by Sabaye Leyr
A/n: In an after thanksgiving christmas music fest on my local radio station, I heard this song, and thought it'd make a great fic. So here it is. ^ ^
~
Seifer Almasy shuffled around the grocery store,
a basket hung lazily over his arm as he looked through the foods.
Christmas music played over the intercom, and decorations were hung festively
around, but he barely noticed it.
He sighed, continuing his quest through the store,
picking up a head of lettuce and dropping it into the basket.
He missed them. He hated to admit it, but
Seifer Almasy missed Squall and Rinoa Leonhart, Irvine and Selphie Kinneas,
and even the chickenwuss Zell Dincht. And Quistis, he missed her too.
It really wasn't fair what had happened, he'd finally
found a place for him to belong. An attack on Garden scattered Balamb
Garden's inhabitants. Seifer didn't even know who was dead, who was
alive. He'd been off on a SeeD Mission, and he'd never returned home.
Grabbing an apple, he angrily threw it into the
basket, along with the lettuce. It was Christmas, he should be thinking
about the now, not the long lost past.
What 'now'? the annoying voice in the back
of his head asked.
With a glance outside, Seifer headed to the back
of the store to get him a small turkey for dinner the next day. Scanning
the prices and the selection, Seifer's eyes crossed a woman with golden
locks tumbling down her back. He didn't think anything of it, but
then he did a doubletake.
He'd know those thick, wavy locks anywhere.
Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve
Seifer walked up behind her, and touched her lightly
on the shoulder. The woman jumped, then turned around.
"Yes?" Quistis asked, looking at him in confusion.
"Quistis?" Seifer asked, choking slightly, not trusting
his voice.
"Who are you?" She responded, her brow furrowing
as she studied his face. Seifer felt his heart rip. She didn't
know who he was.
Maybe she's got amnesia... the little voice
said again. Seifer ignored it, she wouldn't know her name if she
had amnesia. Well, that's what two years apart, one living alone
and in sorrow, Seifer told himself.
She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
"Seifer?" She whispered suddenly, after studying
his face. Her eye were wide, and she dropped her basket, running
a hand down his face.
"My god! What happened to you? You look so different."
Quistis stared at him for a moment longer, then threw herself forward,
wrapping her arms around Seifer so suddenly that he was surprised.
He smiled, and lifted her up, spinning her around.
Quistis laughed as Seifer put her down, knocking over her basket and purse,
the contents scattering across the nearly deserted store.
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried.
Seifer was suddenly filled with happiness at hearing
her laugh, and he began to laugh with her. Quistis started laughing
harder, and Seifer made a crack, bringing up a long lost inside joke.
Tears started rolling down Quistis's cheeks, giving
her eyes a glittering look, and Seifer's heart pulled again.
The few people in the store were staring at them
strangely, and Quistis's cheeks flamed.
Same as always, Quistis always cared what others
thought, and Seifer didn't.
"We'd better get these paid for." She said
after clearing her throat, picking up the spilled contents of her basket.
Seifer bent over and helped her, chuckling when they knocked heads.
We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged.
"Here, let me help you." Seifer took Quistis's
grocery bags, and she smiled at him in thanks.
"Sooo..." Seifer said, glancing at Quistis,
who was looking at the pavement. "How is everyone else doing?"
Quistis looked up.
"I don't know. I can't find any of them, I
don't know who's dead and who isn't." she cleared her throat again.
Seifer suspected that was to keep her from crying.
"At least I've found one of you." Seifer said
with a small smile, and Quistis nodded.
Silence came between them as they reached Quistis's
car.
"Well, uhm.. you want to go get a drink? Old
timesake?" Seifer asked, and Quistis looked up again.
"Sure, except that in this one horse town, all the
bars are closed on Christmas Eve." she pointed out, and Seifer nodded.
"Right. Be right back, okay? Don't leave."
he said quickly and took off towards the store. Quistis stood outside her
car, waiting faithfully as he came running out with another bag.
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car.
"Mind if we use your car?" Seifer asked, and Quistis
pulled out her keys.
"No problem." she replied, unlocking it and
motioning for him to get in.
They sat in silence again, and Seifer, amazed
at how quiet she was, raised his beer in the air.
"A toast. To everything, and everyone."
He said, mentioning the first thing that came to mind. Quistis smiled,
and clanked her can against Seifer's.
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.
"So, what's going on with you?" Quistis asked, staring
at him intently.
"Nothing really, I've been alone for all this time.
I live here, about a mile from the store." He gestured in the general
direction.
"Small apartment, nothing fancy. I do anything
I can, mostly construction work. There is a lack of big strong men
here." He joked softly, and Quistis smiled, but this one looked rather
forced.
"You?" Seifer asked, and Quistis looked down, suddenly
becoming interested in the stitching on her shirt.
"Well, I live here too, out of the city, in the
outskirts. I don't work, because my husband does." Quistis
said quietly, and Seifer felt his heart tear entirely in two.
Damn him! Why didn't he notice the ring.
Looking closer, Seifer realized she wasn't wearing
a ring.
"Where's your ring?" he asked, and Quistis
shrugged.
"I forgot to put it on, I guess. I didn't
even notice." she opened another beer, but Seifer kept asking questions.
"How can you forget to put on the ring that binds
you to the most important man in your life?" Seifer was surprised
at Quistis, he'd never seen this side of her. Her head whipped around,
and her eyes were firey.
"Who said he was the most important man in my life?
I married him because he asked me to. This is the only place left,
and he's the big figure in the town.He could have me kicked out for refusing,
and I have no where else to go. The most important man in my life
disappeared a long time ago, and now I'm married to escape the loneliness."
she spat in a sudden rant, then turned away.
She said she'd married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like to lie.
"Sorry." she said quietly. Seifer
was surprised at what she said. Why was this the only place she could
live? He decided this wasn't the best time to ask her that.
They sat in silence once again, sipping their drinks.
Quistis leaned over and clicked on the radio, looking at the snow outside
the window with a blank look on her face.
I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw
Doubt or gratitude.
Seifer complemented her about how she was looking,
trying to get conversation started up again. She looked at him with
a mixed expression on her face.
"Thanks." she said sharply, turning away once
more.
A few minutes later, she turned around again.
"Where did you go? Why did you never come
back?" she demanded of him, eyes glistening again.
"Quistis, I am so, so sorry. Please believe me,
I didn't mean to leave you. I just couldn't find you, and Raijin
and Fujin, they died and I was out of it for a while. I don't have
enough money for a computer, and all the sites about Ultimecia are blocked
at the library. I just, couldn't find you." Seifer blurted
out, and Quistis looked at him for a long while. She looked like
she was going to say something harsh, but she didn't.
"To our lives, and may we find what we're looking
for." She said, raising up her last drink. Seifer did the same.
We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another 'auld lang syne'...
Seifer gulped down the remainder of his beer,
wiping his mouth and watching the snow fall to the ground. Quistis
did the same, but in a much more elegant way. Seifer looked at the
clock.
"Your husband'll be worried, I better go so you
can leave." He opened the door, starting to climb out. Quistis
suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him back into the car.
She stared at him for a second, the snow blowing
in the car, lodging in their hair. Quistis leaned over and kissed
him, and Seifer could feel warm tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Seifer..." she said, but he ignored her and climbed
out of the car, shutting the door.
The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out
And I watched her drive away.
Seifer watched her drive away, not knowing
why he'd been so harsh to her. The pain in his heart eased a bit
when he saw her stop as she was pulling out of the parking lot, looking
back. She blew a kiss, then disappeared onto the highway.
Seifer watched the road long after she'd gone, then
turn and started home for another Christmas...alone.
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain --