EverShadow: Dear "concerned reader":

Tiger of Blackness: FU.

EverShadow: Woah. I wasn't going to say that.

Tiger of Blackness: Well I did and that makes me feel so much better.

EverShadow: Uh…ok…well in any case. What I was going to say was that if you wish to criticize my work, or…strangely command me to do unspeakable deeds, please, feel free to include them but be sure to explain where I went wrong and please don't just say, "Because it sucks." That's not a very good reason.

Tiger of Blackness: Immature little bastard/bitch.

EverShadow: Tiger…calm down, it's not like it hasn't happened before.

Tiger of Blackness: Pft.

EverShadow: Yeah, feel free to please include the ways in which I can improve, criticism is widely encouraged. Just not…strange comments/unnecessary comments that benefit to the mentality of a preteen who thinks he is all that and a bag of chips. We all know how annoying that kind of person it. On with the show.

One Day, My Knight Will Come

(Aka: For Quistis: Part 3)

Seifer landed on his face in the middle of nowhere. He stood up and looked around, wondering exactly where he was.

"Welcome to Time Compression." Synk appeared nearby. Seifer drew his gunblade.

"Who the hell are you? No more lies! I want to know the fucking truth!" Synk laughed and transformed. His old, bearded face became young, blond and handsome. His ragged fishermen clothing turned into white and gold robes. He stood, a seemingly holy aura surrounding him. Seifer let his gunblade fall.

"Woah." He said. "You're…you're Hyne?"

"The one, the only." Hyne laughed.

"But you…you…" It all made sense now though. Synk had never been ordinary, he was always at the right place at the right time. "What do you want?" Hyne shrugged.

"Just a test of your love. Er…yeah…and a moogle keychain, long story." Seifer stared at him as if he were crazy, which in all likeliness, he was.

"Ok…" He backed away. "So, ah…Mr. Great deity…where the hell are we?"

"Not in hell. Time Compression. Do you ever listen when people talk?"

"No." Hyne sighed.

"And this is the man whom Quistis fell in love with…?" He sighed, walking away.

"No wait! Where is she?" Realization dawned on Seifer's face. "She told you she loved me? What else did she say?" Hyne turned around, an all too evil smile plastered on his face.

"Oh the things I could tell you about her. She's really not all that innocent, you know." Seifer's grin matched Hyne's.

"Really? Pray tell, Great deity." Both burst into synchronized evil laughter. Hyne cleared his throat.

"That's not the point. Take a look around you." He replied, getting serious. Seifer did. "Not much of a view is it?"

"No shit…" Seifer sighed.

"Well, you've got to find her and you've got to bring her back. I'm telling you, time compression is a dangerous place, one wrong move and you could completely destroy your past, yourself or…"

"Even worse, her." Seifer cut in. Hyne nodded.

"I'm warning you, Seifer, this is a place of past and future, if you don't be careful, everything you know could be screwed up. The world could end up not existing at all if you don't focus."

"I got it." The blond said, waving his hand and walking off into the whiteness of the entire place. Hyne sighed and shook his head.

"And to think, he's just like me when I was younger. Sad sad boy I was." He faded.

Seifer trudged through the blankness, wondering how the hell he was going to find Quistis in all this mess. It didn't seem as dangerous as Hyne said it was, he hadn't encountered anything yet. All he had to do was focus on Quistis, all he had to do was think of her. And quite suddenly, the image of her as a child entered his head.

"Hehehe, Seifey! I found yooouuu!" A small squeaky voice echoed throughout the area. Seifer shook his head, trying to get that hallucination out of his head. But the white began disappearing and grass sprouted from the ground. He looked above him as clear blue skies appeared. When he looked back down, he saw the stone steps of the orphanage. "I found you so stop cheating!!!" The child form of Quistis pouted, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at a nearby clump of grass. "I know you're in there!"

"Am not!" Seifer gasped as he heard his own voice. "No one in here but frogs and stuff." Matron laughed as she approached them. Seifer hid behind one of the walls and peered out at her.

"Matwon! Seifer's cheating!" Quistis complained. "He's in there but he won't come out and he knows I don't wanna go in there."

"No one's here!" The voice insisted. "Just bugs and frogs!" Matron walked over to the bush and scooped Seifer out.

"Bugs and frogs, eh, Seifer?" She teased. Seifer squirmed in her arms as he tried to get out of her grasp.

"Aww! I was going to win too."

"I FOUND HIM!" Quistis shouted to the others. Matron turned her head to watch as Irvine, Selphie, Zell and even Squall come running down the beach from the light house. But as she turned her head, she saw Seifer peering out. Her eyes widened and Seifer ducked back. Shit! He thought.

"What's wrong, Matwon?" Seifer asked, noticing her shocked gaze. She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Nothing, the light's playing tricks on my eyes." She set him down as the others neared.

"See?!" Irvine taunted poor Zell. "I told ya he would be too scared to hide in the lighthouse."

"I am not!" Seifer said, going to Irvine with a fist raised.

"Seifer!" Matron scolded. He looked sheepishly at her and lowered his fist.

"He said I was scared like that scaredy-cat…" He whispered, pointing to Zell.

"Hey!" Zell said, pushing Seifer.

"Calm down, boys." Cid chuckled.

"Ungle Cid!" Zell exclaimed with Seifer pinching his cheeks. They all abandoned whatever they were doing and ran over to the younger Cid, carrying grocery bags of all sizes.

"Whatcha get for us huh?" Selphie asked. "Yay! Sugar!" Cid panicked and grabbed the bag, remember both the incident with Selphie and sugar and the mess it created when she decided she was hyper enough to fly if she jumped off the cabinet.

"Eh, no." He said. "But I got you this." He pulled a less sugary lollypop from the bag and gave each of them one. The older Seifer watched with a small smile on his face as they licked contently and secretly, Seifer and Quistis swapped. Nice image…but wrong image. Now I see what Hyne was talking about. If they see me then…He tried another image of Quistis but this time, the image of the orphanage fire came to mind. Quite suddenly, he was there.

The entire place was burning down. Quistis was fast asleep in the chair.

"Quistis!" He hissed only to find himself choking from all the smoke. He looked around for his younger self who was bound to run in here like a hero and save her. Where the fuck is he? He thought desperately. It took every ounce of self-control for him not to save her himself. If he did that, then that memory of his heroism would be gone.

"CID! QUISTIS IS STILL IN THERE!" Edea shrieked. He looked outside and saw Cid holding Edea back as she struggled to save her.

"You can't! You'd only get caught in the fire as well!"

"LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT, CID! I SWEAR I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! QUISTIS!" Edea yelled, half sobbing.

"I cannot let the love of my life charge in there and die as well! I'm going!" Cid said as he pulled her back and ran towards the burning orphanage.

"AAAAAHHH QUISTIS!" Seifer screamed as he charged in.

"CID!" Edea warned. Cid turned around just in time to see the young blond run past him. He dove for the young boy but missed.

"Seifer! Come back here!" He disappeared into the flames. The older Seifer watched as he searched and yelled, covering his mouth with his sleeve.

"Quisty! Quisty where are you?"

"Seify!" The ragged reply came from inside the kitchen. Young Seifer dove into the kitchen and saw her, huddled against the corner with her head in her hands.

"I'm here. Come on." He said, offering a hand.

"You've come to save me!" She flung her arms around him, making him blush.

"We've gotta get outta here…" He said, taking her by the hand and running. But just as they approached the door, the beam above creaked and gave way. Older Seifer couldn't stand by and watch anymore. While the two children screamed and closed their eyes in fear, he jumped high and sliced the beam in half with his Hyperion. As soon as he landed, he jumped back into safety and watched them look around, confused but still thankful that they made it. Get outta here…he thought as they made their way outside. Now…now I have to save her again. He thought hard about the older Quistis, the Quistis he knew.

"Why don't you talk to a wall then?" It was Quistis's voice again. Except this time, it was bitter, mocking. He looked around for her and saw her, heading towards the balcony. "He's such an idiot…I try to make good conversation with him and what does he do? He give me the cold shoulder. I confide in him for Hyne's sake…and he just…" She placed her head in her hands and sighed. "What the hell am I thinking? He's just as big a jerk as that Seifer." Seifer winced.

"Look at me…crumbling at that hands of a stupid guy." She scoffed. "Is this what it's come down to, Trepe? You would let yourself sink as low as this? You've already gotten demoted, what else is there?"

"No…" He whispered and then realized it had been a bad idea to speak.

"Who, who's there?" Quistis whirled around and he all but jumped out of the way. Closer…so much closer…I need to imagine her…just her…nothing else…

-

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"How is he, doc?" Zell asked as Dr. Kadowaki exited Irvine's room.

"Zell, to be honest…"

"He's going to be alright, isn't he? I just knew it!" Zell whispered happily.

"Zell, no, listen, I've done everything…"

"Oh no…did you have to amputate anything? Anything important. Or is he going to be in bed for a couple of months. Or is he paralyzed?" He asked.

"No…no…please, just sit down."

"O-ok doc." Zell sat down. Dr. Kadowaki rubbed her head, not knowing exactly how to put it.

"Irvine's been hurt really badly. To tell the truth, he's not going to make it. He's already stopped breathing and his heartbeat is…"

"That's a good one. That's a real good one…" Zell laughed. "Look, doc, I'll be back, ok, and he'd better be up and running or I'll sock him a good one." He punched the air just for show. But as soon as he was down the hall, the realization that Irvine was not going to be saying "ow" to his punches sunk in and he screamed. The entire Garden stopped and stared at him as he ran out of the garden as fast as he could, tears streaming down the sides of his cheek.

-

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"Quistis!" The voice was horribly distorted when she first heard it. She tensed, not quite knowing exactly what it was that was calling her.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

"Quistis!" The voice was more formed this time and she gasped in realization.

"Seifer! Where are you?!"

"Right here…" His hand appeared through the barrier that kept her locked away. She grasped his hand and pulled. His entire body appeared and pressed against hers as he stumbled through. He pulled her close, closing his eyes.

"You're real." She whispered.

"You better believe it."

"I'm surprised…"

"That I made it this far?" He smiled.

"No, that you didn't screw up my memories." He held her tightly, laughing. "Hyne…you are real." He kissed her gently, for the first time real time. She pulled away and his concerned face searched hers for a meaning.

"Is something wrong?"

"I realized after the Omega Weapon attacked, that…that I loved you after all. I was just being a real bitch about it."

"I second that." He chuckled and she punched him in the arm. "Come on…let's go back…" Quistis nodded and took grasped his hand. Together, they walked back into the world.

-

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EverShadow: Well now, the conflict is over…but Irvine is gone and what about Selphie? What will happen to them?

Tiger of Blackness: He's really gone…he…he's really really gone.

EverShadow: BWAHAHAHAHAHA! EverShadow signing off.