Ride On
**Disclaimer: You know the drill**
I'm sorry for the shortish chapters But I pretty much write these fics on the spur of the moment, you know, during my maths homework etc etc, whenevr I get inspiration! I'll write a lot of them to make up for the length!
**And please don't sue me for what happens in this chapter!**
Ride On
The slender blonde trembled with anger, fear and disappointment as she raced through Balamb Garden's shining halls. The bubbling of the fountains, hollow, innocent, carefree things, roared in her ears, mocking her. Was she hideously unattractive? What had those other girls, that - other - girl - got that she hadn't got? What? The footsteps of people around her echoed grotesquely in her ears. They didn't care about her. How big was she in this universe? How important? Would anybody really miss her if she wasn't there?
Squall wouldn't, that was for sure. He hated her, he had as much as told her. For an instant, she considered going back to his dormitory, why she wasn't sure, but the thought passed quickly out of her mind. She couldn't face him, not now, not ever. And once he had told the others -
She shuddered at the thought.
Once he had told the others, she would be hated. An outcast. Was there anybody, who had at any point, ever, ever loved her, cared for her, even bothered to see what was going on in her intelligent instructor's head? She thought Seifer had, once, but he had rejected her, for another. That other. That girl who had it all, who couldn't stop pulling in the men. Leaving nothing for Quistis. Poor, rejected Quistis. Pitied Quistis. Quistis, good for nothing except for telling people off, being a failed leader, a
- failed leader. No leadership qualities. No men qualities. No qualities at all. No qualities at all.
Without even thinking, Quistis found herself in the passage to the training centre. She halted. She hadn't any GF's with her to junction, and she'd left all her magic with Squall. Was it wise to venture in with only her whip?
She quickly shied away from the thought. She could take care of herself. In fact, she didn't even care what happened to her anymore. The tears began to slide down her flushed, mottled cheeks as she whispered to herself,
"I may as well be dead."
She pushed open the tall, metal gates leading into the jungle-like, untames area, She was going to go to her secret place. Nobody knew about it except for her. She had taken nobody there except for herself. And -
Seifer. But he was in her past. Sure, he was still living at Garden. But her relationship with him was purely business. After Ultimecia's defeat, she had hardly exchanged two words with him. Not that she cared. Not that he cared.
She hurried up the path to the little wooden jetty. Good. Joker wasn't there. She didn't want anybody seeing her. The blackness of the night became even blacker, somehow, as she turned her face up to the stars to give one last prayer to Hyne. Looking around furtively, she dived into the tangled mass of tentacle-like bushes to her right. Scrambling through the tendrils that marred her way, she found herself in a little cave of leaves and branches. It was secluded, and only a few dancing spots of light broke through the tangles of leaves and stems above her head. Nobody would see her here. She wished she could stay here for the rest of her life. Nobody would miss her. What if she was dead? Would anybody miss her then?
Quistis huddled down into a ball on the earthy floor of her hideout. She wouldn't miss herself if she was dead. Did it really matter? Once she was dead, she was dead. There was nothing she could do about it. Without thinking, involuntarily, she was reaching in her back pocket for her whip. She pulled it out silently and turned it over and over in her hands, caressing the strong, flexible cord. She held it up to her cheek and closed her eyes, imagining it was a pair of lips. A small voice in her head was screaming "STOP!" but she disregarded it. She moved the cord over her neck and halted it there. Something, deep down was telling her to stop now, stop before it was too late. But a stronger voice, a hysterical, broken voice was telling her "DO IT! DO IT NOW!"
That voice was stronger. She reached up her other, trembling hand and touched her wet, pale cheeks. She would never feel them again. With a surge of energy, she took hold of the firm piece of cord and pulled it tight around her own neck. A feeling of choking and nausea overcame her. She tried to take a breath but couldn't. She wanted to let go, to breathe, but her hands had a will of their own. They disobeyed her and kept on pulling the cord, even tighter. It bit into her neck, cutting off her circulation, hurting the tender nerve underneath her chin. "STOP!" screamed the little voice, fainter now than ever. "NO! KEEP GOING!" urged the stronger voice, the hysterical voice, that was getting quieter, and quieter -
It was so painful now she thought she would burst. But she couldn't stop now. With a final burst of energy and a final attempt at a gasp, Quistis' hands pulled the cord to its utmost limit and she slumped onto the floor.
Was she dead now? She could still see, through blurry, teared eyes. The strength was leaving her, and she could feel her throbbing neck start to constrict. She tried to take gasping breaths, but her throat wouldn't work, leaving her airless, writhing on the floor. She was going to die. She should be happy. This was what she had wanted.
She was so weak now it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Was there a hint of flashing red and brown amongst those trees? She could hardly make her ears work, but she knew those thumping, thudding footsteps all too well. With an almighty roar, a claw swiped through the air inches above her lolling head, crashing through the leaves. Before everything started to flash and distort, Quistis caught a glimpse of a razor-sharp set of teeth hurtling downwards.
***
"What was that?"
Seifer woke with a start. The silence was deafening, yet he could have sworn that he had heard something roar. T-Rexaur was never out and about at night, unless he had caught something moving in the Training centre. And anyone out in the Training Centre at this time of night was suicidal, to say the least. Seifer yawned copiously. What was the time? He looked on his dresser. It was just gone one o clock in the morning. Who would be in the Training Centre now?
Seifer struggled out of bed. Much as he hated to admit it to himself, he wasn't the boss around here. He had to notify someone of the disturbance. It could turn out to be very dangerous. T-Rexaur was a terrifying predator. They'd need at least a party of three to combat him if he was on the loose. Especially is there was someone -
What was he waiting for? Seifer's lack of movement annoyed even him. He yanked on his battle clothes and bolted around the corner to the dormitory closest to his. Quistis Trepe's.
He hesitated slightly before opening the door. He wasn't really up to bursting into Quistis' dormitory in the middle of the night, not with their history. But hell, what was a few moments of awkwardness to a student's life? He turned the doorknob and stumbled in.
"Quist - "
Quistis wasn't in her dormitory. The sheets on her bed were rumpled, as if she had recently gotten up. To go to -
"What was she thinking?" Seifer hissed to himself.
Emotion after emotion drowned him. He had never regretted a moment so much as the moment he had told Quistis that he loved someone else. He had known, ever since that moment he had walked out of the dormitory, that he had been in love with Quistis all along, that other relationship - it was just a facade, an escape. He had been foolish, a power-hungry boy afraid of committing to a relationship. But he had been too scared to admit it to her, scared of being rejected. Now he could have lost her forever.
Grabbing his gunblade, Seifer dashed down the candlelit halls towards the Training Centre.
"Please, don't let me be too late".
Voices in his head were screaming, screaming, screaming -
Silence. He was in the Training Centre with no noise except for the soft swishing of fronds in the breeze. Where was Quistis? She might be -
He racked his brains. The Training Centre was huge. There was no way he could search every inch of it. Then, it hit him. That secret place, the place she'd taken him to. That place where they'd shared their first moonlit kiss. The thought of her lips upon his, the gentle pressure, sent shivers crawling up his spine. What a fool he'd been to throw it away.
Almost tripping over his own rushing feet, Seifer ran furiously down to the little jetty, looking around agonisedly until he saw the tiny dimple in the leaves. He knelt down and began to push his way through the leaves agitatedly. However, he was stopped by a sight that caused the blood to lie still in his brains. His pulse raced wildly and erratically.
A cold, lifeless arm was stretched out from within the bushes, limp and covered in scratched. The knuckles were white and the fist was clamped around a piece of whipcord.
"No." Seifer whispered, aghast.
He pushed forward, afraid of what he was going to see.
What he saw, once he had pushed aside the broken branches, ripped into disrepair by claws, made him sway in horror. He put a hand on the floor to steady himself. Quistis' lifeless body was sprawled face down on the earth, lying in a pool of crimson blood. The stains were seeping into the earth now, something final, something - almost dismissive. He scrambled to her side and supported her head.
"Don't be dead, Quisty. I - "
"I love you!" Seifer's eyes filled with salt, hot tears, and he didn't stop them from falling as he pressed two fingers apprehensively to her bruised neck to take her pulse.
**Please review this! I'm sorry it was so short!**
**I'll be deciding what happens to Quistis depending on the number of reviews...**
**Disclaimer: You know the drill**
I'm sorry for the shortish chapters But I pretty much write these fics on the spur of the moment, you know, during my maths homework etc etc, whenevr I get inspiration! I'll write a lot of them to make up for the length!
**And please don't sue me for what happens in this chapter!**
Ride On
The slender blonde trembled with anger, fear and disappointment as she raced through Balamb Garden's shining halls. The bubbling of the fountains, hollow, innocent, carefree things, roared in her ears, mocking her. Was she hideously unattractive? What had those other girls, that - other - girl - got that she hadn't got? What? The footsteps of people around her echoed grotesquely in her ears. They didn't care about her. How big was she in this universe? How important? Would anybody really miss her if she wasn't there?
Squall wouldn't, that was for sure. He hated her, he had as much as told her. For an instant, she considered going back to his dormitory, why she wasn't sure, but the thought passed quickly out of her mind. She couldn't face him, not now, not ever. And once he had told the others -
She shuddered at the thought.
Once he had told the others, she would be hated. An outcast. Was there anybody, who had at any point, ever, ever loved her, cared for her, even bothered to see what was going on in her intelligent instructor's head? She thought Seifer had, once, but he had rejected her, for another. That other. That girl who had it all, who couldn't stop pulling in the men. Leaving nothing for Quistis. Poor, rejected Quistis. Pitied Quistis. Quistis, good for nothing except for telling people off, being a failed leader, a
- failed leader. No leadership qualities. No men qualities. No qualities at all. No qualities at all.
Without even thinking, Quistis found herself in the passage to the training centre. She halted. She hadn't any GF's with her to junction, and she'd left all her magic with Squall. Was it wise to venture in with only her whip?
She quickly shied away from the thought. She could take care of herself. In fact, she didn't even care what happened to her anymore. The tears began to slide down her flushed, mottled cheeks as she whispered to herself,
"I may as well be dead."
She pushed open the tall, metal gates leading into the jungle-like, untames area, She was going to go to her secret place. Nobody knew about it except for her. She had taken nobody there except for herself. And -
Seifer. But he was in her past. Sure, he was still living at Garden. But her relationship with him was purely business. After Ultimecia's defeat, she had hardly exchanged two words with him. Not that she cared. Not that he cared.
She hurried up the path to the little wooden jetty. Good. Joker wasn't there. She didn't want anybody seeing her. The blackness of the night became even blacker, somehow, as she turned her face up to the stars to give one last prayer to Hyne. Looking around furtively, she dived into the tangled mass of tentacle-like bushes to her right. Scrambling through the tendrils that marred her way, she found herself in a little cave of leaves and branches. It was secluded, and only a few dancing spots of light broke through the tangles of leaves and stems above her head. Nobody would see her here. She wished she could stay here for the rest of her life. Nobody would miss her. What if she was dead? Would anybody miss her then?
Quistis huddled down into a ball on the earthy floor of her hideout. She wouldn't miss herself if she was dead. Did it really matter? Once she was dead, she was dead. There was nothing she could do about it. Without thinking, involuntarily, she was reaching in her back pocket for her whip. She pulled it out silently and turned it over and over in her hands, caressing the strong, flexible cord. She held it up to her cheek and closed her eyes, imagining it was a pair of lips. A small voice in her head was screaming "STOP!" but she disregarded it. She moved the cord over her neck and halted it there. Something, deep down was telling her to stop now, stop before it was too late. But a stronger voice, a hysterical, broken voice was telling her "DO IT! DO IT NOW!"
That voice was stronger. She reached up her other, trembling hand and touched her wet, pale cheeks. She would never feel them again. With a surge of energy, she took hold of the firm piece of cord and pulled it tight around her own neck. A feeling of choking and nausea overcame her. She tried to take a breath but couldn't. She wanted to let go, to breathe, but her hands had a will of their own. They disobeyed her and kept on pulling the cord, even tighter. It bit into her neck, cutting off her circulation, hurting the tender nerve underneath her chin. "STOP!" screamed the little voice, fainter now than ever. "NO! KEEP GOING!" urged the stronger voice, the hysterical voice, that was getting quieter, and quieter -
It was so painful now she thought she would burst. But she couldn't stop now. With a final burst of energy and a final attempt at a gasp, Quistis' hands pulled the cord to its utmost limit and she slumped onto the floor.
Was she dead now? She could still see, through blurry, teared eyes. The strength was leaving her, and she could feel her throbbing neck start to constrict. She tried to take gasping breaths, but her throat wouldn't work, leaving her airless, writhing on the floor. She was going to die. She should be happy. This was what she had wanted.
She was so weak now it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Was there a hint of flashing red and brown amongst those trees? She could hardly make her ears work, but she knew those thumping, thudding footsteps all too well. With an almighty roar, a claw swiped through the air inches above her lolling head, crashing through the leaves. Before everything started to flash and distort, Quistis caught a glimpse of a razor-sharp set of teeth hurtling downwards.
***
"What was that?"
Seifer woke with a start. The silence was deafening, yet he could have sworn that he had heard something roar. T-Rexaur was never out and about at night, unless he had caught something moving in the Training centre. And anyone out in the Training Centre at this time of night was suicidal, to say the least. Seifer yawned copiously. What was the time? He looked on his dresser. It was just gone one o clock in the morning. Who would be in the Training Centre now?
Seifer struggled out of bed. Much as he hated to admit it to himself, he wasn't the boss around here. He had to notify someone of the disturbance. It could turn out to be very dangerous. T-Rexaur was a terrifying predator. They'd need at least a party of three to combat him if he was on the loose. Especially is there was someone -
What was he waiting for? Seifer's lack of movement annoyed even him. He yanked on his battle clothes and bolted around the corner to the dormitory closest to his. Quistis Trepe's.
He hesitated slightly before opening the door. He wasn't really up to bursting into Quistis' dormitory in the middle of the night, not with their history. But hell, what was a few moments of awkwardness to a student's life? He turned the doorknob and stumbled in.
"Quist - "
Quistis wasn't in her dormitory. The sheets on her bed were rumpled, as if she had recently gotten up. To go to -
"What was she thinking?" Seifer hissed to himself.
Emotion after emotion drowned him. He had never regretted a moment so much as the moment he had told Quistis that he loved someone else. He had known, ever since that moment he had walked out of the dormitory, that he had been in love with Quistis all along, that other relationship - it was just a facade, an escape. He had been foolish, a power-hungry boy afraid of committing to a relationship. But he had been too scared to admit it to her, scared of being rejected. Now he could have lost her forever.
Grabbing his gunblade, Seifer dashed down the candlelit halls towards the Training Centre.
"Please, don't let me be too late".
Voices in his head were screaming, screaming, screaming -
Silence. He was in the Training Centre with no noise except for the soft swishing of fronds in the breeze. Where was Quistis? She might be -
He racked his brains. The Training Centre was huge. There was no way he could search every inch of it. Then, it hit him. That secret place, the place she'd taken him to. That place where they'd shared their first moonlit kiss. The thought of her lips upon his, the gentle pressure, sent shivers crawling up his spine. What a fool he'd been to throw it away.
Almost tripping over his own rushing feet, Seifer ran furiously down to the little jetty, looking around agonisedly until he saw the tiny dimple in the leaves. He knelt down and began to push his way through the leaves agitatedly. However, he was stopped by a sight that caused the blood to lie still in his brains. His pulse raced wildly and erratically.
A cold, lifeless arm was stretched out from within the bushes, limp and covered in scratched. The knuckles were white and the fist was clamped around a piece of whipcord.
"No." Seifer whispered, aghast.
He pushed forward, afraid of what he was going to see.
What he saw, once he had pushed aside the broken branches, ripped into disrepair by claws, made him sway in horror. He put a hand on the floor to steady himself. Quistis' lifeless body was sprawled face down on the earth, lying in a pool of crimson blood. The stains were seeping into the earth now, something final, something - almost dismissive. He scrambled to her side and supported her head.
"Don't be dead, Quisty. I - "
"I love you!" Seifer's eyes filled with salt, hot tears, and he didn't stop them from falling as he pressed two fingers apprehensively to her bruised neck to take her pulse.
**Please review this! I'm sorry it was so short!**
**I'll be deciding what happens to Quistis depending on the number of reviews...**