Chapter 6 - In The Beginning
Night has already fallen. Quistis had fallen asleep, tired from crying over the loss of their child. Seifer watched her sleep, the moonlight slowly lighting half a portion of her pale face. Which made her even paler. The other half of her were shadowed by darkness. He's watched her so many times before, with so much serenity as she slept, but never has he been this close to her. He had caught her sleep once in a while in class while she was still an Instructor and he was her student. It was while all her students were having study time before the big exam, yet she managed to wake up in time before the bell rang. He always admired her like that. Seifer loved her from the beginning, but it was the beginning that he began to feel angry at her. He always wanted her attention, but she never really cared. She paid more attention to Squall than him. That was the time he had enough. On the summer, when he was only fifteen, he went to Deling City to get away from it all, especially her. He wasn't enraged, because she never paid attention, it was because she had forgotten about their promise. The promise for them to be together when they got to Garden. She became SeeD before him and Squall. She used the GF before them. Squall came second, but Seifer never really used any. Seifer removed a strand of long blond hair from her eyes and curled it behind her ear. She looked very beautiful.
"Mmm...." Quistis moaned. A tear escaped the corner of her eye, which Seifer quickly wiped away with the back of his hand. She was dreaming. "Alexis.... Alexis... Please don't take her! NO!" She threw her arms in the air, as if she was in her dreams, reaching out to her child. Seifer pressed her hands down gently on her sides. What was he doing here? She doesn't deserve him. Slowly, Seifer got up from the side of the bed and opened the door to leave. He was surprised when Matron stood there in front of him.
"Matron?"
Because Seifer was much taller than her, Matron had to peek under his arm and glance at sleeping form of Quistis. She looked at Seifer. "How is she?"
Seifer brought his attention back to Quistis, looking over his shoulder and sighed. "Matron... why am I here? It's my fault we had a child. I took advantage of her and I shouldn't be here."
Matron shook her head. "Are you sure about that?"
The young man looked at the woman distraughtly. "What do you mean?"
Matron took the young man's hand. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Seifer let her lead him down the hallway, towards her bedroom. The bedroom was large, full of antique furniture that Seifer dared not to touch. The curtain in the medium sized window opened a bit, showing a little bit of the moonlight around a small area, in front of the window sill. Matron walked over to her fine furnished dresser and opened the top drawer, revealing a necklace with a small white flower attached to it. Matron held it up at the moonlight so Seifer could see.
"Do you remember this, Seifer?" Matron asked, placing it in Seifer's large palms gently.
Seifer stared at it, squinting his eyes and trying to remember exactly what it was, where it came from and who's it was. The past suddenly flashed into his mind.
A small blond boy kneeled beside a garden, behind a small house. He searched through all the delicate flowers and finally picked up a small white lily. He cut off the long stems, making its stems much shorter and ran inside the house. Once inside the house, he took out a small piece of string, long enough around a little girl's neck and tied it around the flower. When he was done, he placed it in his pocket and ran to the beach where the other children were playing, but not before Matron caught him putting something inside.
"What's in your pocket, Seifer?" Matron asked, stroking his little blond hair.
Seifer blushed shyly. "It's for Quisty," he replied.
Matron nodded. "Oh? What for?"
"A good bye present," Seifer said, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
When Matron noticed his discomfort, she stepped aside from the front of the door and said, "Go ahead and give it to her, then!"
Seifer smiled, nodding. "Yeah I will!" he yelled, running towards the beach.
Seifer shook his head from his trance and nodded, gripping the flower in his hand, gently. "This was the flower I gave to her before she left."
"And that was the same day you and her had your first kiss, remember that?"
Seifer looked away, staring at the peeking moon from behind the ocean. "You saw that?" Matron could tell he was blushing in the darkness.
Matron placed a hand on Seifer's shoulder. "Seifer, you love her, don't you? Is that why you gave her that flower?"
Seifer closed his eyes, clenching his fists. "I- I don't know Matron. I did love her, but ever since she left for Garden and me and Squall after, everything changed." He turned completely around, facing his beloved Matron. "She had forgotten our promise and that's why..." he paused, not wanting to say anymore. Quistis had forgotten about their promise to remember their first kiss and about them being more than just friends. He was angry about that. That was why he barely listened to her when she became his Instructor. She paid more attention to Squall, the boy wonder and never to him. The beginning was when he first loved her and he never got a chance to tell her. In the beginning, he hated her, but he knew at the end, he will always love her. "I never got a chance to tell her, Matron. About how much I loved her and how much I was angry for leaving me behind. She promised that we would be together again, but she broke it. That's why.... That's why I went to Deling City at the age of fifteen to get rid of the feelings I still had for her. That's where I met Rinoa, went out with her, but broke it off with her and came back to Garden. To see Quistis again, but Squall had more attention from her, than I did." He clenched his empty fists and put the flower down on the dresser.
Matron placed a delicate hand on Seifer's arm. "Why haven't you told her this?"
Seifer shook his head. "I would have before, but I was just too angry to tell her. I hated her then, but I knew I really loved her."
"Go to her, my son. She would need your comfort, after the loss of your child," Matron suggested.
Seifer turned around, back to the beautiful view of the moon. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I have to go get Alexis back."
Squall took a deep breath. He hated it when Cid called all the SeeDs down to his office in the middle of the night. Rinoa, clung tiredly at his arm as they walked to his office. Behind them, the elevator opened, revealing Selphie and Zell, hand in hand. They were both in their pajamas. Selphie with her yellow ducky pajamas and Zell, a simple black shirt and navy blue sweatpants. Zell yawned, putting his arm around Selphie as they followed Squall and Rinoa through the door.
"What is it, Headmaster Cid?" Squall replied, trying not to act angry, once they got inside his office.
Cid had his leg up on the table, covering his chubby face from the SeeDs. He spread his feet and looked at the tired eyes of, not five, but four cadets. "Where is Irvine?"
All of them shrugged.
Cid took a deep breath and stood up, rather lazily. "I'm very sorry to wake you up this late, but we have a situation. The Sorceress, who is un-named at this point, has taken another baby girl from the hands of someone."
Zell plopped down on the couch, putting his arm at the back of the couch. "Who is this someone?"
Cid cleared his throat, hesitating for awhile. He wasn't sure if he should say anything. Seifer told him too, but he felt uncomfortable of having to tell their friends about their affair and the result of it. "This someone? This someone is Quistis."
"Quistis Trepe?" Selphie asked, plopping down next to Zell. She was shocked of this news.
Cid looked at her. "Yes...." He looked around the room at the shocked faces of everyone, especially the inexpressionless eyes of Squall Leonheart. Rinoa clung much tighter to her boy friend and stared at Cid in disbelief. Selphie sat there, staring at something, while Zell yawned and put an arm around Selphie's shoulders.
"That's a good one, Headmaster. Is it April Fools Day or something? 'Cause I ain't buyin' it!" came a loud voice. Cid looked up. Irvine stepped inside, took off his hat and leaned on the wall next to the couch where Zell and Selphie were sitting.
"Can it, Irvine!" Zell said, standing up. He looked at Cid. "Are you sure?"
Cid nodded. "I am sure. Ask her yourself."
"That must be why she left two days ago." Rinoa said, much to herself than to her friends. She glanced at Cid. "Why hasn't she told us this herself?"
"Because she's afraid of revealing who the father is," came a deep, calm voice.
Everyone looked at Seifer, just stepping inside, his Hyperion in his hand.
"Who is the father?" Squall asked, looking at him suspiciously. "And where have you been, Seifer?"
"That doesn't matter now," Seifer said, turning his eyes to the Headmaster. "Sir, I ask permission to lead a team to Galbadia and attack in frontal force at the Sorceress."
Everyone gasped. All at once, questions and criticism entered his head.
"Are you crazy?"
"We could get killed!"
"It's best that we have two teams, one to trap the leader, the other to assassinate her! Like before!"
"A frontal attack is a suicide mission!"
Seifer clenched his fists angrily and gritted his teeth, trying not to yell at them. He kept his eyes on Cid. "Please sir," he pleaded. He looked at him.
Cid saw the eagerness to get his child back. Reluctantly, he nodded, at everyone's disappointment. "Very well. Seifer, you and two other SeeDs will take the frontal attack, while the rest of you be the backups, in case we have men down. You will ride on Ragnarok, all of you. It is best that you are early for this. Most of the people will be asleep in Galbadia, so there will be no commotion while you are all attacking. Now, you all rest. Until tomorrow then. Dismissed."
At once, everyone shuffled out of their rooms, without saying any word, until they made it to the hallway. Seifer walked ahead of his friends, followed by Squall and Rinoa, Zell and Selphie and Irvine.
Squall looked at Seifer suspiciously. Why is he so determined to destroy this new Sorceress? he thought.
Rinoa looked at Squall, then at Seifer. She knew everything that was going on, after all, she was a Sorceress.
Poor Seifer. I know how much he cares for Quistis. Their baby must've been beautiful. Quistis must've been devastated when the woman took the baby away from her. I promise, Quisty... I'll watch Seifer for you and help him get Alexis back.
Author's note: What will Seifer do? And what is the name of the woman? Is she really Adel or just a woman who looks just like her? Find out on the next chapter!
Night has already fallen. Quistis had fallen asleep, tired from crying over the loss of their child. Seifer watched her sleep, the moonlight slowly lighting half a portion of her pale face. Which made her even paler. The other half of her were shadowed by darkness. He's watched her so many times before, with so much serenity as she slept, but never has he been this close to her. He had caught her sleep once in a while in class while she was still an Instructor and he was her student. It was while all her students were having study time before the big exam, yet she managed to wake up in time before the bell rang. He always admired her like that. Seifer loved her from the beginning, but it was the beginning that he began to feel angry at her. He always wanted her attention, but she never really cared. She paid more attention to Squall than him. That was the time he had enough. On the summer, when he was only fifteen, he went to Deling City to get away from it all, especially her. He wasn't enraged, because she never paid attention, it was because she had forgotten about their promise. The promise for them to be together when they got to Garden. She became SeeD before him and Squall. She used the GF before them. Squall came second, but Seifer never really used any. Seifer removed a strand of long blond hair from her eyes and curled it behind her ear. She looked very beautiful.
"Mmm...." Quistis moaned. A tear escaped the corner of her eye, which Seifer quickly wiped away with the back of his hand. She was dreaming. "Alexis.... Alexis... Please don't take her! NO!" She threw her arms in the air, as if she was in her dreams, reaching out to her child. Seifer pressed her hands down gently on her sides. What was he doing here? She doesn't deserve him. Slowly, Seifer got up from the side of the bed and opened the door to leave. He was surprised when Matron stood there in front of him.
"Matron?"
Because Seifer was much taller than her, Matron had to peek under his arm and glance at sleeping form of Quistis. She looked at Seifer. "How is she?"
Seifer brought his attention back to Quistis, looking over his shoulder and sighed. "Matron... why am I here? It's my fault we had a child. I took advantage of her and I shouldn't be here."
Matron shook her head. "Are you sure about that?"
The young man looked at the woman distraughtly. "What do you mean?"
Matron took the young man's hand. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
Seifer let her lead him down the hallway, towards her bedroom. The bedroom was large, full of antique furniture that Seifer dared not to touch. The curtain in the medium sized window opened a bit, showing a little bit of the moonlight around a small area, in front of the window sill. Matron walked over to her fine furnished dresser and opened the top drawer, revealing a necklace with a small white flower attached to it. Matron held it up at the moonlight so Seifer could see.
"Do you remember this, Seifer?" Matron asked, placing it in Seifer's large palms gently.
Seifer stared at it, squinting his eyes and trying to remember exactly what it was, where it came from and who's it was. The past suddenly flashed into his mind.
A small blond boy kneeled beside a garden, behind a small house. He searched through all the delicate flowers and finally picked up a small white lily. He cut off the long stems, making its stems much shorter and ran inside the house. Once inside the house, he took out a small piece of string, long enough around a little girl's neck and tied it around the flower. When he was done, he placed it in his pocket and ran to the beach where the other children were playing, but not before Matron caught him putting something inside.
"What's in your pocket, Seifer?" Matron asked, stroking his little blond hair.
Seifer blushed shyly. "It's for Quisty," he replied.
Matron nodded. "Oh? What for?"
"A good bye present," Seifer said, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
When Matron noticed his discomfort, she stepped aside from the front of the door and said, "Go ahead and give it to her, then!"
Seifer smiled, nodding. "Yeah I will!" he yelled, running towards the beach.
Seifer shook his head from his trance and nodded, gripping the flower in his hand, gently. "This was the flower I gave to her before she left."
"And that was the same day you and her had your first kiss, remember that?"
Seifer looked away, staring at the peeking moon from behind the ocean. "You saw that?" Matron could tell he was blushing in the darkness.
Matron placed a hand on Seifer's shoulder. "Seifer, you love her, don't you? Is that why you gave her that flower?"
Seifer closed his eyes, clenching his fists. "I- I don't know Matron. I did love her, but ever since she left for Garden and me and Squall after, everything changed." He turned completely around, facing his beloved Matron. "She had forgotten our promise and that's why..." he paused, not wanting to say anymore. Quistis had forgotten about their promise to remember their first kiss and about them being more than just friends. He was angry about that. That was why he barely listened to her when she became his Instructor. She paid more attention to Squall, the boy wonder and never to him. The beginning was when he first loved her and he never got a chance to tell her. In the beginning, he hated her, but he knew at the end, he will always love her. "I never got a chance to tell her, Matron. About how much I loved her and how much I was angry for leaving me behind. She promised that we would be together again, but she broke it. That's why.... That's why I went to Deling City at the age of fifteen to get rid of the feelings I still had for her. That's where I met Rinoa, went out with her, but broke it off with her and came back to Garden. To see Quistis again, but Squall had more attention from her, than I did." He clenched his empty fists and put the flower down on the dresser.
Matron placed a delicate hand on Seifer's arm. "Why haven't you told her this?"
Seifer shook his head. "I would have before, but I was just too angry to tell her. I hated her then, but I knew I really loved her."
"Go to her, my son. She would need your comfort, after the loss of your child," Matron suggested.
Seifer turned around, back to the beautiful view of the moon. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I have to go get Alexis back."
Squall took a deep breath. He hated it when Cid called all the SeeDs down to his office in the middle of the night. Rinoa, clung tiredly at his arm as they walked to his office. Behind them, the elevator opened, revealing Selphie and Zell, hand in hand. They were both in their pajamas. Selphie with her yellow ducky pajamas and Zell, a simple black shirt and navy blue sweatpants. Zell yawned, putting his arm around Selphie as they followed Squall and Rinoa through the door.
"What is it, Headmaster Cid?" Squall replied, trying not to act angry, once they got inside his office.
Cid had his leg up on the table, covering his chubby face from the SeeDs. He spread his feet and looked at the tired eyes of, not five, but four cadets. "Where is Irvine?"
All of them shrugged.
Cid took a deep breath and stood up, rather lazily. "I'm very sorry to wake you up this late, but we have a situation. The Sorceress, who is un-named at this point, has taken another baby girl from the hands of someone."
Zell plopped down on the couch, putting his arm at the back of the couch. "Who is this someone?"
Cid cleared his throat, hesitating for awhile. He wasn't sure if he should say anything. Seifer told him too, but he felt uncomfortable of having to tell their friends about their affair and the result of it. "This someone? This someone is Quistis."
"Quistis Trepe?" Selphie asked, plopping down next to Zell. She was shocked of this news.
Cid looked at her. "Yes...." He looked around the room at the shocked faces of everyone, especially the inexpressionless eyes of Squall Leonheart. Rinoa clung much tighter to her boy friend and stared at Cid in disbelief. Selphie sat there, staring at something, while Zell yawned and put an arm around Selphie's shoulders.
"That's a good one, Headmaster. Is it April Fools Day or something? 'Cause I ain't buyin' it!" came a loud voice. Cid looked up. Irvine stepped inside, took off his hat and leaned on the wall next to the couch where Zell and Selphie were sitting.
"Can it, Irvine!" Zell said, standing up. He looked at Cid. "Are you sure?"
Cid nodded. "I am sure. Ask her yourself."
"That must be why she left two days ago." Rinoa said, much to herself than to her friends. She glanced at Cid. "Why hasn't she told us this herself?"
"Because she's afraid of revealing who the father is," came a deep, calm voice.
Everyone looked at Seifer, just stepping inside, his Hyperion in his hand.
"Who is the father?" Squall asked, looking at him suspiciously. "And where have you been, Seifer?"
"That doesn't matter now," Seifer said, turning his eyes to the Headmaster. "Sir, I ask permission to lead a team to Galbadia and attack in frontal force at the Sorceress."
Everyone gasped. All at once, questions and criticism entered his head.
"Are you crazy?"
"We could get killed!"
"It's best that we have two teams, one to trap the leader, the other to assassinate her! Like before!"
"A frontal attack is a suicide mission!"
Seifer clenched his fists angrily and gritted his teeth, trying not to yell at them. He kept his eyes on Cid. "Please sir," he pleaded. He looked at him.
Cid saw the eagerness to get his child back. Reluctantly, he nodded, at everyone's disappointment. "Very well. Seifer, you and two other SeeDs will take the frontal attack, while the rest of you be the backups, in case we have men down. You will ride on Ragnarok, all of you. It is best that you are early for this. Most of the people will be asleep in Galbadia, so there will be no commotion while you are all attacking. Now, you all rest. Until tomorrow then. Dismissed."
At once, everyone shuffled out of their rooms, without saying any word, until they made it to the hallway. Seifer walked ahead of his friends, followed by Squall and Rinoa, Zell and Selphie and Irvine.
Squall looked at Seifer suspiciously. Why is he so determined to destroy this new Sorceress? he thought.
Rinoa looked at Squall, then at Seifer. She knew everything that was going on, after all, she was a Sorceress.
Poor Seifer. I know how much he cares for Quistis. Their baby must've been beautiful. Quistis must've been devastated when the woman took the baby away from her. I promise, Quisty... I'll watch Seifer for you and help him get Alexis back.
Author's note: What will Seifer do? And what is the name of the woman? Is she really Adel or just a woman who looks just like her? Find out on the next chapter!