Chapter 26

His fingers resting on his Hyperion, Seifer went through everything he knew about Rinoa's captor for what seemed like the fiftieth time. He mentally replayed the night of the first attack hoping to find some clue he had overlooked but each time came up empty-handed. One thing he was sure of is that whoever carried out the attack on the Crimson Rose was also responsible for the initial attack on Caraway as well as for Rinoa's disappearance. He knew it in his gut yet he didn't have the slightest shred of proof and the facts weren't exactly fitting themselves nicely into the puzzle, but instead became more convoluted every time he tried to sort them out. He was sure that none of the attackers escaped alive on the night Rinoa was nearly killed. Yet after questioning Vin Kilstrom, Seifer felt sure that whoever ordered that attack was not present that night. I'd bet my Hyperion that whoever it is that wants Caraway dead so much would carry it out personally. So why wasn't he there that night? Seifer tried another scenario. Perhaps whoever staged the attack on the Crimson Rose today wanted to have enough time to sneak into the mansion and rescue the two prisoners… and the earlier attack on the mansion was unrelated… perhaps someone who wanted to assassinate Caraway. Hyne knows, the fool has enough enemies… Still this would be too much of a coincidence and Seifer didn't believe in coincidences. Sighing, he threw the theory aside. Back to square one. Seifer glanced at his watch; he had less than five hours to find Rinoa before the time ran out and he was no closer to solving this puzzle now than he was after talking to her kidnapper. Unable to deal with Caraway's stupidity, Seifer left the mansion hours ago, telling the General to do his best to persuade Deling to return the prisoners to his custody. Seifer knew that the chances of Deling relenting were about as high as him running into Rinoa safe and sound as he paced the dark streets of Deling City, but Seifer reasoned it would at least keep Caraway out of his hair long enough to put into action a plan of his own. From their conversation, Seifer felt that Rinoa's attacker knew him somehow—his reaction when Seifer posed the question was certainly suspicious. Yet Seifer knew that in his position of prominence as Caraway's bodyguard, he would likely be watched and followed by anyone who wanted to harm Caraway. In frustration, Seifer kicked a trashcan that was sitting by the side of the road. Anger at his own helplessness was rising in him, pushing out all thought of reason. If only I could get my hands on the bastard… Before he could fully envision his Hyperion slicing through the delicate flesh of the captor's neck, he felt his cell phone vibrate softly in his pocket.

"What?" he snarled menacingly.

"SEIFER? THINGS OK?"

"Fuu, I can't talk right now, I am sorry," he answered annoyed. She always picks the worst times…

"TOO BUSY? CARAWAY'S DAUGHTER? OF COURSE, YOUR GIRLFRIEND," she sounded hurt.

"Fujin, I said not now," he said, more firmly this time.

"FINE, SEIFER," she struggled with her words. No, I will say this to him!

"I… I wanted to… to tell you, I care not for you and her… anymore… I am seeing Kona," she finished triumphantly. Seifer let out a low growl. The clock was ticking…Rinoa was closer to death with every passing second.

"Fujin, listen to me. I am very happy you found Kona," he finally managed through gritted teeth.

"Maybe, we can even go on a double date later," he added harshly.

He heard Fujin break out into sobs on the other end of the line, but he continued pitilessly, trying to channel all the frustration and anger he had been feeling for the last few hours into the receiver.

"You see, right now some psycho has got Rinoa and unless I find him in the next few hours, she'll be killed. As happy as that would undoubtedly make you, I am telling you, stop being childish and calling me with some far fetched stories of your romance with Kona. I know who you are really after, Fujin. I should have said it sooner, Fujin, but here it goes. Whatever illusions you may have about our relationship, forget them right now. Whatever happened in the past, stays in the past. I don't love you, but if it's love you are after, maybe you should try knocking on Raijin's door… Or go screw Kona for all I care. I really have more important things to do right now than to sort out your twisted love life. Good bye, Fujin."

He closed the phone so violently that it cracked and continued vibrating rather pathetically in the palm of his hand. Giving it another good shake, Seifer replaced it into his pocket, and continued walking, his steel-toed boots digging into the pavement. Thoroughly alarmed now, he glanced at his clock again. Only a few more hours till sunrise… time is running out. He had never felt so bad in his entire life. Seifer Almasy was a man of action, and pacing the streets of Deling City without even a hint of a plan ate at his insides like a vicious ulcer. He was also furious at himself for going off on Fujin again. He truly wasn't sure exactly how he felt about her…or Rinoa for that matter. If she just left me alone… to figure things out…Get a grip, Almasy. Take your own advice and sort out your love life later. Rinoa needs you, NOW! He took in a long, calming breath. Let's run through this again… The speaker had said, no, more like let slip, that Seifer didn't deserve Rinoa as his girlfriend. Although you hardly deserve it after the way you…these words kept replaying themselves in Seifer's reeling brain. What has he done that was witnessed by this person that would make him believe that Seifer didn't deserve being happy with Rinoa? The only clue I have into this prick's identity is also the biggest mystery… it almost sounds as if he knows both me and Rinoa on a more personal level… Then again, if such a person existed, which Seifer doubted, what in Hyne's name could he have possibly done to Rinoa that would lead her attacker to believe that Seifer was anything but friendly to her. Well, we argued that one time outside of Abadon Alley… even if someone overheard the argument, us kissing should have convinced them that everything was fine. Overall, Seifer mused, my relationship with Rinoa is certainly much better than any that I've had in the past. No, there's absolutely no reason why someone should assume otherwise. His body visibly trembling now with anxiety at his inaction, Seifer weighed the facts again. The person said that I don't deserve Rinoa because of the way I did something. What the hell did I do? He fought the desire to sink his fist into the brick façade of the local pub. This was it. Seifer had failed, worse than he had ever failed in his life. For the first time in his life, he felt utterly, irrevocably helpless. There simply wasn't enough information available—he was missing a key piece of the puzzle without which he could continue walking as far as the Centra Desert and still not have an answer. There was only one thing left to do. Level the playing field… He took out his phone again and dialed Caraway's number. General Caraway answered the phone after the first ring; his voice was gruff and tired.

"Hello?"

"General, I was wondering if you have had any luck reclaiming the prisoners," he asked trying to minimize the resentment in his voice.

"No. Although Deling did invite me to join the execution party this weekend…. Said I could rekindle old ties as I am hanging by the neck next to them," he said darkly amused.

"How kind of him," Seifer responded evenly although his heart plummeted into his stomach. "Well," he continued, "then we must pretend as if we got the prisoners back and follow through with the kidnapper's plan."

"What do you mean?" Caraway inquired alarmed. Dear Hyne, how dimwitted is this guy?! thought Seifer angrily.

"I mean, General, that unless Hyne graces us with a miracle in the next few hours, on your behalf, of course, there is simply no way to comply with the bastard's demands. I have analyzed everything we know about this guy, and there simply isn't enough to be going on at this point. He holds all the cards in this game…unless we change the rules…"

"Go on…" responded Caraway with a slight spark of interest.

"Since we can't get the prisoners back, we will place our men, armed into the lifeboat and pray that by the time the bastard recognizes the charade, we will have overpowered him and rescued Rinoa." he finished forcefully. Caraway hesitated.

"It's risky."

"No, it's a walk in the park, General," said Seifer sarcastically. "Of course, it's risky… but we have no choice. I will personally make sure that the bastard is dealt with and… Rinoa is returned to you safely. We just have to make sure that nothing appears to be out of the ordinary. We must not give him a single reason to suspect us…or Rinoa dies."

"The only person who will die today is that good for nothing, son of a bitch who is holding my daughter. I may not be the best father in the world…. But I owe it to the memory of Rinoa's mother. As for you, you will stay with me. My men have the necessary training to carry out this mission. I want you to be near by in case there is a trap and…"

"Need I remind you, dear General," Seifer cut him off, "that your men were about as useful as bags of sand on the night of the assault on your estate. You are much better off letting me handle the situation personally. I assure you I have the proper training…" he said with a trace of amusement in his voice. If Garden doesn't provide the proper training for this, I don't know what does…

"You think very highly of yourself, don't you, Mr. Almasy. But please, do not forget yourself. Unless you can give me a good reason why I should listen to an eighteen year old kid when I have over thirty five years of military experience, we will do as I have decided. Now, if you please," he said with mock politeness, "meet me at the docks in an hour. There is a lot of preparation to be done." Seifer could think of a reason, in fact he could think of about a million reasons, but every second they wasted, Rinoa was closer and closer to death.

"Agreed," he finally muttered. And please do not do anything stupid, General," he added and hung up the phone.

Angry and hurt, Fujin sat on the damp, cold ground in front of a still closed shop. The first rays of the morning sun could be barely seen over the distant horizon. Fujin shivered and brought her legs closer to her chest. The street around her was completely empty—no one around to intrude on her pain and desperation, no one to offer a kind word or a helping hand. Well, he finally spelled it out for you, Fujin… I am surprised it took as long as it did…. she mused. You have to accept the reality, Fujin. Seifer is right… One night in the freezing cold, hovering between life and death, is hardly enough basis to build a relationship. She suddenly felt a rain drop fall gently on her face. Surprised, Fujin glanced at the horizon again. There was no denying it; the sun was definitely rising in the distance even as the raindrops fell harder and steadier onto the glistening sidewalk. It is as if the heaven is shedding its tears for me… Smiling sadly, Fujin closed her eye and turned her face to the sky, enjoying the prickling sensation of finely shaped raindrops that slid down her face, calming her senses and bringing a sense of temporary peace to her aching soul. Somewhere in the distance she could smell flowers, the same ones that grew in such abundance on the vast Alcauld Plains surrounding Balamb Garden. She saw Seifer, laughing boyishly as they sat together on the rocky Balamb beach, staring into the green depth of the ocean. Fujin remembered that day as if it were yesterday. There was such a sense of calm in the air that day, broken only by the sound crashing waves as they happily rushed on shore and then receded back into the inviting depths of the warm ocean water. He had just finished telling her his childhood dream—to one day become the Sorceress's Knight, admired and respected by everyone in the world. He hadn't disclosed his dream to anyone else, not even to Raijin, and Fujin felt an indescribable sense of joy to be so close to him, her best friend—one that she had admired more than anyone else from the moment she met him. That day she felt she could understand Seifer better than anyone in the world. Sure he had been labeled by the Garden faculty as an incorrigible troublemaker who could not be trusted to do anything important. She remembered looking over Garden's report after last year's SeeD exam. Very talented, but exhibits unacceptable level of disdain toward authority. Unfit for SeeD command. That was the only side of Seifer they wanted to see. Fujin knew better. Seifer had shown more courage and vision than all of his SeeD commanders, too narrow-minded to recognize his unconventional style. Seifer was not a person who could conform to standards and regulations—he needed room to breathe, room to make his own mistakes and conquer his own demons, not follow a cookie cutter program that was deemed best for every student by the impersonal Garden directive. Unlike many other students who flocked to Garden simply to be able to brag about their elite military training or even belong to one of the most prestigious military institutions on the planet, Seifer had a dream and a vision to become a part of something more, something greater—to have the entire world look up to him… No wonder he is out saving Rinoa right now… the glory of being the only one to succeed where others have failed is what Seifer lived for. Will I turn away now from my best friend when he needs me, eaten alive by jealousy, or will I do everything in my power to help him achieve his dream…. She suddenly remembered the words that she heard Raijin utter on more than one occasion when people asked why the three of them were friends… We're with Seifer, he would say, no matter what. A vaguely familiar voice intruded on her pleasant daydream as she quickly opened her eye and jumped to her feet. She was hardly prepared for the scene that now came into full view just across the street.

TO BE CONTINUED