Quistis had run into Squall on her way back from the Infirmary--literally. He hadn't even acknowledged her as he stormed off to whatever more important matters he had to attend to. It was wearing on her--she had talked to Kadowaki, who had been supportive and understanding and compassionate--but all of those things seemed to drip away as soon as she left the older woman's presence. What good was having a few isolated friends on your side when the rest of the world was against you?
She hadn't been sleeping well, lately--nightmares haunted her, the kind that had no real object to fear, nothing but that godawful sensation.... Those. She continuously felt tired, weak--futile, perhaps, would be a better word for it. And then there were the murmurs; faint, low, indecipherable, they might as well have been the last remnants of her self-respect, battered and abused, sneaking away to leave her for someone with more... merit.
She was reminded harshly of the Tomb of the Unknown King--too many places to turn, all of them false; with every corner a blind one and every step leading deeper into the darkness, monsters and traps around every bend, no hope, and no way out. With the analogy came fear--the impulse to run, run somewhere, to hide, hide from herself, hide from the world--but there was nowhere she could turn, nowhere that could offer her respite.
....
....
...was there?
As if catching herself before falling into a trap, she recoiled form the thought. A small cry escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, trying to banish the unpleasant notion. Her heart raced in an instinctive bid to protect herself, and she wrapped her arms around her torso as if to keep herself from coming undone. that wasn't a recourse. That wasn't the option she had been waiting for. Not that. Not that.
Suddenly, she felt cold. Some god, some malicious spirit had offered the gift to her, and she dared not take it? Was she just too afraid to recognize a blessing when she saw one?
She was light-headed. Yes, she was afraid--too afraid. This wasn't an answer.
It was the only answer.
By casting three Reflects around the room and angling them properly, one could cast a Tripled spell onto the first Reflect and be finished with the third cast before the first spell made it back to them. An Instructor had demonstrated it to a class once--as a point of interest, a meaningless bit of trivia, not something one would be expected to use in their lifetime.
Trembling, Quistis drew a Triple from her reserves and cast it. Three Reflects later, she stepped into the center of the triangle.
Time to leave it all behind.
She was trembling in earnest now, and it seemed like the room had never been this cold. A sob escaped before she had time to check it in, and her hand clamped over her mouth. She turned toward the first Reflect.
"...Quistis?"
There was someone outside the door. Quistis spun around, startled and panicked. They were going to come in, they would find her--find this-- they would know--
Too late! Someone knew, someone was here, with the incriminating evidence all set up and everything--now there was nothing to do except cast....
A knock. No more time.
Cast it.
Spinning, Quistis focused all her energy through the Triple. The spells leapt out of her eagerly--too eagerly.
Death.
Death.
Death.
The sudden slash of the Reaper's scythe didn't allow her tie to scream in pain. She was falling now--another slash, another pain. Why could she still think? One cast meant unconciousness, a second meant coma, the third--more pain! Was she still falling?
There was an uproar outside the door--too late to do any good. Too late for everything.
Arms. Arms caught her, pulling her close. Was this the afterlife? She ached, but in a moment the ache was dulled by the flow of some merciful magic--she was held against the unseen form, cradled in the embrace. What felt like claws ran gently through her hair.
"No. Please, no."
The voice--soft, powerful, surreal. Compassionate. Knowing. Respectful. Who... could this be?
"The ending of a life so fine would be a waste. Please... do not seek yourself ill."
Grey-blue eyes opened, trying to behold her rescuer where there was only shadows and darkness. The claws ran gently through er hair again, brushing off a stray lock that had fallen across her cheek.
"I love you."
Eyes searching through darkness met eyes. Suddenly, she knew who this was. A frightening revelation, for sure--terrifying, unexpected--
--wonderful.
"Preserve yourself," came the whispered words. "I must hide. But preserve yourself. I will return to you, my beautiful one... please, we can be together forever...."
Arms laid her gently on the ground, and her saviour disappeared from her view. She felt elated, blessed--
"Rest now."
She clung to the words as they faded away.
~
The noise from the other side of the door stopped her initially. It sounded as if someone had just cast Triple--but Selphie knew that that couldn't be the case. Casting inside Garden was prohibited unless it was in one of the classrooms or the Training Center, and this was Quistis's room, too! why would the rule-abiding ex-instructor do anything contrary to regulations?
Then came the sound of the three Reflects, and Selphie jumped. It was magic? Why?
Curious now, Selphie pressed her ear to the door--in time to hear a short sob. Alarmed and concerned, she tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. "Quistis?" she called, wondering what was wrong.
There was no reply, and the was about to call again when there was the sound of another three spells being cast. This time, there was no doubt as to what they could be, nor what happeed to them as they were cast.
Death!Death!(Reflect reflect)Death!(Reflect reflect reflect)hit...(reflect reflect)hit...(reflect reflect)hit!
Shock drove her straight into the door, pounding at it and screaming. "Quistis! Quistis!"
No answer. Nothing and no one opened the door, there was silence from within the dormitory. With a few last pounds she slid to the ground, fear and shock misting her eyes with tears.
Before she could register what was happening someone was at her side. "What's going on? what happened?" Squall demanded, no doubt unused to seeing her ever lose her joyful demeanor. Selphie blurted out what she could--coherency wasn't her strongest point right at the moment--and Squall pushed her aside. Using one of the override codes he had been issued, he unlocked the electronic mechanism holding the door shut. Trying to open it, he was met with the same resistance selphie had. The door had the manual lock shut, too--it would take a skeleton key to open that, one that Squall didn't generally carry around on his person.
Jaw working, Squall tried ramming his shoulder into the door. It shook by the slightest margin, but held. Selphie's tears redoubled, and she stared frantically at the door.
"Is something wrong?"
Another person had arrived at the scene--a new student, by appearances, still in their civilian garb. Squall turned to look at her, hesitating for a moment for some reason. Stepping away, he pointed to the source of the distress. "We need to get through that door," he explained tersely.
The cadet turned to face the door, appraising it. "...stand back," she said, placing a hand on the long blade by her side. Selphie scrambled away as the girl closed her eyes, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly.
"...KE!"
With a loud exclamation, the girl unsheathed the blase and struck upwards at the same time. A diagonal gouge split the door, and it caved inwards. Within another moment Squall had barreled through, and Selphie had followed.
"Quisty!"
Selphie darted over to her fallen companion, kneeling by her side. The ex-Instructor turned her head weakly to give the SeeD a slight smile--a smile of triumph, more than anything else. Squall had turned to the door with the order "Amica! Get the nurse--"
--but their unexpected benefactor had disappeared.