Chapter Twenty-One: Who Will Die Next?



Quistis found Raijin and Fujin near the waters at Balamb Town. They seemed to know she was coming. While Raijin backed up a step, Fujin held her ground.
Her good eye stared at Quistis suspiciously. "WHAT?"
"Where is he?" Quistis demanded sharply.
"WHO?" Fujin asked back.
Quistis snorted. "Don't pretend you don't know who I'm talking about."
Quistis' blue eyes flickered in Raijin's retreating direction. "Where are you going?"
He froze as Fujin whirled around to glare at him. "Huh? Oh, S-Seifer? He's not here, ya know."
"I know he was here!" Quistis cried out shrilly. "Tell me where he went."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught Fujin briefly shake her head at Raijin, silencing him. She turned back to accuse Fujin. "Where is he?"
"NOT TELL." Fujin said. She sliced her hand through the air. "LEAVE."
"Yeah," Raijin chimed in. "Get outta here. Seifer doesn't wanna see you, ya know."
Ah, he had just told her that Seifer WAS there. Fujin was pissed, and turned and gave him a nasty kick in the left shin.
"Where is he," Quistis asked softly. "Please tell me. I need to talk to him."
Her nicer tone made Fujin's hard features also soften. "NOT ALLOWED."
Quistis touched her heart. "Fujin, please... I love Seifer. If you've ever been in love, you'd understand and let me see him."
Her comment pissed Fujin off again. Unsure why, Quistis bit her lower lip.
"YOU." Fujin spat out, her nostrils flaring. "TOOK HIM AWAY."
"Yeah," Raijin spoke out. "Fujin loves him too, ya know?"
Fujin once more kicked Raijin, and Raijin went down in pain.
"You do?" Quistis couldn't hold back the surprise in her voice.
"YOU RUINED IT," Fujin said angrily.
"I'm... sorry," Quistis told the silver haired woman. Quistis knew that Fujin loved Seifer longer than she had.
Fujin grinded her teeth together. "LEAVE OR DIE."
"I need to talk to him," Quistis said hopelessly.
"FINE," Fujin told her. "THAN DIE."
"Whoa!" Raijin called. He placed a large hand on Fujin's shoulder. "Calm down, ya know?"
She shook him off, preparing herself for battle. Quistis hesitated but then pulled out her Save The Queen.
"Back off Fujin," Quistis warned. "I've kicked your ass before, and I'll do it again."
"BITCH." Fujin swore.
"Stop," came a cool voice from behind them.
Both Fujin and Quistis looked to see Seifer a few yards away. He began to walk slowly towards them as both women stared.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Seifer demanded of both of them.
"Seifer..." Quistis began, but suddenly she was at a loss for words.
"Hmmm?" He asked. "Do you have a good excuse?"
I said that once, Quistis remembered. Long ago... Heh, what a coincidence.
She smiled at the little memory.
"You like me yelling like this, Trepe?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.
Quistis lost her smile instantly. What was his problem?
"They were fightin' over ya," Raijin informed him. Both ladies cast him a hard glare.
"Heh heh heh..." Seifer chuckled. He paced back and forth. "...Sorry, Fujin. I'm not yours."
Fujin lowered her gaze.
"...Sorry Quistis," he continued. "I'm not yours either. I am nobody's. Got it? So all of you just leave me alone." He eyed all three of them. "It was a mistake coming here."
Quistis watched in shock as he turned his back and began to walk away. The black hole in her heart grew. She stepped forward, speaking out. "Seifer!"
He stopped but did not look back. "What?"
"Please tell me why!" She knew he could hear the pain in her voice. Everyone could hear it.
"Leave me alone, Trepe." He said.
"You can't do this!" Quistis cried out. She took a few more steps forward. "Don't you get it? You can't DO this to people! You can't make them love you then abandon them when they need you the most! God damnit, Seifer!"
Her short outburst made him laugh. He spun around and looked at her. "Then you shouldn't have gotten involved with me in the first place, huh? You should realized I would do this. Come on! Don't you remember who I was before!? I was ALWAYS like this. So don't go acting all surprised. Don't go around crying and whining like the bitch that you are. I don't wanna hear it. NOBODY wants to hear it, Trepe. Nobody likes you. I mean, how many friends do you have? None! You may have had one or two, but they died! Get it yet? Everyone, including myself, hates you."
He had just killed her. She felt like he had pierced her heart with a sword. She didn't let herself sag or faulter, however. She stood proud and strong. She simply gave him a twisted and cruel smile. She walked right past him in a cool and confident manner. As she walked by, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder.
"And how many friends might you have?" She asked scornfully. "Think about that the next time you throw someone behind you."
She continued to walk away. Not one of them could have guessed she was offended by the outburst. She had that allure about her. She had done it so many times it was second nature to her. She was used to being rejected by everyone.
She promised herself right then to NEVER again fall in love with Seifer Almasy. She knew that if she did, they would again fight and break up. If he apologized to her, maybe she'd consiter being friends. He was, after all, the only one she could really talk to. Friends, but thats where she'd draw the line. No more romance between them. Nothing at all would follow after this.
She left Balamb Town in a hurry. Her destination was Edea's House. She would collect her few belongings and head back to Garden. Seifer could have Edea's House. It held far too many memories for her.
...Falling in love...
...Almost being murdered...
...Dying...
...Find Seifer with Rinoa...
Quistis shuddered and told herself not to think any more than she had. She was beginning to depress herself. She told herself quickly she would be in and out of Edea's House very fast.

* * * *

"So, Quisty," Zell said while chewing a piece of hot dog. Bits and pieces flew from his mouth and hit Quistis. She had to keep flicking them away as he spoke. "Tell us more `bout dying. Did ya go to Heaven? IS there a Heaven?"
Quistis thought before answering. "I don't know where I was. I think I was still in my body, actually."
"Really?" Asked the dark haired girl sitting next to Zell.
Quistis blinked in surprise. It was really the first time she had spoken since they sat down nearly ten minutes prior. They were all enjoying a nice, disgusting meal in Balamb Garden's cafeteria. Quistis personally hated the hot dogs, while Zell and his new squeeze seemed to absolutely love them.
When Quistis had arrived back at Garden, Cid allowed her a dorm room. Well, first he started to cry when he saw her. Everyone in Garden was in total shock seeing she was still alive. Seifer had told them she was dead. She had to lie and say she was off vacationing... for two years... in a beautiful island far away. People were pissed Seifer had lied, and she enjoyed it. Quistis was not to fond of Seifer at the moment.
She had dumped her belongings off in a rather large dorm room. As soon as she left, she was attacked. The predators was Zell and a quiet girl.
"Yo!" Zell had said, patting Quistis on the back. "Welcome, uh, home!! Hey hey! Meet Raine Ishida!"
"Pleased to meet you," Quistis said. She shook the smaller girl's hand.
"Likewise," Raine said sweetly.
Quistis was impressed dear ol' Zell had gotten a girl like Raine. Quistis had often amused herself that Zell would one day marry The Library Girl, for he'd get no other. Yet now he had a tattoo saying, "I Love Raine Ishida" on his arm.
Raine Ishida reminded Quistis of Raine Loire, and not just because of their similar names. Raine had fine dark brown hair that spun down her back in careless waves. Her eyes were bright, two green jewels that could look right into a person. Like Raine Loire, she was quiet and soft-spoken. She blushed slightly from just shaking Quistis' hand.
"Zell's told me a lot about you," Quistis said coolly. "And I'm glad to see you aren't the toad that Zell described you as! Hah hah hah! Oh, sweetie, don't look so alarmed. I am only joking, I assure you. Zell has said nothing but kind things about you."
"A, alright," Raine muttered, still looking frazzled.
"We were just gonna go for dinner!" Zell cheered, excited over the event. "Hey, come with us, Quistis!"
"I'll pass."
"No, please?" Raine asked. "I'd love you to talk with us."
"...Alright," Quistis agreed after a moments hesitation. "I'll go."

And now they sat, eating hot dogs and discussing Quistis' death experience in the cafeteria.
"I don't remember any of it," Quistis told them. "Oh, sure, I remember my eyes closing and dying, but then I woke up and it was two years later."
"Gee," Zell said. "How weird. I was telling Raine how--"

~*Ding.*~
A voice who was not Cid came over the loudspeaker. "Good evening, students and instructors of Garden. I'm afraid I have some bad news. I'm sure most of you remember Sorceress Edea from her reign nearly five years ago. All of you know she is Headmaster Cid's wife... I regret to inform you all that she was... found murdered just a short while ago."

Quistis let out a low gasp. Zell's mouth fell open. Raine's eyes widened.

"We suspect that the murderer is the same who killed Commander Squall and SeeD student Selphie. We are telling you this so that you keep your highest alert out. The Training Center is closed down for a few days, in case you are attacked while training by yourself. All other education centers inside Garden will be open, but highly trained SeeD's will be at every corner. Stay safe, students."
~*Ding.*~

"Oh god," Quistis whispered.
Matron's dead!? No! It can't be! I couldn't have killed her! I've been awake the entire day!!
Quistis shuddered. Did someone else kill Matron? ....Is the evil not inside me, after all?
"Zell," Quistis whispered. "Do you remember me attacking you the other day?"
"...I saw blonde hair," he told her.
"Was it me?"
"Quistis..."
"Tell me, god damnit!" She swore angrily. She lunged across the table and grabbed Zell by his collar. Raine gasped and stood up as well. "Was it me!?"
"...It wasn't you," Zell reluctantly told her.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me that before?"
"'Cause I knew you'd worry..."
"Who was it?"
"Think," Zell said. "Who else do you know very well that has blonde hair?"
Quistis let go of Zell and pulled back, feeling completely numb. She couldn't believe it.
"Seifer," Quistis whispered. "Seifer attacked you?"
"Its in him," Zell explained. He rubbed his neck. "Oh Hyne. Before you woke up in the informatory, I told him who It was in. He got very cold and quiet. He told me to make sure you didn't go after him. He said he didn't want you to get hurt."
"Oh no," Quistis whispered. So that's why he pushed me away so cruelly, she knew. It was all making sense.
Raine remained very quiet through the entire explanation from Zell. She was quite pale, and was staring at Quistis with an odd expression on her face.
"So Seifer's here..." Zell said, shaking his head. "And he killed Matron."
"HE didn't," Quistis objected. "IT did." She cast a look at Raine. "Don't look so scared of me, Raine. Zell will tell you I never act this way. I just panicked is all."
"Understood," Raine said with a nod.
"I must leave," Quistis said. "I must find him. Bye, Zell. Bye, Raine. Nice meeting you."
"Yeah," Raine said. "Don't get hurt, Quistis."
As she started to leave, Zell grabbed her arm. His face was deadly serious.
"Who dies next, Quistis?" He asked her. "Who will die next?"

































































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