Quistis jingled the keys in her right hand as she and Seifer walked, in silence, to the luxury suite room. Moments earlier they dropped Zell off at his room, all the way down the hall, so he would not "disturb" the "newlyweds". Zell suggestively winked at Quistis right before he closed the door.
Needless to say, she was in a rather foul mood.
Arriving at the room, she slammed the key into the slot and twisted sharply. Instead of twisting the knob and pushing it open, she kicked the door and stormed inside.
Seifer whistled, placed the two bags by the door, and closed it. Then he proceeded to leap onto the (huge) bed. Crossing his arms behind his head, Seifer closed his eyes and grinned to himself. Then he called out to Quistis in a sing-song voice.
"Coming to bed soon, sweetie?"
"Shut up, Seifer. Okay, I made a dumb mistake, and you've had your nice little laugh over it. We have a mission to complete. We found a dead body just a couple hours ago that most likely is linked to this. I'm going to go call Squall now and tell him of our situation. Then I am getting changed and going to sleep. I don't want any more wisecracks about being "married" or any grief about having to share a bed. Got it?"
"God woman, married one day and you're already a control freak," Seifer replied with a wide smile. Quistis sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and picked up the phone. She dialed Squall's familiar number, and listened to it ring.
"Commander Leonhart speaking."
"Squall? It's Quistis."
"Quistis? How is your mission going? I'm sorry you got stuck with such a boring one this time..."
"No Squall...things are actually getting pretty interesting. We're in FH right now."
"What...? But I thought you were stationed in Balamb."
"Yeah..."
Quistis told him the whole story, while Squall listened patiently. He was somewhat angry that the three had just left without contacting Garden, angry that they took the simple job they were supposed to do to a higher level. Quistis argued back that it is a SeeD's job to take the best possible action.
Seifer grunted from beside her as she said this.
"Yes Squall, I'll report back often. Seifer, Zell and I will launch an investigation starting tomorrow. Goodnight."
Seifer rolled over on his side as Quistis lounged back into the soft mattress with a quiet sigh of appreciation.
"What kind of investigation are you talking about?"
"Well, I highly doubt that they shipped the cadaver out already. This is a quiet town, I don't even know if there are any officers to close off the area, or anyone capable of performing an autopsy. In the morning we'll find out where the body is, examine it carefully for any clues. Then we'll pay a visit to Mayor Dobe and his wife and see what they know about this whole situation."
"Alright..." Seifer was too tired to complain or argue.
"Well, I am going to get changed then, I suggest you do so too. And get to sleep quickly, I will probably be waking you early."
"You're really not gonna give me any grief about sharing a bed? Not gonna try to kick me out and make me sleep on the couch?"
"Frankly, Seifer, I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now. As long as you stay on your side and don't bother me, I don't care if we share the bed."
"Good, because I was gonna sleep here whether you bitched at me or not. Glad you chose the easy way."
Quistis didn't bother with a response, grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom to change. Seifer simply stripped down to his boxers, and pulled the smooth, silky sheets up to his chest.
The bed was easily the best he'd ever laid in.
He didn't hear Quistis reenter the room, but he felt the other side of the bed squeak and bounce a little with her sudden weight upon it.
"By the way Seifer...I didn't bother to bitch at you because I already knew the only one your brain is capable of listening to is yourself. Talking with you is too often a waste of time and effort."
Quistis, having said her piece, leaned over and turned off the light. She had no idea that beside her, Seifer was seriously considering what she had said. Quistis had never said anything like that to him before, she was too nice. He wished that he could turn over right now to apologize for something, anything. But his pride and ego always prevented him from being a nice guy.
And so that night, he was left with the familiar ache around his heart, that no one knew about or dared to look for.
And the ache led to the nightmares.
Always the nightmares.
*~*~*
The next morning it was actually Seifer who woke up Quistis, and not the other way around. He shook her shoulder gently. Bright blue eyes opened, that were not even clouded with sleep.
Maybe that's what happens when you're a mercenary. You have to be ready to snap awake at any second and take action.
She rolled out of bed without a word, and changed in the bedroom. As she came outside, Seifer was just pulling on his coat.
She turned to him, feeling slightly guilty about what she said last night.
"Hey, are you hungry? I am. Let's get Zell and go out to breakfast."
"Ooooh, and right after we get to go search a dead body! My appetite is really up for *that*," Seifer spat out.
"Okay, so neither of us are morning people. I'm sorry about my mood and comments last night Seifer. Can we forgive, forget and move on?"
"...Only if you treat for breakfast..."
*~*~*
The breakfast had passed by silently. Seifer and Quistis were pretending to get along, but both were secretly still angry with each other, and themselves. And not even Zell was up to talking.
Outside, they met up with the Master Fisherman, and asked to see the dead body...making up a story about how they felt guilty and responsible for his death. The fisherman, a kind-hearted man, took pity on them, and led them to the body. It was on the bottom floor of the Mayor's house, no one was quite sure where it should be placed.
Quistis thanked the fisherman, and he nodded and left.
The three blondes wasted no time getting started with their observations.
"Quistis..." Seifer started.
"Yes? Did you find something?"
"I'm not positive, but I think this is the man is the one we saw yesterday in Balamb."
Quistis examined his face. It did look familiar, and she felt a nauseous sensation drop into the pit of her stomach. She frowned, thinking Seifer was right. He was dressed in all black, after all.
"Hmm...can one of you guys turn him over?"
Zell obliged. Seifer was right beside him, looking over his shoulder, as if unsure that Zell was capable of turning a body over.
"Yo, back off man."
The body landed face down on the floor with a soft thump. Something tumbled out of the pockets, which Quistis picked up. It was a wallet.
Seifer and Zell knelt down to examine the victim's back.
"Shit..." Zell started.
"A gunshot..." Seifer finished.
"Um guys, I have a feeling that this is even more important. Take a look at this ID..."
The picture was of a young looking man, dark brown hair and grayish eyes. An intense, serious expression.
Name: Nathaniel Deling
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Occupation: Classified
Relations: Classified
"Deling's son...?" Seifer pondered.
"We better go talk to Dobe now," Quistis said, firmly.
For once, Seifer could not find a reason to argue.
A/N: I know...this chapter sucked. I'm sorry, I just found out a friend of mine got into a car accident last night, and I was writing this to keep my mind off it...but I couldn't really concentrate. That's why it's so crappy. I'll try to go back and edit it, when I am in a better state of mind.
Needless to say, she was in a rather foul mood.
Arriving at the room, she slammed the key into the slot and twisted sharply. Instead of twisting the knob and pushing it open, she kicked the door and stormed inside.
Seifer whistled, placed the two bags by the door, and closed it. Then he proceeded to leap onto the (huge) bed. Crossing his arms behind his head, Seifer closed his eyes and grinned to himself. Then he called out to Quistis in a sing-song voice.
"Coming to bed soon, sweetie?"
"Shut up, Seifer. Okay, I made a dumb mistake, and you've had your nice little laugh over it. We have a mission to complete. We found a dead body just a couple hours ago that most likely is linked to this. I'm going to go call Squall now and tell him of our situation. Then I am getting changed and going to sleep. I don't want any more wisecracks about being "married" or any grief about having to share a bed. Got it?"
"God woman, married one day and you're already a control freak," Seifer replied with a wide smile. Quistis sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and picked up the phone. She dialed Squall's familiar number, and listened to it ring.
"Commander Leonhart speaking."
"Squall? It's Quistis."
"Quistis? How is your mission going? I'm sorry you got stuck with such a boring one this time..."
"No Squall...things are actually getting pretty interesting. We're in FH right now."
"What...? But I thought you were stationed in Balamb."
"Yeah..."
Quistis told him the whole story, while Squall listened patiently. He was somewhat angry that the three had just left without contacting Garden, angry that they took the simple job they were supposed to do to a higher level. Quistis argued back that it is a SeeD's job to take the best possible action.
Seifer grunted from beside her as she said this.
"Yes Squall, I'll report back often. Seifer, Zell and I will launch an investigation starting tomorrow. Goodnight."
Seifer rolled over on his side as Quistis lounged back into the soft mattress with a quiet sigh of appreciation.
"What kind of investigation are you talking about?"
"Well, I highly doubt that they shipped the cadaver out already. This is a quiet town, I don't even know if there are any officers to close off the area, or anyone capable of performing an autopsy. In the morning we'll find out where the body is, examine it carefully for any clues. Then we'll pay a visit to Mayor Dobe and his wife and see what they know about this whole situation."
"Alright..." Seifer was too tired to complain or argue.
"Well, I am going to get changed then, I suggest you do so too. And get to sleep quickly, I will probably be waking you early."
"You're really not gonna give me any grief about sharing a bed? Not gonna try to kick me out and make me sleep on the couch?"
"Frankly, Seifer, I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now. As long as you stay on your side and don't bother me, I don't care if we share the bed."
"Good, because I was gonna sleep here whether you bitched at me or not. Glad you chose the easy way."
Quistis didn't bother with a response, grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom to change. Seifer simply stripped down to his boxers, and pulled the smooth, silky sheets up to his chest.
The bed was easily the best he'd ever laid in.
He didn't hear Quistis reenter the room, but he felt the other side of the bed squeak and bounce a little with her sudden weight upon it.
"By the way Seifer...I didn't bother to bitch at you because I already knew the only one your brain is capable of listening to is yourself. Talking with you is too often a waste of time and effort."
Quistis, having said her piece, leaned over and turned off the light. She had no idea that beside her, Seifer was seriously considering what she had said. Quistis had never said anything like that to him before, she was too nice. He wished that he could turn over right now to apologize for something, anything. But his pride and ego always prevented him from being a nice guy.
And so that night, he was left with the familiar ache around his heart, that no one knew about or dared to look for.
And the ache led to the nightmares.
Always the nightmares.
*~*~*
The next morning it was actually Seifer who woke up Quistis, and not the other way around. He shook her shoulder gently. Bright blue eyes opened, that were not even clouded with sleep.
Maybe that's what happens when you're a mercenary. You have to be ready to snap awake at any second and take action.
She rolled out of bed without a word, and changed in the bedroom. As she came outside, Seifer was just pulling on his coat.
She turned to him, feeling slightly guilty about what she said last night.
"Hey, are you hungry? I am. Let's get Zell and go out to breakfast."
"Ooooh, and right after we get to go search a dead body! My appetite is really up for *that*," Seifer spat out.
"Okay, so neither of us are morning people. I'm sorry about my mood and comments last night Seifer. Can we forgive, forget and move on?"
"...Only if you treat for breakfast..."
*~*~*
The breakfast had passed by silently. Seifer and Quistis were pretending to get along, but both were secretly still angry with each other, and themselves. And not even Zell was up to talking.
Outside, they met up with the Master Fisherman, and asked to see the dead body...making up a story about how they felt guilty and responsible for his death. The fisherman, a kind-hearted man, took pity on them, and led them to the body. It was on the bottom floor of the Mayor's house, no one was quite sure where it should be placed.
Quistis thanked the fisherman, and he nodded and left.
The three blondes wasted no time getting started with their observations.
"Quistis..." Seifer started.
"Yes? Did you find something?"
"I'm not positive, but I think this is the man is the one we saw yesterday in Balamb."
Quistis examined his face. It did look familiar, and she felt a nauseous sensation drop into the pit of her stomach. She frowned, thinking Seifer was right. He was dressed in all black, after all.
"Hmm...can one of you guys turn him over?"
Zell obliged. Seifer was right beside him, looking over his shoulder, as if unsure that Zell was capable of turning a body over.
"Yo, back off man."
The body landed face down on the floor with a soft thump. Something tumbled out of the pockets, which Quistis picked up. It was a wallet.
Seifer and Zell knelt down to examine the victim's back.
"Shit..." Zell started.
"A gunshot..." Seifer finished.
"Um guys, I have a feeling that this is even more important. Take a look at this ID..."
The picture was of a young looking man, dark brown hair and grayish eyes. An intense, serious expression.
Name: Nathaniel Deling
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Occupation: Classified
Relations: Classified
"Deling's son...?" Seifer pondered.
"We better go talk to Dobe now," Quistis said, firmly.
For once, Seifer could not find a reason to argue.
A/N: I know...this chapter sucked. I'm sorry, I just found out a friend of mine got into a car accident last night, and I was writing this to keep my mind off it...but I couldn't really concentrate. That's why it's so crappy. I'll try to go back and edit it, when I am in a better state of mind.