Corpse in the Cupboard
folder
Final Fantasy VIII › Crossovers
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
26
Views:
802
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Final Fantasy VIII › Crossovers
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
26
Views:
802
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters in this fiction. They remain the property of the makers of Final Fantasy VIII and VII. I do this for fun and entainment, not profit.
Chapter 12
***** CHAPTER 12 *****
Laguna awoke on the couch of his private room and glanced at the clock. It was 4 am and he was still alone. He’d sat there all night, hoping that Vincent would come home. The urge to go out and search the city was growing stronger, but Laguna new it wasn’t an option. As the President, he couldn’t just walk out of the palace and wander around the city in the middle of the night. His position had never felt so much like a gilded cage as it did now.
Grasping the armrest of the couch, he slowly began to lever himself up when a sudden pain in his arm left him falling backwards. Great, a cramp was just what he needed right now to top off the worse week of his life. Rubbing his arm he decided he wanted a distraction, something to occupy his mind and pass the time until morning. The only thing that came to mind was work. Considering he’d taken the afternoon off, he was certain there would be a pile of paperwork waiting.
The halls of the Presidential Palace were deserted at such an early hour and Laguna made it to his office without having to explain his early morning arrival to anyone. He made himself a quick coffee in the adjoining kitchenette and settled into his office chair. A parcel sitting on top of the nearest pile of paperwork immediately caught his attention. LAGUNA LOIRE – CONFIDENTIAL was scrawled across the top. He opened it to find a digital video camera inside but no note of explanation. In fact, there was no indication at all as to where the parcel had come from.
The President flicked open the screen and found one file staring back at him. A shiver ran up his spine and he was struck with a sudden sense of foreboding. The urge to call Kiros swept over him without warning. Kiros would calm his fears and know what to do. He sighed as he realized that the option of having his friend deal with this was gone. Fuck, he’d managed to lose his best friend and his lover, all in the one day. Squall was right. He was an embarrassment.
He glanced at the tiny built in screen and decided to view the video through the large television that hung on his office wall. If this was something important, he’d need to get a good look at it and his eyes weren’t as good as they used to be.
Pausing for a moment, he looked at the cables in his hand that his friend had left behind. Kiros had his own video camera and would often film various things when he was traveling around the world on official business. It had started as a way to kill the boredom of long flights and had developed into a much loved hobby. Laguna smiled, recalling how many times they’d sat together watching, eating popcorn and acting like a couple of kids. His smile turned into a frown when he remembered that they hadn’t watched any in months. Not since Vincent had come into his life. Laguna had been so wrapped up in his new relationship that he’d been too busy when Kiros had suggested it. He’d turned his friend down a couple of times and then Kiros had stopped asking. He really had been neglecting his best friend over the past six months. No wonder Kiros thought he’d been replaced.
A sharp pain in his arm brought him back to the present with a jolt. He was definitely going to visit his doctor later. That or go get a massage. Vincent gave fantastic massages. So did Kiros. He closed his eyes, imagining the both of them rubbing away the tension in his body. Gods…….this train of thought was exactly what he didn’t need right now.
“Time to get back to work, I suppose,” he muttered to his empty office, as he selected the file and pressed play.
**.**
Kiros stepped out of the elevator slowly, savoring his last journey down the halls with more than a little melancholy. The Presidential Palace had been his home for so many years that every inch of it made him recall snippets of his past. Most of those memories also featured Laguna.
He knew Laguna loved him but it was a friendly, comfortable love. The love that the President felt for Vincent was stronger, deeper and more intense. It was a love that Kiros would never inspire from him, no matter what he did. There was only one path left for Kiros to take. He would follow his original plan and retire to Dolet.
His belongings were already packed from yesterday and he had been unable to sleep, so he’d taken one last tour of the city. Its empty streets and darkened windows had mirrored his own emotional state, leaving him longing for the activity and brightness of morning. Finally, he’d decided to write Laguna a quick note and leave it in his office. By the time the President found it, Kiros would be long gone. It was better that way, for both of them.
Kiros paused outside Laguna’s office doors, pulling the letter from his pocket and staring at it. He knew his friend would be hurt that he left without fixing things between them or saying goodbye in person. Unfortunately, he also knew that he didn’t have the strength to look into those eyes and say goodbye. One glance and he’d never be able to leave.
He opened the door quietly, entering the office to find the desk light and television had been left on. Static crackled across the screen and as Kiros walked across the room to turn it off, something on the floor behind the desk caught his eye.
“What the hell?” Kiros muttered. He rounded the corner of the desk and froze in shock. Laguna lay on the floor, his face a pasty, grey mask.
“Laguna? Laguna!” Kiros shouted, hitting the emergency alarm under the desk and falling to his knees beside the President. He quickly checked his pulse and was relieved to feel a weak beat under his trembling fingers. That relief was washed away when he realized that Laguna was not breathing. No, not like this……Kiros would not let it end like this.
Laguna awoke on the couch of his private room and glanced at the clock. It was 4 am and he was still alone. He’d sat there all night, hoping that Vincent would come home. The urge to go out and search the city was growing stronger, but Laguna new it wasn’t an option. As the President, he couldn’t just walk out of the palace and wander around the city in the middle of the night. His position had never felt so much like a gilded cage as it did now.
Grasping the armrest of the couch, he slowly began to lever himself up when a sudden pain in his arm left him falling backwards. Great, a cramp was just what he needed right now to top off the worse week of his life. Rubbing his arm he decided he wanted a distraction, something to occupy his mind and pass the time until morning. The only thing that came to mind was work. Considering he’d taken the afternoon off, he was certain there would be a pile of paperwork waiting.
The halls of the Presidential Palace were deserted at such an early hour and Laguna made it to his office without having to explain his early morning arrival to anyone. He made himself a quick coffee in the adjoining kitchenette and settled into his office chair. A parcel sitting on top of the nearest pile of paperwork immediately caught his attention. LAGUNA LOIRE – CONFIDENTIAL was scrawled across the top. He opened it to find a digital video camera inside but no note of explanation. In fact, there was no indication at all as to where the parcel had come from.
The President flicked open the screen and found one file staring back at him. A shiver ran up his spine and he was struck with a sudden sense of foreboding. The urge to call Kiros swept over him without warning. Kiros would calm his fears and know what to do. He sighed as he realized that the option of having his friend deal with this was gone. Fuck, he’d managed to lose his best friend and his lover, all in the one day. Squall was right. He was an embarrassment.
He glanced at the tiny built in screen and decided to view the video through the large television that hung on his office wall. If this was something important, he’d need to get a good look at it and his eyes weren’t as good as they used to be.
Pausing for a moment, he looked at the cables in his hand that his friend had left behind. Kiros had his own video camera and would often film various things when he was traveling around the world on official business. It had started as a way to kill the boredom of long flights and had developed into a much loved hobby. Laguna smiled, recalling how many times they’d sat together watching, eating popcorn and acting like a couple of kids. His smile turned into a frown when he remembered that they hadn’t watched any in months. Not since Vincent had come into his life. Laguna had been so wrapped up in his new relationship that he’d been too busy when Kiros had suggested it. He’d turned his friend down a couple of times and then Kiros had stopped asking. He really had been neglecting his best friend over the past six months. No wonder Kiros thought he’d been replaced.
A sharp pain in his arm brought him back to the present with a jolt. He was definitely going to visit his doctor later. That or go get a massage. Vincent gave fantastic massages. So did Kiros. He closed his eyes, imagining the both of them rubbing away the tension in his body. Gods…….this train of thought was exactly what he didn’t need right now.
“Time to get back to work, I suppose,” he muttered to his empty office, as he selected the file and pressed play.
**.**
Kiros stepped out of the elevator slowly, savoring his last journey down the halls with more than a little melancholy. The Presidential Palace had been his home for so many years that every inch of it made him recall snippets of his past. Most of those memories also featured Laguna.
He knew Laguna loved him but it was a friendly, comfortable love. The love that the President felt for Vincent was stronger, deeper and more intense. It was a love that Kiros would never inspire from him, no matter what he did. There was only one path left for Kiros to take. He would follow his original plan and retire to Dolet.
His belongings were already packed from yesterday and he had been unable to sleep, so he’d taken one last tour of the city. Its empty streets and darkened windows had mirrored his own emotional state, leaving him longing for the activity and brightness of morning. Finally, he’d decided to write Laguna a quick note and leave it in his office. By the time the President found it, Kiros would be long gone. It was better that way, for both of them.
Kiros paused outside Laguna’s office doors, pulling the letter from his pocket and staring at it. He knew his friend would be hurt that he left without fixing things between them or saying goodbye in person. Unfortunately, he also knew that he didn’t have the strength to look into those eyes and say goodbye. One glance and he’d never be able to leave.
He opened the door quietly, entering the office to find the desk light and television had been left on. Static crackled across the screen and as Kiros walked across the room to turn it off, something on the floor behind the desk caught his eye.
“What the hell?” Kiros muttered. He rounded the corner of the desk and froze in shock. Laguna lay on the floor, his face a pasty, grey mask.
“Laguna? Laguna!” Kiros shouted, hitting the emergency alarm under the desk and falling to his knees beside the President. He quickly checked his pulse and was relieved to feel a weak beat under his trembling fingers. That relief was washed away when he realized that Laguna was not breathing. No, not like this……Kiros would not let it end like this.