In His Eyes- Part 1
By Matoko Shizaki
Disclaimer: FF8 © Square Soft.
Notes: Alright, now I'm going to be a major spoiler. This is a Quistis/Seifer fic. I didn't write it in the description because it would give it away. But there you go. If you like Quistis/Seifer, read on. If not, you've been warned…
Pairings: Quistis/Seifer, Rinoa/Squall, Selphie/Irvine.
@~@~@~@~@
Another paper flew from the stack that Quistis was carrying and she stopped to pick it up. Before she could grab the paper, she had to set down the entire stack. As soon as she did, the papers went all over and she groaned. 'Why do I always get stuck with the paper work?' she thought grudgingly as she gathered up the myriad pages of SeeD mission reports. A shout broke the silence of the hallway, making Quistis jump and knock the glasses from her face. She quickly replaced them and stood up only to hear another yell. "What was that?" she muttered.
@~@~@~@~@
Jerked up by his collar, the student had no choice but to gaze nervously into the bright blue eyes of Seifer Almasy, one third of the disciplinary committee. "Don't you know it's after the curfew?" Seifer growled.
The student cringed and nodded, not daring to ignore the fighter. "Then why are you out?!" Seifer demanded again. Finally, the student found his voice.
"I-I was just trying to--"
"To what?!"
"Find my book! I left it in this classroom this morning!"
Seifer grinned recklessly. "Well I don't know about a fist but you sure found trouble, kid." Suddenly, his fist came down against the student's cheek just and he let go of him. The boy tumbled into a row of desks, knocking them over.
"Seifer! Fuujin! Raijin! What are you all doing?" a voice demanded.
The blond fighter turned to the voice, his two friends and partners in crime following his example. Standing in the doorway was Quistis Trepe, former teacher and SeeD.
"Leave this boy alone! He has a good reason to be in here." Quistis said, pushing past the deadly trio to help the boy up. Personally, Seifer couldn't care less what the kid's reason was. Nobody told him what to do.
"Hey, I don't take orders from you or anyone else! He was violating the curfew and as a member of the disciplinary committee, I had to carry out his punishment."
"A black eye is the punishment for violating the curfew?" Quistis exclaimed as she ushered the boy out. "I think you should go back and check the rule book Seifer." This was replied by a grunt.
"Rule book my ass…" Seifer muttered as Quistis escorted the boy to the infirmary.
@~@~@~@~@
'Oh that Seifer! Who does he think he is?' Quistis thought as she hurried back from the infirmary. 'Picking on a kid younger then him. And for such a trivial reason! He needs a strict talking to.'
Moths buzzed around the outside lamps, the flap of their wings the only sound on this lovely summer night. Taking a deep breath, Quistis relaxed and adjusted her glasses. She had been so busy grumbling that she hadn't even enjoyed the moonlit scenery. Everything in the garden looked like it was a pale blue, reflecting the moons light.
But amongst the flowers, standing in one courtyard, was a figure. Standing tall and erect in the moonlight, it was obvious they had a muscular but thin figure. Their coat flapped in the summer breeze but they never broke there gaze from the moon. They only looked away when Quistis called out, "Hey, who is it? What are you doing out after curfew?" It was only when they looked over at her that she knew who they were. The flashing blue eyes, the scar, and the stern look. It was none other then Seifer.
"Seifer. Of all people you'd be out after curfew. Even after you scolded that poor boy." Quistis complained as she approached, her hands on her hips.
"Not you again…" Seifer grumbled. "What do you want?"
"Explanations." Quistis said, now toe to toe with him. "Why are you so hard on these kids? Why is it that you hate everyone and everything?!"
It was the first time Quistis realized the glint in Seifer's sly eyes. Even though his body was ridge and stiff, his eyes betrayed how he felt. She could see the anger and hurt rising in his eyes. Suddenly, she gasped as the tip of his gun blade was held in front of her neck.
"Stay out of my business woman," Seifer said. It was obviously a threat. "Or next time you'll find this gun blade through your lovely neck." He recoiled the weapon, tucked into his belt, and left. Quistis still stood there, somewhat frightened. Only moments ago she could have been killed by the fighter dubbed as one of Balamb's deadliest.
@~@~@~@~@
"It's too early!" Zell complained, stifling back a yawn. Selphie nodded in agreement and looked out at Rinoa from under the side brim of Irvine's cowboy hat (which she had 'borrowed').
"I know. Rinny, do you know why Squall decided to plan a meeting so early?"
The black haired girl shrugged. "Not sure. Something about training… That's all I could get out of him."
Irvine smirked. "Are you sure that's all you could get out of him?" Selphie removed the hat from her head and whacked Irvine in the arm with it.
"Irvy!" Selphie scolded.
"I was just joking Sephy!" Irvine replied.
Quistis signaled for silence as Squall finally entered the room, dressed as he normally was. The early time didn't seem to influence him at all. He still worn his stern, quiet look.
"Morning commander!" Zell chimed with a short salute. The others muttered similar greetings and Squall nodded to acknowledge them.
"Good morning. I'm here to talk to you all about our training this after noon." Squall stated.
"Aw no. Not training!" Irvine complained jokingly in a childish voice. Squall shot him a glare and he stopped.
"Everyone will have a fighting partner, one with very different skills." Squall continued. "You'll both fight a rexsaur using teamwork."
"Who are the partners?" Rinoa asked.
"There's one group of three. There's Rinoa, Irvine, and Zell. Selphie, you're with me. And Quistis, you're with Seifer."
Quistis groaned, tired of her sore luck. "He isn't here though." she exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I told him. We'll all meet down in the training room at one. If you don't have your partner, you won't be fighting.
@~@~@~@~@
She had been down there early and by now everyone had arrived in the training room… everyone that is but Seifer. "What a lazy bum…" Quistis mumbled, quite annoyed.
"Figures that he wouldn't show, huh Quisty?" Irvine joked.
"I know…" Quistis replied.
"You're going to have to go find him." Rinoa told her friend. "But you better hurry. Squall's going to start soon."
Quistis stole a glance at Squall who was polishing up his gun blade. "You're right. I'll be right back. If I'm not back in time to start, start without me." Rinoa nodded and Quistis hurried off to find room 150, Seifer's room.
@~@~@~@~@
Once more, Quistis knocked on the dorm room door. Still there was no response from anyone inside. "Seifer…" Quistis said. "Are you in there?" No one replied so Quistis began to jiggle the door knob. To her amazement, it was open. The door swung open, banging into several pizza boxes and magazines that were behind the door. Quistis poked her head in but still didn't see anyone.
"Hey, are you in here?" she demanded. The SeeD entered, closed the door behind her, and approached the kitchen counter. "Seifer?" Her hands shifted along the counter and she jumped back in surprise as her hand hit something wet.
Recoiling her hand, she ventured a look at what was on it. To her disbelief, her hand was scarlet red with blood. "Oh my god…" she muttered. Sitting there on the counter was Seifer's gun blade, its silver blade stained with blood freshly drawn.
"Seifer!" Quistis shouted. This wasn't the welcoming she had expected. Ignoring the gun blade, she poked her head into one room. It was trashed completely. The bed wasn't made, clothes were thrown about, dirty magazines lay on the bed, and several text books were scattered around. 'This must be Raijin's room…' Quistis thought.
The next room had to be Seifer's.
"H-Hello?" Quistis stammered as she looking into the next room. It was just as messy as the other, without the dirty magazines. But then there was the prominent red stain on the wooden floor…
Her eyes followed the trail of blood to the corner of the room where a figure sat, frozen as if they were a statue. It was Seifer. The sleeves of his white trench coat were rolled up to his elbows and his black gloves were removed. He would have usually yelled at her to get out but for some reason he was silent, his stunning blue eyes transfixed on his hands. That's when Quistis noticed the streams of blood running down his arms from his wrists. She immediately knew what he had done.
"Seifer!? What's the matter with you?!" Quistis hollered, rushing over and kneeling down next to the blond man. He frowned.
"What are you doing here? Don't touch me!" he ordered as Quistis grabbed his wrist.
"I'm trying to save your life." she exclaimed. Quickly, she tore strips from the bottom of her skirt and bound Seifer's wrists before he lost any more blood. "What were you thinking? Why would you slit your wrists?" she muttered, horrified.
Seifer looked up at her, the weakness showing in his eyes. "Why would you care?" he retorted.
"I'm not going to let you sit here and bleed to death!" Quistis said, helping him to his feet. He didn't struggle because he was too weak from blood loss. In fact, he was so fatigued that he nearly collapsed back to the floor. Quistis slipped his right arm over her shoulder and held it in place. With her free hand, she gripped his waist.
"Let's get you to the infirmary." she said.
@~@~@~@~@
Whispers streamed down the halls as Quistis struggled through the hordes of students while trying to support Seifer at the same time. Questions streamed into her ears but she ignored them.
"What's wrong with Seifer?"
"Was he attacked?"
"Did he face Squall again?"
It didn't even seem to cross anyone's mind that he had attempted suicide…
"Seifer's just sick." Quistis would reply over and over again. "I'm just getting him to the infirmary. All the while, Seifer kept dead silent. Whether it was from shame or from exhaustion, Quistis couldn't tell. She just kept going, hoping that he would last.
@~@~@~@~@
Since classes had begun, the hallways were outright empty without a student in sight. By now, Quistis was tired and growing impatient. Seifer needed to get to the infirmary otherwise he would die. At the moment, he wasn't quite far from that point. "Seifer… just… hold on." Quistis whispered as she tried to get a sturdy grip on him. In her exhaustion, she tripped, sending herself and Seifer to the floor only a foot apart.
As she tried to pick herself up, she heard a chuckle. "Why do you even bother? Who's going to miss me…?" Seifer muttered. Quistis regained her footing and scowled.
"That is the most selfish thing I have ever heard anyone say Seifer Almasy! You think you serve no purpose so you think it's okay to just go and do this?!" She stumbled over to where Seifer lay and helped him up. "We need you. Your our friend…" Quistis paused wondering if 'friend' was the right word to use. "Whether you like it or not you are! You're also our partner, another fighter here at the Garden!" Gripping tight to his waist, she continued the slow trudge to the infirmary.
"I won't let you die…" she muttered.
"You're a stubborn chick aren't you…?" Seifer chuckled weakly.
"Like hell."
@~@~@~@~@
The nurse bustled to the door, eager to answer the door. When she did open it, in came Quistis, hauling an unconscious Seifer with her.
"My! What happened?!" she asked.
"He slit his wrists." Quistis replied grimly as she help lay Seifer on the examining table.
"Oh dear… not again…" the nurse mumbled as she removed the makeshift bandages from Seifer's wrists.
"Again?" The nurse nodded.
"He has more hate for himself than anyone I've ever seen."
Quistis glanced down onto the troubled and weakened face that was once so proud and dignified. Normally she only had bad thoughts considering Seifer but now she could find nothing but pity in her heart for him. She held his hand tightly even though she knew it wouldn't provide any comfort.
"Here. Can you hand me that bag over there?" the nurse asked, pointing to a bag sitting on the table next to Quistis. She nodded and handed it over Seifer to the nurse who produced a surgical needle, sterilized thread, and rubbing alcohol from it. The nurse quickly donned rubber gloves and began the grisly task of sewing together the slashes in Seifer's wrists.
"What did he slit them with?" she asked Quistis.
"His gun blade."
"Hm… I figured. It looks like it was a very clean cut. Done quickly. It's completely straight too."
Quistis cringed. It sounded as if the nurse was admiring how exact the cuts were like it was nothing. She could feel her palms began to sweat as she held tight to Seifer's other hand. Strangely, being there gave her a sense of comfort that everything would be alright.
The nurse finished her work quickly and precisely and then shooed Quistis from the side she was on. "Dear, can you bandage that wrist while I sew this one up? Thank you."
Quistis removed the gauze from the medical bag the nurse had requested and began bandaging his hand and wrist slowly. Upon examining the nurse's handiwork, she realized that the cut was perfectly straight. The stitches she put in were so well done that it seemed she had done it many times before.
'Just how many times has he tried this?!' Quistis thought. As the nurse finished the other wrist, she looked up and decided to ask.
"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, how many times before has Seifer done this? I'm sure our commander will want to know."
The nurse sighed, cut the thread, took the gauze from Quistis, and began bandaging that wrist. "Well… if you were to look at the records the student council has, he hasn't at all. Our files and Headmaster Cid's files say differently." She seemed to be avoiding the question. Finally she gave Quistis a straight answer. "Three times." Quistis tried to stifle back her gasp but was unsuccessful. "The first time," the nurse continued. "His roommate caught him in the act. He only slit one wrist. He arrived early enough. Same with the second time. Both times he was severely upset with his roommate."
"Raijin…" Quistis muttered under her breath.
"This time," The nurse studied Seifer's pained face. "He'll need a transfusion. We'll have to get him into our OR now."
As soon as Quistis helped the nurse transfer Seifer from the examining table to the gurney, Quistis asked, "Is there somewhere I can wait until you're done?"
"Yes, just down the hall." the nurse said, pointing in the opposite direction of the OR.
"Thank you." Quistis replied with a nod of her head.
@~@~@~@~@
The phone in Zell's room rang, cutting off the punch line of Irvine's joke. "Wait a second guys…" Zell said, getting up to answer it. On his way to the room, he finished his pizza in two great bites.
"Hello? Room 600. Zell Dincht, king of fighting, speaking!" Zell joked. Apparently his guests in the other room heard and began shouting.
"King my ass!" Irvine shouted.
"Zell, you have ego problems!"
"More pizza Dincht!"
"Aw shut up you guys!" Zell retorted. Then he turned back to the phone. The person on the other line giggled.
"Hey Zell, it's Quistis."
"Yo Quistis! Where were you during training? We started without you."
"There was…" She paused. "An emergency I needed to attend to."
"Like what?" Zell pressed.
"Seifer… it's nothing. Is Squall there? I need to talk to him."
"Nope. He isn't. But you're going to tell me what's up!"
"Zell… I can't. It's confidential."
"I won't tell a soul!" Zell switched the phone to his other ear. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
Quistis sighed. "Fine. Seifer slit his wrists and I was the first to find him. I'm down in the infirmary. He just had a blood transfusion and I'm waiting for him to wake up."
Even in such a serious time, Zell couldn't help but joke around. "I knew that guy had issues but…"
"It's not funny Zell. He just barely survived."
"Alright, alright. Sorry. You've been there the whole time?"
"Yeah."
"If you get a chance, stop by. Everyone but the commander is here and we've got pizza!"
Quistis chuckled. "Alright Zell, I'll stop by. I've got to go. Talk to you later."
"Bye!" Zell hung up and turned back to the kitchen. Selphie was seated on the counter and helping herself to another slice of extra cheese pizza.
"So, who was it?"
"Quistis."
"What did she say?" Selphie asked smoothing out her skirt.
"Uh… nothing. She just got a little sick and is back in her room. She doesn't want to be disturbed but she's dropping by later."
@~@~@~@~@
Coins fell into the deposit as Quistis hung up the pay phone. With a sigh, she sat back down to await Seifer's awakening. It had been over two hours and she was still sitting here. Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone clearly their throat.
"Miss?" It was the nurse's assistant, a young girl about thirteen years old. "Miss, I've been told to tell you that your friend is awake."
"Thank you." Quistis said with a warm smile.
"Um… this way." the assistant said, motioning for Quistis to follow her.
@~@~@~@~@
"What is it?" Seifer growled in response to the knock on the door of his infirmary room. He wasn't in the greatest mood. He was still alive, he had an annoying IV needle in his arm, and his head hurt like hell. On top of that, everyone kept bugging him. And now there was another disturbance.
The door opened and the biggest annoyance, the young assistant, poked her head in. "Mr. Seifer. There's someone here for you." she stammered.
"Yeah, yeah. Send them in." Seifer mumbled. Quistis pushed past the assistant, who hurried away from the room.
"Well, you're back to normal aren't you?" she asked.
"Shut up." Seifer said rubbing his temples. "My head is killing me and you're not helping!"
Quistis chuckled and crossed her arms across her chest. "It's better than being dead." she mused.
"That's what you think." Seifer retorted.
"Think… No, I know." Quistis said taking a seat next to his bed.
"And who said that you could sit down and stay?! Does this look like a tea party or something?" Seifer shouted.
Knowing that she was unwanted, Quistis stood up and headed for the door. "Fine, I'll go." she muttered.
"Uh… wait!" Seifer stammered. Quistis turned around and looked at him.
"Yes?"
"Well… I just wanted to say…" He paused and the young and frivolous tone left his voice. "Just stay out of my business! You don't know my reasons for my actions."
"Why don't you tell me then?" Quistis urged.
"You don't remember anything from childhood because of the GFs! Since I stopped using them, I've begun remembering things. I knew I wasn't that liked from the beginning but this confirmed my suspicions. When I was little, my father left me. My mother then became an abusive drunk. She abandoned me one day and I was stuck fending for myself. Then I was taken to an orphanage… the same one as you and the others! Matron, our so called care taker, didn't want me there either… You can't possibly know what it's like to not be wanted anywhere!" Seifer ended his sentence with a snarl, on that made his firm voice crack a little.
"You know what Seifer," Quistis said. "You're right. I don't know what it's like. That's not a good enough reason though to kill yourself. By doing that, you just prove the fact that no one will miss you. Because no one will get to know you and your death will be in vain." Quistis opened the door and closed it behind her as she left.
@~@~@~@~@
A knock on the door interrupted Squall from polishing the blade of his gun blade. Zell was asleep on the couch and unable to answer the door. With a sigh, the SeeD commander stood up and opened the door, welcoming the visitor in.
"Zell told me about Seifer." Squall told Quistis.
"That's good."
Squall ran a hand through his brown bangs. "This is a problem. We need him, as much as I hate to say it. He's my rival but we can't just let him take his own life."
"What do you propose we do?" Quistis asked adjusting her glasses.
"Are you up for a challenge?" Squall replied. Quistis nodded so her commander continued. "I want you to stay with Seifer. In the same dorm. Make sure he doesn't do anything to himself."
"What about Raijin?"
"I'll make arrangements to get him a separate dorm. You'll move into his room. I'm sure Headmaster Cid will be more then glad to lend us a hand with this."
"Hopefully I'll be of some help."
Squall laid a hand on Quistis' shoulder. "I'm sure you will be."
@~@~@~@~@
Midnight… that's what the clock said. Normally she'd be fast asleep but Quistis sat up, fully awake. Whether it was Seifer or her mission, she couldn't tell. But the only thing on her mind were those eyes… those amazing blue eyes Seifer had. The ones that revealed the secrets he had struggled to contain for years.
In his eyes she saw a hurt little boy, lonely and staving on the streets. She saw hurt, agony, and loneliness. But she was going to change all that. Change that look… in his eyes.
@~@~@~@~@
Christ was that long! I've been dying to post this but I decided to extend on it. This won't be a very long story. It's my first FF8 one so go easy on me. All flames and comments will be accepted at Kuwabara_Fangirl@yahoo.com. If you want to talk to me personally, IM me at Kuwabara Fangirl on AIM.
By the way, anyone want to request a fic? These are my only guidelines:
Series:
Yu Yu Hakusho
Inu Yasha
Final Fantasy VIII
Genres:
Action/Adventure
Comedy
Romance
Other:
I will do Yaoi if the coupling makes sense but I will not do Yuri. Sorry!
By Matoko Shizaki
Disclaimer: FF8 © Square Soft.
Notes: Alright, now I'm going to be a major spoiler. This is a Quistis/Seifer fic. I didn't write it in the description because it would give it away. But there you go. If you like Quistis/Seifer, read on. If not, you've been warned…
Pairings: Quistis/Seifer, Rinoa/Squall, Selphie/Irvine.
@~@~@~@~@
Another paper flew from the stack that Quistis was carrying and she stopped to pick it up. Before she could grab the paper, she had to set down the entire stack. As soon as she did, the papers went all over and she groaned. 'Why do I always get stuck with the paper work?' she thought grudgingly as she gathered up the myriad pages of SeeD mission reports. A shout broke the silence of the hallway, making Quistis jump and knock the glasses from her face. She quickly replaced them and stood up only to hear another yell. "What was that?" she muttered.
@~@~@~@~@
Jerked up by his collar, the student had no choice but to gaze nervously into the bright blue eyes of Seifer Almasy, one third of the disciplinary committee. "Don't you know it's after the curfew?" Seifer growled.
The student cringed and nodded, not daring to ignore the fighter. "Then why are you out?!" Seifer demanded again. Finally, the student found his voice.
"I-I was just trying to--"
"To what?!"
"Find my book! I left it in this classroom this morning!"
Seifer grinned recklessly. "Well I don't know about a fist but you sure found trouble, kid." Suddenly, his fist came down against the student's cheek just and he let go of him. The boy tumbled into a row of desks, knocking them over.
"Seifer! Fuujin! Raijin! What are you all doing?" a voice demanded.
The blond fighter turned to the voice, his two friends and partners in crime following his example. Standing in the doorway was Quistis Trepe, former teacher and SeeD.
"Leave this boy alone! He has a good reason to be in here." Quistis said, pushing past the deadly trio to help the boy up. Personally, Seifer couldn't care less what the kid's reason was. Nobody told him what to do.
"Hey, I don't take orders from you or anyone else! He was violating the curfew and as a member of the disciplinary committee, I had to carry out his punishment."
"A black eye is the punishment for violating the curfew?" Quistis exclaimed as she ushered the boy out. "I think you should go back and check the rule book Seifer." This was replied by a grunt.
"Rule book my ass…" Seifer muttered as Quistis escorted the boy to the infirmary.
@~@~@~@~@
'Oh that Seifer! Who does he think he is?' Quistis thought as she hurried back from the infirmary. 'Picking on a kid younger then him. And for such a trivial reason! He needs a strict talking to.'
Moths buzzed around the outside lamps, the flap of their wings the only sound on this lovely summer night. Taking a deep breath, Quistis relaxed and adjusted her glasses. She had been so busy grumbling that she hadn't even enjoyed the moonlit scenery. Everything in the garden looked like it was a pale blue, reflecting the moons light.
But amongst the flowers, standing in one courtyard, was a figure. Standing tall and erect in the moonlight, it was obvious they had a muscular but thin figure. Their coat flapped in the summer breeze but they never broke there gaze from the moon. They only looked away when Quistis called out, "Hey, who is it? What are you doing out after curfew?" It was only when they looked over at her that she knew who they were. The flashing blue eyes, the scar, and the stern look. It was none other then Seifer.
"Seifer. Of all people you'd be out after curfew. Even after you scolded that poor boy." Quistis complained as she approached, her hands on her hips.
"Not you again…" Seifer grumbled. "What do you want?"
"Explanations." Quistis said, now toe to toe with him. "Why are you so hard on these kids? Why is it that you hate everyone and everything?!"
It was the first time Quistis realized the glint in Seifer's sly eyes. Even though his body was ridge and stiff, his eyes betrayed how he felt. She could see the anger and hurt rising in his eyes. Suddenly, she gasped as the tip of his gun blade was held in front of her neck.
"Stay out of my business woman," Seifer said. It was obviously a threat. "Or next time you'll find this gun blade through your lovely neck." He recoiled the weapon, tucked into his belt, and left. Quistis still stood there, somewhat frightened. Only moments ago she could have been killed by the fighter dubbed as one of Balamb's deadliest.
@~@~@~@~@
"It's too early!" Zell complained, stifling back a yawn. Selphie nodded in agreement and looked out at Rinoa from under the side brim of Irvine's cowboy hat (which she had 'borrowed').
"I know. Rinny, do you know why Squall decided to plan a meeting so early?"
The black haired girl shrugged. "Not sure. Something about training… That's all I could get out of him."
Irvine smirked. "Are you sure that's all you could get out of him?" Selphie removed the hat from her head and whacked Irvine in the arm with it.
"Irvy!" Selphie scolded.
"I was just joking Sephy!" Irvine replied.
Quistis signaled for silence as Squall finally entered the room, dressed as he normally was. The early time didn't seem to influence him at all. He still worn his stern, quiet look.
"Morning commander!" Zell chimed with a short salute. The others muttered similar greetings and Squall nodded to acknowledge them.
"Good morning. I'm here to talk to you all about our training this after noon." Squall stated.
"Aw no. Not training!" Irvine complained jokingly in a childish voice. Squall shot him a glare and he stopped.
"Everyone will have a fighting partner, one with very different skills." Squall continued. "You'll both fight a rexsaur using teamwork."
"Who are the partners?" Rinoa asked.
"There's one group of three. There's Rinoa, Irvine, and Zell. Selphie, you're with me. And Quistis, you're with Seifer."
Quistis groaned, tired of her sore luck. "He isn't here though." she exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I told him. We'll all meet down in the training room at one. If you don't have your partner, you won't be fighting.
@~@~@~@~@
She had been down there early and by now everyone had arrived in the training room… everyone that is but Seifer. "What a lazy bum…" Quistis mumbled, quite annoyed.
"Figures that he wouldn't show, huh Quisty?" Irvine joked.
"I know…" Quistis replied.
"You're going to have to go find him." Rinoa told her friend. "But you better hurry. Squall's going to start soon."
Quistis stole a glance at Squall who was polishing up his gun blade. "You're right. I'll be right back. If I'm not back in time to start, start without me." Rinoa nodded and Quistis hurried off to find room 150, Seifer's room.
@~@~@~@~@
Once more, Quistis knocked on the dorm room door. Still there was no response from anyone inside. "Seifer…" Quistis said. "Are you in there?" No one replied so Quistis began to jiggle the door knob. To her amazement, it was open. The door swung open, banging into several pizza boxes and magazines that were behind the door. Quistis poked her head in but still didn't see anyone.
"Hey, are you in here?" she demanded. The SeeD entered, closed the door behind her, and approached the kitchen counter. "Seifer?" Her hands shifted along the counter and she jumped back in surprise as her hand hit something wet.
Recoiling her hand, she ventured a look at what was on it. To her disbelief, her hand was scarlet red with blood. "Oh my god…" she muttered. Sitting there on the counter was Seifer's gun blade, its silver blade stained with blood freshly drawn.
"Seifer!" Quistis shouted. This wasn't the welcoming she had expected. Ignoring the gun blade, she poked her head into one room. It was trashed completely. The bed wasn't made, clothes were thrown about, dirty magazines lay on the bed, and several text books were scattered around. 'This must be Raijin's room…' Quistis thought.
The next room had to be Seifer's.
"H-Hello?" Quistis stammered as she looking into the next room. It was just as messy as the other, without the dirty magazines. But then there was the prominent red stain on the wooden floor…
Her eyes followed the trail of blood to the corner of the room where a figure sat, frozen as if they were a statue. It was Seifer. The sleeves of his white trench coat were rolled up to his elbows and his black gloves were removed. He would have usually yelled at her to get out but for some reason he was silent, his stunning blue eyes transfixed on his hands. That's when Quistis noticed the streams of blood running down his arms from his wrists. She immediately knew what he had done.
"Seifer!? What's the matter with you?!" Quistis hollered, rushing over and kneeling down next to the blond man. He frowned.
"What are you doing here? Don't touch me!" he ordered as Quistis grabbed his wrist.
"I'm trying to save your life." she exclaimed. Quickly, she tore strips from the bottom of her skirt and bound Seifer's wrists before he lost any more blood. "What were you thinking? Why would you slit your wrists?" she muttered, horrified.
Seifer looked up at her, the weakness showing in his eyes. "Why would you care?" he retorted.
"I'm not going to let you sit here and bleed to death!" Quistis said, helping him to his feet. He didn't struggle because he was too weak from blood loss. In fact, he was so fatigued that he nearly collapsed back to the floor. Quistis slipped his right arm over her shoulder and held it in place. With her free hand, she gripped his waist.
"Let's get you to the infirmary." she said.
@~@~@~@~@
Whispers streamed down the halls as Quistis struggled through the hordes of students while trying to support Seifer at the same time. Questions streamed into her ears but she ignored them.
"What's wrong with Seifer?"
"Was he attacked?"
"Did he face Squall again?"
It didn't even seem to cross anyone's mind that he had attempted suicide…
"Seifer's just sick." Quistis would reply over and over again. "I'm just getting him to the infirmary. All the while, Seifer kept dead silent. Whether it was from shame or from exhaustion, Quistis couldn't tell. She just kept going, hoping that he would last.
@~@~@~@~@
Since classes had begun, the hallways were outright empty without a student in sight. By now, Quistis was tired and growing impatient. Seifer needed to get to the infirmary otherwise he would die. At the moment, he wasn't quite far from that point. "Seifer… just… hold on." Quistis whispered as she tried to get a sturdy grip on him. In her exhaustion, she tripped, sending herself and Seifer to the floor only a foot apart.
As she tried to pick herself up, she heard a chuckle. "Why do you even bother? Who's going to miss me…?" Seifer muttered. Quistis regained her footing and scowled.
"That is the most selfish thing I have ever heard anyone say Seifer Almasy! You think you serve no purpose so you think it's okay to just go and do this?!" She stumbled over to where Seifer lay and helped him up. "We need you. Your our friend…" Quistis paused wondering if 'friend' was the right word to use. "Whether you like it or not you are! You're also our partner, another fighter here at the Garden!" Gripping tight to his waist, she continued the slow trudge to the infirmary.
"I won't let you die…" she muttered.
"You're a stubborn chick aren't you…?" Seifer chuckled weakly.
"Like hell."
@~@~@~@~@
The nurse bustled to the door, eager to answer the door. When she did open it, in came Quistis, hauling an unconscious Seifer with her.
"My! What happened?!" she asked.
"He slit his wrists." Quistis replied grimly as she help lay Seifer on the examining table.
"Oh dear… not again…" the nurse mumbled as she removed the makeshift bandages from Seifer's wrists.
"Again?" The nurse nodded.
"He has more hate for himself than anyone I've ever seen."
Quistis glanced down onto the troubled and weakened face that was once so proud and dignified. Normally she only had bad thoughts considering Seifer but now she could find nothing but pity in her heart for him. She held his hand tightly even though she knew it wouldn't provide any comfort.
"Here. Can you hand me that bag over there?" the nurse asked, pointing to a bag sitting on the table next to Quistis. She nodded and handed it over Seifer to the nurse who produced a surgical needle, sterilized thread, and rubbing alcohol from it. The nurse quickly donned rubber gloves and began the grisly task of sewing together the slashes in Seifer's wrists.
"What did he slit them with?" she asked Quistis.
"His gun blade."
"Hm… I figured. It looks like it was a very clean cut. Done quickly. It's completely straight too."
Quistis cringed. It sounded as if the nurse was admiring how exact the cuts were like it was nothing. She could feel her palms began to sweat as she held tight to Seifer's other hand. Strangely, being there gave her a sense of comfort that everything would be alright.
The nurse finished her work quickly and precisely and then shooed Quistis from the side she was on. "Dear, can you bandage that wrist while I sew this one up? Thank you."
Quistis removed the gauze from the medical bag the nurse had requested and began bandaging his hand and wrist slowly. Upon examining the nurse's handiwork, she realized that the cut was perfectly straight. The stitches she put in were so well done that it seemed she had done it many times before.
'Just how many times has he tried this?!' Quistis thought. As the nurse finished the other wrist, she looked up and decided to ask.
"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, how many times before has Seifer done this? I'm sure our commander will want to know."
The nurse sighed, cut the thread, took the gauze from Quistis, and began bandaging that wrist. "Well… if you were to look at the records the student council has, he hasn't at all. Our files and Headmaster Cid's files say differently." She seemed to be avoiding the question. Finally she gave Quistis a straight answer. "Three times." Quistis tried to stifle back her gasp but was unsuccessful. "The first time," the nurse continued. "His roommate caught him in the act. He only slit one wrist. He arrived early enough. Same with the second time. Both times he was severely upset with his roommate."
"Raijin…" Quistis muttered under her breath.
"This time," The nurse studied Seifer's pained face. "He'll need a transfusion. We'll have to get him into our OR now."
As soon as Quistis helped the nurse transfer Seifer from the examining table to the gurney, Quistis asked, "Is there somewhere I can wait until you're done?"
"Yes, just down the hall." the nurse said, pointing in the opposite direction of the OR.
"Thank you." Quistis replied with a nod of her head.
@~@~@~@~@
The phone in Zell's room rang, cutting off the punch line of Irvine's joke. "Wait a second guys…" Zell said, getting up to answer it. On his way to the room, he finished his pizza in two great bites.
"Hello? Room 600. Zell Dincht, king of fighting, speaking!" Zell joked. Apparently his guests in the other room heard and began shouting.
"King my ass!" Irvine shouted.
"Zell, you have ego problems!"
"More pizza Dincht!"
"Aw shut up you guys!" Zell retorted. Then he turned back to the phone. The person on the other line giggled.
"Hey Zell, it's Quistis."
"Yo Quistis! Where were you during training? We started without you."
"There was…" She paused. "An emergency I needed to attend to."
"Like what?" Zell pressed.
"Seifer… it's nothing. Is Squall there? I need to talk to him."
"Nope. He isn't. But you're going to tell me what's up!"
"Zell… I can't. It's confidential."
"I won't tell a soul!" Zell switched the phone to his other ear. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
Quistis sighed. "Fine. Seifer slit his wrists and I was the first to find him. I'm down in the infirmary. He just had a blood transfusion and I'm waiting for him to wake up."
Even in such a serious time, Zell couldn't help but joke around. "I knew that guy had issues but…"
"It's not funny Zell. He just barely survived."
"Alright, alright. Sorry. You've been there the whole time?"
"Yeah."
"If you get a chance, stop by. Everyone but the commander is here and we've got pizza!"
Quistis chuckled. "Alright Zell, I'll stop by. I've got to go. Talk to you later."
"Bye!" Zell hung up and turned back to the kitchen. Selphie was seated on the counter and helping herself to another slice of extra cheese pizza.
"So, who was it?"
"Quistis."
"What did she say?" Selphie asked smoothing out her skirt.
"Uh… nothing. She just got a little sick and is back in her room. She doesn't want to be disturbed but she's dropping by later."
@~@~@~@~@
Coins fell into the deposit as Quistis hung up the pay phone. With a sigh, she sat back down to await Seifer's awakening. It had been over two hours and she was still sitting here. Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone clearly their throat.
"Miss?" It was the nurse's assistant, a young girl about thirteen years old. "Miss, I've been told to tell you that your friend is awake."
"Thank you." Quistis said with a warm smile.
"Um… this way." the assistant said, motioning for Quistis to follow her.
@~@~@~@~@
"What is it?" Seifer growled in response to the knock on the door of his infirmary room. He wasn't in the greatest mood. He was still alive, he had an annoying IV needle in his arm, and his head hurt like hell. On top of that, everyone kept bugging him. And now there was another disturbance.
The door opened and the biggest annoyance, the young assistant, poked her head in. "Mr. Seifer. There's someone here for you." she stammered.
"Yeah, yeah. Send them in." Seifer mumbled. Quistis pushed past the assistant, who hurried away from the room.
"Well, you're back to normal aren't you?" she asked.
"Shut up." Seifer said rubbing his temples. "My head is killing me and you're not helping!"
Quistis chuckled and crossed her arms across her chest. "It's better than being dead." she mused.
"That's what you think." Seifer retorted.
"Think… No, I know." Quistis said taking a seat next to his bed.
"And who said that you could sit down and stay?! Does this look like a tea party or something?" Seifer shouted.
Knowing that she was unwanted, Quistis stood up and headed for the door. "Fine, I'll go." she muttered.
"Uh… wait!" Seifer stammered. Quistis turned around and looked at him.
"Yes?"
"Well… I just wanted to say…" He paused and the young and frivolous tone left his voice. "Just stay out of my business! You don't know my reasons for my actions."
"Why don't you tell me then?" Quistis urged.
"You don't remember anything from childhood because of the GFs! Since I stopped using them, I've begun remembering things. I knew I wasn't that liked from the beginning but this confirmed my suspicions. When I was little, my father left me. My mother then became an abusive drunk. She abandoned me one day and I was stuck fending for myself. Then I was taken to an orphanage… the same one as you and the others! Matron, our so called care taker, didn't want me there either… You can't possibly know what it's like to not be wanted anywhere!" Seifer ended his sentence with a snarl, on that made his firm voice crack a little.
"You know what Seifer," Quistis said. "You're right. I don't know what it's like. That's not a good enough reason though to kill yourself. By doing that, you just prove the fact that no one will miss you. Because no one will get to know you and your death will be in vain." Quistis opened the door and closed it behind her as she left.
@~@~@~@~@
A knock on the door interrupted Squall from polishing the blade of his gun blade. Zell was asleep on the couch and unable to answer the door. With a sigh, the SeeD commander stood up and opened the door, welcoming the visitor in.
"Zell told me about Seifer." Squall told Quistis.
"That's good."
Squall ran a hand through his brown bangs. "This is a problem. We need him, as much as I hate to say it. He's my rival but we can't just let him take his own life."
"What do you propose we do?" Quistis asked adjusting her glasses.
"Are you up for a challenge?" Squall replied. Quistis nodded so her commander continued. "I want you to stay with Seifer. In the same dorm. Make sure he doesn't do anything to himself."
"What about Raijin?"
"I'll make arrangements to get him a separate dorm. You'll move into his room. I'm sure Headmaster Cid will be more then glad to lend us a hand with this."
"Hopefully I'll be of some help."
Squall laid a hand on Quistis' shoulder. "I'm sure you will be."
@~@~@~@~@
Midnight… that's what the clock said. Normally she'd be fast asleep but Quistis sat up, fully awake. Whether it was Seifer or her mission, she couldn't tell. But the only thing on her mind were those eyes… those amazing blue eyes Seifer had. The ones that revealed the secrets he had struggled to contain for years.
In his eyes she saw a hurt little boy, lonely and staving on the streets. She saw hurt, agony, and loneliness. But she was going to change all that. Change that look… in his eyes.
@~@~@~@~@
Christ was that long! I've been dying to post this but I decided to extend on it. This won't be a very long story. It's my first FF8 one so go easy on me. All flames and comments will be accepted at Kuwabara_Fangirl@yahoo.com. If you want to talk to me personally, IM me at Kuwabara Fangirl on AIM.
By the way, anyone want to request a fic? These are my only guidelines:
Series:
Yu Yu Hakusho
Inu Yasha
Final Fantasy VIII
Genres:
Action/Adventure
Comedy
Romance
Other:
I will do Yaoi if the coupling makes sense but I will not do Yuri. Sorry!