Chapter 5: To Take Lessons to Heart
Xu is standing outside Selphie's room knocking impatiently. She's been outside for six minutes and her hand is bordering on sore. It would figure that Cid would cut costs by not installing doorknockers just so a person could get bruised knuckles for trying to wake a person dead to the world.
"Selphie wake up." Xu calls. She can hear movement from inside the dwelling but the door doesn't open. "Selphie!"
Now there is some noise. There's a thud then some heavy steps. The door opens a crack and a blanket covered person peeks out. "What do you want this early in the morning?" Selphie asks crankily.
"It's not early. It's eleven in the morning."
"Whatever! What do you want?"
"I'm here for Seifer."
Selphie snorts and opens the door. She gestures at the other side of the bed and flops down on it. "Turn the light out when you leave!"
"That's the sun." Xu says pointedly.
"Hmph!" The resident puts her head under a pillow.
The top rank Garden coordinator looks around for Seifer. "I thought my room was a disaster area…" Clothes strewn everywhere, the dresser sitting askew, closet empty and cards all over the floor she shakes her head. "How will I find him in all this?" She spots him on a pillow sitting atop more clutter. "There he is."
Seifer is tossing and turning on his makeshift resting place. As Xu makes her way to him she can hear him talking. "No, no more cards!"
"What is he talking about?" She wonders reaching for him. "Cards?" She picks him up in both hands.
"Ah!" The resting one's eyes open quickly and he's on his feet like he's ready to bolt with speed you'd not credit a sleeping man. "No more cards!" He registers a familiar face belatedly. "When'd you get here?" He asks quizzically.
"Just now. Ready to go?"
"Yeah. I never want to see another one of those damned cards again."
X
In the training center Xu is trying to give Seifer a lesson. But her pupil is distracted. A minor case of attention deficiency, which would be why he was never honor roll material but still. She's trying to start a lesson and needs his attention.
"Today is the last- Seifer pay attention." Xu says impatiently.
Seifer is practicing with his gunblade, almost ignoring her. "What's the move of the day?"
"Try listening and putting that away." She commands, ever so slightly annoyed. "This is the last lesson I can give you."
Seifer does as instructed. "So what is it?"
"Listen." She says. "Observe the area around you."
Seifer listens a bit. "Chicken wuss rustling in the bushes over that way, some birds, what's the big deal?" He says nonchalantly.
"I was a bit more focused on that snake right behind you."
"Snake?" Seifer looks behind himself and jumps back. A garden snake slithers by not interested. The serpent disappears as quickly as it had come. He is flabbergasted by the whole thing. "How did you do that?"
"Awareness." Xu taps her head. "You've got to be alert."
"How?"
"By paying attention. Something which is not your area of expertise I know."
"Cool trick, how will it help during battle? Fearless leader isn't a ninja; I can see him just fine."
"If only there were some way I could demostrate- Rinoa! Perfect timing!" Xu turns to face the young Sorceress. "You can help me!"
"Where did she come from…?" Seifer mumbles, surprised she'd gotten so close without him noticing.
"I can do something?" Rinoa asks with her hands.
"Yes you can. You have a Pinwheel with you right?" She nods. "Go over there; I need you to help me demonstrate something."
"What are you doing?" Seifer asks from the ground.
"Just watch." Xu turns to Rinoa sword drawn. "Anytime."
Rinoa nods and fires. The pinwheel arcs toward Xu quickly. She watches with detached calm as it approaches then lightning quick she knocks it from the air. With nary a sound the projectile falls to the ground.
"Whoa!" Seifer is awed by the display.
"The ability may have some battle application." Xu says offhandedly. "Those weapons don't miss and the only option is to knock them aside. Being able to sense the right time to strike is paramount." She reaches into a pocket and withdraws a blindfold. "Even while unable to see." She dons the cloth. "Again Rinoa."
She fires again. Xu stands still as a stone. Just as suddenly as before she becomes animated at the last possible second and the propelled blade falls to the ground.
"If you know what to look for you won't miss anything." Xu says.
"That's how you found the cases; you were looking for them weren't you?"
"I was searching for very small clues yes. Why don't you try again? See if you can sense something you didn't before."
Seifer looks around trying to see things hidden. He can see the snake from before. It's nearby, taking refuge in the grass away from prying eyes. "Is that movement?" He wonders gazing at some bushes. "Must be seeing things."
"Once more." Xu says to Rinoa.
Seifer closes his eyes. Now he can hear the snake and what sounds like slight rustling. "What is that? It isn't Chicken wuss…" He feels a rush of trepidation. "What?" His eyes open just in time to see Jessie come from hiding. "You!" He yells.
But that is drowned out as Xu shatters the Blaster Edge attachment. With hands clapped around Seifer Jessie fades back into the brush swiftly leaving only Rinoa the wiser.
"So you see there is more to battle than meets the eye." Xu says taking off the blindfold. "What's wrong?" She asks Rinoa, who is very upset. "What has happened?"
"Seifer is gone, someone took him." She manages to say.
"What? Describe!"
"Brown hair that's all I could see." More follows but the short SeeD is looking around for clues and Rinoa can't get her to turn around.
Xu's eyes narrow. "I've got one guess."
X
In Jessie's possession Seifer is not happy. He's feeling like he's living out a commuted death sentence and even he'd admit to a bit of fear at what's going to happen in the very near future. Her and him didn't quite part on good terms the last time they talked.
"Didn't see this coming." Seifer thinks morbidly. "I am totally screwed right now." He wiggles a bit. "Damn tight grip, feel like my eyes are gonna pop out." He groans to no avail, as the last thing on his captress's mind is his coziness.
"Hope you're comfortable." Jessie sneers, stalking down the dormitory hall. "Wouldn't want to hurt you." She unlocks her room.
"You expect me to believe that?" He chokes out.
"I don't really care what you believe." She stops in the doorway and raises him to her face. "You're lucky I don't crush you right now."
"If I had a hand free I'd-"
"You'd what?" Jessie opens her hand leaving Seifer lying in her palm. "Try me." He stands in her hand then looks at her. "Give me your best shot. I'll let you." He draws the Hyperion. She laughs a bit at his expense. He looks down at his other option. "Don't even bother. I'll squash you before you go two steps." She says reading his mind.
Seifer weighs his options carefully. "If I jump then I'm finished. If I hit her she'll probably flip then I'm done anyway. Well…" He gives the weapon a flourish and cocks it. "Here goes…" He stands ready to strike. "Hahh!" He yells suddenly swinging the shooting sword.
"Good decision." Jessie says noting how he stopped right before touching her skin. "You'd be very mushy if you had chosen badly."
"I knew that much." Seifer thinks sheathing the weapon. "What do you think, I'm retarded?"
"Well it won't make that much difference, flat now or a little later, whatever." Jessie walks into the room and shuts the door with a slam.
X
In the training center Xu and Rinoa are searching madly. Seifer, Jessie, clues...anything that would be of help. Of course when you need something like that it doesn't turn up. Hence the girls being a bit on the frantic side.
"You come up with something?" Xu asks. Rinoa shakes her head. "How could I let this happen?"
The mute one snaps her fingers to grab Xu's attention. "It's not your fault!" She signs out.
"Yes it is. If I had been watching…"
"You were wearing a blindfold!"
"He is my responsibility. I should've been more alert."
"I'm the one who saw it happen." Rinoa hangs her head in shame. "I should've done something."
"What could you have done? You're silenced, I broke your weapon and you were too far away. It happened under my nose!"
"Does it matter now? We've got to think of a plan!"
Xu has to concur to Rinoa's level head and considers what's at stake. "If Jessie has him his time is limited as she is not happy with him."
"We have to do something. Otherwise…"
"You're right. Go arm yourself again and look for her. We should split up."
X
In Jessie's room Seifer is looking up at his captor. The room isn't much to look at and is in all kinds of disarray. Half of it is a mess and half of it is in boxes. Of course the gunbladier doesn't care about any of that since someone is standing over him at the moment.
"Do you know what you have done to me?" Jessie asks glaring down at Seifer.
"No, what?" He replies sarcastically in the silence of the room.
"You've ruined my life." She says quietly. "Everything is messed up now."
"How did I do that?"
"I got into a fight with little miss perfect over you."
"Short little miss-"
"The little wench taking care of you. The know it all."
"Did you now? Doesn't sound like my problem."
"It is if I say it is. Do you know what happened because of that?"
"No, am I psychic?" Seifer snaps.
"I got expelled!" She yells. "It's over; I can't wear this uniform anymore!"
"Huh, too bad."
"They're going to take me back to my parents! In Winhill! The dead-end nowhere town!"
"What a shame."
"Do you know how hard it was for me to get into this Garden? How long it took?"
"Nope." Seifer is starting to get bored.
"Do you realize-?"
"Don't care."
"I guess it doesn't matter now anyway." Jessie says wistfully. "What's done is done."
"Glad you see it my way, think I'll be going."
"No." Jessie says flatly pushing Seifer down with the toe of her shoe. "There is one other thing."
"What is that?" He asks, now pinned under the footwear.
"I can get a small bit of satisfaction out of squashing you." Jessie begins to increase the compression. "Didn't know that did you?"
"Who would…have guessed…?" He wheezes, losing air fast.
"Good bye you little bastard."
Seifer's head is swimming. Red stars are exploding in it from the pressure. His bones are bending under the strain almost to the breaking point. "There has to be something…" He thinks desperately. "I mean damn..."
"How does it feel? You're about to lose everything. I almost envy you; at least you won't have to deal with it after this."
"Keep emotions under control and victory is not far off." Seifer remembers.
"If you beg maybe I'll spare you a few more seconds." She says smugly.
"A fighter's greatest asset is neither sword nor skill. It is the mind."
"This is what you deserve." Jessie prepares to finish Seifer off but stops. "Why are you laughing?" She demands.
"Why not?" Seifer asks coughing. "You're pretty funny." He coughs harder.
"What are you talking about? You're about to die an agonizingly painful death VERY soon, how is that funny?"
"That's the funny part. All the trouble you had to have gone through to catch me. Tracking and planning all for this…heh."
"Like it matters what you think, smear!" The renegade SeeD raises her foot high. "Die!" She brings it down hard and there is a heavy clap. "Stop that infernal laughing!"
"You're pathetic!" He laughs. "You blame all your problems on someone who can't lift a bottle cap!" He fades to laughing again.
"It's your fault!" Jessie protests. "Stop it!"
The laughs don't stop. They increase in tempo and volume and she is visibly shaken. You'd be hard pressed to figure out who's afraid of who if you walked in right now.
"I'll make you sorry!" She threatens, trying to get her bravado back.
"Do your worst!" Seifer chides. "Hahahahahaha!"
"You'll regret saying that!"
"What are you gonna do, squash me?" He says scornfully. "Don't make me laugh!"
"You won't be laughing when I'm through with you! When I'm done you'll be wishing I had!"
"I warned you!" The prisioner's laughter resounds as loud as it can in the room much to Jessie's fury.
X
In the library computer lab Xu is trying to use a computer to solve her problem. After all, everyone is registered to reside at the Garden and has an assigned place to sleep. If not then a lot of people would end up fighting over rooms or on the floor and that's no good.
"Let's see if I can use my administrator's clearance to find what room she's in." Xu assesses the room database. "No such student in Garden? Run a guest check then…" She looks through the non-student/faculty residents. "Not allowed to be a guest? I know that but that doesn't say where she is! There is a serious flaw in the system if this can happen. She's been expelled but is still technically here in Garden but this doesn't say where? This period of MIA these delinquents have is disturbing and not helping!" She logs off.
"What was the name of her friend, the one who pulled the gun on me? I can't remember. Plus she's been expelled too so I can't use the computer even if I knew her name, the same thing would happen. I've got to find her though; she'd know where Jessie is." She thinks a moment, wracking her brain for the umpteenth time in the last hour.
"Quistis knows! She has to know, they were her students! I'll ask her." Xu heads off to find the youngest instructor.
X
In Jessie's room Seifer is between her feet. While one of them is feeling a bit smug, the other is regretting goading her on a bit. It doesn't look good to say the least.
"You asked me to do my worst, now you're going to get it!"
"I never could wait for the fun to begin." Seifer says sardonically.
Jessie kicks off her shoes. He recoils from the smell. "You like that don't you?" She says from above watching him squirm.
"Like hell I do!" He thinks angrily. "Got to keep emotions under control…"
"It gets better!" She slips off her socks and places one foot on him. She can feel him shudder under her sole and laughs.
"Victory is not far off…this is sickening." Seifer thinks as sweat starts to seep through his clothes.
"Enjoying yourself?" Jessie asks beginning to roll him around. "I am!"
"Must use mind…"
She switches feet and continues to roll him around beneath them. It isn't long until he is covered in moisture. He feels sticky and bruised aside from the unbearable stench.
"…eyes are burning…"
"Since you're already down there you can do something for me." She stops rubbing him with her feet. "Lick my foot."
Seifer doesn't reply. "No damn way." He thinks.
"I don't feel you licking!" Jessie says singsong. "Go on!" She presses down on him.
"I got her to go this far, I guess I had better give a little or I could still lose out." He thinks. "She could flip then I'm two-dimensional." His tongue snakes out and touches her big toe.
"Oh so you do like it?" Jessie laughs again. "Knock yourself out!"
"This can't be worth it…"
"You may be worth keeping around as a slave a little while." Seifer breathes a sigh of relief then she presses him again. "Or maybe not!"
X
Rinoa is searching the Garden for Jessie. Not having much other recourse then basically running laps in the atrium with her eyes to the ground she's come up with nothing. She's been dealing with a guilt trip that'd span the world too since she's sure she should have done something but there's nothing to be done right this second that's for sure.
"This is terrible!" The Deling City native thinks to herself. "Why'd this have to happen? Some girl has is it in for Seifer?" She thinks about it a moment. "Well he can be a jerk sometimes. I don't suppose he'd let his situation stop him from being him no matter how unwise that is." She chuckles mentally.
"Xu said his time was short." Rinoa remembers. "Does Jessie plan to kill him? What could he have done worth dying over especially at that size? I bet Xu knows and Seifer too, I'm just out of the loop. If I had stopped her we wouldn't be in this situation…" She thinks back to earlier.
"No, Xu is right. What could I have done? I was twenty-five feet away with no magic. She had just broken the cheap Pinwheel I had with me so what was I going to do? I couldn't yell and get her attention. Running in her direction would've been foolish. She could've mistaken me for an enemy and where would I be then? Bad shape probably, that would just make things worse. I feel just as guilty though. All I could do was watch as she took him away to what could very well be his end. The best thing I can do now is find him before it's too late."
X
In Jessie's room Seifer is forced to endure more torment. It's telling on him by now and he's more than tired and getting towards ill. She's having a ball above him on a serious power trip and couldn't feel better for the time being.
"I want to puke." He thinks. "I can't take anymore…" He stops his worship of Jessie's feet.
"Someone's not doing their job!" Jessie presses down to remind him. "Finish up!"
"I am finished." He replies. "If you're gonna step on me then you might as well do it now. I'm done with that."
"Is my slave tired? Oh, maybe you need a rest." She removes her foot from him and stares down at the drained person hands on her hips. "So what should I do with you?"
"I don't even care…" Seifer says jadedly "That ought to make her leave me alone or flatten me, one of those." He thinks to himself. "Whatever."
"I think I'll let you have your rest." Jessie says stooping down to pick him up. "Then torture you later."
"Goody."
"I thought you might like it. Now where to keep you?" She looks around. "Though you are a worthless little creep this would be perfect." She puts Seifer in a jewelry box and locks it. "Good night."
"What the hell can I do now?" Seifer wonders in complete darkness. "Locked in a wooden jewelry box. If I don't run out of air before she comes back for me I'll have to go through more of that again or worse. Of course she might just finish me and have done with it. What to do?" He thinks a while and harder than he ever has in school since this is a badass story-problem that's too close to relevant.
"Actually I accomplished a task getting to where I am. I managed to buy myself more time. There's nothing I can do but wait but that beats dead by a lot." Seifer sighs. "So I wait."
X
Xu is looking for Quistis. She's been to the classrooms, the quad (which she teaches in on nice days) and her office. She's starting to despair a little bit given how much time has passed.
"So far I've come up with nothing." Xu says to herself. "I've been searching all day and not a thing. No sign of Quistis or her students." She walks around the atrium and nearly collides with Nida.
"Hey, are you all right?" The Garden pilot asks. "You seem troubled."
"No…" Xu lies. "Just looking for Quistis, have you seen her?"
"Yeah, I dropped her class off in Deling City. They'll be there until tomorrow."
"No way would I find her in that city in time. The place is too big." She mutters. "That's no good..."
"What's wrong?"
"She…has something of mine. I was wondering where she put it."
"You check where she last had it?"
Xu nods. "Did that first."
"What about other likely places?"
"Like every room in the girl's wing?" She thinks cynically. "That could be a lot of places." She says aloud.
"Then let's look at it logically. Is there anything that would help you searching all these places? A sign that would point you in the right direction or help rule some of the options out? Say I left my uniform in the locker room. When I forget my uniform usually that locker is slightly ajar so I don't have to search them all."
"I can't think of – wait a minute…" Xu thinks a moment. "It may be a long shot but…"
"Think of something?" Nida asks encouragingly.
"One thing. I've got to thank you for another great idea too."
"I'm glad to help. Maybe when you're done-" But Xu is gone. "You could tell me about it…"
X
In the girl's dormitory Xu is scouring the floor. She's got one last idea along with a hope and a hunch it's going to pan out. But she's got to pay attention since that is the name of the game today.
"Needle in a haystack again." She thinks to herself. "Whether you're in the right barn or not still astronomically low odds. That's if they exist at all. He may not have had the presence of mind or chance to leave the clue. It's like flipping a coin three times and having it land on edge twice more. How could I possibly expect-" She stops.
A shiny speck on the ground catches Xu's eye. Though infinitesimal the gleam of brass is unmistakable. Her eyes are about ready to fall from her head and without them she'd be hard-pressed to count her lucky stars which would be the biggest shame.
"Must be my lucky day." She breathes picking up the small shell. "That means this is the place…" She looks at the door. "If I'm wrong I could be fired for this. I could be attacked by the occupant of this room too, if I'm not careful I could get hurt." She gives it some consideration and sighs.
Xu walks over to the door and tries her card in the reader. "Darn!" She says for anyone watching. She tries it again. "Come on!" She slides the card again charging the reader with a thunder spell. The door opens and she walks in. "Seifer?" She whispers looking around. She sees Jessie sleeping and a wave of revulsion slides over her. "Seifer?"
In the jewelry box on the dresser the person in question can hear her calling. "Huh? Pixie?" He says to himself. "In here Pixie! On the dresser!" He stops yelling a second.
"What are the odds she heard me?" He thinks. "I'm gonna need some racket, there's got to be something…Fire Cross! I could make some serious noise with that! It'll just burn up all my air if she doesn't…" He pauses all of a half second then begins to bombard the prison with his signature move.
"Seifer?" Xu looks at the dresser. "That box is moving…" As she watches it wobbles and shakes on the dresser. She walks over to it. "What is this?" She inspects it as smoke begins to rise from the locked chest. "That's got to be him!" She whips out the SeeD pocketknife and pries the hinges off.
A smoky and slightly blackened Seifer looks up at her. "The wonders never cease." He says coughing loudly.
Xu is silent. She says nothing by way of reply. She picks the gunbladier up in both hands and stares at him for a moment, still stunned by the search and the tension involved in it.
"Wasn't sure you'd find me. But you're more magical than I give you credit for, thanks-" He is cut off as she hugs him suddenly.
"I am so sorry this happened. I should've been watching you closer. I should've known she would try something like this…" She continues as Seifer's attention wavers.
"I told her there wasn't much air here…" Seifer thinks fuzzily unable to breathe. "But I don't need any air right now…maybe later…" Given how much yelling he's done and how badly he's been taxed in the last few hours he passes out.
Xu notes him going slack in her hands with some alarm. "Seifer? Are you all right?" She shakes him gently. "Seifer?"
There is noise from the bed now. A yawn then a gasp followed by frantic movement and the sound of steel drawn twice. "Well if it isn't the little twerp coming to save the littler twerp! How cute!" Jessie manages to laugh even though caught off-guard. "I'm glad you-"
Xu simply looks over at her. When their eyes meet Jessie falls silent. "Say one more word and I will kill you." She says quietly patience with the aberrant student at an end. "This is your final warning."
Jessie stops short. Her face falls and after seeing the look of unmitigated rage on the smaller girl's countenance her resolve disappears as well. She stands stock still as one under the watch of a venomous snake as Xu makes her exit without another word.
X
When Seifer wakes up his benefactor is staring him in the face. Of course by now it's not a surprise, given what's just happened. She's been sitting with him in her hands just waiting for the last twenty minutes after she got back into her own room. Someone is worried and showing it.
"I am so sorry I did that." Xu says by way of apology. "I didn't mean to, I mean I didn't know…"
"Thanks a bunch Pixie." Seifer says. "But can the mush will you? You're sorry I get it. I don't even know for what but I forgive you." She smiles as he shrugs. "I can't think of why I got to but listen: I accept your apology. There."
"I let you get captured and you forgive me just like that?"
"I don't see what the problem is. The last thing I remember you did that I didn't like was try and present me to the Garden 'Commander'. You ain't done nothing to me bad since then."
"I let Jessie get you. That is unforgivable."
"What are you talking about? If you're taking responsibility for stuff that's other people's fault you owe me a new knife and boots too. Never mind I ruined those myself."
"If I had-"
"What? Known the future? Get real Pixie. I owe you because you saved me. You searched for something you could barely see so you could break and enter into someone's dorm. After that you search and vandalize their things looking for me. Thanks a lot." Seifer says sincerely.
"You mean that?" Xu asks optimistically.
"No, I woke up to flap my gums, good exercise you know." He shakes his head and sighs.
"You're welcome. Glad to-" Knocks are heard at the door. "Who is it?" The knocking continues. "Who is there?" The knocking grows louder. She puts Seifer down and grabs her sword. She opens the door cautiously.
Rinoa is standing there. "You find him yet?" She signs.
"It's just you." Xu puts her sword away. "I forgot you couldn't speak. What did you say?"
"Did you find him yet? I've looked everywhere." She repeats.
"Yes, I have." Xu points to Seifer on the bed. Rinoa's eyes light up.
"Are you okay? What happened? What did she do to you?" She picks him up. "It's all my fault I should've- you stink!" She waves her hand over her nose.
"Okay, I know what that means but what was the rest of that?" Seifer asks. "I failed sign language."
"She wants to know how you are, what happened, and she's sorry."
"What is this 'be sorry day?' Cut it out! It's giving me a headache." He takes a deep breath. "I'll tell you what happened but wait one moment." He walks over to the edge of the bed and vomits into a wastebasket. "It makes me sick."
"Then don't talk about it." Xu says. "If it bothers you."
"It's okay." Rinoa signs. "But can I keep him tonight?"
"No, I'm a little iffy on that." She says unsteadily. "I'll take care of him."
"I won't let anything happen to him I promise!"
"No."
"What does she want?" Seifer inquires.
"To take care of you for the night. I told her 'no'."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm still unsure since today…"
"Go on and let her. Everyone else has had a turn. There's plenty of me to go around!" He says, grinning like someone with a lot of experience being full of himself.
"Please?" The raven haired one gives her a pleading look.
"…alright." Rinoa rejoices and leaves with Seifer in hand.
"Man I wonder what she has planned for me." Seifer thinks. "I'm tired I just want to sleep now. Today sucked and I want to forget it. She'd better not have a bunch of games in mind or something boring for me to do like the others. Nothing is what I want to do, absolutely nothing."
Rinoa already has her mind made up as to her plans for Seifer. "I'm going to take good care of him. I still feel bad because of what happened so it's the least I can do."
X
They arrive in Rinoa's room on the other side of Garden in the guest rooms. Unlike the other rooms it is decorated with a bit of home feel to it. She goes off and runs water in the sink while Seifer looks around.
"Hey what are you doing?" Her guest asks from her hand.
Rinoa looks at him and then raises her other hand. "Running water for you to bathe in." She says.
"I told you I don't know sign language!" He says after she is done. "I'm a flunkie remember?"
She shrugs and tests the water with her finger. "Should be good, I've got just the thing." She thinks walking out and leaving her guest on the rim of the sink. She returns with a miniature tub on clawed feet. "Good thing I kept my old dollhouse."
"I get it already." He says as a drop of bubble bath and water fills the model bathtub. "I smell." Rinoa sets it down and hands him a small silk washcloth. "And they say I'm tactless…" She shrugs with a smile. "Give me some space; I don't want you getting any ideas!" She complies and leaves the room.
"Stuff like this really messes with your mind." He thinks watching the immense feminine figure leave the room. "I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up in the infirmary with a busted head. This is the most screwed up dream I've ever had." He looks at the tub. "Looks real enough, might as well play along." He hops in the tub.
Rinoa is going through her dollhouse. "This is too good to be true!" She thinks going through the old toy. "I've always wanted to do this with a real person! Now where are those…here they are." She has a towel and small garments in hand. "Perfect!" She walks back into the bathroom.
"I'm in here!" Seifer says offended. She pays him no mind and sets the towel and pajamas down next to him. "Thanks, I guess." She says nothing picking up his original clothes and looking at them. "Hey, those are mine!"
"These are filthy!" Rinoa thinks in disgust. "What is that smell?" She looks at the water in the sink. "I'll soak them tonight, that's all I can do. They are disgusting though, why?" She puts them in the basin and leaves again.
"Where is she getting this stuff?" Seifer wonders looking at what she left. "There's a toothbrush too?" He shakes his head. "I shouldn't be surprised, this isn't that puzzling. I've lost my marbles, pretty simple." He dries off and gets dressed. "It fits too? No surprise there, delusions are one size fit all." He starts brushing his teeth. "Why this though? I can't imagine this was in my brain anywhere."
"Got to get this thing habitable." Rinoa thinks arranging furniture in the mock house. "All the time I spent playing with it I never thought I would get to do this with an actual guy! I wonder how Squall would act…it would be funny to see." She imagines Squall as tall as her pinky finger looking up at her and saying 'whatever' in that flat voice of his. It's funny to her and she finds herself wishing he'd caught a different affliction.
"I had better find a pen and paper; there are some questions I want to ask him." She remembers. "He can't understand sign language." She procures the stationary and goes into the bathroom.
Seifer doesn't say anything when she picks him up. He watches her rinse out the tub and toothbrush without a word. When she places the articles back in the dollhouse he nods to himself. "That's where it came from." He thinks, using his advanced abilities to connect cause and effect. "Figures."
Rinoa walks over to her nightstand and begins to write with her free hand. She's got questions. "What is this like?" She scrawls.
He reads it then thinks a moment. "Like I've lost all contact with reality." He replies. "When I wake up I'll be in a strait jacket."
She smiles at his choice of words and asks another question. "So why was that girl after you?"
He reads the message then looks up to the ceiling. "It's hard to explain."
"Have you two met before?"
"I'll start from the beginning." Seifer decides. "Then you can make sense of it." With that he tells the tale of how he and Jessie met. Then he elaborates on how exactly their second meeting went. He doesn't leave out anything and takes a second trip to leaning over a wastebasket halfway through the recounting of it. "That's what happened." He concludes.
Rinoa's face is the perfect showcase of horror. She could've seen excerpts from the battlefront of the Sorceress War and not been more aghast. "You're making this up!" She accuses hastily in barely legible writing.
Seifer shakes his head. "I did as ordered until my tongue was dry, my eyes burned and I would take no more."
"But why?"
"I guess she blamed me for all her problems. It still is better than what could've happened."
"What?"
"She was going to smash me flat and get it over with. 'Luckily' I managed to avoid that but I would've died anyway if not for Pixie."
"How could someone do that to another human being? She forced you to do all that and was going to kill you anyway just because?"
Seifer shrugs. "I guess that's how the cookie crumbles."
Rinoa looks at him sitting in her hand. "That's just plain evil." She thinks to herself. "I couldn't do that to anyone." She tries to imagine herself doing it. "To revenge myself on someone so helpless wouldn't mean anything. It would show how weak I am. How can she sleep having done what she did? Not to mention she would've killed him in a heartbeat and that would've been that." A cold chill comes over her. "That is not right."
"Hey, where am I going to sleep?" Seifer asks interrupting her thoughts. "I'm beat!" She sets him down in front of the dollhouse. "Get real!" She only smiles and shakes her head. He walks in and shuts the door.
Inside Seifer wanders around a bit. He flicks light switches surprised that they work. Under his feet is real carpet, another marvel.
"Not too bad in here." He remarks to himself. "The girl is rich so I guess even her toys were top of the line. Working lights, real glass windows, Daddy must've spared no expense." He walks into the bedroom. "A real bed, I should have expected no less." He flops in it and realizes something. "It's better than mine! This has topped the charts for weirdness." He pulls the covers up. "But I don't care." He goes to sleep.
Outside Rinoa watches as lights go on and off. She can hear mumbling but can't make it out. After all the lights are out she peers in the bedroom.
"He's so adorable!" She thinks. "The pajamas fit, it's so perfect! If only I had a camera…" She thinks back to the hours spent playing with the dollhouse in Caraway mansion. "Never imagined anything like this…who would've guessed it would take actual use?" She stops looking in the window. "I've always wanted to do this." She glances back at the replica home. "Worth every penny." She decides going to sleep.
X
In the morning Seifer wakes up to sun streaming in the window. Not his favorite way to wake up but at the very least it wasn't an alarm clock. As a student he was always tardy because of that and it's no mystery why.
"I ache everywhere…" He yawns. "Where is this?" Next to the bed on a chair are his clothes from yesterday. "They do laundry?" He changes into his customary wear. "I'm confused." He looks around. "I've never been here before, what the hell?"
He is just about to go look out the window when he hears a noise. He stops and his ears perk up. It comes again and there is no question what it is.
"Doorbell? It isn't my house." It rings again. "But I must be the only one home." It rings insistently again. "I'm coming, damn! Wait a minute!" Seifer runs down the stairs quickly. He opens the door. "Nobody? That's stupid as hell! I just got up and ran down stairs to answer someone else's door and it's a prank? What kind of bull-" He is cut short by a whistle. "Huh?" He comes out and looks at the house from the outside.
Rinoa is sitting leaned forward draped over the house. She is head and shoulders above the building with her arms hanging over the roof. It looks as though the dollhouse should buckle under her weight. She is grinning fit to split; after all she had heard everything and seen his reactions. If she could speak she would've given herself away. "This is too funny…" She thinks.
Seifer sighs as it all comes rushing back to him. "You're getting a really big kick out of this aren't you?" She nods languidly. "Thought so." She picks him up. "Leaving already?"
Rinoa nods. "Xu's probably worried about you." She scribbles. "So we should go."
X
In Xu's room she is sitting on the bed with Seifer. It's early morning still and no one ever does things early Saturday morning and you can ask anyone. He's looking around and amusing himself with thinking about what's happened while she's making herself worried and melancholy doing the same.
"Are you alright? I-"
"Stop asking me that." He says heavily. "I'm fine."
"Well I-"
"You worry too much. Let it go already."
"I know. When you were gone I was so worried-"
"I'll bet."
"I don't want something to happen to you while I'm around. I was right-"
"Damn it all Pixie stop it!" Seifer exclaims. "It wasn't your fault that it happened! Even so you did all you could and I'm fine so stop obsessing!"
"Don't you know what could've happened?"
"Yeah! Because of you it didn't!"
"But if I had been too late-"
"Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"Do you want to know what went down? There was time between me getting caught and you freeing me, do you want to know what went on?"
Xu nods. "If it isn't too difficult then please tell me."
"First when she caught me she was squeezing me like a wet washrag. When we got back to her room she told me I messed everything up. I didn't understand but she said that because of me she got expelled. That she got into a fight with you about me."
"We did have an encounter." The administrator admits. "But she started it by saying she had killed you and drew her weapons first!"
"She said after that she lost everything. I had no idea what she was talking about, it didn't sound like it had anything to do with me. She didn't care though; she just had one more thing she wanted me to know. Do you know what that was?"
"What was it?"
"That smashing me into goo would make her feel better. So she proceeded to do that right then. Do you know why I'm alive now?"
"No…"
"It sure isn't cause I'm too tough to make into mush. The answer to the million gil question is you, Pixie!"
"Me? How?"
"I followed your lessons. I kept my emotions under control and used my mind. By doing that I was able to trick her into torturing me and leaving me alive for you to find."
"Torture?" She asks. Seifer describes the event. "You went through that because of me?" Now she's dismayed and more guilty. "I-"
"You're missing the point! If you hadn't given me that advice I'd have been dead in no time flat! And I do mean flat!"
"…" Xu doesn't respond, she just sits staring ahead then abruptly embraces him. "I didn't want you to die because of me." She says quietly.
"I'm ALIVE because of you!"
She looks at Seifer. "I guess you learned something from me after all!" She laughs gently.
"I learned a couple things from Jessie too." His caretaker stops laughing. "I can't blame everything on Squall. I may not like him too much but it isn't his fault he's better than me. It's mine; it was my choice to let my skills go. I have no one to blame but myself for the choice I made."
"How did she teach you that?"
"She said she got into a fight with you. It was her choice to fight that messed it all up; blaming it on me won't do anything. By the same token blaming my weaknesses on Squall won't make me any better. I don't like any more but I acknowledge his skills as a warrior."
"You're right. Squall didn't choose to become Commander of the Garden. Cid chose him. He was only doing as he was told. I don't have to enjoy being under his command but I can respect his devotion to his duty. He was doing as ordered as any professional would. I will continue to assist him as best I can as is my duty."
"Still want to take him down though." Seifer says as an afterthought.
"Me too." Xu agrees.
They sit for a while conversation having run its course doing nothing. The pair seems content to do this for lack of any other activity so early in the morning. Training is an option but even the most devout and skilled warriors have to rest some time.
"Quistis, Rinoa, and Squall report to the infirmary for treatment." Comes over the PA. "Repeat Quistis, Rinoa, and Squall report…"
"Guess that's me too…" Seifer says, putting two and two together.
"I didn't hear your name." Xu says innocently.
"Come on. I got to go or I'll be stuck like this forever."
"Who will I talk to?"
"Anybody. If you try talking to people they may talk back, isn't that amazing?"
"I don't know…"
"That's because you've never tried it before. Are you ready to go?"
Xu pauses for a long moment contemplating. "I'm not ready for this." She thinks to herself. "I have gotten used to having him around to talk to. I've never really had a friend before so what will I do without him? I could keep him here and there would be nothing he could do but…"
Seifer's spirits fall a little bit as he contemplates the alternative. "It won't be so bad." He tries to convince himself. "Being stuck with like this with her will probably be alright. She is hot." He smiles in spite of the situation. "Forever is a long time though…"
"Yes." Xu says finally. "Let me get my shoes on."
"You may need a bit more than that." Seifer chides. "Unless you've done some changes to the dress code I don't know about."
Xu looks herself over. She's still wearing nightclothes that would land even someone as high a rank as she in some hot water. Starting a trend is not likely a wise thing in this case. "You may be right."
X
In the medical facility of Garden the entirety of the afflicted are gathered. Each of them a powerful fighter in their own right it's clear that sickness is one thing you can't best with weapons and that's why they're here.
"Are all of the ill ones here?" Dr. Kadowaki asks looking around. She can see Quistis, Rinoa, and Squall. Zell is tranquilized on an exam table and Irvine never went anywhere. "Why are you here?" She asks spotting Xu. "You aren't infected."
"I have brought someone who is." Xu replies.
"I don't see anyone." The doctor says, looking around and over the shorter woman. "Are they plagued by invisibility?" She laughs.
"No…" She says unsteadily, pulling Seifer from her pocket. "But I think this may be a problem."
"I see…" The doctor adjusts her glasses. "Hmm…is this an illusion?"
"No doctor." Xu extends Seifer to the medical professional. "Check for yourself."
"Quite the ailment." The doctor remarks picking him up. "Strange indeed." Seifer gives her a mean look as she examines him.
"What are you talking about?" Squall demands. "Somebody tell me!"
The doctor is about to explain to the seeing impaired person but everyone else signals him not to. "Nothing of special import." She concludes dismissively winking at Seifer. "No big deal."
"It is something…" Squall says angrily. "You're not telling me, that's all. I'll have to see for myself."
"Selphie will be casting the spell." The doctor says ignoring Squall. "We're calling it Esunaga it's a powered up Esuna or so we hope."
"Is everybody ready?" Selphie asks brightly. "Here we go!" A bright flash of light fills the room. "Esunaga!"
"I feel so much better…" Quistis thinks. "I can breathe without coughing."
"When did I get here?" Zell wonders. "Last I remember I was fighting a T-Rexaur…"
"I can speak again." Rinoa says aloud. "That's a relief."
"I'm back to normal." Seifer thinks. "That was too wild!"
"I can see…" Squall realizes. "What were they talking-" He is cut short by a noise.
A gunshot rings out. Everyone draws their weapons and looks at Irvine angrily. The professional gunman looks suitably embarrassed and shrugs with a wobbly grin.
"Sorry guys I swear I was in the Training Center."
"Well you're not!" Quistis says. "You're breaking Garden rules is what you're doing!"
"Plus you broke something else." Rinoa adds.
"Yes he did!" The doctor yells. "All of you can get out of here with this silliness!"
Everyone files out except Xu. She pulls Seifer aside before he can vacate the office. He stops with a quizzical look on his face.
"Something you need?" The once again tall delinquent asks.
"Yes." Xu hedges a bit. "Can we get together and talk later?"
"No offense but sorry. We can still be friends though."
"Why not?" She wonders genuinely puzzled.
"I'm not that easy to be around. I'm actually a big jerk and troublemaker." He whispers with a grin. "We can still talk but that's it."
"But-"
"Face it Pixie, I'm not good enough for you. I'm not the right one. That shouldn't bother you though. Talk to people, you'll find someone in no time!"
"People think I'm cold!"
"That'll change once you start opening your mouth. I bet they're people dying to talk to you, just give them a chance!" Seifer walks out after trying his most winning, non-scornful and sincere smile.
"Just give them a chance." Xu thinks. "What do I say?" She walks out. "I've got no clue…"
"Hey, Xu." A voice says from beside the door.
"Nida, what are you doing here?"
"I had to tranquillize Zell." He replies. "I'm the second best shot around. Do you know what was wrong with him?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"He was berserk."
"Why did that need special treatment? Did you hear that announcement? Squall and the others needed it too. I'm curious." He thinks a second. "And what's been up? Did you find that thing that Quistis had of yours?" He adds as an afterthought.
"Got to open my mouth and say something…" Xu takes a deep breath. "I have a story to tell you…"
X
Later that day in the Training Center Seifer and Squall face off. It's like when something is left unfinished. People tend to it as soon as possible if it's pressing or intriguing.
"We never did finish that fight." Squall says drawing the Lionheart.
"It had just started." Seifer replies drawing the Hyperion and slamming a fresh magazine home. "Now's a good time though." His opponent nods and they begin.
The fighters circle each other warily. Nothing happens for a while. They both seem to be waiting for something.
"He's not making the first move…" Squall notes. "He's waiting for me. I guess I'll go." He advances and swings. The attack is met halfway by the Hyperion. "What?" He is equally surprised when it comes back to score on him. Barely deflecting it in time he's forced to give ground as a succession of attacks seems to be coming. "How is this happening?" Seeing an opportunity to counter he swings hard at Seifer. As he connects with the lighter weapon he is once again on new ground as it doesn't rebound away to the grass. Seifer rolls with the blow and steps back. "You're better." He says to his opponent. The taller fighter doesn't reply. Not letting that bother him he goes for his Renzokuken attack.
"Got to keep emotions under control…" Seifer thinks. "A good defense would be…Zantetsuken Reverse!" He parries each blow of the Renzokuken with his maneuver. He can feel his gunblade bucking because Squall is pulling the trigger on his magnum style revolver but he holds it together.
Squall goes for Rough Divide. The rising slash is retarded by the falling No Mercy attack. Blades crossed Squall tries to follow through with Fated Circle. The clockwise movement is met by a backspin Demon Slice from Seifer.
"You've been practicing." Squall says drawing back from the standoff.
"You noticed?" Seifer says mockingly. "I'm flattered!"
Squall shakes his head and goes for Blasting Zone. The pillar of energy gathers around the revolver weapon quickly.
"Got to focus, what is going to stop that?" Seifer thinks back. "Force like that- the true power of Fire Cross!" He flourishes the automatic and a cross shape form of fire stops the stream of power.
Not getting anywhere with Blasting Zone Squall rushes forward for his most powerful attack, Lionheart. From the smoke he materializes ready to strike moving fast enough to appear a blur from the outside.
"What now?" Seifer wonders. "I've played all my cards, what else is there? How can I stop the-" The Lionheart impacts the Hyperion. It nearly springs free from his grip. "What the-" Without pause the blue weapon comes again toward him. He jerks the trigger on reflex and the opposing gun-sword is halted. "The Last Ace!" He realizes remembering what Xu said. "That's my final card!"
X
People have assembled around and are watching the fight. Since it's gone on much further than the general under a minute confrontations it's quite the show. The onlookers almost want to start laying bets it's that interesting.
"Man I wouldn't want to be Seifer right now!" Zell says.
"Nothing has ever survived that attack." Irvine agrees.
"Someone should stop them!" Rinoa declares.
"The only way I'd be able to get them apart would be a Shockwave Pulsar." Quistis says. "That would do more harm than good to them both."
"Don't count him out yet." Xu says. "He has a chance."
"You sure?" Selphie asks. "Looks pretty bad from here."
An object lands at Xu's feet. She picks it up and nods. "I'm positive."
X
Seifer is concentrating hard. He's trying to keep the Hyperion in his hands and in front of him but it's a challenge since this attack is one heck of a maneuver. He's twisting his wrist and turning his forearm and doing his damndest to follow his blade and keep it under control but it isn't easy.
"Got to be aware…" He thinks. "Flow with it…" He closes his eyes and he can hear Squall approach. The buzzing glow of the Lionheart draws near again and again but he swipes at it with his own weapon each time, jerking the trigger for good measure and it more than retards the insanely fast attacks.
Squall comes from all sides. Somehow the Hyperion keeps him back and not a blow lands. "I can't believe this…" He comes across for the final attack. "This is it…"
Seifer's eyes open suddenly. "There's more? I'm out!" He realizes as he can hear the action of his gunblade clicking empty. He looks at his opponent and his method of attack. "He's doing it just like Rough Divide! He's trying to leap across!" He brings his shooting steel up and parries as best he can, slamming the blade down on the opposing edge. Squall slides past him even so and he feels sudden pain. He falls to one knee and raises a hand to his face. There's blood.
"Damn…" He thinks. "He won. Opened the scar back up. Guess I should be glad to be alive." He stands and sighs.
"Congratulations." Comes from behind him. "You win."
"What are you talking about?" Seifer says turning around. "You got me."
"You hit me first, just like before." Squall replies not having turned around.
"Eh?" Seifer looks and there is blood on the tip of his weapon.
"If you had pulled I-"
"Out. Spent em all." Seifer kicks the ground and cases rattle. "Good fight."
Squall turns around and Seifer can see his face. Blood is running freely and though he's not happy about the fresh red mark both duelists have small grins on their faces. "Guess we both got some things to learn."
Epilogue
In Balamb Garden Seifer is on a mission. Even though he's no SeeD he's got an objective to complete and he's all but done. He's only got one more task to accomplish.
"Finally it's done." He remarks to himself. "Now to find her." He comes to the Training Center. "She'll be here for sure."
Xu is in her usual place eternally honing her skills. Seifer watches her a moment still taken aback by her ability as a fighter, regardless of her stature. He's almost ready to rethink the whole thing and just stands a little while.
"She doesn't need it. I've never seen such-"
"Seifer." Xu calls. "How long have you been there?" She walks up to him. "Haven't seen you for some time; what have you been doing?"
"Now or never." The one in the white trenchcoat decides. "Here." He thrusts a package at her. "Open it."
"What is this?" She asks opening the parcel.
"You could open it and see..."
"Come on, tell."
He sighs and relents. "Custom gunblade. Just had it finished."
"It can't be." She opens it and hefts it. "It's so light, how did you get it this way?"
"Let's just say it took some adamantine, star fragments and a lot of screws!"
"It makes me think of my sword." It looks like her stiletto but the handle is angled as an automatic handgun would be.
"It should. It's yours."
"No, something like this…it's too much."
"Consider it tuition, teach."
"I can't." She tries to hand it back to Seifer. Nothing doing as he won't accept it and his arms remain at his sides.
"You'd better take it! I had hell finding a junk shop that would do this job! You know how hard it is to scale one of these down? How many-"
"I'm sorry. I should be thankful." Xu looks it over. "Hmm…"
"It should be light as a feather. I remember you said you only needed a few shots so there's just three. Those are long rifle rounds; they don't have too much kick to them so you should be able to handle it. It looks like an auto but it's a revolver cylinder in there. Only thing that would let it stay light as it is. Mechanic said I'd have to be magical to get some use out of this thing with no bullets so you know what I said?"
"What did you say?"
"I said just finish it already! What I thought was this'll be perfect."
"What is it called?"
"Pixie Dust. What's a pixie without magic dust?"
"I'm not magical."
"You got every Sorceress I seen beat. I know magic when I see it believe me."
"You won't be dissuaded will you?"
"You admitted it one time; that's all I needed to hear."
"You're silly." Xu smiles.
"That's a fact. Shall we test out your new toy? You haven't kicked my ass yet." Seifer smiles and draws.
She laughs. "It is as you wish."
Fin