wow, this was a super quick update for me! :D but i started typing and then the next thing i knew i had the chapter done! so here ya'll go!

Ultimecia speaks in italics because she's talking through Edea.

Chapter Eight

He's dead. Dead, dead, dead. The words taunted Seifer in his mind over and over until he wanted to pull his hair out to take his mind of the numbing pain that was slowly taking over him. Squall had lost too much blood. He was struck through the heart. He died protecting Seifer. Hyne, why? Squall!

Selphie glanced over at Seifer for the umteenth time. She was extremely worried about the tall blonde. After Squall was struck the gates had lifted and soldiers poured in from everywhere to arrest them. Some how Irvine managed to escape, but the rest of them were in shock. After the soldiers came they had to pry Seifer away from Squall's still body. Selphie started crying hysterically, Quistis was still in shock, Rinoa was trying to get to Seifer and Zell didn't know what to do, none of them put up much resistance to being arrested. They had been brought to a maximum security prison in the middle of the desert.

Selphie had only met Squall in Timber but she felt as if she had known him forever. He treated her nicely and didn't ignore her like everyone else did. She felt awful and sick about the whole event.

Selphie looked up at Zell, who was pacing the length of the cramped cell deep in thought with an angry frown on his face. She glanced over at Quistis, who was lost in thought and staring at the ceiling and chewing on her bottom lip. She looked at Rinoa, who was sitting a foot away from Seifer, she had given up trying to comfort or talk to him and settled on staring at him. She then looked back at Seifer who still looked horrible. His eyes were a appalling red and his skin was oddly pale. He looked like death warmed over.

The cell door jangled and banged as the warden and two guards came into the room. "Is one of you named Rinoa?" He asked. "Rinoa Caraway?"

"What's it to ya?" Zell asked. He stopped his pacing and glared at the intruders.

The warden glared at him before punching him in the stomach. Zell bowled over at the unexpected move, one of the guards moved in and kicked him to the floor. The warden moved over and kicked him three times in the stomach. Selphie and Rinoa squeaked in fright while Quistis got to her feet. "Stop!" She cried.

"I asked if there was a Rinoa in here." He snarled again.

"I... I am." Rinoa spoke up timidly. Were they going to torture her?

"Come with me, your daddy sent for you." He grabbed her roughly by the arm, Rinoa started to tear up at the harsh treatment. A loud whirling sound interrupted them, it steadily got louder and metal grating against metal was heard.

"What is that?" Selphie asked fearfully.

"That?" The Warden grinned sadistically. "Looks like your friend is going to have a chat with Sorceress Edea." He sneered.

Seifer looked up from the cell floor that he had been staring at. "What? Squall? He's alive?" He asked in disbelief. He couldn't be, no one could survive that kind of a wound.

"Is that the pretty boy's name? I can't wait to 'extract information' from him." He smirked in Seifer's direction.

Seifer shot up from the floor and shoved the surprised warden against the wall. "If you so much as TOUCH him I'll fucking KILL you!" He raged. His hand wrapped around his throat and applied pressure. The two guards took out batons and beat Seifer on the back. Seifer let go of the warden and the guards kicked him up against the wall. The warden dragged a crying Rinoa out of the room and the guards followed before Seifer could stand.

"You'll pay for that!" The warden hollered.

Seifer stayed on the floor and started to laugh. Squall was alive. Alive! Oh Hyne! He felt as if he was Atlas and someone relieved him of his burden.

---

Squall felt atrocious. Dismal. Horrible. So bad it hurt to think up adjectives to describe what he felt. He wished that he was still blissfully unconscious. He was dimly aware of a cold, hard object against his back and assumed that he was laying on a metal floor or cot of some sort. But he wasn't quite sure why or how he was alive. He remembered the searing cold that pierced his heart. But it was worth it. Seifer was safe. Or, at least, he was safe. He frowned. Where was Seifer? And Irvine? And everyone else?

He attempted to open his eyes to look around but the pain multiplied exponentially from the effort. He groaned softly. Hyne, he just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

"Aw, my poor baby. Let me give you another healing spell." Squall felt the cool, tingling sensation of a high level healing spell and felt the pain ease away. Hyne, he never felt so good. A felt a cool palm against his forehead helping soothe him. "It's all right now, my lion." The feminine voice whispered in his ear.

A feeling of cold dread started to dwell in his stomach. Lion? He forced his eyes open.

Golden eyes stared into his silver. The sorceress smiled sweetly at him. "Do you feel better now, my lion?" She was sitting next to his metal cot, on a stool, and was looking out of place in the dank room in her strapless black gown.

"Who... Who are you?" Squall croaked. His throat felt scratch and dry as Hell.

"My name is Ultimecia." She purred.

Squall squashed the urge to run away or cringe. She had information that he desperately wanted. "How are you the sorceress that gives me my powers?"

"Aw, my little lion is never one to waste time." She leaned back and looked at him with a calculating look. "I am from the future."

Squall blinked. "How...?"

She leaned forward and cupped his cheek. Squall refused to flinch away. "Such a beautiful face, no scars." She traced an imaginary line down the bride of his nose. Squall shivered, he felt as if something was there, once. "It doesn't matter how, just know that when I die I will come back in time and give you, my chosen, my powers."

"Why me?" Squall asked desperately.

Ultimecia returned to stroking Squall's cheek. "You are perfect. Strong, powerful, nimble, noble, brilliant. Beautiful. Who could ask for a better heir?" She purred. "I want you to rule beside me, with me, help me. No one will be able to defeat me, us, you. I can give you everything, anything. I can teach you to control you powers to do amazing things. And most importantly, I can give Seifer his memories back."

The offer sounded a thousands times more tempting when she wasn't ripping a hole through his head. Squall bit his bottom lip, he was conflicted. He would be with another sorceress, there would be no need to hide himself. He could develop his ability. He would have Seifer. An alluring image flashed through his head: Seifer, naked, holding him possessively, pleasure thrumming through both their bodies. Squall gasped.

"I can give that to you, my child. I never would have left you to be raised alone, but it couldn't be helped. This is as far back in time I can travel, for now."

"Why did you try to posses me?" Squall asked. He was sitting up completely now, facing the sorceress. He dimly noted that he was in a new white shirt, and his favorite jacket and his polished gunblade were at the end of his cot.

"I was trying to tell you, guide you, teach you. But it appears it was unneeded. You are far more powerful than I imagined." She smiled proudly after that.

"I... I don't know. I need some time ... to ... think." Squall admitted. Ultimecia terrified him. He could feel her power, pulsing from Edea, he could tell that she wasn't at her full strength. And that frightened him even more.

"Understandable." She nodded. Her golden eyes flashed. "But my offer doesn't hold up forever. I will give you forty-eight hours to think about my offer. And as a gift to show my good will." She snapped her fingers. Squall eyed her with confusion. She stood from the stool she had been sitting on. "I have freed your friends. Go to them." She then swept out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

Squall stumbled to his feet. His head throbbed from the sudden movement, but he didn't care. He just wanted to find Seifer.

---

The door to their cell slid open. There was no warden, no guard, no body on the other side. Just the free and empty hallway.

"Um, is that normal?" Selphie asked.

"I don't think so." Zell stuck his head out the door and glanced around. "There's no one, it's like it opened by itself."

Seifer stood and pushed past Zell. "Well c'mon then! Let's get our weapons and then find Squall." He looked more determined than anyone had ever seen him before. "If that warden so much as lies a finger on him I'll break him into pieces." He muttered.

"What? Seifer we need to be cautious about this!" Quistis followed the tall blonde out the door and stopped to look around. The prison was designed in a circle, a huge, gaping hole was in the middle, the walkway and cells surrounded it. Off to the side there were two staircases, one leading up and on leading down.

Seifer charged up the staircase recklessly followed by Selphie. She wanted to find and rescue Squall as well.

"Hyne, no one ever listens to me." Quistis muttered to herself.

Zell turned and flashed a grin at his professor. "It's a miracle that they even listen to you during class." He laughed before following the previous two up the stairs.

Quistis sighed and shook her head before following them to make sure they weren't rushing to their doom, which was very likely at this point.

---

"Irvine Kinneas! I can't believe your nerve! You were planning on leaving them in prison! To rot! You bastard! And you call them your friends?" Rinoa screeched as they made their way back through the prison.

"Stop-Hyne Woman! Stop with the nails!" Rinoa kept scratching him where ever she could reach. "Your father only gave me papers to get you out. You think that Galbadia is going to let the people go that attempted to assassinate the sorceress? Crazy bitch, STOP!"

"Irvine?"

Irvine spun around at the tired voice of his best friend. "Squall?" He asked in wonder. There was Squall, leaning up against a wall and hauling his gun blade. He looked exhausted, but he was alive. Alive! Irvine ran to his friend tackled him into a hug. "You're alive! Hyne! I was so fucking worried about you, don't you ever EVER scare me like that again. Sweet Hyne your alive." He cried in relief.

Squall smiled tiredly at the tall cowboy. "Yeah, I'm alive now but at the rate your squeezing me..." Irvine sheepishly let go of the smaller brunet. "Sorry" he mumbled.

"Where are the others?" Squall asked. He leaned up against the wall again and looked past Irvine to look at Rinoa. She smiled uncertainly at him. Rinoa wasn't dumb, she knew that there was something going on between HER Seifer and this Squall, especially after the way Seifer acted when Squall was injured.

"We're going to rescue them." Irvine told him.

"Yes, after I convinced him too! Selfish bastard." She muttered.

"Well, let's get going then." Squall tried to shoulder his gunblade, but he was too tired and the blade was too heavy. He ended up sinking to the floor instead.

"Are you okay Squall? You don't look so well." Irvine kneeled in front of him.

"Let me throw ice crystals through your chest and see how well you recover." Squall joked dryly. "How much time has passed?" Squall asked curiously.

"Two days. I'm surprised your up and moving." Irvine commented.

Squall shuddered, Ultimecia had to have powerful healing spells. "Just give me an elixir or potion or something."

Rinoa stomped her foot impatiently. "We need to find the other's before we get caught." She reminded.

"Whoa, Squall is in no shape to travel anywhere." Irvine argued.

Rinoa was about to argue when they heard a loud crash and then a small bang coming from the staircase. The three of them quickly shoved themselves in a nitch in the wall and prayed to Hyne no one saw them. Squall glanced cautiously towards the staircase but he didn't see guards, instead he saw Seifer. Seifer in his gunblading glory, he looked ready to take on the whole army if needed.

Squall fell to his knees in relief. "Seifer." He called weakly.

Seifer turned towards the noise and saw Squall kneeling on the floor. He looked pale, and his clothing was rumbled and he was tired looking, but alive. Seifer dropped his gunblade and nearly killed himself as he ran to him. Seifer enveloped him into a bone crushing hug. "Don't you ever leave me like that again." Seifer whispered against his hair. Squall clutched back at him and finally cried. Eleven years worth of tears flowed out of Squall and now he felt like he was safe. He was home, in Seifer's arms.

"Never. As long as you never leave me." Squall mumbled into Seifer's chest. Something clicked in the back of Seifer's head. He was Squall's knight. He had been for a long time. He trained hard and was the best cadet so that he could protect his Sorcerer. Squall was his.

Zell, Selphie, and Quistis arrived then, Selphie cheered and laughed happily. Zell smiled like a lunatic, and Quistis smiled in relief. Irvine was ecstatic, he hugged Selphie in his glee.

And in the background, Rinoa looked on with a dark scowl. How dare he? That little pest was in Seifer's arm. She hissed her anger. Seifer was hers!

To Be Continued!

oooh! what will happen now? Rinoa isn't happy! mwahahahaha and next chapter Seifer will remember some things! woot!

reivew please! :D

Thanks to: Summer Sniper, blacklash, Peanut Gallery - Alaska's Own, Azurelle, Hikari Heijin, Caelestis (I promise there will be more sxs action in the next chapter!), Cheley, sYnergY's Duality, Grasshopper (As if i could really kill Squall! :D), Eiphes, and last but not least: OmegaScorpio! thank you all!

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