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Chapter Seven
Quistis searched the desk for papers or a key or anything useful. Selphie spent five minutes jumping up and down in front of the window before pulling out a bobby pin and working at the lock on the door.
And Zell took the destructive route to finding a way out of the room. He kicked the door, the wall, the desk, the couch, the chairs, a potted plant, and the book shelf. It was when the bookshelf shook and the glasses tink-ed that Squall noticed. It was odd to have only wine glasses in a study. He frowned and glanced back at the portrait of the maiden holding a wine glass and back at the statue of the same maiden holding her hand out. Well, if that wasn't a hint for something then he didn't know what was.
He grabbed one of the glasses and stuck in her outstretched hand. The statue groaned, vibrated and then fell back as the wall opened to reveal a dark hallway.
"BOOYA!" Selphie squealed before hugging Squall. She laughed and then ran though without a thought.
"Selphie!" Quistis scolded and ran after her. "Don't be to reckless, we don't know where this goes..."
Zell and Squall followed the blonde girl.
Soon they came upon a ladder that lead down in to the darkness, and if Squall wasn't mistaken by the smell, the sewers.
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"This is just weird." Irvine commented as they looked around the gathering crowd. "I have this bad feeling."
Seifer nodded in agreement and stared up at the Presidential Mansion where Deling would make a speech from any moment.
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Rinoa panted as she fell through a window and landed roughly on the ground. "Oww." She whined and rubbed at her knee. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, but there was no turning back now. Rinoa would prove herself to her silly father and Seifer that she was serious and that she could fight. She wasn't useless!
She crept silently through the mansion, ducking behind statues every time a soldier past. 'Piece of cake!' she thought to herself. She quietly opened a door to see the sorceress sitting in the dark. She had a mask covering her face and a rather ornate headdress on.
"Um, Sorceress Edea?" She addressed quickly.
No response.
"I... I have this gift from my father and I." She inched closer. "It would honor my family if you... wore...it." The sorceress still didn't move.
Rinoa finally stood a foot from her and glanced at her curiously. It was as if no one was in there... like a doll. The sorceress was sitting calmly, not moving, with the same brightly painted mask over her face.
"Are you okay?" She asked and reached to touch her shoulder. Before she could she was thrown back by an invisible feet. She skidded across the floor and cried out. "What?" She sniffed and looked back at the sorceress. Still nothing. "Um, I'm sorry... I'll leave now..." She tried to move but found that she couldn't.
Her arm started to twitch. "What?" She glanced down at the limb that was moving by itself. Suddenly she was launched into the air and hanging by her arm. She slowly lost control of her whole body and she dimly felt herself drop to the floor in a heap. Her mind started to cloud over. 'Silly girl, what do you think you are doing? Never mind that, I'll just have to dispose of you for your impudence' a cold voice ripped through her mind. She would have screamed if she still had control of her voice. She felt herself stand and slowly follow the sorceress that stood and walked through the solid oak door. 'What's...what's happening to me?' she thought it fear.
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"Well... this is an uplifting speech." Irvine commented dryly and stared into the sky. The stars were hard to see with all of the lights of the city but he could still make out a few.
Seifer hummed in agreement as he listened to the sorceress blather on about taking over the world, yet the crowd was screaming in excitement. Like sheep, Seifer though. They don't care what happens to their country. Seifer watched the sorceress throw Deling's body to the ground. It wasn't moving. Well, I guess that's a reason to cheer, he thought with a small bit of amusement. This whole night was getting bizarre and a feeling of something bad was about to happen was welling up inside of him.
He saw a flash of blue clothing beside the podium and then a girl appeared at the sorceress's side as if in a trance. That kind of looked like ... Rinoa? "What the FUCK?" Seifer cried.
Irvine looked up to see what could make Seifer curse, if the sorceress killing the president couldn't. "Hey... isn't that Rinoa?" He asked.
"I told her not to– for the love of Hyne she's going to get herself killed." Seifer cursed.
"We gotta do something!" Irvine cried.
"We can't! Not until the gate opens to the mansion." Seifer glowered.
The sorceress turned her back and left to start the parade but Rinoa still stood beside the podium.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Irvine said uneasily. His eyes shifted back and forth across the crowd. "Do you suppose the sorceress knows...?"
"Of course not!" Seifer huffed. But inside his head he feared the exact same thing. "What the?" Seifer was distracted from his worries as he saw two carvings of monsters come to life and leap off the main gate and bounded towards the mansion. They both leaped onto the roof and a scream was heard as Rinoa snapped out of her daze and ran off.
"Oh Shit." Seifer cursed.
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"Why the FUCK are there monsters in the sewer?" Zell cried out as he boxed at the shadow monster that only seemed to grin back as the attack had no effect.
Squall glanced up from the overlarge bug that he sliced through. "They probably have a low homeless population living down here." He joked dryly.
Quistis finally finished off Zell's monster with a lightning bolt and Selphie cast cures all around.
"This is like an endless maze, are you sure we're going the right way?" Selphie asked and looked over at their unofficial leader, Quistis.
"Actually, I have the slightest idea where we are. I just want a way out! We HAVE to be in that gate when the float passes through! Oh Hyne!" Quistis let out all her frustration.
"Don't beat yourself up about it." Squall attempted to consol her. He wasn't very good at that type of thing, but he felt bad for the blonde girl that didn't remember bossing him around when they were younger. "You couldn't have know that Rinoa or Caraway have serious issues."
Quistis looked at Squall with a faint smile. "Thanks. I just need... I just need to pull myself together and we can do this." She took a deep breath and started down the walkway again. They rounded a corner carefully and came upon a ladder that actually headed up towards the streets above.
"BOOYA!" Selphie cried and raced towards the ladder. "We're free! Free! Outta here!" She giggled insanely and leaped up onto the rungs.
"Selphie! Will you please not rush off!" Quistis cried exasperated. "You almost got killed by one of those shadow ... things last time."
"And Seifer thinks I'm a spazz?" Zell muttered to himself.
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"Oh Seifer! Seifer! Thank you for saving me! I'm so happy to see-"
"Rinoa." Seifer interrupted the girl. As soon as Irvine and him had finished off the two monsters Rinoa had attached herself around his middle was beginning to cut off circulation.
Rinoa looked up at Seifer to see his glare. "Yes?" She asked meekly. She fluttered her eyelashes up at him and Seifer was struck with how pretty she was. He wondered how many times in the past he let her get away with things with just that look. But this time it wasn't working. Besides, he'd rather look at Squall's pretty pouting lips than Rinoa's. Seifer than took a brief moment to wonder what the small brunet would do to him if he told him that.
"Rinoa. What were you thinking?" He asked sternly.
"What...? Seifer I just wanted to help–"
"Rinoa. You have no military training of any kind what so ever. And taking kick boxing classes does NOT count. You could have gotten yourself killed. KILLED. That was a sorceress, a bona-fide, extremely powerful SORCERESS and you thought you could take her on by yourself? With a bracelet? I specifically told you to NOT get involved and you disobeyed, and don't you DARE try to give me the pout to get your way. As punishment I am handing you directly over to your father when this gets over. Do NOT argue with me or endanger this mission more than you already have or you will have wished that I had given you back to your father. Understood." Seifer ended with a particular nasty snarl.
Rinoa stood in shock. Where was her push over Seifer that was more like a teddy bear than a fierce SeeD? She nodded meekly.
"Good." Then shoved her towards the floor panel that they needed to sneak through. "Not get through there, and stay out of Irvine's way no matter what." He ordered.
Rinoa went through the panel first followed by Irvine (who had a huge smile on his face from watching Rinoa being put in her place) and then Seifer. Irvine grabbed the sniper rifle waiting for him and then set up next to a large–and rather frightening looking–clown. Seifer settled down near him and kept an one eye on him and one on Rinoa.
Irvine tried to blank out his mind. He couldn't believe that he was attempting to assassinate his matron. It was all very surreal. He would have faltered if it weren't for the thought of Squall. Matron wasn't herself, she was possessed, and she tried to hurt his best friend and for that he didn't feel the least bit guilty. Also, he doubted his sniping skills would work against a sorceress.
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the group of four reached the top of the gate just in time, Quistis thanked Hyne that the ladder they stumbled upon lead up into the gate. She raced over to the machine that controlled the gates under the arch and started up the machine. Zell was at the window watching the time and the progression of the parade. The float was almost completely inside, just a few more moments...
The clock hit 20:00 and the carousel shot up into the sky and the lights twirled. Irvine immediately fell into position and aimed at the float that was directly in his sights.
"NOW!" Zell shouted and the first gate slammed down feet in front of the float of the sorceress. A few seconds later the second fell behind them trapping the float, the sorceress and her guards.
Edea stood up with a look of outrage on her face.
Irvine aimed, the crowd disappeared and all he could hear was his heart beat. He gently squeezed the trigger.
The bullet was aimed straight at her heart.
Edea held up her hand and the bullet met her protect spell.
Seifer took the cue and leaped off the clock to meet the sorceress in one on one combat.
He easily took out the guards that surrounded her.
Irvine and Rinoa ran up behind him to help fight, Rinoa muttered something about proving herself. Seifer ignore the girl and was grateful for Irvine, and his limit break. He threw an aura spell at the cowboy and prayed that it worked, Rinoa took a shot at the Sorceress. It was a hit but barely did any damage to her. Seifer threw a fire spell at her and then while she was recovering from that he slashed down with his gunblade. Irvine fired up for his limit break and let loose several rounds of deadly ammo at the sorceress, he created the most damage and Seifer smiled triumphantly.
but the sorceress wasn't done, a light blue mist started to swirl around her right hand, and her hand out stretched like a claw. The swirling particles began to take shape in the form of sharp, long and narrow crystals.
Squall, Zell, Selphie and Quistis all filed out of the tower and watched the battle. Squall watched in nervous trepidation, he was worried about Seifer and Irvine, plus Edea. "NO!" He screamed hoarsely. He knew perfectly well what spell Edea was about to throw at Seifer, it was one of his favorites. Impossibly sharp ice crystals that glowed faintly with magical power. Squall leaped onto the float and flung himself in front of Seifer in time to feel the ice slice into his chest and through his heart. Squall smiled in relief that he made it and fell backwards into the darkness.
Seifer stood in complete shock as he saw the deadly looking ice flung in his direction by the Sorceress. He knew he couldn't move out of the way in time and braced himself for the impact. But to his horror Squall leaped in front of him and took the hit. Seifer's heart stopped as Squall's body jerked from the impact and the crystals slid through his chest, Seifer stared in a fascinated repulsion as the eerie blue crystals came out the back of Squall's jacket soaked in dark red blood.
Seifer moved into action as Squall's body began to fall. He grabbed Squall and pulled him against his chest, falling to his knees in the process. "No." He whispered. His eyes began to tear as he looked down at Squall's still body. His eyes were closed and his skin was rapidly losing color along with blood. Seifer didn't notice the blood staining his clothes as well. He brushed his hand against Squall's pale, cold cheek. What has he even doing here? Squall didn't want anything to do with this mission, he was supposed to be safe back at Caraway's mansion. How could this happen? Seifer buried his face in Squall's soft chocolate hair. This wasn't fair! He has just found Squall!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
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To Be Continued!
oh, i'm evil. :D reviews please!
Thanks to: Summer Sniper, camillian, ZerdaFirestorm, SavvySiberian (thanks for agreeing about Rinoa, i'm trying not to bash her too much but really, Squall should have yelled at her in the game for her stupidity), rebrose, backlash, OmegaScorpio (I was wondering where you went, and keep up on your fic! :D), Grasshopper (Your review cracked me up! :D thanks!), and last but not least: Eiphes!
thanks so much! now review!