Suicide…

The Garden car seemed abandoned, when Squall and the gang stopped to check it out.

"What the hell?" Zell exclaimed. "There's no one here!"

"Thank you Captain Obvious!" Irvine rolled his eyes at him.

"Where's Cid?" Squall asked them as he arrived at the scene.

The car's engine was still on and the car door was still open. They searched around to see if there was any kind of clue as to Cid's whereabouts. They didn't have to search long. Just about thirty yards from the car was Cid's body.

* * *

"Why are you doing this, Seifer?" Quistis whispered as she pulled Seifer's torn and tattered coat around her shoulders and pulled her knees up to her chest. Even at a low whisper she could still see her own icy breath in the gloom. Seifer continued to stare out the window as he lit another cigarette then stopped when he realized he already had one in his mouth. He seemed to ignore her question and the cold as he sighed.

"Cigarette?" he offered as he held it out for her.

"I don't smoke…" She replied, but it was still held out for her. "…Oh what the hell."

She took it and inhaled. Seifer looked at her with a crooked smile. He knew she was lying about the dream. Over the years, Seifer had acquired the ability to read people. Then what could she have meant by calling his name?

"Why are you doing this, Seifer?" She persisted. "I mean, you, you've already caused enough trouble as it is, you're only making it worse for yourself."

"'Worse for myself!?' How could it possibly be worse?" Seifer's voice escalated to almost a rage.

Quistis looked down. She didn't know.

"I- I don't know…" she replied almost in an inaudible whisper.

"That's right," said Seifer, back to a normal tone. "You don't know. You don't know anything of what I've been through! So just shut up!"

"God, Seifer! Why would you do this to me, to Cid and to Garden…all over again?" Quistis cried. "I mean if I were you-"

"DON'T YOU EVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO ME," Seifer stated loudly. "You've got everything and I've got shit."

Quistis wanted nothing more at that moment to slap him across his face. That's when she realized what he had said…was completely true. She watched silently as he paced the rotting wooden floor, then found the window again to stare blankly, instead of concentrating, like usual. About twenty minutes of silence passed and Quistis did not once see him blink.

"Thanks to you, Quistis, I have realized that my life is no life at all. I can go on like this, running form the law. Well I am gonna die anyway..." Seifer took one last look at the world below him as he pulled out his handgun. Suddenly he paused. "Oh and Quistis? Could you do me one last favor?"

Quistis looked at him, not believing her own eyes. She was frozen still, standing there next to Seifer. She didn't know how to act. She shouldn't cry for Siefer, but she felt her eyes begin to water. She wanted to talk him out of it, but why? To live a life like this? A life in prison? No life at all when they execute him. Then she remembered her dream…

I know how you must feel. I know the pain the loneliness that haunts you. But I also know you are a brave warrior, not one to take the coward's way out.

Those were Seifer's words. Would she dare say them aloud? The secret dream…

"Quistis…Come closer," Seifer whispered hoarsely. Seifer brushed some stray, golden strands from her eyes. She didn't know why she let him. In an unemotional voice he began, "Don't cry for me. I am corrupted, a tainted person, there's no other way to put it. This is probably the best thing I'll ever do for this world."

Suddenly, she felt the dream flashback all around her…

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.

But it wasn't a dream. She felt Seifer's hands gently caress her face and smooth back her long disheveled hair. As he gazed into her azure eyes, he brought his lips to meet hers, softly brushing. Why was she letting him do this? Why did it seem as if her dreams were coming true? She didn't know…and at that moment she didn't care. Despite her mind's screams of knowing this was wrong, she couldn't help but love the feeling of Seifer holding her like this, the feeling of his hands caressing her back, the feeling of his sensual lips moving over hers, his welcome tongue invading her mouth…

The warm feelings began to heat up as his passionate kiss deepened as if desperate. She felt her arms loop around his neck and his grow tighter around her waist. He put down the gun for later use as his forgotten coat slipped from her shoulders and onto the floor, but it didn't matter. She wasn't cold anymore in the warmth of his arms and the heat of his kisses. Seifer pressed her against the wall and began trailing soft kisses down her neck. A virgin, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, taking in all of the aroused feelings she'd never felt before. Seifer's exploring hands slipped from her stomach up to the gentle swell of her breasts. She let him. In the heat of their passion, Seifer laid her on the floor, where he continued to enchant her with this new feeling. She had never had someone who could make her feel this way. Never. He slipped his hands under her shirt, lifting it off, as did she. She saw the rippling muscles of Seifer. He began to kiss her down her neck, trying to touch all of her, to be close as possible to her, as he began to unhook her silky and lacy black bra.

"Beautiful..." Seifer murmured between kisses against her soft skin. Once again his lips captured hers in sweet rapture, his tongue indulging in the luscious recess of her mouth, as did hers. Her hands ran through his soft hair.

"You're beautiful," Seifer whispered between kisses. "So beautiful…Quis-"

Seifer's eyes flew open and he stopped abruptly, realizing whom it was he was lavishing with sweet words and passionate kisses. She was no beautiful stranger up for casual sex. This was Quistis. God she was beautiful, he thought to himslef. He couldn't take advantage of her, this sweet person. She didn't deserve this. For him to have her once then take his own life in front of her, was wrong.

He didn't realize she herself was kissing him back. Did she want this as much as he did? Still he didn't want her to be involved with the likes of him. For the first time in his life, Seifer Alamsy was thinking of someone else other than himself. Maybe he had changed, maybe she had changed him. Either way all he knew is that the feel of her in his arms was indescribable and that's all he ever wanted, was someone. And it was Quistis Trepe. No she wasn't the same schoolmistress spinster that he remembered who was in love with his hated rival. Maybe that's why he had caused her so much pain the past, so that she could finally notice him.

"No, Quistis, I can't do this." Seifer peeled her arms from his neck and pulled away. Then took his weapon and aimed it to his head. Calmly, he closed his eyes.

"Seifer… Don't do this." It's not that she didn't want him to continue kissing her. She hoped that afterwards she could persuade him to not kill himself. "I know how you must feel. I know the pain, the loneliness that haunts you."

Seifer looked back at her to see her clear blue eyes. There was something in them that wasn't there before. A softness… He didn't notice when the familiar words came from his mouth. "But I also know you are a brave warrior, not one to take the coward's way out."

Quistis wasn't expecting him to know it, not her secret dream. Of all people why him? "How did you know…?"

"The dream…" they both voiced in unison.