Disclaimer: All characters belong to Squaresoft, blah blah woof woof.
An Unlikely Meeting- Part IV
Seifer awoke at nine o'clock to the ringing of the telephone.
He shifted from the chair and quickly blinked away the drowsiness. What the frickin hell?, he thought. He looked to where Quistis was, who was unfazed with the telephone's ringing. With a sigh, he forced himself out of the chair, trudged over to the telephone, and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?," he said, his voice slurred from sleepyness.
"Goodmorning Seifer!," said Cid's cheery voice. He had obviously gotten over what happened early that morning. "I hope you slept well?"
"Mm, kinda," Seifer replied, rubbing his eyes. "What's up?"
"I want you to come up to my office at eleven. Several others will be here as well. We have things to discuss. I'm hoping that Quistis could come, but if that's not possible, then I guess that can't be helped."
"Yeah, OK. See you at eleven." And with that, Seifer hung up the phone. He turned and saw Quistis looking up at him from the bed with clear, alert eyes.
"The Headmaster?," she said.
Seifer nodded. "Yeah, he wanted us to go up to his office at eleven to discuss stuff." He looked at her thoughtfully. "You think you're feeling OK enough to go?," he asked.
"Yeah. Actually, I'm feeling pretty good," she said with a smile. She stretched and got to her feet.
They both washed up. Quistis changed into her normal attire and Seifer was still stuck with the clothes he had on the day before. They headed for the cafeteria for a quick breakfast before their meeting with Cid. On their way, Seifer was met with looks of puzzlement, surprise, fear, and contempt. Seifer looked back at them with a sneer, which quickly scared them away. Quistis turned to him, her face contorted with a frown of concern.
"You know," she said, "if this is too uncomfortable for you, we can eat out...,"
"No," Seifer interrupted. "That's OK. They should get used to it, 'cause I think I'll be here for quite a while."
At the cafeteria, Seifer was wolfing down some pancakes and Quistis took a bite of her bagel. Quistis had been very quiet for some time, and Seifer finally spoke.
"Hey, what are you thinking?"
Quistis sighed. "About what's going to happen."
"To who?"
"To me. To everyone." Quistis sighed again. "The sorceress wants to use me to destroy everything. I could be the cause of the deaths of so many people."
"Hey," Seifer said with a hand on her shoulder. " Having you been having that dream again?"
"No, not this time," Quistis said with a sad look. "I dreamed that I was in this... this cell. I called out for help, but no one answered. I... I was so scared," she said quietly.
"There is no way in *hell* anything's gonna happen to you. No one's gonna let anything happen to you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
Quistis smiled weakly. "You sound so sure."
He gave her his most confident smirk. "Lady, I'm sticking to you like glue until danger's past."
As he finished up his pancakes, Quistis only stared at him in surprise and wonder.
When they went up to the Headmaster's office, Quistis and Seifer were greeted by the faces of many.
"Goodmorning Seifer," said Cid. "Quistis! How are you? Are you feeling all right?," he asked with concern.
"Yes, Headmaster. I'm feeling a lot better, thank you," said Quistis appreciatively.
She looked at the crowd. Everyone was there. Matron, Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine. Besides Edea, Cid, and herself, everyone else in the room was eyeing Seifer warily. Seifer ignored their deprecating stares.
"So, what is it that we're here to discuss?," asked Seifer.
"We are here to discuss our plans concerning Quistis and Celeste," replied Cid.
"Wait a minute!," said Zell. "I don't get this whole thing. So Quistis is psychic, and some sorceress wants to use her for world domination or some other crazy stuff like that?"
"You can say that, yes, basically," said Cid.
"That is sooo cool!," cried an excited Selphie.
"Not really," said Quistis. "Anyway, I don't think she's really going to make any big moves for a while."
"Why?," Irvine asked.
"Well, she wants to use me for my powers, right? So, since I don't fully understand how to use my abilities just yet, she'll probably wait until I do, which won't be for quite some time."
Everyone in the room nodded. That was very true.
"I will teach Quistis," said Edea.
"But what about Rinoa?," asked Quistis.
"Don't worry. She's already learned all she could from me. The rest is up to her to explore."
The group spent the rest of the time planning on what to do for different situations if they happened to occur. Quistis was to stop instructing to focus her concentration on training. The quicker they can encounter Celeste, the better. Cid had noticed how close Quistis and Seifer were becoming, so he allowed Seifer to stay in Balamb in an adjoining dorm with Quistis if something should happen to her. Because Celeste is probably keeping track of all their movements, they decided, that although it wasn't the most safest route, Celeste would have to come to them first.
The meeting was over, and when everyone left, Edea and Cid were left in the office.
"Are you sure about what was just decided?," said a concerned Edea to Cid. "We're putting everyone at Balamb at risk."
"I know, but we don't have any other choice."
Once they were out of hearing range from Cid and Matron on the first floor near the elevator where they filed out from, Squall spoke.
"I know I should've said this sooner, but... what the hell are *you* doing *here*?!" he exploded.
Seifer's eyes narrowed. "For you're information, I have an obligation to see this through."
"Oh? An obligation? Since when did you feel such a sense of responsibility you bastard?! You're probably siding with the sorceress, aren't you?," he snarled.
Snarling back, Seifer took Squall by his jacket and pinned him to the wall. All the while, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Selphie and Rinoa were looking on. Quistis's hands were fisted at her sides, her nails biting into her skin.
"You waited so long to tell me you're feelings," Seifer drawled. "Come on. Let it all out," he taunted.
"You son of a bitch. I didn't tell you yesterday because I was caught off guard at your sudden appearance. But you are definitely *not* welcome here!" His face was contorted in rage. "You're gonna end up killing everyone in Garden," he spat.
"That is enough!," commanded the stern and angry voice of the instructor. She stalked up to them and with amazing ease, she tore them apart from each other. "Seifer, I suggest that you try to behave yourself during your stay, for you are a guest here after all. And Squall." Quistis turned on her heels to face him. Her eyes burned into his. "If you've forgotten, if anything goes wrong then the blame would fall on me. Because of me, Seifer's here, and because of me, I'm putting everyone else in danger." She breathed hard to catch her breath.
"Damn," Irvine muttered, and Selphie, Zell, and Rinoa quickly shushed him.
"I'm sorry Quistis," apologized Squall. "It's just that... I don't... I don't know what came over me there for a second." He rubbed his hands over his face.
"I'll bet," came the muttered reply from Seifer.
Both Quistis and Squall glared at him.
"OK, OK. Sorry," he said with a hand at the back of his neck and his eyes looking elsewhere.
"That settles it then folks," Irvine said.
"Seifer is here for a reason," Quistis said to Squall. "And trust me, he isn't here to hurt anyone. With his knowledge of the sorceress, he could become a valuable asset to our mission. Now if you'll excuse me," she said, directing her attention to the whole group, "I must rest before my training." And with that, she left.
Seifer smirked at Squall, who just glared back in response. Giving an arrogant wave as he turned around, he followed Quistis out. Squall watched as Seifer caught up to Quistis and put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. Seifer put both his open hands in the air, as if surrendering.
Rinoa held on to Squall's arm affectionately and reassuringly. Squall just looked on.
"Hey, sorry if I got you pretty pissed off back there," said Seifer.
"It wasn't just you, it was both you and Squall," replied Quistis heatedly.
"OK, fine. Sorry if *we* got you pretty pissed off back there. Cheer up, eh?"
Quistis just sighed. She let her shoulders slump and her head bowed down. She looked tired, worn out, defeated.
"How long do you think it'll be until we here about Celeste?," Quistis asked, her eyes still on her feet.
"I don't know," Seifer answered honestly. "But I hope she'll be interested in other things and not bother toying with your body like she did the other night."
They reached the dormitories.
"Well, I'm gonna rest now," Quistis told Seifer.
"Hey, you just holler if you need anything, OK?," Seifer said.
Quistis nodded and slipped her card key in the slot. As she was closing the door from inside, Quistis said "Thanks."
Seifer offered a small smile, and Quistis closed the door, leaving him wondering about her sorceress powers and Celeste.
Hmmm, very interesting, Celeste thought, still in her bedroom. She wished she could actually be there, in Balamb Garden. She could disguise herself, but of course, there is her aura. That she couldn't hide, making her much too easy to find. She sighed and walked up to her full length mirror. She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out as she concentrated. Then, very slowly, she began to change. Her hair became lighter, from black, to dark brown, then light brown, and finally settled on a rich, blond color which magically pinned itself with a clip while some stayed down, framing her face. Her eyes lightened also to a bright blue. Her facial features became more elegant, and even her clothes changed to a pink color. Transformation completed, Celeste admired herself in the mirror. In it, she saw the image of Quistis, cool, and calm, yet with an eerie, unnatural smile. Too bad I can't put this image into good use, Celeste thought with a dainty twist of her lips. She sighed, and her features returned to normal. While that girl is training, I guess I should brush up on my sorceress skills, she thought. She extended a hand before her, and walked through her large bedroom window as it rippled like water behind her. She floated down to the beach below.
A/N: Yeah, I know. This chapter sucked. Please have some sympathy, but life seems like pretty much the end of the world when you have a whole month full of tests, projects, papers, and to top it off, you finish up the month with midterms. Oh goody. Well, anyways, thanx for ur review y'all. Much appreciated!
An Unlikely Meeting- Part IV
Seifer awoke at nine o'clock to the ringing of the telephone.
He shifted from the chair and quickly blinked away the drowsiness. What the frickin hell?, he thought. He looked to where Quistis was, who was unfazed with the telephone's ringing. With a sigh, he forced himself out of the chair, trudged over to the telephone, and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?," he said, his voice slurred from sleepyness.
"Goodmorning Seifer!," said Cid's cheery voice. He had obviously gotten over what happened early that morning. "I hope you slept well?"
"Mm, kinda," Seifer replied, rubbing his eyes. "What's up?"
"I want you to come up to my office at eleven. Several others will be here as well. We have things to discuss. I'm hoping that Quistis could come, but if that's not possible, then I guess that can't be helped."
"Yeah, OK. See you at eleven." And with that, Seifer hung up the phone. He turned and saw Quistis looking up at him from the bed with clear, alert eyes.
"The Headmaster?," she said.
Seifer nodded. "Yeah, he wanted us to go up to his office at eleven to discuss stuff." He looked at her thoughtfully. "You think you're feeling OK enough to go?," he asked.
"Yeah. Actually, I'm feeling pretty good," she said with a smile. She stretched and got to her feet.
They both washed up. Quistis changed into her normal attire and Seifer was still stuck with the clothes he had on the day before. They headed for the cafeteria for a quick breakfast before their meeting with Cid. On their way, Seifer was met with looks of puzzlement, surprise, fear, and contempt. Seifer looked back at them with a sneer, which quickly scared them away. Quistis turned to him, her face contorted with a frown of concern.
"You know," she said, "if this is too uncomfortable for you, we can eat out...,"
"No," Seifer interrupted. "That's OK. They should get used to it, 'cause I think I'll be here for quite a while."
At the cafeteria, Seifer was wolfing down some pancakes and Quistis took a bite of her bagel. Quistis had been very quiet for some time, and Seifer finally spoke.
"Hey, what are you thinking?"
Quistis sighed. "About what's going to happen."
"To who?"
"To me. To everyone." Quistis sighed again. "The sorceress wants to use me to destroy everything. I could be the cause of the deaths of so many people."
"Hey," Seifer said with a hand on her shoulder. " Having you been having that dream again?"
"No, not this time," Quistis said with a sad look. "I dreamed that I was in this... this cell. I called out for help, but no one answered. I... I was so scared," she said quietly.
"There is no way in *hell* anything's gonna happen to you. No one's gonna let anything happen to you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
Quistis smiled weakly. "You sound so sure."
He gave her his most confident smirk. "Lady, I'm sticking to you like glue until danger's past."
As he finished up his pancakes, Quistis only stared at him in surprise and wonder.
When they went up to the Headmaster's office, Quistis and Seifer were greeted by the faces of many.
"Goodmorning Seifer," said Cid. "Quistis! How are you? Are you feeling all right?," he asked with concern.
"Yes, Headmaster. I'm feeling a lot better, thank you," said Quistis appreciatively.
She looked at the crowd. Everyone was there. Matron, Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine. Besides Edea, Cid, and herself, everyone else in the room was eyeing Seifer warily. Seifer ignored their deprecating stares.
"So, what is it that we're here to discuss?," asked Seifer.
"We are here to discuss our plans concerning Quistis and Celeste," replied Cid.
"Wait a minute!," said Zell. "I don't get this whole thing. So Quistis is psychic, and some sorceress wants to use her for world domination or some other crazy stuff like that?"
"You can say that, yes, basically," said Cid.
"That is sooo cool!," cried an excited Selphie.
"Not really," said Quistis. "Anyway, I don't think she's really going to make any big moves for a while."
"Why?," Irvine asked.
"Well, she wants to use me for my powers, right? So, since I don't fully understand how to use my abilities just yet, she'll probably wait until I do, which won't be for quite some time."
Everyone in the room nodded. That was very true.
"I will teach Quistis," said Edea.
"But what about Rinoa?," asked Quistis.
"Don't worry. She's already learned all she could from me. The rest is up to her to explore."
The group spent the rest of the time planning on what to do for different situations if they happened to occur. Quistis was to stop instructing to focus her concentration on training. The quicker they can encounter Celeste, the better. Cid had noticed how close Quistis and Seifer were becoming, so he allowed Seifer to stay in Balamb in an adjoining dorm with Quistis if something should happen to her. Because Celeste is probably keeping track of all their movements, they decided, that although it wasn't the most safest route, Celeste would have to come to them first.
The meeting was over, and when everyone left, Edea and Cid were left in the office.
"Are you sure about what was just decided?," said a concerned Edea to Cid. "We're putting everyone at Balamb at risk."
"I know, but we don't have any other choice."
Once they were out of hearing range from Cid and Matron on the first floor near the elevator where they filed out from, Squall spoke.
"I know I should've said this sooner, but... what the hell are *you* doing *here*?!" he exploded.
Seifer's eyes narrowed. "For you're information, I have an obligation to see this through."
"Oh? An obligation? Since when did you feel such a sense of responsibility you bastard?! You're probably siding with the sorceress, aren't you?," he snarled.
Snarling back, Seifer took Squall by his jacket and pinned him to the wall. All the while, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Selphie and Rinoa were looking on. Quistis's hands were fisted at her sides, her nails biting into her skin.
"You waited so long to tell me you're feelings," Seifer drawled. "Come on. Let it all out," he taunted.
"You son of a bitch. I didn't tell you yesterday because I was caught off guard at your sudden appearance. But you are definitely *not* welcome here!" His face was contorted in rage. "You're gonna end up killing everyone in Garden," he spat.
"That is enough!," commanded the stern and angry voice of the instructor. She stalked up to them and with amazing ease, she tore them apart from each other. "Seifer, I suggest that you try to behave yourself during your stay, for you are a guest here after all. And Squall." Quistis turned on her heels to face him. Her eyes burned into his. "If you've forgotten, if anything goes wrong then the blame would fall on me. Because of me, Seifer's here, and because of me, I'm putting everyone else in danger." She breathed hard to catch her breath.
"Damn," Irvine muttered, and Selphie, Zell, and Rinoa quickly shushed him.
"I'm sorry Quistis," apologized Squall. "It's just that... I don't... I don't know what came over me there for a second." He rubbed his hands over his face.
"I'll bet," came the muttered reply from Seifer.
Both Quistis and Squall glared at him.
"OK, OK. Sorry," he said with a hand at the back of his neck and his eyes looking elsewhere.
"That settles it then folks," Irvine said.
"Seifer is here for a reason," Quistis said to Squall. "And trust me, he isn't here to hurt anyone. With his knowledge of the sorceress, he could become a valuable asset to our mission. Now if you'll excuse me," she said, directing her attention to the whole group, "I must rest before my training." And with that, she left.
Seifer smirked at Squall, who just glared back in response. Giving an arrogant wave as he turned around, he followed Quistis out. Squall watched as Seifer caught up to Quistis and put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. Seifer put both his open hands in the air, as if surrendering.
Rinoa held on to Squall's arm affectionately and reassuringly. Squall just looked on.
"Hey, sorry if I got you pretty pissed off back there," said Seifer.
"It wasn't just you, it was both you and Squall," replied Quistis heatedly.
"OK, fine. Sorry if *we* got you pretty pissed off back there. Cheer up, eh?"
Quistis just sighed. She let her shoulders slump and her head bowed down. She looked tired, worn out, defeated.
"How long do you think it'll be until we here about Celeste?," Quistis asked, her eyes still on her feet.
"I don't know," Seifer answered honestly. "But I hope she'll be interested in other things and not bother toying with your body like she did the other night."
They reached the dormitories.
"Well, I'm gonna rest now," Quistis told Seifer.
"Hey, you just holler if you need anything, OK?," Seifer said.
Quistis nodded and slipped her card key in the slot. As she was closing the door from inside, Quistis said "Thanks."
Seifer offered a small smile, and Quistis closed the door, leaving him wondering about her sorceress powers and Celeste.
Hmmm, very interesting, Celeste thought, still in her bedroom. She wished she could actually be there, in Balamb Garden. She could disguise herself, but of course, there is her aura. That she couldn't hide, making her much too easy to find. She sighed and walked up to her full length mirror. She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out as she concentrated. Then, very slowly, she began to change. Her hair became lighter, from black, to dark brown, then light brown, and finally settled on a rich, blond color which magically pinned itself with a clip while some stayed down, framing her face. Her eyes lightened also to a bright blue. Her facial features became more elegant, and even her clothes changed to a pink color. Transformation completed, Celeste admired herself in the mirror. In it, she saw the image of Quistis, cool, and calm, yet with an eerie, unnatural smile. Too bad I can't put this image into good use, Celeste thought with a dainty twist of her lips. She sighed, and her features returned to normal. While that girl is training, I guess I should brush up on my sorceress skills, she thought. She extended a hand before her, and walked through her large bedroom window as it rippled like water behind her. She floated down to the beach below.
A/N: Yeah, I know. This chapter sucked. Please have some sympathy, but life seems like pretty much the end of the world when you have a whole month full of tests, projects, papers, and to top it off, you finish up the month with midterms. Oh goody. Well, anyways, thanx for ur review y'all. Much appreciated!