Part 27:
'...Quistis!' Whispered a soft voice in her ear.
She lifted her head in response, realising it was unusually heavy.
'Mmm…' she mumbled as she tried to open her eyes only seeing a blurry dark shadow.
She then started to focuse on the face that looked down on her.
'Are you ok?' said a voice with an accented English.
'Ash?' she murmured.
' The Serpent is gone...we can walk on now.' He went on.
Quistis was now looking into his face clearly and realised she was leaning against the door they had been cornered in.
'The Serpent?' she asked oddly.
'Yes...one of Sarakman's men, remember?'
'Oh...of course...one of them.' She chuckled slightly.
'I was probably hoping I had woken up from the nightmare, but I guess I've just returned to it...' she looked away sadly.
Ash's expression changed from worry to sorrow and understanding.
He caressed her face softly with his finger as he looked at her in.
'That's a thought I have everyday the moment I wake up...' he smiled gravely.
'Soon...' he whispered at her as a chill made it's way down her spine.
'...very soon… the nightmare will be over...I promise…' he smiled comfortingly.
Quistis just continued to gaze at him, appreciating the view.
'I believe in you...' she whispered frowning.
And next was deffening silence in which their eyes met and remained staring into each other as if the same thoughts striked their minds. Suddenly the only thing they could hear was their very own heart beat and breaths…
To this, Ash's mind travelled somewhere else and before he knew it his face was touching hers.
Quistis froze and limited herself to inhale his pleasent scent and the clashing warth of his skin with the cruel frost of the night air.
Enjoying the attention, she closed her eyes and obeyed her needs by letting him rub his silky lips along the skin of her face lovingly. He then caressed her hair with his fingers gently and pressed his lips slowly against the corner of her mouth as Quistis turned her face hoping this time he'd touch her lips in a sweet kiss...
But he limited himself to rubbing his nose against her skin and taking deep breaths, enjoying perfume as with his fingers he touched her slightly parted lips gently…
Ash now dropped on his knees and with both hands now held Quistis's face lovingly, rubbed his lips along her cheek slowly as if he followed the way to her lips and when he got there …
BANG! roured a defening noise that came from one of the nearby alleys.
Ash and Quistis parted abrubtly with their hearts racing, which made Ash fall backwards and Quistis dropp her arms down,widening her eyes in fright.
'W-What this!' Quistis whispered as she looked at a 180º angle.
Ash instinctively grabbed Quistis's arm and helped her up as he scoured the area for enemies.
'Sounded like a shot-gun…' he said nervously as he looked at her shyly.
'What do we do?' she asked him shyly too.
'I dunno...um…stay here. I'll go check the area…'
'A-Ash wait!' but before Quistis could even speak, Ash had vanished down another darkened alley.
'Great...' she grumbled to herself.
Quistis then blushed remembering what had just happened, feeling her cheeks hot suddenly and very nervous, but thrilled.
Then feeling silly with her behaviour just now, she clapped her hands to her face and shook her head in denial…
'Oh, what am I moaning about… I'm an Instructor...' Quistis regained her firm posture made her mind up and followed him.
She head down the unusually darkened alley and guided herself through, touching the walls as she went.
'How could you!' squeaked a familiar voice from another little crooked alley that had some weak illumination.
'I'm sorry...I though it was...' roared now a thick, jerky familiar voice. SMACK!
'Urgh!...'
She now could hear a very very familiar loud snort. 'Zell!' Quistis thought.
'Keep it down you two!' mumbled now Laguna's voice.
'Laguna, he almost killed a cat!' Squealed Selphie furiously.
'Selphie please calm down...' Rinoa said gently.
'The cat's fine, Selphie...' Squall said increduesly.
'Yeah..it even swore at Irvine before it left, didn't you hear?' snorted Zell.
'C'mon Selphie it's not like he almost killed a human! It's just a cat for freaks sake! Besides it survived...haven't you heard that cats have sev..' Zell said, but before he could even finish, Squall punched Zell in the shoulder to make him pipe down, raising his hand in signal as he took a few steps towards darkened very straight road.
And before anyone could blink, Squall sprinted into the darkened road and seized someone. Moments later he came walking out with someone under his arm who seemed to be unconscious.
'It's one of them! I know it!' Zell yelled excitedly racing up to him as Squall raised the person and leaned it carelessly against the wall as its feet lifted from the ground.
The person had a black hood on and was looking down at Squall gasping tiredly. And then with a shake Squall gave it, trying to make the person talk, but on that instant a small piece of golden hair flipped out of the hood, making Squall's jaw drop. He then put the person down and swallowed dryly as he slowly pulled the hood off the person.
'Hi Squall...' gasped Quistis tiredly as she leaned her hand on his arm and looked down as if she were feeling dizzy.
'Q-Quistis...' he murmured in surprise.
'Quisty!' Zell picked her up and hugged her tightly as Selphie and Rinoa followed him to celebrate as well.
'Quistis is that really you?' Irvine got nearer.
Squall remained on the same spot surprised and as his head filled with questions, he eyes caught up with a dark creature that walked along the roof and observed them.
Squall strained his eyes to get a better look. It looked like a feline, a big one. It was the size of an adult dog and had amber eyes. Suddenly he felt a chill go down his spine as he realised that the creature was now staring at him.
'Everything alright?' muttered Laguna.
Squall jerked and looked at Laguna with a confused expression on his face and immediately looking back at the rooftop.
'I-I'm fine...' Squall said narrowing his eyes looking for the creature that had been there moments before Laguna had spoken.
'Squall! We thought something had happened to Quistis and now that we found her safe all you do is stare!' Selphie strode up to Squall.
Squall then feeling doubtful of his sanity, was dragged to Quistis by Selphie. This made Rinoa, Zell, Irvine and Quistis giggle.
'It's ok…I don't mind. I'm used to Squall's cold shoulder…' Quistis smiled.
Squall gave one more look to the rooftop and then looked straight into Quistis who now was smiling broadly.
'Guess I'm back, huh?' she smiled.
'Yeah…I'm glad your back…' he smiled faintly giving her a mechanical hug as his mind kept on the creature he had seen.
'Sorry about that…' he murmured with a corner smile.
'It's fine…' she smiled.
And after a few more giggles, Quistis started looking around wildely for Ash, remembering that he had gone to look out for the noise, but not hearing of him ever since.
But he wasn't there…
'What's wrong, Quisty? Anyone missing?' Zell giggled.
'Well, we can assure you that Seifer ain't with us…besides you were with him when you disappeared, right?' Irvine said.
'Yes he was…but…' Quistis suddenly looked sad as she held on to the thin leather string she wore on her left wrist tha once belonged to him.
'What happened?' Rinoa asked at once.
'It's a long story…I met someone… he was with me just now…but I seem to have lost him…' she said bleakly.
'You look tired Quistis…maybe you should get some rest, dear…' Laguna said.
'You'll have enough time to tell us what happened.' Squall added looking at Laguna absentmindedly.
'But where?' Rinoa asked.
'Oh, that won't be a problem! Pick a door, Quisty! C'mon!' Zell said raising his fists and hoping up and down energetically.
'I don't know if we should break in…' Quistis said worriedly, but before she could even finish, Zell had already knocked down the closest door.
'Too late…' Rinoa chuckled as she ran behind Zell and walked into the house, making an elegant gesture and litting the main room.
'This is great!' Zell whispered excitedly sitting himself in a dusty couch.
When everyone had entered the abandoned house, Squall pushed the door up again effortlessly.
Quistis sat on the coffee table and gazed at the floor, thinking.
''Sup, Quisty?' Zell asked her, leaning forward to look at her.
'I'm just worried about Ash..' she said.
'Ash? What have we missed out on?' Selphie jumped onto the couch and smiled widely at Quistis who looked rather worried.
'Tell us what happened!' Rinoa sat slowly next to Quistis on the coffee table as Squall lifted up a dining table and leaned against the window so that the light wouldn't be seen on the outside.
It was cold, ice cold. There was something tight around his head that pinched the skin around his nose and his mouth. He wanted to take it off, but as his hands reached for his head very very slowly as if in slow motion, he realised that he was submerged in water and then to his horror as he raised his hands a bit more they were brought back down by chains that linked his wrists to something heavy. He then tried to move his feet but they were also imprisoned. Panicking his eyes sprung open and he realised he was in a water tank and was breathing through and oxygen mask.
'Urghh!' he struglled furiously as the chains moved around on the bottom of the tank heavily until he could no more..
'Greatings mermaid…' said the same disgusting slimey voice in his ear.
Seifer looked around terrified once he realised he was being watched.
'Do you like your new home? It's where you're going to stay until master thinks you're ready to die. Ah ha ha ha ha!'
Seifer's breathing started to accelarate as the fury burned in his veins.
'I'll kill YOU!' Seifer roared through the mask as he felt his own breath steam up his face.
'It seems you're wrong, Ja-Hei…Terribly wrong. See, now I'm the one in control this time, not Master. And if its up to me, brother, I'll make you hurt and burn up in pain, until your very eyes drie up from tearing… And by then… you'll be the one begging me totake away your miserable life…Ahahahaha!' the insane man's voice trembled with glee.
'But you know what?…I won't take it from you… you'll burn up in pain until every piece of flesh in you is carbonized…just like a miserable cockroach on the burning coal. That's the death a traitor deserves…The hardest one to get…'
'Arghhh!' Seifer screeched as he felt the electric waves finding their way into him and burning his insides, making all the muscles in his body as tough as a rock. His whole body curved backward, his feet elevated from the tank's bottom and his arms contracted forcing the chains to jerk violently as they dented the skin on his wrists. And as the electrocution ended, his head was thrown frontward onto his chest due to the impulse and next was the cruellest of laughs roaring in his head.
Seifer was now puffing with fury and adreneline.
'I would change places with you, but you seem to be enjoying yourself so…I'll just leave you to your hopeless thoughts for a while.'
'You're SICK!' he groaned loudly, still puffing furiously.
'Not as sick as you were when you decided to switch sides without the slightest shame in your pale scarred face!' roared the voice furiously.
'Urgh…!' Seifer jerked his naked body furiously, pulling the chains brutally as his breathing accelerated with every heartbeat.
Seifer knew it would not be a piece of cake to free himself from The Serpents, especially because of his past actions that completely ticked them off. Seifer had been once a Serpent too, but had taken Balamb's side after discovering that what Sarakman really looked forward to was the death of his two best friends and the power they had right to.
But not even time could erase his vow made to The Lord of Shadow for it was written on his bare skin…
Quistis had told the gang about what happened back in the forest, when Seifer had just vanished after assisting a horrifying death like disappearance, how she met Ash and what they were up to before loosing track of him.
Although everyone paid careful attention and asked questioned every now and then, Squall seemed to have locked himself in his own mind as he sat on the armchair next to them, caught up thought. And every now and then Laguna would give a worried glance at him.
Once everybody had rested and was equipped properly, they decided to hit the road again.
'Don't worry, Quisty…I'm sure Ash is ok. I mean you said he found you in the forest and he must be quite strong to have escaped, especially because of all the troops we ran into there, huh?' Selphie tried to cheer Quistis up.
'I suppose, but he was heading to where Irvine's shot gun sounded and he didn't reach you guys…I don't understand…'
'Maybe he was shy!' Rinoa suggested giggling.
'I don't think so…' Quistis smiled entertained.
'Was he cute?' Selphie asked mischiefvously. (The boys all stared at them)
Quistis blushed.
Selphie and Rinoa giggled excitedly.
'I think I smell romance…' Selphie smiled broadly as she slid her arm through Quistis's and skipped along.
'Girls, this isn't the place or time…let's concentrate on our mission, shall we?' Laguna said patiently.
'Dudes! I think we've come to a dead end…' Irvine said as he pointed the torch onto a brick wall.
After a few moments of contemplating the annoying brick wall…
'It's not that dead, Irvine!' Selphie walked up to him reached out for his ponytail and pulled it, forcing him to look up.
'Argh!' he winced as he shut his eyes.
'Broaden your mind, Irvy!' she smacked his forehead spitefully, making Zell snort loudly.
Irvine opened his eyes and pointed the torch upwards and realising that there was no building, just a brick wall that closed the road.
'That's strange! Why would there be a brick wall in the middle of nowhere with no purpose to it…' Zell said more to himself than to anyone else.
'It's exactly the contrary, Zell…If this brick wall was constructed here after this building were made, there can only be a purpose to it…' Rinoa explained.
'To block an entrance …to hide something…'Squall murmured staring at the gigantic brick wall…
'Whoa!' Zell's jaw dropped.
'Indeed…' Laguna murmured thoughtfully while scratching his chin.
To be continued…Yep! I'm back! With one more chappie after… what? …two months of dissapearence? LOL Well, don't blame me…I don't have Internet anymore and it's hard to use someone else's computer to do ur own things…if u know what I mean! Anywayz, I hope you enjoy this…there's still a lot to come! The end is approaching….! Please review! Thanks for reading. A special thanks to all the reviewers and MafGoldenHeart – my best friend! She's so great! Bjinho!