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Nothing about this was right.
Every time she saw Seifer now, Rinoa struggled to find hints of the boy she’d once known. Gone was the roguish smile and charming demeanor, replacement by feral eyes and erratic movements. His beloved coat was torn, dirty, and tattered. A five o’clock shadow, patchy and overgrown, covered his jawline; his hair looked as though it hadn’t been combed in days. Only Hyperion, his gunblade, shined in Lunatic Pandora’s overhead lights.
Now Seifer dragged Rinoa down the hallway, ignoring her screams. Her boots clanged against the metal floors, her fingers digging into his arm.
Magic, something inside her whispered. You carry the power of a sorceress. You can stop him any time you want.
But the power within her could destroy him. This man wasn’t the Seifer she knew. Her Seifer was brash, yes, and impulsive.
He wasn’t a criminal.
He wasn’t evil.
“Where are you taking me?” Rinoa demanded.
Seifer didn’t answer. He opened a door and yanked her across the threshold. At the end of the long room, a bright light pulsed, hurting Rinoa’s eyes. At the center of the light, a woman was held captive.
No, not just a woman: a sorceress. Adel. The one Rinoa accidentally freed from her space prison.
“Seifer!” Rinoa tried again. “Stop it! Haven’t you done enough?” A tear streaked down her cheek. “I know you’re not like that!”
Once upon a time, he’d taken her to a bar in Timber, watched the trains come and go, listened to her talk about the Timber Owls and her hopes for the resistance. He offered strategies to try and promised he’d come back and help them win their freedom from the Galbadian military.
If she could get through to that Seifer — if she could convince him to join her, to turn against Adel and Ultimecia — maybe they’d stand a chance.
“Can’t go back now! I can’t go anywhere!” Anguish flooded Seifer’s voice. He squeezed his eyes shut. “The sorceresses as one! That is Ultimecia’s wish!”
Rinoa stopped struggling and reached out to cup his cheek. Blue eyes met hers. Though he didn’t let her go, his hold slacked, just a little. It was enough to let her turn in his arms and press her mouth to his. A desperate kiss, echoing the ones they used to share on the bridge in Timber, overlooking the train station.
He tasted like stale beer, like he hadn’t brushed his teeth in a week, but Rinoa didn’t stop. She traced his lower lip with her tongue, silently begging him to let her in.
When he finally kissed her back, Rinoa melted with relief. She opened her eyes to find him watching her, a scared teenage boy in over his head. She stroked his cheek with her thumb. “Seifer,” she whispered. “It’s okay. Come home.”
At the word ‘home,’ the spell broke. Seifer shook his head, and the cold seeped back into his blue eyes. “It’s too late,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Rin.”
He grasped her shoulders and threw her at Adel’s feet as an offering.