Of Shop Owners and SeeDs

by lil-battousai girl

Quistis lived a quiet life in a small town as a shop owner until the day she met a solitary man, Squall, who would sneak into her daily life at a fast pace. ONESHOT!

A/N: Here is my second QUALL fanfic. I worked day and night on this one. The plot just sort of came to me and I thought it would be sweet.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Quistis lived a quiet life in a small town as a shop owner until the day she met a solitary man, Squall, who would sneak into her daily life at a fast pace. ONESHOT!

Quistis Trepe smiled brightly as she made her way through the small town of Winhill in the bright sunlight of the day. She greeted the passing people who also smiled brightly at her. It was not so long ago that she had relocated to Winhill from her birthplace of Balamb. She had lived here for about 2 years and loved every second of it. She stopped in front of her small grocery shop and proceeded to flip the sign over to read "Open". Quistis inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers that decorated her front desk in a deep breath before she pulled on her apron and started arranging stock. The time passed by slowly and it wasn't long before she had her fellow neighbors roaming her store. She looked up when the door chime jingled and smiled at the sight of Laguna, her friend and also landlord.

"Good morning Laguna" she said as he came closer.

Laguna smiled widely and laughed softly. He was a hyper man, nearing middle age but he never stopped being hyper.

"Good Morning Quistis. I see that this day has started out pretty well for you."

"Same as always Laguna. What can I help you in?"

"Well, you see. My son is coming to town and will be staying with me for a while. I need to stock up on a few items for him. However, I need to leave in a few minutes for some business in Deling. I was wondering if you could drop the items later on at my house…and possibly make a meal for my son."

Laguna seemed to blush at the last of his words out of embarrassment. Quistis laughed at his bashfulness.

"Sure, Laguna. It will be a pleasure. After all, you showed me so much generosity when I arrived. I should do the same for your son. What time should I be there?"

Laguna beamed with happiness before he spoke once more.

"He should arrive around 5 o'clock. I'll inform him to let you in when you arrive. Thank you so much Quistis. I should be back by tomorrow morning" he replied.

Quistis nodded, "You should buy his stuff now, before you're late for your train."

Laguna scanned his watch and almost choked, before he rushed about the store, causing Quistis to laugh out loud at his antics. She wondered how Laguna's son would be like. She never really heard much about his son. All Laguna ever told her was that he had a son that lived in Balamb, just like her. He never talked about a wife or much of his private life. But he never stopped talking about his days in the military and how much he loved to travel. She wondered if his son was just as high spirited.

At around 5 o'clock, Quistis found herself outside of her store, with a box of full of items for men and two bags of groceries to make dinner for herself and the mysterious son of Laguna Loire, that she knew nothing about. She quickly made her way down the dirt road, kicking up dust and pebbles as she tried to quicken her pace. She reached the small road of houses within 5 minutes, huffing out dry air as she stopped in front of Laguna's house. She lived right next door in a cozy 2 bedroom house. She walked up the stairs, noticing that the lights inside were on, which meant that Laguna's son was inside. She knocked on the door 3 times and stood back. Seconds flew by but no one answered. She raised her eyebrow in confusion. Maybe no one was home. Quistis raised her hand and knocked again.

"Hello?" she asked before knocking again. She stopped as she heard footsteps approaching.

The door quickly swung open, taking her by surprise. She raised her eyes to meet his and almost shivered. Cool grey eyes were glaring at her.

"Hello. I'm Quistis…"she said slowly, afraid he would suddenly snap at her.

He seemed to relax, if only just a little.

"Oh…come in" he replied in a cold tone before moving aside to let her in.

Quistis quickly made her way inside towards the first open room she could find, which happened to be the kitchen. She placed her bags on the table, along with the box. She turned and held out her hand to him.

"Hello there, I'm Quistis Trepe. Nice to meet you" she said, looking at him.

He crossed his arms and nodded at her. Quistis immediately frowned.

"May I ask you your name?"

He uncrossed his arms, "Squall Leonheart."

Quistis raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Leonheart? But aren't you Laguna's son?"

Squall just stared at her. "I'm his son…he's a journalist who changed his last name" he simply replied.

Quistis mentally grimaced at her sudden question. She could tell that Squall already found her intrusive. She decided that she needed to leave as soon as possible before Squall kicked her out, literally. She tried to smile, which she was sure looked forced to him.

"Oh, I see. I apologize. Laguna bought this for you" she said as she pointed to the box, "If there's anything you need, feel free to stop by my shop. As for dinner, what would you like me to make for you?"

Squall looked around in the box before he picked it up in his arms. It wasn't until then that Quistis noticed that he had on a uniform…a military uniform.

"You don't have to make me anything" he replied before he walked off with the box.

Quistis sighed at his statement. She didn't want to seem pushy, but she wasn't going to stand by and let him go hungry, especially since Laguna had no food lying around. She cooked for him every night, so she would know. She peeked around the corner and found Squall sitting on the crème colored sofa in the living room, rummaging around in the box.

"Do you like spaghetti?" she asked.

Squall looked at her, no emotion showing on his face.

"I'm fine" he replied.

"Look…I'm not going to just let you go hungry. Let me make you some dinner."

Quistis continued to look at Squall, but he showed no interest as he kept looking around in the box. Quistis sighed. She could tell that Squall wasn't a social person after all. She glanced at him once more before making her way towards the kitchen. She wasn't going to go home and do nothing. She quickly put the noodles to boil and then proceeded to cook the meat and make her own sauce. As she let the meat cook, she quietly peeked around the corner into the living room but found no sign of Squall. She couldn't help but be disappointed. She was hoping he would be like Laguna, fun and easy to talk to. She went back to her dinner, pausing every now and then to see if she could hear Squall walking around. When she finally finished, she peeked around for him once again but found no sign of him. She went to the stairs and looked up towards the upper floor.

"Squall?" she called out but heard no sound.

She walked up the stairs and went straight to the only open room in the hallway. She looked inside and found Squall hanging up clothes in the small closet. By the look of things, he was planning on staying for a while. She lightly tapped on the door, quickly catching his attention.

"Dinner is ready" she voiced.

"I told you not to worry about it" he replied.

Quistis let a smile grace her face.

"Yeah, like I would listen. It's getting late so I'm heading home. Don't forget to eat. It was nice meeting you" she said before she walked back downstairs.

She grabbed her belongings and made sure to lock the door on her way out. Once outside, she let out a huge sigh. She managed to survive his almost killing glares. She quickly made her way inside her house and went straight to her kitchen window. She made sure to leave Laguna's kitchen curtain open, in order to spy on his son. Sure enough, Squall had just entered the kitchen and was currently eyeing the plate in front of him. He picked at the food before he slowly put it in his mouth. He chewed for a while and swallowed it. Then he quickly ate another big bite. Quistis laughed in victory and then very quickly ducked as he looked over to her window. She cursed at herself for being so loud. She crawled out of her kitchen and made her way to her room, where she would spend the rest of her night, eating her spaghetti and smiling in victory because Squall happened to devour his meal, even when he insisted he was not hungry. To her, this meant that Squall wasn't going to be so hard to get along with after all.

When Quistis awoke the next morning at her regular time of 6am, she expected to have a normal day like always. She didn't expect to wake up to the sound of a gunshot going off. She quickly fell out of bed and ran to the window. She looked around and found the culprit. It was Squall and he was outside in the yard, with a gunblade. Quistis quickly opened her window and called out his name, when he looked up at her, she was quick to scold him.

"Squall, why are you firing a gunshot at 6am?"

"I'm training" he simply replied before he turned his back on her.

Quistis gaped at him in shock. She looked around and noticed that many of the neighbors had awoken and were now peeping out their windows. She quickly made her way down the stairs and out onto the front of her house. When her neighbors saw her, they quickly made their way towards her.

"Quistis, what is happening? Are we being attacked?" asked an elderly woman, her eyes wide with fear and worry.

"Please don't worry. Laguna's son has come to stay for a while. He is in the military and it seems he's training. I apologize on his behalf. He's used to military lifestyle. Please go back to your homes. I will handle this."

The townspeople seemed to worry over Quistis involvement but didn't have a chance to object as she rushed them to their houses. When everyone was back inside their own homes, Quistis quickly made her way towards Squall. She stopped in front of the gate and stood on her tiptoes to see over the fence. She spotted Squall a few feet away.

"Squall…can you please let me in? We should talk."

Squall kept his back to her as he replied, "I'm listening."

Quistis rolled her eyes but decided to just indulge him.

"Squall, I know you are in the military and that training is essential for you, but you are scaring the townspeople. They are peaceful elderly people who go by routines and tradition. They were taken aback by the sudden shot. Can I ask you to not fire anymore shots for the day?"

Squall continued to slash his blade around into the air for a few more seconds before he stopped and looked over at her.

"Whatever" he replied before he walked into the house and shut the door behind him.

Quistis sighed as she saw him head upstairs. She backed away from the gate and made her way back to inside of her home. It wasn't until she entered her bath room that she noticed that she was in her nightgown. She blushed with embarrassment when she realized that Squall saw her like this, not to mention her neighbors. She quickly jumped into the shower. She needed to be down at her shop in a little while. She finished getting ready by pulling on a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt with white sneakers. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and made her ways down the stairs and grabbed her keys. She left her home and made her way down the road towards her shop like every single day. She just hoped that Squall wouldn't cause more disturbances to the townspeople.

Quistis went about her day as usual. She arrived at the shop and opened it, seeing customers come in and out. She greeted the elderly people with a smile on her face. It wasn't until her thoughts drifted to Squall that she finally allowed herself to think. She thought of Balamb. She had been a teacher at an elementary school for about a year, until about two years ago when her mother passed away. Her mother had lived in Winhill and had left the house to Quistis. It was then that Quistis decided to just live quietly in the town that her mother loved so much. Her mother was everywhere in Winhill. She was in the air, in the scent of flowers and in the memories of the people. Quistis didn't want to be anywhere else.

A sudden creak caused Quistis to snap back into reality. She looked up and found Squall standing in front of her. She smiled kindly.

"Squall…can I help you with something?"

Squall only nodded before he gave a quick glance around the shop.

"Where can I find the light bulbs?" he asked.

Quistis instinctively pointed towards the far right of the store and watched as Squall walked away. She looked up at the clock on the wall and realized that it was close to closing time. She watched as Squall made his way back to her.

"How much?" he asked.

Quistis looked down at the solitary light bulb and laughed.

"It's on the house."

She opened the door and motioned Squall to walk. He looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"Its closing time" she reassured him.

He didn't argue with her and simply walked out of the shop with a simple "Thanks."

Quistis closed the door and proceeded to turn off the lights within the shop and making last rounds. When she was finally satisfied, she stepped outside and quickly locked up. When she turned around, she nearly jumped when she saw Squall standing across the road.

"Squall….you scared me" she whispered.

He raised his arms and crossed them across his chest but he didn't move from his spot. Quistis smiled when she realized what he was doing.

"Were you waiting for me?" she asked but received no answer as Squall began to walk off.

Quistis resisted the urge to laugh and simply followed behind him. They walked in silence down the dirt road, enjoying the evening breeze. It wasn't until they reached their homes that their silence was broken.

"Thank you Squall."

Squall just nodded and began to walk up to his home.

"Wait...Is Laguna not back yet?" she asked as she scanned the unopened bar that Laguna owned.

Squall turned to look at her. "No. He got delayed and won't be back until tomorrow."

Quistis looked at him with a hard gaze.

"So you haven't eaten since last night?" she asked.

Squall shrugged his shoulders, causing Quistis to sigh. She ran up to her door and quickly opened it.

"Come in." she voiced, only to be ignored. She huffed.

"Squall…I saw you eat the spaghetti last night."

Squall quickly turned to look at her and they seemed to be engulfed in a staring contest. Quistis continued to stare at him, but with a sweet smile. Squall seemed to sigh in frustration as he slowly moved towards her. Inside her head, she was doing a small victory dance. She let Squall inside her home before closing the door behind her and quickly heading into the kitchen. Squall followed in after her and watched her as she roamed around the kitchen.

"Sit down Squall" she voiced and watched him reluctantly sit down on a nearby stool.

The ever looming silence engulfed them once more. She continued to make dinner and he continued to sit and stare. He was definitely very much the complete opposite of Laguna. When dinner was finally ready and they both sat across from each other with a plate of food, Quistis waited for Squall to take a bite of the food. He sensed her eager expectations as he slowly brought the food to the edge of his mouth. He bit into the meat cautiously and chewed slowly. Deep inside, he couldn't help but enjoy how he was teasing her. He stopped chewing and looked up at her with his same expressionless face.

"It's good."

He expected Quistis to burst, but was only taken aback when she smiled and nodded happily before digging into her own plate. She looked up and caught his eyes.

"Can I ask you some questions Squall?" she asked, her smile fading.

Squall simply nodded, all the while feeling strange for even complying to her whim.

"How old are you?"

"23" he replied.

"Oh! We're the same age! How long have you been away from here?"

"I'm a SeeD at Balamb. I've been there for most of my life."

Quistis seemed to freeze at his words and Squall noticed.

"SeeD…" she whispered as she searched her mind for certain memories.

"Seifer…Seifer Almasy…do you know him?" she asked.

Squall thought of his rival. They had grown up together at the academy and were regarded as the two top students at Balamb. Though they were rivals, they were friends at certain points.

"Yes. He's on a mission in Timber right now."

Quistis seemed to brighten at those last words. Timber was close to Winhill. Squall looked her over, getting the feeling that there was more going on here.

"That's good to hear" she voiced and continued to eat her meal.

"Are you on a mission?"

"No. I'm on vacation."

"Do you find me annoying?" she smirked at him.

"Give it time" he simply replied, causing Quistis to choke out a laugh.

"Well I hope to be your friend."

They looked at each other and Squall just shrugged his shoulders and Quistis couldn't help but laugh.

The days passed by in a flurry for Quistis yet her days were always different now. She slowly stood from her bed and walked towards her window and looked over to the yard. Sure enough, Squall was out there in his regular training sweats. She didn't want to sound optimistic, but she felt that over the past few days, Squall had begun opening up to her. He seemed to greet her more often and not to mention he was always outside when she came back from her shop and would only go inside his home when she was already inside hers. They ate meals together and every now and then she could feel him looking at her. Quistis quickly shook her head to rid herself from hopeful thoughts and quickly dressed in her regular outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. She made her way out onto the road and waved at Laguna, who was opening his bar.

"Good morning Laguna."

"Good morning Quistis. Already heading to open the shop?" he asked.

"Well yes and no. It's time for inventory at the shop so I will be there all day and night but won't be open for the day" she explained.

Laguna just shook his head, "Tough job that you have on your hands today. Should I make Squall help you?" he asked.

Quistis shook her head and smiled. "That's not necessary, but I might not be able to make dinner tonight. Will you two be alright?" she asked.

Laguna laughed at the thought and reassured Quistis that he could cook tonight. However, that only served to add on to Quistis' doubt. Last time that Laguna cooked, he set the kitchen on fire, which was astounding since he was only trying to make a sandwich.

Quistis spent her day buried within her shop, arranging new items and checking things off a list. When she finally let herself relax, she found herself immersed in darkness. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 9 o'clock. She silently cursed at the hour. She still had some more to do. She turned on the lights and continued her inventory but soon stopped when she heard heavy footsteps coming up her stairs. The door slowly opened to reveal Squall.

"Squall? What are you doing here?"

Squall stepped inside the shop and closed the door.

"Laguna sent me to make sure you make it home tonight" he replied.

Quistis shook her head. Laguna always seemed to worry over nothing.

"Well, I'm going to be here for another while."

"Can't you leave it for tomorrow?"

"Well I could…but that would just mean more work for me to do tomorrow."

Quistis grabbed a chair and positioned it in front of a shelf. Squall looked on with interest, wondering if it was such a good idea for her to do so. Quistis hoisted herself up on the chair and proceeded to stock up her shelves. Squall moved around the chair and stood to her left and continued to observe her. Quistis could feel his eyes on her and she bit her lip as she felt her face getting hot. She stopped and looked down at him.

"You can go home Squall, I promise I will be alright" she voiced.

Squall simply ignored her and just grabbed a box of soap and handed it to her. She sighed at his instance but felt her heart beat faster at his gesture. She bent over to grab the box, unfortunately causing the chair to wobble. She let out a scream as she fell forward. Before she knew it, she was in a heap on the floor. She looked down and found Squall lying beneath her.

"Squall are you okay?" she asked as she shifted her body off of his.

Squall let out a small groan as he slowly sat up. He rubbed his head and winced.

"I think so" he replied as he stood up.

He looked down at her embarrassed face and almost smirked as she scanned his body in search of signs of damage.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Quistis nodded to assure him but Squall caught sight of her red arm. He leaned forward and grabbed her arm. Quistis gasped at his closeness but kept quiet as Squall inspected her arm.

"You have a cut" he said and began looking around for medical supplies.

"Behind the counter….first aid kit" she managed to say.

Squall quickly retrieved the kit and instructed her to stay still and not fuss. As he slowly wiped her wound and bandaged it, all Quistis could think about was how close he was to her. She could feel her palms start to sweat as his hands glided across her arm. When he slightly touched her wrist, she gulped down her gasp. She swore that a spark dashed across her body. Squall finished treating her wound and looked at her. Quistis immediately looked away.

"T-thanks" she said while cursing herself for stuttering.

She backed away from him and made her way towards the front door. She turned back to look at Squall, who was silently watching her.

"I guess I should call it a night. Let's go home."

Squall said nothing but made his way towards her. She watched him as he walked out before she turned off the lights and locked up her shop. They both began walking down the dirt road for what seemed like the millionth time and without talking, as always. Quistis sneaked a glance at Squall and saw that he was checking his watch. She bit her lip in guilt. Maybe he had somewhere to be or something to do and she had caused him to run late.

"It's late" he simply said.

"If I made you late for something…I apologize."

"I have nowhere to be" he replied and looked at her.

She was now walking next to him and couldn't help but smile at his response. She wanted to think that they were now friends, but she knew better than to assume things when it came to Squall.

"Seifer mentioned you once."

To say that Quistis was surprised at the sudden comment was an understatement. She stopped walking and looked at him. Squall stopped and looked at her, expecting her to do something. Quistis remained silent, her eyes glazed.

"He said that a girl with piercing blue eyes and soft, wheat colored hair once told him to become a SeeD and then come for her so they can go away together. He said that she was his only friend before he came to Balamb."

Quistis felt her smile grow at the thought of those words. She sighed in happy defeat. She knew Squall was expecting something from her, like an explanation of some sort.

"Seifer grew up as an orphan. I met him at the beach when we were 5 and became friends. He was soon adopted and lived down the street from me. When he was enrolled in Balamb, he was so mad that he tried to run away. He woke me up at 2 am and told me to go with him. I told him he should become a SeeD and protect the world. I promised him that when he became a SeeD, I would go with him where ever he wanted. I never saw him again after that."

Quistis looked at Squall once more and saw him thinking over her words and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't think so much on it Squall. The reason I asked about Seifer was to make sure he was still alive…"

Quistis was quick to change the subject when Squall was about to speak.

"Let's continue on home. Laguna must be wondering where you are."

They continued to walk down the road until they were in front of their houses. The entire town was in darkness, everyone slumbering. Quistis turned to Squall and smiled at him.

"Thank you for everything today Squall."

"No need to thank me" he replied as he looked at her.

He motioned to her house and Quistis knew that he wanted her to go inside. Quistis suddenly found herself reaching out to Squall and hugging him, taking them both by surprise. Quistis gulped back her own nerves as she let him go.

"G-goodnight…"she said before she quickly ran inside her home, quickly closing the door behind her. She clasped her hands over her rapidly beating heart and tried to calm herself down.

"Quistis what were you thinking?" she scolded herself.

She took deep breaths and rubbed her cheeks to stop them from heating up more than they already were. She wanted to slap herself for doing what she did. She bit her lip in shame. She took even more deep breaths before she inched towards her window. She molded herself to the wall and peeped out the window to find Squall looking up to her bedroom window. Quistis could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Was he expecting her to look out the window to look for him? Quistis moved away from the window and paced. She waited about 30 seconds before she peeped out the window again, almost fainting when she saw that Squall was still outside, looking up at her window. Quistis reeled back and fanned herself.

"Okay Quistis, calm down. You are just a little loopy from the fall earlier. You hugged Squall out of gratitude, not because you have a huge crush on him…yeah…that's right!"

Quistis groaned at her last thought. Of course she had a crush on Squall. Who wouldn't? He was so handsome and even though he has a cold exterior, he managed to capture her attention. But what if he didn't like her like that? What if he never even considered her as someone to like? Quistis furrowed her eyebrows in anguish. What should she do? She peeped out the window once more and still found him outside. Quistis took a deep breath and nodded to herself in resolve. She gently moved the curtain aside, her eyes slowly moving up from the ground. She first saw legs, then a torso, shoulders and finally saw his face. His eyes pierced into hers and they were caught in a moment of intensity. The way he looked at her was deep and somewhat demanding. Quistis managed to tear her eyes away from him and she made her way to her door. She stepped outside and made her way towards Squall, her heart almost exploded when she realized that Squall was also walking towards her. They stopped a few inches apart from each other. Quistis opened her mouth to speak, ready to pour out her heart, but Squall spoke first.

"Seifer is about to arrive…maybe in about 10 minutes" he spoke, his voice low.

Quistis felt her heart sink to her feet. The disappointment she felt was almost too much.

"W-what?" she managed to ask, still in shock from his words or rather lack of words that she wanted to hear.

Squall scanned her face for a while. He expected her to smile for joy but instead she seemed ready to cry and that confused him. Quistis felt stupid. She thought that Squall liked her but she was wrong. Quistis cleared her throat and forced a small smile, to please Squall.

"I can't wait to see him..." she replied and looked out towards the road.

"Should we wait out here for him?" she asked, avoiding his eyes.

She received no response but she preferred it that way. She moved over to a small bench and sat down. She looked over at Squall, his back to her as he stood in the distance, looking out towards the road. She sighed and shook her head. She couldn't fret over this forever. She had to accept the fact that she had a crush on him and he didn't have a crush on her. They were…friends…and she would be fine with that. She couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Since when did she turn into such a girl? The minutes ticked by but still no sign of Seifer. Quistis was about to speak to Squall when suddenly a car could be seen in the distance. Her heart instantly sped up. She was going to see Seifer again after so many years. She wondered what he looked like and if he was tall. She wondered if he even remembered her. As the car pulled up to Squall, Quistis stood. The car engine stopped and a few seconds later, a tall blonde man stepped out.

"Yo, Squall. I'm here" he spoke as he walked around the car and gave Squall a small, playful punch on the arm.

"How was Timber?" questioned Squall as he crossed his arms.

"Tense. Headmaster Cid is thinking of deploying more SeeDs to help maintain peace within the town. He might even recruit you to go. So which one is your house? I have to say that I'm tired and hungry, so feed and house me!"

"Hold on one moment. I want you to see someone" voiced Squall as he turned and nodded his head towards the target.

Seifer laughed, "Do you have a girlfriend, Puber-"

Seifer stopped talking as he laid eyes on the woman in the distance. His breath was caught in his throat before he choked out a, "Quistis?"

He walked past a silent Squall and towards her. She looked surprised for a moment before she smiled. He stopped in front of her and let her scan him from head to toe before smirking at her.

"Well? Am I to your liking?" he whispered.

Quistis didn't respond and instead just hugged him in relief. Seifer immediately hugged her back. They were reunited after so many years. She let happy tears slide down her cheeks and she sighed in comfort as Seifer rubbed her back. They separated and looked at each other once more.

"How long are you staying?" she managed to say.

"Until tomorrow evening" he replied.

"Oh…."

They both stayed silent before a loud grumble interrupted them. Seifer cursed softly and Quistis laughed.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little bit" he replied, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"I'll make you something to eat."

"What? Oh no, I'm making Squall do my bidding!"

Quistis laughed, "I don't think Squall can cook very much and his father burnt down the kitchen while fixing a sandwich."

Seifer winced before he looked back at Squall, who was watching them silently. Quistis motioned him over.

"Squall, are you hungry?" she asked.

"No" he replied, but his stomach protested with a loud grumble. Seifer and Quistis laughed.

Quistis cleared her throat before she started pushing them both towards her house. She shoved them through her door and led them to the kitchen, forcing them to sit and wait.

"So you live here now? No wonder I couldn't find you in Balamb."

Quistis stopped what she was doing.

"You looked for me?"

"Day and night" he replied.

Quistis looked away from him as she spoke her next words with caution.

"I moved here about 2 years ago…when my mother died."

Seifer snapped his head towards her as he heard those words. Sadness shown in his eyes. Quistis' mother treated him like a son before he was adopted by his parents. A tense silence followed until Seifer cleared his throat, determined to change the subject. Seifer looked at Squall, who sat next to him.

"So, how did you become associated with this stone wall anyway?"

Quistis saw his gesture to Squall, who looked at Seifer in annoyance.

"Squall is not a stone wall. He just likes his space" she said and looked at Squall, whom she could have sworn had smirked at her words.

"I cooked him a meal when he arrived in town."

"Do you cook everyone a meal?" asked Seifer, his eyebrow rising.

"Haha. His dad is my landlord and friend. He asked me to cook him a meal since I cook for Laguna every night anyway. He's like a father to me."

Seifer nodded in understanding. He watched as she moved about the kitchen and also noticed Squall looking at her in comfortable silence. Seifer narrowed his eyes, a smirk growing on his face.

"Quistis... did Squall ever tell you how I once saved him from a T-Rexaur?"

"You didn't save me. I saved you" voiced Squall.

"No you didn't"

"Yes I did."

"I dragged you away from harm when you slipped on that mud."

"You pushed me."

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did."

"You wuss."

"Shut up."

The two continued to bicker about the event until Quistis placed plates filled with food on in front of them.

"Eat" she commanded them as she sat across from them and watched them interact.

They continued to eat and talk until it was about midnight and her body started to shut down from lack of sleep. She ordered them to put their dishes in the sink and begin walking towards the front door. She bid them goodnight and watched them as they walked into Laguna's house. She sighed once more as she made her way towards her room. She couldn't help but think of how the night had taken a turn for her. She looked out her window and onto Laguna's house, wondering if Squall was already asleep. He looked somewhat disturbed while they ate. Quistis shrugged her shoulders and instead focused on getting ready for bed.

When Quistis awoke the next morning, it was only around 5:30 am when she heard the subtle knocking on her front door. She cautiously opened it and saw Seifer standing outside.

"I want to see her…your mom."

Quistis blinked at him for a second before she nodded and turned to get a sweater off the rack before following him out into the dark day.

"I'm sorry I woke you so early. I couldn't sleep."

Quistis shook her head, "I was already awake. Follow me, it's just up this hill."

Once they reached the cemetery, Seifer seemed to know exactly which one was her mother's grave. He slowly made his ways a small grave adorned with lilies, her favorite flowers. He reached into his coat pocket and took out a small bouquet of lilies and placed them on the grave. He stood in front of it and stared at it for a long time. He continued to stare until the sun started to peek through the clouds.

"How did she die?" he whispered after a few minutes.

"Sudden heart failure" replied Quistis.

Seifer gave a frustrated sigh as he turned away, his eyes glazed. He walked past her and started making his way back towards town. She followed silently, knowing that he was having a hard time with this. She walked up to him and slipped her hand into his but refused to look at him. She knew he didn't want to look at anyone right now. It was early dawn when they arrived and they were greeted with the sight of Squall training outside, as usual. He greeted them both but looked at them with a suspicious look, his eyes narrowing slightly when he spotted their hands. Seifer let go of Quistis made his way inside Laguna's house, leaving Quistis and Squall alone. She looked at him sadly.

"He wanted to see my mother's grave. He's having a hard time" she explained.

Squall cast his house a glance.

"He crying" replied Squall.

"Eh? How can you tell?" asked Quistis.

"He closed the blinds in his room right now. He always did that when he cried at the Garden."

Quistis frowned at that. Did Seifer spend many days crying, with no one to comfort him?

"Should I do something?" she asked, unsure of what Seifer's habits were.

"No. He wants to be looked on as a hero. If I know him at all, in about 5 minutes he is going to come out and challenge me to a spar."

Sure enough, Seifer came out and did exactly what Squall said he would.

Quistis smiled when she looked up and found Seifer stepping into her shop. She glanced out the window, spotting his car and realized that he was here to say goodbye. She walked up to him and waited for him to speak.

"I have to go. I'm being stationed in Deling for two weeks. After that I will be heading to Trabia. I don't know how soon we will see each other again."

Quistis listened to his every word, nodding in understanding.

"You have my number and my address. You better keep in contact with me" she replied.

Seifer smirked, "Do you remember what you said to me when we were kids and I asked you to run away with me?"

Quistis couldn't help but blush as his eyes roamed over her face.

"Yes. I promised you that I would go with you to where ever you went, once you became a SeeD."

Seifer stepped closer to her, staring her down, "I'm a SeeD now."

Quistis could feel her heart beat rise and her face get hot. Seifer suddenly started laughing, causing Quistis to become confused.

"You should see your face, Quisty!"

Quistis narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't help but smile at her old nickname.

"Shut up" she voiced, crossing her arms.

Seifer eventually stopped laughing and smiled at her.

"You weren't meant to follow me. Fate kept us apart for a reason. And that reason is named Squall."

Quistis froze at his words, her eyes widening.

"I saw the way you look at him and how he looks at you."

Quistis scoffed, "I think you need your eyes checked."

Seifer shrugged at her words, "You should just tell him. He's too dumb to say anything himself. Plus…you're the first woman he has really looked at since Rinoa."

Quistis snapped her head up, "Rinoa?"

"His ex-girlfriend. She's a member of a resistance force in Timber. Squall was her body guard for a while until they broke up. She just couldn't handle the fact that Squall placed work as a priority. He's a SeeD and his job entitles him to work for a greater good. Rinoa thought she should have been enough reason for him to place her first instead of the world."

Seifer sighed as he finished his little story.

"What about you? Do you have someone whom to place first?" asked Quistis.

Seifer cleared his throat before he pulled out a small picture from his breast pocket and shoved it in her face. It was a picture of a woman with silver hair in a military uniform and an eye patch. She faced the camera but neither looked at the camera nor smiled. Seifer quickly placed the picture back into hiding.

"Her name is Fuujin. One day I'm going to force her to stay by side until I die and you better not tell Squall about this!"

Quistis laughed at his sudden outburst but swore not to tell.

"I would like to meet her when she makes that mistake."

"Hey!"

Quistis stopped his protest by hugging him tightly before she pushed him out the door. He looked at her, his eyes sad and his smile gone.

"Go. You have to save people now" she said, her voice cracking.

Seifer blinked away the stinging in his eyes.

"See you around Quisty" he whispered and then turned his back on her. She watched him enter his car and drive off, away from her.

She smiled to keep the tears from falling as he disappeared off in the distance. When she was sure that he was gone, she let the tears slip until they dried up. She looked around and saw that not a single soul was around. She decided to close the shop early and make her way home. She walked slowly through the road and let her thoughts roam to Squall, wondering if what Seifer said was true. Quistis shook her head and laughed at herself. She shouldn't be concerned with those kinds of thoughts right now. She looked up ahead and saw the very person she was thinking of. He was standing in the middle of a field, staring out into the vast area. She decided against intruding on his personal time and so she continued to walk on. She didn't make it far when his voice called out to her. She turned around and found him walking towards her. She bit her lip. She had to be honest, she was still sensitive about yesterday. She waited until he was only a few inches away before speaking.

"I didn't want to disturb you" she said, her eyes not meeting his.

"I was waiting" he simply replied.

She raised an eyebrow at him. He was acting weird.

"Waiting?" she asked, tilting her head up at him.

Squall remained silent for a few seconds before he nodded.

"Waiting to see if you would come."

Quistis felt her saliva ball up in her throat.

"I have nowhere else to go but home" she replied.

"What about Seifer?" he suddenly asked, his voice becoming tense.

"He just left" she simply said, inching closer to Squall.

"Squall…."

He looked at her, his attention completely captured by her.

Quistis froze. She was too nervous to say anything. She could feel her throat starting to dry. Squall waited patiently for her to speak.

"Squall…I…" Quistis balled up her fists and forced herself to look at his eyes, Seifer's words ringing in her ears.

"I like you, Squall."

Squall remained silent as he processed the words in his mind, leaving Quistis in the agony of thinking if she had just messed everything up. She unclenched her fists and took in a deep breath. Squall took one in also before he spoke.

"Quistis…I'm going back to Balamb."

Quistis felt her stomach flip. She had just been dealt a hard blow.

"…Oh…"was all she managed to say as she could already feel bitter tears starting to form. She was so embarrassed.

She looked up at him and she saw something flash across his face.

"I take everything back."

"No" he quickly replied, shocking her.

"What you said…I can't forget it now."

"When do you leave?" she suddenly asked, eager to change the subject.

"Quistis."

"Should I help you pack?"

"Quistis."

"Does Laguna know yet?"

"I'm trying to say-"

"He's going to have a hard time accepting it."

"Quistis!"

They both froze and looked at each other, his outburst stunning both of them. Squall sighed and silently hugged her, pressing her close to his body.

"I like you" he whispered in her ear.

He tightened his hold on her for a second before he let her go. She looked up at him in shock.

"Y-you like me?" she asked in disbelief.

Squall almost smiled at her but opted to just nod his head. He could feel his ears start to burn. Quistis took in a deep breath and let it out. She stared at him for a while and he stared back, afraid to say anything else.

"Do you know where you are being stationed?"

"No. I go where I am needed" he replied, his eyes never losing the intensity.

"Do you know how long you'll be away?"

"No."

Quistis balled up her hands into fists at his answers. They didn't comfort her at all and he wasn't going to try and lie to make her feel any better. She glared at him.

"I don't want you to go" she suddenly said.

Squall's eyes widened slightly but he kept quiet.

"I want you to stay here. I want to see you and I want Laguna to know that you are alive and safe instead of worrying whether you are dead or hurt. I want to be selfish for once because everyone important to me is being taken away from my reach."

Quistis unclenched her fists and sighed, blinking away the frustrated tears.

"But I can never ask that from you. You chose to become a SeeD because you want to make a difference and because it gives you purpose. This is something you love and for those reasons, I will never argue with this. I have no right."

Squall looked on in surprise. He could clearly see her struggle with this and how much she just wanted to let everything out. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch up into a soft smile as she shyly looked away.

"I never meant to hurt you" he softly spoke.

Quistis shook her head but refused to look at him.

"I know you didn't."

She looked around and noticed that the sun was setting. She motioned Squall to continue walking. They were silent and they were both wondering what to do or say next. When they reached their homes, they automatically turned to each other.

"When do you leave?" she whispered, afraid of the answer.

"Midnight."

Quistis' breath hitched. She was completely taken aback by his answer. Her visions blurred as she glared at him once more. Squall bit back the desire to turn away from her. Quistis roughly wiped her arm across her eyes and sighed deeply. She couldn't complain, not now or ever.

"I was going to leave with Seifer, but he refused and left me behind."

"You should have told me earlier" she voiced.

"I couldn't…because then I'd have to admit that I was leaving" he responded.

"Help me make dinner tonight. I want to share at least one last moment with you."

Squall felt his heart beat rise.

"Of course" he replied.

Quistis looked on as Laguna handed Squall a duffle bag and pulled him into a hug. She couldn't help but giggle at the embarrassment that Squall had just suffered. Laguna bid Squall a hard goodbye and even though Squall kept his face emotionless most of the time, he smiled for Laguna before making his way towards her. They walked out of the house and made their way out towards the nearby field where an airship awaited Squall. He stopped walking when he was a few feet away from the ship and turned to Quistis.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye" she voiced.

Squall looked into her eyes and she smiled for him.

"Promise you won't forget me" she said.

"I won't" he replied.

"Don't forget to call Laguna often or he will cry. How would you feel if you make your father cry?"

Squall couldn't help but smirk because he knew it was true. Laguna would cry over him for sure. He nodded at her demand but then stepped closer to her.

"What about you? Can I call you too?"

Quistis bit her lower lip and blushed, which he took as a "yes". He looked towards the ship and knew he had to hurry. He turned back to Quistis, dropping his shuffle back. She looked on in surprise and confusion as he only looked at her.

"Squall?"

He gave no response but only reached out to her, one hand landing behind her small neck as he pulled her close….and kissed her.

The kiss was quick and hasty, but overwhelming for both of them. She was left speechless and he could only look into her eyes.

"I'll come back soon. Wait for me" he said before he let her go and walked off towards the ship.

Quistis stood and watched him. She watched him board the ship and then watched it take off. She lifted her hand and brushed her fingers along her lips and smiled. She would wait.

Time passed slowly for Quistis. The days had turned into weeks and the weeks turned to months. She would receive calls from Squall and Seifer from time to time and they even sent her letters. Quistis glanced over to her calendar and shook her head. Seven months had passed since she last saw the two SeeDs. Laguna interrupted her thoughts as he literally waltzed into the kitchen.

"May I ask what has you so happy Laguna?"

Laguna twirled around before he settled down on a chair.

"My dear Quistis, I just received a letter from Squall. He says he is now on a mission to Deling City and to not worry, that he is fine."

Quistis smiled at the good news. She wondered if Squall had also sent her something. It had been about 3 weeks since she last knew of him. She looked expectantly at Laguna but he merely frowned, which could only mean one thing.

"He didn't send me anything?" she asked, her voice revealing her disappointment.

"Sorry Quistis, he just sent one post card for the both of us."

Quistis frowned for a second but quickly got over it. She looked as Laguna re-read the post card and widely smiling at his son's words. She knew that Laguna lived for the small postcards that Squall sent or the short phone calls he made. She smiled at Laguna's expressions. He suddenly stopped and gasped.

"Oh no, I forgot to get our wine for our meal."

He quickly rose from his chair but slammed his leg against the table. He let out a groan of pain and Quistis quickly examined him to make sure he was okay.

"Stay here, I will go to the bar and get the wine. Just relax Laguna."

She quickly ran over to his bar and picked up a wine bottle that was conveniently placed on a table. She ran over to Laguna's house and straight into kitchen only to find it empty. She placed the wine on the table and looked around the house for Laguna. She finally heard the front door open.

"Laguna?" she asked, peeking around the corner into the hallway but finding no one.

She made her way towards the front door, wondering why Laguna was not answering.

"Laguna are you here?" she asked, turning the corner, stopping in her tracks when she saw someone she had not seen in a while.

Squall stood there, placing his duffle bag onto the floor, his eyes never leaving Quistis'.

"I'm home."

Quistis just stood there, trying to breath and wondering whether or not she was dreaming. She looked at him from his head to his feet. He was exactly the same as when he left. She felt the butterflies in her stomach, making her feel faint.

"Quistis" he simply said and it was enough to snap her into action.

She rushed over and wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the hug. She laughed in happiness because he was here, in her arms and he was real.

She pulled back from him and was about to speak before he reached down and kissed her, leaving her breathless once again. Unlike their first kiss, this kiss was full of longing and passion. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into his arms once more. When they pulled away, she was surprised to see him with more belongings than usual.

"What is all this?"

Squall smirked as he looked at his belongings.

"Just some things I need…since I won't be returning to Balamb."

"What?"

"I asked to be permanently be assigned toWinhill, to keep an eye on you, to be near you and to be with you."

Quistis felt the happy tears start to flow down her cheeks. Squall grabbed her face within his hands and kissed her once more, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They pulled away and Squall looked at Quistis in a serious manner.

"We should go for a walk before Laguna decides to intervene on this moment."

Too late.

Before Quistis could respond, they heard Laguna sob loudly from behind the stairs before he ran out and launched himself onto Squall, hugging Squall to his chest tightly.

"My boy!" he wailed before he let out a huge sob.

Quistis felt her stomach tighten in pain as she continued to laugh at the craziness that followed. She took in the sight of the two men in front of her and smiled. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with the both of them because she couldn't see herself anywhere. Her eyes wondered over to Squall who was trying to push his father away. He had changed but he somehow stayed the same. Quistis smiled as she observed Squall, the man who swept her away and managed to bring so much to her life. She knew she could never thank him enough, but he had a whole lifetime to ask for repayment and she had a whole lifetime to dish it out.

A/N: Okay so the ending is a little corny and wasn't quite like I pictured but after 24 pages, my hand fell off so I couldn't write anymore kekeke. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Until next time!