"He is the last one. . .?"

The clock tolled twelve times, signifying midnight.

"Yes, he is."

Seifer Almasy mumbled something obscene under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fujin, what's taking so long?" he demanded, looking irritably at the silver-haired girl standing in front of the counter.

"An impatient fellow."

Fujin turned and looked at him with one red eye, the other lost to a black eyepatch. "GIL, INSUFFICIENT," she intoned, shaking her head sadly. They, the former Disciplinary Committee of Balamb Garden, were trying to buy their way into the only hotel in Balamb.

"How much could it possibly cost for one night's stay?" the eighteen-year old growled, running a hand through his short blond hair crossly. He hated not having a permanent place to stay, like his dorm room back at the Garden. But this was the way he and his posse had been forced to live for the last week and a half, wandering in and out of Balamb City every few days.

"A LOT," was the girl's reply. She pointed at the clock, which hung behind the yawning hotel manager at the counter. "MIDNIGHT. AFTER HOURS."

"After hours?!" Seifer repeated. "It's a damn hotel, for crying outloud!!"

"Very poetic young man, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't judge him now if I were you. You chose the despot first."

"At least he is stronger mentally than this worthless puppet you chose. He succumbed to a sorceress' power. Pathetic."

"Hey, I've got the gil, ya know?!" called the dark-skinned young man known as Raijin. He came running in, carrying a pouch filled with gil. "I sold those Elixirs like you told me to, ya know?"

"IDIOT!" Fujin bellowed, snatching the pouch from the taller teenager and promptly kicking him in the shin. "PHOENIX DOWNS. NOT ELIXIRS."

"Owwww. . .!" Raijin whimpered and hopped up and down on one foot, holding his injured shin. "Ya don't have to kick so hard, Fujin!"

Seifer sighed and buried his face in his gloved hands. "It's too late for this," he moaned. "Just hurry up and pay the guy."

"Lively bunch, aren't they?"

"Indeed. It's almost a shame we have to split them apart."

"Almost."

A pair of eyes averted upwards to see two people coming towards him. ". . . So, you've found the final one?"

One of the two approaching people nodded. "Yes. Seifer Almasy is mine."

"Good. I've been waiting for you two to finish finding him."

The third chuckled darkly. "But it's all worth it in the end, isn't it?"

The other two nodded, and the third's chuckles grew in volume.

"Let it begin."

Why, in Hyne's name, did his head hurt? He was supposed to be asleep, damn it! But the pain in his skull kept him from lulling back into a fitful slumber, and he was forced to hear the voices beyond the darkness.

"He's waking up?" The voice came from a man -- a young man, but one older than him. It wasn't Raijin, definitely, and Fujin was incapable of impersonating a man's voice. At least, to his knowledge.

"His eyes are twitching." A younger voice now -- again male. "That's a better sign than him just laying there."

There was a snort from the other person. "I bet he's awake. He's just laying there like an idiot would." The sound of a person shifting positions could be heard, and then, "Hey! Are you awake in there?" The words were being shouted right into his ear.

He opened his eyes and shot straight into a sitting position, having been laying on his back. He didn't allow his gaze to remain on any one thing, taking in the scenery, lighting, and other things of interest. Then, he spoke -- demanded, actually. "Where the hell am I?"

The person in his immediate line of vision, a blond-haired boy wearing red leather armor, blinked his blue eyes in surprise. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting such an immediate response to his partner's actions. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

It was the second person that spoke, sitting up and snorting once again. He was garbed in a suit and trenchcoat that were white in color, along with a black turtleneck. "Quick questioner, aren't you?" he said, studying him intently with blue eyes that shimmered far more than the younger boy's.

Seifer Almasy frowned dangerously, narrowing his own blue eyes on the older man. The man looked a lot like him, despite his wanting to deny it. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded angrily, starting to get to his feet. Where were Raijin and Fujin?! What had happened? Why wasn't he in the hotel?

The man gave him a matching frown, grabbing hold of his arm and dragging him back down. "Stop with the attitude," he ordered, "or you'll never get answers." Grinding his teeth together, the ex-sorceress' knight sat down again between the two other blondes. The older blonde flicked a few strands of hair from his line of vision and let out a small sigh. "In reply to your second question, I'm Rufus Shinra." He pointed at the younger boy. "He's Algus Sadalfas. Who are you?"

Seifer was silent for a long moment before he finally spoke. "Seifer," he began. "Seifer Almasy."

Rufus nodded slowly, allowing the name to settle before speaking. "Well, Seifer, regarding your first question, we don't know where we are." He gestured to their surroundings, which consisted of a long corridor lined with lit torches. The tiled floor and walls of the hallway were black in color and made of marble.

"What kind of dream is this?" Seifer growled, seething. He jumped to his feet and glared down at the two. "Is this some sort of side effect from Ultimecia's influence!?"

Rufus and Algus glanced at each other in confusion. "Ultimecia?" repeated Rufus, getting to his feet as well. He stood only an inch shorter than Seifer. "I can assure you that this is no dream. But . . . who, or what, is Ultimecia?"

"A sorceress," came his answer. "A being that can use magic without a GF."

"GF?"

"Guardian Force. A Guardian Force." Where did these two come from? Everyone, Garden and non-Garden citizens alike, knew about GFs.

The newly-awakened boy was clearly irritated, so Rufus decided not to question what a Guardian Force was. He had a sneaking suspicion, however, that it was similar to his materia in the sense that it was magical. . . A being that could use magic without some sort of magical device? Impossible! ". . . Well, don't think you're hallucinating," he said, gesturing Algus to stand up as well. "We shouldn't stay in here very long. This hallway is probably a lot longer than I'm guessing." He began to walk down the hall, Algus following quietly.

". . . Why should I follow you?" Seifer demanded, distrust still lingering in his eyes. He stood his ground and frowned after them.

Rufus stopped and turned his head back to him, leveling his gaze with Seifer's. "Do you really have choice, Mr. Almasy?" he queried, his voice having adopted a cold tone. He paused, then began walking again.

Seifer allowed his left hand to curl into a fist as he started after the two.

"How are the three doing?"

"Fine. They're still walking."

"Good. I'll take care of Almasy right now."

The second speaker arched a brow. "Really? You're going to kill him as he sleeps?"

Laughter. Cold, mirthless laughter. "Of course not. Where's the fun in that?"

". . . . Hmph. You have a strange definition for fun as it is." A hand moved up to flick hair from his line of vision.

"I know I do."

"I'm getting tired."

Rufus looked back at the youngest member of their trio, then at Seifer, who favored trailing behind them slightly. "Do you mind if we stop and rest?" he questioned. "Algus and I have been walking far longer than you, so. . ."

Seifer shook his head to stop the older man. "I'm tired myself," he admitted.

The three stopped in the middle of the narrow black hallway, Algus and Seifer both sinking to the ground and sitting with their backs against the wall. Rufus remained standing in some silent act of playing guard duty, although he looked tired as well. Algus had curled his legs up to his chest and was resting his head on his knees, eyes shut to the world around him.

Seifer was tempted to follow Algus' example, but kept his legs stretched in front of him. His mind wandered along with his eyes, which searched the dark corridor for some sort of change to the monotony. Finding nothing to focus his attention on, Seifer shut his own eyes and allowed himself to think about what he had left behind. The only thing he truly regretted was leaving his posse, Fujin and Raijin. They would be so confused as to what had happened to him. . .

With that last thought in mind, Seifer Almasy found himself drifting into sleep.

He awoke with a start, shooting straight up in bed. His eyes moved wildly, taking in all of his surroundings. Moonlight spilled in from a sliding door that led to a balcony, allowing him to identify a table, chairs, and a dresser. To his right, he found a nightstand holding a clock on it. It read 2:17 A.M. Snapping his head to his left, he could see two other beds, both occupied by sleepers that hadn't been disturbed by his abrupt awakening. Fujin and Raijin.

". . . The hell. . .?" Seifer murmured, running his hands down his face. What had happened? One moment, he was falling asleep in the hallway with Rufus and Algus, and the next. . . "What's going on?"

"Heh. . ."

". . . Huh?" The young man could have sworn he had heard a voice.

"If only you knew."

Seifer's green-gray eyes found the outline of a person standing at the room's entrance, shrouded in darkness. He slowly rose out of bed, glaring at the form. "Who're you?" he hissed, barely noting he was only clad in his black pants. His vest and trenchcoat, along with his gloves, shoes, and gunblade, were on the table.

He could almost see the smirk on the person's face. "You'll find out soon enough. I'll be waiting outside, Almasy." With that, the figure chuckled darkly and fled.

"Damn. . ." He thought of chasing after the mysterious intruder right then, but thought better of it; he doubted the person would leave after stating they would wait. Quickly dressing and sheathing Hyperion, he took off into the darkness . . . not once thinking of his posse, still asleep in the hotel room.