Chapter 7 - The Lion's Den
Her breathing was hard, rigid and shallow. Matron looked at Quistis worriedly, placing a hand on her forehead to calm her down. Quistis moved her head from side to side. She was sweating from every corner of her temples. Eventually, Quistis calmed herself down, laying with her front to the ceiling. Matron was about to leave the spot beside her, when Quistis started to shout and scream. Matron quickly sat back down beside her and stroked her hair.
"Shhhhh....." Matron whispered in her ear.
"Noooo! Alexis! Leave her alone! Leave her alone!" Quistis was sweating, kicking and screaming. Thankfully, Matron didn't get hit from any of her violent actions.
The woman took a deep breath. She wondered what Quistis was dreaming about. Placing two fingers in both her temples, Matron closed her eyes and chanted some Latin words. She hasn't done this before, but this may be the only way to calm her down. She suddenly found herself in a dark place, shadowed around her. Nothing, but total abyss surrounded her from where she stood.
The morning came so soon. He shuffled out of his bed, putting his feet on the floor and quickly putting on his black shirt and black pants he took out from the drawer. Putting on his trench coat, he slammed the door anxiously behind him and walked to Headmaster Cid's office.
Squall and the others were already there, once he arrived in the office. He looked around the room and spotted that everyone was present. Cid sat on his chair, puffing out a cigar in his mouth in this early morning. The chubby man stood up, clasping his hands behind him, while his cigar hung from his mouth and walked at the front of his desk. He leaned his whole weight on it and finally began to speak. Seifer sat down on the chair in front of him.
"Now, I have called Laguna in Esthar and Martine from Neo-Trabia. They will send out other troops, in case you are in trouble. Seifer, as requested, will be the leader of squad A, while Squall for squad B. With Seifer, will be Rinoa and Zell. Selphie and Irvine, you go with Squall. Squad A will ride on a train and make a frontal assault against the Sorceress. Squad B will ride on Ragnarok, backing them up with any long range weapons to eliminate soldiers in their way. If the assault team or the backup team get in trouble, the leaders will call me and I will alert Laguna and Martine." He looked at everyone. "Is that clear with all of you?"
All of them nodded, but Squall didn't seem to be satisfied. He stood up from his chair and looked at Cid. "I won't let Rinoa take the frontal assault against the Sorceress. It's too dangerous." A hand crept on his shoulder and he glanced to see Rinoa staring at him.
"Squall... I'm the only one who understands her powers, therefore, I should be with the frontal team. You understand, don't you?" Rinoa removed her hands from his shoulder and placed them on his arm.
Squall sighed. "Whatever," he replied.
Rinoa smiled. "I knew you would." She kissed his cheek and linked her arms with his.
Seifer rolled his eyes, not caring about them. He needed to bring Alexis back and he promised. "Are we all ready?" he asked, turning his eyes on everyone.
All eyes nodded in agreement, adding to the Headmaster. Seifer nodded in satisfaction.
"Squad A and B will meet at the front gate in two hours. Xu will give you your missions. Good luck and dismissed."
"Why do you think Seifer is desperate to get Quistis' baby back so much?" Selphie asked, looking at her friends at the table. She first looked at Rinoa. Her expression was hard to understand. She looked like she knew something, but Selphie didn't want to pressure her new friend from anything. She turned her eyes at Irvine. Her one and only best friend who flirted with many girls, a record out of all the guys in Balamb. Irvine tipped his hat, clearing his throat and not saying anything. It seems he was still shocked from finding out that Quistis was pregnant at such a young age. She looked at Zell, her boy friend for two years. Zell was the love of her life. The girl in the library who got a crush on him hated her for dating Zell, but after a while they got to know each other and they became close friends. All Zell could react to her question was putting an arm around her shoulders and grinning mildly at her. Her last destination for her eyes was Squall. His face was, as usual, expressionless. She could never tell what was going on his mind. "Squall, what do you think?"
The gang looked at Squall, the leader and the most quiet from all of them. Squall took a deep breath. Why is it that everyone asks him these questions all the time? Is he really the leader? "I'm going to talk to Seifer about it," he finally replied, standing up. He gave Rinoa a kiss and a wave at everyone before leaving the table and walking over to Seifer, who decided not to sit with his friends.
Seifer was still concerned about the safety of their child that even with his friend's questioning gaze, he couldn't stand the thought of answering them and telling them that he was the father of Quistis' child. He stood up and dumped his breakfast tray in the garbage can. He didn't see Squall coming. He walked away from the prying eyes of the people in the cafeteria and decided to see how Quistis was doing.
Squall walked a few miles away from Seifer. Something was going on with him. He would have to follow him to find out what was going on and to answer Selphie's question earlier. He saw him walk to the front gate where the Ragnarok was waiting for him. Squall hid on the other side of the Ragnarok as Seifer stopped at the rear end where they usually enter. The blond man knocked on the door and it automatically opened for him. Running to it, Squall jumped quietly inside and hid behind one of the machinery in the air craft.
"Hey, Seifer," he heard a man's voice say.
"Hey, Nida," Seifer replied. "Could you bring me to her?"
"Sure thing. How is she?" Nida asked, pushing the on button in front of him.
Squall shifted uncomfortably behind his hideout, making sure that no one could hear him. He glanced quickly and could only see Seifer's back side. He felt the air craft move, so Squall had to hang on to something, but there was nowhere he could hang on to. Once he was about to grab unto a small triangular shape on his right, he was already sliding out of his hideout. His feet shuffled, trying to balance himself, but it was too late. A moment too late, Squall hit his head hard on the metal part of the Ragnarok. Cursing, he got up and looked at the surprised eyes of Seifer.
"What the hell are you doing here, Squall?" came Seifer's deep and cold voice.
Squall stood up and glared at him. "The question is... what are you doing, Seifer?"
Seifer took a deep breath, but took no time to answer. He turned back around, focusing his eyes forward at his destination.
The younger man walked over to his side and looked at him, a questioning look masked on his face. "Seifer, what the hell are you hiding?"
"None of your damn, business, Puberty Boy!" Seifer hissed, clenching his fists at his sides. "Since when do you care about what I'm hiding?"
"Since the day you betrayed us all! Now spill it, Almasy!" Squall fired back.
"When we get there, Quistis and I will tell you everything," Seifer replied.
Squall's face boiled. He was sick and tired of this whole charade. He wasn't the type to have a temper like Seifer, but this was an exception for him. Dryly, he turned to face him and grabbed Seifer's shirt collar roughly. "I said, spill it, Almasy!"
Seifer was surprised that Squall was getting impatient. Usually, Squall wouldn't say anything. He would just reply with his usual trademark 'whatever,' and then turn away. Angrily, Seifer pushed the younger man away from him. "Get off of me, Squall," he said, harshly. "I don't need you to push me around. When we get there, Quistis and I will tell you everything."
Giving up, Squall moved an inch away from him and turned his head away. "Whatever..." he mumbled. He was very curious about what the baby had to do with Quistis and Seifer. Could it be? He shook the thought away and waited until the orphanage house was only a mile away from his eyes.
When they got there, Nida landed the Ragnarok beside Edea's house, the one place where the two men have learned to grow up in. Seifer got off the air craft first, saying good bye to Nida and then followed by Squall, silent as always. The older blond walked to the door and knocked on it. After a few seconds, Squall emerged at his side, taking a deep breath.
The door opened slowly. Seifer was taken aback, when someone jumped into his arms and cried in his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around the individual and stroked her golden hair. Squall looked at the two dumbly, standing beside them uncomfortably.
"Seifer! I'm glad you're here!" Quistis sobbed, not noticing Squall standing there.
Seifer smiled slightly, a little embarrassed at their interaction. He looked at Squall. "Quistis... there's someone here with me."
The blond woman looked up. Her eyes widened when she realized who was standing there. "Squall...." She choked. "I mean...."
"Mind telling me, what the hell is going on here?" Squall looked at the two, waiting for them to respond.
Seifer nodded, turning his eyes on Quistis. "I promised that we would tell him," he told her.
Quistis sighed, gently removing her arms from Seifer's waist and opened the door slightly for both men to go inside. "Come in." Both men stepped inside. Quistis looked at Squall woefully. "We'll tell you everything, Squall."
It took only thirty minutes or so for Seifer and Quistis to explain the whole story to Squall. Squall greatly listened, but in total, it seems he wasn't convinced, but with a shuffle from his feet and a sigh from his throat, Squall nodded his head and stood up. The three, Seifer and Quistis, who was joined later in the middle of the story by Matron, all at once stood up nervously, waiting for Squall's reaction to all this.
"Squall?" Matron looked at the brunette man, hoping for an answer.
The young eighteen year old closed his eyes, trying to fill everything in his head. He placed two fingers at the bridge of his nose and rubbed it slowly. "I'm fine, Matron. How long were you actually planning on keeping this a secret from us?"
Quistis took a deep breath, sitting back down. "Well, we were planning on telling you all this, but I wasn't ready yet, Squall. This was all so sudden for me."
Squall couldn't really blame both of them. They were both lonely, he knew that, but this was something he never expected both blondes would do.
I thought Quistis was smarter than that? He thought. He sat down and leaned close to Quistis. Reaching his hands to her hands, he clasped them between his palms and looked at her. "I understand now, Quistis." He looked up at Seifer. "Is that why you were so desperate to destroy the Sorceress? Because you wanted YOUR baby back?"
"No, Squall," Seifer replied, shaking his head. "I wanted the baby back, because I am the father and I do care for Quistis."
Squall nodded. "I see. Well...." He glanced at his watch, letting go of Quistis' hand and stood up. "We better get going, Seifer. We have half an hour left until we have to be stationed at the front gate."
Quistis looked at Seifer. "What? Stationed for what?" She stood up.
Both men looked at each other. Seifer took Quistis' hand and squeezed it lightly. "I have a mission to destroy the Sorceress in a full frontal assault. I'm leading the squad A doing the assault and Squall is leading squad B to back us up."
Quistis shook her head. "No, you're not doing that! A full frontal assault is very dangerous! No... I won't let you go!" She said, stubbornly. Reluctantly, she gripped Seifer's hand tightly and pulled him close to her. "I won't let you!"
Seifer pressed a hand on her cheek. "Quistis.... I promised I would get Alexis back and I'm not about to break my promise."
"Not when you have to risk your life for it!!!" Quistis yelled, jerking her head away from his hand. She looked down and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Seifer placed a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so he could see her face.
"I promise to bring Alexis and myself back in tact."
"The Squad B will back him and the others up. Don't worry, Quistis," came Squall's reply.
Quistis looked at Squall. She nodded, not responding.
Seifer kissed her forehead. "I'm Seifer Almasy and when Alexis and I get back, I'm going to ask you to marry me, Quistis Trepe!"
The woman was surprised, but all she could do was nod her head and smile slightly to what he said. Her heart beat a thousand drums and before he left, she gave him a kiss full on the mouth, pulling him close to her.
"You be alive for me and I might say, yes!" she said, wrapping her arms around his broad neck.
Seifer smiled. Not the usual cocky smile, but a real smile which he rarely gave to anyone. Squall could only think how much Seifer has changed ever since he found out he was a father to be instead of saying anything or reacting to it. He stood there frozen and watched the whole scene. It would take a lot of his strength to bring the man in love back to Quistis Trepe. It was a quick change, but Squall kind of liked his new attitude.
"Come on, Puberty Boy!" Seifer slapped his back and stepped out the door.
Or maybe not. Mumbling to himself, Squall followed suit, giving Quistis a slight nod and closing the door behind him.
Quistis ran to the window and watched the Ragnarok leave. She waved at a window which she thought Seifer was looking out and sighed. A hand crept on her shoulder. She looked to her side and spotted Matron.
"I'm worried for him, Matron," Quistis said.
Matron shook her head. "Don't be worried for him, Quistis. Worry for someone else."
Quistis looked at Matron confusingly, but decided not to ask what she meant. She didn't really want to know, but she felt something in her gut that made her feel uncomfortable. It was something what Matron just said.
Author's note: Uh-oh... what did Matron mean? Will there be a sacrifice?
GoodGurl
Her breathing was hard, rigid and shallow. Matron looked at Quistis worriedly, placing a hand on her forehead to calm her down. Quistis moved her head from side to side. She was sweating from every corner of her temples. Eventually, Quistis calmed herself down, laying with her front to the ceiling. Matron was about to leave the spot beside her, when Quistis started to shout and scream. Matron quickly sat back down beside her and stroked her hair.
"Shhhhh....." Matron whispered in her ear.
"Noooo! Alexis! Leave her alone! Leave her alone!" Quistis was sweating, kicking and screaming. Thankfully, Matron didn't get hit from any of her violent actions.
The woman took a deep breath. She wondered what Quistis was dreaming about. Placing two fingers in both her temples, Matron closed her eyes and chanted some Latin words. She hasn't done this before, but this may be the only way to calm her down. She suddenly found herself in a dark place, shadowed around her. Nothing, but total abyss surrounded her from where she stood.
The morning came so soon. He shuffled out of his bed, putting his feet on the floor and quickly putting on his black shirt and black pants he took out from the drawer. Putting on his trench coat, he slammed the door anxiously behind him and walked to Headmaster Cid's office.
Squall and the others were already there, once he arrived in the office. He looked around the room and spotted that everyone was present. Cid sat on his chair, puffing out a cigar in his mouth in this early morning. The chubby man stood up, clasping his hands behind him, while his cigar hung from his mouth and walked at the front of his desk. He leaned his whole weight on it and finally began to speak. Seifer sat down on the chair in front of him.
"Now, I have called Laguna in Esthar and Martine from Neo-Trabia. They will send out other troops, in case you are in trouble. Seifer, as requested, will be the leader of squad A, while Squall for squad B. With Seifer, will be Rinoa and Zell. Selphie and Irvine, you go with Squall. Squad A will ride on a train and make a frontal assault against the Sorceress. Squad B will ride on Ragnarok, backing them up with any long range weapons to eliminate soldiers in their way. If the assault team or the backup team get in trouble, the leaders will call me and I will alert Laguna and Martine." He looked at everyone. "Is that clear with all of you?"
All of them nodded, but Squall didn't seem to be satisfied. He stood up from his chair and looked at Cid. "I won't let Rinoa take the frontal assault against the Sorceress. It's too dangerous." A hand crept on his shoulder and he glanced to see Rinoa staring at him.
"Squall... I'm the only one who understands her powers, therefore, I should be with the frontal team. You understand, don't you?" Rinoa removed her hands from his shoulder and placed them on his arm.
Squall sighed. "Whatever," he replied.
Rinoa smiled. "I knew you would." She kissed his cheek and linked her arms with his.
Seifer rolled his eyes, not caring about them. He needed to bring Alexis back and he promised. "Are we all ready?" he asked, turning his eyes on everyone.
All eyes nodded in agreement, adding to the Headmaster. Seifer nodded in satisfaction.
"Squad A and B will meet at the front gate in two hours. Xu will give you your missions. Good luck and dismissed."
"Why do you think Seifer is desperate to get Quistis' baby back so much?" Selphie asked, looking at her friends at the table. She first looked at Rinoa. Her expression was hard to understand. She looked like she knew something, but Selphie didn't want to pressure her new friend from anything. She turned her eyes at Irvine. Her one and only best friend who flirted with many girls, a record out of all the guys in Balamb. Irvine tipped his hat, clearing his throat and not saying anything. It seems he was still shocked from finding out that Quistis was pregnant at such a young age. She looked at Zell, her boy friend for two years. Zell was the love of her life. The girl in the library who got a crush on him hated her for dating Zell, but after a while they got to know each other and they became close friends. All Zell could react to her question was putting an arm around her shoulders and grinning mildly at her. Her last destination for her eyes was Squall. His face was, as usual, expressionless. She could never tell what was going on his mind. "Squall, what do you think?"
The gang looked at Squall, the leader and the most quiet from all of them. Squall took a deep breath. Why is it that everyone asks him these questions all the time? Is he really the leader? "I'm going to talk to Seifer about it," he finally replied, standing up. He gave Rinoa a kiss and a wave at everyone before leaving the table and walking over to Seifer, who decided not to sit with his friends.
Seifer was still concerned about the safety of their child that even with his friend's questioning gaze, he couldn't stand the thought of answering them and telling them that he was the father of Quistis' child. He stood up and dumped his breakfast tray in the garbage can. He didn't see Squall coming. He walked away from the prying eyes of the people in the cafeteria and decided to see how Quistis was doing.
Squall walked a few miles away from Seifer. Something was going on with him. He would have to follow him to find out what was going on and to answer Selphie's question earlier. He saw him walk to the front gate where the Ragnarok was waiting for him. Squall hid on the other side of the Ragnarok as Seifer stopped at the rear end where they usually enter. The blond man knocked on the door and it automatically opened for him. Running to it, Squall jumped quietly inside and hid behind one of the machinery in the air craft.
"Hey, Seifer," he heard a man's voice say.
"Hey, Nida," Seifer replied. "Could you bring me to her?"
"Sure thing. How is she?" Nida asked, pushing the on button in front of him.
Squall shifted uncomfortably behind his hideout, making sure that no one could hear him. He glanced quickly and could only see Seifer's back side. He felt the air craft move, so Squall had to hang on to something, but there was nowhere he could hang on to. Once he was about to grab unto a small triangular shape on his right, he was already sliding out of his hideout. His feet shuffled, trying to balance himself, but it was too late. A moment too late, Squall hit his head hard on the metal part of the Ragnarok. Cursing, he got up and looked at the surprised eyes of Seifer.
"What the hell are you doing here, Squall?" came Seifer's deep and cold voice.
Squall stood up and glared at him. "The question is... what are you doing, Seifer?"
Seifer took a deep breath, but took no time to answer. He turned back around, focusing his eyes forward at his destination.
The younger man walked over to his side and looked at him, a questioning look masked on his face. "Seifer, what the hell are you hiding?"
"None of your damn, business, Puberty Boy!" Seifer hissed, clenching his fists at his sides. "Since when do you care about what I'm hiding?"
"Since the day you betrayed us all! Now spill it, Almasy!" Squall fired back.
"When we get there, Quistis and I will tell you everything," Seifer replied.
Squall's face boiled. He was sick and tired of this whole charade. He wasn't the type to have a temper like Seifer, but this was an exception for him. Dryly, he turned to face him and grabbed Seifer's shirt collar roughly. "I said, spill it, Almasy!"
Seifer was surprised that Squall was getting impatient. Usually, Squall wouldn't say anything. He would just reply with his usual trademark 'whatever,' and then turn away. Angrily, Seifer pushed the younger man away from him. "Get off of me, Squall," he said, harshly. "I don't need you to push me around. When we get there, Quistis and I will tell you everything."
Giving up, Squall moved an inch away from him and turned his head away. "Whatever..." he mumbled. He was very curious about what the baby had to do with Quistis and Seifer. Could it be? He shook the thought away and waited until the orphanage house was only a mile away from his eyes.
When they got there, Nida landed the Ragnarok beside Edea's house, the one place where the two men have learned to grow up in. Seifer got off the air craft first, saying good bye to Nida and then followed by Squall, silent as always. The older blond walked to the door and knocked on it. After a few seconds, Squall emerged at his side, taking a deep breath.
The door opened slowly. Seifer was taken aback, when someone jumped into his arms and cried in his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around the individual and stroked her golden hair. Squall looked at the two dumbly, standing beside them uncomfortably.
"Seifer! I'm glad you're here!" Quistis sobbed, not noticing Squall standing there.
Seifer smiled slightly, a little embarrassed at their interaction. He looked at Squall. "Quistis... there's someone here with me."
The blond woman looked up. Her eyes widened when she realized who was standing there. "Squall...." She choked. "I mean...."
"Mind telling me, what the hell is going on here?" Squall looked at the two, waiting for them to respond.
Seifer nodded, turning his eyes on Quistis. "I promised that we would tell him," he told her.
Quistis sighed, gently removing her arms from Seifer's waist and opened the door slightly for both men to go inside. "Come in." Both men stepped inside. Quistis looked at Squall woefully. "We'll tell you everything, Squall."
It took only thirty minutes or so for Seifer and Quistis to explain the whole story to Squall. Squall greatly listened, but in total, it seems he wasn't convinced, but with a shuffle from his feet and a sigh from his throat, Squall nodded his head and stood up. The three, Seifer and Quistis, who was joined later in the middle of the story by Matron, all at once stood up nervously, waiting for Squall's reaction to all this.
"Squall?" Matron looked at the brunette man, hoping for an answer.
The young eighteen year old closed his eyes, trying to fill everything in his head. He placed two fingers at the bridge of his nose and rubbed it slowly. "I'm fine, Matron. How long were you actually planning on keeping this a secret from us?"
Quistis took a deep breath, sitting back down. "Well, we were planning on telling you all this, but I wasn't ready yet, Squall. This was all so sudden for me."
Squall couldn't really blame both of them. They were both lonely, he knew that, but this was something he never expected both blondes would do.
I thought Quistis was smarter than that? He thought. He sat down and leaned close to Quistis. Reaching his hands to her hands, he clasped them between his palms and looked at her. "I understand now, Quistis." He looked up at Seifer. "Is that why you were so desperate to destroy the Sorceress? Because you wanted YOUR baby back?"
"No, Squall," Seifer replied, shaking his head. "I wanted the baby back, because I am the father and I do care for Quistis."
Squall nodded. "I see. Well...." He glanced at his watch, letting go of Quistis' hand and stood up. "We better get going, Seifer. We have half an hour left until we have to be stationed at the front gate."
Quistis looked at Seifer. "What? Stationed for what?" She stood up.
Both men looked at each other. Seifer took Quistis' hand and squeezed it lightly. "I have a mission to destroy the Sorceress in a full frontal assault. I'm leading the squad A doing the assault and Squall is leading squad B to back us up."
Quistis shook her head. "No, you're not doing that! A full frontal assault is very dangerous! No... I won't let you go!" She said, stubbornly. Reluctantly, she gripped Seifer's hand tightly and pulled him close to her. "I won't let you!"
Seifer pressed a hand on her cheek. "Quistis.... I promised I would get Alexis back and I'm not about to break my promise."
"Not when you have to risk your life for it!!!" Quistis yelled, jerking her head away from his hand. She looked down and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Seifer placed a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so he could see her face.
"I promise to bring Alexis and myself back in tact."
"The Squad B will back him and the others up. Don't worry, Quistis," came Squall's reply.
Quistis looked at Squall. She nodded, not responding.
Seifer kissed her forehead. "I'm Seifer Almasy and when Alexis and I get back, I'm going to ask you to marry me, Quistis Trepe!"
The woman was surprised, but all she could do was nod her head and smile slightly to what he said. Her heart beat a thousand drums and before he left, she gave him a kiss full on the mouth, pulling him close to her.
"You be alive for me and I might say, yes!" she said, wrapping her arms around his broad neck.
Seifer smiled. Not the usual cocky smile, but a real smile which he rarely gave to anyone. Squall could only think how much Seifer has changed ever since he found out he was a father to be instead of saying anything or reacting to it. He stood there frozen and watched the whole scene. It would take a lot of his strength to bring the man in love back to Quistis Trepe. It was a quick change, but Squall kind of liked his new attitude.
"Come on, Puberty Boy!" Seifer slapped his back and stepped out the door.
Or maybe not. Mumbling to himself, Squall followed suit, giving Quistis a slight nod and closing the door behind him.
Quistis ran to the window and watched the Ragnarok leave. She waved at a window which she thought Seifer was looking out and sighed. A hand crept on her shoulder. She looked to her side and spotted Matron.
"I'm worried for him, Matron," Quistis said.
Matron shook her head. "Don't be worried for him, Quistis. Worry for someone else."
Quistis looked at Matron confusingly, but decided not to ask what she meant. She didn't really want to know, but she felt something in her gut that made her feel uncomfortable. It was something what Matron just said.
Author's note: Uh-oh... what did Matron mean? Will there be a sacrifice?
GoodGurl