Queen of Souls
By Soul Hunter
Chapter Eleven
The sight of a dim, red light welcomed his sight as he slowly opened his eyes. He shook his head to clear his mind of the sticky cobwebs, tiny particles of fine dust spraying out from his light-colored hair. An attempt to move proved futile as the groggy warrior realized his hands and feet were bound tightly by a coil of the SeeD standard issue decel cord. Thinking back, he remembered the battle he fought against the instructor. She was supposed to be his comrade, though he didn't exactly thrill at the idea.
But she turned against him. It wouldn't have been as surprising considering the animosity that used to adorn the gap between them. Yet it wasn't only against him that she vented her unexpected aggression to, it was against all of them. The revelation contained in the ancient scroll he discovered must have been of great concern to warrant her unusual behavior, he pondered. He would give her the benefit of the doubt had she not only humiliated him in battle. It would be asking too much for his bloated ego to ignore a demand for retribution.
His right wrist wiggled to loose a tiny blade that subsequently fell into his gloved hands. For all his faults, the headstrong warrior still knew better than to be unprepared for contingencies like this. It was mere child's play for him to severe the tough cord binding his hands. He was free in less than a minute.
Looking back at the other five, he deliberated intently whether to free them or not. Once again, he recalled the asinine prophecy, and wondered why in hell would he care if these altruistic dolts die or not. The world wouldn't be any more deprived without them anyway.
His gaze subsequently locked on the raven-haired lass.
It would be a cold night in hell before he allowed anything to harm her.
Making up his mind, the lofty gladiator bent down to her and activated the distress alert on her communicator. His hand then ran tenderly across her comely face.
If there was only some way to turn back the clock, he thought.
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"Hey" Quistis' voice wispily echoed. "Welcome back."
He couldn't have had a more pleasant awakening. Opening his eyes, Hunter smiled warmly at the face of an angel gazing tenderly back at him. He never felt as much comfort with anyone else's gaze.
"I've died and went to heaven"
"No you didn't." She chuckled. "You're not allowed to die unless I tell you to."
"Is that a fact?" He muttered, softly clutching her hand that was resting on his chest. "In that case, don't break out the chain of command yet. This old goat still has a long way to go."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." She whispered back. It had been close to two hours since he lost consciousness after that battle with the incubus. And the instructor never recalled feeling as panicky at the prospect of losing someone as she did. She had never felt fear as incapacitating as it was as she struggled to treat his injuries. No words could have described the relief she felt when he finally settled to a relaxed slumber.
Hunter suddenly pulled himself up when he remembered the just transpired battle.
"The incubus! What happened to him?"
"Ssshhh don't worry about him." She assuaged. "I already took care of everything."
"Where is he now?"
"Buried under six feet of sand."
He thought briefly before coming back. "That might not be enough to contain him."
"Yeah, I know." Quistis answered while gently pushing him back on the bed. "We can attend to that later. For now, you need to get some rest."
"Yes ma'am" He complied, after which the SeeD stood up to leave.
She sighed resoundingly while assessing the damage to the Ragnarok. Quistis checked the instrument panel and pushed a few buttons to run a system diagnostics check, frowning with exasperation when the computer reported severe damages on the propulsion system and the weapons array. At least the life support system was still functional, she thought. The desert may be scorching hot during the day, but the night temperatures had been known to fall so steeply that the coldness could rival Trabia's frigid weather. She would hate to spend the night with the heaters busted.
The instructor remembered her deactivated communicator, but changed her mind about turning it on. Better wait until they completely neutralized the threat posed by the soul devourer, she decided. She'd never even consider having anyone of her comrades in the scene while the prophecy could still come true.
"Does this thing have a CD player?" Hunter's voice rang out from behind her. Quistis turned and saw him holding a shiny disk in his right hand.
"Yeah. Zell had one installed a few months ago. It's over there at the navigator console."
"Thanks. I'll use a headphone just in case the music bothers you." He quipped while moving toward the side panel. Quistis momentarily observed Hunter as his head rocked steadily with the melody. Slow music, she guessed.
"Mind if I listen in?" She eventually voiced out.
"WHAT?"
"I SAID," She raised her voice while lifting one of the headphone's small speakers off his ears and propping her face beside his, "MIND IF I LISTEN IN?"
"Oh No, of course. I don't mind. Be my guest." He stammered while handing her the headphone. Quistis pressed one of its ends against her ears.
"Hmm Nice. Smooth and sweet. Who's the artist?"
"Freestyle." He quipped. "They're a show band, quite popular in Dollet. Don't tell me you haven't heard of them."
"No" She said, staring at Hunter in awe. For all his immense skills as a warrior, Quistis never thought she would see a soft side in him. A sensitive facet that allowed for a fascination in the kind of music that soothes the mind and pampers the heart. Her smile went across a face awash with wonder brought upon by a surprise discovery of a gentle sheep lurking beneath the shell of a ferocious gladiator. Eagerness engulfed her with totality, feeling a mighty desire to know more about him.
She gaited slowly, her daintily moving hands brushing away some shards of glass from the navigator panel. She then sat on the sturdy structure of buttons and keyboards to face him directly. "So aside from being a creampuff, what else can you tell me about yourself?"
"Umm what else do you wanna know?"
"I don't know" She trailed off. "Stuff. Like you mentioned before that you're a hundred and thirty-one years old, and yet you only went into cryo-sleep for one hundred years. So that makes you thirty-one." The instructor analyzed, crossing her arms before her in a teacher-like fashion. "So were you already"
"Spoken for?" He interrupted.
"Yeah" Quistis followed.
However, a sudden cognizance made her retreat in shame, thinking that she may be intruding into his privacy too much. Quistis had always been reserved that way. She sighed resonantly while covering her mouth with her hands.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be so nosy"
"Hey, that's all right. I don't mind." Hunter assured her. "I can tell you about my story. It's not like it's some top-secret information or anything."
The SeeD maintained her silence, prodding the dark warrior to continue.
"Yeah, I've been in and out of some relationships. To tell you frankly, I couldn't even call them that since those weren't really very serious, in a manner of speaking. The only time I felt almost sure was after my awakening, when I met this girl who lives in Dollet. This was only four months ago, the first relationship I had since I woke up from cryo-sleep."
"So what happened to her?" She finally responded.
"Um well she dumped me for another guy."
Quistis was slightly astonished, thinking that this girl must have been learning-impaired for having rejected Hunter in favor of another man. Who in her right mind would reject a man like this? Someone who must be blind, deaf, dead, or all of the above. How could a girl be so stupid?
Consequently, the instructor blushed upon realizing her line of thoughts. Though not exactly surprised by her sentiments, she also wasn't inclined to readily display any feeling of affection towards a man. For her, it was both a violation against her customary bearing as an authority figure, and a precaution against committing a mistake not unlike the one related to a certain SeeD commander. However, Quistis was also puzzled by an impetus to uplift his moral. And the conflicted instructor had to fight onerously to resist this impulse.
"Really?" She returned. "I'm sorry to hear that. She must have been a real bitch doing that to you."
"No, not exactly." He countered. And if Hunter was looking at her, he would have noticed her scowling. Quistis didn't like what she thought was his attempt at defending this girl. She tried to restrain an urge to punch him in the nose.
Since when did she start acting so irrationally?
"It was partly my fault, really." He continued. "I had some issues that I just couldn't deal with easily. And she decided to leave me because of that. Maybe it was only a coincidence that there was already this guy waiting in the sidelines. But frankly, I really don't know which came first."
"What was it exactly?" She asked, feeling intrigued. "I mean, I can't comment on her motives because I don't even know her. But what exactly did she tell you?"
He flashed a sour smile before replying.
"She said she didn't wish to share with my burden."
Makes sense, but also typically bitch-like, she thought. Quistis retracted from her last thought, accepting that every woman has a right to choose whatever it is that would make her happy. Maybe this girl just couldn't cope with the truth that he was a warrior with a mission in life. Acceptable enough, she assessed. But it also meant that this girl didn't really love him.
Hunter definitely deserved something better than that. Those very words echoed in her mind and prompted her to ponder about herself being that something better. Surely, she could offer a lot more than that girl could. For one thing, she was also a warrior, and she could certainly understand whatever predicament such a profession may bring to a man's life.
Quistis suddenly interrupted her train of thoughts. Why was she even trying to justify herself?
Still, the question remained. Did he truly love her? She found the need to know the answer overwhelming but also dreadful. Quistis felt anxious of her possible reaction in the event that she receives an affirmative response.
"Were you in love with her?" She echoed apprehensively.
"Heh!" Hunter scoffed. "I've been thinking about that."
"And?" The instructor's heart thundered.
"I really don't know. Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't. Eventually, I just asked myself if she does qualify to the term."
"Qualify?"
Hunter then looked at Quistis firmly.
"The wise man said: You truly love someone when you know that there's absolutely nothing in this world you wouldn't do for that person. You can truthfully say that you're in love when you feel that you can easily survive a hundred years without money, friends or family but you wouldn't last even a single day without her."
A million nuclear bombs would not have been enough to extricate Quistis from the enchantment that possessed her. As she recalled the words Hunter uttered, she wondered if he was merely speaking rhetorically or if those words were indeed meant for something tangible. Was he only repeating the words of a proverbial old sage? Was he uttering a set of ideals he meant to someday use as a yardstick?
Or were those words spoken to describe his feelings for her?
Quistis wanted it to be her desperately.
"What about you? Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"W-What?" She stammered, as if awakening from a deep trance.
"Tell me about yourself."
"What's there left to tell?" Quistis repeated, feeling a bit more relaxed. "You seem to know a lot about me already."
"Yeah maybe too much, I'm afraid."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Well" He hesitated while fidgeting. Hunter was reluctant to let her know of the details he had about her personal life. However, the fact that he had been spying on her wasn't a secret anymore. At this point, he thought any other revelation of the things he knew wouldn't make much of a difference.
" I'm just curious about Squall"
"He never became my boyfriend if that's what you're thinking."
"And I'll bet you're not too thrilled about it, huh."
Hunter held his breath after that remark, fearing that he may be starting to become a bit too intrusive to her liking. But the sweet smile on her face erased the burgeoning anxiety inside him. On her side, Quistis almost felt like laughing. But her amused state was replaced by wonder upon stumbling into an apparent self-discovery. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel the sting that used to be prevalent whenever someone spoke to her about Squall in that manner. Not that there were any who did aside from Xu.
Nevertheless, it really didn't matter. She was just too amazed to realize the absence of the bludgeoning hurt that always came after the mention of the SeeD commander's name. But it only took one look at Hunter's face to give her the answer.
"I can't answer that." Quistis returned.
"Why not?"
Why not? She was almost amused, and she also didn't know where to start. Why not? Maybe it's because if she told him that his assumption wasn't true and that she didn't give a damn anymore whether Squall reciprocates her feelings or not, he'd easily figure out the screaming desire that had been growing in her heart ever since they first met.
"Quisty?"
Why not? Maybe it's due to the fact that the lifetime of longing she harbored for her childhood love was effectively eradicated by the two days she spent with Hunter, and this truth was just too incredulous even she found it a little too hard to believe.
Why not?
Maybe it's because Hunter had already replaced Squall in her heart. She just didn't know how to tell him.
And she wanted so badly to tell him.
"Because" Quistis anxiously stuttered, her eyes now nervously locked with his. "Because I didn't know what to do. I don't know if I can handle seeing that you don't feel the same way if if I let you see through me and and realize that"
She felt a knot block her throat. But Quistis persevered.
" That That I've already fallen for you"
She lowered her head after that stunning revelation, ashamed that it had to come from her first. Quistis would have wanted to wait for Hunter to make the first move, and maybe he would have had she given him enough time. But the emotions had built up inside her to such degree that it became too painful to try and contain it within her. It demanded release with a might that was too much for her meager will to suppress.
And if she would only look at him, she would have seen the look of immense surprise in his face. Hunter could hardly believe what he heard her say. For months he had been observing her, watching from afar how her grace blessed the lives of the people around her, unwittingly enriching his as well. For what seemed like forever, he hoped against hopelessness, acknowledging that she was too far from his reach but wishing just the same that she would someday feel the same way no matter how impossible it seemed then. For him, she had always been the dream impossible to realize and the star beyond his grasp, reachable only from the dark corners whose shadows he used in silently marveling at her splendor. She was just so beyond him then.
Now, they stood before each other, and he had just heard her profess her love for him. If this was a dream, he'd rather die in his sleep than wake up to a reality without her.
His fingers quivered as they gently touched her chin to lift her face up to him. Hunter then moved his other hand to affectionately caress her soft hair. Their hearts threatened to explode as they gazed lovingly at each other. And after what seemed like forever, their lips finally met. A few moments of tender kissing transpired before Hunter brought his arms around Quistis' back and legs, sweeping her effortlessly off her feet.
As they left the cockpit, the headphone plug was yanked off from the circular socket of the CD player, automatically rerouting the signal to the speakers that filled the entire Ragnarok with soothing melodies.
End of Chapter Eleven