Enumasam
Chapter 37: Rinoa's Loss
Sephiroth stood by the directory until Auron and Fujin left his view it wasn't long before he headed back to his and his lover's room. He stood at the door pondering what to do when he heard the tromping of running feet, to his surprise it was Selphie and Yuffie both smiling brightly as they came up and hugged him.
"Sephiroth it's been awhile after you got us those presents we kinda got carried away and went on a little vay kay," Selphie explained as she released the ex-general from her embrace.
"Let's go get some grub and we'll tell you about our adventure Sephy," Yuffie said as she grabbed Selphie's hand and the three went to the cafeteria. Selphie and Yuffie both got pizza while Sephiroth just sat at the table his blade across his lap with his hands folded on the table top.
'Where did this Sephy come from?' He pondered as the two sat across from him.
"Yuffie got hired by a big shot in Deling to assassinate an Esthar official. So me and her went to a high class party, we both wore fancy dresses and ball masks so it was easy…"
"Let me tell him, Selphie," Yuffie interjected. Sephiroth smirked, he hadn't realized it but he had missed the cheery couple.
"Well I had the needle band on under the sleeve of my strangling dress, gawd I hate those things, and this guy asked me to dance, the mark of course. Of course Selphie and me were just acting like friends to lure him in, so in the middle of the dance I put my hands behind his neck and poked him with one of those needles. It wasn't instantaneous though, which was for the best, and I thought it wasn't working until about twenty minutes later, when me and Selphie were getting pretty tipsy…"
"Yeah you mean you were drunk and wanted to makeout with me and blow our cover," Selphie added with a smile.
"Well as I was saying, before being so rudely interrupted," she said as she playfully shoved Selphie "we both danced a few more songs with other people. Then the guy went to the bar and started coughing, which Selphie noticed, and fell down. That was our cue we both left and grabbed a taxi to the outskirts of Deling where we hightailed it to a wooded area we had been camping in and changed our gawdforsaken clothes. Next day I went to the employer and he showed me the newspaper saying the police chief of Esthar had died of a heart attack, got my gil and me and Selphie left,"
"That place in the woods near Deling has a waterfall and an amazing view of the stars at night Sephy," Selphie reminisced.
"Why don't you eat something?" Yuffie tried to offer him some of her food but he declined.
"So what's been happening around here?" Selphie asked. Sephiroth went on to explain Hezmon, Zell's mother, and what had happened between Fujin and her Guardian Force Panemona.
"Woah! So you're saying Fujin's even stronger now?" Selphie asked as Yuffie chowed down.
"Yes, though it seems to take a lot of concentration and energy to hold the form it is very powerful," Sephiroth informed. Yuffie wiped her mouth on her sleeve.
"That materia you gave me is about the size of a pea now and Selphie's is slightly smaller. I've been practicing with barrier magic now."
"And I've been using curative spells, in case somebody gets hurt," Selphie added.
"Good at least you two appreciate the value of the substance," Sephiroth said.
"Weren't you a general in our time Sephiroth?" Yuffie questioned.
"Yes, unfortunately once I found out about Jenova something in me snapped. I don't remember it but Tifa says I burnt her village to the ground and slaughtered everyone there including her father. Now because of me Jenova is here and Squall's clone is still alive."
"Oh no!" Selphie put her hand over her mouth and turned to Yuffie.
"Yeah I know it said in the paper back in Wutai. But you've made no moves to hurt anyone here so I doubt you're all bad Sephy," the ninja said reassuring Selphie.
"Don't think I've forgotten when you saved Rinoa and me from the T-Rexaur, speaking of Rinoa where is she? Oh I almost forgot we need to visit Edea that's mostly the reason we're back she called me, said she might need my piloting skills tee hee." Selphie and Yuffie got up and emptied their trays into the trash before returning them to the cafeteria cook.
"Rinoa may be in the infirmary, Seifer got injured pretty bad in the battle against Hezmon and he's in a coma," Sephiroth told the duo.
"Alright, you want to come with me to see Matron?" Selphie asked.
"I wouldn't mind spending time with you two."
"Oh gawd, I think he's getting attached. Just kidding it's be cool if you tagged along." Yuffie added which got a smirk out of the ex-general. Selphie grabbed Yuffie's hand and they all exited the lunch room and went directly to the elevator where they hitched a ride to Edea's office. She wasn't there so they took the next platform up to the deck where Edea was talking with Nida, the pilot of the Garden. She paused when Selphie, Yuffie, and Sephiroth walked off the platform.
"Matron!" Selphie hurriedly hugged her while Yuffie hung back with Sephiroth.
"How have you and Yuffie been?"
"Great! Still kickin' and lickin' tee hee," Yuffie blushed at the statement but quickly righted herself. "And you Edea how's your relationship?" Selphie questioned.
"Well I'll have to say about the same as yours, heh, they're on guard at the ramp. I'm sure you saw them when you came in."
"Yep, they were playing cards and Quisty was getting mad so we kinda bypassed them, sorry," Selphie uttered to Edea who just shook her head.
"Those two really get into that game," Yuffie noted.
"Ah she speaks!" Edea held up her hands to the sky "praise Bahamut."
"Oh gawd trust me I talk people's ears off you're lucky I'm not around you more or you'll be praising Bahamut when I shut up, hah," Yuffie stuck her tongue out.
"What you use that for?" Edea joked and they all laughed even Nida.
"Hell of an introduction Edea, I have to say for a headmistress you're pretty cool, definitely not what I expected." Yuffie complimented as she put her hands behind her head.
"Why thank you, I'm still glad I can entertain you youngsters. Now, I called you Selphie because one of the others, Auron, has went to hunt for Jenova and if or when he finds her he is to contact you, Sephiroth, Fujin, and Yuffie are to be his backup," Edea explained.
"I've sent Fujin with Auron," Sehiroth informed. Edea had a puzzled expression come across her face.
"You trust Fujin on her own?" Everyone turned to the silver haired man.
"Yes she has apparently bonded with the Guardian Force, Pandemona, as you put it and has become quite powerful though if her and Auron can't handle it they can still call us in."
"I suppose that works I just didn't figure you would let her leave your side, or the other way around. Well in that case Selphie take my phone and be ready." Edea didn't look pleased but the anger didn't last long. "Next time consult with me before you decide to send off Fujin with a person we barely know," the headmistress said.
"Yes, Edea, even though Jenova was my cause and I wanted to make sure Auron wasn't alone even though we had just met I think he has good intentions." With that said Edea gave Selphie her cell phone and hugged the two women as they left with Sephiroth.
When they exited the elevator and walked down the stairs they saw a tearful Rinoa at the directory, she looked at them with sad eyes, but quickly put on a fake smile.
"Hey guys, oh Selphie it's been awhile and Yuffie I see. What's up?"
"Rinoa what's going on with you?" Selphie slowly rubbed circles on her back as she burst into tears.
"I…It's Squall al…all I did was visit Seifer in the hospital and he…he told me we needed time apart before he left to the Horizon with everyone else."
"Oh he's full of himself, Rinoa, you know that. He'll get over it and everything will be alright," Selphie reassured as Rinoa cried into her shirt.
"Let's all go se Seifer and if Squall complains you can blame it on us," Yuffie said.
"Yeah Rinoa let's go," Selphie agreed. The duster-clad woman slowly stopped sobbing and nodded as the three took off towards the infirmary with Sephiroth following. It was outside of the doors Sephiroth could smell it.
'Blood,' he thought as he quickened his stride to pass up the three girls. At the receptionist desk was Kadowaki normal as ever checking her moniters.
"Yes, all guests sign in. Oh by the way, Rinoa, Squall came to see Seifer," once the doctor had spoke she knew something was wrong. She rushed into Seifer's room but the curtain was pulled closed. Sephiroth put his hand on Rinoa's shoulder as she ripped back the piece of cloth to reveal a decapitated, disemboweled Seifer. He had been gutted his intestines dangled off of the side of the bed creating a huge pool of blood, he had been torn to shreds as his head hung by it's spine almost touching the floor. His heart monitor finger grip had been attached to an adjacent comatose patient's hand, explaining why Kadowaki hadn't noticed a change in his readings. There had been no scream from the coma patient but there was an ear piercing scream from Rinoa, loud enough the doctor came running and threw up on sight of the grossly deformed corpse. Rinoa then passed out in Sephiroth's arms unable to handle the image.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
""Talking
''Thinking
I know I know messed up right had to have something happen. I wonder would Squall do something so wrong?
Signed,
Vicious Cerberus