[Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft (SquareEnix?) and not I. (As much as I wish it, Zell will never be mine. *pouts*)]

[Notes: Alrighty, let's see if I can explain this and confuse as few people as possible. Okee…Basically, this is an AU…or…half-AU. Eh-heh… (I'm off to a bad start…) But yeah, what I mean by half-AU is that this fic takes place in two different…erm…worlds? Yeah, the canon FFVIII world, and another, freakier one, in which Zell is a Sorceress… (I'll explain it all later. >.<) So, in Zell-Sorceress-World, most of the characters are OOC (due do different upbringings, circumstances, etc.) but in normal FFVIII world, everyone is as in-character as I could make them. The POV alternates between the two Zells and "~~~" indicates a change in POV. And now to warnings… This fic contains yaoi, violence/gore, bad language, OOCness, confusion, and character bashing (mostly in the cases of Rinoa and Cid.) As well as angst, cross dressing, and slow update times. Consider yourself warned…]

Succession of Witches

Chapter One-The Oath

I felt like I was going to nod off at any minute; the skilled fingers combing through my hair were lulling me to sleep. I had my eyes closed anyway; the better for Ileesa, Edea's assistant, to apply my makeup. She was working on painting spirals around my eyes, or, at least, that's what it felt like. The cool face-paint was causing me to break out in goosebumps.

But meanwhile, Edea was lacing beads into my hair; her slender fingers gently braiding it into perfection. Though my hair only came down to about my shoulders, she was making the most of it; threading little bells and other ornaments into the mass of thin, golden braids. Or, that's what she had been doing the last time I had had my eyes open.

I wanted to fidget, to squirm away from them both; but after years of strict training, that urge was quelled easily. I had to play my part as succinctly as the rest of them, and if that meant sitting still while Edea and her train of girls decked me out like a doll, then I was going to sit still, dammit, and not say a word about it. And now, I wouldn't have been able to anyway. Ileesa had moved down to my lips, grasping my chin in her bony fingers and instructing me to open my mouth. I did as I was asked, and the woman immediately pressed a stick of makeup to my bottom lip, covering the surface entirely. I felt it was safe to open my eyes.

I recognized Ileesa and Edea right off, but I had a little trouble placing the being between them. Was that me? I looked like a…Like a, well, a girl. Edea and Ileesa had done a good job, then; I was the perfect picture of a Sorceress. Except for a few loose braids and dangling ornaments, my hair had been pulled up, pinned into place by a pair of expensive looking combs, from both of which hung small chimes. Colorful beads had been wound into serpentine patterns and helped to hold my hair into place. Edea was just sitting back in her chair, smiling at me in the mirror.

Ileesa was just finishing, as well. She applied one last layer of gloss to my lips and capped the lipstick, moving back to examine her work with sharp green eyes. Ileesa, too, hadn't slacked off in her work. She had started with my tattoo, pasting jewels that shone too brightly to be fake on my skin, and then extending the striking black mark by adding dark purple that gradually faded the farther it went. It ended up curling into the left side of my mouth, disappearing easily into my lipstick, which was also a deep purple. On the right side of my face, Ileesa had mimicked the tattoo with more face-paint, only making it significantly smaller. Both markings, however, were extended into my eye make-up, which was mostly black, with hints of crimson and purple. Ileesa had started out by outlining my blue orbs with kohl (I'm surprised I still remember the word) and working from there. I hardly even resembled myself anymore. My lips seemed fuller, my eyes brighter, and my hair simply amazing. I must have sat and gawked at myself for a full five minutes before Edea lay a soft hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ready, Zell?" she asked, "We need to get you into your dress."

Nodding stupidly, I followed her and Ileesa out, sparing one final glance at the strange girl in the mirror.

~~~

I finally moved away from the mirror, satisfied that my hair was gelled securely in place. I had maybe fifteen minutes left until we were supposed to meet in front of the elevator. My uniform was on, my hair was as vertical as it was gonna get, and I wasn't getting any calmer. It wasn't so much the exam that bothered me-Well, obviously it was the exam, but it was also the fact that I had no idea who my teammates were gonna be. I really didn't care who they were, really, so long as they were nice and easy to get along with. And knew what they were doing.

One time, I had been paired with this kid, Ella, who hadn't a clue what she was doing. We had been set loose in the Training Center by an instructor who didn't give a damn whether we came out alive or not. Not three yards in and she was freaking out. "Was it supposed to be this hot? This quiet? Where are all the monsters?" And of course, as soon as she said it, one of those lizards on steroids, a T-Rexuar, had to show it's ugly tail. Ella had gone sprinting back the way she had come so fast that she left an after-image; one that, thankfully, distracted the T-Rexuar enough for me to scoot my little booty out just as fast. I could be pretty hot-headed, but I wasn't foolish enough to take on a frickin' T-Rexuar by myself. Our instructor didn't see my logic, unfortunately, and would have been inclined to fail us both had he not been replaced by Instructor Trepe.

So yeah, I was not looking for a repeat of Ella.

And where had all this reminiscing led me? Absolutely nowhere. If possible, I was more jittery than before. Oh well, there were about ten minutes left; I'd just slip on my gloves and head on down and practice my moves. Shadow-boxing was not only a relief from boredom, but a relaxant for my nerves. I could kill two birds with one stone.

~~~

"There," Ileesa said at last, sounding quite satisfied with herself. She stood back and looked me over once, twice…

"He looks beautiful, Leesa," Edea crooned, coming to stand behind the other woman. "You did an excellent job on his dress."

Hisdress. Yeah. This was great. Priceless. Someone get a frickin' camera.

"I was afraid the bodice would be too loose, but it seems to have turned out alright. We're just lucky he's built."

Oh, for the love of…

Edea giggled, hiding the noise behind the slender fingers of her left hand. "Come now, Zell, don't look so angry; you look wonderful. Come over here and take a look in the mirror."

I didn't want to; I really didn't want to… But, being as obedient as ever, I agreed with a polite nod, stepping down from the stool I had been stood up on and padding barefoot over to the mirror. That girl was there again. I scowled at her, and she scowled back; the effect turned comical by the layers of makeup and long, black dress. The hem brushed the ground, leaving a long train behind. The sleeves were also long, though they were split at the elbows and thusly fanned out. The girl had grabbed up a bunch of one sleeve in her left hand. Edea came up to stand behind her, smiling, and fastened an intricate necklace around her neck. One after another, similar necklaces followed, till the low-cut neckline of the dress was almost completely hidden.

"Here, Zell," Edea said, and I turned away from the girl, my necklaces and hair ornaments clinking together. I sounded like a wind chime. Edea was holding out a box, from which it was apparent she had gotten the necklaces. "Grab a few of these bracelets and put them on. Any will do, really."

Obeying once again, without any complaint, I reached into the box and removed a handful of bracelets, which were immediately put on. I was just thankful my ears weren't pierced; who knows what these two women would have given me to wear. Something long and dangly, no doubt, that made melodious noises when I walked. Tch.

"Beautiful," Edea said happily, as if it was her dressed up instead of me.

I silently fiddled with my sleeve, wishing we could get this ceremony over already; I was starting to get nervous. Waiting always made me nervous; it gave me too much time to think. And now, after waiting hours for these women to finish playing dress-up, I had had plenty of time to think, and my miscreant mind had created all sorts of wonderful scenarios for me about all the different ways that I could screw up. At least I looked pretty.

I couldn't quite stifle the snort; both Ileesa and Edea turned to stare at me. "It's nothing," I assured them quickly, "I was just thinking."

They exchanged a look and Ileesa clucked softly to herself. Edea bustled towards me, slipping her thin fingers around my arm. "Alright, dear, but now that you're ready, I think it's time we get downstairs; the ceremony's supposed to start at noon exactly and we'll be late if we don't hurry."

I nodded and let her steer me out the door. "Good luck," Ileesa called after me. I wondered if Edea had caught her sarcasm.

Dressed as I was, walking with Edea and two mute SeeDs as an escort, I felt like an entirely different person. My whole life had whirled down to this single moment, and I was sick of looking out for traps left to trip me up. I knew that I was going to screw this up. I had done alright so far; I had gone through countless other ceremonies without making a fool of myself, yet I was still worried. This one required participation. Before, I had merely had to sit around and pretend to listen, but this time I had to speak, and, what was worse, I had to kiss someone.

Not a slobbery-soul mate-I Now Pronounce You kiss, but two pecks on someone's checks. And why was this bothering me? Because I hadn't a clue who that someone was. They could be male, female, fifty or thirteen, and it wouldn't matter. It had been Dr. Odine's job to choose for me the perfect Knight; I had had absolutely no say in the matter. Of course, I had never had any say in anything. Since I was a child, I had been raised to be perfect, to be a, in essence, a god. And being a god came with copious amounts of responsibility, or so had it been drilled into my head since I was five. Training, training, and more training had emptied me out to make room for what I was to become. For what it was expected of me to become.

So of course, my opinion was not needed, my opinion was looked down on. I was a vessel, not a person, and my sole job was to be filled. And I had been. Edea's Power had been given to me willingly; she didn't need it anymore. And so it was that I went from Zell the orphan, to Zell the all-powerful Sorceress. It's funny how life works out.

And now I was to be fitted with a Knight, with a person who would follow me around for life, whether I liked them or not. The thought was enough to make anyone sick.

Edea's fingers tightened around my arm and I snapped out of my thoughts, looking up at the packed room we had just entered. People who deemed themselves important enough sat on both sides of the room, staring at us intently as we waited in the doorway. Our SeeD escorts drew me and Edea apart; one looped her arm in his and proceeded forward, the other offered his to me and I took it, wondering how many in the audience even knew I was a man.

At the front of the room waited Cid, Odine, and Martine. And my Knight, I imagined, was that bulky shape hidden only too effectively by the shadows.

My stomach was doing flip-flops, determined to show me how much it wanted to run away and join the circus. Well, I'm sorry to inform you, dear organ, but there's to be no trapeze act for us.

Walking beside my escort, who for all the world appeared to be an animated block of wood, I felt suddenly like I was walking through a dream. The whole thing was like a parody of marriage. Here I was, the blushing bride, decked out in black, while my loving groom hid in the corner, gleefully awaiting his kiss.

I hate my imagination.

We halted a few feet behind Edea and her escort, and the two SeeDs unlinked their arms, almost simultaneously, bowed to Edea and I, and backed away. I looked up to Edea; that had been the signal for the ceremony to begin, and she smiled at me, before turning briskly and walking the rest of the way to join her husband. I took a deep breath, willed myself one more time not to screw up and stepped forward. Huh. That wasn't so bad. I stepped again, and again, realizing quite suddenly that I was still barefoot, and again…

I noticed that someone was playing music in the background. Whether it was live or pre-recorded, I couldn't tell, but it was soothing to hear nonetheless, and I stepped with more confidence.

Ahead of me, the figure in the shadows finally stepped into the light, fixing me with intelligent blue eyes.

Oh…Oh, Hyne…

Not him…

Not…

~~~

Seifer fucking Almasy!

Our Squad Leader was Seifer FUCKING Almasy.

Oh…This was great…

Wonderful…

Peachy-keen…

If I didn't relax, the tension was gonna pop an eyeball outta my skull. My teeth grated together and I glared at the asshole in question. The sentiment was lost on him, however, as he was leaning back against his seat; eyes closed and smug grin plastered on his face. The urge to hit him was excruciating. Just once…Just once I'd like to knock that smile off his face…To have him at my mercy…

Hyne, he was such a prick.

Our standard-issue Garden vehicle bounced along on its slow way to Balamb. Directly across from me, Instructor Trepe was massaging her temples; her glasses lay on her lap and she pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed her eyes before replacing them. She lifted her head and blinked once, twice, at me before smiling warmly. I returned her grin, though mine was butchered my by still-gritted teeth. I imagine I looked much the psycho killer. Trepe didn't seem to notice, though, and I was grateful for her tact.

The vehicle was slowing down, so I could only assume we had reached our destination. That was perfectly fine with me; the sooner this awkward silence was broken, the better.

~~~

The ceremony was almost complete. Odine had said his bit, then Edea, then Odine again, and then I had uttered my little spiel. Even now, not five minutes after my speech, I couldn't remember what it was I had said. Something about trusting Seifer with my life.

Hyne, I was gonna be sick…

This was just too much. Not only did I have to wear a dress, layers of makeup, and recite some goobledy-gook in front of hundreds of people, but I had a lifetime of torment to look forward to as well. Not that I had anything personal against Seifer; he had never done anything to me. But his reputation was horrible. He cussed, fought, beat the shit out of Junior Classmen who split coke on his pants… Yeah. That's the type of guy Seifer was; the guy I was virtually married to for as long as I held Edea's powers.

I was so nervous I felt like I was gonna wet myself. Never had I been this jittery, this on edge. I was so tense that if anything set me off, I'd just implode. And hell, was that a pretty awful feeling.

Seifer took a step back; he was done with his part, and I hadn't even heard a word he'd said. Oh well, deep breath… Time for Zelly to royally screw himself over…

I was moving before I knew what was happening. My bare feet brushed the carpet inaudibly as I crossed the few feet to where Seifer stood. Edea was speaking again; she was saying something about the joining of Knight and Sorceress as being a happy, joyful time. Oh yeah, if I was any happier my smile would cut my head in two. Tch.

Seifer was watching me approach. His eyes told me nothing; his expression was blank. What was he thinking? Was he just as upset about this whole thing as I was? I'm sure he'd much rather be a low-ranking SeeD than Knight (babysitter) to some cross dressing, pathetic excuse for a Sorceress. (Edea had run out of heiresses, then she had found me.)

Maybe he saw me for what I really was: just an instrument. Garden's precious toy to be brought out and put on display.

I was stalling. My thoughts were keeping me from the inevitable. I stood not a foot away from Seifer and yet I had never felt so alone. I had to crane my neck to look up at him, and my various chimes and bells clattered together. He was staring down at me, still devoid of emotion, and I felt a sudden bolt of panic hit me: How would I reach him? Now was the point in the ceremony where the Sorceress would kiss their Knight's cheeks, signifying some sort of new bond that I really didn't give a shit about at the moment. Should I just grab his hair and yank? Would he hit me if I did that?

Oooh…Fuck tall people.

Edea was almost to the end of her speech and I still didn't know what to do. Luckily for me, Seifer turned out to be less of an ass than rumors described him as. He leaned down, that single movement eliminating the little space remaining between us, and cupped my elbow, pulling me forward. Internally freaking out and screaming my head off, I gripped the taller man's forearms for balance and stood up on my tiptoes to place a single quick kiss on each of his cheeks.

I leaned away, still holding onto his arms, and glanced over his shoulder to Edea, who was beaming at me as she finished her part, bowed slightly to us, and backed up a few steps.

And it was over.

I had to fight from uttering a sigh of relief. I hadn't screwed up.