Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Vividarium Et Intervigilium Et Viator ❯ Two ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Vividarium Et Intervigilium Et Viator

Rating: PG-13 for language and violence
Summary: In the garden sleeps a messenger, my sweet. Do you wake him, and receive the message, or kill him, and not care?
Disclaimer: Okay, I'll only say this once. Storyline? Mine! Characters, Game Universe, and everything else? Squaresoft! Any Questions? Better not be... *growls at nitpickers*
Note: I like 'speculative eyebrows'. You have been warned :P

Chapter Two

Laughter. Lots of Laughter.

'Hello again My Knight...'

The sound of Lynn laughing was music to his ears. She always managed to lift the spirits of those around her, no matter the current situation -- And no matter how long his time was to be with the child, he loved her like a daughter...

'Pray tell, how is death by dreams?'

The sound of Alexis laughing was as if he was given proof that he was alive. The woman was everything to him. Her stubbornness and the way she spoke her mind at every given opportunity was always intriguing. She was only three days younger than him, and already she seemed like centuries away in mind and maturity...

'Or have you gone mad to the point of not being able to answer yet?'

And then there was the laughter of Sorceress Ultimicia, the woman he had sworn servitude to. Hers was cold and harsh as he begged for mercy to be shown to Lynn and Alexis. Her thick accent coming through when she cackled in joy as she ordered the deaths of her own daughter and the girl she grew up with...

'Because the end result of your betrayal, as I so lovingly remind you...'

Ultimicia's joy...

'Was your loved ones demise...'

His eternal sorrow and suffering.

'Which you could have prevented...'

---

"Ahhh!"

Seifer shot up from the medical bed with a jolt, body alert and adrenals pumping. The sun shone brightly outside, signifying the time to be around noon or so. A light wind blew gently into the room, caressing his shocked body, trying to sooth his anxiety as he came back to reality.

Dr. Kadowaki hurried into the room, hearing his scream of terror. She stopped as she came before his bed, opting an examine gaze as she studied his facial reactions. Pulling out her trademark stethoscope, she put it to his heart and listened to the beats. 'Hmm... everything is normal...'

"How long have I been out?" Seifer asked, acknowledging her presence as he stared off into space. He seemed to have gone from complete terror to numb in a span of seconds, which worried Dr. Kadowaki little. 'He has always been a strange boy, that one...'

"Four hours. The cadet you injured is in a lot better shape than you though."

"Oh?" He turned to face her, his eyes finally registering his surroundings. "How so?"

"Rinoa came and healed him right away. You just stared off into nothing while the chaos ensued from your little... brawl." Kadowaki explained, looking out at the sunshine through the window longingly. "Are you all right, or do you want me to explain what happened?"

I can inform you as to what happened, Master Almasy...

"Later, Tiamat." Seifer commanded under his breath before turning to address Kadowaki. "Actually, no. I don't want to know a damn thing." Standing on shaky legs, Seifer rose from the bed and grabbed his Gunblade while throwing his trench coat over his shoulder. Stretching his legs a bit, he made sure that he could walk before addressing the Doctor again. "The little fuck is healed now, you say?"

Bringing her attention back to her patient, the doctor's face grew panicked "Language, Mr. Almasy, and yes he is healed. Now lay back down, you need to rest!" She screeched, starting to push him back onto the bed. He easily sidestepped her floundering shoves and stepped over to the door.

"I'm leaving... For what it's worth, thanks for the help." Seifer said, turning and striding out of the door to the Infirmary.

Giving all that passed by him dirty looks, Seifer made it to his dorm without difficulty. He swiped his keycard through the designated slot and stepped through the open door. Only as the sound of the door sliding shut did he lift his head to survey the room.

Squall, Quistis, Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and of all people, Rinoa, had all gathered in his room and were all glaring at him very menacingly.

It seems that you have stalkers, my lord... Tiamat chuckled in his mind, making him grimace in disgust.

They all stood in silence, waiting for someone to make the first move. Minutes passed, and neither Seifer nor any of the others flinched, shifted their weight, or even breathed loudly. It was starting to get disconcerting. Or at least, to the people in the room who were not used to this sort of activity.

"All righty then. Let's get down to business, shall we?" All eyes turned to Rinoa as she fidgeted nervously. She cleared her throat, and stepped forward, towards Seifer.

"Why did you beat up that boy? What did he say to you?"

"None of your business." Seifer growled, glaring daggers at the young sorceress. "Thing is, I hit him on the head with a lot of force, and you healed him. What's done is done, nothing more."

Squall stepped forward and pushed Rinoa out of the way. "Fine. You don't want to answer, I can't make you. What I really want to know is how you knew the daughters of the two most powerful sorceress' of out time."

"Why do you want, or even need, to know that, Commander Puberty?" Seifer asked, throwing his trench coat on his bed and collapsing in a nearby chair. "You need a new sorceress?"

"No. I want to know if you are stashing some tool away that can be used to start another Sorceress War!" Squall yelled, his face going livid. "I don't want my cadets getting killed because Matron pleaded for Cid and I to let you live!"

Seifer chuckled a bit, and shook his head in exasperation. "Well, you know those damn Sorceress'. They always do become attached to their lap dogs." He joked, shrugging his shoulders, and opting a 'why me' expression while smirking.

"Seifer, we want answers!" Zell shouted, pausing his shadowboxing long enough to glare at the man. "If you won't tell us, we'll know you have something to hide!"

"Why don't you tell me how you found Sorceress Alexis' fucking design?"

Irvine shifted uncomfortably, and toed the floor with his boot. "It was actually the only thing we could pick up on our receivers."

"Seifer?" Rinoa walked forward, and bent over Seifer with a concerned look in her eyes. He looked back warily, unsure as to what she wanted to do, as did everyone else in the room. "If she was your Sorceress over Ultimicia you should just say so."

I suppose she is smarter than she looks...

"Shut the hell up, Tiamat." Seifer growled under his breath before returning his attention to Rinoa. "Sorry, don't know what you on are talking about. Care to explain, Rin?"

Squall started forward to pull Rinoa back, but she halted him with a wave of her hand. "I mean, Seifer Almasy, is that symbol that we found over your heart? Is she your sorceress? Are you her knight?"

"What the hell, Rin?" Squall exclaimed, trying to get out of the hold Zell and Irvine had him in. Selphie walked over to Seifer and tilted her head curiously, observing the former knight with fresh eyes. "You were someone else's knight? You're not Ultimicia's lap dog?"

Seifer never removed his eyes from Rinoa. She was a sorceress, and she had Ultimicia inside of her soul once, so it was feasible that she could deduce his betrayal. She gazed back, ignoring the angry shouts of her boyfriend, equally entranced. "I am under the Curse Of The Soul, placed unto me by Ultimicia. That should answer your question."

An expression of relief came over Rinoa as she fell back a few steps and smiled before turning the other others. "He wasn't Ultimicia's Knight! Look at his chest! You'll see..."

"Rin?" Squall started in an unusually timid voice. He edged towards her, and put his arms around her, much to the surprise of everyone but Seifer. "What did you say to her Seifer?" He asked crossly, looking over to where Seifer sat.

"I told her the truth. You want it, ask her." Seifer stood and walked over to his desk and started to rummage around the inside, muttering something about needing a smoke.

"He wasn't Ultimicia's Knight! He switched sides..." Rinoa murmured, a grin across her face. "I knew he wasn't evil... Look at his chest!"

Seifer gave a short laugh and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the desk. "Time to get your head checked, Rinoa. How do you know the Sorceress I followed wasn't worse than Ultimicia?" He questioned, eyeing her with suspicion while closing the drawer with a nudge from his leg. He lit the stick of tobacco, and sat down in the chair before the desk, glaring at Squall and Rinoa while doing so.

Narrowing his eyes, Squall glanced down at Rinoa before giving a full out glare at Seifer "Take off your shirt."

Seifer raised an eyebrow in surprise, but complied. Peeling off his SeeD issue shirt, he lowered his arms to leave his chest fully visible. Scars littered the torso, all fading into silver and red lines, and right over the area of the heart was the tattoo of Sorceress Alexis.

Master Almasy, I am beginning to fall under the impression that you actually like shocking people...

Ignoring Tiamat's comment, he smirked as everyone's eyes widened, and leaned lazily back into the chair. The cigarette he had was burning to the nub now, and he dropped it into the trashcan and lit another one while waiting for their delayed reactions.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Selphie asked. She looked close to tears, and was clinging to the arm of Irvine for comfort.

"Hyne..." Seifer swore, his patience at an end. "I had my reasons, all right?"

"That isn't a good enough answer, Seifer..." Quistis began, narrowing her eyes at the blond. "Why didn't you inform us that you weren't on Ultimicia's side?"

"What did you expect me to do, Damnit!" Seifer bellowed as he slammed his fist down onto the table next to him, causing everyone to jump as he turned to face Quistis full on. "Run up and tell you all, 'Oh, don't hurt me! I'm trying to save the real Sorceress that I follow and Ultimicia's daughter. That I need to pretend I'm evil so I can kill Ultimicia while her guard is down, so please back off while I run in and do the deed!' Do you think I am that stupid? Even I wouldn't fall for that!"

"Seifer, calm down." Squall stoically commanded, moving one hand to rest on the hilt of his Gunblade.

"Calm down? You, Mister Puberty Boy Commander, who has never grown up, and never will grow up, wants me to grow up? Have you lost your mind?" Came the reply, a vicious growl coming deep from his throat as he glared at the man across the room. "How about you stick that blade where it can cultivate into a nice mine for the little kiddies to play in, eh?"

"How about you stop ranting before I have you tranquilized? I can have Nida bring in a dart gun, you know. Following through on that would be easy."

Rolling his eyes in disgust, Seifer leaned back and took a drag of his cigarette. "Sure, sure… have me put to sleep like the dog I am." He grumbled, watching them with half-lidded eyes.

"Only you can call yourself that, Seifer." Irvine commented, pulling Selphie out of the room. Zell and Quistis followed suit, leaving only Rinoa and Squall behind with Seifer.

"So, was this Sorceress evil? Compared to Ultimicia, I mean." Squall asked, eyeing his rival with curiosity.

Seifer grinned, and focused his attention on the considerably short cancer stick. "No... she wasn't anything like Ultimicia. Compare her to anyone and she was Hyne herself... and Diablos at the same time."

Raising an eyebrow, Squall paused a moment before nodding his head in acceptance. "Fine. I accept your explanation. But stop hiding from your past, Seifer. Embrace your future, learn from your mistakes, and move on. Your Lady is dead, but you are not." Squall said firmly, putting an arm around Rinoa's shoulders. "That is the only way you will be able to heal from the war, and keep your sanity intact."

With that, Squall led Rinoa out of the room, the door closing with a firm snap behind them.

"Funny. I thought Matron said the same thing..." He spoke to the air, a haze of smoke settling down around him. Noticing the indoor fog, he cursed and walked over to the window to open it. "Damn fan. Why does it always stop when I need it to work?"

---

The bridge was a complete mess. Random pieces of electronics littered the floor along with cables to unknown machines and paper books full of 'instructions of use'. "So, Nida. Any ideas on what is going on?" Squall asked as he strolled onto the room and sat in the one cleared off chair at the side.

"Yeah... there is a power source coming from the same spot that the transmission did." A voice echoed out from under the control panel. A wrench went flying out of the opening, and the body of Nida followed soon after. "I think if we sent out the Ragnarok over there we might find some answers. That ship is actually built well enough to defend against whatever is messing up the navigational system."

Squall looked on amusingly, watching as Nida tried to loosen a foot that was stuck on something in the electronics abyss. "And if it isn't?"

Nida flew backwards as his foot came loose and landed with a sickening crunch on one of the machines. "Selphie can drive it without the compass." He began, not missing a beat as he stood up and brushed off his pants. "I think as long as she is the pilot, and the ship doesn't explode for no reason at all, it'll be fine."

"Fine. You and Xu are to take care of garden while we are gone. Understood?" Seeing a nod of agreement from the navigator, Squall stood and walked out of the room towards the elevator. Rinoa was waiting inside for him, and when the doors closed, she turned and faced him with a determined look on her face.

"I cannot believe I overlooked it! Seifer has the Curse Of The Soul on him! He'll die soon if he doesn't break it!"

Blinking in surprise, Squall turned and glanced at the doors. "Where did that come from? What curse?" He asked, looking back at her with concern. "You don't actually believe what he says, do you?"

"Of course I do! He wasn't Ultimicia's Knight! He served this Alexis girl! I don't see why I shouldn't believe him." She huffed, glaring at her boyfriend with all of her might. The doors to the elevator opened, with puzzled people waiting outside.

Biting back a grin at her trusting nature, Squall led Rinoa out from the elevator and towards the dorms. "Hon, why don't you talk to Seifer a bit more and find out if he is really telling the truth or not. If you are convinced he is, ask him to come along on the Ragnarok with us. he might be useful if he is trustworthy."

"Okay."

---

Trench coat on and Hyperion in hand Seifer made his way down the hallway from his dorm in the direction of the Cafeteria, the steel soles of his boots making an unearthly clanking on the hard floor. If the cadets didn't see him coming, they would hear him, just to keep their distance from the one guy who was most liable to kill without a second thought. Or so they assumed.

"Ya know kids, I don't bite... Hard." He muttered to himself with a smirk on his face as yet another cadet threw himself over into the moat at the sign of him approaching. "Tch, you would think I had three heads or something." He added as an afterthought, shaking his head in disbelief as he continued on way.

Master Almasy, I believe you do have three heads in their eyes. Tiamat commented, causing him to roll his eyes and shake his head to clear the echo of her voice.

Seifer stood in line and got his dinner before moving to 'his' table. Far in the corner, with a shadow always upon it, was an old table with two chairs before it. Cid had it moved there so Seifer could eat in peace, and so far it had worked. No one bothered him there, not even Squall, who had objected extremely loudly when Cid and Edea announced their decision to let him back in.

He sat at his table, and ate his food, keeping a wary watch on all of the occupants of the Cafeteria. Now that Raijin and Fujin were settled in FH, he really had no one to be around that could stand his company. Other than those he had missions with, he didn't come into contact with anyone, and they always kept their distance whenever he was around.

Not that he wanted to be best mates or anything. He just wanted people to stop looking at him like he was going to go on a rampage. It was starting to get annoying.

All eyes in the cafeteria were one the young sorceress as she entered the room, her raven hair shimmering in the natural light. She spotted Seifer over in his corner, and headed over, a warm smile on her face. She sat down across from him, and waited for a reaction, letting a nervous laugh out to try and ease the atmosphere.

Seifer tried to ignore her for while, before caving in and letting out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, I'll bite. What do you want, Rin?"

"I want to know why you are so hard on yourself. I want to know why your moods change like the wind. I want to know why you betrayed Ultimicia..." She replied, looking down at the hard surface of the table and tracing patterns on it with her index finger. "I mean, this isn't like you, Seifer..."

"I'm just owning up to what I have become, Rin. No need for any further explanation." His eyes softened as she raised her head to look at his face. He would always have a soft spot for the girl, even if he didn't love her like Squall did. "Sorry that I can't give you a better answer."

A sad smile replaced the hopeful one as she shook her head in the sign of negative. "Did you swear a blood oath?"

"Yeah. I was to protect Alexis and Lynn with my life, and anything else I could utilize without harming them." He answered with a puzzled look on his face. "Why?"

"Well, I know you hate not following through on promises. I mean, life has been hard with this hero business, but... well -"

Seifer's blood boiled at that statement, and leaned across the table so he could speak forcefully without anyone hearing. "Rin, let me tell you this. Yes, I never followed through on my blood oath to save them! Yes, I am a failure in all meanings of the word! But I do not, and I repeat, DO NOT have to listen to all of you whiners and pissers go on and bemoan on how hard a life you have because you destroyed a wee little Sorceress that just happened to try her hand in ruling the world!"

Rinoa's eyes widened in surprise. "But-"

"No buts! I loved those two more than anything! They were my entire world! I even sabotaged Ultimicia's plans just so that I could engineer an escape plan to get them out of that hell! But what happened? I failed, all because of you heroic fools that decided to come to Lunatic Pandora at the wrong moment" Seifer growled, moving back a little.

"It sounds like you are the one playing the pity poor me routine, Seifer." Rinoa retorted, anger building in her stance and expression. "Sure, they are dead, and it is your fault, and was your responsibility, but you cannot stand there and yell at us because we are complaining, when you are doing the exact same thing."

A blank expression came over Seifer's face as he processed the information that she had just thrown at him. He had kept all of his turmoil all in one ball, and now that it had unleashed, he had started to express himself, he sounded like them. How depressing.

"You're right. I'm a failure, I cannot even dream of reaching your power, and I have to live the rest of my life with the knowledge that the blood of my Lady, Sorceress Alexis, is on my hands, not to mention Ultimicia's daughter Lynn." He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "Makes the rest of life not worth it..."

"Look, Seifer. we're going out on the Ragnarok to go find out where the transmission of Alexis' design is coming from. Come with us. We could use your help, and you just might find her around there alive..."

"That's a long shot I'm not willing to take, Rin."

--

"Boarding.... all SeeDs for trip 56702 please board the ship to depart. Boarding..."

The intercom echoed through the newly built hangar, alerting all to the fact that the great ship Ragnarok was indeed going to lift off that day once again. The captain, Selphie Tilmitt was known to be one of the craziest pilots around, as well as one of the best.

Rolling his eyes at the thought, Seifer slung his duffle over his shoulder and climbed the steps leading up to the magnificent ship. As he passed the doorway and headed to his seat, many of the last-minute personnel raised eyebrows and left to go ask their superiors why 'he' was there.

"All right everyone! Anyone who is not going on mission 567-o-2 should get off now, because I'm driving this baby soon!"

Inwardly groaning, Seifer shifted his weight in his seat as Selphie took the controls of the ship. "Great, a loony is driving." He muttered as personnel whizzed past his ear to disembark. Squall and the others came aboard, laughing among themselves as they took their seats.

"We are lifting off!!!" Selphie declared, grabbing the controls and yanking them towards her, causing the ship to zoom upwards into the air. She leveled the ship out, and then hit the turbo button, as the scenery turned into a blur.

"All right! Our mission objective is to investigate this power source that has appeared in the center of the Galbadian Ocean. No one knows exactly what it is, other than it messes with our electronics, so we better be extra careful! Now in order to get there --" Selphie chirped, starting on the whole spiel of what they were to do for their mission. Glaring at the chipper teenager, he shifted his weight and started to polish Hyperion, not paying any attention to what she was saying.

"-- Power has surpassed Ultimicia's strength on the radar from what Xu has said by looking at the charts."

That he had caught. The only person Seifer knew with that much power was Alexis, and he was certain that Lynn couldn't amass that much power ever since her mother was dead...

"Seifer, you all right? Seifer?"

Snapping out of his reverie, Seifer snarled at Rinoa, keeping a firm grasp on the handle of his weapon "I'm fine, Heartly, all considering the fact that you got me into this mess. Anything wrong with you to the point that you need to dump it on me?"

Tears welling up in her eyes at the hostile reaction, Rinoa quickly walked back to Squall and burrowed her head in his shoulder, earning a puzzled look from her boyfriend.

Grumbling to himself and propping his feet up on the seat in front of him, Seifer grasped his Gunblade and leaned back to sleep.

---

Now To Write The Third Chapter... -_-