A/N: Sorry sorry sorry!! I didn't forget about this, but I've been loaded
down with schoolwork and I got FFX a couple weeks ago and that has filled
in all my extra time. Okay. What I think I'm going to do is make Rinoa be
possessed - it just seems more sensible that way. But if you hate Rinoa,
don't be disappointed because I'm also considering posting an alternate
ending when I'm finished. Let me know what you think.
"Time is ticking, Seifer!" Rinoa tapped her wrist at an invisible watch. "Who are you going to choose?"
"Seifer, listen to me," Quistis explained, levelheadedly. "She isn't in her right mind right now. She has murdered, and for Hyne's sake, she's built herself a ridiculous feather throne! This...this isn't Rinoa."
Seifer again looked between the two women. His mind was racing, couldn't make a decision. He didn't know what he wanted. Who he wanted.
On one hand, there was Rinoa. The sweet and caring Rinoa, a face from his past. She was a woman full of both passion and determination, qualities that Seifer admired. His first girlfriend. Good memories mixed with bad, Rinoa had showed him that it was okay to have affectionate feelings. Then she ripped all that away by breaking up over a silly argument. His pride had seemingly convinced himself that he hated the raven haired girl, but was that just to cover up his bruised ego?
Then came Quistis, a face even farther into his past. He was sure he hated this girl earlier in his life. At the orphanage, she would constantly order him around. At Garden, she would always break up his fights with Squall just when he was about to land the winning blow. When they were 15, they were forced to be partners on the SeeD exam. She passed, he did not. Barely two years later she was promoted to instructor - his instructor. Which gave her the valid authority to order him around. Quistis constantly bested him, and he hated her for it.
But now, so many things were different. They could spend an hour together without bickering. They could fight side by side instead of against each other. He could kiss her, and not have her push him away. Hell, he could kiss her and *enjoy* it. Quistis held just as much passion as Rinoa did, but hid it with a thick layer of iciness. Seifer never realized there was a captivating personality behind the dull and boring instructor.
His mind was made up.
"Rinoa, whatever you've gotten yourself into, it's your mess to clean up," Seifer announced, firmly. Her eyes widened, and Quistis sighed in relief. "Your reckless actions aren't my responsibility, and acting cute won't change my mind."
Rinoa stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and crossed her arms. Then she swiftly hopped down, clapping her hands twice. Her throne of feathers changed form into two luxurious wings that attached themselves to her back. The wings slowly began to wrap around Rinoa's petite frame, and she had a menacing look in her eyes.
"Mark my words, Seifer Almasy. I'm not through with you yet. You can kiss and cuddle with Quistis all you like, but you belong only to me! Ahahahahaha..."
There was a bright flash, that knocked all three SeeDs backwards. Seifer shielded his eyes with his hand. He remained on the ground long after the light had died out.
There was a gloved hand thrust in front of his face. Seifer stared at it stupidly for a second, before he realized it was Quistis offering to help him up.
He took her hand firmly, and a look of dedication passed between them.
*~*~*
Abby fiddled nervously with her soda straw. Ten minutes earlier, Squall's cell phone had rung and he excused himself from the table. She knew that he wasn't exactly a chatterbox, and never let a telephone conversation stretch beyond the five minute mark unless it was an emergency. Irrational explanations flowed through her mind, and she was all too aware of the panic rising in her throat.
She drummed her fingers along the table, stealing glances at the cafeteria clock every five seconds. Just when she was about to go and search for him, Squall entered. Relieved, she stood, clumsily bumping into the table.
Relief was soon flooded as she made out the grim look on Squall's face.
"What is it?"
"That was Quistis. They've found Rinoa."
"I-Isn't th-that a good thing?" Abby said, internally cursing herself for the stutter. It was an old reflex that only came about when she was nervous. Dating Zell, outgoing as he is, had taught her to speak with clarity, and loud enough to be heard. However, during more extreme conditions her speech impediment came back to haunt her.
Squall hesitated, choosing his words carefully and icily.
"According to Quistis," he paused. "Rinoa is a threat."
"What?" Abby said, with a nervous laugh. "How in the world could Rin ever be threatening?"
Squall didn't answer, and turned his back on her.
"They're on their way home as we speak. I'm sure Zell will tell you everything when he gets back." Squall walked away, heels clacking noisily against the linoleum. Abby smoothes down imaginary wrinkles in her cadet skirt, tossing her glossy pigtail over her shoulder. Blushing, she realized that many of the students were giving her strange looks. She had been standing in the middle of the cafeteria, staring into space, for several minutes. Keeping her eyes trained on her feet, Abby walked out of the cafeteria and towards her dorm.
*~*~*
Seifer stretched languidly on the upper bunk. He gave a satisfied groan when his head settled into just the right place on his pillow. It was the only sound in the private SeeD cabin besides the swish of Zell's fists as he shadowboxed, and the scritch of Quistis' pen against paper in the bunk below him.
"Quis?"
"Yes?" came her quiet voice below him. Seifer sat up, rotating his neck until it gave a relieving crack. Then he leaned over the bed to see what Quistis was doing. She was reclined against several pillows, golden hair disheveled, but beautiful nonetheless. Her glasses were slipping down her nose, and every once in a while she would reach up with a deft finger to set them back in place. Her legs were pulled up close to her body, and a small black book rested on top of her knees.
"What are you writing?" he demanded.
"...it's my diary..." she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Seifer prompted. He had heard her just fine, but was in the mood to push her buttons.
"My diary!" she said louder, annoyed as Seifer had planned. She glanced up from its pages to send him an icy look. "I would appreciate if you kept all the 'diaries are for schoolgirls' cracks to yourself."
"Your diary, eh?" Seifer snickered. "How come it ain't pink?"
"Not all diaries are pink," she replied, running her hand fondly against the dark cover. Seifer smirked, and swiftly hopped from the top bunk. Quistis looked at him questioningly, but scooted over on the bed when he gave her a small push. It was a very close fit, and Seifer kept one foot on the floor beside him so he wouldn't fall off. He pretended to take a peek over her shoulder, causing Quistis to press the open book against her chest, protectively.
"Are you writing about how cute I am?" he asked with a boyish grin. The comment was lame, but won the desired chuckle from Quistis.
"Yes, Seifer. I'm writing about your sexy, wicked grin, and how those red Hyperion crosses just turn me on every time," she replied, teasingly tracing her index finger along the cross emblazoned on his sleeve. Seifer cleared his throat, caught off guard. He had expected her to answer with a prim, prude response. Not to actually flirt back.
"Y'know..." Zell announced from across the room, ending his shadowboxing. "You two are really making me sick. Are you a couple or something?"
Quistis and Seifer exchanged an amused glance. She was about to give Zell a negative answer, when Seifer took her hand and laced their fingers easily together. Looking at Zell, he brought her hand slowly and deliberately to his mouth. Kissing the back of her hand softly, Seifer's lips lingered a little longer than they should have. Then he lowered their hands back to their sides. Weighing Zell's reaction, he was oblivious to Quistis' blush.
Zell sneered in disgust, punching a fist into an open palm. He muttered "yeah, right," under his breath as he shook his head; as if trying to clear a ridiculous idea from it.
"You guys shouldn't be playing around at a time like this!" Zell nagged. "Did you already forget that Rinoa is, um, weird right now? Plus Squall is making us come home. Mission aborted."
"Our original mission was studying fish, wasn't it?" Quistis said, staring at the area on her hand that was still warm from Seifer's mouth.
"Yeah," Seifer agreed, laughing. "We did a great job on that one, eh?"
"Not funny," Zell grumbled. "With Rinoa gone, Squall's gonna be worried sick and more anal than ever before. We did kinda stray pretty far from the original mission. I don't want a suspension or a pay cut."
"Squall wouldn't do that," Quistis assured.
"Yeah. Calm down Chicken-wuss."
"I'm calm," Zell snapped. "I am a little worried about Rin, though..."
"Yeah..." Quistis trailed off, eyes becoming distant. Seifer glanced at her face, briefly wondering what was going on inside her mind, before becoming engrossed in his own thoughts. His own unvoiced worries.
"Time is ticking, Seifer!" Rinoa tapped her wrist at an invisible watch. "Who are you going to choose?"
"Seifer, listen to me," Quistis explained, levelheadedly. "She isn't in her right mind right now. She has murdered, and for Hyne's sake, she's built herself a ridiculous feather throne! This...this isn't Rinoa."
Seifer again looked between the two women. His mind was racing, couldn't make a decision. He didn't know what he wanted. Who he wanted.
On one hand, there was Rinoa. The sweet and caring Rinoa, a face from his past. She was a woman full of both passion and determination, qualities that Seifer admired. His first girlfriend. Good memories mixed with bad, Rinoa had showed him that it was okay to have affectionate feelings. Then she ripped all that away by breaking up over a silly argument. His pride had seemingly convinced himself that he hated the raven haired girl, but was that just to cover up his bruised ego?
Then came Quistis, a face even farther into his past. He was sure he hated this girl earlier in his life. At the orphanage, she would constantly order him around. At Garden, she would always break up his fights with Squall just when he was about to land the winning blow. When they were 15, they were forced to be partners on the SeeD exam. She passed, he did not. Barely two years later she was promoted to instructor - his instructor. Which gave her the valid authority to order him around. Quistis constantly bested him, and he hated her for it.
But now, so many things were different. They could spend an hour together without bickering. They could fight side by side instead of against each other. He could kiss her, and not have her push him away. Hell, he could kiss her and *enjoy* it. Quistis held just as much passion as Rinoa did, but hid it with a thick layer of iciness. Seifer never realized there was a captivating personality behind the dull and boring instructor.
His mind was made up.
"Rinoa, whatever you've gotten yourself into, it's your mess to clean up," Seifer announced, firmly. Her eyes widened, and Quistis sighed in relief. "Your reckless actions aren't my responsibility, and acting cute won't change my mind."
Rinoa stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and crossed her arms. Then she swiftly hopped down, clapping her hands twice. Her throne of feathers changed form into two luxurious wings that attached themselves to her back. The wings slowly began to wrap around Rinoa's petite frame, and she had a menacing look in her eyes.
"Mark my words, Seifer Almasy. I'm not through with you yet. You can kiss and cuddle with Quistis all you like, but you belong only to me! Ahahahahaha..."
There was a bright flash, that knocked all three SeeDs backwards. Seifer shielded his eyes with his hand. He remained on the ground long after the light had died out.
There was a gloved hand thrust in front of his face. Seifer stared at it stupidly for a second, before he realized it was Quistis offering to help him up.
He took her hand firmly, and a look of dedication passed between them.
*~*~*
Abby fiddled nervously with her soda straw. Ten minutes earlier, Squall's cell phone had rung and he excused himself from the table. She knew that he wasn't exactly a chatterbox, and never let a telephone conversation stretch beyond the five minute mark unless it was an emergency. Irrational explanations flowed through her mind, and she was all too aware of the panic rising in her throat.
She drummed her fingers along the table, stealing glances at the cafeteria clock every five seconds. Just when she was about to go and search for him, Squall entered. Relieved, she stood, clumsily bumping into the table.
Relief was soon flooded as she made out the grim look on Squall's face.
"What is it?"
"That was Quistis. They've found Rinoa."
"I-Isn't th-that a good thing?" Abby said, internally cursing herself for the stutter. It was an old reflex that only came about when she was nervous. Dating Zell, outgoing as he is, had taught her to speak with clarity, and loud enough to be heard. However, during more extreme conditions her speech impediment came back to haunt her.
Squall hesitated, choosing his words carefully and icily.
"According to Quistis," he paused. "Rinoa is a threat."
"What?" Abby said, with a nervous laugh. "How in the world could Rin ever be threatening?"
Squall didn't answer, and turned his back on her.
"They're on their way home as we speak. I'm sure Zell will tell you everything when he gets back." Squall walked away, heels clacking noisily against the linoleum. Abby smoothes down imaginary wrinkles in her cadet skirt, tossing her glossy pigtail over her shoulder. Blushing, she realized that many of the students were giving her strange looks. She had been standing in the middle of the cafeteria, staring into space, for several minutes. Keeping her eyes trained on her feet, Abby walked out of the cafeteria and towards her dorm.
*~*~*
Seifer stretched languidly on the upper bunk. He gave a satisfied groan when his head settled into just the right place on his pillow. It was the only sound in the private SeeD cabin besides the swish of Zell's fists as he shadowboxed, and the scritch of Quistis' pen against paper in the bunk below him.
"Quis?"
"Yes?" came her quiet voice below him. Seifer sat up, rotating his neck until it gave a relieving crack. Then he leaned over the bed to see what Quistis was doing. She was reclined against several pillows, golden hair disheveled, but beautiful nonetheless. Her glasses were slipping down her nose, and every once in a while she would reach up with a deft finger to set them back in place. Her legs were pulled up close to her body, and a small black book rested on top of her knees.
"What are you writing?" he demanded.
"...it's my diary..." she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Seifer prompted. He had heard her just fine, but was in the mood to push her buttons.
"My diary!" she said louder, annoyed as Seifer had planned. She glanced up from its pages to send him an icy look. "I would appreciate if you kept all the 'diaries are for schoolgirls' cracks to yourself."
"Your diary, eh?" Seifer snickered. "How come it ain't pink?"
"Not all diaries are pink," she replied, running her hand fondly against the dark cover. Seifer smirked, and swiftly hopped from the top bunk. Quistis looked at him questioningly, but scooted over on the bed when he gave her a small push. It was a very close fit, and Seifer kept one foot on the floor beside him so he wouldn't fall off. He pretended to take a peek over her shoulder, causing Quistis to press the open book against her chest, protectively.
"Are you writing about how cute I am?" he asked with a boyish grin. The comment was lame, but won the desired chuckle from Quistis.
"Yes, Seifer. I'm writing about your sexy, wicked grin, and how those red Hyperion crosses just turn me on every time," she replied, teasingly tracing her index finger along the cross emblazoned on his sleeve. Seifer cleared his throat, caught off guard. He had expected her to answer with a prim, prude response. Not to actually flirt back.
"Y'know..." Zell announced from across the room, ending his shadowboxing. "You two are really making me sick. Are you a couple or something?"
Quistis and Seifer exchanged an amused glance. She was about to give Zell a negative answer, when Seifer took her hand and laced their fingers easily together. Looking at Zell, he brought her hand slowly and deliberately to his mouth. Kissing the back of her hand softly, Seifer's lips lingered a little longer than they should have. Then he lowered their hands back to their sides. Weighing Zell's reaction, he was oblivious to Quistis' blush.
Zell sneered in disgust, punching a fist into an open palm. He muttered "yeah, right," under his breath as he shook his head; as if trying to clear a ridiculous idea from it.
"You guys shouldn't be playing around at a time like this!" Zell nagged. "Did you already forget that Rinoa is, um, weird right now? Plus Squall is making us come home. Mission aborted."
"Our original mission was studying fish, wasn't it?" Quistis said, staring at the area on her hand that was still warm from Seifer's mouth.
"Yeah," Seifer agreed, laughing. "We did a great job on that one, eh?"
"Not funny," Zell grumbled. "With Rinoa gone, Squall's gonna be worried sick and more anal than ever before. We did kinda stray pretty far from the original mission. I don't want a suspension or a pay cut."
"Squall wouldn't do that," Quistis assured.
"Yeah. Calm down Chicken-wuss."
"I'm calm," Zell snapped. "I am a little worried about Rin, though..."
"Yeah..." Quistis trailed off, eyes becoming distant. Seifer glanced at her face, briefly wondering what was going on inside her mind, before becoming engrossed in his own thoughts. His own unvoiced worries.