Don't own. Hope you enjoy the story!

Revelation

From the russet colored desk, with its small scrapes and cuts that covered its aged wood, Quistis sat. Her body some few steps away from the metal bars that separated her from Balamb's prisoner where she could make out his figure in the candle light, his hands supporting the weight of his head as he tapped his foot in the air. Shadows danced to the tempo he tempered out, and she stared enraptured at their methodical movement as they twisted and turned against the white walls that surrounded herself and her captive.

Sitting, as relaxing as it was, made her giddy. Quistis did not let it show as she sat, of course. Any sign of weakness could be exploited, and that was not the reason she was chosen for this. At least, it was what she hoped, but with the way Squall had been doing things, she knew there was something else behind it.. And, though she knew that he meant no harm, she still felt a pang of hurt.

Books and papers, though many were laid out in front of her, were as uninteresting as counting sheep, and she could think of better things to do than that. Yet her duty wasn't over, and the thought of leaving before her replacement came was one she didn't want to entertain for too long.

She sat, instead, with a new determination. Her eyes glancing again over the papers she had come to memorize within the last few hours. Their contents as dull as the silence made her nerves. Each document, written by someone of mediocre importance, contained the same information the previous one did.

Quistis's mouth tightened with exasperation. She had wanted to learn more about sorceress knights, and though she had gotten all the relevant documentation she could find, she could glean little about the specific topic she was researching. It led her to a conclusion she was unwilling to accept.

There was nothing recorded.

Gently, she set her glasses down, her hands going up to rub her temples in soft circles as she grumbled more to herself, than to anyone else. If there was no immediate solution, she would just have to create one, and Quistis prided herself on her ability to do just that.

The people above her, in command, would just have to accept the fact that she needed resources to save the man that once wanted to destroy the world, and yet here she was unable to get a days rest within the past few months. It was almost comical, and it made her grunt slightly. Her eyes widened at the sound, and she glanced quickly toward her captive's figure.

He had sat up, his eyes focused intently on her, and she wanted to turn her head in embarrassment.

"That wasn't very becoming, Instructor." Quistis inwardly screamed as he spoke. The nerve he had! "But then again, you've always had a way with actions. Especially with some of your other students." Tall and muscular, Seifer held himself with poise, even behind metal bars that would suppress others. A smirk was plastered on his face, and Quistis wanted to wipe it off. It wasn't the words that had irked her, but the way he said it with such a slow drawl and caustic attitude.

She watched him walk slowly towards the bars, his fingers curling around the iron in a deliberate motion, and she was fascinated, like always, at how he, and Squall as well, could command the presence of an entire room with a simple action. It reminded her that he was still the same man he was two years ago, only a bit less gruff.

"Need I remind you, Seifer, that you came to us because of your little predicament?" Quistis watched as the veins in his neck flexed in the candlelight, and if it wasn't for the barrier between the two of them, she might've been scared. She pushed on. "After all, Balamb isn't responsible for you anymore."

That was meant to remind Seifer that he was here because of other's good graces, and from the way he turned his back on her and forcefully sat back down, she was sure he got at least some portion of the message she was trying to impart. She watched as he rubbed a large hand through his hair, and she couldn't help but feel that she was somehow invading his privacy.

Quistis sat back in her chair, picking up another document to scan, bringing it in front of her face. There had to be something more than the worse case scenario to Seifer's ailment. She yawned as she looked over a familiar looking passage. If she could catch a lead-- any lead-- she may be able to discover something new. And there-in lied the problem.

It required cooperation, and based on their previous conversation, there wouldn't be any productive conversation between the two of them for some time, at least that was how Quistis saw it. As long as the two of them continued to bicker, a breakthrough was out of the question.

She sighed, a deep sigh as she took in one more sight of him as she peeked over the paper still clutched within her hand. His figure was the same as it was some years ago, but she couldn't quite place the feeling that he was-- different from before.

Quistis rolled her eyes before going back to her task once more. It was probably her mind playing tricks on her.

Time seemed immeasurable as it passed by, her conviction to her task leaving her with each passing breath as the meager strength she had stored seemed to dwindle even further. As such, she was unsure, when Seifer spoke, whether he had actually spoken to her, or if she had somehow fallen asleep at the ancient desk she had come to intimately know within the span of a few hours.

To her, neither were good.

"I won't lose my mind if you aren't here, Trepe." His head was twisted toward her as he lay there, comfortably on the bedding that was provided, and she envied him. It must've shown. "Or you can join me if you want. I'm always in the mood for a good fucking." Quistis furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him. Seifer always knew how to get under her skin.

A blow for a blow. "Better get good with your right hand, Seifer." She smirked at him. "It's the only thing you'll be getting intimate with for some time until we figure out what's wrong with you."

"I know what's wrong with me." Seifer grumbled out of nowhere. Quistis had to strain her ears to hear him, and she wondered if it was something she was supposed to hear.

"And what might that be?" Quistis said slowly, frowning at Seifer as he sat up on his bed.

Seifer laughed softly, and Quistis was a bit perturbed by it. "I'm going fucking insane. I'd have to be to put up with this."

The idea scared Quistis more than the captive could have realized. He very well could be insane, and Quistis, with all her wisdom and intellect, would be powerless to help him. She realized then that the feeling she was getting earlier that seemed misplaced around him was the one he had put into words just then.

He had given up.

"You don't know that."

"You don't hear her, Quistis." Seifer let out, and shock covered Quistis' face. "Fucking hell, you don't hear what goes on in my fucking head." His voice getting rougher, like un-smoothed wood. "When I was--" Seifer paused a moment, his green eyes coming to rest on hers, "when I was being controlled, it was never like this."

"Why are you telling me this, Seifer?" The blonde haired woman said as she twisted her head slowly away from him, unable to look at him as she spoke. A door opened, and a man walked in. Her replacement had come, but she didn't leave and instead waited patiently for a reply.

"Because its so easy to get you going." The speed at which she shot her head towards him was astounding, and the look she gave him could melt ice. It only made him laugh louder.

She would kill him if she could.

It was morning when she next saw him. Her brisk gait brought her closer to the desk, each step she took echoed through the room, her fingers wrapped around a small cup filled with steaming black liquid. It was almost pathetic the amount of time she had spent thinking about his actions last night. She had laid there, staring at the ceiling of her tiny room, and though she knew that she shouldn't read too much into his actions, she couldn't help but feel as though she was missing something.

Seifer sat there, behind the bars, looking as though he were waiting expectantly for something-- she did not know what-- and she resisted the urge to ask.

She heard, before she saw, the doors open. Her body settling comfortably into the chair as she sipped her coffee. Her long neck twisted towards the man that had entered, and she stood up when she realized who it was.

"Commander Squall." His eyebrows scrunched together as she spoke, his eyes focused past her on their prisoner. He looked down at her.

"Dr. Odine's interested." It was short and to the point, and Quistis bit her tongue to keep her comments to herself.

"Of course he is, but possibly for all the wrong reasons," There was a pregnant pause. "Sir." Quistis' voice burned and she saw Squall flinch slightly. Her attention turned to Seifer who had the good sense to keep quiet. Her back went flush against the chair as she sat at the desk, spinning the chair so that it faced Squall.

"I don't see a reason why you're telling me this. My opinion has never mattered before."

"Odine's coming here. He'll be here within the week. You're assigned to him." Quistis openly gaped at him.

"You're throwing something else on me? For once, would you take care of your own damn problems and let me deal with mine? Squall, I told you what I thought early this morning."

"Quistis-" Squall began.

"It's Trepe." She cut off. With the way he had been using her as some sort of expendable resource, he had no right to use her name.

"You're the only one available when these things come up."

Quistis shook her head, a frown marring her features as she looked up at the man before her. The excuse was weak, and she would've been more comfortable if he had just told it to her straight.

"There was Rinoa."

"She's not SeeD. She shouldn't be involved with this." She laughed as he spoke.

"No, Squall. That's not the only reason and you know it. If you'll excuse me, I have someone to watch, and you're no doubt busy." Quistis' words dripped with venom as she spoke. There was a finality to the way she said the words, that made Squall leave without another word.

It was a relief when he left, until she realized there was a man still there, looking anxious to get under her skin.

"Who knew you had it in you, Instructor?" Seifer grinned, his back resting against a wall of his cell.

"Not now, Seifer." It was only morning, and Quistis already felt as though the day were too long.

"I'm interested, though. What would drive everyone's favorite instructor to blow up at her star pupil?" He put his face against the bars, looking at her with mirthful eyes. "Did you screw him, and finally realize he wasn't worth going after? I'm sure Rinoa was upset."

The blonde woman's head shot up and she glared at him. Today was not a good day.

"No." It was a simple word, but the word carried a weight that made Seifer pause. He shot her a glance before sitting back down on the bed.

"Must've been something bad to make you act like that." Seifer acquiesced. His voice growing lighter as he spoke.

"Something like that, Seifer." She looked down at her coffee. "Something like that." And she almost forgot why he was here, until he started rambling.