A/N: I really wasn't expecting such nice reviews on the first chapter—thanks!

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Quistis awoke at 3:30 PM, cursing the sunlight in her eyes. Figures, there's one sliver of light in this room, and it hits me right in the eyes.

She yawned widely, and her stomach growled fiercely. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she stumbled out of bed to the kitchenette. She carefully measured the coffee and water, then put them into the trusty coffee maker. Used to this routine, Quistis next went to the small living room and checked her answering machine. To her surprise, there was a message; nobody usually called, except for bill collectors, or the occasional ex-Trepie.

The red light flashed, almost like a warning, as she pressed the little green button.

The machine beeped, and she heard her voice mail recording. She mouthed the words along with the recording.

Hi, you've reached Quistis! Leave a short message along with your name and number, and I'll get back to you if I feel like it. Thanks!

The machine beeped again, and the caller's message played back. Quistis almost fell to the ground when she heard the voice.

Um, Quistis? It's… Selphie. We've been looking for you after you left, and I still can't believe we found your number! Where to start… it's been so long, and so much has happened! We still want you to be part of it, even if you're not an Instructor any more. Well, we all miss you so much, Quisty. So if you want, give me or any of us a call; just call the Balamb Garden directory. Hope to talk to you soon. Bye.

BEEP

By this time, Quistis was sitting on the floor, dazed. I never thought they'd be able to find me after I submitted my resignation to Cid… She slowly stood and looked at the big red number 1 on the machine. She positioned her finger over the DELETE button. She paused for a moment, thinking; and she slowly pulled back and walked back to the kitchen.

The delicious smell of coffee permeated the small apartment as Quistis fixed her breakfast. She quickly downed the orange juice, sausage, eggs, and toast. Clearing her flowered plated and silverware, she ventured back into the dark haven known as her bedroom. She flicked the light on and opened the mirrored closet doors. About twenty white nurse's outfits were lined up neatly on one side.

On impulse, she opened the other side and found the clothes that represented the Quistis of the past. Several SeeD uniforms, neatly pressed and ready to wear, were hanging there, their gold lapels gleaming. Next to the uniforms were just about as many peach-colored battle outfits. She gently fingered the soft, flexible material, and tens of hundreds of combat memories flooded back to her. Shaking her head, she looked up and reached for a box at the top. Removing the cover, an old worn whip lay inside. Save the Queen. Its trusty handle and strong whip were ready for battle again, at any time. It was like an old friend, always there for her, to protect her.

Shaking her head, she put the box back up at the top of her closet and closed the door on that part of her life. She never could make up a good reason for why she kept all her SeeD belongings…

Quistis took out a white nurse's uniform and began to get ready for work. She was due in by 6:30.

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Standing in front of the mirror, she fixed her uniform and smiled at herself. But she didn't look like Quistis. She seemed slightly out of place in this uniform. It felt like maybe she should be wearing a different uniform… one that represented so much more than a thorough knowledge of the human anatomy and medicine. Shaking off this feeling, Quistis grabbed her coat and put it on; she then grabbed her shoulder bag and left for work a little early; she was going to make a little stop before work…

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Maybe it really wasn't him, despite that smirk, those eyes, that scar… No, Seifer ran away from the execution, there's no way he'd come to Deling, such a big city… Then again, with Seifer, absolutely anything's possible.

Quistis got off the bus, and stepped on the very same spot she was on earlier that day. The fight. She game a little chuckle as she thought of how easy it was. Turning the opposite way from the hospital, she went down a side street.

Checking her watch, it read 5 PM.

She found the entrance to her destination, and to her surprise, her heart was rapidly beating in her chest. Don't be silly Quisty, it's just a bar… besides, who could be getting drunk at 5 PM?!

She entered the smoky, dimly lighted environment and felt horribly out of place. Some grimy-looking men with ample beer bellies were eyeing her with curiosity. The loud, raucous shouts diminished to murmurs as she passed them. Despite this, she fixed a confident smirk on her face and strode in, as if she went barhopping in a white nurse's uniform all the time. Head held high, she caught sight of the bar. I'll feel so foolish if he's not here…

But something prevented her from reaching the counter. A woman blew some potent cigar smoke right into Quistis' face. The woman had bright red lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and a painted beauty mark on her face, and not much else on. Her face and rough, badly dyed hair were grimy, and when she smiled, it revealed rotted, yellow teeth. She was obviously a winner around here, several inebriated men were hanging all over her.
"I'm so sorry, Princess!" she laughed in her face and hacked up some phlegm, causing Quistis to shrink back in disgust. "Aw look, the girl's a little lost! Why don't ya just run on home?!" This was seemingly hilarious to the group of them, they fell over each other in hysterics. Quistis merely looked at the woman with a serious look.

Quistis promptly took the cigar from the woman's fingers, inspected it for a moment, and placed it into a nearby-unfinished glass of beer. She walked away, and left the group of them shocked and cussing.

She approached the counter and eyed an empty seat. She sat and looked up and down the counter. She finally eyed her target, refilling a martini order for an already drunk man, and simultaneously cutting off another man, who looked as if he were about to be sick, if he weren't already.

Quistis, curiosity killed the cat… Looking around her surroundings, she felt she couldn't get any deeper in it than she already was. Ah, better go for it…

"Yo! You gonna make me wait all day, man?!" she shouted. She surprised herself, and everyone within earshot; she sounded like she'd frequented more than a few bars in her time. She masked her surprised expression with one she thought looked tough.

Seifer's brow creased, and she saw little sweat beads on his forehead. "Wanna wait a minute, lady? Keep your damn shirt on!" he looked up with an annoyed grimace. When he recognized the owner of the shout, his eyes widened and his mouth hung agape.

"Don't just stand there like a freakin' idiot, get me a screwdriver! Screw around on your own time!" Quistis said with a smirk. She was getting the feel for this thing.

Seifer ran to the other side of the counter and grabbed the vodka. He quickly mixed the drink and handed it to Quistis. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then got uncomfortable close to her. He whispered, "What the hell are you doing in here? You look like a damned idiot!"

She leaned in and said in just as intimidating a tone, "I believe I have every right to be here. After that little disappearing act you pulled, everyone's been looking for you. I can turn your ass in right now if I wanted. But I came back to see if it really was you. Besides, can you blame me for wanting to 'check in' on my ex-favorite student?" She smirked at him, and put the emphasis on EX-student.

He narrowed his eyes at her and realized that he had met his match.

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A/N: WOW I absolutely loved writing this chapter. =D *gasp* Quisty in a bar?! This is part one, this section is obviously pretty long. There's so much more to come, so HOLD ON!

Review please! I need feedback!