Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I do not own the places. I don't own anything related to FFVIII, all I own is the plot.
- Chapter fourteen: Living Nightmare -
"I'm nervous." Selphie whispered. "Are we sure about all of this?"
No one answered. The others were all quiet, most of them focussed on what would be ahead.
Squall looked at Quistis, who had retreated to the window. Her black dress looked particularly gloomy today, even though the little roses on her bodice reflected the light from the sun outside. It looked depressive, but perhaps this was only because she held her head low.
He walked over to her, not coming too close, just close enough to be able to talk to her in a low voice.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked quietly.
She looked up. Her face showed him she didn't really want to, but she nodded.
"I feel you're ignoring me. No, avoiding me. I understand your hesitation about talking to me, but I don't want what happened to influence today. And…" he hesitated. "…and I don't want it to influence our friendship either."
"Squall, I have pushed it to the back of my mind. I don't want to think about it again, I want to forget. The only thing that still bothers me…is Rinoa. What has happened that you tried to forget her so forcefully?"
Squall looked up. "Forget?"
"Yes, Squall. Forget. I could see it on your face and I felt it when you kissed me. You didn't care that deeply for me, it was an attempt at forgetting her. Why?"
Squall looked at his hands for a moment. "Rinoa…and I…we're not getting along too well right now…she wanted to take out relationship to a more official level and I just…wasn't ready for a commitment like that. Then Cid sent her away on that mission while we were still arguing about that and, well, I guess I was relieved to be left alone for a while."
"But being left alone or kissing someone else is not the same, is it. It's a call for something else than solitude."
He sighed. "Rinoa is a sweet person. But she's always so cheerful, almost a second Selphie at times. I'm not like that."
"So you decided to try out solemn, quiet Quistis." she concluded.
He shook his head. "No! No…I, maybe…I don't know."
She looked up. "Squall, today is perhaps not the best time to talk about this."
"It is exactly the right time. Who knows where we will be tomorrow? I want to clear the air."
She smiled. "You have. It's alright. I understand it now, even though I still don't approve of your methods."
She winked.
"But I understand. And the most important thing right now is that we know where we stand."
"Squall! Quisty!" Selphie ran over to them. "It's time to go."
"Is there really no other choice? I mean, it's gonna be a full-house." Zell asked. "Are we really going to fight her in front of all of those people?"
"There is no other choice, Zell." Edea said calmly. "Now, let us proceed."
She walked through the door, through the corridor and seated herself somewhere along the first row of chairs. Selphie took Zell's arm and dragged him through the corridor, following Edea closely.
Squall nodded and looked at Quistius. "Good luck."
She nodded and turned to the mirror. She straightened the thin silver band that had been fastened around her forehead, making sure the tiny gem was in the middle. Behind her a face appeared and she smiled.
"It's strange to see you in that uniform again…you haven't worn it for so long."
"It feels strange too. I feel so young in it. A teenager." He laughed. "But that was back then, when I received it."
She turned around and caressed his cheek.
"You go on inside."
She nodded and pecked his lips.
"Good luck." she whispered. "We'll be there. Just remember that we're there. You'll be safe."
He smiled and watched her leave. Only a few more minutes before the wedding would start. Somewhere in his stomach nervous butterflies fluttered.
He straightened his jacket in front to the mirror. His eye saw a long thin line on his arm and his finger traced it. A scar. Another thing that bound him to Quistis.
A knock on the door made him look up. "It's time to start, ya know."
"I'm coming." Seifer said slowly.
He took a deep breath before walking past Rajin towards the hall.
He stopped hesitantly half-way through the corridor. "Rajin…don't worry. She'll understand."
"…I…"
Seifer looked at him. "She will."
Rajin smiled, slight relief on his face. He didn't ask how Seifer knew. He didn't speak. Seifer understood his silence. They understood each other.
Seifer walked through the large door that led into the hall where rows of chairs had been prepared. He walked up to the altar, eyeing the people in the seats. He noticed how his friends had mingled in the public. Quistis had seated herself in the back, accompanied by Selphie. Edea, at the front left side of the room was accompanied by Squall, while Zell escorted Ellone to the front right side.
The strategy had been though up carefully. Squall and Zell would guard Edea and Ellone. They would be the first targets as soon as Fujin would understand the plan.
Selphie would guard Quistis at the back. It would take a while for Fujin to realise what Quistis' purpose was, and Selphie would use that time to build up a magical barrier if necessary.
Quistis sat down in her seat nervously. She looked at Edea, who gave her an encouraging smile. She tried to clear her mind, but it was difficult. She had no idea what to expect and not knowing what would happen made her more nervous.
"It'll be just fine." Selphie reassured her.
"No, it won't be." Quistis answered, not taking her eyes off the altar. "I just know it won't be. Something will go wrong. I can feel it."
"Just relax. There's nothing you can do yet." But Selphie sounded edgy too.
She tried to look relaxed, but her tight pose and her focussed expression betrayed her tense nature.
The door opened and Seifer came in. He walked up to the altar without looking at any of them directly. No one was allowed to get the slightest bit suspicious.
After him, other guests entered, taking seats, eager to show their interest in this wedding, but Quistis could see it was just to conceal their fright. Everyone was scared of Fujin. A sorceress, something they had never hoped to have to witness again.
But they had no choice. Quistis looked at Seifer and as their eyes met, a strange calmness took hold of her. It was as if the battle had already been fought.
She smiled. He smiled too, but averted his eyes when the door opened once more to show his bride. The pendant Edea had given her dangled on her chest. Her white dress was stunning.
Had he really loved her, he would have been sure that this would have been the happiest day of his life.
She approached the altar slowly, clinging to her father's arm. Upon reaching the altar, her father released her arm and took his place next to Rajin. Seifer took a deep breath. Fujin smiled at him and he turned to the altar where the priest waited for them to say their vows.
"We are gathered here today to bare witness to the union of Seifer Almasy and…"
Quistis' attention slipped. This had been her worst nightmare. To attend Seifer's wedding to Fujin. Selphie took her hand and squeezed it encouragingly.
Quistis smiled thankfully.
The gun in her boot nudged her foot painfully. She reached down and placed it in her lap, covering it with the silky material of her dress.
"Please take each other's hands." The priest continued.
Seifer obeyed and couldn't avoid Fujin's eyes anymore.
"Please repeat after me. I, Seifer Almasy, swear in the name of Hyne…"
"I, Seifer Almasy, swear in the name of Hyne…" his words came out slower tan he had meant. They felt think, as if he was trying to draw syrup from his mouth.
"To love and cherish my bride, Fujin."
"To love and cherish…" He closed his eyes for a moment.
He felt hot and cold at the same time, as if he had a fever.
"My bride…"
He swallowed difficultly. The room seemed to have gotten a deep blue haze.
"Fujin."
"For eternity, until the very end." The priest continued, as if he was oblivious to al the difficulty it took Seifer to speak.
"For…eternity…until…the very…end."
He felt a hand clasp around his heart and mind. He heard Fujin repeat the priest, but her voice was vaguely distant. Suddenly his pain was soothed. A stream of hotness entered his body and mingled with the cold pain he felt soaring through him.
It felt that they were forging a bond together.
A cry from the audience interrupted this feeling, releasing him from the painful process. He staggered and gasped for air, his hand reaching to his chest. He felt as if all his energy had been drawn from his body.
Fujin snapped around, scanning the room to see who had dared to interrupt. Two women, one at each side of the room, were standing up. Their hands were crossed and they held them up high in the air. Their eyes were closed and they were mumbling something. A chant…an incantation?
Fujin stared at their faces, she knew these women. She wanted to raise her arm to do what she had done to the lone tree in her garden, but her body felt strangely weakened.
She searched for the power, but it didn't listen to her. It no longer ran free though her body but waited in her chest. Suddenly she knew she had been betrayed.
'The pendant!'
"Edea!" she roared.
She ripped the necklace off and hurled it towards the elderly woman. Immediately she felt the power run free again.
A strange smile washed over her face.
"You have no power anymore, Edea. You're weak and old. Your incantations will be useless against mine."
Edea did not answer, she continued chanting.
Fujin raised her hand. "Goodbye."
She allowed the fire to run through her body. It soared through her and she enjoyed it once more. She smirked before letting the sparkle go through her arm, letting it escape through her fingers.
Its flames licked her fingertips before leaping out at their target.
"No!"
DarkAngels: Hehe, more anticipation here. Who could be shouting No at a moment like this, eh ;) I'm going to drag this scene along for a bit though. At least one more chapter about it :D But trust me, it's worth it in the end. Ending battles always need to be described properly, don't they.
Prodigious Techie: They'll be together. Or will they ;) You'll see…all will reveal itself in due time. That's the fun bit in writing stuff like this. Teasing your readers with cliff-hangers and uncertainties.
JadeAlmasy: Hope it was soon enough Glad you like it.
Matron Raenee: Hmm, I used to love Rikku's character, but now I'm not so sure anymore. She seems a little too happy sometimes. It's not convincing anymore. I liked her in ffX, though. She was a good character in that game. I usually like the cheery people in the game. Selphie used to be my favourite too. Guess I'm growing older, because I changed my mind about that now :D
Congrats on the dog! I've got two cats and I'm really going to miss them when I move out. But they've got a budgy or something like that at my new place.
Firess Ifrit Devil: OMG! Are you okay? Is your finger okay? I hope it gets better soon! And that you kinda feel sorry for Fujin even though you think she deserves it…that is exactly how I wanted to write her. At first I thought I'd portray her as just the girl who needed a bodyguard she could bind to her. But there still is the love thing that makes sense as well. So, yeah, it's not a nice story for her, but she does deserve a lot of the things she's getting or going to get. Just not all of it.
Kitty Malone: Well, I wondered about transferring those powers too. But the wonderful thing about writing your own story is that you can make things up, as long as you stay in the bounds of plausible or not plausible. And don't worry if the review is late; my internet is really being a pain in the arse every now and then, so my uploading is even slower ;)
Well, another chapter done. But it doesn't give me the usual feeling of satisfaction. I've been busy all day, trying to get things together in my new room, but I still had a lot of things on my mind; I broke up with my boyfriend yesterday and I feel really bad about it. Not that I think it was a bad decision, but I know he is really sweet and I know how hard this is for him (and me too).
I just can't believe feelings can suddenly stop. It was a really nasty moment when I found that one out. If I had one wish, I'd use it to make this better. Because getting dumped is bad, but breaking up with someone who cares for you genuinely is bad too.
–Sigh-
It'll pass, I'm sure. But let's just say I wasn't in a very happy mood today. The only thing I am happy about is that he told me that I can still always count on him if I ever need him. (See what I mean? He is really the sweetest person.)
I'll see you guys at the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be in a bit of a better mood by then.
Love, Raven55