The sky above
Part 3: Saving the queen
Author's notes: Squall makes his first appearance!!! He's not too pleased with the situation, though ^_^. And… finally some Quistis/Seifer interaction. (More to come, I promise.) Oh yeah, and please try to ignore my mistakes, English's not my first language. I've learned it at school --- (~_~)
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~ Sometimes, god's angels are the first to fall ~
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"Miss Trepe! Miss Trepe!"
Quistis's eyes flew open. She usually had a deep sleep, but the girl's high- pitched voice could have woken a coma-patient.
"Miss Trepe, Miss Trepe!"
Banging on the door, the girl repeated the words over and over, until Quistis, still in her pyjamas, finally crawled out of her bed and opened.
In front of the Ex-Instructor stood one of her former students, a 14-year- old, humorous and outgoing girl called Carra. Yawning, Quistis looked down at her. "Why are you waking me?!", she asked, still too tired to be alarmed by the girl's unusual behaviour.
"Miss Trepe", she gasped, panting for breath. "It's… Dr. Kadowaki sent me! It's about Miss Heartilly!"
Suddenly, Quistis remembered everything. Her fight with Seifer, and her being alone with Rinoa. And she remembered leaving her, mainly because she couldn't bear facing her, Squall's love, anymore. And then, it hit her.
"Oh my god!", she exclaimed. "What happened? Is she okay?"
What if Rinoa hadn't followed her orders? What if she had battled a T-Rex? What if… what if she was hurt? Or…
Quistis felt sick. Leaving her had been a mistake. One, that could have cost Rinoa's life.
The girl took a deep breath and Quistis heart skipped a beat.
"No, Miss Trepe", Carra answered, suddenly very quiet, and stared on her feet. "Two SeeDs found her… in the training arena. She was wounded… The doctor didn't tell me how bad it is... She just… ordered me to get you."
Quistis slowly nodded. "Go, tell Dr. Kadowaki, that I'll be there in a minute." As the girl ran away, Quistis shut the door and started to change her clothes as fast as she could. Every single second it took her felt like a knife's stab right through her heart.
'My fault'
'If Rinoa dies, it's my fault.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
When she arrived at the infirmary, her eyes immediately fell on the pale figure lying in one of the beds. Her head was bandaged and the raven- coloured hair crusted with blood. Quistis stared at her in shock, pressed a hand on her mouth to suppress a sob and hurried to the girl's bedside.
She was unconscious, but breathing constantly.
"Rinoa… ."
"Miss Trepe!", a voice hissed from behind, and Quistis turned around to see Dr. Kadowaki standing there.
"She needs her sleep", the woman stated sternly. "Come on. We've got to talk."
Quistis nodded, but her view was drawn to Rinoa again. "Will she be okay?", Quistis whispered, her eyes never leaving Rinoa.
"She will", the doctor answered quietly, her voice now softer. "This time, she suffered a few bruises, a concussion of the brain and a wound on her forehead, but if the boys had found her a minute later, she'd be dead."
Quistis stared at Rinoa, unable to move or to speak.
She had failed, and her incapacity had almost killed Rinoa.
"I guess you should go and inform Cid about this", the doctor proposed, any compassion for Quistis had disappeared.
"You haven't told him yet?", she asked.
"I sent Carra to get you and Squall. I think it's your job to go to Cid."
Quistis nodded. Dr. Kadowaki was right, it was her job. She had to go to him. She was the one responsible for Rinoa's accident, she was the one who disappointed him again.
She turned and left the infirmary.
She had almost reached the elevator, as a shout made her stop.
"Quistis!"
She turned and saw Squall slowly walking towards to her. His grey eyes had darkened and the indifference had disappeared from his face. Something else had taken it's place. Hatred.
Stopping in front of Quistis, he looked down at her.
"You saw her?", he asked, his voice toneless.
She slowly nodded, unable to escape his piercing eyes.
"She almost died because of you!", he shouted, every feeling he had hidden in the past years coming down on her.
"Squall", she whispered and her eyes filled with tears. "I… can't tell you, how sorry I am."
"Sorry?", he shouted. "You're *sorry*?" He roughly grabbed her wrist, and she led it happen. She almost wished he'd hurt her.
'I deserve to pay for what I've done to Rinoa', was everything she could think of.
"Get your hands off her."
A voice, calm but threatening, broke the tension between them, and both Quistis and Squall turned to stare at the familiar figure. In one hand, he held his gunblade, the other was formed to a fist.
"This is none of your business, Seifer!", Squall hissed, but Seifer's eyes were still fixed on Quistis' wrist
"It is", he answered. "She's my Instructor. If you hurt her, I will beat the crap out of you."
Quistis mouth opened and she stared in disbelief at Seifer.
"And now", he added. "Get your hands off her." When Squall didn't react at all, Seifer pointed his gunblade on him. "Okay, amigo. You'll regret that."
With that, he ran towards his rival.
Part 3: Saving the queen
Author's notes: Squall makes his first appearance!!! He's not too pleased with the situation, though ^_^. And… finally some Quistis/Seifer interaction. (More to come, I promise.) Oh yeah, and please try to ignore my mistakes, English's not my first language. I've learned it at school --- (~_~)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
~ Sometimes, god's angels are the first to fall ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
"Miss Trepe! Miss Trepe!"
Quistis's eyes flew open. She usually had a deep sleep, but the girl's high- pitched voice could have woken a coma-patient.
"Miss Trepe, Miss Trepe!"
Banging on the door, the girl repeated the words over and over, until Quistis, still in her pyjamas, finally crawled out of her bed and opened.
In front of the Ex-Instructor stood one of her former students, a 14-year- old, humorous and outgoing girl called Carra. Yawning, Quistis looked down at her. "Why are you waking me?!", she asked, still too tired to be alarmed by the girl's unusual behaviour.
"Miss Trepe", she gasped, panting for breath. "It's… Dr. Kadowaki sent me! It's about Miss Heartilly!"
Suddenly, Quistis remembered everything. Her fight with Seifer, and her being alone with Rinoa. And she remembered leaving her, mainly because she couldn't bear facing her, Squall's love, anymore. And then, it hit her.
"Oh my god!", she exclaimed. "What happened? Is she okay?"
What if Rinoa hadn't followed her orders? What if she had battled a T-Rex? What if… what if she was hurt? Or…
Quistis felt sick. Leaving her had been a mistake. One, that could have cost Rinoa's life.
The girl took a deep breath and Quistis heart skipped a beat.
"No, Miss Trepe", Carra answered, suddenly very quiet, and stared on her feet. "Two SeeDs found her… in the training arena. She was wounded… The doctor didn't tell me how bad it is... She just… ordered me to get you."
Quistis slowly nodded. "Go, tell Dr. Kadowaki, that I'll be there in a minute." As the girl ran away, Quistis shut the door and started to change her clothes as fast as she could. Every single second it took her felt like a knife's stab right through her heart.
'My fault'
'If Rinoa dies, it's my fault.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
When she arrived at the infirmary, her eyes immediately fell on the pale figure lying in one of the beds. Her head was bandaged and the raven- coloured hair crusted with blood. Quistis stared at her in shock, pressed a hand on her mouth to suppress a sob and hurried to the girl's bedside.
She was unconscious, but breathing constantly.
"Rinoa… ."
"Miss Trepe!", a voice hissed from behind, and Quistis turned around to see Dr. Kadowaki standing there.
"She needs her sleep", the woman stated sternly. "Come on. We've got to talk."
Quistis nodded, but her view was drawn to Rinoa again. "Will she be okay?", Quistis whispered, her eyes never leaving Rinoa.
"She will", the doctor answered quietly, her voice now softer. "This time, she suffered a few bruises, a concussion of the brain and a wound on her forehead, but if the boys had found her a minute later, she'd be dead."
Quistis stared at Rinoa, unable to move or to speak.
She had failed, and her incapacity had almost killed Rinoa.
"I guess you should go and inform Cid about this", the doctor proposed, any compassion for Quistis had disappeared.
"You haven't told him yet?", she asked.
"I sent Carra to get you and Squall. I think it's your job to go to Cid."
Quistis nodded. Dr. Kadowaki was right, it was her job. She had to go to him. She was the one responsible for Rinoa's accident, she was the one who disappointed him again.
She turned and left the infirmary.
She had almost reached the elevator, as a shout made her stop.
"Quistis!"
She turned and saw Squall slowly walking towards to her. His grey eyes had darkened and the indifference had disappeared from his face. Something else had taken it's place. Hatred.
Stopping in front of Quistis, he looked down at her.
"You saw her?", he asked, his voice toneless.
She slowly nodded, unable to escape his piercing eyes.
"She almost died because of you!", he shouted, every feeling he had hidden in the past years coming down on her.
"Squall", she whispered and her eyes filled with tears. "I… can't tell you, how sorry I am."
"Sorry?", he shouted. "You're *sorry*?" He roughly grabbed her wrist, and she led it happen. She almost wished he'd hurt her.
'I deserve to pay for what I've done to Rinoa', was everything she could think of.
"Get your hands off her."
A voice, calm but threatening, broke the tension between them, and both Quistis and Squall turned to stare at the familiar figure. In one hand, he held his gunblade, the other was formed to a fist.
"This is none of your business, Seifer!", Squall hissed, but Seifer's eyes were still fixed on Quistis' wrist
"It is", he answered. "She's my Instructor. If you hurt her, I will beat the crap out of you."
Quistis mouth opened and she stared in disbelief at Seifer.
"And now", he added. "Get your hands off her." When Squall didn't react at all, Seifer pointed his gunblade on him. "Okay, amigo. You'll regret that."
With that, he ran towards his rival.