Disclaimer: All characters belong to Squaresoft, dammit!
AN: Oh my gosh! How embarrassing! That little poem that got stuck there last time... I don't know how it got there. I must've messed up with the uploading. Hehe... (blushes *furiously*) I feel so dumb. I'll try not to do that again. Anyway, thanx for ur reviews y'all. It really keeps me going. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
An Unlikely Meeting- Part VI
Seifer was leaning against the wall, waiting for Quistis to come out. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with beige pants. The crickets, hidden away by night, were singing.
He looked down at the floor, smiling at the peacefulness of the setting, when he heard the clicking of someone's heels. He looked up to see Quistis walking gracefully down the stairs and his smile widened. He gave her a curt wave as Quistis came to him.
"You know," she started, "we could've just met at the parking lot and borrowed a car from there. How are we going to the place where you're planning for us to go?"
"My dear instructor, are you suggesting that we take one of the beat down cars that Garden has available for us?"
Quistis snorted and Seifer produced a pair of keys jingling in his hand.
"Lady, I got it all prepared. Rented a cool car for tonight from one of those car rental places," he said with a proud smile. He led her outside where the car was waiting for them. Quistis gasped. The car was a gleaming midnight blue. Low to the ground with a sleek, aerodynamic body design, it must've been a fortune to rent.
Regaining from the momentary shock, Quistis scolded him. "Seifer, how much did this cost to rent for a night?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he said with a wink, and got in the car. Quistis followed suit. As the door slammed shut, Seifer started up the car, and said, "Besides, I got if for a much cheaper price 'cause I know someone who works there." The car began to move, and Seifer quickly picked up speed.
"Seifer," Quistis said through clenched teeth, clinging on to her seat. "Don't you think you're going a little too fast?" The roads were nearly empty. After all, there was only one road leading from the Garden to the city, and not much people moved along this route.
"What did you say?," Seifer asked with a sly smile, and turned up the volume to the radio. Hip-hop beats made the car vibrate. Quistis felt the booming of the bass in her bones. "Did I hear you say that I'm not going fast enough?" Pressing his foot on the clutch, he shifted the stick with his right hand and the car jolted forward.
"Seifer Almasyyyyyy!," Quistis cried, and the car sped on towards the city.
Selphie and Rinoa were in front of Quistis' dorm. Rinoa knocked on the door and received no answer. She tried turning the doorknob, but saw that it was locked. With a puzzled look she turned to Selphie. "Where could she have gone?," she asked. They wanted to take Quistis somewhere nice so the three girls could have dinner somewhere to cheer her up.
Selphie frowned, then her face smoothed out in a grin. "Oh! Maybe Seifer would know!,"
she cried triumphantly.
Both girls turned their heads at the door that would lead to Seifer's dorm room and looked at each other warily. Knowing that neither wanted to knock on his door and confront Seifer, they agreed that the person to lose to rock-paper-scissors would have to go up and ask Seifer where Quistis went.
Selphie lost. "Ooohhh," Selphie groaned, her hands fisted in front of her and stamped her foot quietly on the floor.
"Don't worry, Selph. I'll be right behind you to back you up."
Selphie nodded and approached the door. Rinoa stayed behind her, her hands on Selphie's shoulders as encouragement. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Selphie bravely, yet lightly, rapped on Seifer's door. When they received no answer, Selphie became more confident, and knocked on the door harder. Still no answer. She turned to Rinoa. "I wonder where he went?," Selphie said with a puzzled look.
Rinoa's eyes widened with fear and worry. "Oh my gosh! What if Seifer kidnapped Quistis?!"
It was Selphie's turn to gasp, and her eyes too widened. She began hopping from one foot to the other. Her clenched hands covered her chin. "Ooohhh, oh no oh no oh no!" She looked around to see if anyone else was out. She saw no one. "Do you really think so?," she said, her large emerald eyes filled with worry.
"I really don't trust Seifer. I think we should report this to the Headmaster and Squall," Rinoa answered.
Both girls ran for the elevator.
Seifer and Quistis sat at their table in the restaurant. Quistis' hand was on her stomach and her forehead on the table. Her stomach was feeling much more better since they got out of the car.
"Oh come on, Quistis," Seifer said, leaning over the small round table for two. "The car ride couldn't have been *that* bad."
Quistis raised her head from the table and daggers shot out from her eyes.
"Oh! I've just been stabbed by your eyes!," Seifer said through his laugh as he placed a hand on his chest.
Quistis continued to glare at him.
"Hey, I said I was sorry, didn't I?," Seifer said, his hands open in the air.
Still frowning at him, Quistis raised herself and sat erect on her chair. The sickness in her stomach was gone, but she was still angry at Seifer for driving so quickly.
"Hey! You feeling better? I promise I won't drive as fast, OK?," Seifer said apologetically.
She was about to open her mouth to retort something when a waitress came to their table and placed their plates down on the table. "Enjoy your dinner," she said with a dazzling smile especially intended for Seifer, and walked away, her ponytail bouncing jauntily and her hips swaying provocatively. Quistis looked across to Seifer with disdain as his eyes followed the sashaying of the waitress' hips. When she was out of sight, Seifer turned to Quistis and noticed the expression on her face. To make her even more ticked off, Seifer let out a low whistle, and with a smile, said, "What a cutie!"
Quistis simply looked up at the low ceiling and silently asked the gods, *why?*
Seifer smirked, and began to cut his chicken. They were at a dimly lit, smoky restaurant which specialized in preparing foreign and exotic dishes. Quistis and Seifer's chicken were seasoned with unusual spices which enhanced the flavor of the food. Quistis couldn't help from smiling. The food was good and the atmosphere was great.
"So, am I forgiven now?," Seifer asked her.
Quistis tried unsuccessfully to retain her smile. With a sigh, she said, "Yes, you're forgiven."
Seifer grinned triumphantly and they continued eating their dinner. After a few moments of silence, Quistis finally pointed out to the stage. "What's that for?"
Seifer's green eyes sparkled. "A little after-dinner performance," he answered mysteriously.
The "little after-dinner performance" turned out to be an hour long multicultural dance show. The first dance used beautifully designed foldable fans. The women were dressed in elegantly flowing, colorful costumes. It started out gracefully and calmly and ended fast-paced with much twirling and complicated movements. The second performance was also carried out by women wearing dazzling gold costumes with ornate headdresses. The movements were elegant and called for much agility. Each step seemed to have great symbolic significance. The third and last dance consisted of a woman dressed in a bright red ruffled dress and three men in the back with instruments. The woman stamped her foot to begin the dance.
Everyone was watching the performance in awe. Quistis was amazed at the show. The dancers seemed very dedicated to their art, and she respected that immensely. She was watching them with a look of wonder on her face. Seifer noticed, and this tore his attention away from the performance. His features softened as he observed her innocence just then. He smiled.
Quistis saw Seifer looking at her from the corner of her eye and turned to him. She looked at him with puzzlement. "What?," she asked. He continued to smile at her. Frowning in confusion, she looked to her sides to see if it was anything near her which caused Seifer to look the way he did. She became increasingly self-conscious then. "What?," she asked, baffled. "Is there something on my face?"
Seifer's smile widened, and he burst into laughter. Quistis continued to look at him, dumbfounded. "Quistis, do you know just how adorable you can be sometimes?," Seifer said through his laughter.
Quistis blushed furiously. No one has ever told her that before. She was very thankful for the dimness of the restaurant. She forced a frown on her face. "Well, I don't see why that's something to laugh about."
The pace quickened as the musicians played faster and faster. Seifer and Quistis turned their attentions back to the dancers. The woman followed to their rhythm, her stamping and twirling increasing in speed. The air was crackling with electricity by the time they were finished, and the audience stood up to thunderous applause. All the dancers came out from behind the stage and received standing ovations.
Celeste smirked. She was reclined in her chair with a glass of champagne by her side. Those fools are falling for each other. That'll make separation and death even more harder on them. She threw her head back and laughed.
They were back in the car, on their way to Balamb Garden. This time, Seifer had slowed down his driving considerably, and Quistis was relieved. She was lazily watching the landscape pass by. The grass and the trees were a dark, lush green and the sky was scattered with glittering stars. Smiling, she turned to Seifer.
"Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful," she said with genuine gratitude.
"Ah, it was nothing," Seifer replied. "The dancing was something, huh?," he said.
"Oh! The dancing was wonderful!," Quistis gushed. "They were so passionate about their dancing. Everything was just so intense, even when the motions seemed so simple and graceful. It was amazing. I've never known anything like it."
"That's good. That's why I brought you there. When I first went to that restaurant, I was just as amazed as you were. I never knew there was anything like it. Most cultural traditions have been lost, and it's amazing that they could revive it like that. I wanted you to see what I saw and feel what I felt."
He seemed truly sincere in his words, and Quistis realized something which startled her considerably. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she stared ahead.
"Quistis?," Seifer asked, taking his eyes off the road for a brief second. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"
Quistis seemed hesitant. She turned back to him, her deep blue eyes peering at him in the darkness. "Seifer...," she said.
"Yeah?"
She paused. "Why are you so nice to me?"
The question caught him off guard, but he was successful in not showing it. From the corner of his vision, he saw Quistis observing him closely. He tried to be as cool and casual as he could be.
"Well, I was just thinking that you needed a break from all this sorceress stuff. You must've been stressing like crazy and worrying, afraid that people are gonna die because of you. I wanted you to just forget about it, if only for a few hours. And besides, I wanted forget about it too, not to mention get out of Garden." That wasn't the whole truth, but at least that was half of it.
Quistis was about to ask why he wanted out of Garden, then realized it herself. Wherever he went, people stared or avoided him. Those who stared had looks of contempt and looked down on him as a traitor. She suddenly felt bad for Seifer, who had always tried so hard to tough it out. How much pain he must be going through every second he's in Garden! She felt a pang in her heart as she realized that Seifer was human also, and that he couldn't handle everything alone. She turned to him.
"Whenever you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me," she said.
"What?," he said, surprised at her sudden offer.
"I can imagine how hard it must be for you to be back to a place you've once called home and have everyone looking and pointing at you as a traitor."
Seifer was silent. He didn't know what to think of her proposition. He wanted desperately to let someone know how he felt. He felt confined when he kept everything to himself. And yet, he was reluctant to tell anybody his feelings. He's whole self image as an independent would fall apart. By letting someone in on his feelings, he would only be weaker than he was before. He realized then that he was more like Squall than he thought. He gritted his teeth.
As though reading his mind, Quistis apologized. "I'm sorry. I was only thinking about how frustrated that you must be that I didn't think about how your whole self image as an independent would fall apart. You believe that you would only become weaker by letting someone in on your feelings. Now that I think about it, you sound a lot like Squall," she finished, with a slight smile. "I'm sorry," she apologized to him again.
Seifer stiffened in his seat. She had just repeated his thoughts. Was it just a coincidence, or was she a mind reader too? Then he realized what a stupid thought that was. She has psychic powers. Of course she would be able to read minds sooner or later. But then again, not all psychics had mind reading abilities. He turned to her.
"Quistis," he said nonchalantly. "Are you able to read minds?"
"Read minds? No, but I can sense other people's feelings."
That must be it. She was able to make inferences by what she felt from him. He felt much more better. He exhaled, realizing that he had been holding his breath for some time.
"Seifer?," Quistis asked, wondering why Seifer had been uptight.
"Oh, it was nothing. Nothing at all." He tried giving her a confidant smile, but it didn't come out the way he wanted it to. To Quistis, it seemed shaky and nervous, and she sensed it coming from him. Frowning, she decided to ignore it. Maybe I'm just tired and imagining things, she thought. Besides, even if he was a little uptight, Seifer had too much pride to let her in on that.
They were back at Garden at around ten o'clock. Seifer parked the car outside, in front of Garden and both he and Quistis exited the car.
As they were walking up the stair, Quistis turned to Seifer. "Thank you again for dinner," she said.
Seifer just smiled in reply, and Quistis smiled back. They walked together in comfortable silence. Quistis puzzled over this. Silence can be comfortable only when there are close friends. Or if someone feels especially close to another. Do I feel that close with Seifer?, she wondered. But her thoughts were broken when they reached the lobby of Garden.
"Hey! She's here!," someone called out.
Squall, nearby, heard this, and he quickly came over to where Seifer and Quistis stood. Totally oblivious of Seifer's presence, Squall took Quistis' shoulders firmly and asked in an equal tone of voice tinted with worry, "Quistis, where the hell were you? We've been looking for you for so long!"
Seifer's eyes narrowed.
Zell, Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa came running next.
"Oh my gosh!," Selphie gushed. "What happened! We thought you were kidnapped or something!"
"Oh?," Seifer interrupted. "And did you have a specific person in mind who you thought kidnapped her?," he said, his eyes glittering with fury.
Selphie and Rinoa looked down at the floor. They had started the whole Quistis-was-kidnapped frenzy and got everyone excited.
"Where did you take her?," Squall asked Seifer accusingly.
Seifer couldn't believe it. Here was Quistis, safe and sound, untouched, and the rest of the group still doubted him. If they didn't doubt him, then Squall most definitely did. Seifer never knew he could be so stupid, along with everyone else.
He wanted so badly to hurt someone, mainly Squall. He wanted to bash his head against a wall and add another scar to his face. He wanted to tear everything apart, but he knew it would do him no good, so instead, he only exhaled his breath angrily and stalked away.
Everyone watched Seifer go. Quistis turned to the rest of the gang. "I can't believe you guys could think such thoughts," she told them with anger and sorrow in her voice. Everyone looked down at the floor. "He took me out for dinner because he thought that would take my mind off everything. Because *he* also wanted to take his mind off of everything."
"Quistis...," Squall began.
But she didn't listen. Looking at them one last time, she turned to follow Seifer.
"... I'm sorry," Squall finished.
Quistis found Seifer pacing back and forth in his room. He was trying to use up his excess energy. She gently closed the door behind her.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"I can't believe they could be so stupid," he spat, still pacing. "Do they distrust me that much? I decided to stay here in Garden 'cause I wanted to be there for you, because I was the only one, besides Matron, who knew what Celeste was capable of. I can't believe-" Seifer stopped and let out a frustrated growl. He was so angry he couldn't even find the words to express his feelings.
"Seifer, you can always leave," Quistis said quietly.
Seifer stopped his pacing. He walked up to her and held her shoulders. "No," he said with conviction. "I'm still staying."
Quistis looked at him in shock. "But why? I mean, you hate it here-."
"Hey," he interrupted. "I have a promise to keep, remember?"
Quistis let a small smile form on her lips. *Lady, I'm sticking to you like glue until danger's past,* he had said.
"Kinda late, don't you think, Instructor?," Seifer suggested after a few moments.
Quistis broke out of her reverie. "Oh, um, yes, it is pretty late." She took a step back toward the door. "Well, I guess I should be leaving now. Goodnight"
Seifer smiled as Quistis closed the door.
Quistis leaned her back against the wall just outside Seifer's room. Closeness will only lead to trouble, she thought, and went back to her room, wondering at how so much could happen in a matter of days.
AN: Oh my gosh! How embarrassing! That little poem that got stuck there last time... I don't know how it got there. I must've messed up with the uploading. Hehe... (blushes *furiously*) I feel so dumb. I'll try not to do that again. Anyway, thanx for ur reviews y'all. It really keeps me going. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
An Unlikely Meeting- Part VI
Seifer was leaning against the wall, waiting for Quistis to come out. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with beige pants. The crickets, hidden away by night, were singing.
He looked down at the floor, smiling at the peacefulness of the setting, when he heard the clicking of someone's heels. He looked up to see Quistis walking gracefully down the stairs and his smile widened. He gave her a curt wave as Quistis came to him.
"You know," she started, "we could've just met at the parking lot and borrowed a car from there. How are we going to the place where you're planning for us to go?"
"My dear instructor, are you suggesting that we take one of the beat down cars that Garden has available for us?"
Quistis snorted and Seifer produced a pair of keys jingling in his hand.
"Lady, I got it all prepared. Rented a cool car for tonight from one of those car rental places," he said with a proud smile. He led her outside where the car was waiting for them. Quistis gasped. The car was a gleaming midnight blue. Low to the ground with a sleek, aerodynamic body design, it must've been a fortune to rent.
Regaining from the momentary shock, Quistis scolded him. "Seifer, how much did this cost to rent for a night?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he said with a wink, and got in the car. Quistis followed suit. As the door slammed shut, Seifer started up the car, and said, "Besides, I got if for a much cheaper price 'cause I know someone who works there." The car began to move, and Seifer quickly picked up speed.
"Seifer," Quistis said through clenched teeth, clinging on to her seat. "Don't you think you're going a little too fast?" The roads were nearly empty. After all, there was only one road leading from the Garden to the city, and not much people moved along this route.
"What did you say?," Seifer asked with a sly smile, and turned up the volume to the radio. Hip-hop beats made the car vibrate. Quistis felt the booming of the bass in her bones. "Did I hear you say that I'm not going fast enough?" Pressing his foot on the clutch, he shifted the stick with his right hand and the car jolted forward.
"Seifer Almasyyyyyy!," Quistis cried, and the car sped on towards the city.
Selphie and Rinoa were in front of Quistis' dorm. Rinoa knocked on the door and received no answer. She tried turning the doorknob, but saw that it was locked. With a puzzled look she turned to Selphie. "Where could she have gone?," she asked. They wanted to take Quistis somewhere nice so the three girls could have dinner somewhere to cheer her up.
Selphie frowned, then her face smoothed out in a grin. "Oh! Maybe Seifer would know!,"
she cried triumphantly.
Both girls turned their heads at the door that would lead to Seifer's dorm room and looked at each other warily. Knowing that neither wanted to knock on his door and confront Seifer, they agreed that the person to lose to rock-paper-scissors would have to go up and ask Seifer where Quistis went.
Selphie lost. "Ooohhh," Selphie groaned, her hands fisted in front of her and stamped her foot quietly on the floor.
"Don't worry, Selph. I'll be right behind you to back you up."
Selphie nodded and approached the door. Rinoa stayed behind her, her hands on Selphie's shoulders as encouragement. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Selphie bravely, yet lightly, rapped on Seifer's door. When they received no answer, Selphie became more confident, and knocked on the door harder. Still no answer. She turned to Rinoa. "I wonder where he went?," Selphie said with a puzzled look.
Rinoa's eyes widened with fear and worry. "Oh my gosh! What if Seifer kidnapped Quistis?!"
It was Selphie's turn to gasp, and her eyes too widened. She began hopping from one foot to the other. Her clenched hands covered her chin. "Ooohhh, oh no oh no oh no!" She looked around to see if anyone else was out. She saw no one. "Do you really think so?," she said, her large emerald eyes filled with worry.
"I really don't trust Seifer. I think we should report this to the Headmaster and Squall," Rinoa answered.
Both girls ran for the elevator.
Seifer and Quistis sat at their table in the restaurant. Quistis' hand was on her stomach and her forehead on the table. Her stomach was feeling much more better since they got out of the car.
"Oh come on, Quistis," Seifer said, leaning over the small round table for two. "The car ride couldn't have been *that* bad."
Quistis raised her head from the table and daggers shot out from her eyes.
"Oh! I've just been stabbed by your eyes!," Seifer said through his laugh as he placed a hand on his chest.
Quistis continued to glare at him.
"Hey, I said I was sorry, didn't I?," Seifer said, his hands open in the air.
Still frowning at him, Quistis raised herself and sat erect on her chair. The sickness in her stomach was gone, but she was still angry at Seifer for driving so quickly.
"Hey! You feeling better? I promise I won't drive as fast, OK?," Seifer said apologetically.
She was about to open her mouth to retort something when a waitress came to their table and placed their plates down on the table. "Enjoy your dinner," she said with a dazzling smile especially intended for Seifer, and walked away, her ponytail bouncing jauntily and her hips swaying provocatively. Quistis looked across to Seifer with disdain as his eyes followed the sashaying of the waitress' hips. When she was out of sight, Seifer turned to Quistis and noticed the expression on her face. To make her even more ticked off, Seifer let out a low whistle, and with a smile, said, "What a cutie!"
Quistis simply looked up at the low ceiling and silently asked the gods, *why?*
Seifer smirked, and began to cut his chicken. They were at a dimly lit, smoky restaurant which specialized in preparing foreign and exotic dishes. Quistis and Seifer's chicken were seasoned with unusual spices which enhanced the flavor of the food. Quistis couldn't help from smiling. The food was good and the atmosphere was great.
"So, am I forgiven now?," Seifer asked her.
Quistis tried unsuccessfully to retain her smile. With a sigh, she said, "Yes, you're forgiven."
Seifer grinned triumphantly and they continued eating their dinner. After a few moments of silence, Quistis finally pointed out to the stage. "What's that for?"
Seifer's green eyes sparkled. "A little after-dinner performance," he answered mysteriously.
The "little after-dinner performance" turned out to be an hour long multicultural dance show. The first dance used beautifully designed foldable fans. The women were dressed in elegantly flowing, colorful costumes. It started out gracefully and calmly and ended fast-paced with much twirling and complicated movements. The second performance was also carried out by women wearing dazzling gold costumes with ornate headdresses. The movements were elegant and called for much agility. Each step seemed to have great symbolic significance. The third and last dance consisted of a woman dressed in a bright red ruffled dress and three men in the back with instruments. The woman stamped her foot to begin the dance.
Everyone was watching the performance in awe. Quistis was amazed at the show. The dancers seemed very dedicated to their art, and she respected that immensely. She was watching them with a look of wonder on her face. Seifer noticed, and this tore his attention away from the performance. His features softened as he observed her innocence just then. He smiled.
Quistis saw Seifer looking at her from the corner of her eye and turned to him. She looked at him with puzzlement. "What?," she asked. He continued to smile at her. Frowning in confusion, she looked to her sides to see if it was anything near her which caused Seifer to look the way he did. She became increasingly self-conscious then. "What?," she asked, baffled. "Is there something on my face?"
Seifer's smile widened, and he burst into laughter. Quistis continued to look at him, dumbfounded. "Quistis, do you know just how adorable you can be sometimes?," Seifer said through his laughter.
Quistis blushed furiously. No one has ever told her that before. She was very thankful for the dimness of the restaurant. She forced a frown on her face. "Well, I don't see why that's something to laugh about."
The pace quickened as the musicians played faster and faster. Seifer and Quistis turned their attentions back to the dancers. The woman followed to their rhythm, her stamping and twirling increasing in speed. The air was crackling with electricity by the time they were finished, and the audience stood up to thunderous applause. All the dancers came out from behind the stage and received standing ovations.
Celeste smirked. She was reclined in her chair with a glass of champagne by her side. Those fools are falling for each other. That'll make separation and death even more harder on them. She threw her head back and laughed.
They were back in the car, on their way to Balamb Garden. This time, Seifer had slowed down his driving considerably, and Quistis was relieved. She was lazily watching the landscape pass by. The grass and the trees were a dark, lush green and the sky was scattered with glittering stars. Smiling, she turned to Seifer.
"Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful," she said with genuine gratitude.
"Ah, it was nothing," Seifer replied. "The dancing was something, huh?," he said.
"Oh! The dancing was wonderful!," Quistis gushed. "They were so passionate about their dancing. Everything was just so intense, even when the motions seemed so simple and graceful. It was amazing. I've never known anything like it."
"That's good. That's why I brought you there. When I first went to that restaurant, I was just as amazed as you were. I never knew there was anything like it. Most cultural traditions have been lost, and it's amazing that they could revive it like that. I wanted you to see what I saw and feel what I felt."
He seemed truly sincere in his words, and Quistis realized something which startled her considerably. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she stared ahead.
"Quistis?," Seifer asked, taking his eyes off the road for a brief second. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"
Quistis seemed hesitant. She turned back to him, her deep blue eyes peering at him in the darkness. "Seifer...," she said.
"Yeah?"
She paused. "Why are you so nice to me?"
The question caught him off guard, but he was successful in not showing it. From the corner of his vision, he saw Quistis observing him closely. He tried to be as cool and casual as he could be.
"Well, I was just thinking that you needed a break from all this sorceress stuff. You must've been stressing like crazy and worrying, afraid that people are gonna die because of you. I wanted you to just forget about it, if only for a few hours. And besides, I wanted forget about it too, not to mention get out of Garden." That wasn't the whole truth, but at least that was half of it.
Quistis was about to ask why he wanted out of Garden, then realized it herself. Wherever he went, people stared or avoided him. Those who stared had looks of contempt and looked down on him as a traitor. She suddenly felt bad for Seifer, who had always tried so hard to tough it out. How much pain he must be going through every second he's in Garden! She felt a pang in her heart as she realized that Seifer was human also, and that he couldn't handle everything alone. She turned to him.
"Whenever you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me," she said.
"What?," he said, surprised at her sudden offer.
"I can imagine how hard it must be for you to be back to a place you've once called home and have everyone looking and pointing at you as a traitor."
Seifer was silent. He didn't know what to think of her proposition. He wanted desperately to let someone know how he felt. He felt confined when he kept everything to himself. And yet, he was reluctant to tell anybody his feelings. He's whole self image as an independent would fall apart. By letting someone in on his feelings, he would only be weaker than he was before. He realized then that he was more like Squall than he thought. He gritted his teeth.
As though reading his mind, Quistis apologized. "I'm sorry. I was only thinking about how frustrated that you must be that I didn't think about how your whole self image as an independent would fall apart. You believe that you would only become weaker by letting someone in on your feelings. Now that I think about it, you sound a lot like Squall," she finished, with a slight smile. "I'm sorry," she apologized to him again.
Seifer stiffened in his seat. She had just repeated his thoughts. Was it just a coincidence, or was she a mind reader too? Then he realized what a stupid thought that was. She has psychic powers. Of course she would be able to read minds sooner or later. But then again, not all psychics had mind reading abilities. He turned to her.
"Quistis," he said nonchalantly. "Are you able to read minds?"
"Read minds? No, but I can sense other people's feelings."
That must be it. She was able to make inferences by what she felt from him. He felt much more better. He exhaled, realizing that he had been holding his breath for some time.
"Seifer?," Quistis asked, wondering why Seifer had been uptight.
"Oh, it was nothing. Nothing at all." He tried giving her a confidant smile, but it didn't come out the way he wanted it to. To Quistis, it seemed shaky and nervous, and she sensed it coming from him. Frowning, she decided to ignore it. Maybe I'm just tired and imagining things, she thought. Besides, even if he was a little uptight, Seifer had too much pride to let her in on that.
They were back at Garden at around ten o'clock. Seifer parked the car outside, in front of Garden and both he and Quistis exited the car.
As they were walking up the stair, Quistis turned to Seifer. "Thank you again for dinner," she said.
Seifer just smiled in reply, and Quistis smiled back. They walked together in comfortable silence. Quistis puzzled over this. Silence can be comfortable only when there are close friends. Or if someone feels especially close to another. Do I feel that close with Seifer?, she wondered. But her thoughts were broken when they reached the lobby of Garden.
"Hey! She's here!," someone called out.
Squall, nearby, heard this, and he quickly came over to where Seifer and Quistis stood. Totally oblivious of Seifer's presence, Squall took Quistis' shoulders firmly and asked in an equal tone of voice tinted with worry, "Quistis, where the hell were you? We've been looking for you for so long!"
Seifer's eyes narrowed.
Zell, Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa came running next.
"Oh my gosh!," Selphie gushed. "What happened! We thought you were kidnapped or something!"
"Oh?," Seifer interrupted. "And did you have a specific person in mind who you thought kidnapped her?," he said, his eyes glittering with fury.
Selphie and Rinoa looked down at the floor. They had started the whole Quistis-was-kidnapped frenzy and got everyone excited.
"Where did you take her?," Squall asked Seifer accusingly.
Seifer couldn't believe it. Here was Quistis, safe and sound, untouched, and the rest of the group still doubted him. If they didn't doubt him, then Squall most definitely did. Seifer never knew he could be so stupid, along with everyone else.
He wanted so badly to hurt someone, mainly Squall. He wanted to bash his head against a wall and add another scar to his face. He wanted to tear everything apart, but he knew it would do him no good, so instead, he only exhaled his breath angrily and stalked away.
Everyone watched Seifer go. Quistis turned to the rest of the gang. "I can't believe you guys could think such thoughts," she told them with anger and sorrow in her voice. Everyone looked down at the floor. "He took me out for dinner because he thought that would take my mind off everything. Because *he* also wanted to take his mind off of everything."
"Quistis...," Squall began.
But she didn't listen. Looking at them one last time, she turned to follow Seifer.
"... I'm sorry," Squall finished.
Quistis found Seifer pacing back and forth in his room. He was trying to use up his excess energy. She gently closed the door behind her.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"I can't believe they could be so stupid," he spat, still pacing. "Do they distrust me that much? I decided to stay here in Garden 'cause I wanted to be there for you, because I was the only one, besides Matron, who knew what Celeste was capable of. I can't believe-" Seifer stopped and let out a frustrated growl. He was so angry he couldn't even find the words to express his feelings.
"Seifer, you can always leave," Quistis said quietly.
Seifer stopped his pacing. He walked up to her and held her shoulders. "No," he said with conviction. "I'm still staying."
Quistis looked at him in shock. "But why? I mean, you hate it here-."
"Hey," he interrupted. "I have a promise to keep, remember?"
Quistis let a small smile form on her lips. *Lady, I'm sticking to you like glue until danger's past,* he had said.
"Kinda late, don't you think, Instructor?," Seifer suggested after a few moments.
Quistis broke out of her reverie. "Oh, um, yes, it is pretty late." She took a step back toward the door. "Well, I guess I should be leaving now. Goodnight"
Seifer smiled as Quistis closed the door.
Quistis leaned her back against the wall just outside Seifer's room. Closeness will only lead to trouble, she thought, and went back to her room, wondering at how so much could happen in a matter of days.