Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Iron roses ❯ Memory is a stupid bitch ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer : I own Disney, Microsoft and AOL Time Warner but I do NOT own them. Anyone wanna trade?

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Chapter 9: Memory is a stupid bitch

Quistis sighed as the warm water splashed her sore body. The time they were allowed to shower was a mere fifteen minutes, so she had to hurry. After the shower, she would have her first meal, then would be back to her room for a nap. Then up again two hours later for the first drawing of her aura. Then it would be another solid meal and anti-nausea pills to ensure she would keep it inside. In her weakened state, it often happened she vomited her food and passed out, so it have been decided to put her on medication. She needed all the energy she had to survive to her bi-daily aura drawing. So after the second meal, they would put her to bed again for a few hours, then wake her up at six pm for another forced meal and the last drawing of the day.

It was her everyday schedule. Her whole life was reduced to these meaningless primal gestures, but she couldn't think about it anymore. Her instinct forced her to survive, although she couldn't tell why. And her mind was far too weak to ask any question. The people there were actually nice with her. Never speaking too loud, never pushing her, never swearing or insulting her like they did with other people in the facility. The food was good and the meds, efficients. So she stayed and waited, and stopped hoping for an outside world she could no longer recall.

This morning had nothing particular, in fact. She had been woken up by Erin's wriggling against her, talked a bit about everything and anything, while waiting for the men to come get Quistis and escort her to the showers. Erin was taking special lessons from one of the scientists working at the facilities and would soon be good enough to return to her family, or so she said. She was seeing her boy, Allen, on a very regular basis, sometimes more than once a day. The brat was madly in love with her knight, she thought smiling at the candid innocence of her roomate. Allen seemed to return her feelings, and took good care of her.

Quistis wished she had someone like Allen, someone solid and true to hold on to. But everything in her life was illusions. Everything was fake. Nothing to support her at night when she'd fell on her bed, exhausted, hurt and barely able to remember where she was.

Wait, she had a someone. She talked to him not so long ago, the night before? He told her he'd come get her. Why? She couldn't recall. And how? She didn't even knew where she was. It was nice of him, `though. How she wanted o believe he was coming, whoever he was. He was the only one she could remember. And he was near her. Since when had she known that? No idea. But she knew it, and she had called him two times, the last time being yesterday night. As she turned the water off, she hoped she would still remember him by the end of this day, so she could maybe talk to him again, and maybe he would really come and get her? Hope was an empty feeling in here, quickly drown in the blinding whiteness of the walls and ceilings. White was not pure in here. It was void, nothingness, forgetfulness. She guessed that's how they broke so many people. Damn it worked pretty well on her.

A slight rapping against the door reminded her she wasn't alone. With a soft sight, she turned the water off and accepted the white towel a hand offered her through the curtain, wrapping it around her thin frame before stepping out. The woman near her was a huge matron, dressed in white just like everything in there. Her long black hair were tied behind her head in a tight bun, which only underlined her severe features, man-like face with hard dark blue eyes and thin lips. She practically never talked to her, but never used violence against her either. She was just a drone amongst many others, trying to live her life.

Now dry, Quistis slid the white rough cotton robe she had to wear in the facilities, without any underwears. Not that she minded, in fact. Prudeness and shyness were feelings long forgotten, amongst a lot of others. The tall woman opened the door and let her walk in front of her. As always, the only light came from the ceiling, which was in fact a large glass covered in white paint. Today, it was particularly bright. The sky must have been blue and free above her. But there was no need to think about it.

The cafeteria, finally. Her legs felt all thingly and numb, when the matron sat her down on a table, alone, as she always had to be separated from the other `patients.' Her bodyguard left her, the time to go up to the counter and get her meal. Meanwhile, Quistis looked around her for familiar faces. Most of the people she met in her first days in this prison seemed to no longer live in the facilities. New faces showered around her everyday, one new brunette with bright green eyes, another black-haired with dark eyes, and now that blonde with the tattoo that reminded her of…

Of who? Did she knew that face? Those loose bangs, they should be held up in the hair like spikes, shouldn't they? Wasn't he supposed to bounce around like a little monkey?

Following her thoughts, the young blonde's head turned away from his plate of eggs and the bright blue eyes met her darker ones. He instantly froze, recognizing the face he has seen in class for so long.

"Quistis?" The short blonde barely articulated

"…"

"Quistis?" This time he said it louder, but she couldn't reply, dumbstruck that someone in this mess of drugged lonely souls seemed to recognise her, although the name he was calling her didn't sound familiar. Meanwhile, the man had ran to her and was now holding her by the shoulders, calling that name over and over like a prayer. Her eyes briefly meet his, and then she knew he was someone she had seen before. Wasn't he the bouncy one?

"I…" She tried to speak, but two white-clad men appeared and seized Zell by the armpits, pulling him away from her table. Zell tried his best to fight back against them but he was alone, weak, drugged and weaponless, so when one of the guards pulled a large syringe out of his pocket, Zell stopped moving and waited for the inevitable shot to pull him out of his misery.

Quistis watched the largen men drag Zell's limp body out of the cafeteria. Something within herself had been awakened by the blonde's screaming. Something that felt terribly wrong and at the same time, powerful. Maybe the short blonde had given her his strenght since he, unlike herself, was still willing to fight?

It was still time, and she had allies. After her meal, they would lock her back in her room for the naptime, and she would have time alone to talk with him.

No matter if she didn't survive until they come. This whole insanity had to end.

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Seifer dropped the spoon in the bowl of soup he was having for dinner, the loud cling making Squall jump from the computer screen he was glued to.

"Seifer?" He asked noticing his friend's glazed look.

"Shut up, she's there."

Yes, I am with Squall.

<Squall?>

Nevermind. Are you okay?

<Yes…but not for long. You have to come get me. To come get us. Before everyone is dead. I can show you where we are.>

Show me.

Try your best. Look out your window.

<Okay…>

A bright light blinked several times in Seifer's head before the blurry image of a small window, framed with white curtains, appeared.

It's quite unclear…

The image, just like a camera focusing, tentatively moved clearer, then foggier, then clearer again. Outside, a bright sun shone over a flower field, with dark green mountains on the background. Nothing to stand out of any countryside landscape around the world.

Can you show me more?

<Wait…I'm trying to squeeze my head out of the window.>

The `camera' moved a bit, showing in the corner a couple barns and people working around them with small motorised vehicles.

Where's the lake you were talking about?

Black ducks?

Erin's your roomate?

<Yes…she is four years-old. Please try to get her too. She…>

Quistis' voice started to fade, as well as the image inside Seifer's head.

<I'm tired. I have to sleep before they come get me for my morning drawing>

Go sleep. We're coming. Please rest.

The contact snapped leaving Seifer almost slipping down his chair with exhaustion. Squall waited silently by his side.

"Squall, find me an ornithology website."

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"Do you love me, Moogle?" She asked as soon as her son, only in his boxer shorts, came out of his room and into the kitchen where dinner was waiting for him. That was her morning greeting, the only way she knew to soothe the hidden fear of being left alone.

"Of course, mom." He smiled his usual handsome smile, showing his perfect white teeth. Allen circled his mother's shoulders with his not-so-slender-anymore arms and drew her into a tight hug, then kissed both her cheeks.

"Here." He finally said releasing her from his arms.

"Here." She smiled and put the full plate in front of him. Allen immediately starting piling the spaghettis in his mouth. Alitas smiled and sat on the counter, an apple in one hand.

"You seem quite in good shape, Moogle. You're not as moody as you used to. And you're not even playing with your food anymore. Is there something I missed?"

Allen smiled. "No mom. I just feel…good."

"Good? Oh well. What are you going to do today? It's nice sunshine outside."

"It is? Great. I promised Erin I would teach her how to fish if the weather was good. I bet she's already waiting for me." Allen gulped down the rest of his orange juice and ran to his room to get dressed.

Alitas looked out of the window the whole time, not to alarm her son with the dead look in her eyes. Allen had never been close enough of anyone beside her to make friends. He never really cared about it anyway. But all in the five minutes he had been with her, she suddenly understood her boy was slipping slowly but surely out of her reach, and because of a four-years-old she intended to grow a bit then drain like a slaughter animal.

For a while she had actually considered keeping the child alive for Allen's sake. He seemed to like the girl, and it seemed to have a good effect on his usually stern temper. For a moment he acted just like he was supposed to, like a kid, which he almost never did for a reason she still kept deep inside her head.

"Leaving, mom." Allen's voice came from the hallway, and a door slammed shut.

Alitas moved from the counter and down the short hallway that led to her son's room. The door, as always, had been left slightly opened, as Allen knew his mother didn't liked to have door shut in her face. The room smelled like oil paint and remover, and Alitas knew she would soon have another masterpiece to hang on the wall. No dirty clothes on the floor. In fact, there was nothing on the floor, everything was meticulously cleaned, the bed well made, the papers place on a perfect pile on his desk.

Moving inside, the sorceress noticed the bookshelf had been moved and that a part of it was a good ten centimetres away from the wall. As she reached to push the shelf back on place, the sight of the rather large hole behind hit her right in the guts. There was no way her son could hide something from her! Trembling, Alitas pushed the bookshelf away and gazed, stunned, at the face looking at her like curse. There were about five canvas piled on each other. The one on top, of course, had to be the hated juvenile face of Erin, lightened in a childish laugh with a candle in a hand and a flower in the other. The contrast of her blonde hair on the dark surroundings made her looks like a tiny angel watching over her. But it was Allen she watched. Through the fog of her own raging jealousy, Alitas thought her son never did a single painted of her face. How could she have been so blind? She was responsible for her son looking away from her. How could she have let that happen?

Icy cold fingers replaced the shelf where it belonged, leaving the corner away from the wall like she had found it. It was still time to put everything back into place, and someone would have to be sacrificed for it.

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Obel Black Swans. Living near Obel Lake. Hyne it was so easy, so accessible. If Seifer had known that one day the fate of his beloved would be held by a stupid bird, he would have stopped eating fried chocobo sooner.

Although now that he had to `enjoy' a ride on one, he wasn't too sure anymore. After the rather short train ride from Deling to Obel station, Seifer and Squall had no choice but to hitch a chocobo ride, car engines being too noisy for the quiet attack they had planned. After half an hour of bouncing on the unpredictable animal, Seifer's butt was on fire, his balls almost gone inside, and he couldn't think of anything but the barbecue he could do out of the bird as soon as he'd be done with all this. But then, luckily for it, the chocobo finished climbing the hill, and the glittering of the lake came into view, cradled between the dark green mountains. Not too far from the shores, a imposing house, painted all white, stood like a queen amongst a group of huge barns and smaller appendices. Although they were still far away from there, the colours of a multitude of flowers were clearly showing it was the field Quistis had shown him. Seifer's body exhaled a huge sigh and for a moment, his head turned, like he had drank too much. Squall stopped his chocobo right behind his, afraid Seifer might fall. Then he saw it too.

"There?" He asked,

"Definitely there."

"Any plan?"

"Get Quis."

"Fine."

It should be easy to sneak in. The afternoon was slowly moving to evening, and only a couple persons were walking around the place with various instruments, and a few small tractors roared. Nothing a full-trained SeeD couldn't handle. Seifer put a hand in the pocket of his coat and made sure the small vial, concentrated sleep spell, was still there. Just in case. He didn't wanted to make blood pour as long as he couldn't tell who was responsible for all this suffering and who wasn't.

They decided to leave the chocobos a little bit down the hills, where they couldn't be seen, and to cross the rest of the distance walking. To their own surprise, the few people who noticed their approach didn't seemed concerned by the fact they were strangers, and armed stranger above all-their gunblades were slid under their coats but could still be noticed. Such lousy security for a place like this was quite strange, but they had to take advantage of it, hoping it wasn't a trap. They casually walked around a bit, Seifer searching for the view he had when Quistis slid her head out of the window, all this while trying not to look suspicious to other eyes, casually conversing like nothing was wrong. Birds chirped, people around talked and laughed and talked about the weather. Many of them were riding small tractors with trailers attached to them, their content hidden by large white tilts. After circling the whole area once, Seifer froze in mid-movement. Just in time. A flight of black birds was just crossing their path, before disappearing behind one of the barns. Seifer knew it was the good one.

The windows on this side of the barn were not even locked, but they were quite high, high enough for someone to hurt himself if he tried to jump down. Seifer had to climb on Squall's shoulders in order to reach the small opening that barely let out a strong smell of disinfectant. Strangely enough, the sick breath coming out of the window was actually colder than the ambient air outside.

The window easily slid open, leaving an opening almost too small for Seifer's massive body to fit in. He looked into the room and was surprised to meet the empty gaze of a woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was sitting in a white bed, face emotionless and her skin so pale it matched the white sheets of her bed. The woman showed no surprise, nor any emotion whatsoever, to see a man erupt in her room. She just kept watching the wall in front of her. Seifer looked down to Squall and instructed him to stay near the wall and wait for him. The window slid shut, leaving Squall hoping nothing bad would happen.

In the woman's wardrobe, Seifer found several white clothes, most of them being rather large for the thin woman in the bed. He retrieved a couple white robes and slid the larger one over his clothes. His gunblade still made a hard line through the fabric, but he couldn't go unnarmed in the enemy's hive. He opened the door and glanced outside. The room was in the exact middle of a row of twenty or so. The hallway was silent and plounged in twilight, only a few white-clad people walking around like zombies. A red flashing pannel on the opposite wall spelled `nap time.'

Seifer moved to the room next to him, to the right. It was empty. The one after too. Then there was a white clad girl, about sixteen and visibly drugged, who turned to him a look full of the purest terror he'd ever seen. He thought she was about to scream and alarm the whole place but then noticed the silver glint of a bolt in her throat. Silenced like a beast with a `sound lock' pushed through her vocal chords. A thin line of blood still dripped from the wound. Seifer closed the door trying to silence his own scream.

The door next hid three metal beds with people sleeping soundly. None of them looked like Quistis. Then three more empty rooms, and two others, last ones before the wall, full of medical devices and supplies that looked nothing but terrifying, and reminded him heavily of the machines Edea, under Ultimecia's spell, used to torture him each time he failed to her. He shuddered. He was sure he had seen one of those torturing Quistis in one of their contacts. Seifer sighed and walked back to his starting point, this time moving to the left. Seven people had been shoved in the first one, each one wearing a `sound lock' and two of them blindfolded. The next one was full of metallic beds, some of them marked with blood stains. Three empty rooms. Then Seifer hit a locked door, with a piece of paper taped to it saying `do not disturb'

Quistis…

Her presence litteally filled the hair. He could smell the strong scent of her usual peach perfume, and knew she was creating the illusion of it to draw him toward her room. At least she remembered that…

Still, the door was locked with two solid bolts, only removable from the inside. Neither Firaga nor Thundaga would affect those five centimetres of solid stainless steel. His gunblade would probably break in two before being able to cut off the first bolt.

<Who are you?>

Seifer almost ran away when he heard the voice calling him, thinking it was coming from the hallway, then realised the voice was inside his head, and the smell of peaches stronger around him.

Quistis?

You asked me to come deliver you.

Seifer worried for a second, afraid they might have turned her into a completely new person.

The door is locked.

The two bolts started simultaneously to unlock.

<Here.>

Swallowing hard, the blonde opened the door and found the room in twilight again, the only light coming from drapes-covered window. Her thin form laid in her bed, in the exact same position where he found the blonde girl in the first room. The absence of hair on her skull only made her face prettier, the cerulean eyes even bigger, the full lips even fuller and strawberry-colored, her creamy skin even more perfect. Her long arms stretched straight in front of her. She was an eerie, supernatural sight, looking like a glass sculpture. Did this ice beauty really unlocked the door with the power of her spirit? She looked like she wouldn't even be able to stand on her own. Seifer's body melted in a strange mix of fear, love and desire. He ran through the short distance separating them and knelt beside her, sliding his arms around her shoulders and holding her not too tight, afraid she might break. Her eyes met him. Empty. Asking.

He painfully understood she couldn't remember who he was. Right now he could as well have broken into tears, but he had to get her out of there first.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

"I am not sure…"

"Doesn't matter. I'll carry you. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes…but Erin isn't here…she haven't been here today."

"We'll have to come back for her. We're going, `kay?"

"...Yes."

Seifer gently removed the bedsheets, almost afraid of her white body marked with bruises and the blue veins marking her legs. She only wore the white robe everyone seemed to have around the place, so Seifer removed his own dark clothings and covered her with it making sure she wouldn't get cold on the ride home. The window slid open and Seifer glanced outside, happy to see nobody but worried to notice Squall wasn't there either. He jumped anyway, with Quistis solidly held over his shoulder. He landed heavily on the grass, feeling a small hint of pain on his ankles. Damn, he could have twisted his ankle trying to jump down the window. He would have to remember to choke the boy to death for walking away. How unprofessionnal.

Seifer tried to have Quistis to walk on her own, but her unsure legs were not holding her, so he swapped her in his arms and started to run toward the hill where their chocobo were waiting.

Bot frozen when he saw Squall standing at the corner of the barn, his jaw clenched shut and looking away. To a little blonde boy following a line of white people. A boy with an unmistakable bunch of hair flopping around his childish face. Wuss.

"Squall…"

"I can't go without him."

"But…"

"Go. Go and put here somewhere safe. I'm not leaving without him."

"But…"

"I'll call you."

Seifer knew everything had been said. He pressed a hand over the brunette's shoulder and turned to the hills with Quistis already asleep.

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Her eyes opened and the first thing she noticed was the smell. It made her panic, not to have that strong abrasive scent greeting her and telling her she was home. This place smelled like roasted bread and rain, which she could hear the pouring sound from an open window. This bed was not cold and the sheets were not rough like those she had grown accustomed to. They were soft and there were several layers of them piled over her body. It felt too good to be true, she thought as she shifted in the heat, discovering her thin mattress had also been turned into a luxury and thick piece of softness while she slept.

"Awake?" The obviously male and very barytone voice asked through the fog in her mind.

"Mmmhm." She replied without thinking. Then it hit her that nobody talked to her in the facility, other than to shout orders. Her eyes shot open. The blonde face smiled at her, something gentle and caring, something totally new. Althought she knew she had to know this man, Quistis still couldn't recall anything concerning him, other than what happened the night before, when he snatched her away from that miserable place.

"You remember me?"

That question she hated more than anything else. "Other than from yesterday, no."

She knew he was working hard to keep his face straight and hide his disappointment.

"I'm sorry," She finally said. "I wish I could remember your name, where you are from, when did we first met. But I don't. But thanks for taking me away from this hell I was in."

Seifer smiled brightly, happy to find out that even amnesiac, bald and scarred for life, Quistis still acted like Quistis, and everything was there. The autority, the tone, the manners...

"I'm happy you're alive, and I'm happy you're with me. I'm not asking for anything else right now."

Quistis straightened herself to a half-sitting position. "Thanks." She smiled.

"Hungry?"

"Not really."

"You'll have to eat a bit anyway. You're too weak and soon we'll have to move from this place."

"And where is this place?"

"You're in a hotel room in Deling City. A damn fine hotel room if you ask me. You'll be recovering for a few days."

"And after?"

Seifer shrugged "I'd tell you if I knew. Don't worry about it, this is a long story that you don't need to hear right now. We need your memory back first."

"And what if it doesn't come back?"

"You're asking too much question, Trepe. Now, you sleep or you eat?"

Quistis chose to skip the fact that `Trepe' name didn't sounded more familiar than `Quistis' in her head. "Then one last question."

"Yeah?"

"Did we used to date before?"

To her own amusement, the rough face turned red as a lobster. "Uuuhhh no, not really..."

"Oh...okay then, I'll sleep." And without another word, Quistis rolled over and went to sleep.

Seifer stayed still and very red for a few minutes, until Quistis' breathing showed she was really sleeping. He then proceeded to eat the lunch he had ordered for her, sitting in front of the open window. The rain poured very hard, it had been since he brought Quistis in the hotel room two days ago. Squall still hadn't contacted him. Garden was still out of reach. Calling Selphie or Irvine was too dangerous for them all, as it could be traced and have them discovered and drawn to martial court. His SeeD money was getting short, he would soon have to move from the hotel and find another place to hide Quistis until she healed.

For the first time in years, Seifer secretly prayed to Hyne for help.

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Thanks everyone for reviews! Me very happy girl tonight ^_^

Dragon Princess Isis, I'm sorry for making you waiting so long, but here, they're finally reunited!

Miss Dincht, Thanks a lot for both reviews on my stories! They got me all warmed up, just like a hug! Please update `Celebrity' soon!

Well well, on to chapter 10!