An Unlikely Meeting- Part XV
Quistis stood there on the beach facing black ocean. This was where they first met after the battle with Ultimecia. The endless night sky was sprinkled with glittering stars. Her head hung low as she wept for the death of Seifer. She had never experienced such a painful and grievous loss before in her life. She felt as if her heart had been torn apart in half.
Weeks had passed since she left the Other Dimension, but it seemed a lifetime ago. Everything that happened in the Other Dimension after Seifer's death was a blur to her, so far she was from herself. His sudden, unexpected death left her in daze for days. She merely remembered the Other Dimension falling apart after the death of Celeste, when Seifer's suicide killed her. Squall and everyone else had arrived, just when the dimension was beginning to collapse from the loss of Celeste's sustenance. They had to drag her away from his body. His body was left there, without a proper burial. He was now lost.
Everyone thought she was over his death. Quistis returned to teaching her classes, as though the battle with Celeste never occured. She went back to how things had been before Seifer returned, before she ever knew of Celeste. She stopped developing her powers, and her personality seemed not to have changed a bit, which was a relief to everyone, who didn't want to see their strong and mighty Quistis fall apart before their eyes.
And yet, underneath this facade, she was in pain. Every breath she took, each day she lived, seemed like a mockery of Seifer's death. She smiled less, and when she did, it was out of the necessity for politeness, and was forced. She never cried though. She wouldn't allow herself to cry, for if she did, she was afraid that she would undergo a complete mental breakdown.
No one ever knew the effects Seifer had on her.
As she wept, she looked up at the stars and remembered Seifer. She sighed and wiped away her tears, ready to go back to Garden.
"Quistis," a frighteningly familiar masculine voice said behind her.
Quistis whipped around, and saw Seifer standing there with his Dragonslayer by his side, clean of any blood. There were no signs of blood anywhere, on his face, on his clothes, his coat, his throat. A quick gasped escaped her lips. He couldn't be alive. How is that possible?
"It can't be... How... Who...?" Quistis couldn't find the right words. She didn't know what to say, she was in such shock.
"Shhh. It's me. Don't worry, it's me," he said softly as he stepped closer and embraced her in a comforting hug.
Quistis remained in his arms, wide eyed and motionless. Not only did she not know what to say, but she also didn't know how to react. Finally, she couldn't help but to return the embrace. "Is it really you?," she finally asked.
"Yeah."
"How? How could you be back? You were dead."
Seifer looked down at her with his signature smirk. "Oh, is that how you want me to stay?" He saw no humor in Quistis's eyes though, which were wide and glistening with unshed tears. He sighed. "I actually don't know what happened. I guess it's the fact that the impossible can happen there. I don't know. All I remember is that after I closed my eyes, I woke up in another place. It wasn't even anywhere near Celeste's island. I think I was on the Centra continent. Anyway, I had to take a ride on a ship to get here, and I got some rest at the Balamb Hotel. Then I came here and saw you."
Quistis only smiled and tightened her arms around him.
"Hey, you know, I meant it when I said 'I love you'," Seifer said somewhat shyly.
Quistis's smile grew wider, and she reached up on her tip-toes and softly, gently pressed her lips against his. "Let's go inside," she said.
A couple of days passed, and Quistis stood next to the large windows of the Garden ballroom, a glass of champaign in her hand. She was dressed in a red silk gown with a daring slit which revealed her smooth thigh. She had put her hair down, for once. Not too far away, she saw Selphie with her camcorder as was usual in such a gala event and Irvine by her side, fooling around with the camera. Zell and Adrian were at the table, both eating their fill. Quistis smiled. She never knew Adrian had such a hearty apetite. On the dance floor was Squall and Rinoa, dancing gracefully and beautifully. They were certainly a beautiful couple.
"Hey there," Seifer greeted her as he approached her. He was wearing his SeeD uniform.
"Hey," she said. They kissed deeply. "Congratulations. You've finally become a SeeD," she said when they broke the kiss.
"Yeah. Finally."
"Where's Fujin and Raijin?"
"Oh, they're over there," he answered, pointing to the far end of the ballroom. Fujin and Raijin were dressed in their SeeD uniforms as well. Raijin must have said something stupid, because Fujin kicked him hard on his shin, and he began hopping around with one foot. Quistis giggled and shook her head.
"Man, they'll never change," Seifer said.
Quistis had to agree on that.
"Seifer, what did you do with your club, the Galactica?"
"Well, we sold it, and we got a hell of a lot of money off of it. We're keeping it in the bank for now, cuz we figured the money we'll get as SeeD will be enough."
Quistis nodded. From behind Seifer, Zell and Adrian came up and greeted them.
"Hey Quistis! Sup Seifer!," Zell said in his usual energetic way. Adrian waved to them.
Seifer and Quistis returned the greeting.
"Hey, you guys just gotta try the food they're serving up. Some of them are even better than the hot dogs here!"
"Geez Chicken-wuss. I thought a martial arts fighter such as yourself would know better than that than stuffing yourself like a fricken pig. You'll get fat."
"Hey man! Watch it!," Zell retorted, and punched him playfully on the arm. The gang had gotten very close with Seifer, especially the guys, when Seifer came back. His noble sacrifice convinced them of his true goodness.
"Come on Quistis," Seifer said, and he took her by the hand and led her away from everything, leaving Zell and Adrian alone to cuddle up and dance with everyone else.
Seifer led Quistis to the center of the dance floor. A new song was starting. It was played by a pianist accompanied by a violinist, violist, and a cellist. The music sounded so smooth and melodious.
"I love you, you know that?," Quistis finally said after a few moments of dancing.
"Yes, I know. And I love you too." He kissed her even more deeply than before, his tongue tracing Quistis's lips. She consented by opening her mouth, and their tongues slowly and gently found their way to each other's. Seifer felt Quistis's lips form a smile underneath his.
When they finished the kiss, Quistis opened her eyes to see a familiar figure standing far behind Seifer's shoulder. It was Celeste, wearing the same exact clothes she wore when Quistis first saw her at the mall: a red spagetti-strap tank top with a black leather miniskirt and matching knee-high boots. Even her hair and makeup were done the exact same way, with her hair in a side part and deep red lips. And was that a black Torama by her side?
But she was only able to get a small glimpse of them because she and Seifer were spinning. On the next spin which quickly followed, Quistis's eyes fell on the same spot where she saw the two, but they were gone. Was she seeing things?
Seifer noticed Quistis's expression. "Hey, Quisty, something wrong?"
Quistis looked up. "Mm? Oh, it's nothing. Nothing."
Seifer shrugged, and they continued to dance. Quistis saw no sign of Celeste. Then, she remembered that Seifer hadn't died immediately after he cut himself. That means that Celeste hadn't died immediately either. She was probably able to withdraw from Seifer's mind before any more damage could be done. But was Celeste still as strong as she was before?
Quistis didn't want to think about. She wanted to enjoy her new life with Seifer. She wanted to enjoy his touch, his kiss, his presence, and yet in the back of her mind, she knew that someday, they would have to face her again soon...
The End!
A/N: Yes, this is finally the end of my fic. Finally. Yes! I know I kind of left an open space in the ending, but that's for you guys, the readers, to think about. I don't want to make up any more stuff, I just want you to use your imaginations. The possibilities are endless, and I'm sure they'll be far better than what I would make up. Anyway, I want to thank you all for reading this and reviewing. You've been so helpful! Look for more of my fics later on! Luv y'all! mwah!
~Crystal~
Quistis stood there on the beach facing black ocean. This was where they first met after the battle with Ultimecia. The endless night sky was sprinkled with glittering stars. Her head hung low as she wept for the death of Seifer. She had never experienced such a painful and grievous loss before in her life. She felt as if her heart had been torn apart in half.
Weeks had passed since she left the Other Dimension, but it seemed a lifetime ago. Everything that happened in the Other Dimension after Seifer's death was a blur to her, so far she was from herself. His sudden, unexpected death left her in daze for days. She merely remembered the Other Dimension falling apart after the death of Celeste, when Seifer's suicide killed her. Squall and everyone else had arrived, just when the dimension was beginning to collapse from the loss of Celeste's sustenance. They had to drag her away from his body. His body was left there, without a proper burial. He was now lost.
Everyone thought she was over his death. Quistis returned to teaching her classes, as though the battle with Celeste never occured. She went back to how things had been before Seifer returned, before she ever knew of Celeste. She stopped developing her powers, and her personality seemed not to have changed a bit, which was a relief to everyone, who didn't want to see their strong and mighty Quistis fall apart before their eyes.
And yet, underneath this facade, she was in pain. Every breath she took, each day she lived, seemed like a mockery of Seifer's death. She smiled less, and when she did, it was out of the necessity for politeness, and was forced. She never cried though. She wouldn't allow herself to cry, for if she did, she was afraid that she would undergo a complete mental breakdown.
No one ever knew the effects Seifer had on her.
As she wept, she looked up at the stars and remembered Seifer. She sighed and wiped away her tears, ready to go back to Garden.
"Quistis," a frighteningly familiar masculine voice said behind her.
Quistis whipped around, and saw Seifer standing there with his Dragonslayer by his side, clean of any blood. There were no signs of blood anywhere, on his face, on his clothes, his coat, his throat. A quick gasped escaped her lips. He couldn't be alive. How is that possible?
"It can't be... How... Who...?" Quistis couldn't find the right words. She didn't know what to say, she was in such shock.
"Shhh. It's me. Don't worry, it's me," he said softly as he stepped closer and embraced her in a comforting hug.
Quistis remained in his arms, wide eyed and motionless. Not only did she not know what to say, but she also didn't know how to react. Finally, she couldn't help but to return the embrace. "Is it really you?," she finally asked.
"Yeah."
"How? How could you be back? You were dead."
Seifer looked down at her with his signature smirk. "Oh, is that how you want me to stay?" He saw no humor in Quistis's eyes though, which were wide and glistening with unshed tears. He sighed. "I actually don't know what happened. I guess it's the fact that the impossible can happen there. I don't know. All I remember is that after I closed my eyes, I woke up in another place. It wasn't even anywhere near Celeste's island. I think I was on the Centra continent. Anyway, I had to take a ride on a ship to get here, and I got some rest at the Balamb Hotel. Then I came here and saw you."
Quistis only smiled and tightened her arms around him.
"Hey, you know, I meant it when I said 'I love you'," Seifer said somewhat shyly.
Quistis's smile grew wider, and she reached up on her tip-toes and softly, gently pressed her lips against his. "Let's go inside," she said.
A couple of days passed, and Quistis stood next to the large windows of the Garden ballroom, a glass of champaign in her hand. She was dressed in a red silk gown with a daring slit which revealed her smooth thigh. She had put her hair down, for once. Not too far away, she saw Selphie with her camcorder as was usual in such a gala event and Irvine by her side, fooling around with the camera. Zell and Adrian were at the table, both eating their fill. Quistis smiled. She never knew Adrian had such a hearty apetite. On the dance floor was Squall and Rinoa, dancing gracefully and beautifully. They were certainly a beautiful couple.
"Hey there," Seifer greeted her as he approached her. He was wearing his SeeD uniform.
"Hey," she said. They kissed deeply. "Congratulations. You've finally become a SeeD," she said when they broke the kiss.
"Yeah. Finally."
"Where's Fujin and Raijin?"
"Oh, they're over there," he answered, pointing to the far end of the ballroom. Fujin and Raijin were dressed in their SeeD uniforms as well. Raijin must have said something stupid, because Fujin kicked him hard on his shin, and he began hopping around with one foot. Quistis giggled and shook her head.
"Man, they'll never change," Seifer said.
Quistis had to agree on that.
"Seifer, what did you do with your club, the Galactica?"
"Well, we sold it, and we got a hell of a lot of money off of it. We're keeping it in the bank for now, cuz we figured the money we'll get as SeeD will be enough."
Quistis nodded. From behind Seifer, Zell and Adrian came up and greeted them.
"Hey Quistis! Sup Seifer!," Zell said in his usual energetic way. Adrian waved to them.
Seifer and Quistis returned the greeting.
"Hey, you guys just gotta try the food they're serving up. Some of them are even better than the hot dogs here!"
"Geez Chicken-wuss. I thought a martial arts fighter such as yourself would know better than that than stuffing yourself like a fricken pig. You'll get fat."
"Hey man! Watch it!," Zell retorted, and punched him playfully on the arm. The gang had gotten very close with Seifer, especially the guys, when Seifer came back. His noble sacrifice convinced them of his true goodness.
"Come on Quistis," Seifer said, and he took her by the hand and led her away from everything, leaving Zell and Adrian alone to cuddle up and dance with everyone else.
Seifer led Quistis to the center of the dance floor. A new song was starting. It was played by a pianist accompanied by a violinist, violist, and a cellist. The music sounded so smooth and melodious.
"I love you, you know that?," Quistis finally said after a few moments of dancing.
"Yes, I know. And I love you too." He kissed her even more deeply than before, his tongue tracing Quistis's lips. She consented by opening her mouth, and their tongues slowly and gently found their way to each other's. Seifer felt Quistis's lips form a smile underneath his.
When they finished the kiss, Quistis opened her eyes to see a familiar figure standing far behind Seifer's shoulder. It was Celeste, wearing the same exact clothes she wore when Quistis first saw her at the mall: a red spagetti-strap tank top with a black leather miniskirt and matching knee-high boots. Even her hair and makeup were done the exact same way, with her hair in a side part and deep red lips. And was that a black Torama by her side?
But she was only able to get a small glimpse of them because she and Seifer were spinning. On the next spin which quickly followed, Quistis's eyes fell on the same spot where she saw the two, but they were gone. Was she seeing things?
Seifer noticed Quistis's expression. "Hey, Quisty, something wrong?"
Quistis looked up. "Mm? Oh, it's nothing. Nothing."
Seifer shrugged, and they continued to dance. Quistis saw no sign of Celeste. Then, she remembered that Seifer hadn't died immediately after he cut himself. That means that Celeste hadn't died immediately either. She was probably able to withdraw from Seifer's mind before any more damage could be done. But was Celeste still as strong as she was before?
Quistis didn't want to think about. She wanted to enjoy her new life with Seifer. She wanted to enjoy his touch, his kiss, his presence, and yet in the back of her mind, she knew that someday, they would have to face her again soon...
The End!
A/N: Yes, this is finally the end of my fic. Finally. Yes! I know I kind of left an open space in the ending, but that's for you guys, the readers, to think about. I don't want to make up any more stuff, I just want you to use your imaginations. The possibilities are endless, and I'm sure they'll be far better than what I would make up. Anyway, I want to thank you all for reading this and reviewing. You've been so helpful! Look for more of my fics later on! Luv y'all! mwah!
~Crystal~