Nida's Story
(Author's Note: Square owns 99.999999'% of this fanfic. I could claim to own Nida's personality couldn't I? Nah... Anyhow, how's thing with all my reviewers? I've only had four... One of them was through e-mail as well... If you wanna go on my update list (anyone?) then please e-mail me at: flower_of_happiness@hotmail.com ok? Good, so let's begin...)
Chapter Four: Angels
Zell knew when something was wrong, not that it took much to notice. Seifer was expelled from Garden, Nida and Quistis were falling out, Squall was even more distant than usual. There was an uneasy tension amongst the friends as they all sat in silence. Zell couldn't stanf it anymore. He looked to Quistis and Nida, who were sitting as far away from each other as possible.
"What happened? Spill," Zell demanded. Quistis replied, Nida just turned red and looked into his drink.
"I slept with Seifer on his first night back. I was so drunk I don't even remember how I got there, then I just left and decided to try and forget about it. Seifer didn't take the hint and in a fit of jealous rage chopped Nida's hand off, because I had kissed him. Anyone else wanna create an awkward moment?" She asked, looking around. "Good, then I'll be off." She stormed off. Zell looked at Nida.
"WHAT?" He asked. Nida blushed even redder.
"Oh come off it, you saw what she looked like. Who wouldn't have kissed her?" Nida asked. Zell was about to agree then remembered his girlfriend was sitting next to him. He looked at his hotdog then smiled evilly.
"She picked you over Seifer. Nice one man," He laughed. Nida stood up.
"Yeah, and because she did, I have to wait until next friday to get a hand! Now unless you have anymore smart ass questions or comments would you please drop it!" Nida half-shouted. He then sat down and chewed on his bottom lip. Zell, although taken aback by the sudden outburst, knew that inside Nida was hurting.
"Geez, you-you really-not here right..." Zell trailed off. If anyone had no idea what he was on about they'd have to speak swahili. Nida blushed again, then pushed away his food.
"Quistis is-well, whatever she is, she's no sweetheart of mine," Nida lied. Zell could tell he was, he hadn't been one of his friends for years for nothing. So he likes Quistis huh? Well I get the distinct feeling she needs someone right now.
"Quistis isn't anyone's sweetheart as you put it Nida. She's not going to belong to anyone. You should do well to remember that," Squall advised. Nida stood up quickly.
"Listen, is this a matchmaking committee? Enough, for Hyne's sake!" Nida turned and walked away quickly. Zell turned to the rest.
"So, what do we do about those two then?" He asked. He was surprised when Squall and Lucinda immediately said.
"Nothing!" They looked at each other and nodded. Squall continued. "They won't thank you for helping them along a bit. You'll get them to admit their feelings to you, but then they'll end up avoiding each other. I know Quistis, she'll feel like she's talking to a wall again if Nida rejects her," Squall stopped by stirring his coffee.
"What is it with the 'talk to the wall' stuff? Quistis mentioned it before, and I'm still none the wiser," Rinoa prompted. Zell sat back and folded his arms.
"The night of the ball, just after I'd danced with you, Quistis told me to meet her in the secret area. Basically she wanted to talk about her problems. She was so upset and I was such an ass. She was confessing to me that she'd lost her instructor's licence. I told her to talk to a wall, and it's stuck I guess," He looked extremely guilty. Well he should really, that was a really evil comment.
"Harsh. Well you guys are fine now!" Selphie giggled. Squall looked uncomfortable again. Zell knew exactly what he was thinking. The night Seifer returned, that was the night that Squall had proposed to Rinoa, the night Quistis had got drunk. Zell had suspected that Quistis's feelings towards Squall were more than that of siblings. Yet now there was Nida, who was far more obtainable for Quistis.
"I'm gonna go find one of them. They have to be able to teach tomorrow. They'll stay professional but... Nida is gonna be so hurt if she's a bitch to him," With that Lucinda stood up and ran away. Zell watched his girlfriend as she jogged out. She was so sweet, he wondered what it would be like without her? He would feel like Nida did. Ouch...
*
Lucinda found Quistis first. Although she wasn't one of Quistis's closest friends, she knew that Quistis would listen to her.
"He's hurting as much as you, you know?" Lucinda said quietly. Quistis sagged, then gestured around them. They were in the Quad, the stage was half complete in the background.
"You know I got my first kiss here? Do you know who it was?" She asked. Lucinda was surprised by the change of subject but intrigued all the same. She shook her head.
"No, I don't know either. You know why? Because no one had ever kissed me because they wanted to before. Sure I've been kissed, but not with love. Always with lust, as it were here. When Nida kissed me it was the first time I'd ever been kissed by someone who cared.
"Then this morning, a few hours before I came to see you, I had a nightmare. I went into Nida's room, don't ask. He was having a nightmare as well. He woke up and was so rude to me, he forced me out of his room. I thought he liked me, Lucinda, I really did," Tears welled up in Quistis's eyes. Lucinda wrapped her arms around Quistis without thinking. Quistis sobbed into her shoulder.
"Luce?" The voice was the least welcome one. Nida was walking across the Quad. He looked pale. Then he saw Quistis. His face became a mask of concern and anger. Lucinda could tell immediately that Nida was trying to bury his feelings again.
"No, doesn't matter. Er..." He faltered. Quistis was looking up at him. Lucinda could almost see the sparks fllying. Not only did they absolutely hate each other at that moment, every atom of their being was trying to get them together. Lucinda watched as they stared each other out. She coughed and Nida looked at her, breaking the silence.
"Oh, I was wondering if you wanna spar with me. But I can see that you're busy. Maybe later huh?" Nida asked. Lucinda laughed. "What?" Nida asked.
"In an hour I have my SeeD exam Nida," She said. Nida blinked a few times.
"Want me to help you do some last minute studying?" Nida asked. Lucinda remembered the studying she'd done last night. She hadn't learned much if she remembered correctly.
"Yeah, thanks," She stood up and brushed herself off. Then turned to Quistis. "You ever need to talk, come to me, ok? I won't judge you Quistis, I've had enough judgements passed on me the last a lifetime!" Lucinda turned to Nida again. "Let's go!"
*
Nida sat, brooding over last night. A few days ago he would never have dreamed of being an intructor, he couldn't have even talked to Quistis. But now... Now things were different. Now he could talk to her, and he could fight with her too. That seemed to be something that she was good at.
"Nida, go and do whatever you do. Sitting there brooding isn't helping me," Lucinda sighed. She stood up and took his shoulders.
"Nida, face it. You and Quistis need to talk. Not shout, talk. You need to sort this out like proper professionals. Now, you go and only come back when you've talked to her," Lucinda pushed Nida out of the door and slammed it in his face. Nida glared at the door, as though he wear staring at Lucinda. Sure, he had been in a bad mood, but what did Lucinda expect?
Nida wandered through the halls, then decided that Lucinda was right. With great reluctance he headed for Quistis's dormitory. When he got there however he froze. He couldn't do it. He leaned against the wall opposite, his face in his hands.
"What do you want?" The voice cut through his anxiety. He looked up to see Quistis walking up the corridor. The look she gave him said it all. If looks could kill, Nida would have died on the spot.
"Nothing..." Nida lied. He swallowed, hoping that he could act as though he were just passing.
"Nothing? You're a bad liar Nida. Now, I have to spend enough time with you as it is, without unpleasant social visits," Quistis opened her door with her key and shut it, in much the same way as Lucinda had. Nida sagged and cried into his hand. He didn't know that on the other side of the door, Quistis was doing the same thing.
*
Quistis knew that she shouldn't have fired at Nida, it was her that was the problem, not him. She'd screwed up everything she'd ever done, and she didn't want to screw him up. Everything she touched was broken.
She looked at her timetable. Tomorrow would be her first day of lessons with Nida. She couldn't go through the day without a kind word from him. Not only would pupils notice, but so would the gang. She was sure that their little matchmaking committee was already at work. She wished them luck.
Quistis decided it was safe to go out and headed to the Secret Area. She sat there, thinking about her life. The reflections of her failures. She didn't notice Nida sitting on the other side of the balcony watching her.
*
Nida didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw that Quistis was as miserable as he was. He wanted her to be as unhappy as he was but he also wanted her to be happy as well. He was so confused that he just felt numb. As though he'd taken too much Phoenix Down and had jumped off a very high building.
He became aware that she was moving. He noticed the silver tracks of tears running down her face. The way her hair had fallen out of the tight plait, untidy strands falling onto her face. She had brought her knees to her body and was crying into them. Nida felt his heart wrench.
He got up and walked towards her. He put his hand out to her face, brushing the loose hair away gently. She looked up, her eyes wide. When she saw it was Nida her face twisted into a look of confusion. Nida reached out and held her, as she sobbed silently into his shoulder. After a while she pulled away.
"Nida, I-I have to go. Um..." She paused and then looked up into his eyes. Nida knew that they were moving closer together again. Suddenly he remembered Seifer's face. Quistis had slept with him. If Quistis wanted Nida, why had she chosen to sleep with Seifer. Nida pulled away. He couldn't handle the rejection, not from her.
"Nida?" She breathed. Nida stood up and walked swiftly away. Quistis looked at her hands and let the tears fall.
*
Squall watched the sorry scene and decided. Maybe it was worth the risk, if it would make them happy.
Biting his lip he dialled the number on his cellphone, half expecting his offer to be rejected.
"Seifer? How about earning a little extra cash?"
(Author's Note: Square owns 99.999999'% of this fanfic. I could claim to own Nida's personality couldn't I? Nah... Anyhow, how's thing with all my reviewers? I've only had four... One of them was through e-mail as well... If you wanna go on my update list (anyone?) then please e-mail me at: flower_of_happiness@hotmail.com ok? Good, so let's begin...)
Zell knew when something was wrong, not that it took much to notice. Seifer was expelled from Garden, Nida and Quistis were falling out, Squall was even more distant than usual. There was an uneasy tension amongst the friends as they all sat in silence. Zell couldn't stanf it anymore. He looked to Quistis and Nida, who were sitting as far away from each other as possible.
"What happened? Spill," Zell demanded. Quistis replied, Nida just turned red and looked into his drink.
"I slept with Seifer on his first night back. I was so drunk I don't even remember how I got there, then I just left and decided to try and forget about it. Seifer didn't take the hint and in a fit of jealous rage chopped Nida's hand off, because I had kissed him. Anyone else wanna create an awkward moment?" She asked, looking around. "Good, then I'll be off." She stormed off. Zell looked at Nida.
"WHAT?" He asked. Nida blushed even redder.
"Oh come off it, you saw what she looked like. Who wouldn't have kissed her?" Nida asked. Zell was about to agree then remembered his girlfriend was sitting next to him. He looked at his hotdog then smiled evilly.
"She picked you over Seifer. Nice one man," He laughed. Nida stood up.
"Yeah, and because she did, I have to wait until next friday to get a hand! Now unless you have anymore smart ass questions or comments would you please drop it!" Nida half-shouted. He then sat down and chewed on his bottom lip. Zell, although taken aback by the sudden outburst, knew that inside Nida was hurting.
"Geez, you-you really-not here right..." Zell trailed off. If anyone had no idea what he was on about they'd have to speak swahili. Nida blushed again, then pushed away his food.
"Quistis is-well, whatever she is, she's no sweetheart of mine," Nida lied. Zell could tell he was, he hadn't been one of his friends for years for nothing. So he likes Quistis huh? Well I get the distinct feeling she needs someone right now.
"Quistis isn't anyone's sweetheart as you put it Nida. She's not going to belong to anyone. You should do well to remember that," Squall advised. Nida stood up quickly.
"Listen, is this a matchmaking committee? Enough, for Hyne's sake!" Nida turned and walked away quickly. Zell turned to the rest.
"So, what do we do about those two then?" He asked. He was surprised when Squall and Lucinda immediately said.
"Nothing!" They looked at each other and nodded. Squall continued. "They won't thank you for helping them along a bit. You'll get them to admit their feelings to you, but then they'll end up avoiding each other. I know Quistis, she'll feel like she's talking to a wall again if Nida rejects her," Squall stopped by stirring his coffee.
"What is it with the 'talk to the wall' stuff? Quistis mentioned it before, and I'm still none the wiser," Rinoa prompted. Zell sat back and folded his arms.
"The night of the ball, just after I'd danced with you, Quistis told me to meet her in the secret area. Basically she wanted to talk about her problems. She was so upset and I was such an ass. She was confessing to me that she'd lost her instructor's licence. I told her to talk to a wall, and it's stuck I guess," He looked extremely guilty. Well he should really, that was a really evil comment.
"Harsh. Well you guys are fine now!" Selphie giggled. Squall looked uncomfortable again. Zell knew exactly what he was thinking. The night Seifer returned, that was the night that Squall had proposed to Rinoa, the night Quistis had got drunk. Zell had suspected that Quistis's feelings towards Squall were more than that of siblings. Yet now there was Nida, who was far more obtainable for Quistis.
"I'm gonna go find one of them. They have to be able to teach tomorrow. They'll stay professional but... Nida is gonna be so hurt if she's a bitch to him," With that Lucinda stood up and ran away. Zell watched his girlfriend as she jogged out. She was so sweet, he wondered what it would be like without her? He would feel like Nida did. Ouch...
Lucinda found Quistis first. Although she wasn't one of Quistis's closest friends, she knew that Quistis would listen to her.
"He's hurting as much as you, you know?" Lucinda said quietly. Quistis sagged, then gestured around them. They were in the Quad, the stage was half complete in the background.
"You know I got my first kiss here? Do you know who it was?" She asked. Lucinda was surprised by the change of subject but intrigued all the same. She shook her head.
"No, I don't know either. You know why? Because no one had ever kissed me because they wanted to before. Sure I've been kissed, but not with love. Always with lust, as it were here. When Nida kissed me it was the first time I'd ever been kissed by someone who cared.
"Then this morning, a few hours before I came to see you, I had a nightmare. I went into Nida's room, don't ask. He was having a nightmare as well. He woke up and was so rude to me, he forced me out of his room. I thought he liked me, Lucinda, I really did," Tears welled up in Quistis's eyes. Lucinda wrapped her arms around Quistis without thinking. Quistis sobbed into her shoulder.
"Luce?" The voice was the least welcome one. Nida was walking across the Quad. He looked pale. Then he saw Quistis. His face became a mask of concern and anger. Lucinda could tell immediately that Nida was trying to bury his feelings again.
"No, doesn't matter. Er..." He faltered. Quistis was looking up at him. Lucinda could almost see the sparks fllying. Not only did they absolutely hate each other at that moment, every atom of their being was trying to get them together. Lucinda watched as they stared each other out. She coughed and Nida looked at her, breaking the silence.
"Oh, I was wondering if you wanna spar with me. But I can see that you're busy. Maybe later huh?" Nida asked. Lucinda laughed. "What?" Nida asked.
"In an hour I have my SeeD exam Nida," She said. Nida blinked a few times.
"Want me to help you do some last minute studying?" Nida asked. Lucinda remembered the studying she'd done last night. She hadn't learned much if she remembered correctly.
"Yeah, thanks," She stood up and brushed herself off. Then turned to Quistis. "You ever need to talk, come to me, ok? I won't judge you Quistis, I've had enough judgements passed on me the last a lifetime!" Lucinda turned to Nida again. "Let's go!"
Nida sat, brooding over last night. A few days ago he would never have dreamed of being an intructor, he couldn't have even talked to Quistis. But now... Now things were different. Now he could talk to her, and he could fight with her too. That seemed to be something that she was good at.
"Nida, go and do whatever you do. Sitting there brooding isn't helping me," Lucinda sighed. She stood up and took his shoulders.
"Nida, face it. You and Quistis need to talk. Not shout, talk. You need to sort this out like proper professionals. Now, you go and only come back when you've talked to her," Lucinda pushed Nida out of the door and slammed it in his face. Nida glared at the door, as though he wear staring at Lucinda. Sure, he had been in a bad mood, but what did Lucinda expect?
Nida wandered through the halls, then decided that Lucinda was right. With great reluctance he headed for Quistis's dormitory. When he got there however he froze. He couldn't do it. He leaned against the wall opposite, his face in his hands.
"What do you want?" The voice cut through his anxiety. He looked up to see Quistis walking up the corridor. The look she gave him said it all. If looks could kill, Nida would have died on the spot.
"Nothing..." Nida lied. He swallowed, hoping that he could act as though he were just passing.
"Nothing? You're a bad liar Nida. Now, I have to spend enough time with you as it is, without unpleasant social visits," Quistis opened her door with her key and shut it, in much the same way as Lucinda had. Nida sagged and cried into his hand. He didn't know that on the other side of the door, Quistis was doing the same thing.
Quistis knew that she shouldn't have fired at Nida, it was her that was the problem, not him. She'd screwed up everything she'd ever done, and she didn't want to screw him up. Everything she touched was broken.
She looked at her timetable. Tomorrow would be her first day of lessons with Nida. She couldn't go through the day without a kind word from him. Not only would pupils notice, but so would the gang. She was sure that their little matchmaking committee was already at work. She wished them luck.
Quistis decided it was safe to go out and headed to the Secret Area. She sat there, thinking about her life. The reflections of her failures. She didn't notice Nida sitting on the other side of the balcony watching her.
Nida didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw that Quistis was as miserable as he was. He wanted her to be as unhappy as he was but he also wanted her to be happy as well. He was so confused that he just felt numb. As though he'd taken too much Phoenix Down and had jumped off a very high building.
He became aware that she was moving. He noticed the silver tracks of tears running down her face. The way her hair had fallen out of the tight plait, untidy strands falling onto her face. She had brought her knees to her body and was crying into them. Nida felt his heart wrench.
He got up and walked towards her. He put his hand out to her face, brushing the loose hair away gently. She looked up, her eyes wide. When she saw it was Nida her face twisted into a look of confusion. Nida reached out and held her, as she sobbed silently into his shoulder. After a while she pulled away.
"Nida, I-I have to go. Um..." She paused and then looked up into his eyes. Nida knew that they were moving closer together again. Suddenly he remembered Seifer's face. Quistis had slept with him. If Quistis wanted Nida, why had she chosen to sleep with Seifer. Nida pulled away. He couldn't handle the rejection, not from her.
"Nida?" She breathed. Nida stood up and walked swiftly away. Quistis looked at her hands and let the tears fall.
Squall watched the sorry scene and decided. Maybe it was worth the risk, if it would make them happy.
Biting his lip he dialled the number on his cellphone, half expecting his offer to be rejected.
"Seifer? How about earning a little extra cash?"