Disclaimer: I forgot to put one in last chapter but I guess I don't own FFVIII nor any of it's characters or some stuff like that.
A/N: I would like to tell you all that I have a co-author to this story and perhaps, future stories. It is none other than CruelSmile and I want to let you people know that chapter 2 and future chapters are my work based upon her genius ideas. As a matter of fact, some of this chapter was written by her. So please enjoy!
You're the wonder in everything that's wonderful
Know you'll be safe but not alone... "Wonderful" by STP
Seifer woke up and checked his alarm clock; 12:33 AM. He scratched his head, stood up and headed to the kitchen. He felt dizzy; some sort of a strange, troubling feeling. Something you could call a presentiment of greater things to come. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refridgerator and walked back to his room. It was very cold. Cold as hell as a matter of fact and dead silent. He headed back to his room. On his way there, he paused at Edea's door and heard her talking. He opened the door and poked his head in. It was dark, but could see her perfectly due to the moon light shining though her window above her bed. She was in a white linen night-dress and barely breathing.
She was sleeping. There was a mix of sadness and anger on her face and she continued to talk in her sleep, "No... stay away from me... I'm not a witch... not anymore at least... NO!" She screamed hysterically, as if she was dying. She clenched her fists, sobbing. If it was a nightmare, it had to have been an extremely bad one. Seifer settled his water on her bedstand and shook her a little, to wake her up. She sat up instantly with tears in her eyes, shivering. Her scream was dying out.
"Oh Hyne, it was horrible. Cid, they were tortur--" She paused to notice the man sitting next to her. "Seifer?" She asked. Seifer nodded and took his arms off her shoulders. "Yeah Edea, it's me. I heard you talking so I stepped in, only to see you struggling. I woke you up... were you having a nightmare?" He asked. He looked directly into her eyes, intensively yet tender. He looked like he cared for her; he really did. His soft, intelligent gaze made her feel more... at home. Cid hated to be woken up in the middle of the night. She even doubted Cid paid attention to her screaming at all; he was used to her nightmares and thought nothing of them.
She nodded. "It's nothing, really. I'm used to these dreams." She really was used to them. They had been coming to her each night; torturing and tearing apart her inner essence.
"Edea... I know what nothing is, and that was something. Please... tell me." Seifer said, while wiping away the tears from her cheeks. Edea... She looked so innocent, so touching, so... pure, especially in the moonlight. Edea paused for a moment, then wrapped her arms around Seifer in a tight hug, and broke down in tears again. "Oh Hyne, Seifer, it was horrible. I was being tortured by the Galbadians for the crimes I commited. They tormented me with their razor-claws. They told me that I'd pay, those ugly demons, they told me I deserved nothing but everlasting suffering!" She said, while sobbing. She glanced at him, imploring for support. She needed warmth, and needed it badly. She was extremely glad she had Seifer to stand by her side; to talk to her.
Seifer sighed and wrapped his arms around Edea, embracing her warm body, "It's ok now Edea. You're back in your home, no Galbadians around." She looked up at him and smiled, taking one hand from around him to wipe her tears away, then put it back. There was nothing motherly in her gesture. She realized that her gesture was more like something between lovers. She didn't pay much attention to it. Seifer is Seifer, as he ever was; her knight by her side. Or was he hers, Ultimecia's? It didn't matter to her. As Seifer closed his eyes, Edea cuddled deeper into him, feeling his heart beat. Seifer, with his eyes still shut, sung the first song that came to mind.
"She lives in a bungalow
She kills me with rose garden thorns
She waits for me
My love is unusual, it's painted with roses and thorns
With her I'm complete
She lives by the wall and waits by the door
She walks in the sun to me."
It was too romantic for him, still he sung. That presentiment feeling, it came to him again, as well as the feeling of being hugged; of being needed. Seifer stopped and looked down at Edea, who while asleep, still had her arms around him. He didn't want to wake her up so he slowly laid her down in her bed. As he walked to her door, he looked back at Edea for a brief moment, then left. He got to his bedroom and laid down on his bed and yet, he couldn't fall asleep. Memories were flowing through his mind and he couldn't think of anything but of his moments when he was a Sorceress' Knight. He sighed and finally, fell asleep.
The next morning was a quiet one. Seifer sat down at the kitchen table opposite Edea and said nothing. She said nothing too, looking away dreamily. Yet, he felt she was there, with him. She even smiled; but it was one of confusion and embarassment. Seifer wanted to forget all about the previous night, but couldn't. He just couldn't get Edea out of his mind. "I'm gonna go into the city and see if I had gotten the job at the weapons store." Seifer said as he stood up.
"Ok." Was all that Edea said. She too was speechless about the previous night. Seifer grabbed Hyperion and walked out the door.
Edea closed her eyes and tried to remember what last night held for her. Seifer's strong arms wrapped around her body, the warmth she felt from him. She remembered him singing softly to her as well. She smiled and opened her eyes. What the future held for her? She didn't care, as long as that memory stayed in her head. Was she ashamed? No, she wasn't. She felt something majestic in her heart. About an hour after Seifer left, a knock came at the front door. The noisy sound certainly ruined the silent harmony of the morning. Edea didn't have an option but to open it.
"Edea! I missed you so much!" Cid said as he hugged her tightly, looking at her kindly. Edea responded by hugging him back but it felt strange. It felt different to be hugging Cid. 'Maybe it's cause I haven't seen him for such a long time.' Edea thought, yet she knew it wasn't the reason. She felt annoyed with Cid that he even came. He had no reason to. He didn't visit her often, and that morning his visit was absolutely unneeded. They let go of each other and sat down at the kitchen table. "Tea?" Edea asked. "Uh, sure, that'd be fine, honey." Edea made tea for each other and they started having a conversation. Their conversations used to amuse her, but it was just too long ago. Now she couldn't feel anything but boredom. There was only one thing that interested her now. And it certainly wasn't her husband.
"So, uh, Cid... how's Garden?" Edea asked hesitantly.
Cid smiled and replied, "Oh, it's fine. Things are good, no major problems save for some situations throughout Galbadia. Other than that though, everything is swell."
"That's good... Um, Cid? I had an idea". She murmured, looking in the window. Her lips were trembling a little.
Seifer made his way back to Edea's house, slowly. He didn't get the job and instead was taken by a much larger man who looked like he could eat Seifer for breakfast. The thought disappeared in his mind the moment he saw a car parked outside the house. 'I wonder who it is.' Seifer thought as he got closer to the door. It was Balamb Garden's number. It couldn't be anyone but Headmaster Cid, Edea's husband. Husband. That word got on his nerves. He didn't know why, but he somehow hated the thought of Cid as her husband.
Edea and Cid were arguing over something. "Please Cid, just give him another chance to be a SeeD!" Edea pleaded.
"NO! I will not let that bum into Garden so he can destroy everything again!" Cid yelled. His eyes stared at her with obstinacy, and maybe, well hidden anxiety. Edea walked over to Cid and put her hand to his face, "Please dear. We raised him together here. He's like a biological son to you." Cid grabbed Edea's hand and moved it away from his face with anger in his eyes. "Don't say that ever!" Seifer crept over to the front door and listened in.
"He never was and never will be a BIOLOGICAL son to me!" He yelled. He walked over to the window above the sink and continued, "Edea, be wise. Not all children we raise, uhm, become good people. There is always a percentage of failures. Get it through your head; Seifer is a failure. I tried my best to make him a better person. But it was useless."
This man that he used to call a father called him a failure in front of him and Edea! Seifer got furious and was about to bust Cid's head in, but instead, he walked away from the home, intending to never return again. 'I won't attack him... yet.' Seifer thought, 'I swear though... I will make him pay.'
Edea sat on the edge of her bed, tears welling in her eyes. "What're you crying for?" Cid said while standing at her bedroom doorway. Edea didn't respond but laid down on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Cid felt annoyed. 'That Seifer, he always spoils everything!' He thought, 'Why won't Edea care for Squall that much? Or even Selphie? Why does that delinquent touch her so much?'
"Forget it Edea. He's not coming to Garden ever. He's a damn menace." Cid said. Edea pointed her finger to the door, signaling Cid to leave. Her eyes were filled with hatred. "Fine then. I'm going into Centra City where I'll be picked up by SeeD in the Ragnarok. Goodbye, Edea." And with that, he left.
Once Cid closed the front door, Edea sat back up on the side of her bed. Anger filled her eyes along with tears. She grabbed a picture of herself and Cid in front of the orphanage and threw it at the wall. The glass splintered and shattered, and Edea sat there and cried more. She wanted to erase the argument she had with her husband and forget about asking the question. 'No' She thought, 'I just want to be with Seifer.' She hardly realized what that phrase meant. She hadn't thought about Seifer as her lover, but the very thought of living with Seifer made her comfortable. Her other thoughts were chaotic. She felt too much pain to organize them. She picked up a picture of Seifer (which was taken fairly recently), who was posing in front of the orphanage with Hyperion, and placed it in the spot of the picture she just destroyed. She smiled at the picture, and laid back down in bed. Seifer smiled back at her with a cocky smile of an absolute winner. A thought of the previous night slipped into her head, and she fell asleep.