Lovers Trust

Beta: CalliopePurple
Notes:
Anon:
Yeah, you’re thinking about all that mewling, right? I didn’t think of that, but reading it I see it’s quite a lot of that sort. I’ll think of that in the future, thank you!

I’m sorry I didn’t thank you all for your reviews! I do it now, Thank you! You are as important for the developing of this story as I am.

About Shiva liking/disliking, telling/not telling. Well, you just have to figure her out for yourselves! She is really simple, you know?

Enjoy

(I don’t remember if I’ve ever mentioned Rinoa before. If I have, I’m sorry if I’m mixing things up. I’ll just have to fix that at a later time.)


15

[Seifer]
It took a while for him to understand that he was awake and staring off into a darkened cave only slightly lit by daylight from the entrance. It took him even longer to realize that the warm weight at his chest was his lover. A smirk graced the blond’s lips and he held his lion a little tighter. Seifer had made love to his difficult lover. After all this time, they had loved at last. And… just maybe, Seifer had seen some semblance of Squall in those swirling blue-gray depths.

The blond sighed softly as he started to get a little too warm in the bed and knew they had to get up. Hyne only knew what the time was.

Seifer tried to gently wake Squall with a kiss to the pale forehead. He got no reaction, so he kissed the brunet’s nose instead. Still no reaction, Seifer sighed and slowly sat up, intending to put the boy down again, but the brunet complained and clutched harder to him while his nose wrinkled a little. Blue-gray eyes opened to slits to glare halfheartedly at him. Seifer smiled wide, the glare definitely was a “Squall”.

“If you want any breakfast, you better let me go, kitten,” he murmured and Squall frowned.

Squall leaned up a little and looked around. Grunting, he yet again clutched hard to Seifer. The blond sighed and stroked the brown hair. Maybe their lovemaking hadn’t improved anything? Somehow, Seifer had had this really strong feeling it would have.

“Where are we?” Seifer blinked at the very normal tone and question.

“In a cave on our way to Shumi Village,” Seifer answered while he tried telling himself to stop hoping something had changed.

“Don’t know here. Don’t go,” Squall complained and nuzzled deeper into Seifer’s chest.

Seifer stroked his lion’s back, whether to calm himself or Squall, he didn’t know. Shiva suddenly made her presence known by swirling around in his mind, but she didn’t say or do anything.

“I’m not leaving you, Squall. You know that,” Seifer assured the suspicious brunet.

Squall looked him right in the eye for a long moment. Then he slowly let go and curled up by the foot of the bed. Stepping out of the bed, the blond shivered when the coldness kissed his skin and stung his feet.

Seifer quickly built up a new fire and then attacked his clothes. Squall had curled up with the thick cover around him and was steadily watching Seifer. The blond started warming their breakfast and couldn’t help but shiver as he felt Squall’s gaze at him.

Seifer looked up to meet Squall’s eyes and swallowed. The brunet looked so much like the former healthy Squall; Seifer tentatively kneeled in front of him and studied those eyes. They weren’t as blue as before. If now Seifer wasn’t just imagining things.

“You want to get dressed?” he murmured. Squall hesitantly nodded.

When they both were dressed, Seifer sat at the stool to eat and Squall sat at the bed, like yesterday. Half through his breakfast, Squall whined and started murmuring to himself. When he then started rocking and massaging his temple, Seifer sighed. If it was going to be like during their walk, he’d go insane. He wouldn’t be able to take Squall being so… out of himself again.

Seifer let his lover be for the moment. Maybe Squall just needed to sort something out? Shiva was still swirling around in his mind. Strangely, but he’d gotten used to the Ice Bitch. He still didn’t like her, but he’d gotten used to her powers and spirit. It was all so much stronger than he ever remembered it being with GFs.

When the birds were ready to go and everything was packed, Seifer carefully knelt in front of Squall again. It hadn’t gotten better. The brunet was murmuring more and making complaining noises and his head seemed to be killing him. Blue-gray eyes moved rapidly, seeming to look at something invisible. Seifer softly touched his thigh.

“Hey, love? Time to go.” He almost fell on his ass when Squall grabbed his arm.

Seifer hissed in pain when the pale hands gave proof of their strength.

“Seifer?” Squall didn’t seem to be seeing anything.

His breathing and eyes were erratic and his body was trembling. Seifer gripped the whitened hands around his arm and tried prying them away.

“Yes, it’s me. Calm down, Squall.” Seifer tried keeping his voice low and calm but it wavered at an edge.

Squall gave a horrible sound and held even harder as Seifer renewed his tries to get loose. The blond couldn’t help the grunt in pain. His arm was going to get crushed, dammit!

“Hurts!” Squall wailed and started rocking.

“It’s alright. Calm down,” Seifer breathed and massaged the strong hands.

Squall sobbed and bit his bottom lip. He eased his grip enough for Seifer to get loose. Once loose, the blond caught Squall in a tight embrace. Squall curled up and sobbed as if in great pain. Without being asked to, Shiva swirled up and hummed.

: : Make him sleep : : Shiva hummed. Seifer frowned.

: : Sleep? Why? : :

: : Do it : :

Seifer didn’t argue. It didn’t take more than one try for the confused and hurting brunet to fall under the spell. Seifer caught Shiva before she could get down into the back of his head again.

: : Why? What’s happening? : : he asked.

He wanted to demand answers from her. He knew she knew a lot of things. Maybe even how to make Squall well again. She was still and silent for a long time, but Seifer felt like she tried to say something. She twisted as in frustrated agony.

: : Lion hurting, Child needs rest : : she growled and Seifer arched an eyebrow.

: : Yeah… I think I can understand that, but why? Why’s he hurting? Was it because of what we did? Is that why he is like this now? : : Seifer countered.

She swirled around again, then growled and glared at him. Not that he could see it, but he felt both her frustration and raising anger.

: : Shumi Tribe : : she hissed and disappeared back down inside of him again.

Seifer sighed. Oh, well. What did you expect from a Guardian Force? Seifer didn’t have the strength or time to get angry at her. They were too close to the village anyway.

*****

[Irvine]
If he could, he would just turn his back to everyone and take a long ride over the Galbadian prairie. It was rather ridiculous - all of it.

For almost three weeks now, all three Gardens, plus Esthar, had been looking for the duo. It didn’t help that the gang said that it was impossible to find the two gunbladers.

With Quistis’s help, they’d gotten as far as Dollet. Everyone in the gang knew that Fuujin and Raijin lived and worked there. Of course, they hadn’t been home, but out on a long trip. That was that. No one knew where to look and the gang wasn’t too enthusiastic. Who would ever want to lock their friend in a machine meant for sorceresses?

Irvine gave a complaining grunt as Quistis knocked his feet off the table. Selphie more than happily bunched up in his lap.

“We need to find them.” Everyone in the room complained one way or another at Quistis’s statement.

“Why? We know they’re together and probably doing better away than in Esthar,” Zell complained and continued his jumping.

He’d improved. In a small space like Quistis’s office, he’d just jump around without shadow kicking and boxing. Less things being destroyed that way.

“And we wouldn’t find them even if we tried. And if we did find them, Squall’ll be locked up in the memorial,” Rinoa pointed out.

Irvine eyed her. She was still a sweetheart with innocence and naivety written allover her face, but looking into those eyes you could see she was becoming a brilliant woman. Of course, she wasn’t a SeeD, but a politician. She was still friends with them.

“Can’t you find them? They’re both Knights, right? Aren’t Sorceresses supposed to be able to find everyone able to become a Knight?” Selphie said enthusiastically.

Irvine frowned and gripped his sunshine’s waist to make her be still in his lap. Or else he would have quite a hard time concentrating on the others.

“No… Or… With Edea’s help maybe, but that will take weeks and…” she sighed and looked down at the floor.

“Both Seifer and Squall have cut me off. Edea taught us how to distance ourselves when needed. It would have been very problematic to have one Sorceress with two Knights. We’d all go insane,” she explained and Irvine blinked.

Well, that was something he hadn’t heard before and by the look of the others, they hadn’t either. Quistis sat down behind her desk and Zell stopped to just rock on the balls of his feet.

“Insane? What do you mean? I thought the Knight was supposed to keep the Sorceress sane?” Selphie asked lowly. Rinoa nodded.

“True. His main purpose is to be a link back to reality when the Sorceress uses her major powers. When she does, she becomes one with her surroundings and may very well lose contact with her body, but it’s a two-way connection.”

“The Sorceress and the Knight receive emotions and memories from each others. Especially dreams during sleep. Being two sharing those things is bad enough, being three is impossible. A Knight also has the protective instinct to deal with, having to share his Sorceress with another Knight would be impossible,” Rinoa finished and they were silent.

Irvine sighed.

“Well, then that option is out of the question. I still don’t see why we have to find them. If they need help, they’ll tell us one way or another,” he said slowly.

When he thought about it, it sounded silly. The gunbladers wouldn’t ask for help. They were both too stubborn and proud for it. And if Squall was unable to speak for himself and Seifer was the only one thinking of them two… Well. Irvine was quite sure the blond would kill to keep his lover from those doctors.

“We have to find them before someone else does. If Laguna finds them, Squall will be put in the machine and Seifer sent to D-District until it’s safe to let him loose again. If we find them, we can at least help them and protect them,” Quistis said sternly and Irvine could agree with that.

Laguna wanted the best for his son just as much as Seifer wanted the best for his lover. It was a matter of whose idea was the best. Right now, Irvine did not vote for Laguna’s. Zell started to bounce again

“I could see that, but we still have this problem with finding them. Hyne knows those two aren’t easily found if they don’t want to,” he grumbled.

Quistis fixed her glasses.

“If I know anything about them, I think we may find them,” she said lowly and Irvine tilted his head.

“Imagine yourself in Seifer’s position. First, Squall is threatened and unable to take care of himself, Seifer is therefore the only one of them capable to get them out of that mess,” she started. Selphie bounced.

“Yeah, and he can’t charge in and out killing everything in his way, he must have been forced to sneak away,” she filled in.

Zell looked heavenward. “We already went through that. Seifer rented a car over the tracks, changed cars; car broke down so they walked. Probably to Dollet and got a ride with Fuujin and Raijin somewhere.”

“We’ve already looked at all possible places. The orphanage, Winhill, that Lab Island, Chocobo Sanctuary. They’re nowhere,” Irvine sighed.

What had they missed? Nothing! Those two were swallowed by the earth. Quistis nodded.

“But not Shumi Village.”

*****
[Seifer]
When they arrived at the big entrance of the underground village, the blizzard had grown again. Squall was still fast asleep, but twitching and whimpering from time to time.

Seifer was surprised that the chocobos chose to follow him inside the entrance and even more surprised by the little stable ready for them. Three small Shumis quickly took care of the birds as Seifer cradled the brunet. Two others stepped up to them.

“I want to speak with your Elder,” Seifer said softly.

The Shumis blinked at him with big, black eyes, and then stepped to the side waving at him.

“Elder has been waiting for you,” one of them said and Seifer arched an eyebrow.

“He’s been waiting for us? How he’d know we were on our way here?”

The little creature just blinked at him before waving at him again.

“Elder is waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seifer sighed.

In the elevator down, he wondered just what was waiting down there. If the Elder had been waiting for them, it meant one if two things. Either Laguna or someone knew where Seifer was headed and was waiting for them or, the Elder knew about what had happened to Squall.


Author’s Whining:
I am so mean. Not giving you all an update for so long and then giving you this poor chapter. Personally, I think this is a major fuck up. I don’t like it at all. But it brings us a little closer to the big finale.

I’ve not been able to write anything for a long time because I graduated a couple of days ago and has been all stressed and angsty with the big whole idea of life. Whatever.
I’m back, with this chapter at least.