A/N: Yet another update *pant, pant*...this is what happens when I suddenly have any amount of spare time. Except my boyfriend has been complaining that I've been neglecting him to write, lol. Poor guy.

Chapter 15: Out of Shadows

Quistis didn't particularly want to, but she opened her eyes anyway to take a look at her surroundings. She was mildly surprised when she saw a ceiling and blankets tucked about her chin. They were soft, blue blankets. One of them was a delightful little, flower printed comforter and the other that she could see a thick vellux. It had to be a dream. The last thing that she remembered was being trapped in the mountains with Seifer, and it had been snowing violently.

Looking around the room, she tried to piece together what had happened since then and was completely unable to. The room was decidedly unfamiliar, and she was completely alone. She even checked the rest of the bed to be sure Seifer wasn't tucked in somewhere beside her.

After a few moments of serious thinking, Quistis came to the somewhat obvious realization that she and Seifer had somehow reached the city on the other side of the pass. The fact that he was mysteriously missing from the scene could mean only one thing. He had escaped.

Quistis let loose a string of swears. She'd gone through hell to get him, only to loose him again. The urge to break down into tears assailed her. Tucking her head under the covers, she groaned throatily.

"You okay?" The door creaked open and footsteps made their way into the room before it closed again.

Quistis tore the blankets from across her face and stared at the intruder, her eyes hot and confused.

"Seifer?"

He smiled down at her in that singularly irritating way that only he can. He was wearing a pair of dark colored jeans and a warm looking gray sweater. The sweater had jagged little red lines running across the chest, just chaotic enough to make it seem a little more manly. Either way, he lost no stature in her eyes by wearing the garment. He'd also shaved. The shadow of a beard that she'd become so used to was gone, and he was once again clean shaven. She was surprised how much that simple act restored his resemblance to his former self.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Civilization," he laughed, taking a seat on the side of the bed. "How're you doing? Feeling better?"

"What do you mean? How did we get here?" she shook her head, very confused. Also feeling a little irritable, she wanted answers without the usual rigmarole that accompanied them.

"You don't remember any of it?" he tilted his head slightly in one direction, then righted it.

"Last thing I remember is my fingers being...." she paused, looking at his mouth. Had he really done that? It didn't seem possible.

"Oh...that," he grinned. "You liked that, did you?"

She kneed him in the backside through the covers, an angry frown sliding across her face. Quistis was not in the mood to be toyed with.

"Guess I deserved that," he winced, moving to sit even with her hips.

"I'm sure you do," she nodded.

"You were delirious," he finally started into what had occurred. "It got colder and colder as the night wore on, and we were both starting to freeze. I made you learn a rhyme and repeat it over and over again, and I sat and listened to you talk. The storm broke early in the morning, but you were out of it."

Quistis cuddled further down into the covers as he spoke, not remembering any bit of it. Not even the rhyme that he claimed she'd repeated through most of the night remained intact in her memory. She was accustomed to some amount of memory loss from the guardian forces, but that always occurred slowly over time. This was an immediate loss of all information, and it was frightening. As far as she knew, anything could have happened out in the snow, and all she had to rely on was Seifer's account.

"I packed up our things," he continued on. "I carried the pack against my chest and held you on my back. We were closer than we'd thought to town, by two in the afternoon I'd come over the rise in the pass and saw the city laying down in the valley. The day had warmed considerably during that time, and you eventually stopped babbling."

"I was babbling?"

"You betcha," he smiled.

"What did I say?" she demanded.

"That's not important at the moment," he shook his head. "I walked us down to the city and got this hotel room, then called a doctor for you. You were hypothermic, but luckily you don't have any frost bite. You've already been sleeping for quite some time. It's good that you're up and lucid."

Quistis yawned and stretched, feeling very comfortable tucked in bed.

"You carried me the entire way?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She chose not to think too much into that. The fact that Seifer had saved her meant only that he had conscience, and for once he hadn't been able to ignore it. Of course, there was a lot less he could have done for her. From what she gathered from the story he told, she owed him a debt of gratitude.

"I'm going to call the doctor," he told her. "He told me to let him know when you came around."

"Alright," she nodded, rolling onto one side so that her back was to him. Since when was Seifer so caring and sensitive? It didn't seem right, and she couldn't help but feel suspicious. He could have dropped her off in town safely and escaped back into the mountains. Or, in the very likely case that he'd had enough of Trabia, he could have boarded a train for some far off destination. She highly doubted that after everything that had happened she would take off after him again. She'd nearly lost her life, and for what? Nothing. She'd only come to realize how much she missed her friends, family, and home. The very things she had been running from were the only things that she wanted to go back to. Her wild hunt for Seifer was over.

The chase, she realized, was far from over from Seifer's perspective. As soon as she was out of the race for his head someone else would be breathing down his neck. What a sad life to lead. He could go nowhere and do nothing when he wasn't in constant danger. He'd lived the past two years as she had lived the past two days. She didn't know how he handled it. In only a short amount of time it had gotten the better of her. He was much stronger than anyone gave him credit for being. That, she supposed, was an admirable thing.

There were actually plenty of admirable things about Seifer that she'd never really thought about before. He didn't hesitate to take action. Sometimes a hesitation meant life or death, and while that meant that he didn't always think his decisions through, he always made them. Not only was he decisive, but he stood by those decisions that he made and suffered the consequences with good face for the wrong ones he made. No one ever paid attention to the things he did right.

He'd been right back in Dollet. He'd been right in Timber. He'd been right in the mountains of Trabia.

"Yes, she's awake now," she heard him talking quietly into the phone across the room. "Alright...I'll see you in a few minutes...yes..thank you."

He hung up, the receiver clicking with finality. Coming back over to her, he took his previous spot on the bed. He was looking good. Better than he had back in the tavern. He looked healthier, not so thin or drawn.

"What will you be doing from here?" she asked, not at all expecting him to willingly go back into her custody.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean...where are you going to go?"

"I thought that was more up to you than it was me," he arched an eyebrow.

"You're coming back with me?" she was surprised, it seemed to be the emotion of the day.

"I'm tired of running," he announced. "It eats away at you, Quistis."

Until that moment, she'd never really considered what would be done to him once he was back at Garden. SeeD was ruthless if it was anything, and some of Seifer's crimes were fairly high ones. It was highly possible that we would be executed for them. He was somewhat of a dark spot on Garden's reputation. He was the rogue SeeD candidate who'd nearly destroyed the world. They were lucky he hadn't had more success, as was he.

She didn't want him to die, nor did she particularly want him to be put in prison any longer. There was a sort of twisted affection she felt for him and with as much as he had done for her, she wanted to give him something back.

"You don't have to, you know," she informed him. "I'm done, Seifer. I'm going home."

"So am I," he shrugged.

"I should at least be able to do something for you," she shook her head.

He looked down at her for a moment, slowly chewing on his much abused bottom lip. It was a habit she'd never noticed in him before, one that she had herself. It was sort of strange being able to see parts of herself reflected in him, although they had spent more time together since she had found him than she'd spent with any one person in a very long time. She shuddered to think that they were actually beginning to pick up each other's quirks. By the time they got back to Balamb they were going to be the Doublemint twins.

"One thing," he said. "I want to see Matron before Balamb."

"Alright." It was the least she could do. Taking Seifer to see his mother was a small request. Especially considering that he had saved her life when he hadn't had to, and that he was most likely being taken to die. Even the worst criminals were granted such kindnesses.

"The doctor's going to be here in bit," he announced.

Seifer's mannerisms toward her had changed so substantially since they'd been trapped in the blizzard that she wondered if something more had happened that he hadn't told her. Whatever it was, she supposed that she would remember it eventually. Seifer wasn't nice for no reason at all. Wasn't it he who had screamed and pulled her down onto the ground only a few short days ago? Wasn't he the same person who had always criticized her teaching abilities and mouthed off in class?

Yet, wasn't he the same person who had single handedly beat back the Treppies? Wasn't he the guy who had run to help Rinoa, Squall, Selphie, and Zell in Timber without a thought for his own safety? Wasn't he the person who had held her as a blizzard closed in around them, accompanying her into frightening delirium?

There were too many contradictions within him to keep track of.

A light knock sounded at the door, and he got up to let the doctor in. Quistis was only mildly surprised that the doctor was a rather young, relatively good looking, man. He had light brown hair that fell all over the place and stubble all along his jaw. He practically oozed with good nature, and his smile was broad and bright as he walked over to the bed.

"Good morning!" he took Seifer's vacated seat. "Don't suppose you remember me, do you?"

"Not really..."

"That's okay," he smiled. "You look like you're doing pretty good...all warmed up and rested. I'm going to take your vitals, and then you'll probably be fine to move along if you're feeling up to it."

He took her temperature and blood pressure, had her sit up in bed and listened to her heart and breathing in a number of different places. Seifer looked on from across the room, his green eyes dark and never leaving Quistis.

"You're tough," the doctor laughed. "Recovering pretty quickly."

"Thank you," she couldn't help but smile at him. He was so likeable.

"I recommend taking it easy here for a little while longer before moving on," he turned slightly more serious. "Don't stress yourself too much. Get something to eat and plenty of fluids, you're probably a little dehydrated. I had you on an IV for a while when you were out, but you should still try and rehydrate anyway."

"Alright."

"Keep and eye on her," her turned his attention now to Seifer. "Don't let her tell you that she's ready to go before she really is."

"Gotcha," Seifer nodded. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," he stood up, packing all of his things back up. "Stop in and say hi if you're ever back this way."

The doctor left, leaving them alone again. Seifer sent Quistis a meek smile.

"Hungry? I'll go get you something."

"Sure," she shrugged. "Just get me whatever."

"Be right back." The door closed again behind him, and Quistis slowly shook her head. Everything had changed and she didn't even know why.