(no subject)
Lost Knight 'verse, I s'pose it could be called.
It wasn't that they didn't trust him. It was just that Leon didn't trust him (with good reason, and it wasn't like he wanted to not trust him), so no one else in their right mind could be anything but wary of the boy in every waking moment. Leon, after all, had the better survival instinct (or so was more merited to his own sourpuss nature, Aerith once claimed, and was only half kidding) and what you couldn't trust of him, it was best to abide by.
Unless you didn't know Leon, then one was left to fend for themselves. Except Hayner. Not trusting Seifer was like breathing air to him: it was natural all round.
So when the local knight errant who had a habit of being possessed by witches went stalking off for the underbelly of the castle, he was definitely followed for more than one reason. Especially when the dashing off was a mad one, frantic-like, and rather evading. It wasn't like he could leave, but still. He was followed nonetheless, by his guardians, by his friends, and by his keepers.
"The Tributary," Leon said, in a voice as hard as his eyes. Because there was only one place this certain under-castle corridor led. The three guardians already fled down it, Hayner and pence in tow. "Did Aerith tell him?"
"I did, Leon." Tifa didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "He deserved to see."
Leon wasn't of the same mind. "And make it worse?"
"He had a life here too, Leon. Not everyone wants to escape the memory of their past."
"What memories would he have that aren't overshadowed by Ultimecia?"
"...If," she started, eyes now downcast, "he knows how to fix it..."
Leon shook his head. "That's too much to hope for."
***
"They...haven't changed."
The two cylinders were ice-cold to the touch, the room frigid with their exposure. Risen from their place in the floor, the two chambers were now like pillars beside one another. Eternity and ever-lasting youth slept beneath them, for nothing was different from the last time he'd seen them, ten years ago.
One housed a black-haired beauty, who was destined to grow only more so into adulthood. She was now the same age as the kids. The other looked lost in his tomb, so small, tiny, and young. Four or five, just about, he looked more dead than she, who only looked asleep.
Seifer clenched his jaw and put a gloved hand to each frosted surface, head bowed. "Why didn't they wake up, Squall?" It was almost accusatory, though who Seifer blamed was anyone's guess. "Why didn't they wake up?!"
Olette, Fuu, and Rai looked away. Pence took the hands of Olette and Fuu, both cold to the warmth of his grip. "Who are they?" he murmured.
"You tell me, Seifer."
"A future witch," Fuu lamented, "and his childhood friend."
"I don't know! Aerith woke up, Garnet woke up, the twins woke up, it should be the same!"
"Rinoa was going to be Leon's Lady, you could say," Olette continued. "Seifer was too young a candidate at the time, not that he minded. So where Squall was unavailable, Seifer was the only knight errant left for the witch Ultimecia to use."
Leon walked forward, slowly, and slid his gunblade into the floor beside Hyperion. "We have no answers. We haven't figured out a thing."
"Too busy running from the Heartless to bother," the boy bit. Leon didn't bite back. "You ran, you always ran! You couldn't-- You couldn't do anything!"
"No," Leon said. "I couldn't."
Seifer snarled, casting the ugly look over his shoulder. His eyes shined, and Leon had seen that look before in many others before. "Always a loser. It should be you in here, not her. Not--" Seifer choked. "Not him."
It wasn't that they didn't trust him. It was just that Leon didn't trust him (with good reason, and it wasn't like he wanted to not trust him), so no one else in their right mind could be anything but wary of the boy in every waking moment. Leon, after all, had the better survival instinct (or so was more merited to his own sourpuss nature, Aerith once claimed, and was only half kidding) and what you couldn't trust of him, it was best to abide by.
Unless you didn't know Leon, then one was left to fend for themselves. Except Hayner. Not trusting Seifer was like breathing air to him: it was natural all round.
So when the local knight errant who had a habit of being possessed by witches went stalking off for the underbelly of the castle, he was definitely followed for more than one reason. Especially when the dashing off was a mad one, frantic-like, and rather evading. It wasn't like he could leave, but still. He was followed nonetheless, by his guardians, by his friends, and by his keepers.
"The Tributary," Leon said, in a voice as hard as his eyes. Because there was only one place this certain under-castle corridor led. The three guardians already fled down it, Hayner and pence in tow. "Did Aerith tell him?"
"I did, Leon." Tifa didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "He deserved to see."
Leon wasn't of the same mind. "And make it worse?"
"He had a life here too, Leon. Not everyone wants to escape the memory of their past."
"What memories would he have that aren't overshadowed by Ultimecia?"
"...If," she started, eyes now downcast, "he knows how to fix it..."
Leon shook his head. "That's too much to hope for."
***
"They...haven't changed."
The two cylinders were ice-cold to the touch, the room frigid with their exposure. Risen from their place in the floor, the two chambers were now like pillars beside one another. Eternity and ever-lasting youth slept beneath them, for nothing was different from the last time he'd seen them, ten years ago.
One housed a black-haired beauty, who was destined to grow only more so into adulthood. She was now the same age as the kids. The other looked lost in his tomb, so small, tiny, and young. Four or five, just about, he looked more dead than she, who only looked asleep.
Seifer clenched his jaw and put a gloved hand to each frosted surface, head bowed. "Why didn't they wake up, Squall?" It was almost accusatory, though who Seifer blamed was anyone's guess. "Why didn't they wake up?!"
Olette, Fuu, and Rai looked away. Pence took the hands of Olette and Fuu, both cold to the warmth of his grip. "Who are they?" he murmured.
"You tell me, Seifer."
"A future witch," Fuu lamented, "and his childhood friend."
"I don't know! Aerith woke up, Garnet woke up, the twins woke up, it should be the same!"
"Rinoa was going to be Leon's Lady, you could say," Olette continued. "Seifer was too young a candidate at the time, not that he minded. So where Squall was unavailable, Seifer was the only knight errant left for the witch Ultimecia to use."
Leon walked forward, slowly, and slid his gunblade into the floor beside Hyperion. "We have no answers. We haven't figured out a thing."
"Too busy running from the Heartless to bother," the boy bit. Leon didn't bite back. "You ran, you always ran! You couldn't-- You couldn't do anything!"
"No," Leon said. "I couldn't."
Seifer snarled, casting the ugly look over his shoulder. His eyes shined, and Leon had seen that look before in many others before. "Always a loser. It should be you in here, not her. Not--" Seifer choked. "Not him."