Disclaimer: I don't own ff8 or the song entwined by lacuna coil
Entwined
And
you take me over, over again
And
you take me over, over again
She
lay there, staring at the ceiling of her room. The sun had set a
long time ago but she was wide awake. Nothing that she did could
take her mind off of it. She tried to read a book, watch a movie, go
for a walk, spend her evenings with friends, exercise and sleep. But
it's been a week since she's gotten a good night's sleep. It's
been a week since it's been on her mind. A week… Since he came
back. She hadn't really given him much thought until then. He
used to be a problem student, trying to get on her nerves as often as
he could, but she didn't care. Back then her mind was elsewhere.
But after the war, everything changed. Rinoa and Squall got married
and she was left alone with her broken heart that she had been trying
to mend since she had lost her teaching license. In time she
succeeded and she moved on with her life. A year passed by and then
it happened. They had found and imprisoned him. Everyone hated him
and she thought she did too. But every night she lay awake, thinking
of him. She tried to talk to someone, but they were too busy
arranging his trial or cursing him for what he had done to them and
the world. So she just lay there, wide awake, confused with
everything going on in her mind.
'Do
I really hate him?', she wondered. 'Did he really do it out of
his own free will? Or was he manipulated like he says he was? Is he
lying? Or is he telling the truth? Why didn't I pay more
attention to him when I was still instructing him? Is it my fault
that he became her knight? Why do I care all of a sudden? I should
hate him, right?'
The
next day she got out of bed. Her eyes heavy from the restless night.
She made herself decent and headed for the cafeteria to join her
friends for breakfast.
"Hi,
Quistis!" Rinoa said. "You're a mess today, did you get any
sleep at all?"
"Not
really…" she replied.
"Want
to tell me what's wrong?"
Quistis
looked at Squall, who was still checking if everything was in order
for the trial and said: "Not really…"
"You're
as talk active as Squall used to be when I first met him. And
actually sorta still is. You want to go for a walk with me? Maybe
you feel like telling me when we're alone."
"I
doubt it…" she looked at Rinoa. 'But it might be nice to be
able to talk to someone about it,' she thought.
"Come
on, let's take a walk around the garden." She took Quistis by her
arm and pulled her out of her seat and dragged her out of the
cafeteria. Squall didn't even notice.
Rinoa
remained cheerful as the were walking toward the quad. When they
arrived, she sat down on the stage that still wasn't removed. The
place was empty.
"You
know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Of
course I do" 'But what if I don't want to?' she thought.
"I
know something's bothering you, Quistis. Is it the trial?"
Quistis
suddenly sat up straight, her eyes wide open, staring at the other
girl.
"I
knew it!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"You
don't know anything." She began to get frustrated.
"That's
why you should tell me. It's not good to keep it all to yourself,
not if it's keeping you up at night."
Quistis
sighed. "Maybe… but I can't. You wouldn't understand." And
she stood up to walk back to her room. Rinoa coming after her,
bothering her all the way to the dorms while she was asking her to
talk about it. Quistis slammed the door, shutting out the irritating
voice. She walked over to her bed and let herself fall onto it. A
tear rolled down her face but she couldn't tell why.
When
she woke up it was already 4 o'clock. Quistis stood up, walked out
of her room and headed for the training center. When she got there
she decided that she was sick of all these confusing thoughts of
Seifer and turned around. With a firm pace and an angry look on her
face she entered the elevator. She used her SeeD pass to get access
to the basement, where he was held. When she got out, the guards
threw a strange look at her but let her pass. She saw him lying on
his bed behind the bars of his cell. When he heard her footsteps
come to a halt, he glanced at her.
"Seifer."
She said in her formal voice.
"Instructor."
He replied. An awkward silence fell. "So what brings you here?"
She
just stood there, looking at him with disgust written on her face.
But her thoughts were still asking her if that was what she really
felt for him.
He
started to lose his temper. "If you're not planning on saying
anything, Instructor, why even bother coming down here?"
"I
thought it would be nice for you to see a familiar face, or to see
anyone for that matter."
"I'm
fine on my own."
"I
see that. Captured by the SeeD's an awaiting your trial. You have
many lonely days ahead of you." Quistis mouth formed a little
smile and her eyes showed a glimmer of the pleasure of teasing. "Are
you sure you still don't want my company?"
"Are
you flirting with me, Instructor?" Seifer smirked.
Quistis
expression didn't change a bit as she said: "I think you have
been alone for too long. You're getting delusions."
"I'm
sane enough." Again that smirk.
Quistis
moved closer. Seifer sat up straight, looking at her, daring her to
take another step so that she would practically stand against the
bars of the cell. But she didn't. He stood up and walked towards
her.
"I've
been alone for too long to be joking about anything." His voice was
firm with an angry undertone.
"If
you say so." Quistis looked serious again.
"So
what brings you here, Instructor?"
Quistis
let out a sigh. "The trial isn't far away anymore… And I was
just curious about what really happened during the war." For the
first time her voice sounded insecure. Seifer noticed.
"I've
told it to everyone else who came down here to interview me. They
didn't believe me. Why should you?"
"Because
I'm not everyone else." She had regained her confidence.
"It's
very simple actually. Something took over me, it controlled me…
My body, my voice… The only thing I could do was think. I couldn't
stop myself from doing the things I did, or from saying the things I
said. I wasn't myself. Only in my thoughts I could oppose the
force that was using me, but it didn't help. Until after the war…
And then… You know… Because of what happened during it, everyone
hated me. So I did the only thing I could do. I ran away. I ran
away from the people I knew, the people I fought, the people I hurt.
I ran away from the world. But after a year I got careless and they
found me. And now I am here, telling you what I've told everyone
else and you probably don't even believe me." He turned his back
towards her as to hide the things he felt. She knew he was on the
edge of crying and felt sorry for him. Somehow it was strange to
think of Seifer having feelings at all, but he was still a human
being. And human beings feel.
She
couldn't say anything. Not after what he had said. And Seifer
watched her leave. He saw her walking towards the guards. But then
all of a sudden her whip appeared and the guards lay unconscious on
the floor. She took the keys and ran back to his cell. Neither of
them saying a word, she opened it. He was standing in front of her,
their eyes gazing at each other. Seifer wondered why she had done
that and so did she. Suddenly he forcefully took her arm and threw
her in the cell.
"I
don't know why you did it, but it was a stupid move of you,
Quistis." He locked her up and ran off. And all she could do was
sitting there on the floor, stunned by what he had just said.
I
wonder how can I go on and on
When you want to bury my passion
You
are the shell around
And I cannot escape
And I swallow my pride
She
lay there on the bed where he had slept just a few days ago. Squall
was standing on the other side of the bars.
"Why?"
was all he said, no emotions.
Quistis
remained silent. 'He's just like a machine. I'm not sure if
he's even feeling anything. The way he's standing there, looking
down on me, it's like I'm a stranger to him. Maybe I am… I
don't even know myself anymore. Why did I do it?'
Again
he asked: "Why?"
The
same thing he had asked her every previous day. But she had never
said a word. Not to him, not to anyone else. How could she? She
didn't even know herself.
Quistis
was staring at the ceiling when she heard his footsteps fade.
Time
passed by, she didn't know how much, but suddenly Rinoa stood in
front of her cell.
"Everything
ok, Quistis?" she was looking concerned.
"I'm
locked up in here. Does that look like everything's fine?"
"No…"
She looked at the floor, not knowing what she had expected to hear.
"Did
he sent you?"
"No,
Quistis, I'm worried about you. It's not like you to do
something like that. Was that why you wouldn't talk to me about
the trial back then?"
"No,
I didn't know what to think about it and I didn't know what to
do. I thought Seifer could help me get rid of the stupid thoughts
inside my head. But all he did was get me more confused."
"You
don't hate Seifer?"
"No…"
she was surprised of her own answer but it was the truth.
"I
don't either. But it's hard to tell anyone if everyone does."
"Why
don't you hate him?" she had gotten curious.
"If
it weren't for him, I never would've met you guys. And the
sorceress would probably still be alive and gotten her way. In a
way, I guess he saved to world along with us…"
Quistis
had never thought about it like that but it made sense.
"Want
to tell me why you don't hate Seifer?" Rinoa asked.
"He
always tried to get on my nerves, being as annoying as hell. But I
think that I somehow knew that deep down he was a nice guy. He just
didn't want to show, he didn't want anyone to think he was weak…"
"Is
that why you helped him escape this place?"
"I
believed him. He said it wasn't him that helped the sorceress but
something else. It was kind of confusing, but I believed him. He
almost cried. Seifer never cried. He always was the tough guy.
That's why…"
Rinoa
looked sad. "No one else will believe him but us. Squall would've
never let him go. But maybe I can talk to him about letting you go.
You're still his friend."
"It
didn't really look like that when he was here earlier."
"You
know he never shows anyone how he feels. He's just disappointed in
you. He finally got Seifer in his hands and because of you… well,
he got away again. But I'm sure he'll forgive you. You'll
see." And she ran off.
"Get
out." She suddenly heard. Her sleepy eyes not seeing where it came
from. "Get up." She heard again. She sat up straight and saw
Squall holding the cell door open.
"Squall?"
"Don't
make me change my mind about this." He said.
Quistis
hurried up and walked out the door. She looked at him. "Squall,
I'm sorry, it was never my intention to let him go."
He
didn't answer. He didn't even look at her as they were walking
towards the elevator.
"Squall?"
her voice insecure again.
"You
are to pack your things and leave the Garden. As of now, you are no
longer a SeeD."
Quistis
couldn't believe what she had just heard. "But, Squall… You
can't do that…"
"I
can. I just did."
"I
thought we were friends…"
"We
were."
"Why
are you doing this?"
"You
let him escape. I have to set an example. Friend or not."
The
elevator opened and Squall walked out. She just stood there, staring
after him, her eyes looking sad.
While
she was packing, Rinoa appeared in the doorway.
"Hey…"
she said softly.
"Hi,
Rinoa."
"I'm
sorry, Quistis. I couldn't stop him, I tried but he wouldn't
listen. I've never seen him like that before."
"It's
ok, Rinoa. I know you did all you could do. Thanks."
"I
should've done more…"
"There
wasn't anything else you could do."
"So…
Where are you going now?"
"I'm
not sure yet… I was thinking of going to Trabia Garden to visit
Selphie and Irvine, but then I thought that that's not one of my
best ideas. I'll just go to the train station and take the first
train I see."
"Will
you mail or write me when you arrive at wherever you end up?"
"Yes,
I will do that."
"Be
careful, Quistis."
"I
will. Goodbye, Rinoa."
"Bye,
Quistis." The soft and sad tone of her voice kept hanging in the
room after she had left. Quistis packed the last of her things and
left her dorm room, giving it one last sad glance before she left the
place she had called home.
She
got out of the train and looked around. The sun was shining brightly
and she could hear the ocean. She had taken train after train for
the past few weeks, never satisfied with the places she ended up in.
The first train headed for Trabia. She had stayed a couple of days,
doubting if she should visit her friends. But in the end she turned
away, knowing they were not her friends anymore. She was alone. The
only one she could still call her friend was Rinoa, but Quistis knew
she wouldn't be able to see her as long as she resided in Balamb
Garden. She ended up in Deling City, but found it too crowded. She
had visited Esthar for a while but became restless because she didn't
find anything to do there. She went to Dollet, but still wasn't
satisfied. She didn't belong there. She didn't know if she even
belonged anywhere. She visited Timber and people there were
friendly. But they bothered her too much when all she wanted was to
be left alone. So she had said goodbye and left. And now she was
here. Fishermans Horizon. She wasn't sure, but somehow she felt
as if this was the place she should've gone to from the start. She
walked around the town, her suitcase still in her hand. She ended up
at the docks. No one else was there so she put down her suitcase and
sat down, staring into the distance. She heard footsteps behind her
and someone walked by. The fisherman wore jeans trousers but no
shirt. Brown hair was coming out from under his cap and he had a
short brown beard. But she could've recognized that walk anytime.
"Seifer…"
she whispered. He didn't hear.
She
saw him sit down and throw out the rod he had with him. An hour went
by without the fish biting. She watched him losing his patience and
finally he stood up. He walked in her direction but when he saw her,
he stopped. His green eyes looking surprised. He continued walking
and sat down next to her.
"I
read in the newspaper that they banned you from the Garden, but I
never expected to see you here." He said, looking at the ocean.
She
didn't know what to say to him. "I think I expected to find you
here…"
"You
did?" It was like he knew that she was going to say that.
"This
was the only place that felt right." She saw the sky turning pink.
"I
know the feeling." It was strange to hear him talk so freely
without his witty remarks.
"I
should go. I haven't found a place to spend the night yet." She
got up. Seifer kept looking at the horizon.
"Don't
worry about that, Quistis. Stay and watch the sun set." Again it
felt strange to hear him talk like that and using her name but she
stayed and sat down next to him.
When
the sun had disappeared he finally spoke again. "Thanks for helping
me out."
"Leaving
me there was thanks enough." The thought of that angered her a bit.
"You
surprised me. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't think I'd
ever see you again either."
"Me
neither. I thought I'd be the one on trial and spending my life in
prison."
"Why
did you help me, Quistis?"
"I
believed you. I believe in you. No matter what everyone else says,
you're a good person, Seifer."
"You
make it sound like you like me, Instructor." He smirked.
"Glad
to see you can still joke around like that." She smiled teasingly.
"All I can say is that I don't hate you."
"That's
nice to hear." He suddenly had a sad look on his face. "Come on,
let's go. You must be tired of all that traveling you did." He
stood up, offered her his hand and helped her up. She reached for
her suitcase. "Let me." And he took it before she could. She
was surprised by how nice he could be when he didn't have to act
tough. Seifer offered her his arm and together they walked towards
his apartment.
Entwined
together now
It's time to pass it over
(And you take me over,
over again)
Entwined together now
(And you take me over, over
again)
Entwined
forever
When
she woke up, she didn't recognize the place. Quistis had been in
so many places in the past weeks. She looked around and remembered
what happened yesterday. Seifer had led her to his place and she had
slept in his bed while he took the couch. She took her short silk
bathrobe out of her suitcase and put it on. After grabbing her soap,
shampoo, comb, toothbrush and –paste, she walked out of the
bedroom. She noticed that the table had been set and the lovely
smell of fresh croissants reached her. No sign of Seifer. Quistis
headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower but when she opened
the door she saw him standing in front of the mirror, wearing only a
towel. Her face quickly turned red when he looked at her and she
hastily shut the door. Face still red, she sat down at the table,
crossed her legs and took a croissant. When he came out of the
bathroom, he wore the jeans trousers again. Seifer took the seat
opposite of her and started eating breakfast. She didn't dare to
look up.
"Good
morning." He said.
"Good
morning, Seifer."
"You
always walk into bathrooms like that?" he smirked.
"Yes,
I do." She smiled.
"A
lovely way to start the day." He laughed out loud and she just
smiled.
"Since
you're not occupying the bathroom anymore, I'm going to take a
quick shower." She got up from the chair.
"Sure
thing."
Quistis
took her stuff and walked towards the bathroom, not aware that he was
watching her move the way she always did. The only difference was
that now he could see her legs. And he liked what he saw.
He
was watching television by the time she left the bathroom.
"Took
you long enough." He said as she was walking to the bedroom to put
on her clothes.
When
she was done, Quistis joined him on the couch.
"Did
you get a good night's sleep here on the sofa?"
"Not
as good as I would've gotten in my own bed, but it can pass. Did
you sleep well?"
"For
the first time in weeks, I did." She smiled at him and he smiled
back. It was nice to see him smile.
"Glad
to hear that. Say… What I wanted to talk to you about…"
"Yes,
Seifer?"
"If
you're planning on staying here long, it's gonna give a bit of a
problem…"
"I
was thinking the same thing actually. It's hard when people know
you as one of the SeeDs that saved the world and afterwards let you
escape."
"You
have to change your appearance. And if possible your name too. Any
preferences?"
"Not
really…"
"I'll
bring some things back from the store today and arrange your new ID."
"Thanks…"
"It's
best if you don't go outside for now. The newspaper is on the
counter, the computer is over there. You probably want to look for a
job, 'cause I'm not paying for everything on my own. See you
tonight, Quistis."
"See
you tonight." And he walked out the door.
It
was 06.30 when he came back and Quistis was preparing dinner. Seifer
could hardly believe that she was doing that and was thinking all
sorts of inappropriate thoughts. He cursed himself for that and got
himself together, putting down the bags of the stores he had just
visited.
"How
was your day?" she asked him.
"Fine…
What are you doing?"
"I'm
making dinner."
"Why?"
"Because
there was nothing else to do around here anymore. Sitting alone at
home never was my favorite occupation."
"So
I see… Everything's so… clean…"
"I
know." She smiled at him. "Dinner's almost ready."
"What
are you making?"
"Pasta.
You may want to put lot's of water on the table, because the sauce
is very spicy."
He
didn't say anything, but was wondering if she knew that that was
his favorite meal.
They
sat down at the table and ate their evening meal.
"I've
bought you some things like hair dye, contacts, make-up, nail polish
and new clothes. I've also gotten you some new shoes, but I wasn't
certain on the size."
"Wow,
you really went all out. I'll look at it after dinner." She
smiled sweetly at him. He didn't know what to think. Since she
had arrived here he acted very different than before. It was like
they were playing a couple that had just moved in with each other.
They
did the dishes together before she went through the bags.
"Black
hair dye… Black boots…" she tried on the boots. "They fit,
it's not really my style, but since you bought them for me…"
"It's
not supposed to be your style when you're taking on another
identity."
"True,
but these clothes… I think I will be very uncomfortable in these."
"Why's
that?" he smirked, because he knew the answer what was coming.
"The
skirts are so short, and the cleavage of these shirts and blouses…
It's way too revealing."
"You
probably want to try them on and get used to it before you have to
wear them outside of this apartment." He grinned. She threw a
pillow at his head.
"I'm
going to dye my hair now."
"Have
fun!"
Seifer
watched her walking out of the bathroom. Her hair was black and
still wet from the shower. Drops of water were dripping from it onto
her body. She was wearing an outfit that he had just bought for her.
A short black skirt and a blouse that didn't really cover much up.
His face flushed red as he drew a pillow over him so she wouldn't
see how much he liked the way she looked. Lucky for him she hadn't
noticed. She was too busy complaining over how trashy she looked
now.
"You
look fine, Quistis."
"You
think?"
"Otherwise
I wouldn't have bought you those clothes."
She
didn't know what to say to that.
"Tomorrow
you'll have to go and get you picture taken for your ID and then
everything is in order."
"What
name did you pick for me?"
"Samantha
Matthews."
"That's
not that bad." She replied. "Actually, what is your name?"
"Tristan
Ford."
She
started laughing. "Tristan…" She kept on laughing. "What a
name for a fisherman!" She had to watch out that she didn't fall
off the couch while she slowly stopped laughing, wiping the tears out
of her eyes.
"I
don't see what's so funny." He didn't like being laughed at
and stubbornly watched television without saying another word all
evening.
After
the movie was done she started talking. "It's probably best if
we act like a couple when we're together outside…"
"Probably…"
He was still upset about earlier.
"Like
when we go shopping or to a movie or something…"
Seifer
didn't say a word.
"What
kind of work do you do during the day?"
"I
work in the building sector."
She
waited for some sort of explanation but when it didn't come, she
asked:" What exactly do you mean by that?"
"We
build houses and stuff." He didn't feel like talking to her
right now.
She
thought of him working, wearing his jeans, his naked chest all
sweaty. Luckily it was too dark to see that her face turned red, not
that he even looked in her direction. She sighed and made herself
comfortable while the second movie began. It didn't take long
before she fell asleep.
When Seifer woke up, the movie was done and he saw that she was still sleeping. Quistis was lying against him. 'Great view!' he thought and shook his head to get rid of that thought. He slowly got up, trying not to wake her. Then he carefully took her in his arms and carried her to bed. Another night on the couch for him.
She
was standing behind the counter of the clothing shop.
"Thank
you, have a nice day." She said when the customer had paid and was
walking out of the shop.
Quistis
had been working there for two months now. It was a boring job, not
as exciting as being a SeeD, but it paid the bill. She was thinking
about how her life has been since she had arrived here at Fishermans
Horizon. There had been many awkward moments between her and Seifer.
She had often caught him staring at her legs or her breasts. And
when they went shopping together, he always doubtfully took her hand
in his, or he put his arm around her. Quistis knew that it was best
to act like a couple, but it stayed weird. All of a sudden her
thoughts were broken by a man who quickly walked into the store.
His hair was black and where you expected to see a beard, there was
none. He carried two suitcases with him.
"We
have to go now!" Seifer whispered to her.
"Why?
What's wrong?" she asked while grabbing her coat.
They
were walking out of the store towards the train station. "They
found me."
"That's
impossible!" Quistis couldn't believe it. "How?"
"I
don't know but when I got to work someone was there, asking about
me. I don't know if he saw me, but I went back home to pack our
things."
They
arrived at the station and got on the train to Deling City.
Once
the train was moving, she stared out of the window while he was doing
something with his laptop and his ID.
"I'll
probably have to change mine too?"
"I
don't really think that's necessary. They probably don't
recognize you like that anyway."
She
got up and went through her suitcase and finally found her scissors.
She combed some of her hair in front of her eyes and cut it so that
she had a pony. Quistis opened the small window and got rid of the
hair she held in her hands. Seifer stared at her. In those two
months her hair had grown a lot. He noticed that it reached to just
above her ass. 'And what a nice ass that is,' he thought. The
new haircut was an improvement on how beautiful she already was. He
had caught himself thinking such things too often lately. He
couldn't help it. Maybe things would've been different if he
hadn't bought her such daring clothes. It had been a joke when he
had gotten home with them that day, thinking that she would buy
something else the day after. But she didn't. On the contrary,
she bought more of them.
It
was noon when they arrived in Deling. Seifer left Quistis behind
with their stuff as he went to search for a place to live.
"Deling
is a big city. They'll have a hard time finding us there." He
had said on the train. He was probably right but she couldn't
shake the feeling that their life from here on would be a gypsy life.
'They will find us again and again. And we will have to keep
moving from place to place.' Was what Quistis thought.
I
wonder
How can I live on and on
When you want to live in a
hurry
You are the wall
That I,
That I have to remove
And
I swallow,
I swallow my pride
'When
did I decide to stay with him? I didn't have to. I could've
just left any time I wanted to. Why didn't I? Because that meant
being alone again… for the both of us. Even if we never were
friends and the awkward moments are still there, everything's
better than being alone.'
"Are
you ready?" Seifer asked.
"Yes,
I am."
They
left the Dollet motel and headed for a small dark underground café
for their freelance jobs that evening. Seifer had to make the drinks
and Quistis had to bring them around.
When
he saw her in that waitress outfit, again he couldn't help himself
from having inappropriate thoughts. 'It's been too long since
I've last been with a woman,' he reasoned.
After
a long night working they finally walked into their room. It was a
cheap motel room so there only was one bed and a small black &
white TV that didn't work properly. They also had a small bathroom
which Quistis had properly cleaned for hours before using it the day
before.
"I'm
dead tired!" Seifer exclaimed and lay down on the bed.
"Me
too…" Her eyes practically falling shut, she sat down next to
him.
"It'd
be nice to sleep in a bed once in a while instead of on the couch or
the floor." He didn't look at her.
"I
can imagine…" She looked at the wall, her face slightly red by
the thought of sharing the bed. "If you want to you can…" she
started.
"I
was just thinking out loud. I would never let a girl sleep on the
floor."
"I
wasn't saying that I would sleep on the floor…" Her face even
more red than before.
"Oh…"
He looked at her to see if she was serious. She was.
"You
have been sleeping on couches and floors for so long now… You
probably forgot what a bed even feels like." That teasing smile on
her face again. He liked it. It made him want to… He tried to
shake the thought out of his head but it didn't go away. The urge
of kissing those soft lips of her remained.
Quistis
stood up and went to the bathroom to change. When she came out she
was wearing a long T-shirt and she lay down next to him under the
blankets. She knew he always slept in his boxers. She should've
gotten used to the image by now but still every time she saw him like
that she blushed and turned her head away. She did the same when she
noticed him staring at the edge of the T-shirt she always wore to
sleep.
She
had turned her back towards him, feeling uncomfortable lying in the
same bed as him. Quistis could feel his eyes on her and wondered
what he was thinking. She was vaguely aware that her T-shirt had
crawled up to her waist, so that if she wasn't lying under the
blankets he would be able to see her thong. She heard him move. He
startled her when his fingertips touched her hip. She didn't move
and didn't say a word. She just kept staring in front of her. He
moved closer. She could feel his chest against her back and was glad
he couldn't see her blush. And still she didn't do or say a
thing. When he noticed she didn't object, he put his arm around
her and pulled her closer against him.
"I've
watched you sleeping during the night. And every time I wished that
I could lay there next to you and hold you in my arms. You're so
beautiful. You're everything a guy could ever want. The way you
walk is hypnotizing and the way you dress is tempting me. You're
daring me and teasing me. And something inside me always held back
because it couldn't be. But you've stayed with me for so long
already. You stayed with me those months in Fishermans Horizon. And
you stayed with me all this time when I had to run away. You stayed
with me when you could've left, you could've led a normal life
without me, but you chose to stay. You don't know how much that
means to me, Quistis. Thank you." He whispered in her ear and then
softly planted a kiss in her neck, holding her close. How he had
missed this feeling of comfort.
The
words he had spoken touched her deep inside her heart and she lay her
hand on his, as to say that everything was going to be alright. But
she knew it wasn't. How could it? When they had to keep running.
Someday they would find them and they would not be able to escape.
But for now, this was all she had ever dreamed of. And she fell
asleep in his arms.
When
she woke up he was gone. She looked around and saw his stuff was
still there. Quistis got up and headed for the bathroom. It was
empty. 'Maybe he's out to get us breakfast,' she thought. So
she took a nice warm bath and made herself look extra beautiful
today. She felt great. When an hour had past and he still didn't
get back, Quistis was getting worried. She took her coat and went
out to look for him. She walked all around Dollet but didn't get a
glimpse of him, so she finally returned to the motel to see if he had
gotten back in the meanwhile. He wasn't there. She began to get
frustrated and went back out. She wandered around the town again.
Suddenly she spotted two SeeDs walking towards the inn. It was like
her heart stopped beating. 'They have him!' was the only thing
she could think. She went inside the inn and looked around. She
didn't see any SeeDs.
"Can
I help you?" the lady behind the counter said.
"Yes,
a room, please."
"That's
100 gil."
"Here
you go."
"Thank
you. You have room number 09. Here's the key."
"Thanks."
Quistis took the key and went up the stairs towards the room, in the
meanwhile she was listening if she could hear if he was in one of the
rooms she passed by. Her heart jumped when she heard his voice
coming out of room 08.
"I'm
not telling you guys anything!" she heard him shout.
"Where
is your accomplice?" she heard the SeeD say.
She
realized he was protecting her. Quistis quickly opened the door to
her room and got in. She locked it. 'What should I do? I can't
just leave him like that. I can't…' she started crying. 'Now
that I finally found where I belong, they're going to take it away
from me…' Tears kept rolling down. 'I won't let them take
you away! Not now! Not ever!' She got up, walked out of the room
and knocked hard on door number 08. One of the SeeDs opened the
door.
"Yes?"
he said. Quistis looked inside and saw Seifer had gotten a beating
from the guy standing next to him. She saw him looking at her. His
eyes sad and afraid, because now they had found her.
"I…
eh… I'm staying in the room next door. But… you're making so
much noise here…"
"We'll
try to keep it down." He said while starting to close the door.
She stopped him.
"What
are you doing to that poor man?" she said while walking towards
him. She sank down beside Seifer and put her hands on his face.
"What
we're doing with him is our business. He's the Sorceress Knight
Seifer Almasy. He doesn't deserve any better."
"I
thought the Sorceress Knight had short blond hair?" Quistis acted
confused.
"That
can be easily changed. Now you have to leave here, miss. We're
busy."
"You
can't just treat him like that! He's a human being!" She saw
the two SeeD's exchanging a look and a nod. She didn't even have
time to respond when one of them held her arms behind her back and
the other one cuffed her. "What is the meaning of this? Let me
go!"
The
first SeeD looked at Seifer and said to him: "Well, well, lapdog,
looks like we finally caught your new mistress."
"I've
never seen her before." He replied.
"We
have reasons to believe otherwise." The second SeeD member said.
"People have seen the two of you together a lot."
"We
will take the two of you back to Balamb Garden and let the Commander
decide what'll happen to you." The first SeeD soldier
said.
Entwined together now
It's time to pass it
over
Entwined together now
Entwined forever
"Why,
Quistis?" Squall asked her. They were alone in his office.
"Because
I belong with him, Squall. This is what I've been searching for
all of my life. The whole time I knew that something was missing.
That void is filled now that I can be with him. Squall, please…
Don't take that away from me…"
He
didn't say a thing. She could see he was processing what he had
just heard. He pushed the intercom button and said: "Take her
back."
"Squall,
please…" The guards came in, pulled her out of her seat and
dragged her out of the office. All he did was watch after her,
without any emotion written on his face.
The
cell door opened and they threw her inside and she landed on the
floor. He rushed towards her.
"Are
you all right?" he asked.
"I'm
fine…" she smiled at him. 'At least they put us together…'
"What
happened?"
"They
took me to see Squall."
His
expression hardened. "What did he say?"
"He
just asked me why… That's the only thing I heard him say lately…
And then he just sent me back. I can't get through to him…"
"Everything
will be all right, butterfly…" He had put his arms around her.
"Butterfly?"
she looked at him, her eyes confused.
"Yes,
butterfly." He smirked. "Or do you rather want me to call you
cockroach?"
She
playfully hit him on the shoulder. He started to tickle her and she
laughed out loud. He loved that sound. It was too bad that she
didn't do that more often. But lately, there wasn't any reason
to laugh. They had a trial ahead of them. He kept tickling her, she
kept laughing and tried to tickle him back. She failed at that, but
he was glad that the weight of what was to come had lightened. Even
if it could only last for such a short time.
A
sudden noise woke him. He carefully pulled his arm away from her
sleeping body and sat up straight. He saw Rinoa opening the door.
"I'll
have to take her with me, Seifer…" The sound of regret didn't
slip his hearing.
"For
how long?" He whispered, trying not to wake her.
"I
don't know for sure… There's a chance you might not see her
again…" She kept looking at her feet. It was obvious that she
didn't like what she had to do.
"Why?"
"We're
doing our best to get the both of you out… But he just won't
listen. He just ordered to let her out, but I think that's more to
torture you than it is to help Quistis… I think the war has
changed him… He's full of anger. He wants to see you hang,
Seifer. No matter what the cost is. Even if it means losing his
friends."
"Will
she be safe?" He looked down on the peaceful form beside him.
"Edea
and I will watch over her. We're doing the best we can to get you
out too."
"Just
make sure nothing bad happens to her…"
"I
will, Seifer, I will…"
"Hey,
butterfly, wake up…" he whispered in her ear.
"Huh…?"
"Someone's
here to see you."
Quistis
noticed Rinoa standing in the doorway and got up. The girl gave her
a sad smile. Seifer had gotten up as well.
"Will
you please come with me?"
Quistis
looked at Seifer.
"It's
ok, butterfly." He smiled at her.
She
gave him a kiss before she followed her only friend. By the time he
whispered "Goodbye, my love…" she was already getting into the
elevator.
The days had gone by so slowly. She was alone again. The company of Rinoa and her Matron couldn't comfort her. They wouldn't let her see him. She cursed Squall for what he was doing to them. He was taking away her love, her happiness. Her life… Wherever she went, they were there, watching her, afraid that she might try to return to him. She would've if she had gotten the chance. They had tried to cheer her up, but she just couldn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore. Not even about Selphie and Irvine returning from Trabia on Squall's request.
When she got up in the morning, Rinoa and Edea were there. When she went for breakfast, Selphie and Irvine were added to the group. When she went for lunch, Zell was there to complain about the hotdogs. They all tried so hard, but Quistis had given up on faking smiles. She couldn't get herself to care anymore. The only thing that mattered was taken away from her. She had cursed herself so many times for not noticing it before. For not noticing that he was the one that made her smile, that made her happy, that filled the void she had had for so long. She had cursed herself for not having realized that she could've had it all from when she first arrived at Fishermans Horizon. But those last days that she had spent with him, they were like heaven. And to the days before that, she looked back with a smile on her face. But to the days that were ahead, she looked at in fear. The fear of losing him was tearing her apart, but she couldn't do anything about it. Squall just wouldn't listen, not to her, not to Rinoa or his Matron, not to any of them… They all knew how she suffered under what was to come. They all tried so hard to convince Squall, to comfort her… It was all in vain. Her friends would remain, the one she had come to hate would remain, but the love of her life would disappear. And that last part, she couldn't handle. She couldn't handle being alone… Not again…
The past days he hadn't seen a soul, except for the guards who brought him his food. He had given up hope. He knew he wouldn't be saved. He wouldn't have that luck. The only thing he kept living for now is to see her again, to be able to catch a glimpse of her. He probably wouldn't see her again until the trial, but he would never be able to speak to her, to hold her in his arms, to caress her, to kiss her… How he yearned for those things. How he longed for her soft touch. But it would never be. He just lay there on his bed. He couldn't think of anything but her. He wouldn't eat because it wasn't the same. He could practically hear her say how stupid he was for that. He slowly sank into a deep sleep. He dreamt of her. She was there for him. He could feel her hands on his naked chest and he pulled her close to him, holding her. His hands touched the skin of her back and he caressed her. Filled with passion he kissed her, and she kissed him back. He heard her letting out a soft moan when he roughly pushed his body against her. Seifer could feel her nails scratching his back. She was driving him crazy. Suddenly he felt someone throwing him onto the floor but the dream kept lingering in his head. It was time for the trial.
In her dorm room, Quistis woke up. She could still feel the touch of his lips on hers. She could still feel his hands on her back and his body pressed against her. She looked on her alarm clock and saw that the trial was about to begin.
And you take me over,
over again
And
you take me over, over again
And
you take me over, over again
And
you take me over, over again
The heads of the towns and the Gardens had found him guilty. They completely ignored the testimonies of her and her friends. They could only think of the damage to their towns and the money that Squall had put in their pockets. She was sure he had bribed them. He would do anything to get rid of Seifer. And now they were standing there. She saw him laying on the table behind the glass, the injections were ready. She heard Xu counting down and then she reached one. The look on Seifer's face made her feel even worse. He looked at her in sorrow, in love… and in fear. There were no words to describe how sad she felt. Quistis looked at Squall and saw a small smile on his face. Seeing that, pissed her off. She grabbed for the knife she had hidden on her body and yelled at him: "You don't have the right to take him away from me! I hate you, Squall, I hate you!" As the guards saw the knife in her hand, the jumped in front of their Commander, their weapons ready. But then she did something they never would've expected. With one last look on Seifer, she whispered: "Entwined forever…" and she slid the knife over her throat. The knife fell out of her hands, blood was everywhere, as her body hit the floor. There was screaming, crying and running all over the place, but Squall just stood there, noticing the smile on her face.
Entwined
together now
It's time to pass it over
(And you take me over,
over again)
Entwined together now
(And you take me over, over
again)
Entwined
forever
