Rating

Rating: R

Disclaimer: FF8 is not mine

A/N: This one's a little short...and...a little disjointed. I'm not quite happy with it, but, whatever. Onward we go! I don't usually update so fast, but I'm always irritated when someone takes forever to update (even though I'm so often guilty of that....) I have a lot left to go anyway.

Chapter 5: Falling

"You're too touchy, Quistis," Seifer shook his head as he set down his bag beside the bed. "Who really gives a damn what I said? I mean, we both know its not true."

"Seifer," Quistis seethed, "you told them that I was your pregnant wife. Pregnant...I mean, Hyne...what the hell were you thinking?"

"That I was tired of you being such a bitch," he replied, his voice surprisingly even. "I figured that as long as you were being so fucking moody, I'd make up a good cover for it. Pregnant women are moody, aren't they?"

"I don't know!" Quistis spun on her heel and forked a hand through her hair, trying desperately to calm herself down. She hadn't said anything to him on the train, and he hadn't said anything to her. However, her anger hadn't calmed as she'd hoped it would. Presently, in their new home away from home, she felt as if she was just being faced with another dilemma that she didn't want to deal with.

"Look, Quistis..." Seifer flopped down onto the bed, the evening sun shining in on him through the window, "I honestly don't think you could ever pull off being the kind of clingy girlfriend who'd go off with her boyfriend to Hyne knows where."

"Oh, but I'm perfect for the role of the bossy, pregnant wife...is that it?" she demanded.

"Keep your voice down," he replied. "Unless you want the whole base to realize who we are."

"Seifer," Quistis lowered her voice, "you were really out of line...and I don't think I have ever been this mad at you. I don't even want to see you for the rest of the night."

"Great, because I don't really want to see you either," he retorted.

"Fine...great!" She turned her back on him and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. It was a silly place to retreat to, but there really was no where else for her to go. The room they'd been issued was much like one in a hotel. The main room housed a bed, television, table, and two matching chairs. A bathroom branched off from the main room, a dim, beige colored room covered in well used linoleum tiles. The only difference between a hotel room and their army issue room was that the bathroom had no towels or free products.

"Just wonderful..." Quistis frowned at herself in the mirror, wondering what she was going to do. She couldn't just walk back out of the bathroom and face Seifer again. Sighing, she eyed the bath tub. There were no towels, but she didn't particularly care. With sheer determination and anger, she turned on the water and starting pulling off articles of clothing. A long hot bath would at least relax her tense body.

"You know we don't have any towels...right?" Seifer yelled through the door.

"Yes, I realize that!" she yelled back. "Go away!"

"Fine..." she heard his footsteps as he walked away from the door. The rush of the water blocked out anything he might have said, for which Quistis was mildly thankful. Her curiosity picked at her to listen to the things he said under his breath, but those things all too often only served to fuel her temper.

As she waited for the tub to fill, she paced, her bare feet making little plopping sounds against the linoleum floor.

She wasn't sure why Seifer's lie made her so angry or even if it had been just that singular thing that had sent her fuming. He'd been pushing it with her since the beginning of the mission, but his little white lie had just gone too far.

Who does he think he is? He can't just walk around and do whatever he wants...other people have feelings too. Damn it. This is my mission...my instructors license is on the line...why can't he just give in?

She felt tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

Why am I crying? This isn't anything to cry about...it won't solve anything to cry. I won't cry...not because of him!

Turning off the faucet, she climbed into her waiting bath. The water was warm, a little too warm, and made her skin tingle. Letting out a shaky, angry sigh she let herself sink down into the warm, liquid cocoon the water had formed around her body. The heat sunk deep into her muscles, permeating her willing flesh all the way down to the bone. It was a delicious, relaxing feeling, and she hardly noticed as the tears trickled down and the anger began to bleed away.

Sinking further down, she let the water lap at her chin and closed her eyes. One of her legs hung out of the short tub, dripping silently on the floor. Quistis didn't notice the small puddle she was creating, and instead turned her mind upon her raven haired partner.

Even the idea of being Seifer's wife was beyond her mind to comprehend. Her imagination was boggled by the idea and was completely unable to come up with a suitable image. Honestly, Quistis had never even thought of Seifer as being the kind to get married. She'd always imagined him alone. Sure, he'd have girlfriends...affairs...but he would never commit. What would he have to give to a relationship like that? Sarcasm, pain, anger...hardly the gifts to bestow upon a wife.

She let out a long sigh and moved a hand back and forth through the water, listening to the gurgling sound of the waves she created. Anger still hummed in her chest, but the roar of it she had experienced earlier had subsided.

Just keep thinking about the promotion...if there's one thing in this world I can put up with Seifer for, its being an instructor.

Her heart ached at the thought of being an instructor again. She desperately missed teaching, missed being a role model for the next generation of SeeD. As an instructor, she really felt that she was making some sort of impact...she felt fulfilled. Hyne, she even missed sitting at her desk and grading papers long into the night.

Slowly, the anger gave way to be replaced by an aching longing.

"Quistis?"

She groaned to herself and lightly rubbed her temple.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"I got you a towel, it's hanging on the door knob," Seifer replied, his voice even.

"I didn't expect you to go get me anything," Quistis shot back, angry at his sudden thoughtfulness.

"Well...I can't even begin to tell you how great it feels to be so appreciated." She could almost see him sarcastically roll his eyes. "Next time I'll just let you use your own skirt...ungrateful little..."

She waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore before she carefully rose up out of the water. Her skin, ruddy from the hot water, contracted as it came into contact with the cool air, forming goose bumps all over her body. Hugging herself and shivering slightly, she went to step out of the tub.

Quistis hardly knew what was happening. She was only aware that she didn't want it to happen. Her feet slipped out from underneath her, and she saw a flash of herself in the mirror moments before she hit the floor with an unhealthy sounding slap.

"Agh," she groaned with the pain that was racing through her hands, bottom, and back. For a second or two she sat on the floor, panting and wincing. Slowly, she went to lift herself up off of the floor. The muscles where she'd fallen were stiff and cried out when she went to use them. Supporting herself on the counter, she cracked the door open and reached around it for the towel.

The fluffy, white piece of cloth was a welcome site, and she quickly dried off and got dressed.

"Ugh...Hyne..." she grumbled as she walked out of the bathroom, touching the spot where her back had hit the side of the bathtub with trepidation. She'd definitely have a bruise or two.

"You okay?" Seifer asked from the bed where he was busily flipping through the channels on the television.

"Little late to be asking that," she replied, hobbling over to join him.

"Make up your mind, Quistis," he scoffed. "First you're mad at me for doing some thing nice for you, and now your mad because I wasn't nice...there's no way to win with you."

"Shut up," she barked and flopped down on the bed, laying on her stomach.

"You didn't let the water out, you know," he said after a short pause. Quistis turned her face so she was looking at him.

"It will just have to wait," she replied through gritted teeth.

"This is the reason why we invented the bath mat," he laughed. "Might want to try and find one of those."

"Seifer..." Quistis winced a little, "if you say one more thing, I'm going to give you another scar to compliment that wonderful one Squall gave you."

"Oh, we're cranky when we're in pain," he taunted.

"That's right," she shifted to tuck her arms underneath her. "So please just leave me alone."

"What'd you fall on?" he persisted. "Your ass, right?"

"Seifer..."

"Gonna leave one hell of a bruise," he went on, ignoring her. "One you can really flash around too. Maybe if you showed a little booty, some of the guys on base would be willing to divulge some secrets."

"No one wants to see a pregnant woman's booty," she replied.

"Not when it's black and blue," he agreed.

"I hate you."

"I hate you, too."

***

Seifer turned off the television and looked down at Quistis. She was still laying on her stomach, but her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. He hadn't been aware of her falling asleep, but now that he knew she was, he breathed a sigh of relief. Her bare feet were dangling off the edge of the bed, the right one twitching slightly.

Pushing himself up, he walked toward the bathroom. He had to go badly, but had been putting it off out of sheer laziness.

Quistis' towel was flung across the toilet, and her bath water was still waiting patiently to be let down the drain. Shaking his head, he laid the still damp towel down beside the sink and relieved himself before reaching down and pulling the plug out of the bottom of the tub. The now cold water swirled down the drain, creating a little water tornado.

He flushed, hoping the sound wouldn't wake Quistis up. It wasn't so much a worry about her getting a full night's sleep, but rather one for Seifer's own sense of sanity. He remembered Quistis as being bossy, but she'd been absolutely over baring through the entire mission.

A deeply set frown marked his features as he walked back to the bed, contemplating whether or not to sleep on the floor. The bed was wide enough for the both of them to sleep quite comfortably on, but he was fairly confident that if he slept next to her, he'd wake up to an even darker vision of hell the next morning.

Throwing caution to the wind, he sat down and pulled off his shoes. There was no way out of the hole Seifer had dug for himself. A number of demons haunted him, looping back in upon his life to push him down. He was tired of feeling guilty...tired of being the one tainted with evil and anger. If anyone in the world had a right to be angry, Seifer figured it was him. Even after he made SeeD, people weren't willing to give him a chance. He pushed them away before they could push him away...it was a simple philosophy.

Not even bothering to change, he spread himself out on his side of the bed. Beside him he could hear Quistis breathing. She was a constant reminder of everything that was wrong with him. She'd failed him...he'd failed her...it didn't really matter who had been the first one to lose. Occasionally, he watched her watch Squall and Rinoa. She still loved him, but Squall was completely oblivious. Squall...he got everything.

Forking a hand through his hair, he tired to push his thoughts away. Sleep would continue to elude him as long as he was thinking about things. Restlessly, he rolled onto his side and looked at Quistis. She was peaceful in sleep, even with as turbulent as she was in wakefulness. It made him unreasonably angry that everyone else in the world found it so easy just to drift off at night. For him, it was always a struggle.

Quistis groaned a little and rolled onto her back, one of her hands coming up to rest beside her head in a little fist. Her hair shimmered in the moonlight that was flowing in through the window. In sleep, she was beautiful. It was easy for Seifer to forget that sometimes. When she yelled and bitched, she was a far cry from the wonderful vision that was laying beside him. He hated that side of her, the bossy, hard to deal with side. She liked to think of herself as a leader, but in the end she wasn't nearly ruthless enough to make the hard decisions.

If he'd learned one thing from his experience with Ultimecia, it was that people hated to see weakness. Quistis all too often showed that she was weak, that she could be pushed around. She stood up to him because he irritated her...but even he could sway her decisions. She always tried to act like she had everything figured out, even when everyone knew that she was trying desperately to find her way. It wasn't honest, was one of her biggest flaws as a leader. She focused too much energy on being perfect, on creating a façade that made people wonder whether she really was human at all.

That was why she'd lost her position as an instructor.

Shame rose up in him, hot and angry, as he looked at her. It hadn't really been fair of them to put him on her team. All he had to offer to a team was his gunblade and his biting hate. He hated the way the world had turned on him, he hated the path his life had taken, he hated how Quistis could quicken his blood from time to time. The hate made him angry, violent...rude.

"Shit..." he rolled over, not wanting to look at her anymore. What did he have to offer her...to any woman? Nothing. He was broken, diseased. He pinched his eyes closed tightly, trying to ignore the throbbing in the back of his head.

Quistis had fallen pretty hard in the bathroom...but he'd fallen harder.