Truth…

"What did you call me?" Did Quistis just hear her pet name pass Seifer's lips?

"Why does it matter? You'll go to your precious Garden in two days any way, so you'll never have to see me ever again." Seifer growled and ran his fingers through his long hair, but his bangs just fell back down to block his vision. Frustrated, Seifer angrily hurled his cigarette to the dark streets outside, and sat himself against the opposite wall.

Quistis looked at him curiously. She quickly drew her eyes away from him as he turned to look her in the eye.

"Tell me, Instructor, why would the elite military force of SeeD assign you for this kind of…mission?" Seifer drawled.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Quistis felt the anger rising. "What? Do you think I'm not good enough?"

"Just a simple question, my dear Instructor…" Seifer waited for the answer, but there came none. So in a kinder tone, which he did not mean to sound, he asked, "Why would they only send you alone for this?"

Quistis lifted her eyes to his face him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know why Cid would only send her alone. Well, if Seifer really was Cid's son, then Cid must not have wanted his son to be killed by the SeeD army, she mused. But I'm not supposed to tell him the truth. What should I do?

"Quistis?" Seifer looked at her still, frozen silhouette.

"…I…" She began in an almost inaudible voice.

Seifer looked on, intrigued. He watched her take a deep breath and release it in a white mist of the freezing room. She didn't turn to him.

"Seifer?"

"I'm listening."

"Do you know who your parents are?"

"No, I never knew my parents… You mean ' were,' don't you?"

"…No."

Seifer swallowed, nervously. Where was she going with this?

"I know who your father is."

"What the? What are you talking about!? My father is dead!"

"Your father is the headmaster at Balamb Garden."

"Cid? Quistis, I think those drugs are messing up your brain."

"It's the truth!"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why not?"

Seifer stared at her in frustration and confusion. "How do you know this anyway?"

"He told me, that's why he sent me for you. He didn't want the SeeD army to kill you." Quistis said unemotionally as fast as she could.

Just then a strange, rhythmic knock came at the door of the room. Seifer quickly stood up and opened it. In came Fujin and Rajin.

"Got the rations?" Seifer inquired scrutinizingly, lifting an eyebrow.

"We sure did," Rajin brushed the snow from his hair and lifted up a shopping bag, full of food. Seifer snatched it from his hands and quickly rummaged through it. He snapped his head up and looked Rajin in the eye.

"Rajin! You dumbass!" Seifer snarled. "You forgot the bread. We have everything, including the meat the cheese and the condiments, but like the retard that you are, you forget the most important ingredient!" then turning to Fujin, "And you, you should know better!" Seifer rolled his eyes, regaining himself. "Oh guys, I'm not mad at you, just go back and get the bread." With that the two sighed and went back out into the blistering cold, and the developing storm.

At all this, Quistis watched silently. Have they been living like this for the past two years? She couldn't imagine herself without the comfort and warmness of Garden.

* * *

In the dark, semi-frozen streets, below, Fujin and Rajin began their 15-minute journey all the way to thrift store. Rajin was deep in thought. "You know Fujin, I coulda sworn I bought the bread. You saw me didn't you?"

Fujin nodded. She then paused and took the bag from Rajin as she began to rifle through it once more. She paused and blinked in disbelief.

"What? What is it, Fu?" Rajin looked into the shopping bag and saw to his shock…the bread…?

* * *

Squall and the team frantically began their search for Quistis. On their way to the Balamb train station they came across a seemingly empty car.

From the back seat, Selphie piped, "Hey Squall! Pull over! There're some people that might need help in that car, like car trouble or something!"

"Settle down, Selph, we don't got time for this." Irvine stated.

"No wait!" Squall exclaimed. "That looks like a Garden car…the one that was missing!"

"CID!" they all burst out in unison.

* * *

They stared at each other. None of them knowing what to say. Except for the howling winds outside, there was complete silence between them.

Seifer swallowed opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but remained silent for a few moments longer before he asked. "…So is he really my…father?"

Quistis looked at him in pity. Seifer looked so vulnerable at that moment. "…That's what he told me. He seemed pretty sincere about it so…" she trailed off.

Seifer looked down, deep in thought. "So if he really is my father then why didn't he tell me? Why didn't I know?"

"I'm sorry Siefer. That's all he told me."

Seifer came and sat by her in the corner of the tiny rat-infested warehouse. He looked at her intensely as if trying to read all the answers in her face.

"What were you dreaming about?"

"What?" Quistis pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"You know, earlier… you called my name," Seifer wanted to drop the subject of his father quickly, but then realized he had gotten himself into a much touchier subject.

"Did I?" Quistis didn't want to talk about it, so she continued to stall as long as she could.

"You did."

"Well, I, I…I must have just had a nightmare about you, probably," she lied. Good one Quistis, she thought herself. After all he did kidnap her. Actually she had dreamed about him:

Continuing from where the last dream stopped, she lay in Seifer's strong arms as he gazed down at her. Finally she could hear the so longed for words she had strained to hear in previous dream, pass his lips, Quistis, I love you!" She felt her mouth turn into a smile as she wrapped her arms around him. Painfully slowly, he began to bend his head toward hers, inching closer by the second. His eyes darted fleetingly to her lips in intent to meet his with hers. Finally their lips met, just barely brushing. Suddenly there was footsteps drawing near. They parted to see…Cid? He held a gun and aimed it for… SEIFER!!!???