Lina spotted Rikku charging towards her long before she'd realized why, and finally, when Rikku approached, Rikku made her request out loud over a group of chattering students.
"You want us to sing WHAT?!" Lina was incredulous. Dirrty by Christina Aguilera wasn't just a song you could stand and sing to--dancing was obviously involved, and not just any type of dancing: the type that could change perspectives. Lina wasn't so sure about it, but went to okay it with the others. Dan frowned at the idea, but Seifer smirked, and Lina, well... she'd already thrown caution to the wind; plus, as long as her memory did not fail her, these dance moves were not foreign to her.
"YOU OWE ME!" she heard Rikku yell from the side of the stage. The band exchanged disgruntled glances, but nodded and slipped the instrumental track in the stereo. They gave a very impromptu performance of the track. Lina had no clue what she was doing and how well she was doing it, but she felt the beat of the song course through her body as she belted the lyrics with Karen, and like fluid, she danced in a manner that exposed a more intimate side of her publicly. Her careful but sharp movements emphasized her curves and suggested sexual themes. Meanwhile, everyone watching who had even the tiniest inkling of what kind of person Lina was, was horrified. Shattering images meant nothing to her. She felt the music pulsing through her, and that's all that matter.
In class the next day, Lina found the students all crowded around her desk and abuzz with questions about her performance the night before. She struggled with some answers, really, the attention was a bit suffocation and she could see it was the same for Dan and Karen in the other separate corners of the room.
"What was it like on stage, Instructor?" Kati, a usually quiet student hurriedly asked her. "What did it feel like?"
"Um, well... it was an adrenaline rush for sure," Lina responded, timidly pulling her arms to her side and shrinking mentally. Zell stood to the side of the classroom, watching her. She shivered inside, feeling his coarse gaze follow her in every movement she made. Why didn't he say something? He was making her so nervous her insides felt shaky just sitting there subject to his glare.
"Where did you learn to dance like that?" someone else asked, and the question gave Lina a little more confidence because it directed things away from last night.
"Irvine Kinneas! He teaches well, but if he hits on you, don't blame me," Lina laughed. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Zell who quickly, and quite obviously averted his eyes. Lina turned her attention back to the questions, but occasionally caught Zell glancing back very curtly, then away again. She finally realized what had upset him so: the necklace. She'd taken it off, then she'd expose a more sexual, mature side of herself to the entire student body and faculty--a side even he had never seen before. Had she never felt the need to be sexy around him? Why did she not bother?
His thoughts were interrupted.
A loud rumble like lightning striking the earth sounded from the front gate. Garden shook, the students were caught off guard and struggled to keep their balance. Lina jumped to her feet and headed for the door. Just in time too, for the intercom sounded with Squall's urgent voice, "ALPHA TEAM FRONT GATE NOW." Lina dashed out the door, knowing that at least Zell would follow. Her heart beat hard in her throat, what was going on?
Lina was third at the gate behind Squall and Rinoa. She stopped dead in her tracks: not just one sorceress with deadly powers...no, no... two. One wore red, the other blue, but they looked nearly identical: both brunette, both small, and both zapping bolts of purple sparks at their targets. So far they'd missed all their shots, but Lina noticed, every bit of concrete their aims hit boiled to a nasty brown puddle.
"Squall! What's going on!?" Lina asked, avoiding a poorly aimed shot at her head. Zell, Irvine, and Selphie had appeared on scene just as horrified. Lina watched the Alpha Team take action. Irvine tipped his hat and pulled out his Exeter, Selphie sprung forth with her nunchucku, Rinoa charged to a safe distance to blast her enemies and Squall joined her for protection, Lionheart out and ready. Zell charged forward, fists bared and Lina joined him to Duel. When Quistis arrived with Seifer they saw the Alpha Team at its fullest, battling the twin enemies.
"LAY LOW, LINA!" Squall yelled in her direction amidst battle, but the noise only caught Lina completely off guard. She jolted her head in his direction to hear clearly what he had said; things were starting to get messy and she wanted to yell back, but as soon as she hesitated, the one in red snatched her up by the neck. Lina screamed, struggling against her grasp.
She saw the purple blast resonate all through her skin, and the triumph sparkle in the sorceress's eyes. Some mechanism sparked Lina to take subconscious action. Her outline flashed through her body and sorceress was immediately flung back in horror: what danger had she tampered with? Lina was thrown onto the ground, back knocking against the wall. Her body jerked once and a white light emitted fiercely flashed out perpetually across the scene.
The others were blinded, but she couldn't control it. Every nerve in her body was burning; her senses screaming. Poison. The purple was tearing at her soul, she could feel it biting. And the light, a response. And the pain, inevitable. She screamed as it bit deeper into her being. The sorceresses smirked in triumph, but let down their guards long enough for Squall to stab his Lionheart good and clear through their chests, one at a time. They shriveled and fell.
"Lina!"
"Lina!"
They called, and she just screamed. The pain was numbing and the light blinding. The poison sunk its steel jaws deeper into her; she cried, hot tears streaking from her eyes. A stream of light shot from the sky and immersed her body. Everyone was frightened, especially Zell. He ran to her, getting close enough to see her through the light and hold onto her fingers. Her eyes were tear streaked, her body was shaking. He shut his eyes, endured the light and coiled himself tightly around her.
Lina felt the pain lessen, just a bit, and the stream of light disappeared. She could see again, all of them could. And there was Rinoa and Squall, lightly holding on to each other, looking in Lina's direction. And there was Irvine and Selphie almost in tears, horrified. And there was Zell, right on top of her, holding her shaking limbs tightly. The pain shot back through her insides again and she struggled to stifle her cry--it was useless.
Was this the end?
Her senses were screaming. The silence amongst them was deafening. Some one say something! Anything! Please! Was this it? Was this how the great Lina Heartilly--Lutrisius--would die? Would the world be doomed after this? She had failed. She could see it in Squall's pale visage--it must be so. She had failed. No amount of training could have prepared her for this. She had failed.
Lina had accepted it. Her heart had accepted it. She was waiting now; they all were, for the end to come. Zell was in tears; he wouldn't admit it, but she knew. No one said anything and the fear consumed them all. It consumed Zell in his tightening grasp. It consumed Squall in his horror-stricken eyes. It consumed Lina in her softening limbs.
"GET OFF!" she suddenly heard and felt Zell struggling to stay close to her. "CHICKEN-WUSS, FUCKING GET OFF!" Seifer. Why? What did he want? Last words? To settle some score? She felt Seifer fling Zell off and Seifer suddenly take his place next to her.
"What are you... why...?" she breathed in a thin gasp, the pain had returned; the light starting to trickle through again. The poison had found her heart, she could feel its iron jaws destroying her rapidly.
"SHUT UP!" Seifer commanded, and without warning, kissed her--or so it seemed.
He pressed his lips against hers, and though it appeared to be an out of place kiss, it most definitely was not. Lina felt eh fire in her bones, the poison stop dead in its tracks as soon as the "kiss" ensued. The others were horrified, Zell especially, but he'd seen the light fade, and he hesitated to beat the shit out of Almasy. At least not right now. But god damn. Seifer, the fucking bastard. Had the guts to kiss Lina right in front of him. He burned with rage and fear and urgency.
Seifer pressed his mouth deeper against hers and the poison began to shrivel and die. She felt warmth smother her insides, consume her entire self. What was happening? The warmth revived her, took back the pain and suddenly she'd never felt more comfortable--she might've even kissed him back a bit... but only as reaction, she swore!
Finally, he pushed away from her and gasped for air. Zell was mortified, his face pale white. He didn't know how to act. Lina bent down on her knees and pressed her palms against her thighs. Did that just happen? She looked up weakly at her savior--he looked pale.
"This isn't how you die," he said in between deep breaths, a pained expression on his face. The others exchanged nervous glares, they weren't sure what to do. Zell felt every once of life in him scream for him to embrace Lina, then to destroy Almasy, but his body hesitated. Lina, anyway, jumped forward to Seifer and wrapped her arms around him. Seifer was weak now, he said very softly, "I can't be your Knight, Lina, unless you will it. But I am on your side."
Lina stood up and shook her head, gazing down upon him with the greatest admiration. "No one deserves to be my Knight, Seifer and you know it. But thank you; I owe you my life more than I owe it to anyone else," she said. Seifer quickly composed himself and stood to his feet.
"We're even now," he said, taking a steady breath. "but if I didn't know any better, I'd say you kind of enjoyed that." Lina smirked, but shook her head. Then he turned from the scene and sauntered away, slicking a hand through his hair as he walked. Lina looked at him leave and couldn't decipher the feeling she felt towards him: Veneration? Love? Duty? She watched him leave, then turned back to the others. She didn't know what to say.
They wanted to know how he did it. They wanted to know exactly what happened. Lina had no right to explain, but she'd seen it, the little sky blue glowing sphere linger in her eyes during their kiss. There are more Receivers of Powers than just one. Seifer was one of them. And his kisses were healing.
Lina took one more look at Seifer walking away. She recalled him that one night, after she'd been tortured, after she'd been possessed and repossessed time and time again during their time compression. She felt the shocks of electricity shoot through every nerve, the chains grind through the skin on her wrists. She remembered Seifer's glare as he abused her, and she remembered her rebellious nature, spitting at him in the face. Seifer had been outraged. He picked up the closest long object could find: the candle stick on the table. He'd knocked her in the head to try and silence her. He didn't know she wouldn't remember anything after that.
"Tomorrow morning, Squall," Lina said, trying to change the subject. "Don't forget." Squall nodded.
"Now get back to class," he said. Lina looked carefully at him, then nodded. She turned in the direction of the classroom and walked off, leaving the rest of them to disperse. Zell quickly caught up with her.
"Lina..." he started.
"Seifer owed me," Lina said. She kept walking.
"Lina!" he jumped in front of her and stopped her in her tracks. He looked at her with those stern misty blue eyes she was so in love with. "The hell, man? Why don't you talk to me? Just because we broke up means you can't talk to me? I want to know what's going on." Lina could feel the coldness in her melting just through his gaze. He was genuinely concerned. Lina didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry," she said, and Zell felt relieved. He assumed she would give way, but to his surprise, she shook him off her shoulders and stepped away. "I can't talk about anything. Not yet. Not even with you. I'm sorry."
With that, she walked away.