*** Seifer Proposes ***

A romantic fan fiction by Vick330 the MadScientist

                  * Disclaimer *

Don't own them, what would make you think otherwise?

And I LOVE all FF8 characters, except that $%#@ spook Dr.Odine! May he rot (slowly and painfully) in the deepest pit of HELL (the one that doubles as a latrine)! Phew, sorry about that, lets get on with the fic (and our lives) now.

      ********** ********** **********

"Hehehe, perfect." Said Seifer, admiring the setup before him.

The table had been set with two white candles, matching utensils, non-cracked wine glasses, and clean tablecloth and napkins. Of course, Ma Dincht had greatly helped, cooking and giving him pointers, and he was grateful, for he wanted the evening to be faultless.

Zell's mother came out of the kitchen, "So, Seifer, dear, do you remember what I told you?"

"Yes, Ma Dincht," Politely replied our friend, "I serve the salad first, then the soup, and the chocobo still has to cook for an hour."

"And?"

"And I'll take my time to eat, so as not to rush things." He concluded, grinning.

The lady smiled, fondly cupping his face in her hand, "Good, just be yourself, and all will be all right."

Seifer bent down, and kissed her lightly on the cheek, "Thank you, I really own you for all you've done."

After Ma Dincht had left, Seifer poured himself some wine, and went through his script for the evening. Fujin would be there in less than an hour, and he could hardly contain his anxiety.

"Cool, Seifer, cool." He mused aloud, remembering Ma Dincht's advice. And then he thought at how he had come to this point.

In one of those strange twists of fate, he had befriended his former rivals, after Fujin, Raijin, and himself had been accepted back in Garden. And somewhere along the way, he had changed, as had his priorities.

Things had been hard at first, for they had had to make a place for themselves all over again, and start at the bottom. There had also been his own fears, when it came to his feelings, for he had been in love with Fujin for a long time, but he had been too proud, and too caught up in his own problems to acknowledge it.

Of all people, it had been the Tilmitt girl that had opened his eyes, and he still remembered that night, a few months ago...

      ~~~~~~~~~~ Flashback ~~~~~~~~~~

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese, Seifer, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" Selphie had pestered him to go on a blind date with a friend of hers.

"No! You're a disaster when it comes to these things, and I won't become another one of your victims!" He had refused vehemently, for it was well known that her rate of success, as a matchmaker, was rather low.

"Come ooooooooooooon, don't be a sourpuss." She had insisted.

"I am NOT meeting your friend, because I do NOT need you to get a date, got it? Seifer Almasy is his own man, and if I say that I am not doing it, I am NOT doing it, and that is FINAL!" He had concluded stubbornly.

But he had finally accepted, just so the brunette would stop harassing him, and gone to meet his 'date' reluctantly. It had been quite a surprise, when he found her, waiting for him, in front of the 'Chocobo Deli & Grill', in Deling City.

"SEIFER?" Had said an astonished Fujin.   O.#   [ # is the eye patch]

"Fujin? You're my blind date?"      O'_O        [ ' is Seifer's scar]

"OBVIOUSLY" She had replied.        o_#

Seifer couldn't suppress a smile, "Did Selphie annoy you into this?" ^'_^

"DROVE ME CRAZY"  _#

"Well, I'm sure glad that it's you." Had stated the blond guy.

"FOR REAL?" She had asked, not believing her ears.    O_#

"Yes, Fuji, for real..."

It had been that very same evening, on the streets of Deling, that they had kissed for the first time, and where he finally found the courage to tell her three special words.

Three words which never lose meaning, no matter how often they're said, but that hold the power to change whole destinies, as it happened on that cool, windy night under the stars. [Is this romantic or what?]

"I love you, Fuji..." He had whispered to her ear.

"I love you too..." She had answered, her heart filled with happiness.

      ~~~~~~~~~~ End Of Flashback ~~~~~~~~~~

And so, here we are, with our tall friend putting the final touches to, what he hoped, would be a most memorable meal.

He had written a short poem, declaring his love for Fujin, and had hidden it in a bowl among 'Choco-Chicobos' [the candy that melts in your tummy, not in your mouth]. She loved that candy, and so would find the piece of paper eventually.

He was deciding on how to give the engagement ring to her, when...

*DELING! - DELONG!*     [the doorbell]

"Already?" Said Seifer, and went to open the door.

"Hiya Seifer!" Chirped Selphie.     ~^_^~       [ ~ is Selphie's hairdo]

"Hey, big guy!" Joined in Zell.     ^_&^        [ & is Zell's tattoo]

"What are you guys doing here?" Inquired the blond guy.     O'_O

The brunette explained, "Well, we were passing by the neighborhood, and...ARE THOSE CHOCO-CHICOBOS?"

Before Seifer could react, Zell and Selphie had jumped on the bowl, and eaten all the chocolates.

"Yummy!"    ~(^_^)~     [ () are the cheeks filled with candy]

"Shuperb!"  (^_&^)

The martial artist then made a face, and took something out of his mouth. It was the poem all chewed up and yucky, and definitely not a very romantic thing to give to anyone [well, maybe to Dr.Odine, along with rat-poison flavored cake].

"Eeew! You should really be careful when you unwrap these, man!" Said Zell.

"OUT!" Yelled Seifer.

"But, we're thirsty now." Complained Selphie, making sad puppy eyes.

The blue-eyed guy sighed, "Listen guys, it's an important evening, got it? So, if I give you something to drink, will you leave?"

"YUP!"      ~^__^~

"YUP!"      ^__&^

After giving a Root Beer to Zell, and an 'Ifrit-Cola' [cold soda for hot people] to Selphie, Seifer went back to his preparations. Fortunately, he had more 'Choco-Chicobos', and so arranged another bowl. It was then that...

*DELING! - DELONG!*     [the crappy doorbell again]

"Howdy, Parner."  ^_^\        [ \ is Irvine's ponytail]

"Whatever."       -_`-        [ ` is Squall's scar]

"Let me guess," stated Seifer, "You just happened to be in the neighborhood."

"Nope." Corrected the cowboy, "We met Selphie and Zell, and we wanted drinks too."

Seifer rolled his eyes, "Can't you guys go to a bar, or something?"  @'_@

"MAH GAWD! ARE THOSE CHOCO-CHICOBOS?"     O_O\

"WHATEVER!"       O_`O

"Guys, don't..."  '_

"Munch, munch!"   (^_^)\

"Shucculent."     (^_`^)      [Squall smiling, VERY rare]

The blond guy pleaded, in a resigned tone, "If I give you something to drink, would you just LEAVE?"

"Yep!"

"Whatever."

"What would you like?"  Inquired Seifer.

"Got any 'Ulti'?"

"Whatever."

After serving an 'Ultimecia Ale' [the beer that knocks you into the eight dimension] to Irvine, and a 'Whatever Stout' [the beer with an attitude] to Squall, both guys left, and Seifer, having run out of 'Choco-Chicobos', refilled the bowl with 'Choco-Chocobos' [bigger candy than 'Choco-Chicobos', don't always melt in your tummy, if yah know what I mean].

*DELING! - DELONG!*     [The cursed doorbell, one more time]

"Man, Fuji is 15 minutes early, well, here goes." Thought our friend, and went to open the door with a big smile on his face, that faded right away.

"Hello, Seif."    @^_^@       [Rinoa with a Princess Leia Organa hairdo]

"Hiya, Seifer."   /^_^\       [Quistis with her hair unbound]

"What are YOU doing here?" Demanded Seifer.

"Well, we went to watch the 'Star Wars' marathon (explains Rinoa's hairdo), then met the guys, and came for drinks." Explained the hazel-eyed girl.

"DOES MY HOUSE LOOK LIKE A BAR TO YOU?" Exploded the blond guy. '_

"Don't be such a big meanie, we're really thirsty." Pleaded Rinoa.

"Please? We spent all our money on popcorn." Explained Quistis.

"All right, all right! Just don't touch the chocolate." Said Seifer, walking into the kitchen.

As he came back, with two 'Shiva Lagers' [cold beer for cool people], he noticed, with growing suspicion, that the 'Choco-Chocobos' in the bowl had somewhat dwindled, and that the two women looked waaay too innocent.

After they got their refreshments, they plopped themselves down on the couch. Seifer realized, with anxiety, that Fujin would arrive shortly, and that having his ex-girlfriend in his house, coupled to the rumors about him and instructor Trepe, might endanger the outcome of his evening.

"Girls, please leave, I'm expecting company." He begged.

"Who?" Inquired Rinoa.

"Anyone we know?" Asked Quistis.

"Yeah! It's Fujin, happy now? I'm proposing tonight! So please leave!" Blurted out our short-tempered friend.

"OH!" @O.O@ /O.O\

After Seifer had closed the door behind them, the two women looked at each other, grinned, and rang the doorbell again.

*DELING! - DELONG!*     [don't you just hate that sound?]

The blond guy opened the door, and found Rinoa & Quistis singing that wedding song, yah know, the one that always plays when the bride walks down the aisle to meet the vict...er..the groom.

"Pom pom popom! Pom pom popom! Pom Pom popom pom pom pom..."      @^o^@  /^o^\

"GO AWAY!!!" Exploded Mr.Almasy, banging the door.

And so they left, but, as the fates would have it [me the writer, in this instance], they met Fujin coming up the road, and couldn't quite contain their glee at knowing what Seifer had planned.

"Hi, Fuji, you'll make a kill with that outfit." Giggled Rinoa @^_^@

"Lucky girl!" Said Quistis, hugging the fair woman.   /^_^\

"?" o_#

"Pom pom popom! Pom pom popom! Pom Pom popom pom pom pom!"  @^o^@  /^o^\

"???" O_#

*Giggles!*  @^_^@  /^_^\

As they were walking away, the raven-haired girl yelled, "Go for it!" and the blonde instructor winked, like this -  /~_^\

"WEIRDOS" Mused Fujin, rolling her eye, and then rang the door.   @_#

*DELING! - DELONG!*     [sonata #13 for doorbell]

Seifer opened and yelled, "WHAT THE F*CK DO YOU WA...err...Hi Fuji, hehehe!"

"YOU ALL RIGHT?" She inquired, starting to think that the whole town had gone pineapples -er- bananas [What! They're both tropical fruits, the mistake is understandable].

The albino woman was not wearing her usual attire, but a black, knee-length dress, that left her shoulders and part of her back bare, and her hair, which she had let grow longer, was clasped by a silver barrette. Her purse, shoes, and eye patch were also black, and the contrast with her pale skin was simply astounding.

Seifer was enthralled by her appearance, and took a long moment to come back to reality. "I'm quite OK, don't worry. Please, come in." He gallantly offered.

"THANK YOU"

"Care for some 'Choco-Chocobos'?

"SURE"

The blond man admired the way Fujin delicately nibbled at her 'Choco-Chocobo', savoring every bite. It had only been lately that she had started to appreciate life, and the simple pleasures that were to be had. Of course, Seifer's love was her greatest source of happiness, and she thought that things couldn't get any better.

Unless you've been sleeping since the beginning of the fic, or have a short attention span, you know that she was utterly wrong.

They were having the soup, and Seifer just couldn't keep his eyes off her, for she looked so feminine, so fragile, so fairylike, so feisty, so fabulous, so...

Fujin sniffed at the air, and said "SOMETHING BURNING?"

"CHOC! THE CRAPOBO!" Exclaimed the blond guy, running into the kitchen.

Fortunately, it wasn't an entire ruin, and they managed to scrape a few non-carbonized pieces to satiate their appetite. The meal, the wine, the romantic mood, all contributed to make Fujin feel relaxed, and so she wasn't anticipating what came next.

"Champaign?" Offered Seifer.

"YES" She accepted gratefully.

Our friend put the ring in a Champaign glass, and filled it with the bubbly liquid [It wasn't Dom Perignon, but still pretty decent]. He then presented it to his girlfriend, lifted his own glass, announced, "To Us!" and drowned it in one gulp.

"TO US" Joined the fair woman, and getting caught in the moment, also emptied her glass in one swallow.

"Fuji! No..." Warned the tall man, but it was too late.

*ACK!* *COUGH!* *AAAACK!*     O_#

Fortunately, SeeD training included the Heimlich maneuver, and Seifer went behind her, put his right fist just below her solar-plexus, covered it with his left, and in one rotating, upward motion, managed to expel the ring from her windpipe.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" She asked, a little shaken, and then saw the object that had made her choke.

She picked it up, and stared at the small, but flawless diamond, mounted on a simple ring, just as she liked them. She then turned, facing Seifer, her face showing more emotions in that moment, than ever before during all the time he had known her.

"SEIFER?" She whispered timidly. [I don't know how she whispered, she just did]

He went down on one knee, holding her hand, and placing the ring on her finger, "Fuji, would you make me the honor of being my wife?"

"YES!" She answered excitedly.      ^_#

After they had kissed tenderly for a while, she said, "JUST ONE THING"

"Huh, sure, Baby, anything you want."

"WHEN WE'RE MARRIED" Continued Fujin, grinning amusedly.

"Yes?"

"I'LL COOK" she concluded playfully, pointing at the remains of their meal. ^__#

"I'll never argue to that." He replied, with obvious relief.      ^'_^

            ********** THE END **********