Disclaimer: This is where my original characters (all of them bad guys -- don't worry about super-powerful new allies) begin to come in, so I wanted to remind all you readers that they are my creation. They shouldn't be used at all, along with the spells I've made up. As always, Squaresoft's characters belong to the company.
Started: April 8, 2000
Finished: May 7, 2000
Chapter 6:
The First Assault
The forest was no longer in view when it happened. It happened unexpectedly, just like everything else that had happened since the whole crazy journey had begun. The breeze that flowed through the plains abruptly stopped, halted by some magical force. Seifer Almasy stopped in his tracks, blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. Behind him, Rufus Shinra and Algus Sadalfas both tensed as well.
And then, before any of them realized what was happening, a blade cut through the air, biting deeply into Algus' shoulder.
Naturally, the youngest of the three blondes could only let out a shriek of pain, grabbing the bloodied shoulder in agony and bending over.
Hyperion was brandished without a word, and the former Sorceress' Knight clenched the weapon tighter as he watched two individuals appear out of thin air. "Who the hell are you?!" he demanded.
The taller of the two, barely shorter than Rufus, smirked and slashed out with his weapon, a silver-colored blade laced with strange designs. His hair, oddly enough, was green in color, held back in a ponytail. The second was only an inch taller than Algus, his black hair streaked gray and running into his short, salt-and-pepper beard. He brandished a whip of black, leather-like material.
The green-haired fellow, younger than his companion but still appearing over ten years older than the eldest of the three blondes, gave a mocking bow. "I'm called Andres," he introduced. "Andres Restrad."
". . . Paryes," muttered the older man, who appeared old enough to be any of the three's father. "Paryes Alexas."
Andres took two steps forward, closing the gap between the two groups. Rufus raised his shotgun threateningly, stepping in front of Algus as he tried to concentrate on healing his wound. "What do you want?" growled the ex-President.
"What we want is your cooperation," Andres stated.
Seifer snorted, raising his gunblade into his familiar fighting stance. "Cooperation?" he repeated. "After hurting Algus, you expect cooperation?"
"Well . . . not really," sneered the green-haired man. "In fact, I was hoping to fight you anyway, Almasy. I have heard much about you and your . . . lack of fighting skill."
Bright blue eyes widened in shock at the nonchalant comment, then began burning with great fury. Seifer leaned forward and made a dash at the smirking man, his blade crashing into the other's. Spinning from the meeting of blades, Seifer struck out at Andres' unarmed side. Andres' own agility proved to be a great problem, as he twisted his sword forth and again met Seifer's Hyperion.
Meanwhile, Rufus took aim on Paryes, pulling down on the trigger before the other man could raise his weapon. However, the bullet hadn't met its target before Paryes was able to utter a single word.
"Icelight!"
A stream of blue magic shot from Paryes' hand, surrounding the bullet and freezing it in its flight. Rufus' jaw dropped as he watched the shotgun shell fall to the ground, covered in a sheet of ice. Algus, having healed himself with a Cure spell, swallowed hard and hissed under his breath, "I've never seen a spell like that before in my life!"
". . . Neither have I," whispered Rufus, "but we can't let something like that stop us." He raised his hand. "Fire 3!"
Their enemy held his ground as the powerful flames engulfed him, focusing his eyes on the two blondes before him. Then, "Lightningbolt!"
Sharp pain flashed down Algus' back as bolts of lightning struck him from above, a scream erupting from his throat at the unbelievable agony. He fell to one knee, clutching his Night Killer weakly in his right hand as he tried to balance himself with the other. Rufus staggered backwards and gritted his teeth, his hand instinctively coming up to cast another spell. However, the word to explode from his lips surprised all the combatants.
"Lightningbolt!"
Awe registered in Rufus and Algus' minds as magical thunderbolts crashed down on Paryes, sending the man stumbling backwards in shock.
* * * * *
"What in the. . .!?"
The second's eyes wandered from the magical image they stared at to glance at the first. "Was that Shinra?"
The third was staring hard at the mirror, trying to keep his surprise and excitement down. His chosen had used a spell of the Lightning Art, Jaraga! What could this mean? "Our chosen are all amazing in their own ways. . . They will be wonderful additions to our powers." He couldn't conceal the dark smile that crept upon his face.
The first and second turned to face the third, frowning. "Of course. . ."
* * * * *
Seifer ducked Andres' slash and punched the swordsman in the face, bringing back Hyperion to strike. His opponent, however, recovered quickly with a punch of his own, forcing the ex-Knight back several steps.
The young man worked his jaw for a brief moment, silently seething. That wasn't a smart move, he thought. He concentrated as he lifted his left hand, propelling a burst of spirit-created fire into Andres. "No Mercy!" While his adversary stood there stunned, Seifer pulled back his gunblade and began to spin it, willing Chi to flow and gather around the weapon. His eyes narrowed as he released the fiery disk with a familiar clanging sound.
He was awarded by a screech from Andres, who fell backwards holding the right side of his chest as blood poured forth. Seifer ran forward and delivered a stunning blow to the older man, pulling back on his gun trigger as blade met flesh. Andres collapsed as more blood spilled forward like some sort of system of red rivers. Frowning, Seifer stalked up to his foe and prepared to deal a fatal blow.
Extreme, burning pain suddenly gripped Seifer's throat and he fell to his knees, grasping his neck in an attempt to ward off the pain. His hands met the thin extension of a whip, and he pulled against it to avoid being strangled to death.
"Damn! Seifer!" Rufus dropped his shotgun and ran at Paryes, ramming into the smaller man with all his body weight. They both went tumbling to the ground.
Seifer felt the whip's hold lessen on his throat and he began to unwind it from his neck. Before his eyes, Andres rose up from where he had fallen, closing in on his downed enemy. Seifer mentally screamed at himself to hurry up.
"Land of all lives, suppress all rebels! Don't Move!"
Andres suddenly stopped in his tracks, unable to take another step towards the white-coated young man. He screamed obscenities as Algus ran to Seifer's side, helping him with getting the whip off his neck. ". . . What the hell did you do to him?" Seifer queried, glancing from the struggling man to his young rescuer.
"A Don't Move spell. . . It keeps him from walking around, but he's still liable to attacking if you get too close." Algus allowed himself a grim smile. "With my low Faith, I had expected it to fail and not work."
". . . A magic system complication, I'm guessing?" murmured the older teenager, running a hand through his sweaty blond hair.
Algus nodded slowly, then watched as Andres disappeared before their eyes in a sphere of white light. "I think they've had enough." The youngest of the group turned back to where Rufus was standing up. "Rufus, are you all right?" he called.
"Sure, sure. . . I'm all right," Rufus sighed, brushing himself off and wandering over, "considering the fact that I never thought I'd save someone's life. . ."
Seifer managed a laugh at Rufus' expense. "You look like shit, Rufy," he taunted.
Rufus looked at his blood- and grass-stained suit, then flicked back his hair. "I know I look like shit," he replied in the same tone, "and don't call me Rufy."
"Rufy."
"Seify."
"Ha! That does absolutely to me."
Rufus frowned, even as Algus tried to suppress a giggle at their strange conversation. ". . . Then how about cross-eyes?"
Seifer's eyes narrowed and he ran one finger down the scar Squall had given him several months ago. "Oh, make fun of the scar, why won't you. . .?"
Rufus smirked in triumph.
* * * * *
Three hours passed before Balamb Garden came into view, shining against the sunset's rays in all its splendor. All three young men were left in awe as they stared at the beautiful spectacle, standing together.
Seifer took a few steps toward his former Garden, gesturing to his two comrades to follow. "Hurry up. Maybe we can sneak in. . ."
"I-- I've never seen something so amazing in my life!" Algus was babbling as they walked, shaking his head as they approached the Garden.
"Amazing?" Seifer repeated, shaking his head. "It's just a Garden. . ." He realized something. "Oh, that's right -- you're from a medieval time. You don't know anything about electronics and stuff." He led the way towards the gate, which stood unguarded. "Heh. This must be the time between gatekeeper shifts. Lucky break." He strolled through the gate, then turned around to confront the other two blondes. "Algus, you can walk through the gate, but Rufus, you're gonna have to jump it. The sensors identify people too old to be students of Garden without SeeD identification."
Rufus' brow shot up as he managed to get over the gate. "Impressive technology. I think your world's more advanced than mine."
Seifer quirked a tiny smile. "I'd be flattered, but I can't take compliments directed to my whole world. . ." His eyes wandered the hallways. "I bet most of the Garden's in the cafeteria right now; they'd be serving dinner right now. We can probably get to the infirmary without be noticed."
"Why all the sneaking around?" queried Algus. "Aren't you a student in this . . . uh, war academy?"
". . . No, not anymore," Seifer muttered bitterly. "I made some stupid mistakes and got myself manipulated by a damn creature."
Rufus let out a low sigh. "You and Sephiroth both."
"Who?" Seifer and Algus glanced at oldest of the three.
"Eh . . . never mind. Let's go before we're spotted."
* * * * *
She had sat in the room for a long while now -- it seemed close to an eternity, while in reality it had been less than two hours. Her mind wandered, thinking of Raijin and the Garden and all those pleasant memories that came with her past occupation as a Disciplinary Committee member. She would have allowed herself a smile if her mouth would have moved. Her lips, unlike her thoughts, remained focused with the present. The cruel, mean present.
Seifer hadn't awoken since morning, which was a good twelve hours ago. He seemed almost comatose in the bed, not moving from a bad dream or to get into a more comfortable position. It seemed almost unreal in her mind, watching him lay in bed, completely and utterly motionless; even his breathing seemed nonexistent.
Seifer, you need to explain this to me, she thought, leaning back in her chair. I just don't understand what's happened to you. . . Are you ever going to wake up again? The answer to that question didn't seem to be a good one, as far as her thoughts were concerned.
Fujin looked up from Seifer's bedside when she heard the infirmary door open from the adjoining room. Who could that be? she wondered. Dr. Kadowaki had finally managed to get away from the room to eat dinner, with Fujin's prodding. The doctor couldn't be back this early. . .
Curious, Fujin stood up to see who had entered the infirmary. She walked into the next room, focusing her one eye on the doorway. Her eye fell on three young men, bedraggled and blond. One particular blonde caught Fujin's eye and she gasped outloud. The three blondes stiffened and looked at her in shock. And Fujin did the one thing that had been at the farthest reaches of her mind at the moment.
She fainted.
* * * * *
"Shit."
Before Rufus or Algus could react, Seifer ran forward and caught the silver-haired girl as she fell, supporting her in his strong arms. Rufus frowned and approached from behind, glancing at Seifer before resting his eyes on the teenager he held. "You know her?" he queried. "You look concerned."
". . . She's part of my posse," Seifer said lowly, shifting his gaze to Rufus. "She's one of my two only friends. . . 'Should've known she'd be here."
"Why?" Algus blinked and appeared at Seifer's other side.
Smiling grimly, Seifer shifted Fujin in his arms and led his companions into the next room. He gestured over to the bed with a wave of his chin. ". . . She'd never leave my side when I'm in that condition."
Rufus and Algus looked over at the bed, eyes widening simultaneously at the sight of the person laying in it. It was the same person that stood before them, standing firmly as he held the silver-haired young woman.
They were seeing two Seifers.
* * * * *
"Hey, I appreciate you coming with me, ya know?" Raijin said with a brief smile, glancing down at the girl he towered over.
"No problem!" bubbled Selphie, flashing a wonderful smile and walking next to the dark-skinned teenager. She had invited herself to sit with the former DC member during dinner, not able to live with the sight of seeing him sitting all alone in the cafeteria. "I just thought you wouldn't want to come alone; Fujin might get angry with an interruption, right?"
"She's like that," agreed Raijin. He stopped to watch the infirmary doors open with a quiet hiss. "Hey, Fujin, I'm back, ya know?"
"Oh, shit. . . It's Raijin."
The two teenagers blinked in surprise at the voice, stepping into the infirmary quickly. "Umm. . . Is that who I think it is?" gasped Selphie, ready to run to the next room. She stopped when a voice floated to their ears from the next room.
"Damn . . . he brought someone else. . . Rufus, take Fujin for a moment."
"Wh-- Hey, wait a minute. . .!"
Seifer Almasy stepped into view from the adjoining room, straightening his trenchcoat as he came to stand in front of them. Seifer's already awake and dressed. . . Wait -- didn't Dr. Kadowaki shred up his coat and shirt earlier? thought Raijin. Maybe it was just his imagination. He blinked. "Seifer?"
Selphie gasped loudly, her hands coming up to her mouth. "Where'd that blood come from?!" Her eyes were focused on the red splotching Seifer's coat and soaking through his normally-blue shirt.
Raijin cocked his head, a little surprised with himself that he hadn't noticed something so obvious. "Seifer, what's going on, ya know? Where's Fujin?"
"Damn, you shouldn't be here," Seifer groaned, shaking his head. "Look, this is pretty crazy, but--"
"Seifer, who's that?" queried Raijin, pointing to a young blonde that appeared from behind his friend.
Seifer glared to the shorter teenager at his side, getting a sheepish look from him as his reward. "This is Algus," he explained. ". . . Rufus, you might as well get out here, too." An older man walked into view, holding an unconscious Fujin in his arms. "I know this looks really bad, you two, but don't. . ."
"Seifer, what's going on here!?" Selphie demanded, her voice high with concern. "Y-- you look like you've been through a war!"
"If you would just shut up with your questions, I'd be able to answer! Damn!" snapped Seifer, focusing his glare on the yellow-dressed SeeD.
After regaining his composure, Seifer managed to explain what he knew of his predicament. He told them of his sleep-switching and his strange look-alike, along with the black corridor he had awoken in. He introduced his two companions and allowed them to speak as well, but remained the main speaker. The ex-Knight allowed the two to see his 'other' body, smiling grimly when their faces paled.
"This is pretty messed up, ya know?" mumbled Raijin, looking from the sleeping Seifer to the awake Seifer. "But . . . uh, that doesn't explain your eyes, Seifer."
Seifer's narrowed his gaze at that. ". . . My eyes?" he hissed.
"Yeah. . . They're blue, ya know? I mean, they're not usually that color, right?"
Selphie gasped and nodded vigorously. "That's right! Your eyes are green! What happened to your eyes?"
Rufus frowned and spoke to Algus. "What color are your eyes normally, Algus?"
"Hazel."
The former President of Shinra gazed at his two fellow blondes and their bright blue eyes. "Well, that's another mystery we're going to have to figure out," he sighed.
"I could explain your eyes, Shinra."
At the new, strange voice, the group of five spun around. Standing in the doorway was a sinister-looking man, standing as tall as Seifer. He held a long, silver staff in his hands that glittered blue in the artificial light. The glow of his staff matched his hair, which shot up as if he'd been struck by an electric shock. Rufus briefly remembered the hairstyle of Cloud Strife and found himself comparing it to the strange man's.
"A friend of Andres', I presume?" Rufus queried, flicking his hair back.
The man scowled. "That arrogant fool is no friend of mine," he replied. "I am Faril Rillian of the Immortal Council, and I am here to gauge you."
"Gauge?" repeated Algus, blinking. His hand drifted toward his crossbow as he spoke. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Faril smiled faintly, then chuckled. "Stalling won't get you anywhere . . . Sadalfas." One hand lazily came up. "Waterache!" Instantly, an explosive geyser of water erupted underneath the five, making them choke and gag. Faril closed his eyes and chanted quickly. "Skydragon!"
A crackle of electricity sparked the air as the horrid image of a dragon was created from magic. It let out a terrible roar and rammed into the staggering group, diminishing upon impact. However, the force of the attack was enough to destroy the far wall of the infirmary, and screams resounded through the Garden as the five crashed outside through the new hole in the infirmary.
Selphie coughed and spat out water, slowly making her way to her feet. She snapped her head around in an attempt to find other people that were awake. Algus groaned and got to his feet, swaying a little before firming his footing. Fujin was still unconscious, and it appeared that Raijin had joined his friend. Seifer lay flat on his back some distance away, unmoving. Rufus' prone form was sprawled out close to Seifer.
"How amusing. . . I can't see why Andres and Paryes had such a hard time with you three," Faril jeered, stepping through the destroyed wall and outside. Darkness was slowly enveloping everything, the sun having lost its grasp on the world for the day. "You really aren't that strong."
"You know, it's not too cool to underestimate us!" Selphie remarked, arms akimbo. "I mean, we could still kick your butt!"
Faril rolled his eyes. "Little girl, I doubt you could kick a housefly's butt."
"That's what you think. . ." Selphie shut her eyes, a stream of gold enclosing her. She raised her hands to the sky, then shouted. "Slot: Blizzaga!!"
Pillars of ice struck the Immortal, not once . . . not twice . . . but three times in a row. Algus stared, his jaw dropping as Faril staggered backwards in shock. Shaking his head, the teenager lifted his Night Killer and shot a bolt at his foe. Cursing, the blue-haired man jerked to his right, narrowly dodging the projectile.
"Windtwister!"
Algus snapped his head to Selphie as she screeched, a funnel of magical wind engulfing her. She was tossed in the air by the magic, landing unconscious several meters away. A wicked smile stretched across Faril's face as he gazed evenly at Algus. He took a few steps towards him, twirling his staff nonchalantly. ". . . And then there was one." The boy shifted uncomfortably as his enemy's words settled in his mind, tensing visibly. As Faril raised his staff to strike, a voice cut through the air and made him stiffen.
". . . . . I don't think so, bastard."
A burst of flames engulfed Faril's back and he gasped out in pain. The familiar clanging sound rang through the air and Algus stepped backwards as Faril was flung forward as a glowing disc struck him in the back. A groan passed Faril's lips as he landed, then disappeared into thin air . . . just like Paryes and Andres. Blinking in surprise, Algus shifted his gaze to his savior.
Seifer Almasy, armed with Hyperion and garbed in bloody bandages and black pants, stood in front of the destroyed infirmary wall, his green-gray eyes glittering with vehemence in the moonlight.
*giggles* Who saw that coming? I liked that ending. ^_^ Anyone notice that Seifer's been using No Mercy so much? There's a reason for that . . . although he doesn't know that. *grins* BTW, for you curious people out there, the three bad guys' names are pronounced as following: Andres Restrad (Ann-durs Ress-traad), Paryes Alexas (Pah-ry-us Ah-lex-us), and Faril Rillian (Fair-ill Rill-ee-un).
Onto Chapter 7
Back to Chapter 5
Back to The Insane