Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Painting ❯ Chapter Six ( Chapter 6 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Linkin Fantasy 
A vicious cycle
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Supernatural | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 10.31.2003 | Updated On: 11.02.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 172 | Status: Completed
A vicious cycle
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Supernatural | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 10.31.2003 | Updated On: 11.02.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 172 | Status: Completed
Chapter Six
That night. Everyone in the house slept in Seifer's room. Relm was resting on a pillow hugged between the two of them. Lasso was at the end of the bed trying to stay awake to guard everyone but sleep was falling over him as well. "Is she asleep?" Irvine asked. Seifer looked down at his nieces face and nodded. "Yeah."
Irvine shifted a little to look at him as he spoke and he started by saying. "I think something's wrong with that painting, but it just seems so damn far'fetched, ya know?" Seifer thought it over and Irvine was right, the painting did seem a little strange. Then there was that phone call earlier about it.
"....The little girl in the painting, she moved." Seifer cocked an eyebrow in shock. He didn't notice that much about it. "She jumped from one side of the picture to the other, I'm sure of it." He heard Irvine going on.
Not wanting to interupt he cut in asking. "So what are we going to do about it?" Irvine didn't know, the woman said to burn it. But, it seemed unfair to spend so much money on something only to burn the thing. Maybe he could just give it back to them and get a refund, did auction homes do that?
"A woman told me the other day something was wrong with the painting... I just thought that she wanted it from me, but...." He shrugged. "After what just happened...." He trailed off. Seifer swallowed before speaking, he didn't know if he should tell Irvine or not. It didn't seem neccessary to him. "Irvine..."
"Yeah?"
"This morning the call I got wasn't from work, it was from a woman telling me to get rid of the painting. It could have been the same woman that talked to you I don't know." The room was silent until Seifer broke it clearing his throat. "So, what do you wanna do with it. It can't stay here." Seifer informed.
Irvine hummed a moment as he wondered then he looked at Seifer and said in all seriousness. "I wanna get proof," He said.
"Proof? Why? How?"
"So that everyone knows about it and they don't end up buying it themselves." Irvine slid his hands from Relm trying not to wake her up as he got off the bed. "Listen," He went to the door and Seifer sat up alert incase anything happened, same as Lasso.
Irvine opened the door and the three of them strained their ears. "Hear that?" He asked. Seifer shook his head and Irvine closed the door. "Exactly, they quieted down around 1:30 and if they do this every night then I know how we can catch 'em." The brunette returned to the bed and climbed in.
"We don't even have to go anywhere near 'em. But we gotta drop Relm off at a neighbors house Lasso too, I don't think he'd be much of a help to us right now." He reached down at the end of the bed petting his poor dog on the head.
Seifer still wasn't clear on the plan though. "But what are we gonna do?" He asked. Irvine smiled at him and kissed him on the nose. "You'll see," Snuggling himself down into the bed he whispered. "Now get some sleep, we'll need it."
Seifer was uncertain about it, but if Irvine says he knows what he's doing he couldn't stop him.
The next day. Things in the house were quiet. Irvine threw a blanket over the painting and they headed out to the hospital and vets office early so they could be home in time for what they had to do that night.
"Make sure you lock the door," Said Irvine. "You never know is all." The brunette opened the door to his car and Lasso hopped in. Seifer locked the door and brought Relm to his car, making sure she was comfortable in the back seat with the seat belt on an a blanket over her to keep out the cold.
Once he was done he got in the front seat and started the car waving goodbye to Irvine as they backed away from the curb.
........................
"Listen, I'm gonna need you to take care of my niece for just one night." Seifer was saying into the phone reciever. He was outside of the doctors office using the pay phone. Relm had some blood drawn and a thorough check up, now they were just waiting for the analysis.
"Ooohh, you and Irvine wanna...." The person on the other end made kissing noises into the phone and Seifer moved it away from his ear looking at it as though he could see his idiot friend on the other end doing it. "I wish, but no." He took a step back glancing into the room at Relm. He didn't trust doctors worth a damn. "We just have to take care of something. So can you watch her or not?"
"Yeah I can watch her no problem. She isn't contagious though, cause I can't offord another sick day." Seifer's friend asked a little hesistant.
"No. I'm positive and thanks."
"Not a problem. See ya."
"See ya, and Squall?" Seifer added.
"Yup?"
"Grow up." Squall laughed and hung up the phone along with Seifer. The blonde walked back into the doctors office and picked up Relm, who had reached for him. "So, what's wrong with her, the flu?" He asked.
The doctor made a face and shook his head. "I have no idea. According to the test she's perfectly healthy but, I can clearly see something's wrong with her myself." He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, you're welcomed to leave her here but the best I can say for now is give her plenty of bed rest."
Seifer nodded a 'will do' and walked out. "Fucking quacks." The two of them walked, well Seifer walked Relm was carried, to his car. "I'm gonna take you to Squall's house. He has a talking bird, you'll love playing with him." Seifer went on.
"He's also got a twin sister he lives with, Selphie, she's got girly stuff for you I'm sure. And he's a nice guy." He sat Relm up on the hood and opened the back seat door.
Taking her down he helped her inside and put her seat belt and blanket back on. Walking around to his side he climbed in and adjusted the mirror. "It's only for one night though, me and Irvine have to do something."
Relm sniffled and started coughing into the blanket. Seifer downcast his eyes in sympathy for her it was so depressing. He hoped she'd be ok eventually.
........................
That afternoon. Irvine was back at the house after stopping at the vets to drop off Lasso, he then went to his house for two cameras. One instant and the other not. When he returned to Seifers house he unlocked the door and walked inside. Part of him thought about just going upstairs and waiting but something compelled him to go into the livingroom.
He walked in with his eyes to the floor. Slowly bringing them up, he gasped seeing the painting uncovered. Holding the instant camera up to his eye he got ready to snap a picture when the door bell rang. Irvine jumped bringing a hand up to his heart swearing before turning away.
Walking down the hall, he opened the door and saw no one. 'Maybe I should have waited until I saw Seifer's car pull up.' Closing the door Irvine walked back into the livingroom and raised the camera to the painting. It was blurred. He cleaned the lense and made sure the focus was clear enough but everytime he looked into it, the painting was blurred.
"Dammit." He swore. "I hope the other one works then." The front door opened and Seifer walked in with a shocked expression. "I didn't expect to see you in here. What are you doing?" His lover asked.
"I was gonna take it's picture with the instant one first, but it keeps showin up blurry. Look." He handed Seifer the camera. He nodded and handed it back after looking for himself. "So what's this plan of yours?" He asked again.
"Tonight....." He looked at the painting and gestured for Seifer to come upstairs with him, incase the spirits inside could hear them. He told Seifer about the plan and at first he seemed a little skeptical, but then he figured what harm could it do, they were just a few little pictures.
"But first we gotta get one with the instant, see if anything shows up." They walked back downstairs and paused a second both hearing whispers. They looked at each other nervously but sucked up their courage and kept going down the stairs.
The painting looked just as they'd left it and nothing new had happened since the cover had fallen off. "Alright," Said Irvine holding up the camera again. He pressed the flash and the camera took the picture.
When Irvine pulled the picture free another one came shooting out, then another and another. "What the fuck?" The camera seemed to be taking the pictures on its own! Not knowing what to do Irvine pushed the flasher down but the pictures continued to file out of the camera and the sound went on even after the film ran out. "Shit, this old piece of crap."
He took it from around his neck and gestured for Seifer to hold it. He set up the other camera on a tripod but didn't turn it on. "Let's go upstairs for now, we'll wait til eleven then come down and turn the camera on."
Seifer followed the brunette to the stairs still holding the noisey camera in his hands. He hoped Irvine's other plan was better than this one. If he even had a plan B, if not, the two of them could be in serious trouble.
@@@
Night had fallen. Seifer and Irvine remained in the bedroom waiting to go downstairs and turn on the motion sensative camera. The instant camera was stuffed inside a shoe box to dull the sound of it taking false pictures. "You know not to sound all PG13 or whatever, but you've been really great with all of this." Seifer said looking away from the brunette.
"Thanks, I think." Irvine replied.
"I meant with Relm being sick and your dog being attacked like that, most people would have freaked out." Seifer went on in a quiet not like himself tone.
"You're doing pretty good yourself, concidering I brought the thing into this house." Irvine laughed quietly scratching his head. "Shit, most people would have thrown me and it out by now.... And through it all you wanna help me too."
Seifer wrapped his arms around Irvine and kissed him on the cheek. "Well if you're okay with it, I'd actually like for you to move in with me. I wanted to ask you for a while but it's never come up." Irvine smiled and gave Seifer a kiss.
"I'd.... " But his words were cut off but the sound of the camera in the hat box stopping. "Guess it ran out of battery power." Irvine figured and got up. No sooner had his foot hit the floor did he hear the camera downstairs start to go off. "It's got something."
He and Seifer left the room and Irvine was about to go downstairs but Seifer grabbed him back, mouthing. "Don't." The two of them lied down on the floor infront of the stairs listening to sounds below. The camera, they could tell, was following something and taking it's picture. Seifer and Irvine shot nervous glances at each other when they heard what sounded like the camera falling over.
It took one last picture then stopped. "Wait a second," Irvine said when Seifer stood up. "That was only about twenty pictures, I put thirty in the camera." They were about to wait around to see if the camera would take anymore pictures but they heard a loud bang from downstairs then a foot step hitting the stairs.
"Shit." Irvine said standing pulling Seifer up with him. The two of them rushed into his room closing the door behind them, remaining against it. Seifer didn't know if it would do any real good but he turned the lock on the knob and held onto it tightly.
Foots steps ran back and forth down the hall ways and stairs. There were also sounds of doors being slammed. Lights came on then turned off even in Seifer's room! Neither of them cared, as long as they stayed in the hall and made no attempts of getting into the room with them.
After about a half hour the noise had calmed down to dull, then eventually nothing. Seifer and Irvine didn't trust it though, children could fake anything and they remained by the door blocking it until the usual time when the painting stopped its terror.
Some point during the night they had fallen asleep, they weren't even sure of how. For Irvine it was almost normal, but Seifer never did things like that. Maybe it was just exhaustion. He tapped his lover on the shoulder arousing him up.
Irvine blinked hard then rubbed his eyes waking up. Noticing that he was opening his eyes, Irvine gasped and looked around the room. "It's okay, look." Seifer pointed to the window. It was daylight, and from the look of it well into ten o'clock.
Irvine smiled into a laugh, then stood up. "Well shut my mouth." He was saying reaching out a hand for Seifer. "We lived through it." Seifer laughed too and pulled Irvine into a hug. "Come on. let's go get the camera and some breakfast, I'm starving."
"Okay." Seifer turned the knob on the door and pulled it opened. "What the!"
The painting was sitting right outside of the door. The little girls face covered in blood and the little boy was holding the watering kettle which looked remarkably like a gun. A giggle rang through their ears then he fired.
"Aaahh." Irvine jumped out of his sleep feeling Seifer poking him in the shoulder. "Hey it's okay look." He pointed out the window. It was daylight and it felt well into ten o'clock. Irvine sighed and smiled. "Shit, you won't believe the dream I had." He shook it off and took Seifers hand to stand.
"Lets go get the camera." The blonde said. They cautiously opened the door and looked down the dark hall. Seifer unconsciously thought about getting lights put in there and they walked to the stairs listening before they proceeded down them. The livingroom was the way it had always been, nothing moved or fondled.
The only thing different about it was the painting. It had moved back to the wall it was originally sitting on when Irvine had nailed it up. The camera was laying on the floor face down which explained the pictures stopping. When Irvine picked it up it snapped a photo of him and he jumped.
"Hahaha, bad nerves already." He turned off the auto botton and rested the camera back on its tripod. Then he took out the roll of film. "I'm gonna have these developed as soon as I drop this thing off and get my money back." Seifer nodded grabbing his coat. "I'll come with you." He said.
Irvine stuffed the film into his pocket then grabbed the painting off the wall and headed for the door with Seifer. Just as he turned the knob and walked outside a black car drove up infront of the house. "Hey Seif'!" Said Squall getting out of his car. "Look whose feeling better." The door to the back seats opened up and Relm came rushing out towards them.
"Heey!" Said Seifer picking her up when she ran at him, arms spread, ready for it. "I told you you'd be ok." He was saying.
"Whatever." Relm replied being set back down.
"One minute she had the sniffles then she was playing with Pirate, talking up a storm." Squall explained. Seifer tossled Relms hair glad she was ok and apperantly back to her old self again. "I'm really hungry," She was saying. "we should get some Egg McMuffins."
"Oh yeah she's back to normal." Stated Seifer. Irvine walked over to his car slipping the painting inside then he walked over to Relm to give her a hug but she turned her nose up at him, moving away. Irvine made a face to that but didn't read to much into it. Kids are faucets these days.
"I'm gonna take the painting back to the auction house, you can take Relm to breakfast if you want." Irvine was saying to Seifer. "Are you sure?" The blonde asked. "Cause she can go with Squall and I'll..." Irvine waved his hands to him.
"No, I'll be fine. She wants to be around you, obviously." Irvine said pointing down. Seifer smiled and nodded. "I guess so." He leaned forwards and kissed him hearing a loud bleh come from Relm and Squall. Then the two of them laughed heading back to the car. Relm to Seifer's and Squall to his own. "I'll see you later." He called to them.
All three of them waved the light haired brunette off and he drove away. "I'll be back in an hour, I gotta get Lasso from the vets."
"Okay, bye." Seifer said.
"Bye Relm." Said Irvine.
"Bye." She said quietly with a look of almost tears in her eyes. Irvine shook it off and climbed into his car. They both pulled away from the curb and went their seperate ways.
Irvine drove along quietly while listening to the radio. He turned a corner and saw a car at his side then noticed the rear view mirror was facing the wrong way. Swallowing he glanced behind him at the painting it was facing the seats just as he'd left it so he reached up and adjusted the mirror. "Ah!" He gasped seeing the little boy and girl sitting on the chair, then they lunged at him.
.....................
The police found Irvine's car smashed into a street light bringing the large pole down on top of the car. Irvine was inside the car with the look of pure terror on his face. He was crushed between the seats and roof chanting over and over. "No no no no no." He had a broken arm and three broken ribs. Irvine was taken to the hospital.
The painting was gone. Seifer found out about the accident and went to the hospital, Irvine wouldn't stop chanting or shaking his head. Even in pain he looked as though he wanted to run.
Seifer stayed at the hospital everyday with Irvine and Relm did as well until Quistis came to pick her up. After a few days Irvine was released but he went directly into mental care. After a month he was released from that and he went home to live with Seifer at his house. Neither of them forgot what happened and Irvine never stopped seeing the two of them just drifting in and out of his mind.
The pictures from the camera were developed but Irvine wasn't shown of them. The camera picked up the first bit of movement from the little girl taking a gun from the tea kettle, the next of a struggle between her and the boy until she was eventually shot in the head.
They had flown out of the painting and around the room but they only appeared as strips of light until the second to the last picture of the little girl red faced up close on the camera knocking it over.
The last picture was the one of Irvine in the livingroom, when the camera had flashed he didn't jump from startle the little girl and boy were directly behind him jumping. Seifer was blacked out..........
....................................
Two months later. "Sold to bidder number 817 for 10,000 dollars." When the auction was over a woman came out of the auction carrying a large brown wrapped painting under her arm. She had long black hair with two brown streaks going through it.
Her eyes were brown and kind and she had a smile on her face. "You're going to look lovely infront of the fire place." She said to herself. When she rounded the corner to leave someone had grabbed her elbow and stopped her. Gasping she turned around. "What the?"
"Burn that painting." A brunette. He's tall with a long ponytail and violet blue eyes. Beside him a blonde boy stood with the same dead serious expression on his face.
The End
That night. Everyone in the house slept in Seifer's room. Relm was resting on a pillow hugged between the two of them. Lasso was at the end of the bed trying to stay awake to guard everyone but sleep was falling over him as well. "Is she asleep?" Irvine asked. Seifer looked down at his nieces face and nodded. "Yeah."
Irvine shifted a little to look at him as he spoke and he started by saying. "I think something's wrong with that painting, but it just seems so damn far'fetched, ya know?" Seifer thought it over and Irvine was right, the painting did seem a little strange. Then there was that phone call earlier about it.
"....The little girl in the painting, she moved." Seifer cocked an eyebrow in shock. He didn't notice that much about it. "She jumped from one side of the picture to the other, I'm sure of it." He heard Irvine going on.
Not wanting to interupt he cut in asking. "So what are we going to do about it?" Irvine didn't know, the woman said to burn it. But, it seemed unfair to spend so much money on something only to burn the thing. Maybe he could just give it back to them and get a refund, did auction homes do that?
"A woman told me the other day something was wrong with the painting... I just thought that she wanted it from me, but...." He shrugged. "After what just happened...." He trailed off. Seifer swallowed before speaking, he didn't know if he should tell Irvine or not. It didn't seem neccessary to him. "Irvine..."
"Yeah?"
"This morning the call I got wasn't from work, it was from a woman telling me to get rid of the painting. It could have been the same woman that talked to you I don't know." The room was silent until Seifer broke it clearing his throat. "So, what do you wanna do with it. It can't stay here." Seifer informed.
Irvine hummed a moment as he wondered then he looked at Seifer and said in all seriousness. "I wanna get proof," He said.
"Proof? Why? How?"
"So that everyone knows about it and they don't end up buying it themselves." Irvine slid his hands from Relm trying not to wake her up as he got off the bed. "Listen," He went to the door and Seifer sat up alert incase anything happened, same as Lasso.
Irvine opened the door and the three of them strained their ears. "Hear that?" He asked. Seifer shook his head and Irvine closed the door. "Exactly, they quieted down around 1:30 and if they do this every night then I know how we can catch 'em." The brunette returned to the bed and climbed in.
"We don't even have to go anywhere near 'em. But we gotta drop Relm off at a neighbors house Lasso too, I don't think he'd be much of a help to us right now." He reached down at the end of the bed petting his poor dog on the head.
Seifer still wasn't clear on the plan though. "But what are we gonna do?" He asked. Irvine smiled at him and kissed him on the nose. "You'll see," Snuggling himself down into the bed he whispered. "Now get some sleep, we'll need it."
Seifer was uncertain about it, but if Irvine says he knows what he's doing he couldn't stop him.
The next day. Things in the house were quiet. Irvine threw a blanket over the painting and they headed out to the hospital and vets office early so they could be home in time for what they had to do that night.
"Make sure you lock the door," Said Irvine. "You never know is all." The brunette opened the door to his car and Lasso hopped in. Seifer locked the door and brought Relm to his car, making sure she was comfortable in the back seat with the seat belt on an a blanket over her to keep out the cold.
Once he was done he got in the front seat and started the car waving goodbye to Irvine as they backed away from the curb.
........................
"Listen, I'm gonna need you to take care of my niece for just one night." Seifer was saying into the phone reciever. He was outside of the doctors office using the pay phone. Relm had some blood drawn and a thorough check up, now they were just waiting for the analysis.
"Ooohh, you and Irvine wanna...." The person on the other end made kissing noises into the phone and Seifer moved it away from his ear looking at it as though he could see his idiot friend on the other end doing it. "I wish, but no." He took a step back glancing into the room at Relm. He didn't trust doctors worth a damn. "We just have to take care of something. So can you watch her or not?"
"Yeah I can watch her no problem. She isn't contagious though, cause I can't offord another sick day." Seifer's friend asked a little hesistant.
"No. I'm positive and thanks."
"Not a problem. See ya."
"See ya, and Squall?" Seifer added.
"Yup?"
"Grow up." Squall laughed and hung up the phone along with Seifer. The blonde walked back into the doctors office and picked up Relm, who had reached for him. "So, what's wrong with her, the flu?" He asked.
The doctor made a face and shook his head. "I have no idea. According to the test she's perfectly healthy but, I can clearly see something's wrong with her myself." He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, you're welcomed to leave her here but the best I can say for now is give her plenty of bed rest."
Seifer nodded a 'will do' and walked out. "Fucking quacks." The two of them walked, well Seifer walked Relm was carried, to his car. "I'm gonna take you to Squall's house. He has a talking bird, you'll love playing with him." Seifer went on.
"He's also got a twin sister he lives with, Selphie, she's got girly stuff for you I'm sure. And he's a nice guy." He sat Relm up on the hood and opened the back seat door.
Taking her down he helped her inside and put her seat belt and blanket back on. Walking around to his side he climbed in and adjusted the mirror. "It's only for one night though, me and Irvine have to do something."
Relm sniffled and started coughing into the blanket. Seifer downcast his eyes in sympathy for her it was so depressing. He hoped she'd be ok eventually.
........................
That afternoon. Irvine was back at the house after stopping at the vets to drop off Lasso, he then went to his house for two cameras. One instant and the other not. When he returned to Seifers house he unlocked the door and walked inside. Part of him thought about just going upstairs and waiting but something compelled him to go into the livingroom.
He walked in with his eyes to the floor. Slowly bringing them up, he gasped seeing the painting uncovered. Holding the instant camera up to his eye he got ready to snap a picture when the door bell rang. Irvine jumped bringing a hand up to his heart swearing before turning away.
Walking down the hall, he opened the door and saw no one. 'Maybe I should have waited until I saw Seifer's car pull up.' Closing the door Irvine walked back into the livingroom and raised the camera to the painting. It was blurred. He cleaned the lense and made sure the focus was clear enough but everytime he looked into it, the painting was blurred.
"Dammit." He swore. "I hope the other one works then." The front door opened and Seifer walked in with a shocked expression. "I didn't expect to see you in here. What are you doing?" His lover asked.
"I was gonna take it's picture with the instant one first, but it keeps showin up blurry. Look." He handed Seifer the camera. He nodded and handed it back after looking for himself. "So what's this plan of yours?" He asked again.
"Tonight....." He looked at the painting and gestured for Seifer to come upstairs with him, incase the spirits inside could hear them. He told Seifer about the plan and at first he seemed a little skeptical, but then he figured what harm could it do, they were just a few little pictures.
"But first we gotta get one with the instant, see if anything shows up." They walked back downstairs and paused a second both hearing whispers. They looked at each other nervously but sucked up their courage and kept going down the stairs.
The painting looked just as they'd left it and nothing new had happened since the cover had fallen off. "Alright," Said Irvine holding up the camera again. He pressed the flash and the camera took the picture.
When Irvine pulled the picture free another one came shooting out, then another and another. "What the fuck?" The camera seemed to be taking the pictures on its own! Not knowing what to do Irvine pushed the flasher down but the pictures continued to file out of the camera and the sound went on even after the film ran out. "Shit, this old piece of crap."
He took it from around his neck and gestured for Seifer to hold it. He set up the other camera on a tripod but didn't turn it on. "Let's go upstairs for now, we'll wait til eleven then come down and turn the camera on."
Seifer followed the brunette to the stairs still holding the noisey camera in his hands. He hoped Irvine's other plan was better than this one. If he even had a plan B, if not, the two of them could be in serious trouble.
@@@
Night had fallen. Seifer and Irvine remained in the bedroom waiting to go downstairs and turn on the motion sensative camera. The instant camera was stuffed inside a shoe box to dull the sound of it taking false pictures. "You know not to sound all PG13 or whatever, but you've been really great with all of this." Seifer said looking away from the brunette.
"Thanks, I think." Irvine replied.
"I meant with Relm being sick and your dog being attacked like that, most people would have freaked out." Seifer went on in a quiet not like himself tone.
"You're doing pretty good yourself, concidering I brought the thing into this house." Irvine laughed quietly scratching his head. "Shit, most people would have thrown me and it out by now.... And through it all you wanna help me too."
Seifer wrapped his arms around Irvine and kissed him on the cheek. "Well if you're okay with it, I'd actually like for you to move in with me. I wanted to ask you for a while but it's never come up." Irvine smiled and gave Seifer a kiss.
"I'd.... " But his words were cut off but the sound of the camera in the hat box stopping. "Guess it ran out of battery power." Irvine figured and got up. No sooner had his foot hit the floor did he hear the camera downstairs start to go off. "It's got something."
He and Seifer left the room and Irvine was about to go downstairs but Seifer grabbed him back, mouthing. "Don't." The two of them lied down on the floor infront of the stairs listening to sounds below. The camera, they could tell, was following something and taking it's picture. Seifer and Irvine shot nervous glances at each other when they heard what sounded like the camera falling over.
It took one last picture then stopped. "Wait a second," Irvine said when Seifer stood up. "That was only about twenty pictures, I put thirty in the camera." They were about to wait around to see if the camera would take anymore pictures but they heard a loud bang from downstairs then a foot step hitting the stairs.
"Shit." Irvine said standing pulling Seifer up with him. The two of them rushed into his room closing the door behind them, remaining against it. Seifer didn't know if it would do any real good but he turned the lock on the knob and held onto it tightly.
Foots steps ran back and forth down the hall ways and stairs. There were also sounds of doors being slammed. Lights came on then turned off even in Seifer's room! Neither of them cared, as long as they stayed in the hall and made no attempts of getting into the room with them.
After about a half hour the noise had calmed down to dull, then eventually nothing. Seifer and Irvine didn't trust it though, children could fake anything and they remained by the door blocking it until the usual time when the painting stopped its terror.
Some point during the night they had fallen asleep, they weren't even sure of how. For Irvine it was almost normal, but Seifer never did things like that. Maybe it was just exhaustion. He tapped his lover on the shoulder arousing him up.
Irvine blinked hard then rubbed his eyes waking up. Noticing that he was opening his eyes, Irvine gasped and looked around the room. "It's okay, look." Seifer pointed to the window. It was daylight, and from the look of it well into ten o'clock.
Irvine smiled into a laugh, then stood up. "Well shut my mouth." He was saying reaching out a hand for Seifer. "We lived through it." Seifer laughed too and pulled Irvine into a hug. "Come on. let's go get the camera and some breakfast, I'm starving."
"Okay." Seifer turned the knob on the door and pulled it opened. "What the!"
The painting was sitting right outside of the door. The little girls face covered in blood and the little boy was holding the watering kettle which looked remarkably like a gun. A giggle rang through their ears then he fired.
"Aaahh." Irvine jumped out of his sleep feeling Seifer poking him in the shoulder. "Hey it's okay look." He pointed out the window. It was daylight and it felt well into ten o'clock. Irvine sighed and smiled. "Shit, you won't believe the dream I had." He shook it off and took Seifers hand to stand.
"Lets go get the camera." The blonde said. They cautiously opened the door and looked down the dark hall. Seifer unconsciously thought about getting lights put in there and they walked to the stairs listening before they proceeded down them. The livingroom was the way it had always been, nothing moved or fondled.
The only thing different about it was the painting. It had moved back to the wall it was originally sitting on when Irvine had nailed it up. The camera was laying on the floor face down which explained the pictures stopping. When Irvine picked it up it snapped a photo of him and he jumped.
"Hahaha, bad nerves already." He turned off the auto botton and rested the camera back on its tripod. Then he took out the roll of film. "I'm gonna have these developed as soon as I drop this thing off and get my money back." Seifer nodded grabbing his coat. "I'll come with you." He said.
Irvine stuffed the film into his pocket then grabbed the painting off the wall and headed for the door with Seifer. Just as he turned the knob and walked outside a black car drove up infront of the house. "Hey Seif'!" Said Squall getting out of his car. "Look whose feeling better." The door to the back seats opened up and Relm came rushing out towards them.
"Heey!" Said Seifer picking her up when she ran at him, arms spread, ready for it. "I told you you'd be ok." He was saying.
"Whatever." Relm replied being set back down.
"One minute she had the sniffles then she was playing with Pirate, talking up a storm." Squall explained. Seifer tossled Relms hair glad she was ok and apperantly back to her old self again. "I'm really hungry," She was saying. "we should get some Egg McMuffins."
"Oh yeah she's back to normal." Stated Seifer. Irvine walked over to his car slipping the painting inside then he walked over to Relm to give her a hug but she turned her nose up at him, moving away. Irvine made a face to that but didn't read to much into it. Kids are faucets these days.
"I'm gonna take the painting back to the auction house, you can take Relm to breakfast if you want." Irvine was saying to Seifer. "Are you sure?" The blonde asked. "Cause she can go with Squall and I'll..." Irvine waved his hands to him.
"No, I'll be fine. She wants to be around you, obviously." Irvine said pointing down. Seifer smiled and nodded. "I guess so." He leaned forwards and kissed him hearing a loud bleh come from Relm and Squall. Then the two of them laughed heading back to the car. Relm to Seifer's and Squall to his own. "I'll see you later." He called to them.
All three of them waved the light haired brunette off and he drove away. "I'll be back in an hour, I gotta get Lasso from the vets."
"Okay, bye." Seifer said.
"Bye Relm." Said Irvine.
"Bye." She said quietly with a look of almost tears in her eyes. Irvine shook it off and climbed into his car. They both pulled away from the curb and went their seperate ways.
Irvine drove along quietly while listening to the radio. He turned a corner and saw a car at his side then noticed the rear view mirror was facing the wrong way. Swallowing he glanced behind him at the painting it was facing the seats just as he'd left it so he reached up and adjusted the mirror. "Ah!" He gasped seeing the little boy and girl sitting on the chair, then they lunged at him.
.....................
The police found Irvine's car smashed into a street light bringing the large pole down on top of the car. Irvine was inside the car with the look of pure terror on his face. He was crushed between the seats and roof chanting over and over. "No no no no no." He had a broken arm and three broken ribs. Irvine was taken to the hospital.
The painting was gone. Seifer found out about the accident and went to the hospital, Irvine wouldn't stop chanting or shaking his head. Even in pain he looked as though he wanted to run.
Seifer stayed at the hospital everyday with Irvine and Relm did as well until Quistis came to pick her up. After a few days Irvine was released but he went directly into mental care. After a month he was released from that and he went home to live with Seifer at his house. Neither of them forgot what happened and Irvine never stopped seeing the two of them just drifting in and out of his mind.
The pictures from the camera were developed but Irvine wasn't shown of them. The camera picked up the first bit of movement from the little girl taking a gun from the tea kettle, the next of a struggle between her and the boy until she was eventually shot in the head.
They had flown out of the painting and around the room but they only appeared as strips of light until the second to the last picture of the little girl red faced up close on the camera knocking it over.
The last picture was the one of Irvine in the livingroom, when the camera had flashed he didn't jump from startle the little girl and boy were directly behind him jumping. Seifer was blacked out..........
....................................
Two months later. "Sold to bidder number 817 for 10,000 dollars." When the auction was over a woman came out of the auction carrying a large brown wrapped painting under her arm. She had long black hair with two brown streaks going through it.
Her eyes were brown and kind and she had a smile on her face. "You're going to look lovely infront of the fire place." She said to herself. When she rounded the corner to leave someone had grabbed her elbow and stopped her. Gasping she turned around. "What the?"
"Burn that painting." A brunette. He's tall with a long ponytail and violet blue eyes. Beside him a blonde boy stood with the same dead serious expression on his face.
The End