Fanfic: Insanity Chapter 11/incomplete
This is the last of the Insanity Arc that has been written. Half is full-on fic, the other half an outline for the second part of the chapter. My author's note once again made promises for more, yet I could never bring myself to write it. I burnt myself out with this fic and stopped writting for years.
This is a SeiferxZell yaoi (I’ll eventually get there.)and if you don’t like it don’t read it.
Disclaimer: I own my versions of the characters, but not the characters themselves. ~_~
“…”talking
~~~…~~~thoughts
{{{…}}}memories
Italics Zell’s self-preservation
A/N for August, 2004: The beginning of this chapter was written back in January of 2004, so you may notice a change in writing style (most likely for the better) during the middle of it. When I go back and read the first chapter, I cringe. Luckily I’ve gotten better at this writing business.
It’s been brought to my attention that sometimes it’s hard to know who’s saying what. I’ll do my best to fix this problem. Also, I’d like to say that this fic’s motto is “What can go wrong, will go wrong.” I’ll leave you with that. Now on with the fic:
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A buzzing alarm clock blinked 6:00am announcing the time to awaken and continue the day. Looking at it sideways, Nida debated between ignoring the constant annoying sound or throwing the clock against the wall and then stomping it into an unrecognizable pile of wires and plastic. He chose to turn it off. Normally, he would be up, heading towards the showers and then following his daily routine, but his life has been a little hectic lately so, what was the point of procedure anymore?
He turned slowly on his bed, careful not to rest his body weight on his left arm. It burned numbly all night with his sore knuckles and bruised back joining it in a chorus of discomfort. Outside his door, on top of the living room table, laid a briefcase with a bottle of painkillers tucked away in one of its pockets. In that same briefcase were also all of the engine design assignments that he was supposed to correct for today, so he could hand them back to his ungrateful students who never followed his lessons and treated him like a subordinate rather than a teacher. In another folder, right next to that one, contained the test results of the wannabe pilots after they went through a flight simulator and crashed hundreds of virtual Gardens into mountains and villages since they always believed they could handle it. He was supposed to have handed them out yesterday, but his little shouting match with a couple of students cut the class short.
All of that work, only a few feet away, waiting to be done last night was left on the table because it wasn’t worth the risk to open the door and see a couple of predatory eyes rake his body. The painkillers though, those wonderful little pills that made his throbbing limbs quiet down and made him feel a little lightheaded, he nearly dared to venture out to get them.
He didn’t go out for them though, not only because he feared he didn’t have the energy to fight Gary off him, but also for the reason that the dull pain reminded him of his past. A past in which, instead of his left arm, it was his right leg that ached constantly as it laid in a cast. He was given a potion, but back then they weren’t very effective so the pain was still there, lurking in the back of his senses.
“Before the orphanage with Xu… I saw an Esthar airship flying over our town before it all burned down. I never connected that beautiful ship with all the destruction around me. I fell in love with flying when I lost my home and family. How stupid I was.” Nida spoke in soft whispers; the silence in the room needed to be broken. “I became obsessed with flyers and planes and practiced for hours everyday making paper airplanes and then competed with the other kids. I always won because my planes were made with obsessive perfectionism so they always flew longer and farther.”
The pilot shifted his body again, trying to get more comfortable but the ache at the base of his spine, where the table dug into the day before, screamed no matter how he moved. “After a while, nobody wanted to play with me anymore. I won, they lost; they got bored of me. No…not bored; jealous, they were jealous, so they teased me and wouldn’t speak to me and acted as if I wasn’t there.” Nida slowly raised his voice, angry with himself for remembering all this. ~~~Why am I saying this out loud? Nobody’s going to hear it.~~~
{{{Sitting at the edge of the backyard with a notebook next to him, a young boy carefully flattened the edges of a square paper and then folded it into the shape of a plane. When a shadow loomed over him, he stopped his actions and hid his creation inside the notebook. He had already lost several good flyers to kids who stole them from him, or even worse, shredded it to bits in front of his eyes.
Without turning around he heard an unknown voice address him. “Hi” The owner of the voice sat in front of the Asian boy and gave a goofy grin. The new boy was taller and looked stronger than any of the bullies around the orphanage, so he must be the biggest bully ever.
“Leave me alone” Quickly standing up, the smaller of the two left without looking back. He only trusted an older girl from his village and this boy looked so strange with his dark skin and blacker eyes. Only the girl treated him nice, like an older sister, everyone else either ignored him or bullied him. That dark boy must want to do the same.}}}
“I was really, really dense. He might have been my friend if I wasn’t afraid of him for no good reason.” Nida’s thoughts skipped from one thing to another. Raijin sitting next to him during lunch; Raijin bringing a lizard inside the kitchen to show it to him; countless meaningless, regretful thoughts of how ignorant he was. “Stupid decisions. Why didn’t we become friends? I got my despicable nickname when he got tired of being ignored.”
{{{The dining room had two very long tables with enough room for about 30 kids. Nearly everyone was eating and playing around, except for a silver haired girl that everyone noticed but no one approached, and a quiet boy folding his napkin. The boy looked around for his only friend, Xu, but she was taken to see some official people after the grades from those smart tests came back. The old lady said that he was smart too, but still too young to go to that special school. Some of the bullies that like to fight with each other were also gone, but they weren’t smart like his friend. Those officials must have taken them to jail for being mean. Kids like them didn’t belong in a Garden. Gardens are nice places full of flowers.}}}
“HA!” Nida startled himself by how loud his single laugh sounded. ~~~I actually believed that crock of shit.~~~
{{{Surrounded by people but obviously alone, the boy was an easy target. He knew this from past experience so he kept his guard up. When that tall, dark boy stood next to him holding a plateful of food, he put away his napkin and played with his food waiting to see what would happen now.
“Ya never talk to me, ya know?” Raijin sat down and continued talking. “I never did nothin’ bad to ya and ya ignore me. I wanna know what I did wrong.”
“Go away.” The future pilot moved his fork around the cold mush that used to be steaming potatoes.
“Some kids told me your name was Nida. It sounds like Nada, ya know?” Also trailing his fork across the mashed potatoes, Raijin made crude drawings of a face. “Ya know what Nada means?”
Nida shook his head. On the outside he seemed uninterested, but the expectation of knowing something cool about himself made him perk his ears and pay more attention.
“It means nothing. Just like your stupid planes that only work once, you’re a useless nothing.” Raijin glared at his food as he spoke. Elevating his voice, the whole dinning room fell silent at the sound of the venom behind the words. “I don’t know why I wanted to be friends with Nada. Nada is a boring useless nothing that breaks easy, ya know?”
Hearing this, a large group of kids started laughing and called the quiet boy by his new nickname. Soon the entire room was filled with the chant. Nida, red-faced and clutching his fork, stood up and screamed. “Shut up! I’m not Nada. My planes aren’t stupid. I’m making one that will fly forever and can’t be ripped to pieces.”
This caused the children to jeer harder and they started to stand up to mock his stance. The dark boy sat still, playing with his food and occasionally taking a bite ignoring the chaos he caused.}}}
“He didn’t want to do that to me. If he did, he would have joined the fun.” Nida sighed and sat up. The clock blinked 7:34; he should have been dressed and ready to head to the cockpit. Instead he stretched his arms skyward and continued down memory lane. “I deserved it. I treated him like everyone else treated me. I was so stupid. After awhile my real name was forgotten, Xu was gone and I spent my days working on that damn toy. I found it in the trash and couldn’t be happier with that piece of junk. A double-winged, battery-powered, yellow-colored Tiny Bronco with remote control. It had the initials C.H. on the right wing and its name on the left. It was a quality toy, but it looked as if it was put through hell. Water damage, beaten up, missing parts and burnt circuits; I could tell it had some repairs done on it. I think C.H. loved that plane, but that he played rough or played with rough kids. It doesn’t matter, I was lucky to have it.”
{{{After the first Sorceress war, toys like that plane were impossible to find with the factories shut down. Most kids never saw a plane, be it a toy or the real thing. All that was left were books and pictures, and in his lonesome Nida read all he could sneak out of the public library whenever they made a field trip to town. After weeks of repairing, he was finally sure that Tiny Bronco would fly and he could show everyone that he wasn’t Nada and that his planes flew more than once. From his bedroom window he snuck up onto the roof and while looking down on all his peers, he shouted.
“RAIJIN, UP HERE!” When he saw that everyone gazed at him, including that dark boy, young Nida settled the plane down and turned it on. As it started to roll towards the edge, he pleaded under his breath. “…please work, please work, I’m not Nada, prove it, please work…”
He could hear the children screaming and cheering him on, as the matron hobbled on her walking stick to see what was going on. “Come down here, you’ll get hurt.” Her command was ignored as the boy concentrated on his timing.
At the right moment, he flicked a switch on the control that caused the Tiny Bronco to speed up and lift its nose. It’s motors buzzed louder and that sound was all that the young Asian boy could hear. The miniature plane went over the edge and for a moment it seemed to fall in an ungraceful heap until it picked up and soared above the astonished crowd. Gleeful, Nida admired the plane and remembered that he controlled that mechanical beauty. He leaned over the edge of the house and looked for the dark boy’s dumbstruck face, but couldn’t see him anywhere. “He ran away scared. I knew Raijin was a coward.”
From behind him he heard a grunt as a body pulled itself onto the roof. The plane’s pilot pivoted around to see the source of the grunt, taking his eyes away from the sky in the process. Surprised to see the boy he just called coward stand up only a few steps away, Nida backed off, unknowingly approaching the edge of the roof. Raijin kept his head down and could barely lift his gaze to look at Nida. When the taller boy spoke, a noticeable quiver was present in his words. “Be careful. It’s kind of high up here, ya know?”
Nida wasn’t afraid of heights. He actually loved them, but the dark boy’s knees shook as if willing their owner to kneel down and get closer to the ground. ~~~He’s afraid, but he still came up here.~~~ Nida shook these thoughts out of his head. Raijin’s a big bully that didn’t deserve pity. Nida had come up to the roof for a reason, one that he had to make clear. He’s voice carried the determination to prove his worth. “I told you I wasn’t Nada. I can fly that plane a gazillion times and it will always work.”
“Yeah, but your plane is going to crash.” Raijin took a tentative step forwards while pointing at the wildly arching yellow blur.
“What?! NO!” Nida twisted around and searched for his plane without realizing that he was stepping on thin air. As he fell down, he saw his toy crash on the hard pavement of the road that lead to Dollet; its wings snapping and bodice crumpling into a pile of useless plastic, wires and cheap metal. His obsession for the past weeks, his dream to prove his worth; so easily broken. ~~~It only flew once.~~~ His view shifted upwards as he struck the edge of the house’s ledge. He saw a shadow with the blazing midday sun behind it and knew it was the bully stretching out his hand. ~~~You distracted me so it would crash. It’s your fault.~~~ He could feel the wind rushing against his skin and his hair flapping in his face wiping the tears that he shed unknowingly. Before he heard the dull thud of hitting the ground, or the sharp crack as several bones snapped, he thought. ~~~Maybe I’ll only fly once, too.~~~}}}
“I lived to fly again, but it took me nearly a decade to do it. I’m not sure if surviving that fall was worth it. I don’t fly ships like Ragnarok or fly for fun…just work. I’m not allowed to fly the Garden if it isn’t official business, so a simulator is my only choice.” He glanced at the clock; it was 9:04am. His thoughts shifted from the past to the present. At 11, his roommate shouldn’t be anywhere near the dorms. ~~~Gary has to leave soon. He has to give his Photography class. Please, make him go to his class.~~~ The pilot laid on the bed, feeling miserable. “Leave me alone. Go away and leave me alone.”
Outside the door, silently crouched, was a well-prepared SeeD Surveillance Specialist who had listened to the entire monologue. Gary spoke in a barely audible voice. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll let you rest. Poor thing, you’ve never been loved. I’ll change that today, I promise.” He kissed the door, his lips no longer swollen and completely healed. Carefully, he removed his personal espionage equipment in perfect silence.
SeeD spies were treated nicely at Balamb Garden, so everything he needed to keep tabs on his lonely pilot was readily available. He returned to his own room, which was filled with cameras, camcorders, ear-pieces, recorders, and an assortment of other gear for his trade. Most of the tools were like children’s toys compared to the actual equipment that Garden provided for active spies, but they were good enough for his purposes. Besides, with a cover like photography and surveillance he couldn’t be carrying around anything too high-tech. Once inside his room, he went to bedside table to pick up a bottle with three little pills in it. He shook it and enjoyed the rattle it made. “Soon, baby, I’ll make you want to fly again.”
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The office is dark and foreboding. Its once homely appeal lost, as its resident aura is absorbed into the walls. There’s some unknown classical music playing softly in the background, but it’s not enough to dispel the unnerving feel of the room. Sitting at his desk, where papers are stacked immaculately and not a particle of dust can be seen, the Headmaster leans toward a screen through which he converses with the acclaimed Dr. Odine of Esthar.
Dressed in his odd garments and with the peculiar accent, one could hardly take this man seriously at first, but one look into the scientist’s eyes and you could see the intelligence trapped in them. “Your vife iz progressing nicely und vill be zane enough for ze gala you have planned.”
Kramer’s face tightened into a scowl. “I don’t appreciate you implying that my dear Edea is insane. She is simply traumatized and you are treating her for that. Do I make myself clear, doctor?”
“Of course, of course. Veing possessed by zuch a poverful Sorceress az Ultimecia has only distressed your vife. Her mental structurez have not collapsed after veing released from complete enslavement, once Ultimecia was utterly destroyed.” Odine’s smile was one of condescending superiority, like that of a man who feels untouchable because he is irreplaceable. “I am injecting her hourly vith Esto-no-existe and ze improvement iz miraculouz. Speak to her yourself.” Nodding to someone off-screen, the good doctor moves to the side, leaving the front of the monitor free.
Soon taking his place, a muscular aide wheels the former Matron until she can be viewed on screen. Even though she sat on a wheelchair, a plain white gown and had a medical bracelet on her right wrist, she still exuded a maternal glow and seemed prepared to read a story book to eager children. Kramer gazed upon her with a mix of affection and sadness. For so many years has that motherly radiance been smothered by the cruelty of that hateful woman who wished to obtain ultimate power. He has longed to hold his wife and protect her during all this time, yet he knew that it was outside of his capabilities. Now, with danger averted and peace returned, he could not bear to lose her again when she was so close to his reach. He grazed his fingers on the screen, following the silhouette of her face. “Edea, sweet Edea. How are you feeling? Are they treating you well?”
At the sound of his soft voice, her eyes focused and a gentle smile lighted her face. He wanted to reach through the screen and hug her with the ferocity of his love and shower that beautiful face with tender kisses. “Cid, how nice to see you. I wish you were here. Esthar is such a lovely country; you would not believe the marvels that I’ve seen. I’d trade them all for a quiet evening with you, though. I miss you.”
“I miss you, as well.” His voice cracked at the end, emotion threatening to pour out of his eyes. ~~~ She’s well. She recognized me. Odine may be a pompous know-it-all, but by Hyne, he’s restored my dear Edea.~~~ He felt a tear streak down his left cheek, but did nothing to wipe it away. To cry out of happiness was nothing to be ashamed of.
“Now, now Cid. We’ll see each other soon enough. The doctor says I’m a wonderful patient and that as long as I follow his instructions, I’ll be fine.” Her silky raven hair framed her face and accentuated the creamy whiteness of her skin. She looked so radiant, so healthy. Kramer dared to hope that everything would be alright.
“Oh, Cid. I must tell you of these wonderful children I met. One is a unique looking boy, with silver hair and golden eyes; he speaks in the most adorable rhymes. His playmate is this sweet little girl with the blackest hair I’ve ever seen, completely lovable, except that when she speaks I feel…well…I” The color drained from her face, her breaths became short and shallow. She clutched the front of her gown, tightening her grip to the point of ripping the fabric. The aide quickly rushed to her and tried to loosen her hold, which she reacted with flailing her limbs and kicking him away. The momentum of the kick tilted the wheelchair, so she fell with it. Once on the floor, she quickly tried to crawl away but was prevented as the aide grabbed her ankle. She began to stomp her foot against his face, bloodying his nose, but still he held on and seized the attacking leg.
Watching the entire event, thousands of miles away, Kramer leapt up to his feet, his chair clattering loudly behind him. He clutched the screen and shouted heatedly. “Edea, Edea, what’s wrong? Let her go! If she has so much as a scratch, I’ll have your entire family skinned alive.” The scientist and two other heavy-set aides entered the screen. The aides work together to restrain her, the injured one gripping her legs and the others holding her arms, yet still she trashes her head back and forth. Unable to free herself, she starts to speak in an archaic language which causes a bluish light to appear between her breasts. She arches her back and screams agonizingly, as her eyes roll back and her body goes limp.
“Curse you, Odine. What have you done to my wife? I swear on my life that I will hunt you down and rip the life out of you with my bare hands.” Standing in his office, with the blood rushing through his ears, his fists tightened into impenetrable balls and part of his soul withering at the sight of his love’s pain, Kramer has never felt so useless in his life. Through the screen he can see the doctor prepare an injection, now that the fight has left his wife’s body. Through the rip in her gown, he can see a metallic device nestled between her generous mounds.
“No need for the melodrama und zavage threats. Ve are civilized men. Your vife iz not completely well yet. Dis vas a minor setback, but vith treatment she vill be fine.” With much dexterity and experience, he injects her in the back of the neck. Her eyes flutter and a soft moan exits from her slack lips. “Your vife only suffers, because she cannot control herself. Paranoia fills her thoughts, hysterical for no reason.” Odine reached between her breasts and taps the artifact there. Kramer grits his teeth to keep from shouting. “Dis iz vat hurts her, but it iz necessary. An improved version of my bracelet, it keeps her from using magic, protecting herself und innocent people.”
“That is no excuse. You will not harm my wife.” Attempting to corral his fury, Kramer took deep breaths. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the help of the only known specialist in Sorceresses. If there was anyone else with even a fraction of Odine’s knowledge, then the Headmaster would have employed them in a heartbeat. “I understand that certain measures must be taken to ensure the safety of the populace. Trust me, I understand that more than you can possibly know, but I will not tolerate unnecessary anguish for my wife. She has carried a heavy burden that has stolen many years from her. If you even think of adding more to it, I’ll rid you of your cognitive abilities.”
“Do not vorry. All I do iz for her own good.” An aide straightened out the wheelchair, while a second one placed the lifeless body into it. The third one was gently covering his nose, stopping more blood from dripping unto the floor. Odine chuckled softly and an amused glint danced across his eyes. “You are her Knight, after all. I should expect your rash temperament. She vill be vell und in your care zoon. But you must remember, over at Garden, everything must be controlled and in order. Chaos vill only confuse her.”
“I already know that and I’m doing everything in my power to make her feel welcomed when she returns.” Cid watched as Edea was wheeled out of the room, her body lax and her face haunted. “Mark my words, Odine. I am not a man to be taken lightly. You have been warned.” He clicked off the screen before the doctor could respond and took in a shuddering breath.
The chair put back in its place, the melodious tunes of a piano solo playing in the background, the somber lighting in the office; tranquility, order, calm. Kramer placed his elbows on the surface of his desk, grasped one hand in the other and leaned his forehead against them. His mind was a storm of anger and worry, he knew that he was teetering on a fine line, may have even crossed it when he struck the pilot. Yesterday, he had spoken with Dr. Kadowaki after lunch. She said she was in a hurry to meet the Squall and the others, but Kramer couldn’t let it wait. When he blurted out that he slapped a SeeD when he lost his temper, she asked who it was. The revelation that it was Nida made her frown momentarily, but it was not caught by the Headmaster.
He wanted her professional opinion. After all those years of keeping an amiable relationship with all of the SeeD’s and the Garden’s cadets, his behavior has taken a turn for the worst. He asked whether it had to do with the fact that now there was no enemy to direct his negative energies towards and it fell upon those closest to him; or could it be that after being reunited with his darling Edea, only to have her fall victim to mental illness when the world should have an happy ending, has embittered him so much. Was it the arrogance of the doctor and Kramer’s inability to do anything about it, which led him down a darker path? Or is the pilot to blame, acting as irreplaceable as Odine, shirking his responsibilities, fighting with Cadets creating chaos, inciting Kramer to act when he uses Seifer as a defense and speaks ill about a comrade?
Kadowaki advised him that the stress of running Balamb Garden with refugees from Trabia, claims of justice from civilians who lost family and friends, as well as everything he has mentioned before are what have shortened his fuse. Nida had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and shouldn’t have all of Kramer’s rage poured on him. It was a mistake to strike him, so Kramer should speak with the pilot as soon as possible and clarify that. Then she gave him tips for relaxation, on how to tame his anger and that later on the Headmaster should meet up with her, so they could discuss more thoroughly everything that has been on his mind. Grateful for her understanding and assured that everything they converse about will be kept silent, he felt a pang of guilt for not following her advice sooner. She always had some reservations about Dr. Odine’s treatments for the human psyche as they relied heavily on chemical and magical manipulation of the patient, while she, on the other hand preferred counseling and had a minimalist view on using spells and drugs to change and repair the structure of the mind. Kramer had thought that the female doctor was incapable of handling the complexity of a sorceress’s mind and that Odine’s work showed a lot more promise, now he regrets his decision.
~~~What’s past is past. If my wife does not recuperate via Odine’s techniques, then I will transfer her to Kadowaki and hope that no more damage has been brought upon her.~~~ He sighed heavily and turned on a desk lamp. Cid reviewed a report that Dr. Nadie had sent up to his office last afternoon. It stated that the SeeD Gary Lou had come to the infirmary with a split lip and two chipped front teeth. Everything was repaired and as good as new, but Dr. Nadie was suspicious when Gary’s excuse couldn’t hold water, so he sent his misgivings to the Headmaster, just in case. ~~~It must have been the pilot, his roommate. The lad doesn’t hide how much he dislikes Gary and has had a violent streak lately.~~~
He thought about ordering Nida up to his office using the comm. system, but decided against it. After what happened the last time, the pilot might view such an action as threatening. Now that Kramer has taken into account the fault in his behavior, he wants to make up for it. He paged the only person he could think of, that knew Nida well enough to request his presence in the office without being intimidating. “Commander Xu, please come up to my office. I have a task for you.”
Soon after, the door opens and a serious looking woman walks in. She stands in front of Kramer’s desk and salutes properly. “Commander Xu, reporting, Sir.” She was definitely a military woman and has raced through the ranks thanks to her dedication to her duties and incorruptible work ethic.
“No need for so such formalities, Xu. We have worked together for years.” He smiled; glad to have such reliable help. “You know the pilot, Nida, I need you to fetch him for me. I want to speak with him in private.”
She nodded. “Can do, Sir. I’ll get right on it. Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”
“Now that you mention it, yes. I nearly forgot about this. It arrived just this morning.” Kramer opened a drawer and pulled out a thin package with ‘Top Priority’ stamped in bold red letters. “This is for Squall and his team. You can give it to him, Zell, or Quistis, but remind them to watch it together. Rinoa is also invited to take part.”
Xu walked up to the desk and took the package. She looked at it gravely. “May I ask if it’s of military importance? A new enemy?”
Kramer laughed heartily at such a suggestion. “Thank goodness, no. For once, that’s not the reason why this express mail service has been used to deliver such a package. It’s from Irvine and Selphie.”
Xu smiled slightly and saluted the Headmaster. “I see, Sir. I’ll get right on it. Permission to leave, Sir.”
He waved his hand in a shooing motion. “Permission granted.”
She opened the door, turned around and faced her commanding officer. “Headmaster Cid, it’s going to be lunchtime soon. Please remember to eat something, Sir.”
“Don’t worry about me, Xu. I know better than to let my health slide. Thanks for your concern.”
She nodded and exited from the office.
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~Xu goes to the classroom Nida's supposed to be in, but instead finds disgruntled cadets and Zell (Zell was looking for Nida to ask what was wrong when he ran away the day before). Xu hands over the video to Zell and goes in search of Nida.
~Gary gives a photography class at 11:00am (He's a SeeD like Nida so he has to give of something) so Nida get's out of him room at 11:30am and heads for the showers.
~Xu goes to his dorm room after searching the cafeteria for him, but he has already left.
~Zell & Co. watch the video with mix feelings. Selphie and Irvine are in a beach town and partying after they finished whatever they had to do at their respective Gardens. They'll be at the Garden in two days for the ball.
~Xu finally catches up with Nida when he heads to the cafeteria because he hasn't eaten anything for a awhile. She tells him off about how irresponsible he is, missing classes, fighting with his students and Gary, and acting self-righteous. Nida only wants to eat and doesn't want to handle shit from yet another person he thought would be understanding. He verbally fights with Xu and runs off to the Quad encountering friends of the cadets he beat up in the hallway yesterday. ~_~
~After that Nida heads to his dorm room and finds Gary there. Gary listens to Nida and acts sorry for what he did saying he didn't tell anyone about what happened because it was his fault. He offers Nida a drink, and Nida takes it because he's tired of not trusting people and thinks that only one drink is harmless. The drink has a sedative in it that Gary got from Dr. Nadie (remember he offered antidepressants to Nida, so he has a lack control on giving drugs) Gary told the doctor that he had trouble sleeping, so the doc gave him those pills, but warned that alcohol mixed with the med caused rapid weakness and loss of judgement.
Then come sthe next chapter.
Hi, I’m not dead!
I had to stop writing because my classes are top-priority, so fic writing had to wait. Anyway this is the beginning of Chap 11. I have a writer’s block at the moment and need to re-read all the other chapters to recapture the flow and make sure I don’t contradict myself at some point. I never expected the fic to become so Nida-centric, so in the following chapters I’m going to balance it out, until I finally get it back to my original focus: SeiferxZell. I’m not gonna kill poor little Nida or use some plot device like that, but if you’ve noticed a pattern in how I treat him…well, you’ll see.
I promised to recommend this fanfic a long time ago. It’s called “Could I be you” by T-Bandit and you can find it at ff.net by looking for T-Bandit.
If you like SeiferxZell, you’ll LOVE this. Please review it.
I hope to finish this chapter in about a week. Please be patient with me.
This is a SeiferxZell yaoi (I’ll eventually get there.)and if you don’t like it don’t read it.
Disclaimer: I own my versions of the characters, but not the characters themselves. ~_~
“…”talking
~~~…~~~thoughts
{{{…}}}memories
Italics Zell’s self-preservation
A/N for August, 2004: The beginning of this chapter was written back in January of 2004, so you may notice a change in writing style (most likely for the better) during the middle of it. When I go back and read the first chapter, I cringe. Luckily I’ve gotten better at this writing business.
It’s been brought to my attention that sometimes it’s hard to know who’s saying what. I’ll do my best to fix this problem. Also, I’d like to say that this fic’s motto is “What can go wrong, will go wrong.” I’ll leave you with that. Now on with the fic:
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A buzzing alarm clock blinked 6:00am announcing the time to awaken and continue the day. Looking at it sideways, Nida debated between ignoring the constant annoying sound or throwing the clock against the wall and then stomping it into an unrecognizable pile of wires and plastic. He chose to turn it off. Normally, he would be up, heading towards the showers and then following his daily routine, but his life has been a little hectic lately so, what was the point of procedure anymore?
He turned slowly on his bed, careful not to rest his body weight on his left arm. It burned numbly all night with his sore knuckles and bruised back joining it in a chorus of discomfort. Outside his door, on top of the living room table, laid a briefcase with a bottle of painkillers tucked away in one of its pockets. In that same briefcase were also all of the engine design assignments that he was supposed to correct for today, so he could hand them back to his ungrateful students who never followed his lessons and treated him like a subordinate rather than a teacher. In another folder, right next to that one, contained the test results of the wannabe pilots after they went through a flight simulator and crashed hundreds of virtual Gardens into mountains and villages since they always believed they could handle it. He was supposed to have handed them out yesterday, but his little shouting match with a couple of students cut the class short.
All of that work, only a few feet away, waiting to be done last night was left on the table because it wasn’t worth the risk to open the door and see a couple of predatory eyes rake his body. The painkillers though, those wonderful little pills that made his throbbing limbs quiet down and made him feel a little lightheaded, he nearly dared to venture out to get them.
He didn’t go out for them though, not only because he feared he didn’t have the energy to fight Gary off him, but also for the reason that the dull pain reminded him of his past. A past in which, instead of his left arm, it was his right leg that ached constantly as it laid in a cast. He was given a potion, but back then they weren’t very effective so the pain was still there, lurking in the back of his senses.
“Before the orphanage with Xu… I saw an Esthar airship flying over our town before it all burned down. I never connected that beautiful ship with all the destruction around me. I fell in love with flying when I lost my home and family. How stupid I was.” Nida spoke in soft whispers; the silence in the room needed to be broken. “I became obsessed with flyers and planes and practiced for hours everyday making paper airplanes and then competed with the other kids. I always won because my planes were made with obsessive perfectionism so they always flew longer and farther.”
The pilot shifted his body again, trying to get more comfortable but the ache at the base of his spine, where the table dug into the day before, screamed no matter how he moved. “After a while, nobody wanted to play with me anymore. I won, they lost; they got bored of me. No…not bored; jealous, they were jealous, so they teased me and wouldn’t speak to me and acted as if I wasn’t there.” Nida slowly raised his voice, angry with himself for remembering all this. ~~~Why am I saying this out loud? Nobody’s going to hear it.~~~
{{{Sitting at the edge of the backyard with a notebook next to him, a young boy carefully flattened the edges of a square paper and then folded it into the shape of a plane. When a shadow loomed over him, he stopped his actions and hid his creation inside the notebook. He had already lost several good flyers to kids who stole them from him, or even worse, shredded it to bits in front of his eyes.
Without turning around he heard an unknown voice address him. “Hi” The owner of the voice sat in front of the Asian boy and gave a goofy grin. The new boy was taller and looked stronger than any of the bullies around the orphanage, so he must be the biggest bully ever.
“Leave me alone” Quickly standing up, the smaller of the two left without looking back. He only trusted an older girl from his village and this boy looked so strange with his dark skin and blacker eyes. Only the girl treated him nice, like an older sister, everyone else either ignored him or bullied him. That dark boy must want to do the same.}}}
“I was really, really dense. He might have been my friend if I wasn’t afraid of him for no good reason.” Nida’s thoughts skipped from one thing to another. Raijin sitting next to him during lunch; Raijin bringing a lizard inside the kitchen to show it to him; countless meaningless, regretful thoughts of how ignorant he was. “Stupid decisions. Why didn’t we become friends? I got my despicable nickname when he got tired of being ignored.”
{{{The dining room had two very long tables with enough room for about 30 kids. Nearly everyone was eating and playing around, except for a silver haired girl that everyone noticed but no one approached, and a quiet boy folding his napkin. The boy looked around for his only friend, Xu, but she was taken to see some official people after the grades from those smart tests came back. The old lady said that he was smart too, but still too young to go to that special school. Some of the bullies that like to fight with each other were also gone, but they weren’t smart like his friend. Those officials must have taken them to jail for being mean. Kids like them didn’t belong in a Garden. Gardens are nice places full of flowers.}}}
“HA!” Nida startled himself by how loud his single laugh sounded. ~~~I actually believed that crock of shit.~~~
{{{Surrounded by people but obviously alone, the boy was an easy target. He knew this from past experience so he kept his guard up. When that tall, dark boy stood next to him holding a plateful of food, he put away his napkin and played with his food waiting to see what would happen now.
“Ya never talk to me, ya know?” Raijin sat down and continued talking. “I never did nothin’ bad to ya and ya ignore me. I wanna know what I did wrong.”
“Go away.” The future pilot moved his fork around the cold mush that used to be steaming potatoes.
“Some kids told me your name was Nida. It sounds like Nada, ya know?” Also trailing his fork across the mashed potatoes, Raijin made crude drawings of a face. “Ya know what Nada means?”
Nida shook his head. On the outside he seemed uninterested, but the expectation of knowing something cool about himself made him perk his ears and pay more attention.
“It means nothing. Just like your stupid planes that only work once, you’re a useless nothing.” Raijin glared at his food as he spoke. Elevating his voice, the whole dinning room fell silent at the sound of the venom behind the words. “I don’t know why I wanted to be friends with Nada. Nada is a boring useless nothing that breaks easy, ya know?”
Hearing this, a large group of kids started laughing and called the quiet boy by his new nickname. Soon the entire room was filled with the chant. Nida, red-faced and clutching his fork, stood up and screamed. “Shut up! I’m not Nada. My planes aren’t stupid. I’m making one that will fly forever and can’t be ripped to pieces.”
This caused the children to jeer harder and they started to stand up to mock his stance. The dark boy sat still, playing with his food and occasionally taking a bite ignoring the chaos he caused.}}}
“He didn’t want to do that to me. If he did, he would have joined the fun.” Nida sighed and sat up. The clock blinked 7:34; he should have been dressed and ready to head to the cockpit. Instead he stretched his arms skyward and continued down memory lane. “I deserved it. I treated him like everyone else treated me. I was so stupid. After awhile my real name was forgotten, Xu was gone and I spent my days working on that damn toy. I found it in the trash and couldn’t be happier with that piece of junk. A double-winged, battery-powered, yellow-colored Tiny Bronco with remote control. It had the initials C.H. on the right wing and its name on the left. It was a quality toy, but it looked as if it was put through hell. Water damage, beaten up, missing parts and burnt circuits; I could tell it had some repairs done on it. I think C.H. loved that plane, but that he played rough or played with rough kids. It doesn’t matter, I was lucky to have it.”
{{{After the first Sorceress war, toys like that plane were impossible to find with the factories shut down. Most kids never saw a plane, be it a toy or the real thing. All that was left were books and pictures, and in his lonesome Nida read all he could sneak out of the public library whenever they made a field trip to town. After weeks of repairing, he was finally sure that Tiny Bronco would fly and he could show everyone that he wasn’t Nada and that his planes flew more than once. From his bedroom window he snuck up onto the roof and while looking down on all his peers, he shouted.
“RAIJIN, UP HERE!” When he saw that everyone gazed at him, including that dark boy, young Nida settled the plane down and turned it on. As it started to roll towards the edge, he pleaded under his breath. “…please work, please work, I’m not Nada, prove it, please work…”
He could hear the children screaming and cheering him on, as the matron hobbled on her walking stick to see what was going on. “Come down here, you’ll get hurt.” Her command was ignored as the boy concentrated on his timing.
At the right moment, he flicked a switch on the control that caused the Tiny Bronco to speed up and lift its nose. It’s motors buzzed louder and that sound was all that the young Asian boy could hear. The miniature plane went over the edge and for a moment it seemed to fall in an ungraceful heap until it picked up and soared above the astonished crowd. Gleeful, Nida admired the plane and remembered that he controlled that mechanical beauty. He leaned over the edge of the house and looked for the dark boy’s dumbstruck face, but couldn’t see him anywhere. “He ran away scared. I knew Raijin was a coward.”
From behind him he heard a grunt as a body pulled itself onto the roof. The plane’s pilot pivoted around to see the source of the grunt, taking his eyes away from the sky in the process. Surprised to see the boy he just called coward stand up only a few steps away, Nida backed off, unknowingly approaching the edge of the roof. Raijin kept his head down and could barely lift his gaze to look at Nida. When the taller boy spoke, a noticeable quiver was present in his words. “Be careful. It’s kind of high up here, ya know?”
Nida wasn’t afraid of heights. He actually loved them, but the dark boy’s knees shook as if willing their owner to kneel down and get closer to the ground. ~~~He’s afraid, but he still came up here.~~~ Nida shook these thoughts out of his head. Raijin’s a big bully that didn’t deserve pity. Nida had come up to the roof for a reason, one that he had to make clear. He’s voice carried the determination to prove his worth. “I told you I wasn’t Nada. I can fly that plane a gazillion times and it will always work.”
“Yeah, but your plane is going to crash.” Raijin took a tentative step forwards while pointing at the wildly arching yellow blur.
“What?! NO!” Nida twisted around and searched for his plane without realizing that he was stepping on thin air. As he fell down, he saw his toy crash on the hard pavement of the road that lead to Dollet; its wings snapping and bodice crumpling into a pile of useless plastic, wires and cheap metal. His obsession for the past weeks, his dream to prove his worth; so easily broken. ~~~It only flew once.~~~ His view shifted upwards as he struck the edge of the house’s ledge. He saw a shadow with the blazing midday sun behind it and knew it was the bully stretching out his hand. ~~~You distracted me so it would crash. It’s your fault.~~~ He could feel the wind rushing against his skin and his hair flapping in his face wiping the tears that he shed unknowingly. Before he heard the dull thud of hitting the ground, or the sharp crack as several bones snapped, he thought. ~~~Maybe I’ll only fly once, too.~~~}}}
“I lived to fly again, but it took me nearly a decade to do it. I’m not sure if surviving that fall was worth it. I don’t fly ships like Ragnarok or fly for fun…just work. I’m not allowed to fly the Garden if it isn’t official business, so a simulator is my only choice.” He glanced at the clock; it was 9:04am. His thoughts shifted from the past to the present. At 11, his roommate shouldn’t be anywhere near the dorms. ~~~Gary has to leave soon. He has to give his Photography class. Please, make him go to his class.~~~ The pilot laid on the bed, feeling miserable. “Leave me alone. Go away and leave me alone.”
Outside the door, silently crouched, was a well-prepared SeeD Surveillance Specialist who had listened to the entire monologue. Gary spoke in a barely audible voice. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll let you rest. Poor thing, you’ve never been loved. I’ll change that today, I promise.” He kissed the door, his lips no longer swollen and completely healed. Carefully, he removed his personal espionage equipment in perfect silence.
SeeD spies were treated nicely at Balamb Garden, so everything he needed to keep tabs on his lonely pilot was readily available. He returned to his own room, which was filled with cameras, camcorders, ear-pieces, recorders, and an assortment of other gear for his trade. Most of the tools were like children’s toys compared to the actual equipment that Garden provided for active spies, but they were good enough for his purposes. Besides, with a cover like photography and surveillance he couldn’t be carrying around anything too high-tech. Once inside his room, he went to bedside table to pick up a bottle with three little pills in it. He shook it and enjoyed the rattle it made. “Soon, baby, I’ll make you want to fly again.”
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The office is dark and foreboding. Its once homely appeal lost, as its resident aura is absorbed into the walls. There’s some unknown classical music playing softly in the background, but it’s not enough to dispel the unnerving feel of the room. Sitting at his desk, where papers are stacked immaculately and not a particle of dust can be seen, the Headmaster leans toward a screen through which he converses with the acclaimed Dr. Odine of Esthar.
Dressed in his odd garments and with the peculiar accent, one could hardly take this man seriously at first, but one look into the scientist’s eyes and you could see the intelligence trapped in them. “Your vife iz progressing nicely und vill be zane enough for ze gala you have planned.”
Kramer’s face tightened into a scowl. “I don’t appreciate you implying that my dear Edea is insane. She is simply traumatized and you are treating her for that. Do I make myself clear, doctor?”
“Of course, of course. Veing possessed by zuch a poverful Sorceress az Ultimecia has only distressed your vife. Her mental structurez have not collapsed after veing released from complete enslavement, once Ultimecia was utterly destroyed.” Odine’s smile was one of condescending superiority, like that of a man who feels untouchable because he is irreplaceable. “I am injecting her hourly vith Esto-no-existe and ze improvement iz miraculouz. Speak to her yourself.” Nodding to someone off-screen, the good doctor moves to the side, leaving the front of the monitor free.
Soon taking his place, a muscular aide wheels the former Matron until she can be viewed on screen. Even though she sat on a wheelchair, a plain white gown and had a medical bracelet on her right wrist, she still exuded a maternal glow and seemed prepared to read a story book to eager children. Kramer gazed upon her with a mix of affection and sadness. For so many years has that motherly radiance been smothered by the cruelty of that hateful woman who wished to obtain ultimate power. He has longed to hold his wife and protect her during all this time, yet he knew that it was outside of his capabilities. Now, with danger averted and peace returned, he could not bear to lose her again when she was so close to his reach. He grazed his fingers on the screen, following the silhouette of her face. “Edea, sweet Edea. How are you feeling? Are they treating you well?”
At the sound of his soft voice, her eyes focused and a gentle smile lighted her face. He wanted to reach through the screen and hug her with the ferocity of his love and shower that beautiful face with tender kisses. “Cid, how nice to see you. I wish you were here. Esthar is such a lovely country; you would not believe the marvels that I’ve seen. I’d trade them all for a quiet evening with you, though. I miss you.”
“I miss you, as well.” His voice cracked at the end, emotion threatening to pour out of his eyes. ~~~ She’s well. She recognized me. Odine may be a pompous know-it-all, but by Hyne, he’s restored my dear Edea.~~~ He felt a tear streak down his left cheek, but did nothing to wipe it away. To cry out of happiness was nothing to be ashamed of.
“Now, now Cid. We’ll see each other soon enough. The doctor says I’m a wonderful patient and that as long as I follow his instructions, I’ll be fine.” Her silky raven hair framed her face and accentuated the creamy whiteness of her skin. She looked so radiant, so healthy. Kramer dared to hope that everything would be alright.
“Oh, Cid. I must tell you of these wonderful children I met. One is a unique looking boy, with silver hair and golden eyes; he speaks in the most adorable rhymes. His playmate is this sweet little girl with the blackest hair I’ve ever seen, completely lovable, except that when she speaks I feel…well…I” The color drained from her face, her breaths became short and shallow. She clutched the front of her gown, tightening her grip to the point of ripping the fabric. The aide quickly rushed to her and tried to loosen her hold, which she reacted with flailing her limbs and kicking him away. The momentum of the kick tilted the wheelchair, so she fell with it. Once on the floor, she quickly tried to crawl away but was prevented as the aide grabbed her ankle. She began to stomp her foot against his face, bloodying his nose, but still he held on and seized the attacking leg.
Watching the entire event, thousands of miles away, Kramer leapt up to his feet, his chair clattering loudly behind him. He clutched the screen and shouted heatedly. “Edea, Edea, what’s wrong? Let her go! If she has so much as a scratch, I’ll have your entire family skinned alive.” The scientist and two other heavy-set aides entered the screen. The aides work together to restrain her, the injured one gripping her legs and the others holding her arms, yet still she trashes her head back and forth. Unable to free herself, she starts to speak in an archaic language which causes a bluish light to appear between her breasts. She arches her back and screams agonizingly, as her eyes roll back and her body goes limp.
“Curse you, Odine. What have you done to my wife? I swear on my life that I will hunt you down and rip the life out of you with my bare hands.” Standing in his office, with the blood rushing through his ears, his fists tightened into impenetrable balls and part of his soul withering at the sight of his love’s pain, Kramer has never felt so useless in his life. Through the screen he can see the doctor prepare an injection, now that the fight has left his wife’s body. Through the rip in her gown, he can see a metallic device nestled between her generous mounds.
“No need for the melodrama und zavage threats. Ve are civilized men. Your vife iz not completely well yet. Dis vas a minor setback, but vith treatment she vill be fine.” With much dexterity and experience, he injects her in the back of the neck. Her eyes flutter and a soft moan exits from her slack lips. “Your vife only suffers, because she cannot control herself. Paranoia fills her thoughts, hysterical for no reason.” Odine reached between her breasts and taps the artifact there. Kramer grits his teeth to keep from shouting. “Dis iz vat hurts her, but it iz necessary. An improved version of my bracelet, it keeps her from using magic, protecting herself und innocent people.”
“That is no excuse. You will not harm my wife.” Attempting to corral his fury, Kramer took deep breaths. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the help of the only known specialist in Sorceresses. If there was anyone else with even a fraction of Odine’s knowledge, then the Headmaster would have employed them in a heartbeat. “I understand that certain measures must be taken to ensure the safety of the populace. Trust me, I understand that more than you can possibly know, but I will not tolerate unnecessary anguish for my wife. She has carried a heavy burden that has stolen many years from her. If you even think of adding more to it, I’ll rid you of your cognitive abilities.”
“Do not vorry. All I do iz for her own good.” An aide straightened out the wheelchair, while a second one placed the lifeless body into it. The third one was gently covering his nose, stopping more blood from dripping unto the floor. Odine chuckled softly and an amused glint danced across his eyes. “You are her Knight, after all. I should expect your rash temperament. She vill be vell und in your care zoon. But you must remember, over at Garden, everything must be controlled and in order. Chaos vill only confuse her.”
“I already know that and I’m doing everything in my power to make her feel welcomed when she returns.” Cid watched as Edea was wheeled out of the room, her body lax and her face haunted. “Mark my words, Odine. I am not a man to be taken lightly. You have been warned.” He clicked off the screen before the doctor could respond and took in a shuddering breath.
The chair put back in its place, the melodious tunes of a piano solo playing in the background, the somber lighting in the office; tranquility, order, calm. Kramer placed his elbows on the surface of his desk, grasped one hand in the other and leaned his forehead against them. His mind was a storm of anger and worry, he knew that he was teetering on a fine line, may have even crossed it when he struck the pilot. Yesterday, he had spoken with Dr. Kadowaki after lunch. She said she was in a hurry to meet the Squall and the others, but Kramer couldn’t let it wait. When he blurted out that he slapped a SeeD when he lost his temper, she asked who it was. The revelation that it was Nida made her frown momentarily, but it was not caught by the Headmaster.
He wanted her professional opinion. After all those years of keeping an amiable relationship with all of the SeeD’s and the Garden’s cadets, his behavior has taken a turn for the worst. He asked whether it had to do with the fact that now there was no enemy to direct his negative energies towards and it fell upon those closest to him; or could it be that after being reunited with his darling Edea, only to have her fall victim to mental illness when the world should have an happy ending, has embittered him so much. Was it the arrogance of the doctor and Kramer’s inability to do anything about it, which led him down a darker path? Or is the pilot to blame, acting as irreplaceable as Odine, shirking his responsibilities, fighting with Cadets creating chaos, inciting Kramer to act when he uses Seifer as a defense and speaks ill about a comrade?
Kadowaki advised him that the stress of running Balamb Garden with refugees from Trabia, claims of justice from civilians who lost family and friends, as well as everything he has mentioned before are what have shortened his fuse. Nida had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and shouldn’t have all of Kramer’s rage poured on him. It was a mistake to strike him, so Kramer should speak with the pilot as soon as possible and clarify that. Then she gave him tips for relaxation, on how to tame his anger and that later on the Headmaster should meet up with her, so they could discuss more thoroughly everything that has been on his mind. Grateful for her understanding and assured that everything they converse about will be kept silent, he felt a pang of guilt for not following her advice sooner. She always had some reservations about Dr. Odine’s treatments for the human psyche as they relied heavily on chemical and magical manipulation of the patient, while she, on the other hand preferred counseling and had a minimalist view on using spells and drugs to change and repair the structure of the mind. Kramer had thought that the female doctor was incapable of handling the complexity of a sorceress’s mind and that Odine’s work showed a lot more promise, now he regrets his decision.
~~~What’s past is past. If my wife does not recuperate via Odine’s techniques, then I will transfer her to Kadowaki and hope that no more damage has been brought upon her.~~~ He sighed heavily and turned on a desk lamp. Cid reviewed a report that Dr. Nadie had sent up to his office last afternoon. It stated that the SeeD Gary Lou had come to the infirmary with a split lip and two chipped front teeth. Everything was repaired and as good as new, but Dr. Nadie was suspicious when Gary’s excuse couldn’t hold water, so he sent his misgivings to the Headmaster, just in case. ~~~It must have been the pilot, his roommate. The lad doesn’t hide how much he dislikes Gary and has had a violent streak lately.~~~
He thought about ordering Nida up to his office using the comm. system, but decided against it. After what happened the last time, the pilot might view such an action as threatening. Now that Kramer has taken into account the fault in his behavior, he wants to make up for it. He paged the only person he could think of, that knew Nida well enough to request his presence in the office without being intimidating. “Commander Xu, please come up to my office. I have a task for you.”
Soon after, the door opens and a serious looking woman walks in. She stands in front of Kramer’s desk and salutes properly. “Commander Xu, reporting, Sir.” She was definitely a military woman and has raced through the ranks thanks to her dedication to her duties and incorruptible work ethic.
“No need for so such formalities, Xu. We have worked together for years.” He smiled; glad to have such reliable help. “You know the pilot, Nida, I need you to fetch him for me. I want to speak with him in private.”
She nodded. “Can do, Sir. I’ll get right on it. Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”
“Now that you mention it, yes. I nearly forgot about this. It arrived just this morning.” Kramer opened a drawer and pulled out a thin package with ‘Top Priority’ stamped in bold red letters. “This is for Squall and his team. You can give it to him, Zell, or Quistis, but remind them to watch it together. Rinoa is also invited to take part.”
Xu walked up to the desk and took the package. She looked at it gravely. “May I ask if it’s of military importance? A new enemy?”
Kramer laughed heartily at such a suggestion. “Thank goodness, no. For once, that’s not the reason why this express mail service has been used to deliver such a package. It’s from Irvine and Selphie.”
Xu smiled slightly and saluted the Headmaster. “I see, Sir. I’ll get right on it. Permission to leave, Sir.”
He waved his hand in a shooing motion. “Permission granted.”
She opened the door, turned around and faced her commanding officer. “Headmaster Cid, it’s going to be lunchtime soon. Please remember to eat something, Sir.”
“Don’t worry about me, Xu. I know better than to let my health slide. Thanks for your concern.”
She nodded and exited from the office.
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~Xu goes to the classroom Nida's supposed to be in, but instead finds disgruntled cadets and Zell (Zell was looking for Nida to ask what was wrong when he ran away the day before). Xu hands over the video to Zell and goes in search of Nida.
~Gary gives a photography class at 11:00am (He's a SeeD like Nida so he has to give of something) so Nida get's out of him room at 11:30am and heads for the showers.
~Xu goes to his dorm room after searching the cafeteria for him, but he has already left.
~Zell & Co. watch the video with mix feelings. Selphie and Irvine are in a beach town and partying after they finished whatever they had to do at their respective Gardens. They'll be at the Garden in two days for the ball.
~Xu finally catches up with Nida when he heads to the cafeteria because he hasn't eaten anything for a awhile. She tells him off about how irresponsible he is, missing classes, fighting with his students and Gary, and acting self-righteous. Nida only wants to eat and doesn't want to handle shit from yet another person he thought would be understanding. He verbally fights with Xu and runs off to the Quad encountering friends of the cadets he beat up in the hallway yesterday. ~_~
~After that Nida heads to his dorm room and finds Gary there. Gary listens to Nida and acts sorry for what he did saying he didn't tell anyone about what happened because it was his fault. He offers Nida a drink, and Nida takes it because he's tired of not trusting people and thinks that only one drink is harmless. The drink has a sedative in it that Gary got from Dr. Nadie (remember he offered antidepressants to Nida, so he has a lack control on giving drugs) Gary told the doctor that he had trouble sleeping, so the doc gave him those pills, but warned that alcohol mixed with the med caused rapid weakness and loss of judgement.
Then come sthe next chapter.
Hi, I’m not dead!
I had to stop writing because my classes are top-priority, so fic writing had to wait. Anyway this is the beginning of Chap 11. I have a writer’s block at the moment and need to re-read all the other chapters to recapture the flow and make sure I don’t contradict myself at some point. I never expected the fic to become so Nida-centric, so in the following chapters I’m going to balance it out, until I finally get it back to my original focus: SeiferxZell. I’m not gonna kill poor little Nida or use some plot device like that, but if you’ve noticed a pattern in how I treat him…well, you’ll see.
I promised to recommend this fanfic a long time ago. It’s called “Could I be you” by T-Bandit and you can find it at ff.net by looking for T-Bandit.
If you like SeiferxZell, you’ll LOVE this. Please review it.
I hope to finish this chapter in about a week. Please be patient with me.