Authors Notes: Auuugh. Bad Abby! Okay, I am soooo sorry that this took so long to post. I have a million excuses, but still, I HATE waiting for authors to finish their stories. I always want the next chapter NOW, and I've made all of you wait months for me to get back to writing. However, I broke up with my boyfriend a few weeks ago...and well, you know how that is. It didn't end very well, and I really couldn't stand the idea of sitting down to write a romance, of all things. And I was afraid if I did, my emotions would interfere with the story, and it wouldn't turn out as well as I wanted, and the story would get all dark and unhappy and then I'd end up writing myself into a corner, and it would never turn out like I meant. Special thanks to Tigress for e-mailing me about my story, it pushed me to finish once I realised people were actually waiting to see the next chapter...Plus, it was just a nice boost, to see people actually like this story that much! ^_^ Everyone! Go ahead! E-mail me! I like it! And, I promise, I'll try to push out these next chapters as quickly as I can, in an attempt to make up for the wait!
My Sad Obsession
Chapter 4: Discovered.
She woke up early the next morning to be greeted by a pair of boots in front of her face. Lifting her head, she found pants attached to the boots, and, as her eyes continued upwards, she found the rest of Seifer, scribbling at his desk.
"Good morning."
"Mornin'," he replied, not looking up.
"How long have you been up?" she asked. He paused in his writing, but never answered. She wondered if he had ever gone back to sleep after his nightmare. Looking at the basket full of crumpled notebook paper, she doubted it.
He looked up at her suddenly, dropping his pen. "Hey, you wanna go for a walk or something? I'm getting sick of this room."
She stood up, stretching in an oversized shirt that was serving as a nightgown.
"Just let me get changed first," she said, hurrying off to the bathroom. He stood up and paced around the room till she returned, fully dressed and her hair brushed and pinned up like usual.
"Shall we?" he asked, crooking his elbow for her to take him by the arm. She ignored the gesture, walking ahead of him out of the dorm. He stared after her, his eyes sparkling in amusement.
"Independant, isn't she?" he muttered to himself.
Overhearing, she called back from the hallway, "I don't intend to become an arm decoration." His raised an eyebrow, but simply followed her out to the hallway.
"Where did you want to go?" Quistis asked.
"Anywhere, I just needed a change. Why don't we-" he stopped suddenly and stiffened, seeing Rinoa and Squall ahead of them, walking down the hall together. It lasted the briefest moment, and she almost believed she had imagined it. "..Uh, why don't we go outside?" he finished. Squall and Rinoa turned down the library hallway, never noticing Quistis and Seifer behind them.
After a moment, Quistis spoke up. "I wouldn't worry about it."
"What?" Seifer asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
"About Squall and Rinoa," she replied. She paused, then added, "She couldn't be the one for you or our enchantment would be broken."
Seifer pushed open the front door. Walking outside, he squinted his eyes against the bright sunshine. He shook his head and replied, "I know she's not the one. Spell or not."
"Then why did you act like that just now, seeing Squall and Rinoa?" Quistis asked quietly.
Seifer sighed. "It's just...one day, it's me and her...and then, next thing I know, it's her and Squall. I didn't get any time for a transition. Imagine being in a coma for 3 months. You wake up and see your girlfr- well, boyfriend for you- kiss another girl. Everyone else has had those 3 months to get used to it. But not you, in your mind you think...you think it's still you....I heard they were going out, but it's different when you see it. Your first instinct is like, "Hey, the hell is he doing to my girl," you know? Then you have to remember, she's NOT your girl. You're just the leftovers."
He gave her a sideways glance. "What about you? I remember you used to have the hots for Leonhart."
Quistis blushed slightly. "I guess we're both leftovers. It was ridiculous to think it would ever work. By the time Rinoa showed up, I realised I had never had a chance to begin. I was his TEACHER. Then I found out I had known Squall as a child...it explained why I thought I loved him. Once I understood my feelings, they were easier to deal with."
Seifer frowned. "What do you mean, you found out you knew Squall as a kid? We were all at Garden as kids, you knew that."
Quistis gasped, realising that Seifer had never heard about the orphanage when she had. He looked at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Uh...Seifer, do you...do you remember where you lived, before you came to Garden?"
He looked at her sharply. "Yes, I lived in an orphanage." His voice was tense.
She nodded. "Do you remember who ran the orphanage? Or who you lived with, the other kids?"
He frowned slightly, his brow wrinkling again as he thought. After awhile, he shook his head. "No."
"Cid ran the orphange, Cid and Edea. That's how you got into Garden."
He looked at her, eyes wide in surprise. Then his eyes darkened.
"How do you know all this?" he asked suspiciously. "Did you read my files or something?"
She shook her head. "No...I was there. I grew up at that orphanage. So did Squall... and Zell, Irvine...Selphie... we all grew up together, till we were separated."
Seifer's mouth opened, then closed. He opened his mouth slightly again and finally breathed, "Oh, man.."
"We all forgot, most likely because of our GF use. Irvine never used one at Galbadia, and he still remembered. He told the rest of us."
"But...but how were you at an orphanage with me ? I thought you didn't come to Garden till you were like 10, years after me."
"8," she corrected him. "I was in a new home for awhile with an adopted family but...things didn't work out there." Changing the subject, she said, "At the orphanage, I always tried to protect Squall, like his older sister. At Garden, I had forgotten about him, exactly, and how I knew him. But I had the same instinct to protect him. Once Irvine reminded us of the orphanage, I realised I had mistaken that instinct for love. I was confusing love for Squall as his sister figure for real, true, fairy tale love," she finished, blushing again at showing her romantic side.
After a moment, he turned back to her. "Do you really believe there's such a thing? Real love? Soulmates?" he inquired.
"...I think so. From what Matron said, there must be. Or else how could we break the enchantment? Do you?"
He thought. "It seems pretty farfetched to me. Two people destined for each other? It sounds like something people want to believe in to make themselves feel better about their lives. Someone will come along some day and fix everything."
"Maybe it's not really so much whether or not it exists that matters, but the hope," she mused. "I can see where your doubts come from. Especially when you see so many unfaithful couples, so many people that turn their head during a slow dance to check out another pretty girl. How can that be love? Can one person be enough, can they really satisfy another their whole life? Then why are so many people unfaithful?"
"That's an entirely different question," he replied seriously. "Love and sex are two different things. C'mon, let's go back inside." He began walking towards the doors, pulling them open.
Quistis followed after him. "I guess I wouldn't really know," she replied, a faint blush creeping across her face.
He looked at her, then was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "You, uh, you've never...been with a man?"
She shook her head. " I know that must seem pretty silly to you, you have a whole list of girls.."
He grinned lopsidedly, glad for a chance to lighten the serious tone of the conversation. "What can I say? The ladies love me."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't have a clue what women want."
He simply smirked more, stopping at his door and searching through his pockets. His smile faded abruptly.
"I forgot the f#$%*@ key." He ran his hand through his hair, looking down at the ground. He let out an agitated sigh, then suddenly raised his shoulder, throwing himself at the door and breaking it open. Quistis stared, eyes wide in surprise. He turned to face her. Noticing the look on her face, he said, "What? You wanted in, didn't you?"
She dissolved in startled laughter, shaking her head. "You're wild!"
He flashed her that crooked grin again. "I do it in style." Still giggling, she followed him into the dorm.
"So, are you going to inform me of what it is women desire, since you claim I'm so clueless?" he asked. She shivered slightly, his eyes piercing thru her and sending a maddening chill up her spine. She turned away and sat on the bed, as if she feared he would read her mind to find the answer to his question.
"Women want...Women want someone who listens to them. Women want details,"
"Details?" he echoed questioningly, sitting next to her.
"Yes...." Quistis pulled her legs up to her, wrapping her arms over her knees. "We want a guy who will go out and buy us flowers. Not any flowers, daffodills, because he remembers a week ago, when we mentioned that they were our favorite flowers. It's not that he bought flowers...it's that they were daffodills. He remembered the details."
"What about all the sappy shit? Roses and poetry and candles?"
She smiled. "That doesn't hurt, either."
"See, I told you. I know what women like."
"Well, you've never written ME poetry," she retorted.
"Doesn't seem to matter much. You've spent the last two nights with me, without the verse," he shot back, grinning wickedly.
She rolled her eyes. "Seifer, you could not write enough poetry in a LIFETIME to impress me. Get over yourself."
"Wanna bet?" he said in a low voice, leaning towards her. "C'mon, you know you want me, admit it."
"In your dreams."
Grabbing her arms, he pinned her back to the bed. "Say it."
She squirmed, trying to break away from him.
"Get off me!"
"C'mon, say it. Seifer is the hottest guy at Garden," he teased.
She continued to struggle. "Never!" she exclaimed defiantly.
The door swung open.
"Oh! Oh, sorry Seifer, didn't mean to interrupt, ya kn-Instructor?!"
In surprise, Seifer let go of Quistis. Scrambling away from him, she fell off the bed. Standing up, she gasped, "It-It's not how it looks, Raijin!", smoothing out her skirt.
Seifer raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused at Quistis' behavior. Calmly he said, "Raijin, as if I'd be fooling around with Instructor Trepe."
Raijin looked skeptical. "Sure looks like you was, ya know?"
Seifer sighed. "Without a towel on the door?" For some reason, this made perfect sense to Raijin. "Oh, yea, no towel. Couldn't a been skulking around, ya know?"
"What did you want, Raijin?" Seifer asked.
"I was just wondering, ya know, if I can come back to my dorm."
Seifer looked at Quistis, then back at Raijin. "We have class in about 20 minutes. Let's head up to the second floor and talk on the way there," Seifer said finally. Raijin's face showed a mix of curiousity, confusion, and apprehension. "A-all right.."
"After class, we'll get lunch with Fujin, why don't you go tell her? I'll meet you at her dorm."
"Okay, I'll go find her. Later, Instructor, gotta get ready for class, ya know." He left, and Seifer stood silently, smirking at her, his eyes cold. "Don't worry. He won't tell anyone. You don't have to freak out about everyone hearing you were in my dorm. We wouldn't want that. I may taint your spotless reputation," he said bitterly.
"It's not-Seifer!" she called after him as he stormed out, slamming the door. Sighing, she slowly sat down on the bed. "I'm not ashamed of you..." she finished.
My Sad Obsession
Chapter 4: Discovered.
She woke up early the next morning to be greeted by a pair of boots in front of her face. Lifting her head, she found pants attached to the boots, and, as her eyes continued upwards, she found the rest of Seifer, scribbling at his desk.
"Good morning."
"Mornin'," he replied, not looking up.
"How long have you been up?" she asked. He paused in his writing, but never answered. She wondered if he had ever gone back to sleep after his nightmare. Looking at the basket full of crumpled notebook paper, she doubted it.
He looked up at her suddenly, dropping his pen. "Hey, you wanna go for a walk or something? I'm getting sick of this room."
She stood up, stretching in an oversized shirt that was serving as a nightgown.
"Just let me get changed first," she said, hurrying off to the bathroom. He stood up and paced around the room till she returned, fully dressed and her hair brushed and pinned up like usual.
"Shall we?" he asked, crooking his elbow for her to take him by the arm. She ignored the gesture, walking ahead of him out of the dorm. He stared after her, his eyes sparkling in amusement.
"Independant, isn't she?" he muttered to himself.
Overhearing, she called back from the hallway, "I don't intend to become an arm decoration." His raised an eyebrow, but simply followed her out to the hallway.
"Where did you want to go?" Quistis asked.
"Anywhere, I just needed a change. Why don't we-" he stopped suddenly and stiffened, seeing Rinoa and Squall ahead of them, walking down the hall together. It lasted the briefest moment, and she almost believed she had imagined it. "..Uh, why don't we go outside?" he finished. Squall and Rinoa turned down the library hallway, never noticing Quistis and Seifer behind them.
After a moment, Quistis spoke up. "I wouldn't worry about it."
"What?" Seifer asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
"About Squall and Rinoa," she replied. She paused, then added, "She couldn't be the one for you or our enchantment would be broken."
Seifer pushed open the front door. Walking outside, he squinted his eyes against the bright sunshine. He shook his head and replied, "I know she's not the one. Spell or not."
"Then why did you act like that just now, seeing Squall and Rinoa?" Quistis asked quietly.
Seifer sighed. "It's just...one day, it's me and her...and then, next thing I know, it's her and Squall. I didn't get any time for a transition. Imagine being in a coma for 3 months. You wake up and see your girlfr- well, boyfriend for you- kiss another girl. Everyone else has had those 3 months to get used to it. But not you, in your mind you think...you think it's still you....I heard they were going out, but it's different when you see it. Your first instinct is like, "Hey, the hell is he doing to my girl," you know? Then you have to remember, she's NOT your girl. You're just the leftovers."
He gave her a sideways glance. "What about you? I remember you used to have the hots for Leonhart."
Quistis blushed slightly. "I guess we're both leftovers. It was ridiculous to think it would ever work. By the time Rinoa showed up, I realised I had never had a chance to begin. I was his TEACHER. Then I found out I had known Squall as a child...it explained why I thought I loved him. Once I understood my feelings, they were easier to deal with."
Seifer frowned. "What do you mean, you found out you knew Squall as a kid? We were all at Garden as kids, you knew that."
Quistis gasped, realising that Seifer had never heard about the orphanage when she had. He looked at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Uh...Seifer, do you...do you remember where you lived, before you came to Garden?"
He looked at her sharply. "Yes, I lived in an orphanage." His voice was tense.
She nodded. "Do you remember who ran the orphanage? Or who you lived with, the other kids?"
He frowned slightly, his brow wrinkling again as he thought. After awhile, he shook his head. "No."
"Cid ran the orphange, Cid and Edea. That's how you got into Garden."
He looked at her, eyes wide in surprise. Then his eyes darkened.
"How do you know all this?" he asked suspiciously. "Did you read my files or something?"
She shook her head. "No...I was there. I grew up at that orphanage. So did Squall... and Zell, Irvine...Selphie... we all grew up together, till we were separated."
Seifer's mouth opened, then closed. He opened his mouth slightly again and finally breathed, "Oh, man.."
"We all forgot, most likely because of our GF use. Irvine never used one at Galbadia, and he still remembered. He told the rest of us."
"But...but how were you at an orphanage with me ? I thought you didn't come to Garden till you were like 10, years after me."
"8," she corrected him. "I was in a new home for awhile with an adopted family but...things didn't work out there." Changing the subject, she said, "At the orphanage, I always tried to protect Squall, like his older sister. At Garden, I had forgotten about him, exactly, and how I knew him. But I had the same instinct to protect him. Once Irvine reminded us of the orphanage, I realised I had mistaken that instinct for love. I was confusing love for Squall as his sister figure for real, true, fairy tale love," she finished, blushing again at showing her romantic side.
After a moment, he turned back to her. "Do you really believe there's such a thing? Real love? Soulmates?" he inquired.
"...I think so. From what Matron said, there must be. Or else how could we break the enchantment? Do you?"
He thought. "It seems pretty farfetched to me. Two people destined for each other? It sounds like something people want to believe in to make themselves feel better about their lives. Someone will come along some day and fix everything."
"Maybe it's not really so much whether or not it exists that matters, but the hope," she mused. "I can see where your doubts come from. Especially when you see so many unfaithful couples, so many people that turn their head during a slow dance to check out another pretty girl. How can that be love? Can one person be enough, can they really satisfy another their whole life? Then why are so many people unfaithful?"
"That's an entirely different question," he replied seriously. "Love and sex are two different things. C'mon, let's go back inside." He began walking towards the doors, pulling them open.
Quistis followed after him. "I guess I wouldn't really know," she replied, a faint blush creeping across her face.
He looked at her, then was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "You, uh, you've never...been with a man?"
She shook her head. " I know that must seem pretty silly to you, you have a whole list of girls.."
He grinned lopsidedly, glad for a chance to lighten the serious tone of the conversation. "What can I say? The ladies love me."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't have a clue what women want."
He simply smirked more, stopping at his door and searching through his pockets. His smile faded abruptly.
"I forgot the f#$%*@ key." He ran his hand through his hair, looking down at the ground. He let out an agitated sigh, then suddenly raised his shoulder, throwing himself at the door and breaking it open. Quistis stared, eyes wide in surprise. He turned to face her. Noticing the look on her face, he said, "What? You wanted in, didn't you?"
She dissolved in startled laughter, shaking her head. "You're wild!"
He flashed her that crooked grin again. "I do it in style." Still giggling, she followed him into the dorm.
"So, are you going to inform me of what it is women desire, since you claim I'm so clueless?" he asked. She shivered slightly, his eyes piercing thru her and sending a maddening chill up her spine. She turned away and sat on the bed, as if she feared he would read her mind to find the answer to his question.
"Women want...Women want someone who listens to them. Women want details,"
"Details?" he echoed questioningly, sitting next to her.
"Yes...." Quistis pulled her legs up to her, wrapping her arms over her knees. "We want a guy who will go out and buy us flowers. Not any flowers, daffodills, because he remembers a week ago, when we mentioned that they were our favorite flowers. It's not that he bought flowers...it's that they were daffodills. He remembered the details."
"What about all the sappy shit? Roses and poetry and candles?"
She smiled. "That doesn't hurt, either."
"See, I told you. I know what women like."
"Well, you've never written ME poetry," she retorted.
"Doesn't seem to matter much. You've spent the last two nights with me, without the verse," he shot back, grinning wickedly.
She rolled her eyes. "Seifer, you could not write enough poetry in a LIFETIME to impress me. Get over yourself."
"Wanna bet?" he said in a low voice, leaning towards her. "C'mon, you know you want me, admit it."
"In your dreams."
Grabbing her arms, he pinned her back to the bed. "Say it."
She squirmed, trying to break away from him.
"Get off me!"
"C'mon, say it. Seifer is the hottest guy at Garden," he teased.
She continued to struggle. "Never!" she exclaimed defiantly.
The door swung open.
"Oh! Oh, sorry Seifer, didn't mean to interrupt, ya kn-Instructor?!"
In surprise, Seifer let go of Quistis. Scrambling away from him, she fell off the bed. Standing up, she gasped, "It-It's not how it looks, Raijin!", smoothing out her skirt.
Seifer raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused at Quistis' behavior. Calmly he said, "Raijin, as if I'd be fooling around with Instructor Trepe."
Raijin looked skeptical. "Sure looks like you was, ya know?"
Seifer sighed. "Without a towel on the door?" For some reason, this made perfect sense to Raijin. "Oh, yea, no towel. Couldn't a been skulking around, ya know?"
"What did you want, Raijin?" Seifer asked.
"I was just wondering, ya know, if I can come back to my dorm."
Seifer looked at Quistis, then back at Raijin. "We have class in about 20 minutes. Let's head up to the second floor and talk on the way there," Seifer said finally. Raijin's face showed a mix of curiousity, confusion, and apprehension. "A-all right.."
"After class, we'll get lunch with Fujin, why don't you go tell her? I'll meet you at her dorm."
"Okay, I'll go find her. Later, Instructor, gotta get ready for class, ya know." He left, and Seifer stood silently, smirking at her, his eyes cold. "Don't worry. He won't tell anyone. You don't have to freak out about everyone hearing you were in my dorm. We wouldn't want that. I may taint your spotless reputation," he said bitterly.
"It's not-Seifer!" she called after him as he stormed out, slamming the door. Sighing, she slowly sat down on the bed. "I'm not ashamed of you..." she finished.
