Note: Sorry for that long wait... I was counting on for more reviews... but oh well... Hey, so this is... you guessed it! A Queifer! Yep... to all those Queifer fans out there! Please review!
Chapter 15 - Backwards
He watched her, her face, ghostly pale and marked with so much pain. It was a miracle he was able to pull out the dagger from her shoulder blade without her screaming so loud. Like a pro, Quistis Trepe closed her mouth tight and hummed at the pain that surged through her body as he worked with her wound. For a few minutes, Seifer worked long and hard to get the dagger out and when he had success, Quistis, tired from the long walk through the forest and the previous fight with the Octopai, fell asleep on the ground. Her head was resting on his jacket, which he folded neatly so she could rest easily. He had to admit, he was thankful for Quistis for saving his life. No other person could have done that to him, other than Fujin and Raijin, but Quistis... Quistis risked her very life to save the man who deserved none of it. He couldn't understand why.
Mindlessly, he took out his lighter which he rarely used from his pant pocket and lit the bottom part of the packed wood he gathered from the forest. The fire burned bright and shot up towards the direction of the ceiling and became the only light of their small shelter. Shadows danced around them, the shadows of two lonely souls. He watched outside, where the sky was in its usual pace, darkened by charcoal, brightened by stars. He closed his eyes slowly. His body begins to lose its life, as sleep takes over him. He didn't need to worry about the temperature. The warmth of the fire beside him was enough as he fell fast asleep, thinking back on the days of the orphanage.....
**************
A young girl and a boy played in the sand. The boy, one with shot blond hair and emerald green eyes stood watching the little blond girl make sand castles out of the plastic pales Matron gave them.
The girl gathers all the wet sand inside the bucket with her shovel and creates another room beside her magnificent castle.
The boy, with his own shovel and his feet, ready to bring down the castle, stood on guard, waiting for the right moment.
The girl took her eyes off of the castle for one moment, when large feet came stumbling towards her. Before she could react, the little boy's feet had already crushed the creative castle that she has worked so hard to make. Quistis looked up, her eyes full of anger.
"Seifer!!!!" she screamed, her tiny voice carrying on into the wind. She clenched her fists and ran after the little blond boy, while the boy chuckled and ran away from her. She chased him around the beach, others watching them. The boys laughed, while the girls nagged at them for being so mean. Seifer ran to the deeper side of the water, hoping to lose her, since Quistis didn't know how to swim and waited there. Quistis stopped at the shallow end, gritting her teeth in anger.
"You ruined my castle, Seifer!" Quistis yelled at the top of her lungs.
Seifer stuck his tongue out and laughed. "Yeah well, you can't swim!"
Quistis scowled at him. She could not let Seifer get the winning hand! Matron always told her to face her fears. Making her decision, Quistis stepped closer towards Seifer and towards the deep end. She gulped, nervously, knowing how frightened she was of the deep end. She remembered almost drowning when Matron was teaching her how to swim. For some reason, she's always feared water.
"Don't do it, Quisty!" came a nine year old girl's voice. Quistis looked over her shoulder at Selphie and smiled at her reassuringly.
"It's okay, Selphie. I can do it," Quistis replied.
"You're scared of water, Quisty!" came a second voice, stating the obvious. A blond stepped in beside Selphie and frowned worriedly at the older girl.
Quistis frowned and shook her head. "Just watch me!" She turned her attention back in front of her and took two more steps. She could feel the water going up to her knees now. Her heart started to beat. "See? I can do it!" Sweat poured down the sides of her face as she looked up at Seifer in desperation. She could not let Seifer get away with it! She worked long and hard to make her castle beautiful. She was so close to being finished. "Seifer! I hate you! You ruined my castle! You can't get away with it, this time!" She took a few more steps, the water reaching her thighs this time, shivering when she felt the bottom cold water tingling her skin.
Seifer smirked. "You can't make it. You're too chicken for water!" He folded his arms across his chest and waited, rolling his eyes in scrutiny, as if knowing that she'll never make it to him.
Quistis' eyes flared in anger. She began to walk faster, not knowing how much the water reached her. "I-CAN-TO!" she yelled. This time, she did not mind the water. She was too set on Seifer to even notice the deep end had reached her. She paused when her feet felt nothing but cold air. She began to panic. She kicked and screamed, not knowing what to do. She had to feel something, yet, as she forced herself to swim back, she could not. She was too scared. She struggled to move her head out of the water, her arms flailing about, as her feet moved openly on the water, desperately trying to find the ground. She managed to get her head out of the water once and was able to scream for help.
"HEL-" The water in her lungs made her stop in mid sentence as she coughed up, finding her breathing. She flailed some more, wishing she had never done what she had done in the first place, wishing Seifer never ruined the castle in order to keep herself from running after him in the water. She felt strong arms lifting her up from the danger. Opening her eyes slightly, she noticed a pair of green eyes staring back at her in concern. The same hands carried her by the waist and pulled her back to the shallow end. Quistis clutched at her chest and coughed some more, crawling back into land. Kids gathered around her and her savior. Her golden hair laid tangled behind her, wrapping itself around her back. She felt hands patting her back gently. Quistis landed on her back on something soft and looked up at the concerned faces of the other children. She didn't care who or what it was she landed on, as long as she was back. She felt a strong arm, protectively around her shoulders. Startled, Quistis looked up to see Seifer sitting up beside her, watching her in guilt.
"Quisty? Are you okay now?" the young blond asked.
Quistis nodded, water streaming down her face. She didn't know why she was not angry with him, since he was the reason she almost drowned. Part of her wanted to slap him across the face and part of her wanted to hug him and thank him for saving her life. However, before she could decide, a large shadow kneeled down beside her and wrapped a warm blanket on her shoulders.
"Quistis! What on earth do you think you were doing?!" Matron's angry voice echoed in her ears, slightly stinging her. She looked up at the glaring eyes of the dark haired woman. She has never seen Matron this angry before.
"I'm sorry, Matron. I didn't mean to make you upset," the blond girl spoke, looking down on the ground in shame.
"It was my fault, Matron. I ruined her castle," Seifer's voice came suddenly behind them.
Matron pulled Quistis inside the house and looked over her shoulder. "It still does not give Quistis the reason to kill herself!"
Quistis pouted. "I... I just wanted to get at Seifer, Matron. He teased me and-"
"It doesn't matter, Quistis! You have no idea how scared I was when you were in that water! It was a good thing Seifer was there!"
"SEIFER TEASED ME!" Quistis yelled. "I had to prove that I could face my fears! YOU TOLD ME TO DO THAT!" The blond girl frowned and looked at Seifer peeking through the door. She furrowed her eyebrows, glanced at Matron and ran out of the room, ignoring Matron's calls.
****************
She watched the sunset, the same blanket wrapped around her shoulders to keep her warm, while the wind blew her hair behind her. This was the place where no one knew about. No one could find her here. Everyday, when she wanted to ponder and calm herself, she would come here. Her last day in the orphanage and she was already scolded but the one person whom she's always considered her mother. Matron never yelled at her like that. That thought made her tears show, as it streamed down her sorrowful face.
Suddenly, Quistis heard footsteps behind her. Quickly alert, the blond girl stood up and turned around quickly to see the intruder, only to find a young blond boy lifting up his hand up in front of him to show he meant no harm. Quistis grimaced at the sight of Seifer. She turned away from him and sat back down. Seifer was the only person who knew of this place. She entrusted the knowledge to Seifer mainly, because he threatened to cut off Mickey's head, the doll that Matron gave especially to her.
"What do you want, Seifer? Are you here to make fun of me again?" She folded her arms across her chest and pouted angrily. "Go ahead. I'm just glad I'm leaving tomorrow so I won't have to hear from you again!" Tears fell freely from her eyes.
Seifer's eyes widened. "You're- you're leaving?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why?" He sat down beside her and watched her wipe the tears with the back of her hand.
"I was adopted by nice people. I'm just glad I was so I won't have to listen to you make fun of me!" She glanced at him angrily, before standing up and walking slowly to the cliff, watching the sun closely as it begins to hide behind the ocean.
Seifer, in concern to what had happened before, stepped slightly towards her, wanting to reach out and comfort her. Sadly, he put his arm down and looked down on the ground in shame. "I- I'm sorry, Quisty. I never meant for you to drown like that. 'Sides, you did it! You're the one who was too stubborn enough to listen to Selphie or Zell about not going into the water! You know you're scared of it! Why did you have to prove yourself?"
Quistis clenched her fists and turned quickly around, charging at Seifer in full speed. She raised her hand and slapped Seifer across the face. The blond boy fell back in shock. He looked up at her in surprise. The hand, like a whip in a warden's hands, stung his small face and a drop of tear appeared in the corner of his eyes.
No matter how right Seifer was then, Quistis continued to glare at him. "I hate you Seifer! I really hate you!" Without another word, Quistis turned and walked away, leaving Seifer hurt and confused.
***************
Seifer opened his eyes suddenly. The dream felt so real. He placed a hand on his face, hoping it wasn't one of those dream-projecting thing that most television shows seem to perceive. When he felt nothing warm, he looked up at the sound of Quistis' moans. He stood up quickly and watched her shiver. She was cold from the open air.
The blond man removed the coat that was used like a pillow from underneath Quistis' head and unfolded it quietly. He placed the large coat over her tiny body and wrapped it around her body like a blanket. Quistis stopped shivering.
After doing the job, he watched her form again. She looked so helpless. The 'leaf' bandage that was used to cover her wound, which he found while gathering wood, was still dry. This told him that Quistis was not losing a lot of blood. He thanked the Gods silently of her fast recovery.
Sitting back down on his original position, he laid his head on the rock and watched the night sky. He thought about the dream he had, whether it was a memory or just a dream. It was impossible that it was a dream, since part of it was like a memory. Neverthless, it was also impossible to be a memory, when he did not remember anything of that happening. Whatever it was, Seifer decided to leave it at that, as he closed his eyes back to sleep.
****************
"Bye Quisty! I'll miss you!" Selphie hugged the older girl, tears falling freely down the older girl's back. Quistis smiled.
"I'll miss you too, Seffie!" Quistis replied. She pulled away from her and smiled at the petite girl. Other kids took part in saying their good byes and there was just one more person missing. Quistis searched around for him, but he was nowhere in sight. She knew exactly where he would be though. She looked at Matron, asking for a few minutes and when she had her permission, dashed pass the kids and ran to Seifer's hideout. They knew of each other's hideout. She couldn't believe she slapped Seifer like that. They were really close friends and there was no reason for her to be angry any longer. She regretted all the things she said to him yesterday.
"Seifer?" she called. She walked around the hiding area, which was near hers, just over the hills pass the orphanage house and down to another cave, larger than her own. "Seifer, where are you?" She went inside cautiously, searching around for him. She turned the small corner, hoping he would be there, but he wasn't. She was ready to turn and leave, when Seifer's small voice came out of nowhere.
"Are you leaving now?" Seifer asked, peeking his head out from one of the holes on the 'second floor.' Quistis looked up and nodded sadly. Seifer had his back rested on the walls as his feet dangled from the edge of the extra room. He didn't look at her. "All right. Good bye."
Quistis' heart lurched. "Can I- Can I get a hug?"
"No," he answered, straightforward.
The blond girl shuffled uncomfortably. She deserved that. "Listen, Seify, I'm sorry for what I said. I don't hate you. I was just angry, that's all."
Seifer finally looked at her, his face still as serious as ever. "I deserved to be slapped, but I didn't deserve what you said to me. I thought we were friends, Quisty?"
"We are," the girl answred.
"Okay. Then, good bye." He turned away from her and continued to ponder in his own thoughts.
Quistis looked at him. She wanted to say more, but she knew time was running short. "Okay," she spoke quietly. "I understand you still hate me but... remember me, Seify, okay? I won't forget you... ever."
Seifer did not respond.
"Please, Seify! Talk to me! I said I was sorry!" When she didn't hear him respond, Quistis frowned and turned away. She walked out of the cave without another word from her.
Seifer watched the retreating blond, guilt filling his heart. He cared for her and even though he didn't understand anything about love, he knew he loved her. Those words she said stung him like a wasp, causing him ache in his heart. How can he forgive the one girl he loves the most when that person said something cruel to him? Someday... he will..........
GoodGurl: Awww.... That was so sad! That's all I'm going to say, but PLEASE r/r!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanx! :)
Chapter 15 - Backwards
He watched her, her face, ghostly pale and marked with so much pain. It was a miracle he was able to pull out the dagger from her shoulder blade without her screaming so loud. Like a pro, Quistis Trepe closed her mouth tight and hummed at the pain that surged through her body as he worked with her wound. For a few minutes, Seifer worked long and hard to get the dagger out and when he had success, Quistis, tired from the long walk through the forest and the previous fight with the Octopai, fell asleep on the ground. Her head was resting on his jacket, which he folded neatly so she could rest easily. He had to admit, he was thankful for Quistis for saving his life. No other person could have done that to him, other than Fujin and Raijin, but Quistis... Quistis risked her very life to save the man who deserved none of it. He couldn't understand why.
Mindlessly, he took out his lighter which he rarely used from his pant pocket and lit the bottom part of the packed wood he gathered from the forest. The fire burned bright and shot up towards the direction of the ceiling and became the only light of their small shelter. Shadows danced around them, the shadows of two lonely souls. He watched outside, where the sky was in its usual pace, darkened by charcoal, brightened by stars. He closed his eyes slowly. His body begins to lose its life, as sleep takes over him. He didn't need to worry about the temperature. The warmth of the fire beside him was enough as he fell fast asleep, thinking back on the days of the orphanage.....
**************
A young girl and a boy played in the sand. The boy, one with shot blond hair and emerald green eyes stood watching the little blond girl make sand castles out of the plastic pales Matron gave them.
The girl gathers all the wet sand inside the bucket with her shovel and creates another room beside her magnificent castle.
The boy, with his own shovel and his feet, ready to bring down the castle, stood on guard, waiting for the right moment.
The girl took her eyes off of the castle for one moment, when large feet came stumbling towards her. Before she could react, the little boy's feet had already crushed the creative castle that she has worked so hard to make. Quistis looked up, her eyes full of anger.
"Seifer!!!!" she screamed, her tiny voice carrying on into the wind. She clenched her fists and ran after the little blond boy, while the boy chuckled and ran away from her. She chased him around the beach, others watching them. The boys laughed, while the girls nagged at them for being so mean. Seifer ran to the deeper side of the water, hoping to lose her, since Quistis didn't know how to swim and waited there. Quistis stopped at the shallow end, gritting her teeth in anger.
"You ruined my castle, Seifer!" Quistis yelled at the top of her lungs.
Seifer stuck his tongue out and laughed. "Yeah well, you can't swim!"
Quistis scowled at him. She could not let Seifer get the winning hand! Matron always told her to face her fears. Making her decision, Quistis stepped closer towards Seifer and towards the deep end. She gulped, nervously, knowing how frightened she was of the deep end. She remembered almost drowning when Matron was teaching her how to swim. For some reason, she's always feared water.
"Don't do it, Quisty!" came a nine year old girl's voice. Quistis looked over her shoulder at Selphie and smiled at her reassuringly.
"It's okay, Selphie. I can do it," Quistis replied.
"You're scared of water, Quisty!" came a second voice, stating the obvious. A blond stepped in beside Selphie and frowned worriedly at the older girl.
Quistis frowned and shook her head. "Just watch me!" She turned her attention back in front of her and took two more steps. She could feel the water going up to her knees now. Her heart started to beat. "See? I can do it!" Sweat poured down the sides of her face as she looked up at Seifer in desperation. She could not let Seifer get away with it! She worked long and hard to make her castle beautiful. She was so close to being finished. "Seifer! I hate you! You ruined my castle! You can't get away with it, this time!" She took a few more steps, the water reaching her thighs this time, shivering when she felt the bottom cold water tingling her skin.
Seifer smirked. "You can't make it. You're too chicken for water!" He folded his arms across his chest and waited, rolling his eyes in scrutiny, as if knowing that she'll never make it to him.
Quistis' eyes flared in anger. She began to walk faster, not knowing how much the water reached her. "I-CAN-TO!" she yelled. This time, she did not mind the water. She was too set on Seifer to even notice the deep end had reached her. She paused when her feet felt nothing but cold air. She began to panic. She kicked and screamed, not knowing what to do. She had to feel something, yet, as she forced herself to swim back, she could not. She was too scared. She struggled to move her head out of the water, her arms flailing about, as her feet moved openly on the water, desperately trying to find the ground. She managed to get her head out of the water once and was able to scream for help.
"HEL-" The water in her lungs made her stop in mid sentence as she coughed up, finding her breathing. She flailed some more, wishing she had never done what she had done in the first place, wishing Seifer never ruined the castle in order to keep herself from running after him in the water. She felt strong arms lifting her up from the danger. Opening her eyes slightly, she noticed a pair of green eyes staring back at her in concern. The same hands carried her by the waist and pulled her back to the shallow end. Quistis clutched at her chest and coughed some more, crawling back into land. Kids gathered around her and her savior. Her golden hair laid tangled behind her, wrapping itself around her back. She felt hands patting her back gently. Quistis landed on her back on something soft and looked up at the concerned faces of the other children. She didn't care who or what it was she landed on, as long as she was back. She felt a strong arm, protectively around her shoulders. Startled, Quistis looked up to see Seifer sitting up beside her, watching her in guilt.
"Quisty? Are you okay now?" the young blond asked.
Quistis nodded, water streaming down her face. She didn't know why she was not angry with him, since he was the reason she almost drowned. Part of her wanted to slap him across the face and part of her wanted to hug him and thank him for saving her life. However, before she could decide, a large shadow kneeled down beside her and wrapped a warm blanket on her shoulders.
"Quistis! What on earth do you think you were doing?!" Matron's angry voice echoed in her ears, slightly stinging her. She looked up at the glaring eyes of the dark haired woman. She has never seen Matron this angry before.
"I'm sorry, Matron. I didn't mean to make you upset," the blond girl spoke, looking down on the ground in shame.
"It was my fault, Matron. I ruined her castle," Seifer's voice came suddenly behind them.
Matron pulled Quistis inside the house and looked over her shoulder. "It still does not give Quistis the reason to kill herself!"
Quistis pouted. "I... I just wanted to get at Seifer, Matron. He teased me and-"
"It doesn't matter, Quistis! You have no idea how scared I was when you were in that water! It was a good thing Seifer was there!"
"SEIFER TEASED ME!" Quistis yelled. "I had to prove that I could face my fears! YOU TOLD ME TO DO THAT!" The blond girl frowned and looked at Seifer peeking through the door. She furrowed her eyebrows, glanced at Matron and ran out of the room, ignoring Matron's calls.
****************
She watched the sunset, the same blanket wrapped around her shoulders to keep her warm, while the wind blew her hair behind her. This was the place where no one knew about. No one could find her here. Everyday, when she wanted to ponder and calm herself, she would come here. Her last day in the orphanage and she was already scolded but the one person whom she's always considered her mother. Matron never yelled at her like that. That thought made her tears show, as it streamed down her sorrowful face.
Suddenly, Quistis heard footsteps behind her. Quickly alert, the blond girl stood up and turned around quickly to see the intruder, only to find a young blond boy lifting up his hand up in front of him to show he meant no harm. Quistis grimaced at the sight of Seifer. She turned away from him and sat back down. Seifer was the only person who knew of this place. She entrusted the knowledge to Seifer mainly, because he threatened to cut off Mickey's head, the doll that Matron gave especially to her.
"What do you want, Seifer? Are you here to make fun of me again?" She folded her arms across her chest and pouted angrily. "Go ahead. I'm just glad I'm leaving tomorrow so I won't have to hear from you again!" Tears fell freely from her eyes.
Seifer's eyes widened. "You're- you're leaving?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why?" He sat down beside her and watched her wipe the tears with the back of her hand.
"I was adopted by nice people. I'm just glad I was so I won't have to listen to you make fun of me!" She glanced at him angrily, before standing up and walking slowly to the cliff, watching the sun closely as it begins to hide behind the ocean.
Seifer, in concern to what had happened before, stepped slightly towards her, wanting to reach out and comfort her. Sadly, he put his arm down and looked down on the ground in shame. "I- I'm sorry, Quisty. I never meant for you to drown like that. 'Sides, you did it! You're the one who was too stubborn enough to listen to Selphie or Zell about not going into the water! You know you're scared of it! Why did you have to prove yourself?"
Quistis clenched her fists and turned quickly around, charging at Seifer in full speed. She raised her hand and slapped Seifer across the face. The blond boy fell back in shock. He looked up at her in surprise. The hand, like a whip in a warden's hands, stung his small face and a drop of tear appeared in the corner of his eyes.
No matter how right Seifer was then, Quistis continued to glare at him. "I hate you Seifer! I really hate you!" Without another word, Quistis turned and walked away, leaving Seifer hurt and confused.
***************
Seifer opened his eyes suddenly. The dream felt so real. He placed a hand on his face, hoping it wasn't one of those dream-projecting thing that most television shows seem to perceive. When he felt nothing warm, he looked up at the sound of Quistis' moans. He stood up quickly and watched her shiver. She was cold from the open air.
The blond man removed the coat that was used like a pillow from underneath Quistis' head and unfolded it quietly. He placed the large coat over her tiny body and wrapped it around her body like a blanket. Quistis stopped shivering.
After doing the job, he watched her form again. She looked so helpless. The 'leaf' bandage that was used to cover her wound, which he found while gathering wood, was still dry. This told him that Quistis was not losing a lot of blood. He thanked the Gods silently of her fast recovery.
Sitting back down on his original position, he laid his head on the rock and watched the night sky. He thought about the dream he had, whether it was a memory or just a dream. It was impossible that it was a dream, since part of it was like a memory. Neverthless, it was also impossible to be a memory, when he did not remember anything of that happening. Whatever it was, Seifer decided to leave it at that, as he closed his eyes back to sleep.
****************
"Bye Quisty! I'll miss you!" Selphie hugged the older girl, tears falling freely down the older girl's back. Quistis smiled.
"I'll miss you too, Seffie!" Quistis replied. She pulled away from her and smiled at the petite girl. Other kids took part in saying their good byes and there was just one more person missing. Quistis searched around for him, but he was nowhere in sight. She knew exactly where he would be though. She looked at Matron, asking for a few minutes and when she had her permission, dashed pass the kids and ran to Seifer's hideout. They knew of each other's hideout. She couldn't believe she slapped Seifer like that. They were really close friends and there was no reason for her to be angry any longer. She regretted all the things she said to him yesterday.
"Seifer?" she called. She walked around the hiding area, which was near hers, just over the hills pass the orphanage house and down to another cave, larger than her own. "Seifer, where are you?" She went inside cautiously, searching around for him. She turned the small corner, hoping he would be there, but he wasn't. She was ready to turn and leave, when Seifer's small voice came out of nowhere.
"Are you leaving now?" Seifer asked, peeking his head out from one of the holes on the 'second floor.' Quistis looked up and nodded sadly. Seifer had his back rested on the walls as his feet dangled from the edge of the extra room. He didn't look at her. "All right. Good bye."
Quistis' heart lurched. "Can I- Can I get a hug?"
"No," he answered, straightforward.
The blond girl shuffled uncomfortably. She deserved that. "Listen, Seify, I'm sorry for what I said. I don't hate you. I was just angry, that's all."
Seifer finally looked at her, his face still as serious as ever. "I deserved to be slapped, but I didn't deserve what you said to me. I thought we were friends, Quisty?"
"We are," the girl answred.
"Okay. Then, good bye." He turned away from her and continued to ponder in his own thoughts.
Quistis looked at him. She wanted to say more, but she knew time was running short. "Okay," she spoke quietly. "I understand you still hate me but... remember me, Seify, okay? I won't forget you... ever."
Seifer did not respond.
"Please, Seify! Talk to me! I said I was sorry!" When she didn't hear him respond, Quistis frowned and turned away. She walked out of the cave without another word from her.
Seifer watched the retreating blond, guilt filling his heart. He cared for her and even though he didn't understand anything about love, he knew he loved her. Those words she said stung him like a wasp, causing him ache in his heart. How can he forgive the one girl he loves the most when that person said something cruel to him? Someday... he will..........
GoodGurl: Awww.... That was so sad! That's all I'm going to say, but PLEASE r/r!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanx! :)