i**Sleepless**i
Quistis raised and eyebrow and exchanged glances with Zell. "Uh.Irvine?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hellooo?"
For the past ten minutes, Zell and Quistis had wanted to board Garden and get out of the somewhat chilly spring breeze. Irvine on the other hand had done nothing but stare off into what seemed to be nothingness. He hadn't so much as batted an eye in response to his friends' attempts to get his attention,
"What?" Irvine replied, rather irritably, finally shaking free of his daze. He remained motionless, still staring at the mystery cadet and occasionally casting his eyes to the ground when she would turn her gaze towards him briefly. "What do you guys want?" He forcibly tore his eyes from her and fixed them on an amused Quistis.
Zell chuckled and patted Irvine on the shoulder. "A little touchy aren't we?" He sighed and turned Irvine towards the Garden. "We only asked you like ten times if you wanted to go inside and get something to eat but you were off in your own little world there."
Quistis leaned in and smiled mischievously. "So what or who, I should say, were you staring at over there?"
"I wasn't staring at anything or anybody." Irvine lied.
"Good, cause if you were," Quistis draped an arm over his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "I'd have to point out that all these lovely girls I brought with me are ALL still cadets."
"Not for long." Zell chimed in.
Quistis backhanded him in the shoulder. "You're not helping me out here Zell, don't encourage him."
"I'm just saying that in a few days most of them won't be considered cadets anymore."
Irvine glanced over his shoulder, back at the corner where the girl had been standing with her friends. Cursing under his breath when he found it vacant, he rolled his eyes and tried to block out the sound of Quistis and Zell's banter, which was starting to give him a headache. Flashes of his dream seared through his head as he thought about the girl and the dream itself. He sighed and ran a hand over his brow. "Can we just drop the entire subject now guys?"
Zell raised his eyebrows. "Still touchy I see," He looked at Quistis in mock sincerity. "Maybe our little Irvine has finally grown out of his womanizing phase."
Irvine narrowed his eyes at Zell and pushed past him down the corridor to the lift leaving his friends in his wake.
Zell whistled long and low. "And there's my cue to but out."
"What's with him?"
"It's a long story and I'm still not sure myself." Zell mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Best if he told you himself, he'd probably open up to you more than me anyway."
"I'll find him and see if I can get anything out of him." Quistis smiled and stepped onto the lift. She looked at her watch. "You better get going or Selphie'll wring your neck."
Zell nodded and embraced Quistis one last time before turning and heading out of Garden to meet his bubbly brunette girlfriend at the train station.
After she dropped in on Squall and talked about everything under the sun, including Seifer, Quistis headed down to the first floor to find Irvine. The quad was an obvious bet, he had always enjoyed leaning up against that fractured side railing and looking out at whatever scenery Garden was stationed near. Quistis frowned in concern when she rounded the corner and he wasn't there. This wasn't the same Irvine she had left behind, it wasn't even the same Irvine Rinoa had described mere days before her arrival. She folded her arms over her chest and walked around the lower half of the Garden, poking her head into the various segments of it and greeting those who she hadn't seen for some time. She was about to give up when she finally heaved open the heavy doors of the training centre and saw Irvine struggling to take aim on a wavering T-Rexaur.
"Hey Cowboy," She called from behind him. "Need a little help?"
"I've got it under control."
Quistis loosed God Save the Queen swiftly with a sharp cracking sound as it wrapped around the great beast's neck. She pulled it whip taught holding the badly injured monster still while Irvine took his final shot, sending it to the ground. "You must be feeling exceedingly strong to take on one of those ugly things on your own Irvy."
"No big deal."
Quistis sighed and tucked her weapon away as she followed Irvine further into the centre. "Okay, times up Irvine spill your guts."
He scrunched up his face in frustration that Quistis was even there. He picked up his pace a little and stomped into the secret area hidden inside.
"Irv."
"Who is she?" Irvine interrupted Quistis, flopping down on the ground as he did.
"I'm not quite sure I follow you?"
Irvine sighed and closed his eyes trying to erase the feeling of doom and apprehension. "The dark haired cadet you instruct. She was last off of the ship today."
Quistis narrowed her eyes and looked skyward in thought. "You must mean Ilyjah, I think anyway."
"Ilyjah." Irvine repeated to himself before furrowing his brow. "I still can't place her."
Quistis was confused to say the least. "And you think you should be able to?"
"I'm not sure."
Quistis sighed and flopped down beside him. "This isn't some sort of lusty inquisition is it? I don't have to remind you of the rule about full blown SeeDs and cadets for the second time today do I?" She tried to lighten his mood.
Irvine shook his head and rested it in his hands. "No. It's not like that at all." He looked at Quistis; almost sure she would be able to read him like a book. "Would you believe me if I told you something bad was coming? Something that nobody even has the slightest concept of?"
Quistis looked at him, concern wrought over her delicate features. "What are you trying to say?"
"It's coming Quisty. I don't know when or how or even what it is, but it's coming and it'll rip all of our lives apart."
"And you think this has to do with Ilyjah?"
Irvine half nodded and yet shrugged at the same time.
"You're not making much sense here Irvine." Quistis pulled him into her in a tight hug to try and reassure him.
"I know."
The mere sight of Irvine in this state was enough to bring tears to Quistis' eyes. Never once had she seen him this way, so afraid and unnerved. She was worried. "I think I should take you to Dr. Kadowaki Irvine, you look asleep on your feet." She toyed with his auburn hair and smiled. "She'll give you something that'll help you relax and we can talk tomorrow. Squall's called a meeting in the morning and you know how he'll be if you show up looking all ragged and paranoid. You just need a little sleep, come on I'll walk with you and see you to your quarters after we talk to the doctor."
"No!" Irvine half shouted, shrugging her arm from around his shoulder. "No pills, no potions, no sleep."
"Irvine I."
"The dreams will come."
Quistis frowned again. "What dreams?"
Irvine just shook his head. "Please, just leave me now? Let me rest here a bit wont you Quisty?"
Quistis nodded her head and got to her feet slowly, her eyes still filled with concern. If he wasn't willing to go, there was no way she was going to be able to overpower him. Even though it killed her to leave him there, she knew she had to, at least for a while. If he was the same tomorrow, she would say something to Dr. Kadowaki. Squall she would tell tonight.
(a/n: Okay so, this wasn't quite as much as I wanted to update tonight, I really wanted to get into the story a bit more but I seem to have deleted my other file, so there for I have to retype it all and I have little to no energy left to do that. Thanks for the reviews to those who have read this, I appreciate it and I promise a little more exciting stuff in the next few updates.)
Quistis raised and eyebrow and exchanged glances with Zell. "Uh.Irvine?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hellooo?"
For the past ten minutes, Zell and Quistis had wanted to board Garden and get out of the somewhat chilly spring breeze. Irvine on the other hand had done nothing but stare off into what seemed to be nothingness. He hadn't so much as batted an eye in response to his friends' attempts to get his attention,
"What?" Irvine replied, rather irritably, finally shaking free of his daze. He remained motionless, still staring at the mystery cadet and occasionally casting his eyes to the ground when she would turn her gaze towards him briefly. "What do you guys want?" He forcibly tore his eyes from her and fixed them on an amused Quistis.
Zell chuckled and patted Irvine on the shoulder. "A little touchy aren't we?" He sighed and turned Irvine towards the Garden. "We only asked you like ten times if you wanted to go inside and get something to eat but you were off in your own little world there."
Quistis leaned in and smiled mischievously. "So what or who, I should say, were you staring at over there?"
"I wasn't staring at anything or anybody." Irvine lied.
"Good, cause if you were," Quistis draped an arm over his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "I'd have to point out that all these lovely girls I brought with me are ALL still cadets."
"Not for long." Zell chimed in.
Quistis backhanded him in the shoulder. "You're not helping me out here Zell, don't encourage him."
"I'm just saying that in a few days most of them won't be considered cadets anymore."
Irvine glanced over his shoulder, back at the corner where the girl had been standing with her friends. Cursing under his breath when he found it vacant, he rolled his eyes and tried to block out the sound of Quistis and Zell's banter, which was starting to give him a headache. Flashes of his dream seared through his head as he thought about the girl and the dream itself. He sighed and ran a hand over his brow. "Can we just drop the entire subject now guys?"
Zell raised his eyebrows. "Still touchy I see," He looked at Quistis in mock sincerity. "Maybe our little Irvine has finally grown out of his womanizing phase."
Irvine narrowed his eyes at Zell and pushed past him down the corridor to the lift leaving his friends in his wake.
Zell whistled long and low. "And there's my cue to but out."
"What's with him?"
"It's a long story and I'm still not sure myself." Zell mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Best if he told you himself, he'd probably open up to you more than me anyway."
"I'll find him and see if I can get anything out of him." Quistis smiled and stepped onto the lift. She looked at her watch. "You better get going or Selphie'll wring your neck."
Zell nodded and embraced Quistis one last time before turning and heading out of Garden to meet his bubbly brunette girlfriend at the train station.
After she dropped in on Squall and talked about everything under the sun, including Seifer, Quistis headed down to the first floor to find Irvine. The quad was an obvious bet, he had always enjoyed leaning up against that fractured side railing and looking out at whatever scenery Garden was stationed near. Quistis frowned in concern when she rounded the corner and he wasn't there. This wasn't the same Irvine she had left behind, it wasn't even the same Irvine Rinoa had described mere days before her arrival. She folded her arms over her chest and walked around the lower half of the Garden, poking her head into the various segments of it and greeting those who she hadn't seen for some time. She was about to give up when she finally heaved open the heavy doors of the training centre and saw Irvine struggling to take aim on a wavering T-Rexaur.
"Hey Cowboy," She called from behind him. "Need a little help?"
"I've got it under control."
Quistis loosed God Save the Queen swiftly with a sharp cracking sound as it wrapped around the great beast's neck. She pulled it whip taught holding the badly injured monster still while Irvine took his final shot, sending it to the ground. "You must be feeling exceedingly strong to take on one of those ugly things on your own Irvy."
"No big deal."
Quistis sighed and tucked her weapon away as she followed Irvine further into the centre. "Okay, times up Irvine spill your guts."
He scrunched up his face in frustration that Quistis was even there. He picked up his pace a little and stomped into the secret area hidden inside.
"Irv."
"Who is she?" Irvine interrupted Quistis, flopping down on the ground as he did.
"I'm not quite sure I follow you?"
Irvine sighed and closed his eyes trying to erase the feeling of doom and apprehension. "The dark haired cadet you instruct. She was last off of the ship today."
Quistis narrowed her eyes and looked skyward in thought. "You must mean Ilyjah, I think anyway."
"Ilyjah." Irvine repeated to himself before furrowing his brow. "I still can't place her."
Quistis was confused to say the least. "And you think you should be able to?"
"I'm not sure."
Quistis sighed and flopped down beside him. "This isn't some sort of lusty inquisition is it? I don't have to remind you of the rule about full blown SeeDs and cadets for the second time today do I?" She tried to lighten his mood.
Irvine shook his head and rested it in his hands. "No. It's not like that at all." He looked at Quistis; almost sure she would be able to read him like a book. "Would you believe me if I told you something bad was coming? Something that nobody even has the slightest concept of?"
Quistis looked at him, concern wrought over her delicate features. "What are you trying to say?"
"It's coming Quisty. I don't know when or how or even what it is, but it's coming and it'll rip all of our lives apart."
"And you think this has to do with Ilyjah?"
Irvine half nodded and yet shrugged at the same time.
"You're not making much sense here Irvine." Quistis pulled him into her in a tight hug to try and reassure him.
"I know."
The mere sight of Irvine in this state was enough to bring tears to Quistis' eyes. Never once had she seen him this way, so afraid and unnerved. She was worried. "I think I should take you to Dr. Kadowaki Irvine, you look asleep on your feet." She toyed with his auburn hair and smiled. "She'll give you something that'll help you relax and we can talk tomorrow. Squall's called a meeting in the morning and you know how he'll be if you show up looking all ragged and paranoid. You just need a little sleep, come on I'll walk with you and see you to your quarters after we talk to the doctor."
"No!" Irvine half shouted, shrugging her arm from around his shoulder. "No pills, no potions, no sleep."
"Irvine I."
"The dreams will come."
Quistis frowned again. "What dreams?"
Irvine just shook his head. "Please, just leave me now? Let me rest here a bit wont you Quisty?"
Quistis nodded her head and got to her feet slowly, her eyes still filled with concern. If he wasn't willing to go, there was no way she was going to be able to overpower him. Even though it killed her to leave him there, she knew she had to, at least for a while. If he was the same tomorrow, she would say something to Dr. Kadowaki. Squall she would tell tonight.
(a/n: Okay so, this wasn't quite as much as I wanted to update tonight, I really wanted to get into the story a bit more but I seem to have deleted my other file, so there for I have to retype it all and I have little to no energy left to do that. Thanks for the reviews to those who have read this, I appreciate it and I promise a little more exciting stuff in the next few updates.)