A/N: *Sigh* I give up… The damned site can spoil my format all it wants… I won't keep trying… Sorry if this is a bitch to read, with the sentences all stuck together in one huge mass, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong… I'm uploading the chapters exactly as I was doing before, but something's wrong now… Aaaaanyway….
The D-District prison chapter… I think it's the biggest chapter I've ever written so far… Almost 8000 words! Hope you like it.
Last chapter summary: The six teenagers move on with their mission in Deling City. All goes as planned, until Rinoa takes on the Sorceress, Edea avoids Irvine's shot and Seifer almost joins their enemy…
~*A second chance*~
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 15: The desert prison
Seifer was standing on the moving carousel clock. He was resting his right hand upon the Hyperion blade, looking down at the parade below his feet. People cheered, dancers engaged into an orgasmic choreography and glittery confetti fell before his eyes. He reached out with his hand and encased some within his gloved palm. Magenta, silver, pickle green, sky blue and gold, colored the black leather glove and his fingers coiled around his palm.
Suddenly, the deafening uproar of the parade died down, only to be replaced by an eerie silence.
He looked around bewildered; the incessantly moving and slithering bodies had frozen on the spot and the confetti had turned silvery white, like snow. In fact, everything around him now seemed to be painted to the bone by the shiniest, most shimmering white color. The confetti, the parade vehicles, the bodies. Everything except for his own attire. His usual clothing was still the same, only coated with the darkest of blacks. His long trench coat now flowed in ebony glory, the sleeves emblazoned with two stunningly silver Fire Crosses. The usually blue in his vest was now black, adorned by a grey cross in front and only his pants were of the same color as before.
Seifer jumped off the carousel and down to the main Boulevard of Deling City. He made his way through the statue-like figures surrounding him. Cold stone faces and vacant expressions he met with… And then he saw it; Edea's vehicle, in a glory of milky white, like everything around him. He tightened his grip and moved his pace up towards the vehicle. He reached the front end and swiftly climbed upon it. He stood up daringly, clenching the handle of Hyperion tightly and moved towards Edea's throne, whose back could be seen.
And then, his feet took him to a halt, as the throne slowly turned around and its occupant was brought to light.
Quistis.
Not Edea, Quistis.
Quistis, in blinding garments of ivory, matching the surroundings.
The young woman smiled at him warmly and stood up. Her long, white, strapped gown seemed to be made of myriads of silk veils, all falling down graciously, embracing her perfect form. Her blonde hair fell in two thick golden locks in front of her shoulders, and her eyes… Hyne… Her eyes glowed like sapphires on her porcelain face. Her bare feet carried her in small, even steps towards him. He now stood in awe at the glowing figure approaching him. His grip loosened on his sword and his previously tensed muscles relaxed.
Quistis stopped only a few inches before him, smiling. She raised one perfectly manicured hand, tracing her index finger down his face. Seifer closed his eyes and felt the tip of her nail trickled down his forehead, down his nose and to his lips, slightly lingering there. Not entirely certain why, he slowly kneeled before her, as she dragged her finger down his lips, onto his chin.
His knees made contact with the tiles below him and he opened his eyes, looking up at her.
The finger loitering on his chin was accompanied by four more, which gingerly slid to his cheek, cupping it. Her other palm did the same and her face leaned down to his.
Two pairs of warm lips united in hunger and fiery lust.
So fiery, that the environment around them burst into flames. A big circle of fire encased the parade vehicle and the white confetti turned into crimson sparks that slowly turned to ashes as they fell to the ground.
Quistis withdrew her lips and Seifer opened his eyes, looking around him bemused. She spoke in an unearthly voice.
Come with me…
'Come? Come where?'
Come to a place of no return…
'Quistis?'
Come boy, to a dream beyond your fantasy…
'That's not you…'
The blonde stepped backwards, her warm smile turning into an ominous one. She threw her head back and laughed heavenly. Seifer looked at her bewildered, his lips parting. He was still kneeling on the ground. All of a sudden, Quistis' laughter turned into a shrilled, high-pitched one. Seifer watched in horror, as the roots of her fair hair darkened slowly, tainted with a tar-like substance, gradually spreading from the roots to the tips of her locks. The blackness spread to her gown, the straps elongating into sleeves that ended into mauve claws, the cleavage ripping down to her naval. Her sky blue eyes disappeared behind long eyelashes, as her flowing jet-black hair shrunk down to ember locks, then formed into a purple headdress around her head. Her eyes flew open into amber orbs.
She wasn't Quistis anymore, but Edea. She leered down upon him, snapping her claw-like fingers in the air. A thin, sharp icicle appeared, hovering in mid-air. She moved her jagged, slender fingers towards him and the icicle followed her lead, piercing its way right through Seifer's heart…
******
Seifer awoke with a start, almost choking on his sharp intake of breath. He was gasping for air, clutching his heart that was speed-racing like mad. He looked around him frantically only to find himself within an environment he didn't recognize. He crawled onto the cold, metal floor in a struggle and touched the walls around the small room. Metal.
A cell.
He was imprisoned.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall squirmed around. He groaned and winced in pain, slowly opening his eyes. His steel blue eyes focused and slowly began to get used to the dimness of the room he was in. He made a move to get up from whatever he had been lying upon, only to find himself rolling off that something, making hard contact with the metal floor below him. Metal? The young SeeD helped himself up and looked around 'Where am I…?' he thought. The small room he was in, contained nothing but a tiny bed on which he had apparently been lying upon and nothing else. It looked like a… prison cell.
Squall rubbed his forehead 'Me and Seifer… We challenged Edea… He… he tried to… She lured him to her… Idiot… But then he stepped back… And she was choking him… Then Rinoa and Irvine came… And she… She hit me…' he thought, touching his chest 'My wound… What? No wound…? But, how…? Damn, I'm alive? What about the others…? We got surrounded by Galbadians… Where are the others? And… Seifer… is he…….?'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer rested his aching back against the cold metal wall behind him. He looked underneath his coat, near his belt. No weapon. They'd confiscated his Hyperion… He cursed. Slipping his hands in his pockets, he found the only possession of his that hadn't been taken. His cigarettes. Grateful for the one thing that was going on well in his life right now, he lit the last remaining cigarette in his crumpled Marlboro pack and took a long drag, wrinkling the empty pack and tossing it to a corner. He sighed and rubbed his forehead as he exhaled the smoke. His mind felt unusually… 'light'. Normally, he could feel Ifrit's presence, lurking within the depths of his brain, but right now, the sensation inside his head matched the one he used to have when he hadn't junctioned a GF before. Weird… No-one could have possibly un-junctioned his GF. Unless they drew it from him… But they'd have to know that to draw. Maybe they'd cast Scan on him and found Ifrit. Shit… He'd hate to lose Ifrit. The damned GF was a nuisance with its smart-ass comments, but was more than useful in battle… 'Just stop thinkin' about it Almasy… I won't do ya any good…'
He sighed. After that fight with Edea, he could remember nothing. There was just this great, big void in his mind… All he'd heard before passing out was Rinoa's scream. She had called out for Squall. Had something happened to him? Last time he'd seen him, he'd lunged upon the Sorceress. At least… he thought it was him… He'd just seen a black blur heading for her, so he assumed it was him. And those icicles… The ones he'd just seen in his dream… To whom where those headed? It couldn't have been to himself; he'd seen them fly above him. He cursed. What the hell had happened to everyone else? Rinoa, Squall, that Irvine guy, Zell, Selphie? Were they all in a cell like he was? Probably… After all, they had attacked the Sorceress. And the President wouldn't let them get away with it… That son-of-a-bitch was Edea's lackey…
He cursed again. There was no doubt that they'd all get executed for this. Hanged… Maybe shot… Either way, they'd end up six feet under the ground eventually… He sighed. At least Quistis had gotten away with it… She'd be back in Garden by now, possibly having already recovered. Quistis… He'd dreamed about her just before… He chuckled. Well, at least before he died, he'd gotten a chance to make out with Balamb Garden's most wanted 'prize'. He smiled at the not too distant memory of cornering her inside a dark pub back in Timber. His initial intention was to protect both of them from the Galbadians, but he had to admit that he'd enjoyed it. Far more than he ever thought he would… He sighed again. He wondered how things would have turned out between them if he'd returned back to Balamb alive and there were no threats of Sorceresses hanging above their heads… He scoffed. Trepe would probably shake his hand and welcome him back and then go on with her life. A woman like her wasn't made for swooning over guys like him. And guys like him, weren't made to 'Give so much damned thought to a fucking kiss…' But he had to admit, when he'd kissed her, he felt something 'ignite' within her. At first she'd been frozen still, but then… Then she'd reciprocated his kiss quite willingly… 'Oh fuck it…' Seifer thought taking the last drag from his cigarette before the fire reached the orange butt 'What's the fucking use of giving it any thought? I'll most likely be dead within a few hours… Days at the most…'
The creaking of the door opening disrupted his thoughts. Seifer threw the cigarette over to a corner and looked up at the man… no wait, men, that had walked inside his cell. He cocked a questioning eyebrow at them as they approached him. The one in front smirked and hit his glob playfully on his free palm. Another one pressed a button on the small silver device he was carrying and suddenly, a sliver of electricity appeared dancing upon the two small wires hanging on one top. A taser. Seifer swallowed hard. That didn't look good… The guy holding the glob approached him ominously, and with one sharp move, brought his weapon down at him. Seifer grabbed it just in time.
- "What the fuck do you think you're d-" he began, but was interrupted by a sudden shock of electricity on his back.
He winced and fell face first onto the metal floor.
- "Cuff him." said the man with the glob.
Immediately, two men rushed behind Seifer, bringing his arms behind his back, handcuffing his wrists. Seifer yanked his body upwards, trying to break free, but to no avail. He stayed down on the floor, kneeling, glaring at the guy before him.
- "Not so threatening without your weapon, are you, you SeeD punk?" the warden asked, smirking.
Seifer growled and spat at him. The guard closed his eyes and frowned. He wiped the spit off his face with a handkerchief, which he then shoved at Seifer. The blond swung it off his head with one sharp move, muttering curses under his breath. The same man, grabbed Seifer's vest and pulled his face up to meet with his.
- "Next time you pull something like that, you're dead." he hissed at him, then laid a hard punch on his face.
Seifer groaned in pain, as the ring on the man's middle finger scraped the skin on his cheekbone, leaving a deep cut. The blond cursed and wiped his bleeding wound on the shoulder of his trench coat. The man grabbed him from the vest again, banging him hard onto the wall behind him.
- "And now, we're going to take a little trip…" he said, grinning deviously.
As the two guards walked to his sides and picked him up, a terrible feeling raced within Seifer's body. He didn't like that sound of that… Not one bit…
The men dragged him out of the cell and as Seifer looked around him, his previous speculation that he was in a prison was confirmed. The guards pushed him up several stairways, kicking and punching him on the way. Seifer easily towered all of them, and he was definitely stronger, maybe even stronger than all of them put together, but he was handcuffed. And he didn't even have Hyperion with him. The sentries finally brought him outside a large metal door. One of them made a move to walk over and open, when the door flew open from inside. Two men, similarly dressed as those guarding Seifer came out, carrying someone on their shoulders. Seifer's lips parted.
Squall. In his black attire, now tattered, torn and dirty, his face scratched and bruised. His usually impeccable hair now hung miserably in sweaty and dirty locks and by the looks of him, he was unconscious. Seifer only hoped he wasn't dead… The two sentries carrying him approached the party guarding Seifer. The guy holding the glob spoke.
- "Did you get anything outta him?" he asked. One of the men shook his head.
- "Tough nut to crack, this one. He didn't say a word. Just passed out cold after a while." he replied.
- "Fine. Take him back in his cell. We've got number two on our list to 'test' out now…" the man with the glob said, smirking at Seifer.
The blond watched as the two guards carried the unconscious Squall back to his cell. One of the men behind him shoved him forward and in through the open metal door. Seifer stumbled a bit and walked inside the chamber he was taken to. He looked around him. The room was quite large, filled with many contraptions, but there was only one that caught Seifer's eye immediately upon entering. A large, cross-like device, with chains hanging from the top sides. Two more guards joined the quartet that had brought Seifer and five of them restrained him as the last one undid his cuffs. Once released, Seifer struggled to get free, but he was already weakened. Besides, the man with the glob lost no time in striking him hard with his weapon across the face. Coughing and spitting blood, Seifer felt many hands tie his wrists and body on the device, rendering him helpless. The guy with the glob stopped in front of him and motioned to one of the guards to move to another device close-by. Through half-open eyes, Seifer noticed a lever protruding from it.
- "I'll even be willing to show mercy for scum like yourself." the man with the glob said "Just tell me all about SeeD."
- "What?" Seifer croaked. He really hadn't understood what the man had asked him.
- "Tell me what's the secret of SeeD and you'll be in no pain." the guard repeated.
- "What the hell are you talking about?" Seifer asked, arching an eyebrow.
- "You asked for it." said the man, signaling the other sentry by the lever.
The man nodded firmly. Seifer's eyes widened as he saw him pull down the lever.
Throughout the top floors of the prison, screams of pain could be heard for many minutes to follow…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hyne, Ellone… Stop that… I can't watch this anymore…
I had no idea what they went through either, Quisty… I'm really sorry…
I was there, too… But I wasn't tortured thankfully…
It must have been terrible…
Not more terrible than it obviously was for them though… Could we please see something else?
Of course…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rinoa was sitting down on the cold floor of a cell, hugging her knees. Selphie and Zell were inside with her. Selphie was, like her, deep in thought, while Zell had long ago fallen asleep all of a sudden. Rinoa guessed it had to do with that 'Dream world' they'd all been talking about. She sighed. Last night had been a true nightmare; possibly the worst one so far in her life. Both Seifer and Squall had been severely injured, if not –Rinoa dreaded- dead, they had all been captured and put into prison and would probably have to face an awful fate very soon… Although Vinzer Deling was now dead by the hand of the Edea, the Galbadians still wouldn't let this incident pass by. And certainly not the Sorceress, who seemed to have taken over Rinoa's home country completely by now.
Where were Seifer and Squall? Had the Sorceress really killed them? If not during the battle, were they dead by now? She sighed as her eyes began to water. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the baby blue gloves on her wrists, smudging them with black mascara. But she couldn't care any less right now… All she wanted was to see them again and get out of this awful place… She wanted to see Seifer again; she couldn't lose him now that they'd resolved their differences. He'd been right; he was a good friend. And Rinoa wished more than anything that they'd get the chance to be together again. As friends… On the other hand, she wanted to see Squall just as bad. Only… it felt… 'different' with him. She certainly couldn't call Squall a 'friend', but she felt something very strong for him. Something she couldn't really make out…
Her brown gaze fell upon Zell, who was stirring on the floor, obviously about to wake up. The blond squirmed and rubbed his blue eyes open.
- "The 'Dream world' again Zell?" asked Rinoa.
- "Uh-huh…" he mumbled, yawning and stretching.
- "How's Laguna doin'?" asked Selphie.
- "Dunno… I didn't see him." said Zell "It's not like I know everything about Ward, but… Well, you know how Laguna and co. went to that Centra place and got into a real fix, right?" he asked. Selphie nodded "After that, Ward's been all alone. He's working in some sort of prison-like place. And he's bored outta his mind! All he wants is to be figh-"
All three heads turned as the door opened and three guards came inside. Two of them, were carrying the towering form of a blond man in a grey trench coat. Rinoa's eyes widened.
- "Seifer!" she exclaimed, as the men dumped his unconscious body onto the floor.
She held him gingerly and turned him over with Selphie and Zell's aid, gasping once she saw his face. His left cheekbone had a visibly deep cut on it and blood was dried up upon the wound. His right eye was bruised, his bottom lip was bleeding, his hair was dirty and messy, almost drenched in sweat, and his clothes were frayed. He was barely breathing.
- "We thought we'd bring him over to have some company…" said one of them, smirking "Make sure he doesn't die on you. The Sorceress would be most displeased not to exterminate him herself."
- "Why you-" Rinoa began, through clenched teeth.
One of the guards raised his balled fist threateningly at Rinoa, but Zell stepped in front.
- "Are you really going to hit an unarmed woman, you coward?! Why don't you try picking someone your own size?!" he growled at him.
- "Fine by me." said the man, narrowing his eyes at Zell.
He aimed to land his punch onto Zell, but the young SeeD caught his fist with ease in mid-air, taking the opportunity to strike him hard in the stomach. The guard winced and fell back-first onto the floor. Swiftly, the other two retaliated and began hitting Zell mercilessly with their globs.
- "Stop it!" yelled Selphie and Rinoa in unison.
- "*Scoff* Insolent fool. Just wait till your 'turn' comes…" said one man "Now. Before I forget. Is there a Rinoa here?" he asked.
- "I'm Rinoa." Rinoa said, arching a questioning eyebrow.
- "Alright. Then come over here." he said, motioning Rinoa to step outside.
- "Whaddya doing to Rinoa, you bastard?!" Zell hissed, still lying on the floor. The guards cursed and began hitting him again.
- "Stop it already!" Selphie almost pleaded.
- "Stop. I'll go." Rinoa said firmly.
- "Rinoa, don't…" Selphie whispered to her.
- "I'll be fine." Rinoa reassured her "Let's go."
The three guards took Rinoa outside, closing the door behind them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer winced and hissed, suddenly opening his eyes. The last thing he remembered was passing out cold in the torture room. As he opened his eyes though, he found himself inside a cell similar to the one he was before, only this time, he had company. Selphie and Zell. He could see Zell, kneeling on the floor across him, while Selphie had his head resting on her lap, cleaning his wounds.
- "Well, well… Look who's back from the dead… Can't say I'm too happy though…" Zell said, grinning.
- "Shut up, wuss…" Seifer croaked, grimacing, trying to get up.
- "Stay down!" Selphie shouted at him, shoving him down from the shoulder.
She was holding what looked like a wet piece of cloth and was wiping his facial cuts clean.
- "Where am I?" asked Seifer.
- "In a cell, duh…" Selphie replied.
- "I know that Messenger-Girl!" snapped Seifer "I meant which cell. I was alone before…"
- "Dunno. We were instantly brought here." replied Zell.
- "Where's Rinoa and that Irvine guy?" asked Seifer.
- "Rinoa was here with us, but she was taken by some guards. We didn't see Irvine at all." replied Selphie.
- "What?!" snapped Seifer "Where did they take Rinoa?!"
- "We dunno… And we still haven't seen Squall…" said Zell, frowning.
- "Saw him." said Seifer "They have him in a cell upstairs. I saw him when they were taking him out of the room they took me in. He was unconscious."
- "What did they do to you?" asked Selphie.
- "You don't wanna know…" Seifer replied, closing his eyes "Hsss! Watch it!" he hissed, as Selphie wiped his bottom lip.
- "Sheesh, what a baby…" Selphie said, shaking her head in disbelief.
- "Where did you get water anyway? I'd kill for a sip right now…" said Seifer.
- "Magic's not working very well in case you might have noticed. But I had some water spells that worked weakly, so there…" replied Selphie.
- "So… You got no weapons either?" asked Seifer.
- "Nope." replied Selphie.
- "Great… So all of us were stripped from everything; weapons, money, SeeD ID… Only that wuss there got to keep something…" Seifer said, motioning to Zell.
- "Keep what?" asked Zell, frowning.
- "Your fucking weapon… Geez, are you blind or something?!" Seifer said exasperated.
Zell looked down at his fists. His eyes became saucer-like.
- "Hey! My weapons are these fists o' mine!" Zell exclaimed "Those idiots didn't know and didn't remove my gloves!"
- "Well fucking Bingo, chicken! Tell the boy what he won, Suzie!" said Seifer sarcastically.
- "Shut up Seifer, Zell might be our only chance to get out of here." Selphie said.
- "Really? How? All I'm saying is that he's armed. He'll probably get lost the moment he steps out anyway…" Seifer replied shrugging.
Zell was about to talk back to Seifer, when he suddenly realized something.
- "Wait!" he shouted.
- "Louder. A giant sand worm from Dune lurking outside didn't hear you." Seifer said mockingly.
- "'Sand worm'?" asked Selphie.
- "Well, we're obviously in the D-District prison in Galbadia, aren't we?" said Seifer matter-of-factly "That's where they take political criminals. 'Sides, it's close to Deling City."
- "I was just about to say that! Will you shut up and listen?" Zell said, aggravated "I came here as Ward in the 'Dream World'! I know this place!"
- "Really?" asked Seifer incredulously, arching a fair eyebrow.
- "Yes!" exclaimed Zell "If we get out of this cell, I can find my way around!"
- "Alright!" Selphie chirped in glee "Now all we need is a plan to-"
The brunette was interrupted, as the door opened again. A weird-looking creature, that resembled a small, standing lion walked inside, carrying a tray with food on its paws. A Moomba. A guard was standing on the doorway behind it. The Moomba walked inside, when it tripped and fell, spilling all the contents of the tray on the floor. The guard cursed and approached the Moomba, beginning to yell at it for its incompetence and hitting it with a glob. Seifer's eyes shined and he turned to look at Zell, who was closer to the guard, motioning towards him with his head. Zell looked back at Seifer, confused. Seifer rolled his eyes and did the same movement with his head again. Zell shrugged and mouthed 'What?', completely bemused.
- "Oh for fuck's sake!" Seifer yelled exasperated.
He got up on his feet in one swift move, punching the guard hard on the mouth, sending a couple of blooded teeth flying across the room and the man fell in a crumple on the floor.
- "And that's how it's done." Seifer said smugly "Now lead the way Chicken-wuss."
- "Wait a sec." said Selphie, kneeling down next to the Moomba "Are you OK little fella?" she asked.
The Moomba got up and growled in consent.
- "We shouldn't leave the poor thing alone. Why don't we take him with us?" she said.
- "Tsk, whatever. Let's just get the hell outta here." said Seifer.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer, Selphie, Zell and the Moomba slowly crept up a stairway, where a conversation between two soldiers could be heard. The two of them were standing before a pile comprised of their weapons. Seifer turned and looked at Zell, motioning him to go for the weapons, as he was the only one armed. Zell nodded firmly and stepped up. He approached the two guards, who didn't even get the chance to blink, before Zell knocked them unconscious with a mere punch by his Metal Knuckles. He quickly retrieved all weapons in his arms, hurrying over to the others. He handed Selphie her nunchaku and Seifer his Hyperion.
- "Heh… whaddya know… He is useful after all…" Seifer said, earning a glare from Zell "Gimme Squall's gunblade, too. I might need it."
Zell tossed him Squall's Flame Saber as well. Seifer caught it with his left hand, swinging it around a bit.
- "So not my style…" he said disapprovingly.
- "Well then…" Selphie said, testing out her nunchaku "Where are we headin'?" she asked.
- "Up. That's were Squall's cell is. We get him and then we figure out what to do." said Seifer.
- "OK, let's go!" said Zell excitedly, throwing punches in the air.
- "Stop swatting flies, wuss." Seifer said, shoving him lightly on the back on the head with the side of Hyperion.
Zell rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Seifer. He followed them all upstairs, taking one last glance on the floor they were leaving, when something caught his eye.
- "Uhh… Guys…" he mumbled, pulling Selphie's dress from behind "I think we might have a problem…"
- "What?" asked Seifer, frowning.
- "That." said Zell, pointing at one of the two guards, who had regained consciousness.
- "Red alert! We have escapees in the building!" the man yelled through his pocket radio "I repeat: We have escapees in the building!"
- "Shit!" Seifer cursed "Come on, the damage is done. We gotta find Leonhart and skedaddle, quick!"
The quartet hurried up the stairs in a frantic attempt to make it as fast to Squall as possible. They'd only just reached the floor above them, when they came across a first small group of soldiers. The one in front, rushed over to Seifer who was leading the SeeD –and Moomba- group. The man raised his gunblade, ready to strike down at Seifer, but the blond was much quicker. With one swift move, he raised up both gunblades, piercing through the soldier's gut with ease. The man stopped in his tracks, gagging, as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Behind Seifer, Selphie winced and looked away as the blond simply shoved the man away, onto a crumple to the floor. Two officials followed the now fallen soldier.
- "Wedge! Attack those SeeD twerps and teach them a lesson!" the higher-ranked one yelled.
- "Y-y-yes Lt. Biggs, sir…" Wedge stuttered.
Zell rushed in front and cornered Wedge, skillfully avoiding the swings of his gunblade. He punched the poor man in a stomach-face-stomach-face-face combo, leaving him with no choice but to fall unconscious in the floor in a heartbeat. The Lieutenant was now left to fight the three alone, but Zell and Seifer stepped aside to let Selphie do the honors. One swing of her nunchaku, and the man's throat was trapped within the chain holding the two pieces of her weapon together. Selphie laid a hard hit with her knee on the man's face, then kicked him down to the floor. The quartet lost no time and resumed their way to the next floor, when Seifer's senses picked up something coming from behind them.
He turned around the last minute and saw another soldier, ready to plunge his sword down his back. Quick as a thunder, Seifer swung Squall's gunblade onto the man's chest, leaving a deep cut on its trail, then twirled around in a three-sixty turn once more, slicing the man's head off with Hyperion in one graceful move. The soldier's head fell grimly onto the stairs and rolled away, leaving a trail of thick crimson fluid behind.
- "Not a good time to 'lose one's head' I guess…" Seifer said, swinging the two gunblades once, to rinse the extra blood away.
Zell and Selphie grimaced in disgust and looked at Seifer, who merely smirked. Zell was about to speak, when a loud, deafening sound pierced his eardrums. Gunshot. Buckets of it. The three SeeDs and the Moomba immediately ducked, trying to hide out of harm's way. Seifer cursed audibly. They hadn't been fast enough; swarms of Galbadian soldiers had arrived, this time armed with guns. And now their close-range weapons were of no use. Seifer only had six bullets in Hyperion and they were surely no match for so many shotguns and pistols.
- "Dammit! We were so close!" said Selphie dejectedly, as bullets flew over her head.
- "Where's that guy Irvine when you need him?!" said Zell, exasperated.
Just then, as if Hyne had answered his prayer, another, louder sound of gunshot was heard. All heads turned towards the stairway only feet away from them, where the brown-clad cowboy stood, taking swift shots with incredible ease. Each and every one of them was precise and knocked one enemy down at the time. Selphie squealed in delight and Seifer grinned broadly.
- "Come on!" Seifer urged them, stealthily making his way over to Irvine.
- "No, wait! I change my mind!" Zell pleaded, looking upwards, to the ceiling "I want ten million Gil!"
- "Come on Zell!" Selphie said, pulling him from the collar of his shirt.
Irvine shot down the last one of the soldiers and twisted his shotgun around his wrist in a showy manner. He grinned and began descending the stairs cockily, only to be pushed by someone from behind. The cowboy lost balance and tripped down the stairs, followed by a grumpy-looking Rinoa.
- "Stop trying to act so cool!" she scowled at him "Gee, if only you had agreed with me earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Down on the floor, Irvine winced and rubbed his sore neck and head.
- "Rinoa!" Selphie shouted cheerfully.
- "Hey! You're all alright!" Rinoa squealed "Seifer!" she cheered and ran over to him, hugging him tightly.
- "Hey Rin… Glad to see you're OK…" said Seifer, grinning.
- "So everyone's OK? Where's Squall?" she asked 'Please, Hyne… Please tell me he's fine.'
- "We're on our way to get him." replied Zell "Seifer said he saw him being taken to a cell upstairs."
- "But what about you?! You're OK!" Selphie exclaimed.
- "Of course." Irvine spoke for the first time "Courtesy of my escort…" he said grinning, wrapping his arm around Rinoa's shoulder.
- "What's that supposed to mean?" asked Zell, arching a fair eyebrow.
- "Ah-" began Irvine, but Rinoa cut him off.
- "My father pulled some strings with the military," she began 'AGAIN…' thought Seifer "He told them to get me, and only me, out."
- "Then-" Irvine tried to talk.
- "So this guy here," Rinoa interrupted again "He came and got me. Just me! Knowing you were all captured!"
- "Ahh… That's-" Irvine tried to redeem himself.
- "Isn't that horrible?" went on Rinoa.
- "Alright, alright! I said I was sorry!" snapped Irvine "That's why I'm here to help!"
- "After I scratched you to death…" Rinoa mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
- "Uhh… A-a-anyhow, now's our chance." said Irvine.
- "Alright. We don't have any time to lose. Let's head up." said Seifer, running back over to the stairway, followed by everyone else.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall fluttered his eyes open. For the second time that day, he found himself regaining consciousness after a severe injury. His whole body ached and his head was spinning like crazy. He groaned and turned over, lying onto his stomach on the bed. He wondered how much more of that he could take. He wondered how much more of that would take to finish him off… He sighed. Burying his head in his forearms, he tried to get some sleep. There wasn't much he could do in there anyway…
- "That's the cell! I'm certain!"
Squall head shot up in the air, hitting the low ceiling above it. He winced and rubbed it in comfort. A muffled voice had just come right outside his cell door…
- "OK, but how do we get inside?"
- "I dunno! I just led the way here! You do some thinking for a change!"
- "What the-?"
- "What's the little dude doin'?"
- "I dunno…"
- "What is he…? Is he opening the lock?!"
- "Whoa, those little fellas seem to be able to open just about anything in here!"
- "Booyaka!"
Just when Squall got really curious about what was going on outside his cell door and was about to get up, the door flew open, only to reveal all his comrades waiting outside. And apparently, accompanied by a weird creature, which Squall recognized as a Moomba.
- "Squall! You're safe!" squealed Rinoa 'Squall's alive! I knew he would be! Squall's OK!'
- "Dude!" Zell exclaimed, running over to him.
The Moomba rushed over as well, sniffing Squall, licking one of his wounds 'What the hell?' thought Squall.
- "Laguna! Laguna!" the Moomba exclaimed.
Squall looked at it even more confused, as Zell helped him up on his feet, only to be mildly pushed away.
- "That's OK, Zell. I can walk, thanks." said Squall, getting up.
- "OK 'Pubes', we don't have time for many explanations, we gotta get outta here quick." Seifer said, motioning him to come outside.
- "Where are we anyway?" asked Squall wearily, joining everyone outside.
- "In a prison." replied Selphie.
- "I figured as much…" Squall mumbled, as they all walked up the few remaining stairways "But where?"
- "D-District Prison." replied Irvine "It's in the desert."
- "And why are we going up? The exit should be downstairs." Squall said, raising a questioning eyebrow.
- "The exit's up there, Squall. You'll see…" said Rinoa.
Right on cue, the sextet reached the top floor, in a room full of computers and various machines. Rinoa ran over to the open door in the far side of the room. She looked outside, then turned over to the others.
- "It's the exit! Come on!" she shouted cheerfully and ran outside.
The rest followed her lead, finding themselves out in an open area, where the three gigantic pieces that made up the entire prison were held together by long, metal bridges. Suddenly, the floor beneath them trembled, and the corkscrew-like parts of the prison began to drive into the sand.
- "Hurry!" Rinoa called, already half-way down the bridge to the other side.
Her comrades ran right behind her, one by one sprinting down the metal bridge.
- "Oh, Leonhart. I forgot." Seifer said to Squall as he made a move to cross the bridge, tossing him his gunblade.
- "Thanks." said Squall catching it "Why is it all stained?" he asked, noticing the blood shining scarlet on it.
- "Let's just say it was given the opportunity to make itself useful…" replied Seifer smirking "Come on, we're the last ones."
Squall nodded and made a run down the bridge. Seifer followed a few feet behind him. They were both close to the other side, where their friends were already waiting, when all of a sudden, the metal tiles of the bridge beneath them began to move backwards.
Squall lost his footing and tripped. Rinoa gasped as she was certain he'd fall down, when a firm hand gripped on the back of Squall's jacket, pulling him up, and shoving him to the front. Seifer leaped forward as the last tile raced behind him. The blond barely caught the steady edge of the bridge, hanging for dear life as the mechanical prison continued to descend. Rinoa and Zell who were closer both grabbed one arm and pulled Seifer up and on to safety. The young SeeD dropped onto the floor stomach first, glancing back at the height he had almost fallen off from. He sighed in relief…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The six teenagers gathered outside, nearby two trucks stationed there, all having safely escaped from the prison. Seifer fell down on the sandy ground, leaning his back against one of the truck tires. He took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty forehead. Squall ran a hand through his hair, frowning a bit, seemingly deep in thought. Everyone looked from Seifer to Squall intently. Suddenly, Selphie broke the silence.
- "Squall…" she said meaningfully, looking at him.
- "What?" asked the brown-haired SeeD.
- "We're all waiting…" added Rinoa.
- "Waiting for what?" asked Squall again, bemused.
- "Don't you think you owe that guy over there a tiny bit of gratitude?" said Irvine, moving his head towards Seifer.
Seifer looked up, arching both eyebrows, smirking 'Oh this oughta be GOOD…' he thought. Squall pursed his lips. His blue eyes fell upon Zell.
- "What?! Don't look at me!" said Zell exasperated "I hate the guy, but I can't argue." he added, shrugging.
Squall met Seifer's gaze. The blond was staring at him, grinning 'I bet you're enjoying this terribly, you bastard…' thought Squall. He sighed. Seifer had indeed helped him out of a tight spot just before and he did owe him a 'Thank you' or whatever, but did he have to do it in front of the others? Sighing once again, he spoke.
- "Thank you." he mumbled.
- "What was that? I didn't hear you…" Seifer said, folding his arms in front of his chest, grinning.
- "I said thank you." Squall repeated through clenched teeth 'I am SO getting back at you for this, Almasy…'
- "Alright then… Let's get goin', shall we?" asked Seifer, getting up.
- "Seifer…" Rinoa said, glaring at him.
- "OK fine." said the blond sighing "Don'tmentionitSquallIwasgladtohelpyouout." he said in one breath, as if reciting a poem, not even looking at Squall "There. Satisfied?" he asked Rinoa "Can we get going now?"
- "Erm… There's something you need to hear out first…" Irvine said, stepping in front.
Everyone turned and looked at the cowboy, who seemed concerned about something.
- "Oh, that." said Rinoa "Yeah, it's something we heard the Galbadians say."
- "What?" asked Zell.
- "The Sorceress is," Irvine hesitated "Planning to bomb Balamb and Trabia Garden."
- "WHAT?!" yelled the others in unison.
- "Yes, it's true." said Rinoa "She's going to make Galbadia Garden her base in a few days, after she clears out her business in Deling, and she's bombing the other two Gardens."
- "When?!" asked Selphie, panicked.
- "I dunno… Anytime soon I suppose…" said Irvine, shrugging.
- "And that's not all." piped in Rinoa.
- "What, there's more?!" asked Zell.
- "They've uhh…" Rinoa began, taking a deep breath "They've taken Instructor Trepe hostage. They never transferred her back to Garden."
- "What did you say?!" Seifer hissed, his eyes widening fully.
- "They… they said they were going to threaten Cid to surrender all his army to Galbadia and if he doesn't comply…then they'll bomb Balamb." Rinoa mumbled.
Seifer ran his palm down his face, breathing in deeply. He kicked one of the truck tires, mumbling something under his breath.
- "Who's that Trepe lady?" asked Irvine.
- "Quistis Trepe. She's an Instructor from our Garden." spoke Squall.
- "She's just a year older than us. Seifer's age." added Zell "She was with us when we first met the Sorceress and she was… hit by a spell."
- "We brought her over to your Garden and left her at the Infirmary." finished Rinoa "They said she would get better and that they were going to send her to Balamb Garden immediately."
- "I see…" said Irvine, nodding "She hot?" he asked grinning, trying to loosen up the atmosphere.
Seifer's eyes snapped open. He turned and looked at him, eyes full of rage. Irvine had barely time to blink, before Seifer grabbed his shirt roughly and pressed his chest against his.
- "Hey, hey! I was only joking to loosen everyone up!" Irvine protested "Honest! No need to get mad!"
- "Just pray I don't get a hold of you 'in private' when all this is over… cowboy…" Seifer growled.
- "Sorry, man! Didn't know she's your girlfriend!" Irvine said apologetically.
- "Wha-! She's…She's not… She's not my girlfriend!" Seifer hissed, letting go of Irvine's shirt, shoving him backwards.
I really don't see the reason over getting so upset, master.
'Ahh… Look who decided to show up at the -conveniently- worst time!'
- "OK, OK, let's just all calm down here…" Rinoa said "This is no time to fight. We need to figure out what to do."
- "Rinoa's right." spoke Selphie "We'll have to divide into two teams. One should get back to Balamb and warn everyone. The other must interfere with the launch, before it's too late!"
- "And then we have to do something about Instructor Trepe." said Zell.
- "So we should-" began Squall.
The young SeeD never finished his sentence, as a distant sound was heard from the horizon, making everyone turn to that direction. A few missiles could be seen, piercing the air speedily.
- "I… I heard they were hitting Trabia first, and then Balamb…" mumbled Irvine, shooting a sideways glance at Selphie.
- "Trabia…" whispered Selphie, falling down on her knees "I'm sorry… I couldn't stop it… Please let everybody be alright… Please…"
Everyone remained silent for a fair five minutes. Irvine took out his hat and bowed his head like everybody else.
- "That was a miss… right…?" Selphie mumbled "Squall, we have to report to Balamb! Who are you taking?" she said suddenly "I'm on the Missile base infiltration team! I have to be! They launched missiles at MY Trabia!" she hissed, eyes bloodshot.
- "Alright…" mumbled Squall.
- "I don't mind which team you put me on." Rinoa whispered to Squall, trying to make his decision a bit easier.
Squall fell in deep thought. Everyone was eagerly awaiting his decision, except for Seifer, who was leaning with his back against one of the trucks, lost in his own thoughts. Why did everyone have to rely on him like that? What if anything happened to the team he chose to take, or send to the base? How could he take the blame for something like this?
- "Zell, Rinoa and I will head to Balamb." said Squall eventually "Seifer, Sel-"
- "Nuh-uh." Seifer cut him off "Count me out. I'm getting Trepe back."
- "What?" asked everyone in unison.
- "You said it yourself before." replied Seifer "We've got three issues at hand. Save Balamb, infiltrate the Missile base and rescue Trepe from the Galbadians. So we need three teams. And I'm saying that I'm going for Trepe."
- "Fine." said Squall "Irvine and Selphie, you'll head for the Missile base."
- "Gotcha." said Irvine.
- "Zell, you go with Seif-" Squall began, but was interrupted again.
- "No frickin' way Leonhart." Seifer said "First of all, I ain't doing anything with Chicken-Wuss." he added, earning a glare from Zell "Second, I'm doing this alone."
- "You can't be serious." said Squall incredulously.
- "I sure as hell am." Seifer insisted.
- "Seifer, you can't possibly barge inside Galbadia Garden and get Quistis all by yourself." said Rinoa.
- "I can and I will, Princess." Seifer retorted sarcastically.
- "Look, just be reasonable here. Someone needs to come with you." Squall said.
- "Leonhart, if something goes wrong at the Missile Base you're gonna need a strong team to pull this off. And two just won't do it." Seifer replied "I'm telling you, I can do this. I'm not gonna just walk in there. I'll… I'll get some sort of disguise as a student I guess…"
- "I can't let you risk Instructor Trepe's safety like that." Squall spat back "If you go alone, you've got many more possibilities to put both your lives on the line."
- "Squally-boy… I never knew you cared…" said Seifer, in mock-surprise.
- "I'm serious here, Almasy." Squall retorted through gritted teeth.
- "So am I." said Seifer, his eyes narrowing "Everyone keeps sayin' how it's my fault Trepe's got her ass in a tight spot and although I hate to admit it, they're fuckin' right. And I won't have that, Leonhart. I won't be on Trepe's debt. She saves my ass, I save hers. It's only fitting."
Squall glared at Seifer and Seifer glared back at him. This was not a battle the brown-haired SeeD could win. He just had to… forfeit.
- "Alright." Squall agreed half-heartedly "But you'd better be careful, Almasy."
- "That goes without saying Mr. Leader." Seifer said, matter-of-factly "Just make sure you tell Cid not to surrender when you get to Garden. I'm getting Trepe outta there. I won't fail." he added firmly.
- "Fine…So the teams will go as such: Irvine and Selphie head for the base. Zell, Rinoa and I go back to Garden and Seifer," Squall said, turning to look at Seifer, cocking an eyebrow "Goes for Quistis."
- "Good. So how do we all get to out destinations?" Irvine asked.
- "We and Seifer will take one truck to the train Station. From there, we grab separate trains. Incognito." Squall emphasized "You and Selphie get the other truck to the base. You'll probably find some uniforms or whatever in there."
- "Booyaka!" said Selphie excitedly "And Seifer, make sure you take good care of Instructor Trepe now, you hear?" she said, winking at him.
- "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Seifer ominously, narrowing his eyes at her.
- "Oh, nothing…" mumbled Selphie and headed towards the truck she and Irvine would travel into "Seifer and Quisty, sittin' under a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G." she chanted, giggling.
Irvine and Zell snorted in laughter, Squall shook his head in disbelief, while Rinoa grinned and looked at a red from head-to-toe Seifer. The tall blond growled a bunch of curse words under his breath and strode over to the truck where Squall had just walked in.
A/N: Is it just me, or is that little song about trees and kissing something that only a seventeen-year-old like Selphie would sing? And I told you I had something special planned for Quis's return… Clichéd, but special :-p
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
For the meantime, we take a small 'break' from our narration for three main reasons:
One, because I want to show you how Quistis's attitude towards Seifer has changed so far.
Two, because Ellone is bound to get tired at some point and be in need of a break.
And three… Because I want to prolong your curiosity about what'll happen when Seifer goes to rescue Quistis ^_~