Chapter 12

"And that, over there is the Back Gate, strict security, 24-7 patrols fully armed and ready to aim at a lost mediocre instructor at all time." Seifer beamed proudly at Quistis, who was trying her best to refrain herself from hurting him. And even though the thought of inflicting pain upon Seifer was a very tempting one at the moment, she wasn't really feeling up to it anyways as she was almost frozen to death from the cold night.

"And you couldn't find a better time to give me a tour around your haunted castle than in the middle of a freezing night." Quistis added dryly, crossing her arms with a scowl on her beautiful face.

Seifer couldn't help feeling sorry for the lady as he did notice that it was a bit cooler than usual tonight, but nevertheless, he did not fail in chiming in with his ever famous smirk, "My dear instructor, what would be more romantic than being given a tour of a glamorous castle by prince charming himself?"

"Did I hear you right? Because honestly Seifer, calling yourself prince charming has got to be a joke!" Quistis retorted as she walked past him to continue their journey around his mansion. That was when she noticed it, an almost unnoticeable dark wooden gate in the far end of the mansion, heavily guarded with watch towers and armed officers of a different type of uniform with strange equipment tucked in their belt. She took a closer look, and realized immediately that those equipments were actually more familiar than she had thought. Whips? Her eyes widened as she froze in her spot.

"You question my charms, Trepe? Then I'm only too happy to prove it to you…" Seifer grabbed her wrist, pulling Quistis into his arms only to notice how her face has paled. "What?" He asked, concerned.

Quistis looked up at him, then motioning towards the dark gate. "What's in there?" She asked, staring right into his eyes.

Seifer's gaze followed the direction she was motioning to and his face darkened immediately. The Dark Prison. The thought of it alone could arouse many feelings from deep inside him, none of which are pleasant ones. The cries and screams of greatest pain and fear, which were often heard after devastating attacks, were enough to haunt even the bravest of mankind for life. "Nothing you need to know of." Seifer replied, his gaze lost in a faraway place. "But one thing you should know in order to make your stay here a decent stay," he turned his gaze towards her, "Do not set foot near that place."

"What's in there, Seifer?" she asked, looking deeper into his eyes. "Is that where you kept your dirty works?"

Seifer tightened his grip on her wrist, "Listen to me Trepe! What is kept behind those gates is none of your concern! All you need to do is listen to my orders, and that is to stay within the boundaries I've set out for you and stay away from that gate." He hissed at her before Quistis snatched her wrist away, clutching it in pain.

As soon as Seifer realized that he had hurt her, he reached out for her arms, "Let me see that," he said in a softer, calmer voice.

Quistis snatched her arms away from him, "Don't touch me, Almasy…" She glared at him before starting to walk back towards the castle.

"Join me at dinner in an hour!" He called after her in an attempt to make it up to her.

"The hell will I…" muttered Quistis quietly to herself as she continued walking, rubbing her wrist.

Seifer cursed at himself while watching Quistis retreated back into the castle. Damn it, I didn't mean to hurt her like that! He kicked at the nearby tree, hitting its trunk with his fists. His gaze then turned towards the dark gate. The thought of Quistis being inside that place shook a feeling he never knew existed inside him, fear. There's no way that he would let her experience it. He's going to keep her away from that place; he's going to protect her from those memories that still haunted his mind. The cries and screams of the civilians, whose only crime was to be brave enough to fight against the Dark Lord's army, or to betray the Dark Lord's trust. Most of them would have to endure constant beatings and whipping from the guards until they'd bleed to death. Women were sometime taken away by certain officers in the army, Ryu often made his pick there.

Ryu…The thought of this man brought up anger from within him.

"After all these long battles, I find that none of the women in my quarter could satisfy my needs, sire…"

"…If you would allow me…"

"The HELL will I let you have her!" Seifer's blood turned cold at the very thought of Ryu touching Quistis. As he noticed a few guards turning towards him, Seifer recomposed himself and decided to follow Quistis back into his quarter. Anyway, as long as he could managed to keep Quistis within the boundaries of his quarter, Ryu wouldn't be able to set his hands on her.

………………………………………………

At the top of the great tower, the Dark Lord had not missed a single scene of what had happened between his most trusted man and this maiden he'd taken back with him. Every actions, every words, and every emotions expressed in his General's face had not been missed. The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes in a scowl before turning towards Ryu.

"I have a new mission for you…"

"Anything, sire…"

"Finish off Seifer's failed mission… Burn down Dollet…"

Ryu smiled contently before bowing to accept his order, "Right away, my lord."

And the Dark Lord's gaze did not leave Seifer until he had entered his quarter.

A/N: thnk u so much to CWolf2, I realize how Quistis and Seifer are getting a bit out of character - I'm sorry, I really did intend for them to maintain their character as much as possible… so I decided to re-visit the game to explore their characters more… for the rest of this story, I will try to stick to their original character as much as possible, however, I just don't feel that Seifer's constant playfulness/mockings fit his role in this story… although, that doesn't mean that Seifer has changed, it's just that at this point, he's a bit disappointed and upset… might improve as the story progresses...who knows.. wink wink