Final Fantasy VIII
Whenever You Need Me
Disclaimer: This goes for later chapters, as well. The characters of Final Fantasy don't belong to me. There are, however, some characters I have modeled after my friends who will be making appearances in this story. I own them.
Author's Notes: (grovels at readers' feet) I apologize profusely for not having updated. Forgive me! Here is my latest chapter, an offering to appease your anger. It's a childhood chappy! Or, er, half a childhood chappy…sorta…er, you'll see.
Chapter 13: Awakening
~…Then…~
Fifteen-year-old Quistis Trepe buttoned her jacket and grabbed her whip, trying to lace up her boots at the same time. She ran out of her dormitory, only to stumble and crash into a nearby student.
"Trepe!!" She knew that voice. Only one guy in the whole entire Garden could have that voice.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Quistis said, disentangling herself from Seifer Almasy. The blonde boy stood up, gunblade clutched in his hand, and glared down at her. Quistis glared back and rose to her feet. "Something wrong, Almasy? Got a staring problem?"
"I was just wondering if you were normally this ditzy." Seifer shrugged. "You obviously are."
Quistis frowned. She never swore out loud when she could help it, but Seifer Almasy was a special case. "You ass."
Seifer blinked and smirked. "Oooh, and the teacher's pet swore."
She took a deep breath and let it out, still glaring at Seifer. She suddenly flipped him off, then spun around and stalked off, headed towards the training center. Seifer stared after her, slightly surprised.
'So…she DOES have a bad side.'
And it was then that Seifer remembered that he was heading for the training center, too.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ugh! Stupid freak…let me go!" Quistis cried out, casting her last Fire spell at the Grat holding her upside-down by her ankle. The creature twitched, wilted, and released the young student, letting Quistis fall 10 feet to the dust. "Aaaah--OW!" She lay sprawled on the ground for a moment, wondering if there were any broken bones. To her surprise, she was perfectly fine. Just sore. Very sore.
"So, are you gonna lie there all day, or are you going to train?" asked a voice.
"…Do you consider it your job to make my mornings living hell?" Quistis demanded, slowly raising herself off the ground. She looked up at Seifer, who was kneeling in front of her. "Or is this just some sick hobby of yours?"
"Hobby," came the immediate answer.
Quistis fought hard not to punch Seifer right in his arrogant face. Instead she quickly stood up. Head rush.
Seifer grabbed her arm to keep her steady. "Will you act normal for once, Trepe?" he asked, looking at her questioningly. "Or is that too much to ask? We're in a goddamned monsters' nest, and all you can think about is me. Actually, I'd be flattered if there wasn't the chance a T-Rexaur will come and bite our limbs off."
"Oh, I'm thinking about you alright," Quistis muttered, brushing dirt off her jacket. "…In the worst possible way."
"What?"
"Nothing I want to tell you."
Seifer looked at her for a moment. "I don't…remember you being so angry," he said quietly.
Quistis stared. "What?" she asked. "Seifer, what are you--?"
BOOM.
The two blondes turned as loud, echoing footsteps sounded throughout the training center. Only one monster in the entire room could make such a sound. "T-Rexaur," Seifer breathed, gripping his gunblade tightly. He quickly put a hand in front of Quistis' shoulders as he scanned the room, backing the both of them to the entrance.
"Seifer?" Quistis' voice was strangely small and hushed.
"What?"
"Don't back up."
"Why?"
"Because the T-Rexaur's right at the entrance," came the whispered reply. Seifer whirled around.
The monster was huge, a gargantuan dinosaur with a thick, red-and-black hide, smallish arms and huge legs. Coiled around its feet was the thick tail, known for its power. The T-Rexaur was the biggest either had ever seen, a fact that did not help as the monster took a thundering step towards them. Instinct taking over, Seifer positioned himself in front of Quistis, gunblade held out in front of him. "I'm going to try and distract it," he muttered to Quistis. "Go…go and get someone."
Quistis started. "What about you?!"
Seifer grit his teeth. "Well, I'll try and stay alive while you're gone."
Quistis moved up beside him. "Not funny," she hissed to him.
"You think I'm trying to be?!"
"I'm not leaving--!"
"Then we'll both die, Quisty!"
The girl blinked and turned to him quickly. "What did you call me--?!"
The monster suddenly let out a loud roar, shaking the trees, and charged at them. Seifer grabbed Quistis by the arm, pulling her with him as he leapt out of the dinosaur's way. The two landed in a head against a tree trunk, Seifer's arm wrapped around Quistis' shoulders. "FIRE!!" the teen shouted. The T-Rexaur screeched in pain as flames licked at his back. It whipped around, tail following. Seifer hugged Quistis to him, biting his lip and drawing blood as the heavy tail hit him heavily on the shoulder. The force sent the two flying. Seifer hurriedly scrambled to his feet, shielding Quistis from view. "Okay, the entrance is clear now!" he called over his shoulder. "Mind getting out of here?!" Tasting copper blood, Seifer wiped at his mouth with his free hand. His lip stung.
"I told you, I'm not leaving you here to get killed!" Quistis joined him, pulling her whip taut between her hands. "I dislike you, Seifer, but it's not like I want you to die!"
"Could've fooled me."
"Stop with those stupid cracks!"
The T-Rexaur attacked again. The two dived out of the way, Quistis running around its left leg while Seifer blindly ran between its feet. "Almasy, you dumbass!" Quistis yelled in panic, seeing the move. "What are you--"
"BLIZZARD!" The monster bellowed in pain, its legs encased in ice. Seifer reappeared, grabbing Quistis by the wrist. "Come on!!"
The monster, however, was smarter than it seemed. Curling its tail around the ice, the T-Rexaur squeezed tightly, and there loud cracks sounding in the air. "Shitshitshitshitshitshit!" Seifer muttered. They were halfway to the entrance. "Trepe, come on!"
There was a jerk on his hand and Seifer stumbled and turned. "QUIS!!!" he shouted.
Quistis limply hung from between the T-Rexaur's sharp teeth. Blood dripped down the monster's scaly chin as he increased pressure on his prey. Seifer heard a crack, accompanied by Quistis' scream of pain. He tried to think, but his mind was clouded. Dripping blood, broken bones…a broken Quistis. "QUIS!!!" he yelled again. Then he heard running footsteps. Two people. He turned to the entrance.
A tall man with long silver hair, dressed in an instructor uniform, rushed past him, followed by a striking woman with waist-length, reddish brown hair and tea-colored eyes, her hands sparking with power as she began to summon a Guardian Force. Seifer recognized the two immediately. The man, Instructor Sephiroth Gast, the woman, SeeD officer Saravien Devonshire, also in the Disciplinary Committee. Instructor Gast reached for the long ebony scabbard at his waist and drew a long blade. An upward slash at the monster's belly, and Quistis fell from the T-Rexaur's mouth as it snarled angrily. Instructor Gast caught the bleeding girl easily, looking back at Saravien. "SHIVA!" the SeeD cried out. The T-Rexaur screamed one last time as frigid Ice magic surrounded him. In less than five minutes, it was dead.
Seifer couldn't think anymore. His mind was numb as he watched Instructor Gast was walking towards him, Quistis cradled in his arms. She looked so pale, and everything was smeared red. So much blood. So much life…
He couldn't save her.
Seifer was dimly aware of Saravien holding him steady by the shoulder, guiding him to the infirmary. Footsteps behind them told him that Instructor Gast and Quistis were following closely. As soon as they entered the clinic, Seifer's mind blanked out completely, and he collapsed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That voice. Only one guy in the whole entire Garden could have that voice. Her fogged mind tried to understand what he was saying. Something about coming back…
"…You've missed a shitload of classes, Trepe, stay comatose any longer, I'll wake you up myself."
Quistis smiled inwardly. Well, he was still a bastard. She tried to open her eyes, but she was tired, so very tired…she let Seifer's voice wash over her, getting clearer and clearer.
"You should've gone." Seifer's voice became softer, and Quistis felt a light touch on her arm. Something in the back of her mind stirred, but before she could try to remember the touch, the thought vanished, as quickly as it came. "Dammit, Quisty, you can't be a SeeD if you can't take a friggin' order."
'Quisty?'
The name…so familiar.
Quistis struggled against the fog in her brain, trying, yearning to remember. Something in her past, a boy's voice.
"…What is it, Quisty…?"
"…Climb on, Quisty. I'll carry you home…"
"…Cross your heart!"
"Hope to die… Quisty? …Can I give you a kiss goodbye?"
"…we'll see each other again…"
"A knight never breaks his promises!"
"Don't you worry, Quisty, whenever you're hurt, I'll always be the one to carry you home…"
A distant memory, held somewhere deep inside…
Finally deciding that it was time to wake up, Quistis opened her eyes. She could tell she surprised Seifer.
"SHIT!!! Damn, Trepe, giving me a fucking heart attack…!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Now~
Seifer sat beside her bed, keeping a constant vigil, day and night. The life support system Dr. Kadowaki had hooked her up to beeped steadily, an ominous sound in his ears. Amazingly, the bullet had passed completely through Quistis' shoulder, missing vital organs by mere inches. However, it had already been two weeks since the SeeD test, and she was still comatose. Seifer remembered the one other time she had been strapped to so many machines. The T-Rexaur incident…and she'd managed to pull through. She'd wake up, he knew, very soon. Until then, he wasn't leaving her side.
"Seifer?"
He looked up. Rinoa stood there, holding a white teddy bear. "Hey," he said softly.
Rinoa smiled. "Hi. How's she doing?"
He looked back at Quistis. "The same."
Rinoa walked over to him and placed the teddy bear in his hands. "What the hell…?"
"You remember him?" the dark-haired young woman asked.
"Unfortunately, yeah. The teddy bear in your bedroom…Hyne, Rinoa, you gave him such a damned terrible name." Seifer raised his eyes to Rinoa and smirked.
"What? Treezle is not a terrible name!" Rinoa frowned, then smiled. "Well, terrible name or not, Treezle's here to help you keep watch on Quis. Unlike mere mortals, the almighty teddy bear doesn't need sleep, so he'll continue to guard her while you're snoozing."
"Uh, thanks?"
"You're welcome." Rinoa laughed softly. "Since when were you like this with anyone?"
"Like what?" Seifer asked absently.
"All weird…and worried."
Seifer looked away and chose not to answer. Rinoa clapped him on the back and smiled. "Don't worry, Seifer, it's not illegal to worry about someone. I do it all the time. I won't tell anyone about this, but they'll worry. You might wanna leave the infirmary once in a while."
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine."
Rinoa nodded. "If you say so. I'll see you around, okay? Don't worry," she whispered. "She'll wake up."
Seifer smiled slightly, and heard Rinoa's footsteps depart. His attention was already focused on his childhood friend's face.
"Quisty…wake up." His voice became a quiet whisper. "Please."
And somehow, as if she knew he was watching, that he was pleading, as if she'd heard, Quistis stirred and opened her eyes.
"…Seifer…?"
~Last Words~
It's quite short, though I do hope you enjoy it. As always, don't forget to review! Thank you!
Whenever You Need Me
Disclaimer: This goes for later chapters, as well. The characters of Final Fantasy don't belong to me. There are, however, some characters I have modeled after my friends who will be making appearances in this story. I own them.
Author's Notes: (grovels at readers' feet) I apologize profusely for not having updated. Forgive me! Here is my latest chapter, an offering to appease your anger. It's a childhood chappy! Or, er, half a childhood chappy…sorta…er, you'll see.
Chapter 13: Awakening
~…Then…~
Fifteen-year-old Quistis Trepe buttoned her jacket and grabbed her whip, trying to lace up her boots at the same time. She ran out of her dormitory, only to stumble and crash into a nearby student.
"Trepe!!" She knew that voice. Only one guy in the whole entire Garden could have that voice.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Quistis said, disentangling herself from Seifer Almasy. The blonde boy stood up, gunblade clutched in his hand, and glared down at her. Quistis glared back and rose to her feet. "Something wrong, Almasy? Got a staring problem?"
"I was just wondering if you were normally this ditzy." Seifer shrugged. "You obviously are."
Quistis frowned. She never swore out loud when she could help it, but Seifer Almasy was a special case. "You ass."
Seifer blinked and smirked. "Oooh, and the teacher's pet swore."
She took a deep breath and let it out, still glaring at Seifer. She suddenly flipped him off, then spun around and stalked off, headed towards the training center. Seifer stared after her, slightly surprised.
'So…she DOES have a bad side.'
And it was then that Seifer remembered that he was heading for the training center, too.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ugh! Stupid freak…let me go!" Quistis cried out, casting her last Fire spell at the Grat holding her upside-down by her ankle. The creature twitched, wilted, and released the young student, letting Quistis fall 10 feet to the dust. "Aaaah--OW!" She lay sprawled on the ground for a moment, wondering if there were any broken bones. To her surprise, she was perfectly fine. Just sore. Very sore.
"So, are you gonna lie there all day, or are you going to train?" asked a voice.
"…Do you consider it your job to make my mornings living hell?" Quistis demanded, slowly raising herself off the ground. She looked up at Seifer, who was kneeling in front of her. "Or is this just some sick hobby of yours?"
"Hobby," came the immediate answer.
Quistis fought hard not to punch Seifer right in his arrogant face. Instead she quickly stood up. Head rush.
Seifer grabbed her arm to keep her steady. "Will you act normal for once, Trepe?" he asked, looking at her questioningly. "Or is that too much to ask? We're in a goddamned monsters' nest, and all you can think about is me. Actually, I'd be flattered if there wasn't the chance a T-Rexaur will come and bite our limbs off."
"Oh, I'm thinking about you alright," Quistis muttered, brushing dirt off her jacket. "…In the worst possible way."
"What?"
"Nothing I want to tell you."
Seifer looked at her for a moment. "I don't…remember you being so angry," he said quietly.
Quistis stared. "What?" she asked. "Seifer, what are you--?"
BOOM.
The two blondes turned as loud, echoing footsteps sounded throughout the training center. Only one monster in the entire room could make such a sound. "T-Rexaur," Seifer breathed, gripping his gunblade tightly. He quickly put a hand in front of Quistis' shoulders as he scanned the room, backing the both of them to the entrance.
"Seifer?" Quistis' voice was strangely small and hushed.
"What?"
"Don't back up."
"Why?"
"Because the T-Rexaur's right at the entrance," came the whispered reply. Seifer whirled around.
The monster was huge, a gargantuan dinosaur with a thick, red-and-black hide, smallish arms and huge legs. Coiled around its feet was the thick tail, known for its power. The T-Rexaur was the biggest either had ever seen, a fact that did not help as the monster took a thundering step towards them. Instinct taking over, Seifer positioned himself in front of Quistis, gunblade held out in front of him. "I'm going to try and distract it," he muttered to Quistis. "Go…go and get someone."
Quistis started. "What about you?!"
Seifer grit his teeth. "Well, I'll try and stay alive while you're gone."
Quistis moved up beside him. "Not funny," she hissed to him.
"You think I'm trying to be?!"
"I'm not leaving--!"
"Then we'll both die, Quisty!"
The girl blinked and turned to him quickly. "What did you call me--?!"
The monster suddenly let out a loud roar, shaking the trees, and charged at them. Seifer grabbed Quistis by the arm, pulling her with him as he leapt out of the dinosaur's way. The two landed in a head against a tree trunk, Seifer's arm wrapped around Quistis' shoulders. "FIRE!!" the teen shouted. The T-Rexaur screeched in pain as flames licked at his back. It whipped around, tail following. Seifer hugged Quistis to him, biting his lip and drawing blood as the heavy tail hit him heavily on the shoulder. The force sent the two flying. Seifer hurriedly scrambled to his feet, shielding Quistis from view. "Okay, the entrance is clear now!" he called over his shoulder. "Mind getting out of here?!" Tasting copper blood, Seifer wiped at his mouth with his free hand. His lip stung.
"I told you, I'm not leaving you here to get killed!" Quistis joined him, pulling her whip taut between her hands. "I dislike you, Seifer, but it's not like I want you to die!"
"Could've fooled me."
"Stop with those stupid cracks!"
The T-Rexaur attacked again. The two dived out of the way, Quistis running around its left leg while Seifer blindly ran between its feet. "Almasy, you dumbass!" Quistis yelled in panic, seeing the move. "What are you--"
"BLIZZARD!" The monster bellowed in pain, its legs encased in ice. Seifer reappeared, grabbing Quistis by the wrist. "Come on!!"
The monster, however, was smarter than it seemed. Curling its tail around the ice, the T-Rexaur squeezed tightly, and there loud cracks sounding in the air. "Shitshitshitshitshitshit!" Seifer muttered. They were halfway to the entrance. "Trepe, come on!"
There was a jerk on his hand and Seifer stumbled and turned. "QUIS!!!" he shouted.
Quistis limply hung from between the T-Rexaur's sharp teeth. Blood dripped down the monster's scaly chin as he increased pressure on his prey. Seifer heard a crack, accompanied by Quistis' scream of pain. He tried to think, but his mind was clouded. Dripping blood, broken bones…a broken Quistis. "QUIS!!!" he yelled again. Then he heard running footsteps. Two people. He turned to the entrance.
A tall man with long silver hair, dressed in an instructor uniform, rushed past him, followed by a striking woman with waist-length, reddish brown hair and tea-colored eyes, her hands sparking with power as she began to summon a Guardian Force. Seifer recognized the two immediately. The man, Instructor Sephiroth Gast, the woman, SeeD officer Saravien Devonshire, also in the Disciplinary Committee. Instructor Gast reached for the long ebony scabbard at his waist and drew a long blade. An upward slash at the monster's belly, and Quistis fell from the T-Rexaur's mouth as it snarled angrily. Instructor Gast caught the bleeding girl easily, looking back at Saravien. "SHIVA!" the SeeD cried out. The T-Rexaur screamed one last time as frigid Ice magic surrounded him. In less than five minutes, it was dead.
Seifer couldn't think anymore. His mind was numb as he watched Instructor Gast was walking towards him, Quistis cradled in his arms. She looked so pale, and everything was smeared red. So much blood. So much life…
He couldn't save her.
Seifer was dimly aware of Saravien holding him steady by the shoulder, guiding him to the infirmary. Footsteps behind them told him that Instructor Gast and Quistis were following closely. As soon as they entered the clinic, Seifer's mind blanked out completely, and he collapsed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That voice. Only one guy in the whole entire Garden could have that voice. Her fogged mind tried to understand what he was saying. Something about coming back…
"…You've missed a shitload of classes, Trepe, stay comatose any longer, I'll wake you up myself."
Quistis smiled inwardly. Well, he was still a bastard. She tried to open her eyes, but she was tired, so very tired…she let Seifer's voice wash over her, getting clearer and clearer.
"You should've gone." Seifer's voice became softer, and Quistis felt a light touch on her arm. Something in the back of her mind stirred, but before she could try to remember the touch, the thought vanished, as quickly as it came. "Dammit, Quisty, you can't be a SeeD if you can't take a friggin' order."
'Quisty?'
The name…so familiar.
Quistis struggled against the fog in her brain, trying, yearning to remember. Something in her past, a boy's voice.
"…What is it, Quisty…?"
"…Climb on, Quisty. I'll carry you home…"
"…Cross your heart!"
"Hope to die… Quisty? …Can I give you a kiss goodbye?"
"…we'll see each other again…"
"A knight never breaks his promises!"
"Don't you worry, Quisty, whenever you're hurt, I'll always be the one to carry you home…"
A distant memory, held somewhere deep inside…
Finally deciding that it was time to wake up, Quistis opened her eyes. She could tell she surprised Seifer.
"SHIT!!! Damn, Trepe, giving me a fucking heart attack…!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Now~
Seifer sat beside her bed, keeping a constant vigil, day and night. The life support system Dr. Kadowaki had hooked her up to beeped steadily, an ominous sound in his ears. Amazingly, the bullet had passed completely through Quistis' shoulder, missing vital organs by mere inches. However, it had already been two weeks since the SeeD test, and she was still comatose. Seifer remembered the one other time she had been strapped to so many machines. The T-Rexaur incident…and she'd managed to pull through. She'd wake up, he knew, very soon. Until then, he wasn't leaving her side.
"Seifer?"
He looked up. Rinoa stood there, holding a white teddy bear. "Hey," he said softly.
Rinoa smiled. "Hi. How's she doing?"
He looked back at Quistis. "The same."
Rinoa walked over to him and placed the teddy bear in his hands. "What the hell…?"
"You remember him?" the dark-haired young woman asked.
"Unfortunately, yeah. The teddy bear in your bedroom…Hyne, Rinoa, you gave him such a damned terrible name." Seifer raised his eyes to Rinoa and smirked.
"What? Treezle is not a terrible name!" Rinoa frowned, then smiled. "Well, terrible name or not, Treezle's here to help you keep watch on Quis. Unlike mere mortals, the almighty teddy bear doesn't need sleep, so he'll continue to guard her while you're snoozing."
"Uh, thanks?"
"You're welcome." Rinoa laughed softly. "Since when were you like this with anyone?"
"Like what?" Seifer asked absently.
"All weird…and worried."
Seifer looked away and chose not to answer. Rinoa clapped him on the back and smiled. "Don't worry, Seifer, it's not illegal to worry about someone. I do it all the time. I won't tell anyone about this, but they'll worry. You might wanna leave the infirmary once in a while."
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine."
Rinoa nodded. "If you say so. I'll see you around, okay? Don't worry," she whispered. "She'll wake up."
Seifer smiled slightly, and heard Rinoa's footsteps depart. His attention was already focused on his childhood friend's face.
"Quisty…wake up." His voice became a quiet whisper. "Please."
And somehow, as if she knew he was watching, that he was pleading, as if she'd heard, Quistis stirred and opened her eyes.
"…Seifer…?"
~Last Words~
It's quite short, though I do hope you enjoy it. As always, don't forget to review! Thank you!