Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Bloodcross Key: Arc 1: Shattered Knight ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Part 7:
 

        Gunblade firmly in his weapon hand, Squall slipped into the hallway and darted repeat glances in either direction. Still clear. He let out a breath then motioned with his free hand to the form huddled against the doorframe behind him.

        Pulling his tattered trenchcoat tightly around his body, face downcast to the stone floor, Seifer stumbled beside Squall. His feet were bare, as they couldn't find his boots, and the cool of the stone seeped into his soles, and toes, prickling his skin with a shiver which for once, since his capture, actually was from the cold.

        "Stay with me," Squall commanded softly.

        Not waiting for Seifer's acknowledging nod, the brunet turned to the left and headed down the corridor. With stuttering steps, Seifer shuffled along behind him, arms wrapped defensively around himself.

        Exhausted by too many Cures and not enough true rest, his muscles ached. Soreness and pain from the repeated strain and beatings it had been put through, his body moved only by sheer force of will. A stabbing sting between his thighs cut his breath and clenched his jaw with his every step.

        At least one of his stifled gasps must have been audible, because Squall suddenly glanced over his shoulder to Seifer and froze. The SeeD's ocean-blue eyes widened then narrowed to a strangely gentle gaze.

        "You okay?" he asked, striding back towards Seifer.

        Seifer bit his lip. He didn't know how to answer. Squall had already seen how utterly pathetic he was, so admitting to the pain couldn't make him look any worse. But he deserved the pain and no consideration. He was meant to suffer.

        But Squall didn't bother with waiting for an answer. Before Seifer realized, the smaller boy was at his side, pressing against him, wrapping his free arm around Seifer's waist and sliding his shoulder under the blond's arm. Seifer shivered, but from the sudden warmth of Squall's body against his. Aqua eyes prickling with tears, Seifer turned his face away, afraid to take comfort in his One Love's closeness but too weak to pull away.

        "Come on," Squall whispered against his bare neck. "We'll get out of here."

        Seifer remained silent, and let Squall shamble them down the dank, empty hallway.

        As they slowly reached another turn in the corridor, Squall halted. Slipping from under Seifer's arm, and placing his palm against Seifer's chest, as if holding him up, he peered around each corner. Pulling back, he leaned flat against the stone wall.

        "Clear," Squall stated and glanced over to Seifer from behind his wayward, chestnut bangs. "You okay to continue on?"

        Seifer said nothing for several moments, and just stared at the hand pressed protectively against his chest. Squall shouldn't be in such a place. Squall shouldn't be at risk, not for him. But Squall was, and was stubborn. Always was stubborn. Arguing with him at the moment was pointless. No matter how much he should just leave Seifer behind and be somewhere safe.

        "Does it really matter?" Seifer finally muttered.

        "No." Squall's hand lifted from his chest and slid back around his waist. "Not if you still mean to stay..."

        Suddenly, the corridor lights overhead flickered. Both of them glanced upward, but only Squall reacted. Propping his gunblade upright against the wall, but not removing his other arm from around Seifer, Squall rummaged into his inside jacket pocket and removed a small portable radio. He depressed the red button on its side, and static crackled from the tiny speaker.

        "Lion's-Claw One to Lion's-Claw Two, report," Squall spoke into it as loudly as could be dared and still only be heard by whoever was at the other end of the transmission.

        "Lion's-Claw Two," a female voice replied with the abruptness of military protocol. Fujin's voice. "Control room located and secured. Proceeding with orders."

        Fujin? She was here? She knew? Who else knew? All of Garden? Seifer buried his face in his hands, his fingers curling like claws against his forehead. Did everyone know? Know how pathetic and disgusting he was? How much he deserved everything he had coming to him? And then some?

        Yet why would Squall... and Fujin... be trying to remove him from what he only deserved? Seifer just wanted to curl up in some corner, somewhere, and die. Die like he should have months ago, and too often during the war against him... and her.

        He would have fallen to the cold floor, wrapping himself in a tiny ball, but for Squall's arm of support around his waist. A support and warmth he didn't, couldn't, dare lean into and let wash away the darkness in his soul. No matter how much he desperately yearned to. Wanted to. Needed to.
 

**********

        "Acknowledged." Squall absently nodded, even though only Seifer could see him. "Have found Primary Objective. Am proceeding to Exit Point B."

        "ACKNOWLEDGED!..." Static hissed in the pause. When Fujin continued, she sounded tentative, even a little afraid. "SIR?...Uh...How...?"

        Squall turned to study Seifer. His once proud rival was a bittersweet sight: alive, but beaten, broken; Handsome face buried in trembling hands, scarred only by the one he himself had given, physically. Deeper, darker, more damaging scars lay beneath the surface, within, yet just as openly visible as the one between his eyes. Seifer was warm and solid against him, in his arms, yet the blond still shivered and Squall knew it had little to do with the cold floor.

        Squall's fingers clenched white over the small radio in his hand. "Fine, Lion's-Claw Two. A bit ragged but fine."

        "Acknowledged." Even through the tinny artificialness of the radio speaker, Fujin's voice was clearly choked with emotion, a softness of relief.

        "Lion's-Claw One out."

        Squall stood still for a long moment, staring blankly at nothing. He didn't have time to be caught up in his pain, in Seifer's pain, in the fact they felt like one and the same. If Seifer hurt, he hurt. Simple. When had that happened? Or had it always been that way? And the threat of losing him, forever, was what it had taken to bring it to the surface?

        He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, as if to bury thoughts distracting him from his mission, a mission all the more important because it was tied to the source of those very thoughts. After a quick, focusing breath, he peered carefully around the corner once more. Empty.

        Snapping to attention, radio held rigidly near his tense lips, he spoke into it once more, "Lion's-Claw One to Lion's-Claw Three. Report."

        Incoherent grumbling crackled through the static, followed shortly by Raijin's deep yet lively baritone. "Lion's-Claw Three. No sign of anyone other than those first few guards. Their security is crap, ya know."

        "I'm not complaining, Lion's-Claw Three," Squall replied with a wry grin.

        "Yeah," Raijin paused. "... but where is everyone? Somethin' don't feel right, ya know."

        Squall cast a nervous glance to either side of the corridor. He agreed. Something did feel 'off'. All the more reason to get Seifer out of the damn place as quickly as possible. Squall trusted Raijin and Fujin to carry through their orders, making the task all the easier. But still... the unexpected wouldn't be unexpected if one knew exactly what it was in advance. And he hated that!

        "Acknowledged, and confirmed. Am proceeding to Exit Point B. Status?"

        " Exits A and B clear. I'm on my way to C. "

        "Acknowledged," Squall breathed in relief. Maybe getting Seifer to safety could be so simple. "Once Primary Objective has been secured, will return for Objective 3."

        "With ya, there, uh...Lion's-Claw One! Ready an' willin' to knock some heads, ya know!... Sir!"

        Shaking his head, Squall couldn't contain the grin that quirked his lips. Well, for once Raijin went directly to the point. "Acknowledged and confirmed!"

        "Umm.... uh..."

        "Fine." Squall answered softly, gazing at the patch of gold, just at the edge of his vision, slumped against his neck, warm breath gusting against his skin. Seifer still bore most of his own weight, strong enough to stand nearly on his own, but he was obviously tired. Weary in body and spirit. Hopefully, both could hold out just a little longer. "He's fine."

        Raijin's reply was a somber, emotionally strangled whisper. "Thanks, man."

        "Acknowledged, Lion's-Claw Three." Squall's arm tightened unconsciously around Seifer's waist, like he was drawing the blond into him, inside him. Where he could keep him safe. Where he... "And... returned. Lion's-Claw One out."