1—2—3 Action!

Chapter 11

"Yoo-hoo! Seifer, wait for me!" Selphie called out, chasing Seifer down the hallway of his dorm.

"If it's about the play, for the tenth time—NO!"

"But why not!"

"C'mon Selphie, do you seriously think that I, Seifer Almasy, would play as Beast!"

"Don't be such a bummer. You're perfect! I mean, you can act, you draw in a crowd—plus you naturally act like Beast!"

"Ha-ha, very funny." he snorted, "NO! And it's pointless to beg or ask again because it will still be NO!"

"No-no-no-no-no! Is that all you'll every say? This is for a cause you know, this is a tribute to help rebuild Trabia—and to think you were behind the missile idea of blowing up Balamb to smithereens!" She abruptly accused as she redoubled her steps to catch up with him. "You have a responsibility—it is partly your fault I have to do this!"

He stopped on his feet and irritatingly waved his hand, "MY idea! It was Edea's idea—I was just FOLLOWING orders!"

"That's why Matron's doing her part. She'll play as Mrs. Potts! And you—all I'm asking you is to be Squall's understudy for Beast and you refuse. Now that's just plain mean, M-E-A-N! Meannie!" she screamed pouting hard at Seifer.

"Oh, grow up!" Seifer barked, and then went on his way.

One…

Two…

Three….

"I heard you needed a Dark Matter for your Hyperion!" her voice echoed in his ears.

"What about it?" he responded turning back at Selphie who was gazing at him rather sinisterly.

"Well...I happen to have two—which also happen to be the exact number you need for the upgrade! I was kinda saving them...but...I can also give it to you—if you play the part!"

"I gotta hand it to ya, you know how to play your cards." He smirked rather impressed that she got his attention.

"Yup, I know! So what's it gonna be?" She lured him with narrowed eyes. "You'll just be an understudy for crying out loud! You may not even play the part on stage at all! You're gonna be given a RARE Dark Matter for just memorizing lines and sitting at rehearsals! How great a bargain is that!"

"You're on!" he finally agreed, pointing at her. "But can that monotone even act?"

"Oh, you'll be surprised! WOO-HOO! Now sign the contract!" she demanded, giving him a piece of paper.

"What's this crap?" Seifer eyes skimmed through the paper.

"It's protocol! That's what professionals do!" Selphie answered, rather proud of herself.

"The hell is this? 'Miss the part, eat my fart'…that's very professional." Seifer snickered, signing the paper.

"Good! I'll contact you when rehearsals starts—that's tomorrow!" she enthusiastically said, totally ignoring his earlier remark then quickly sprinted out of sight before he could say anything more.

o O o

The following day, Seifer spotted Selphie trailing Quistis all over the Garden. He kept his distance, simply waiting for his call for rehearsals.

"This is gonna be an all star cast! Rinoa and Squall will be taking on the lead, Lumiere will be played by Irvine, Zell will be Cogsworth, and not to mention Matron even agreed to play as Mrs. Potts! C'mon, you're the only one missing!" Selphie kept on asserting as she persistently blocked Quistis' way with her pleading.

"But why do I have to be Belle? Why can't I be just Bimbette instead?"

"Oh, the broom-girl? Rinoa's playing that part." She abruptly answered and right away regretted it.

"I thought she was Belle?" She raised a brow at Selphie.

"—what I meant was—she'll ALSO be the broom-girl. She'll be Belle holding a broom!" Her heart pounded as she covered up her slip of the tongue. She had always been a terrible liar, and she didn't sound convincing at all.

Quistis simply looked at her with an obvious look that she had already figured out what Selphie was up to.

"Alright, I admit...I really really-really-really-REALLY want you and Seifer to take up lead roles."

"But why does it have to be us?" She grumbled shrugging her shoulders.

"You're the HOTTEST couple around!"

"We're not even a couple!" she gruffly flinched.

"Of course you are! I made a survey, see?" Selphie defended, showing her a piece of paper with a tallied score of Poll for Balamb's Hottest Couple. "I got it from the BBS. You got the lead over Squall and Rinoa by over 15%. Now that's HOT!"

"You made a survey?" Quistis looked at the paper in disbelief.

"Quisty, please!" she pleaded getting down on her knees. "The only reason why I'm this desperate is because this is for Trabia. We can actually collect enough funds to repair several facilities if you guys do this. If you two will take up as lead roles I'm sure the entire Garden will come to see the show, and you have no idea how much that's gonna make me happy—AND the whole of Trabia! Please Quisty, you have to do this...you have to."

"But I don't know the first thing about acting."

"I think you pretty much know how the story goes by now...after all, it is Beauty and the Beast. You know, I didn't choose this play for no apparent reason because I know no one has internalized the story and characters more than you. Don't you think it's the perfect time for you to see just how much you love the story?"

"Well...I guess it wouldn't hurt to try for a change." She finally smiled in submission.

"BOOYA! Whoo-hoo!" Selphie cheered with so much excitement that she jumped to her feet and squeezed Quistis with a real tight hug. "Now I have an entire fanclub to boss around—I mean, help assist me."

"They're in this too?"

"Of course, everyone is! Oh, this is gonna be great...now come with me, we're late for practice!" Selphie suddenly said, dragging her to the Quad.

o O o

They got there in no time. When they did, everyone was already sitting on the floor chatting and making a fuss about the play. Selphie pointed Quistis to where Seifer sat while she went on to the front of the crowd and started blabbering.

"She got you in to be the understudy too, huh?" Seifer muttered smirking.

"You'll be surprised by what she meant by understudy." She muttered back a bit flustered.

After which seemed like forever of prattling, Selphie ordered for Squall and Rinoa to take a shot on their 'roles'.

"Alright people, places everyone—PLACES! Aaaaaaaaaand...ACTION!"

Squall dragged himself up the stage staring rather blankly in space, for a moment. He looked at his script and started reading it in monotonous tone, "Roar...roar...roar...behold the rose which sealed my fate into this cursed body of a beast...roar...roar..."

Selphie, unable to take the horror of his acting, but quite impressed by his 'real' acting, rushed up the stage and interrupted. "Okay, stop. That was bad...real bad."

"That wasn't bad, that was pathetic!" Seifer added yelling from his seat.

"Squall, you gotta feel the part—be the part! You're Beast, you're angry, you're cursing the world, you hate your very existence. Now, read the lines again and this time with emotions." Selphie instructed, then gave him a quick wink before heading back down to watch from below.

Squall looked at the script one more time, dropped it, then went off the stage muttering, "This is stupid...I can't act."

"Can't argue there, guess we'll have to go with the understudies. Seifer, Quisty, get ready."

Seifer's jaw dropped while Quistis was less surprised, she was expecting it to happen anyway. On the very first day of rehearsal, they got the lead role.

"I should have known." He grumbled to himself, rubbing his face off with frustration.

"I knew this was coming." Quistis professed.

"Squall! What the heck are you doing? Get back up there!" he demanded.

But Squall simply looked away.

"...Whatever…"

"Yey! This means I get to sing the theme song." Rinoa rejoiced as she grabbed the mic and started singing the first line of the song, "Tale as old as time...true as it can be—" she cut herself off, "Oh my, I have terrible vocals...so much for following my mother's footsteps."

"What the heck's going on here!" he growled, confused as ever.

"We just fell into their trap, dummy." Quistis responded dragging him on stage, "Now come on, we're up." She grumbled beneath her breath, "And who said he isn't going to fall into any traps."

Seifer couldn't exactly respond at her comment, so he grumbled back curses instead as he dragged his feet up the stage.

Selphie handed them the script and set them to face each other on stage while she left them with the spotlight.

Seifer was looking at his script and was about to deliver it in the most unconvincing way, when he heard Squall's voice from the side of his ear, mocking, "Don't make me swallow your words."

He gave him a quick scowl before reading his lines. "Behold the rose which sealed my fate into this cursed body of a BEAST!" He declared in a deep snarling voice and made an even deeper growling sound after which immediately caught everyone's attention.

Indeed, he had every potential to play the part.

"Wow...that was INCREDIBLE! I always thought you had it in you." Selphie squirmed to get on stage and pat Seifer all over the back.

"I don't exactly tolerate mediocrity." He casually said, but his words were full of confidence so much to a lot of people's dismay.

Selphie forced her lips to twitch a smile, then turned to Quistis who was still a bit awestruck at Seifer's acting.

"Your turn Quisty. Please read the first line of Act 2 Scene 3 on page 5 of your script. It's the scene where Belle's at the library to pick up her favorite book." She paused and looked at Quistis scanning the script. When she saw her stop, she jumped down the stage and sat on her chair. "Okay, anytime you're ready."

Quistis looked at the lines and silently read the all-too familiar words which she has already known by heart. She briefly scanned the room to see the faces of the people tentative to see how she would fair as an actress. She took a deep breath and swallowed a gulp before she opened her mouth.

"Good morning, I've come to return the book I borrowed."

"Finished already?" Selphie said off-stage pretending to sound like the old librarian.

"Oh, I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?" Quistis quickly responded as she smiled at Selphie from below.

"Not since yesterday."

"That's alright. I'll borrow...this one!"

The longer she stood on stage, the more she became comfortable. And by how Selphie responded, in a light-friendly manner, she didn't feel intimidated nor out of place at all. Her confidence built up when she focused her concentration to Selphie alone, omitting the presence of other people.

"That one? But you've read it twice!"

"Well it's my favorite! Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!" Speaking those lines while reading the script, she smiled at how much similar she found herself with Belle. The lines were all too familiar that she didn't even glance at the next line to say it. She rolled the script and gripped it to her chest, forgetting reality for a moment, as she spoke in the most naturally passionate tone.

"Sweet dreams and fairytale endings...I love it all too much."

Seifer was struck at how she had spoken and turned to see her expression. It was an enigmatic smile with charms of a beautiful daydreamer. She was looking at Selphie, and although he didn't get to see her up full, at the side of her face, to where he could see, he saw how sincere she was in delivering her lines. At that moment, Seifer felt they had something in common more than he had thought; she too was a dreamer much like he was. And although it wasn't the first time it was revealed to him, it was the first time he actually believed it to be true. The memory he had way back at Dollet, when she said something about fairytale endings, it was true, she wasn't being sarcastic at all. It was a new thought he had to ponder on,

What did she mean by a fairytale ending?

o O o

In a performance which sealed their role as lead cast, preparations began with acting workshops commencing the very next day. It was a struggle of teamwork and individual talent to make things work within a duration of two and a half months. Although the pressure was there, at a span of two months, there was still enough air to breathe as room for improvements were being taken care of one day at a time.

As each day passed, transition of relationships began to show for in between rehearsals, hanging out for fun became essential for teambuilding. The team which Selphie chose for the play not only had a chemistry of enthusiasm but also diligence that after a little over a week of practice, evidence of a promising play began to show.

Everyone felt that familiar feeling of knowing that something would turn out worthwhile as a result of hard work. It was probably the first time ever since the war ended that the Garden really gave the effort to unite for a common goal:

Success.

While minor cast were having the time of their lives enjoying the company of friends and familiar strangers, lead cast were constantly being put under the spotlight for the play was at their mercy. But coping up with pressure was something they were good at that they easily shoved off every criticism piled at them while get the work done with grace and charm.

To the case of Seifer, the first two weeks of practice was anything but grace and charm. Selphie, dedicated to the cause, was also dedicated at waking him up as early as 6:00 a.m. every day for early morning workshops which would, unfortunately to his case, last for only an hour. It was a kind of get together in the morning to get their juices up in running for the entire day so that when the night rehearsals came, they'd be good to go. Although the idea was beyond anyone's liking, it somehow took its benefit for making new bonds.

o O o

Leaving at midnight on their last night of practice for the week, it was good relief—especially for the two lead cast. The ballroom had been emptied of everyone save for Seifer and Quistis, who, to their dismay, was their turn to clean up the mess the props men left after…well…making props. It took them over thirty minutes to check and recheck that they had the room spotless.

Exiting the ballroom, Quistis was disturbed when her peripheral vision caught sight of Seifer flicking his wrist and flinching as he moved it.

"Are you okay?" she asked, flashing him a worried look.

"Yeah, just got a little sprain from that stupid fight scene earlier." He gritted his teeth with irritation as he stopped on his feet to pound his wrist.

"Stop that! That's only gonna make it worst." She scolded as she turned to face him, her hands on her hips.

"Gee, sorry mom." He sarcastically spat.

"Mom huh?" She gave him a strict look, one which resembled the face she usually gave him as an instructor. "Fine, since I'm mom, I order you to shave that barbaric face of yours. Unless you're trying to grow a beard to resemble Beast even more, you should consider doing some good grooming young man!" His temporary mom scolded, flapping a pointing finger at him.

She took the opportunity to tell him about the coarse hair slowly growing out his face which, unfortunately, has never failed to distract her on stage.

He touched the skin around his mouth and found her words true. He felt slight pinpricks of growing hair as he rubbed his face with his open palm and realized that he had forgotten to shave for almost a week now, thanks to Selphie's beyond early wake up calls.

He twitched his lip and shrugged.

"A few weeks more and we could actually save on Beast's facial hair." She chuckled in sarcastic tone, evidently no longer playing mom.

"It's my way of getting into character." He replied with the same level of sarcasm and a crooked smile.

"I wonder what it's like..."

"To grow a beard?" he finished her sentence looking half disgusted, half amused at a bearded Quistis.

"Very funny." She shot him a glare; it was a stupid trail of thought.

"You were wondering what then?"

"To shave your face off." She smirked.

Silence.

"Let me try it, just this once." She mumbled, but he heard a trace of seriousness in her tone. Her words came archly, as if she was hoping for a yes. It sounded idiotic to her. She was afraid he would turn on her in disgust, but he surprisingly seemed flattered beneath his irresolute facade.

He could have sworn a flash of his bloody face being held by Quistis' demonic hand with a razor swept before him the very instant he heard her.

"I'm NOT letting you rip my face apart! If I know, you've never even touched a razor."

She pushed him. "Hey! I know how to use one, I happen to shave my—" she cut herself off when she realized it was Seifer he was arguing with, and never regretted. A million years could pass, and she would never find the answer as to why she 'almost' said that.

But Seifer sensed what her silence meant and teased. "Then prove it."

"What?"

"Show me where you shaved."

"You jerk! You're such a perve!" she barked when she saw him glanced between her thighs.

He snickered away when she pushed him.

Twenty minutes later, a knock on Quistis' door.

At twelve thirty in the morning, she had just finished brushing her teeth and was about to get to bed when she heaved herself to the door, opened it, and frowned.

"I can't do it."

Seifer greeted her with his outstretched hand holding a razor and a shaving cream, while hiding his right hand which has doubled in size.

She could have just slammed the door at him, but when she watched his face and saw an uneven shear on the right side of his jaw along with a razor cut or two, pity sunk in to replace resentment. She took the items, but raised a brow when he looked at her, "Aren't you scared that I might slit your throat?"

"I'll take my chances. I look like shit."

"I see you've finally looked in a mirror."

"Blame the hyperactive director for that." He groaned and let himself in without invitation.

"Make yourself comfortable—not that you already are." Quistis was forced to give him a late invitation to enter her room before heading to the bathroom with his stuff.

It was the first time he came in to her room, all other times the furthest he got was at her doorstep. Now that he was finally in, he took the liberty of messing around…considering that everything was in perfect order, budging her chair to sit on it already messed it up.

He skimmed his eyes around while she washed her hands in her three square-meter bathroom. It wasn't much, the same small bed covered with a honey colored sheet at one corner, a built-in bookshelf with an array of books (mostly novels) at one side and on her desk were two things, a pencil holder and the same Beauty and the Beast book he once saw at Dollet.

He was smirking when she saw him.

"What?" she smugly asked as she placed the razor and shaving cream on her desk and wrapped a moist towel around her palm.

"You're not over with children's books I see." He chortled, a finger tapping the book in front of him.

She stooped, held his chin up and gave him an amusingly sarcastic glare. "You're not that far behind, not while you're actually living up to be Beast."

He opened his mouth to counter but she pressed the hot towel on his lips along with a triumphant smile. He muffled something but couldn't even make out of the words he said, so instead he shot her a pissed stare which quickly faded along with the closing of his mouth when he felt the warm cloth slowly made its way around his face, and her eyes looking at him as she did.

It was the first time in his young adult life that he felt being taken care of. The light pressure of her fingertips on his jaw as she held him still, the soothing feeling of the warm towel against his cheek, it was a calming silence to hear nothing but the silent beating of her heart and the light scent of roses and strawberries wafting against his nose as he found her drawing closer to him.

He only wished the moment would last a while longer, but in an instant, gone, when she stepped back and turned around to unwrap the towel on her hand and took the can of shaving cream and sprayed a dollop of cream on the tip of her fingers.

He watched tentatively as she began to smear his bottom face with it. The feeling was cold and sticky, yet somehow very comforting whenever her fingertips met contact with his skin. The sweet smell of roses and berries quickly subdued to the faint cool smell of lemon and mint.

Wiping her hands with a towel and picking up the razor, she smirked at him while he gulped hard.

Perhaps it was a bad idea, he thought, as the blade inched in closer to his face. The more she drew the sharp razor near, the more he drew his face away.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She warned when the blade finally kissed his face.

The helpless blonde could only grumble behind his throat. He was left with no choice but to comply, either that or a slashed neck.

"You know…" she began in hopes to ease him out. "You should let Gavin check that arm, it doesn't look very good."

He let out a groan together with the balling of his fists.

"You know, Gavin's a real good doctor. I happened to watch him in action for several years. I say he's one of the best." She added, smiling.

He groaned again, one which sounded like he was either irritated by the topic or simply uninterested.

His reaction put her to silence. Maybe talking praises about another guy didn't do much favor. So she closed her mouth and concentrated on her shaving.

The blade made its way through his face, slowly. Apparently she was careful not to slice him, but it was taking long and he was getting bored. At first he stared into her eyes, wonderful deep blue spheres enchanting him in such a way that he felt unsettled when she shifted it on him. So he quickly glanced to the side to look at the wall…great, a wall. It only took a second before his eyes travelled on the ground and slowly landed on her feet. Her feet were porcelain, slender and long, just like her legs, which perfectly matched her thighs. He stopped himself there when she leaned a little bit forward, eyes quickly shifting to the new attraction in front of him, a nice soft slope of cleavage beneath her silk nightgown.

Shit, was he checking her out?

He didn't know where else to avert his eyes to, besides, the temptation was irresistible.

"Sei—"

He jerked in surprise when he heard her speak causing her to quickly draw back.

"What's wrong? Did I cut you?" she anxiously asked, worried that she might have gashed him.

He closed his eyes and shook his head managing to muffle a, "It's nothing", through his tight lips.

She sighed in relief and continued to shave her now closed-eyed customer.

"Anyway, I was asking if this is okay?"

He opened them back, his eyes looking perplexed.

"The pacing of how I'm shaving you, I mean."

He smiled and nodded before closing his eyes back down.

Yup, it was definitely okay.

Looking down as the thin blade made a clearing of white foam on his skin, she wondered why he decided to close his eyes. It seemed like he was enjoying himself a second ago…unless. She narrowed her eyes and glared devilishly at the pervert sitting before her. Ripping his throat off seemed like a good idea at that moment. With him looking up with closed eyes and his neck exposed out in the open, it was a perfect opportunity for an infuriatingly infuriating…friend…to die.

There he was in her room, throat outstretched, hands tucked behind his back, eyes shut tight. He was leaving her to shave his face with a well-sharpened blade.

He was leaving her with so much trust.

She beamed at the trail of the thought. Trust. It was something he had never given to anyone, not even himself at times, yet there he was, putting his life on the line and onto her hands. Although the analogy of shaving a man's beard and putting his life on the line seemed overrated, still, the word trust made a lot of sense.

Without emeralds to look at, she stared at the razor instead, as it slowly made a ripping sound of hair being slashed clean. She studied his subdued face, it was relaxed, serene, without any traces of anger or bitterness whatsoever, he was almost handsome…okay…he was really handsome. His white complexion, tanned with his spirit for adventure, his perfectly framed face which made the finest mix of his youth and maturity, his beautifully slender yet masculine nose, divided by his signature scar, and his eyes, tough closed, she could clearly imagine the ferocity and pride filled within those eyes…yet somehow, she sometimes found herself staring at a totally gentle but determined eyes. Strange, how he could be so different in that silence, a totally beautiful beast.

She watched as the blade ran through the last strip of cream on his face.

A beautiful beast indeed….

For that last second, she watched him with all admiration and blushed.

"Done."

o O o

Taking into account that both the Headmaster and Headmistress were at their side, Selphie took the opportunity to abuse what she can. Being granted the permission of using the ballroom as venue of their rehearsals while allowed to stay there until afterhours up to midnight, it was a real treat for an excuse to fool around when her lead cast were left alone with entire room to enjoy…of course considering that Edea has already retired.

"I SAID KISS!" Selphie screamed at the two star cast, her echoes resonating throughout the whole of the emptied ballroom.

"KISS MY ASS!" Seifer growled back twice as loud, slapping his butt at Selphie.

Infuriated, Selphie took hold of the nearest thing to her, in which case, was a large brass candle stand. "COME HERE!" she roared and started to chase him around in an attempt to change his whole being, mentally and physically.

"So much for a 'serious practice'." Quistis shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she watched the two having a cat-and-mouse chase all over the ballroom.

"Oh chill out, it's a good intermission. About time we take a short break from practicin' anyway." Irvine approached her with an amused expression from watching the two.

She turned to see the happy smile of Irvine. "I guess...it's just that, two months isn't very long if you think about it."

"Well yeah, but a lot can happen in two months, take you and Seifer for example..." he trailed off the last statement with a teasing look.

"What about us?" She raised an eyebrow in speculation of another in-your-face attempt to pair them up.

Irvine cringed at the sight. "Ummm...er...you know, you've become more spontaneous, while him..." Irvine glanced over at the running Seifer before he smiled at her, "He seems more in tuned with himself now—thanks to you, I guess."

Quistis giggled at the comment, but she shot him a glower when she saw him smirk. "What are you trying to say Kinneas?"

"I'm only sayin'...you two became better persons when you started hanging out. You guys bring out the best from each other and balance you personalities into a more...agreeable one." He winked at her, "If I saw him leave your room at 2 a.m. the other day, then he must've changed you that much."

"He made me shave his face!" she exclaimed exasperated at his accuse.

"At two in the morning? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight…." He obviously wasn't buying the truth.

"As outrageous as it may sound, that's the truth." She shrugged.

"Truth or smooch, the thing is, you suit each other's personality well...and it's a good thing, really, it is."

Irvine's words got her thinking. He told her something she had already known, yet had not led herself to believe. They did make the best come out of each other. And like he said, it was a good thing, a real good one at that. Perhaps there was something more to her friendship with Seifer than she thought, but it was too soon to react, not while Irvine was giving her an irritatingly teasing grin.

"Whatever..." She scoffed at him.

Remembering a picture of Seifer's face as she shaved him, she blushed.

Sneak Preview:

Lex Talionis

Chapter 12

Quistis appreciated what he did and gave Gavin an enigmatic smile.

"Sure, I'll behave. Now, if you don't mind, why don't you two lovebirds get your relationship somewhere where it can't disturb the patient." His words were meant to tease, but it came out all too sarcastic.

"Of course, I'm sorry." Gavin pardoned, and looking at Quistis, he gestured, "Quistis, you might want to rest now. I'm sure Seifer will be all right, he's already stabilized. He will be fine, rest assured."

"Okay...but just one more minute."

"Alright, I'll give you two some privacy. I'll just be outside the hallway...I'll bring you to your room." Gavin said to Quistis as he opened the door and left.

"Quite a boyfriend you have there." Seifer grumbled as soon as Gavin closed the door.

A/N: After I my uncle tricked me into eating chicken food (honest!) it twisted my brain and it made the story turn out that Gavin did have feelings for Quistis and with so much pressure from everyone, Quistis being scared of falling for Seifer, Quistis ended up accepting Gavin's proposal as a diversion and they lived happily ever after. Huwaaaat! Hahahahaha!

Speaking of, I have this really great joke about happily ever after I got from a friend.

Narrator: There once was a handsome prince who impregnated a very ugly girl.

Handsome Prince: Will you marry me?

Ugly Girl: No.

Narrator: And the prince lived happily ever after.

Disclaimer: Beauty and the Beast, I don't own it. Some words are ripped out from the actual cartoon. I've decided to place the disclaimer here so it wouldn't be a big spoiler if placed at the beginning of the chapter.