A/N: Well, the previous chapter wasn't that last. Actually, neither is this one. Chapter 26 will be the last, just so we're all on the same page. I like this one much more than the last one. Some of you may have guessed just from the title of this chapter, but I wrote this while watching Moulin Rouge. (I'm madly in love with Ewan McGregor...)

"Why live life from dream to dream and dread the day when dreaming ends?" -Moulin Rouge

Chapter 25: One Day I'll Fly Away

Quistis smiled over the top of her glass. Rinoa, who was sitting across from her, seemed surprised at Quistis' sudden goodwill. Quistis had arranged the private breakfast between them following the wonderful outcome of Seifer's trial in order to thank the little brunette for the surprising amount of support she had displayed through the entire ordeal. Out of everyone, she had been the quickest to accept the new bond that had formed between Quistis and Seifer. Most importantly, she had been the one to stand up and support it without ever being asked.

She set down her cup, pressing her lips tightly together. Where to begin when so much had passed between them?

"Rinoa...I..." she paused, deciding to be direct. "I would like to thank you."

"For what?" Rinoa smiled innocently, her brown eyes gleaming.

"For Seifer," Quistis replied, blushing a little. "For sticking up for him when you didn't have to."

"Shouldn't he be the one thanking me?" Rinoa asked, arching one delicate eyebrow.

"You know Seifer," Quistis shrugged, making up excuses. "He'd never get around to it." Rinoa, a suspicious look crossing her face momentarily, smiled.

"Where is he anyway?" she finally asked, changing the subject.

"Probably still asleep," Quistis replied, looking down at her watch. It was still early, only eight in the morning. Seifer, Quistis knew, didn't generally get up until around ten in the morning. The only few exceptions that she had found to that general rule was the morning he had gotten up with Faber. The child got up at an ungodly hour and made it apparent that everyone else still asleep had a duty to rise as well. Quistis didn't mind his tendency to sleep in. In fact, she rather enjoyed spending a little extra time in bed herself.

"Is he leaving?" Rinoa asked between bites of toast smothered with raspberry jam.

"I don't know," Quistis admitted. Seifer had retired almost immediately the previous night to his newly appointed room. The entire trial, having been held in a single day as was Galbadian law, had been an exhausting experience. Even Quistis, after the stress of testimony and then waiting for the outcome, had fallen into bed that night and fallen almost immediately asleep, only taking the time to ask Rinoa to have breakfast with her first.

"I think he should stay here," Rinoa offered.

"He's too old now to make SeeD," Quistis reminded her. "And he doesn't really have friends aplenty here."

"He has you," Rinoa pointed out. "I'd think that would be enough."

Maybe Squall would have been enough for Rinoa, but Quistis wasn't naive enough to think that Seifer would stay anywhere just for her. He wasn't nearly that sentimental, and she didn't expect him suddenly to become that way. Besides that, she wasn't sure yet what exactly they had. She'd done her part and helped him in much the same way as he had helped her. They were fond of one another...but she didn't really think that what they had was strong enough to keep Seifer in a place where well over half of the population still firmly disliked him.

Falling into a moment of silence, Quistis and Rinoa finished off their light breakfast. The two had never been the best of friends, but they had never really been enemies. Still, it was beyond Quistis why Rinoa would be so loyal with no reason. As much as she was finding that she actually liked the petite woman, she couldn't help but be a little suspicious.

"Seifer..." Rinoa tilted her head to one side a little. "He's a little like a drug, I think."

"What do you mean?"

"He's just as good at making people feel good about themselves as bad," she shrugged. "It's easy to get drawn into. He's so confident of himself, and when you're not it's a firm draw. Plus, he's a bad boy. Ever wonder why good girls like bad boys?"

Quistis frowned a little. Since when was Rinoa such an expert on love? Of course, she had gotten Squall easily over Quistis' sad advances. She'd also had Seifer for a short period of time. Maybe it was in Quistis' best interest to listen to her.

"Do you really believe what you said during the trial?" she asked.

"Seifer does have a good side, I think," Rinoa replied. "Of course, as you've said...he's changed since I knew him."

Quistis nodded, reflecting back upon the time she'd spent with him. Seifer, indeed, was like a drug -- the kind of drug a person became addicted to before even realizing that it was possible. Quistis was in drastic need of an intervention.

"I should go," Quistis remarked, looking down at her watch. "I want to get in a few quick runs through the training center before it becomes crowded with SeeD candidates practicing for their exam."

"Okay," Rinoa smiling, sipping at some apple juice. "This was nice...let's do it again sometime."

"Sure," Quistis smiled.

She left the cafeteria at her usual swift pace. Not much had changed since she had left in search of Seifer. Actually, that wasn't entirely true, Irvine had filled her in on all the happenings while she'd been gone. Most of them were slight variations in the social web of Garden, or slight surface changes to the overall scheme of Garden life.

Surprisingly, she had only been back a short time and was already beginning to feel the same sort of claustrophobia that had sent her away in the first place. It wasn't possible that she was already sick of the place she called home. She'd never been one to be overly restless, but try as she might she couldn't get herself settled back in.

The training center had a distinct smell, one that was oddly calming. As Quistis walked in, she inhaled it deeply (some sort of strange mixture of animal, sweat, and vegetation). Unrolling her whip, she closed her eyes and started through the undergrowth where all the biggest monsters liked to hide out. It seemed like the last place they would be, but the beaten path was generally avoided by the animals with slightly more intellect. And Quistis was looking for a good fight.

As she ducked under a low branch, the high waving tentacles of a grat came into view. She played with the little creature for some time, casting status changes on it and upping its level periodically for a tougher fight.

Gradually, she grew board and simply sent a few firm lashes the creature's way until it slumped unconscious to the ground. That done, Quistis moved on to do the same to two more grats and a t-rexaur before becoming thoroughly bored with the game.

SeeD, somehow, just wasn't as exciting as it had once been. After saving the world from time compression and an evil sorceress...how much was there left for her to do?

A little bothered, she attached her looped whip to her belt and, kicking some loose grass and dirt off of her boots, made her way out of the training center and back out into the hallway. SeeD candidates were already buzzing around the entrance. Their exam was set for the next day. From what Quistis had heard it was a trip Dollet where they would work to take care of the sudden surge in the fasticalon population. Sometimes the exams were better than others.

Quistis wandered around for a good part of the day, finding herself at one point in the library with a book she had yet to read. It lost her interest quickly. Rather unsettled, she finally decided to see if she could find Seifer. For reasons she decided not to investigate, she hadn't attempted to find him even though she wanted to talk to him about his plans. She supposed that she was worried about what she might hear from him. At least until she had her feelings worked out, she didn't want him to leave. But there wasn't anything she could do to keep him in Garden if he decided against staying.

"Fujin!" She saw a flash of blue and silver as she came around a corner. The other woman stopped, blinking once before finally seeing Quistis who waved to get her attention.

"QUISTIS," Fujin nodded, stopping so that Quistis could catch up to her.

"Hey..." she paused, clasping her hands behind her back. "Do you know where Seifer is?"

"DORM ROOM," Fujin replied, cocking her head in the general direction of the dorms.

"Oh." That was easy enough. "Thanks."

"WELCOME," Fujin smiled.

Quistis had to admit, as sweet as the little silver haired woman could be, she wasn't overly fond of her. Most likely it was the fact that she screamed in one or two word sentences. Quistis found it difficult on her hearing to be around Fujin, and frustrating knowing that the other woman was perfectly capable of normal speech.

When she arrived at the door to Seifer's temporary dorm room, the door was slung open and he was standing half way in it. A large box was at his feet, and he was pushing it with one foot further into the room.

"What've you got there?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh...you know, this and that," he replied, turning his head to smile at her. "Stopped into Balamb with Fujin and used some of Cid's money to buy myself some needed supplies."

"Needed supplies?"

He shrugged. "Some new clothes, a new toothbrush...things like that."

Quistis followed him inside, clicking the door shut behind her. Seifer, still not bothering just to pick up the box, pushed it against the wall and then took a step back to look at it with an odd sense of pride.

"Nice to be able to walk into a place and just buy stuff I need," he grinned. "Haven't done that in a while." He still had all of the cold weather gear he had acquired in Trabia. Hyperion was laying at the foot of his bed, his coat providing the protection that had once been the job of a case. The case for his gunblade had been long since lost. Quistis had figured that would have been the first of his purchases rather than a new toothbrush.

The bright grin never leaving his face, he walked over to her where she was still leaning up against the door.

He tilted his head to one side and kissed her confidently. He had regained that cockiness of his youth that living as a criminal had wiped away. It was more subtle now, and instead of making him seem arrogant it instead gifted him with an air of being self-assured.

"Thanks again."

Quistis looked closely at him as he stood mere inches from her. For the moment at least, he looked content. She wondered how long the effects of the trial would keep him that way. Days? Maybe weeks? Months was a highly generous estimate. There would come a day, an hour, when staying with her, in her life, just wouldn't do any longer. Eventually, he would leave. Eventually, she would be alone again in her sad little existence.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing her pensive look.

"What are your plans?" she asked. "Now that you're a free man."

"Why?"

Why? Quistis wanted to smack him. Didn't he think ever for a moment that where he was going and what he was doing might affect her? The only way she could see him on a reguar basis was if he would consent to stay at Garden.

"Was just wondering," she mumbled, a little unhappy.

"Actually," he shrugged, "I'm going back to Centra."

Quistis tried not to frown. He was going back to Edea's, back to Faber. She was a little surprised that he would chose the child over her. Seeing it that way was probably pessimistic, but she didn't want him to leave, and damn it if it wasn't because of that child.

She sighed. It wasn't really Faber's fault. She couldn't blame him for wanting to leave. Most of the people at Garden didn't like him. Yet, there was a place just across the water where he felt at home and welcome. If she were in his shoes, she'd want to leave to.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning with Edea and Faber." She could have guessed that he would be returning with the two. Seifer, the fallen knight, running off to take care of small children at an orphanage. It was a strange outcome to the life he'd led up to that point. His flame had burned down though, and he wasn't quite as restless as he had once been. She wanted to follow him, but knew that she couldn't. Garden was her home. It was the one place in the world that she belonged.

Slipping from his grasp, she offered him a weak smile.

"Good luck there," she said, turning her head.

"Edea thinks I should take Faber under my wing," he announced, seemingly oblivious to her upset feelings regarding his departure. "Was thinking I could sort of be a father figure to him." He smiled brightly, obviously very happy with the course he'd chosen...the one that didn't involve her.

Quistis wished she could be a part of it, she really did. But she couldn't leave her entire life behind, not again. Could she?