Final Fantasy VIII
Whenever You Need Me
Author's Notes: The next chapter of "Whenever You Need Me", for your enjoyment. The birth of "romantic" Seifer, in a really short, corny way. And another original character appears…Kyrie!
Chapter 14: Caught in the Act! (revised)
"Holy--!" Quistis gasped as Seifer fell off his seat and toppled from view. There was a loud thud and a cry of pain. "Seifer?!" she asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"
Seifer jumped to his feet, clutching a white teddy bear. "Do you consider it your job to scare the hell out of me, or is it just a hobby of your twisted mind?" he demanded, though relief was evident on his face. "Damn, you took years off my life!"
Quistis blinked. "I'm sorry…are you alright?"
The blond glared at her. "No," he said evenly, rubbing a spot on the back of his head. "I hit my head."
Quistis stared at him for a few moments, then began to giggle. Soon, she was laughing uncontrollably, her hands clasped over her mouth as her slender shoulders shook with mirth. Seifer looked at her in confusion until her laughter died down. "I--I'm sorry," she managed to gasp out, her face red and her eyes shining. "You just looked so…so…"
"So what?" Seifer queried, frowning.
"So cute!"
Seifer's eyes widened, and he stared at Quistis for what had to be a full two minutes. "So…cute?" he finally said.
She nodded, placing her hands down on her lap and smiling up at him.
Seifer suddenly realized at how foolish he looked then, not having slept more than two days the whole time Quistis had been in a coma, his clothes wrinkled, his hair a bird's nest, and holding a--
"What an adorable bear!" Quistis remarked. "Whose is it?"
"Oh, this?" Seifer held up the stuffed animal. "Oh, it's Rinoa's."
He saw the flash of disappointment in Quistis' cerulean eyes before she blinked and smiled. "To watch over me? That's nice of her." She paused, then asked tentatively, "Seifer?"
He sat down on the bed. "Yeah?"
She leaned forward. "How long?" she asked softly. "I mean, how long have I been in here?"
Seifer studied her pale face. "A week," he said neutrally.
"Mm." Quistis looked down at her hands for a few seconds, then looked up again. "Well?"
"Well what?" Seifer looked blank.
"Your rank, Almasy, what else?" Quistis demanded hotly, punching his shoulder. "You managed to get through, didn't you?" Annoyance was replaced by concern. "I mean, you didn't do anything completely stupid, did you?"
"Well, I--"
~Flashback~
"QUISTIS!!"
Seifer heard his own voice, screaming Quistis' name over and over as he dropped his Hyperion and ran to her side. Blood was already pooling at her shoulder, soaking her SeeD uniform and dripping through the grates. Quistis' chest rose and fell weakly as she let out soft, ragged breaths. "Seif--Seify, you're here," she murmured, her eyes glassy and unfocused. "You shouldn't…not be here."
He slid one arm beneath her, pulling her to a sitting position. "Quis, can you see me? Can you hear me?!" His voice was low, panicked. "It's me."
She blinked. "Seify…Seifer…"
He lifted her up and ran to the lift, stumbling slightly, not even bothering to pick up his fallen gunblade in his haste. Her body was warm against him, her breathing slow, steady…faint. Her lips kept moving, her murmurs reaching his ears as he ran. "Seify, you're not supposed to be here…but I'm glad you are. You kept it…you kept your promise, Seifer…"
"Shut up, Trepe," he muttered, passing the fountain in the town square. "You're sounding stupid."
"Don't you remember, Seifer? You promised you'd always carry me home if I needed you." Quistis sighed softly. "…My shoulder. It's numb."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is…" Quistis moved in his arms. "I'm losing a lot of blood, Seifer…and you're going to fail. I'm sorry, Seify, I really am."
"Seifer, what happened?!" Alonia asked as Seifer reached the beach. "Shit, what happened to Quis?!"
"She got shot," Seifer said. "What do you think, Everclear?"
Alonia looked at him sharply. "No need to bitch. Come on, the last boat's waiting. I got them to wait when I told them Quistis was still in Dollet. Come on." She jogged towards the waiting vehicle, Seifer close behind.
~End flashback~
"--didn't check it out with the headmaster yet. But I think I got in."
"Really?" Quistis smiled. "That's great. I hope you got a high rank."
"…Yeah. How about you? How're you feeling?"
"Ah, well…" Quistis touched her right shoulder. "This feels like a total bitch. I hope the bullet passed through cleanly?"
Seifer smiled. "Just missed your vital organs. You're lucky, Trepe."
She nodded. "Feels like it."
Seifer rose to his feet. "Well, Sleeping Beauty, since you woke up, I'm thinking you've got a hell of an appetite." He smirked. "I'll go get you something to eat from the cafeteria."
"Thanks. Um, will you be taking your companion with you?" Quistis arched an eyebrow at the teddy bear in Seifer's hand. "Be sure to get him something, too."
"Hey, shut up!" Seifer retorted, throwing the toy at Quistis, who batted it away. "I'm trying to be nice, here?"
"It's a great change. But, as I recall correctly, you called me Sleeping Beauty, and didn't she have to get kissed to wake up?" Quistis giggled at the joke. "So gimme a kiss, my knight in shining armor!" Closing her eyes, she raised her face up to Seifer expectantly.
Seifer paused for a moment, then leaned towards her. Just as their lips met--
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Omigosh!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zell Dincht shadowboxed impatiently as he was next to the elevator on the second floor. Irvine Kinneas leaned silently against the guardrails. "Chill out, Zell," said the auburn-haired young man jovially, grinning at his best friend. "Classes will be over in a few minutes."
"I know," Zell muttered tersely. "Dammit, that's too quick."
"We've been waiting here for over an hour and a half, and you call that too quick…huh." Irvine shrugged and pulled his hat over his eyes. "You're the one that dragged me all the way up here, Dincht, and I'm sticking around to see if you actually go through with it or not." He smirked. "This is gonna be some show."
"Shut up, cowboy."
"Hey, don't hate. Just because I dress like a cowboy doesn't mean I am one. I just happen to like the hat."
"Whatever."
"Careful, now, or I'm gonna have to start calling you Squall."
"Grrrr…!"
"Hm, maybe not. How about Torama?"
DING DONG DING!
Irvine straightened up. "Well, I think I should go and make myself scarce before you kick my ass." He grinned at Zell a final time and strolled off, almost immediately being surrounded by a group of female students.
Zell anxiously watched the students that passed him to head for the cafeteria on the first floor. Not one of them was the person he was looking for. "Don't tell me she's not here…!"
"Who's not here?" asked a voice behind him.
Zell whirled around. "K-K…K--"
A petite girl with light-brown eyes blinked up at him. Her hair, shoulder length waves of ebony, was pulled into two pigtails that fell down her shoulders. Her name: Kyrie Indigo. As perky as Selphie Tilmitt, more fearsome than Ultimecia.
Why was she fearsome? One reason only.
Zell's mission, for he chose to accept it: to ask her out on a date.
"K-K-K-Kyrie…" Zell finally managed to stutter. "H-hi."
"H-hi to you, too, Zell!" Kyrie mimicked, then flashed him a cheerful smile. "What's with the stuttering? Oh, I get it…you're nervous, aren't you!"
"M-me? Nervous? W-why?" Zell's voice cracked slightly.
"Well, I've known you for only a year, but I know you pretty well." Kyrie began to walk around Zell, studying him. "You stutter when you get nervous, which is usually in front of crowds. If you get really nervous, you turn red. Kinda like what you're doing right now!" She pointed at Zell's scarlet face. "Hm, so what's up with you, Dincht?"
(Yes, Kyrie was a nice girl, athletic and academically gifted, although in love, she was a bit on the dense side…)
"Uh, well…I--I…"
"Hey, Kyrie!" Irvine chose that time to saunter over and throw an arm around Kyrie's shoulders. "Good afternoon, ma'am! How's the second prettiest gal in school?"
"Who's the first, Irvine?" Kyrie asked with a grin.
"My one and only Selphie, of course." Irvine pulled lightly on one of Kyrie's pigtails. "Well, I'd better go and leave you two…I've got to get rid of the harem following me…" And he walked off, trailed by a small group of girls.
Kyrie waved after him, then turned back to Zell. "So you were saying, Zell?"
"Umm…I…uh, I was wondering if…uhhh…w-will you…?"
Kyrie smiled. "Yeah?"
"W-will you…go out with--"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Irvine!!!"
Selphie Tilmitt came bursting out of the elevator, screaming hysterically, bashing into Irvine and squealing into his shirt. Irvine held her, bewildered, as the gaggle of girls behind him hurried away, fearing a jealous girlfriend's wrath.
Kyrie ran over to the brown-haired girl. "Selphie, what's wrong?!" she asked anxiously.
Zell repeatedly cursed in his head. He loved Selphie, really he did, she was like a sister…but GODAMMIT, why did she have to interrupt them now?!?! HE WAS SO CLOSE!!!!!!
Irvine held Selphie by the shoulders. "Sefie, honey, what's wrong?!" he asked, panicked for his girlfriend's well-being. "Are you okay?!?!"
"…Seifer…kissing…infirmary!" Selphie managed to say before she dissolved into squeals once more.
"What?" Kyrie asked.
"Seifer and Quistis!" Selphie gasped, grinning up at Irvine. "I saw Seifer kissing Quistis in the infirmary!!!"
Whenever You Need Me
Author's Notes: The next chapter of "Whenever You Need Me", for your enjoyment. The birth of "romantic" Seifer, in a really short, corny way. And another original character appears…Kyrie!
Chapter 14: Caught in the Act! (revised)
"Holy--!" Quistis gasped as Seifer fell off his seat and toppled from view. There was a loud thud and a cry of pain. "Seifer?!" she asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"
Seifer jumped to his feet, clutching a white teddy bear. "Do you consider it your job to scare the hell out of me, or is it just a hobby of your twisted mind?" he demanded, though relief was evident on his face. "Damn, you took years off my life!"
Quistis blinked. "I'm sorry…are you alright?"
The blond glared at her. "No," he said evenly, rubbing a spot on the back of his head. "I hit my head."
Quistis stared at him for a few moments, then began to giggle. Soon, she was laughing uncontrollably, her hands clasped over her mouth as her slender shoulders shook with mirth. Seifer looked at her in confusion until her laughter died down. "I--I'm sorry," she managed to gasp out, her face red and her eyes shining. "You just looked so…so…"
"So what?" Seifer queried, frowning.
"So cute!"
Seifer's eyes widened, and he stared at Quistis for what had to be a full two minutes. "So…cute?" he finally said.
She nodded, placing her hands down on her lap and smiling up at him.
Seifer suddenly realized at how foolish he looked then, not having slept more than two days the whole time Quistis had been in a coma, his clothes wrinkled, his hair a bird's nest, and holding a--
"What an adorable bear!" Quistis remarked. "Whose is it?"
"Oh, this?" Seifer held up the stuffed animal. "Oh, it's Rinoa's."
He saw the flash of disappointment in Quistis' cerulean eyes before she blinked and smiled. "To watch over me? That's nice of her." She paused, then asked tentatively, "Seifer?"
He sat down on the bed. "Yeah?"
She leaned forward. "How long?" she asked softly. "I mean, how long have I been in here?"
Seifer studied her pale face. "A week," he said neutrally.
"Mm." Quistis looked down at her hands for a few seconds, then looked up again. "Well?"
"Well what?" Seifer looked blank.
"Your rank, Almasy, what else?" Quistis demanded hotly, punching his shoulder. "You managed to get through, didn't you?" Annoyance was replaced by concern. "I mean, you didn't do anything completely stupid, did you?"
"Well, I--"
~Flashback~
"QUISTIS!!"
Seifer heard his own voice, screaming Quistis' name over and over as he dropped his Hyperion and ran to her side. Blood was already pooling at her shoulder, soaking her SeeD uniform and dripping through the grates. Quistis' chest rose and fell weakly as she let out soft, ragged breaths. "Seif--Seify, you're here," she murmured, her eyes glassy and unfocused. "You shouldn't…not be here."
He slid one arm beneath her, pulling her to a sitting position. "Quis, can you see me? Can you hear me?!" His voice was low, panicked. "It's me."
She blinked. "Seify…Seifer…"
He lifted her up and ran to the lift, stumbling slightly, not even bothering to pick up his fallen gunblade in his haste. Her body was warm against him, her breathing slow, steady…faint. Her lips kept moving, her murmurs reaching his ears as he ran. "Seify, you're not supposed to be here…but I'm glad you are. You kept it…you kept your promise, Seifer…"
"Shut up, Trepe," he muttered, passing the fountain in the town square. "You're sounding stupid."
"Don't you remember, Seifer? You promised you'd always carry me home if I needed you." Quistis sighed softly. "…My shoulder. It's numb."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is…" Quistis moved in his arms. "I'm losing a lot of blood, Seifer…and you're going to fail. I'm sorry, Seify, I really am."
"Seifer, what happened?!" Alonia asked as Seifer reached the beach. "Shit, what happened to Quis?!"
"She got shot," Seifer said. "What do you think, Everclear?"
Alonia looked at him sharply. "No need to bitch. Come on, the last boat's waiting. I got them to wait when I told them Quistis was still in Dollet. Come on." She jogged towards the waiting vehicle, Seifer close behind.
~End flashback~
"--didn't check it out with the headmaster yet. But I think I got in."
"Really?" Quistis smiled. "That's great. I hope you got a high rank."
"…Yeah. How about you? How're you feeling?"
"Ah, well…" Quistis touched her right shoulder. "This feels like a total bitch. I hope the bullet passed through cleanly?"
Seifer smiled. "Just missed your vital organs. You're lucky, Trepe."
She nodded. "Feels like it."
Seifer rose to his feet. "Well, Sleeping Beauty, since you woke up, I'm thinking you've got a hell of an appetite." He smirked. "I'll go get you something to eat from the cafeteria."
"Thanks. Um, will you be taking your companion with you?" Quistis arched an eyebrow at the teddy bear in Seifer's hand. "Be sure to get him something, too."
"Hey, shut up!" Seifer retorted, throwing the toy at Quistis, who batted it away. "I'm trying to be nice, here?"
"It's a great change. But, as I recall correctly, you called me Sleeping Beauty, and didn't she have to get kissed to wake up?" Quistis giggled at the joke. "So gimme a kiss, my knight in shining armor!" Closing her eyes, she raised her face up to Seifer expectantly.
Seifer paused for a moment, then leaned towards her. Just as their lips met--
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Omigosh!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zell Dincht shadowboxed impatiently as he was next to the elevator on the second floor. Irvine Kinneas leaned silently against the guardrails. "Chill out, Zell," said the auburn-haired young man jovially, grinning at his best friend. "Classes will be over in a few minutes."
"I know," Zell muttered tersely. "Dammit, that's too quick."
"We've been waiting here for over an hour and a half, and you call that too quick…huh." Irvine shrugged and pulled his hat over his eyes. "You're the one that dragged me all the way up here, Dincht, and I'm sticking around to see if you actually go through with it or not." He smirked. "This is gonna be some show."
"Shut up, cowboy."
"Hey, don't hate. Just because I dress like a cowboy doesn't mean I am one. I just happen to like the hat."
"Whatever."
"Careful, now, or I'm gonna have to start calling you Squall."
"Grrrr…!"
"Hm, maybe not. How about Torama?"
DING DONG DING!
Irvine straightened up. "Well, I think I should go and make myself scarce before you kick my ass." He grinned at Zell a final time and strolled off, almost immediately being surrounded by a group of female students.
Zell anxiously watched the students that passed him to head for the cafeteria on the first floor. Not one of them was the person he was looking for. "Don't tell me she's not here…!"
"Who's not here?" asked a voice behind him.
Zell whirled around. "K-K…K--"
A petite girl with light-brown eyes blinked up at him. Her hair, shoulder length waves of ebony, was pulled into two pigtails that fell down her shoulders. Her name: Kyrie Indigo. As perky as Selphie Tilmitt, more fearsome than Ultimecia.
Why was she fearsome? One reason only.
Zell's mission, for he chose to accept it: to ask her out on a date.
"K-K-K-Kyrie…" Zell finally managed to stutter. "H-hi."
"H-hi to you, too, Zell!" Kyrie mimicked, then flashed him a cheerful smile. "What's with the stuttering? Oh, I get it…you're nervous, aren't you!"
"M-me? Nervous? W-why?" Zell's voice cracked slightly.
"Well, I've known you for only a year, but I know you pretty well." Kyrie began to walk around Zell, studying him. "You stutter when you get nervous, which is usually in front of crowds. If you get really nervous, you turn red. Kinda like what you're doing right now!" She pointed at Zell's scarlet face. "Hm, so what's up with you, Dincht?"
(Yes, Kyrie was a nice girl, athletic and academically gifted, although in love, she was a bit on the dense side…)
"Uh, well…I--I…"
"Hey, Kyrie!" Irvine chose that time to saunter over and throw an arm around Kyrie's shoulders. "Good afternoon, ma'am! How's the second prettiest gal in school?"
"Who's the first, Irvine?" Kyrie asked with a grin.
"My one and only Selphie, of course." Irvine pulled lightly on one of Kyrie's pigtails. "Well, I'd better go and leave you two…I've got to get rid of the harem following me…" And he walked off, trailed by a small group of girls.
Kyrie waved after him, then turned back to Zell. "So you were saying, Zell?"
"Umm…I…uh, I was wondering if…uhhh…w-will you…?"
Kyrie smiled. "Yeah?"
"W-will you…go out with--"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Irvine!!!"
Selphie Tilmitt came bursting out of the elevator, screaming hysterically, bashing into Irvine and squealing into his shirt. Irvine held her, bewildered, as the gaggle of girls behind him hurried away, fearing a jealous girlfriend's wrath.
Kyrie ran over to the brown-haired girl. "Selphie, what's wrong?!" she asked anxiously.
Zell repeatedly cursed in his head. He loved Selphie, really he did, she was like a sister…but GODAMMIT, why did she have to interrupt them now?!?! HE WAS SO CLOSE!!!!!!
Irvine held Selphie by the shoulders. "Sefie, honey, what's wrong?!" he asked, panicked for his girlfriend's well-being. "Are you okay?!?!"
"…Seifer…kissing…infirmary!" Selphie managed to say before she dissolved into squeals once more.
"What?" Kyrie asked.
"Seifer and Quistis!" Selphie gasped, grinning up at Irvine. "I saw Seifer kissing Quistis in the infirmary!!!"