let out a sharp breath and began to hyperventilate.
Seifer leaned forward and grasped her shoulders. "Quistis," he said sternly. "Quistis, what's wrong?" He shook her shoulders firmly, trying to snap her out of her dream. "Quistis! Quistis, wake up!" He nearly shouted as Quistis choked out a muffled sob.
She was shaking now and Seifer sat next to her, unsure of what to do. His hands were still placed on her pale shoulders and he quickly pulled her against him, trying to muffle the sounds of her uneven sobbing. Her hands unconsciously dropped the blanket and reached up to wind themselves around Seifer's white undershirt.
Quistis opened her eyes and couldn't see in the darkness of the tent. She felt warm arms around her and a hand stroking her back, trying to sooth her. Her head was resting against one broad shoulder as her fingers dug themselves into the cloth of his shirt. "Seifer...?"
"Hey..." Seifer whispered softly in her ear. His warm breath caressed her cheek as he pressed his head against the side of hers. He squeezed her gently. "You hit me...what's wrong?"
"Sorry..." Quistis murmured. She closed her eyes and blinked back the fresh tears that were gathering. She took a deep breath and buried herself on his shoulder. "Bad dream..."
Seifer smirked slightly and tilted his head to kiss her. "No kidding..." he chuckled. "What happened? Your article didn't make the front page?"
Quistis pulled away from him, a frown set on her flushed, tear filled face. "This is serious." She spat out condescendingly.
Seifer frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Quistis..." he mumbled slightly as he lifted his hands and cupped her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath she felt his hands gently stroke her cheeks. Seifer's thumbs brushed away the drops that slid from her eyes as he studied her face. "Quistis, what's wrong? What happened?"
Quistis took another breath and slowly opened her eyes. "Some is going to die." She whispered. Seifer frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked in a serious tone as his hands fell from her face. They reached down and took her hands into his. "You mean, someone in your dream died, right?"
Quistis nodded. "Yes, but...but it's more than that!" Quistis stammered. She lifted a hand and ran it through her disheveled hair. "I SAW someone die in my dream, Seifer...I don't remember who, but I know it was someone in the squad."
"How can you be sure. You said you didn't remember who."
"No, no...," Quistis shook her head. "You know how in your dreams, you just KNOW?" Quistis asked. She looked into his eyes, trying to see if he understood where she was coming from. Seifer thought for a moment and nodded.
"Still..." he told her. "It's just a nightmare, Quistis...You're just worried."
"It seemed so real," Quistis insisted, a horrified and confused look on her face. Seifer reached out and drew her back into a firm embrace. "I saw someone die...and they were one of us..."
"You're just worried about what's going to happen tomorrow..." Seifer assured her softly. "It was only a dream. Your mind was worked up so that's what it projected. That's all."
Quistis shook her head and closed her eyes. "That's not what you said to Rinoa..." she murmured.
Against her body, she felt him tense up. His hands stopped stroking her back and he slowly pulled away. "That was different," Seifer asserted with a frown. "Rinoa has untapped sorceress potential...dreams to her aren't just dreams."
"What if THIS isn't just a dream?" Quistis gasped. "What if it's a vision or something?" She demanded to know. Seifer sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Even if it IS a vision, what do you expect to do about it?" Seifer asked calmly. He looked at her and watched as her eyes lowered. "How can we stop it?" Quistis frowned. Seifer reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. "Quistis, you don't even know who is going to die."
"I know..." she breathed out sharply.
"We can't pull out everyone from the mission like this," Seifer informed her. "And you know as well as I do that they won't stand for it. We're going back for Rinoa and Squall. They're part of our team - our FAMILY. And we're all ready and willing to die for each other. You are part of our family now, you should understand that."
"I do understand it!" Quistis gasped as she lifted her head quickly and glared at him. "I understand it completely! Seifer, I don't HAVE a family back in Balamb. My parents died when I was a child! I was a child of the system until I got into college! In the last few weeks, this is the closest thing to a family I've ever HAD! But do you think I want to see a part of MY family get killed?"
"Quistis-"
"I don't want to see any of you die!" Quistis sobbed. Her body fell limply against Seifer's as he took a deep breath. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and gently rubbed her back as she cried. Her arms clung to him desperately as Seifer closed his eyes and pressed his head against her shoulder.
He swore to himself under his breath. "Quistis..." he whispered softly. "Please stop..."
"Stop...?" Quistis choked out as she pulled her head away from him. Her watery eyes narrowed. "How can you even-"
Seifer lifted his head and silenced her with a strong kiss on the lips. Quistis' eyes widened in surprise and she quickly pulled away. Before she could speak, Seifer caught her eyes in his. "When Rinoa cries, I can handle it. When I get shot I can handle it. But when I see you cry..." Seifer trailed off, his voice getting shaky. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself quickly. "Quistis, when I see you cry, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do...I feel...I feel fucking helpless..."
He looked down at her and she could see the worry and confusion in his eyes. He really didn't know what he should've been doing. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. "Idiot," she whispered. She leaned against him and hugged him tightly. "You look so confused right now..." she chuckled as she wiped her eyes on his shirt.
Seifer raised an eyebrow, but gave a slight huff. "Whatever happens, happens..." Seifer said as he kissed her forehead softly. "All we can do is be more careful."
Quistis nodded and bit her lower lip. "I don't want you to die..."
Seifer closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her hair. "And I don't want to leave you," Seifer pulled away from her and lifted his hand. He gently tilted her head up to face him. "Just promise me that no matter what happens you'll get out alive."
"What about yo-"
"Promise." Seifer demanded quietly. Quistis snapped her mouth closed and turned her head away. "Quistis, don't be stubborn. This is an order from your commanding officer. Now promise."
Quistis frowned and shook her head. "You're not my commanding officer right now. You're just Seifer, the man I just so happen to love for some strange reason. I'm not making that promise and you can't make it."
Seifer rolled his eyes. "You are such a stubborn woman," Seifer sighed. He smirked slightly. "But I guess that's why I love you."
She strapped on the holster and slipped a familiar Beretta into it. Her eyes paused for a moment on the piece of weaponry and closed her eyes. 'Rinoa uses this gun, too...'
"Quistis! We're heading out now! Did you get enough bullets?" Selphie asked as she bounded into the one of the supply rooms within the vehicle storage facilities where Raijin and Fujin worked.
The tall blond lifted her head quickly and nodded. "Just let me grab one more mag. I'll be out there in a minute." Quistis told her. Selphie nodded and headed back out to report.
Quistis looked back into the cabinet she stood in front off and grabbed another gun. She made sure the safety was on and slipped it behind her. She grabbed two more bullet cartridges and strapped them to the latches on the black Kevlar reinforced vest she had been supplied.
She secured the final latch and ran out the door. A large hummer was waiting for them, double reinforced a with titanium grill. The paint was fresh and shining under the hum of the lights above them. Raijin was doing one final check of the engine while Fujin finished setting up the gun turret.
Zell and Irvine were loading the back with numerous weapons, things she'd only seen on the highest shelf of the weapon supply room. Machine guns, bombs, detonation material, small missiles, and assorted accessories. Seifer was in the passenger's seat of the vehicle looking over a screen embedded in the dash.
From what Quistis could see it was a map. "Load up!" Selphie shouted as she walked past Quistis and hoisted herself into the machine. "Quistis! C'mon! Zell, Irvine, close it up!"
"Start it up," Seifer ordered as Raijin slipped into the driver's seat next to him. He turned the ignition and the monster of a machine started up. "Fujin! Get the doors open! Let's get out of here!"
"Yes, sir!" Fujin jumped from where she was perched and ran over to the hanger door. She pressed a large green button by the side and soon the heavy metal doors were opening. She quickly ran back and jumped into the vehicle as it started moving forward.
Zell and Irvine crouched in the back while Fujin joined Selphie and Quistis in the middle. "Check the screens for a map briefing," Seifer shouted into the back of the cabin. His hand ran across the buttons on the screen in front of him and several flat monitors opened just above them. "0400 hours, Mission Reunion start."
Brown eyes opened as she sat calmly on a chair. Squall noticed the movement, but didn't acknowledge it. He stood to her right, like a silent stone sentinel. "They're coming," the sorceress said in a hollow voice. "Send the soldiers to prepare."
Squall nodded. "And what about myself, mistress?"
"You may move on to Esthar City and start the preparation for the final assault on the bases here in my country." the sorceress told him calmly.
Squall frowned. "I can't leave your side, mistress."
"This is an order," she told him calmly. "Do it and don't question my orders. Be gone by the time they arrive."
Squall paused for a moment and nodded. "Yes, mistress." He bowed his head and headed towards one of the doors to the side. The sorceress watched him carefully as he disappeared.
The last thing she wanted was for him to turn against him in some futile attempt to safe the body that hosted her.
"This is a subtle operation," Seifer said as they stood in the bushes just outside the Memorial. "If we had a lot of time."
"If?" Irvine asked.
"If as in we don't have time," Seifer snorted. "The longer the sorceress takes over Rinoa's body, the stronger she becomes and the less chance we have of getting our Rin back. We have time to just slip in undetected."
"So I guess we need something not exactly covert..." Selphie grinned. "I guess we'll have to go through the front door, huh, Lt. Almasy?"
"Exactly," Seifer smirked as he stepped aside. "Let 'er rip, Officer Tilmit!"
Quistis watched as the petite brunette hoisted a heavy cannon on her shoulder. Her blue eyes went wide, amazed that such a small person could carry such heavy artillery. "Sir, yes, sir!" Selphie smiled. She looked through the scope of the heavy black metal cannon on her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and aimed.
"Fire in the hole!" Irvine shouted as he ducked.
Immediately the other members of the team crouched down and covered their ears. Selphie had the lower level of the building in aim. "Booyaka." She pulled the trigger and the bazooka sounded.