Disclaimer: FF8 characters not mine, never have and never will be. So no suing starving writer please.
~*~Pink Satin~*~
~*~Chapter 11~*~
Soft shuffling noises brought Seifer groggily out of his sleep. He opened his eyes to see that Quistis was already up. The glow of the bathroom light was lighting one side of the room, while sunlight slowly crept in through the thin curtains. With the flicker of the bathroom lights, Quistis came out of the bathroom carefully combing her through her long moist hair. The stream of sunlight that flowed into the room made her blond hair shine like gold threads spread out on a loom.
Seifer finally decided to give into the mocking sunlight, which playfully danced over his eyes. With a groan, he sat up in the bed and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "Damn sun," he muttered as he trudged into the bathroom.
"Good morning," Quisits's voice came from behind her golden curtain of hair. Seeing that her hair was pretty dry, she expertly twisted her hair into a bun behind her head. She was just about to grab her jacket and prepare to go out when Seifer mumbling through door with toothpaste still in his mouth.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going out to get a dress for the wedding," she yelled through the closed bathroom door.
Seifer quickly spit out the foam in his mouth and washed his face and opened the door, startling Quistis at the sudden opening of the door.
"I want to go with you," he announced.
"Are you sure? You don't have to, you know?" Quistis hesitantly asked still remembering the events from the night before.
A mask came over his face, "Don't look at me like that." Then as quickly as it came, the coldness left. He put his hands on her shoulder, as if to prove to her he was fine. "I'm alright. Besides I'm use to it and it happens less often now, and in a couple years I'll just be another name."
Quistis eyes started to water, as he spoke she could see the pain and loneliness in his eyes. She quickly turned away from him to hide her tears. "Well you better get some clothes on. I don't think you going out with me half-naked is attention I would want today."
"What? You don't want me going out like this?"
"No," she laughed throwing him a black T-shirt.
"You know how many women would kill to see my bod? And you get to see it everyday."
"Unfortunately," Quistis muttered under her breath.
"And you still complain," he teased. Quistis just rolled her eyes.
"Hurry up, I want to get back before it rains again."
"What rain? Look at that god damn sun that woke me outside." Quistis walked over to the window and threw open the curtains. The previously bright sun was slowly being swallowed by thick black clouds again.
"See it's not going rain," Seifer stubbornly insisted.
"Yeah sure just like yesterday, right? 'It won't rain trust me.'"
"Well don't you trust me?" He asked innocently.
"When it comes to weather reports…No." she grabbed an umbrella and walked out of the door with Seifer following behind her.
~~~
As they walked out of the elevator, a girl with a soft voice and a sweet smile called out for Quistis, "Mrs. Almasy." The sound of the name sounded odd to Quistis.
"Yes?"
"Um…there is a message for you," the girl pulled out small slip of paper from a cubby and handed Quistis the note. Quistis thanked the girl and silently read the note to herself.
"Humph"
"Humph?" Seifer gave her a questioning look.
"Oh, its nothing."
"Oh I see. People are still leaving notes about nothing," he said sarcastically.
"Come on lets go," she stuffed the note down her back pocket and dragged Seifer out after her.
They stopped in front of a dress boutique. Quistis looked down at the note again, and looked back at the numbers on the side of the building. "This is the place," she announced. Seifer gave her a puzzled look, as she opened the door. Just as she walked in a young woman with long black hair came toward them. She was slightly shorter then Quistis and in her early twenties. Following behind her was Victor.
"Hi, I'm Nora, Victor's fiancée Victor has told me all about the both of you."
"I see. Well nice to meet you too Nora," Quistis returned her smile.
"Anyway now that you're here, we can get your dress fitted on you. Excuse us." She smiled at the men and led Quistis to the back of the shop leaving the two men alone.
"Well, if you don't have a Tux yet let's go next door to get you one?" Seifer still trying to put everything together in his head nodded in agreement and followed Victor out.
Nora brought Quistis a soft pink single strapped satin dress. Quistis looked at it wide eyed, "it's beautiful," was all that she could manage to say.
"I hope you like it, come try it on." She pointed to the fitting room and lifted up the curtain for Quistis to enter.
"So how is it?"
"Um…it's a little bit loose and long, but other then that it fits…just fine."
"Well come on out and we'll have the seamstress work on it."
As Quistis stood in front of the three way mirror, the seamstress was tugging and pinning the dress to fit her. Quistis just stood there observing the dress in her reflection. "This dress is so beautiful. I can't accept this."
"Don't worry about it. My father insists on the best for the both of you." Nora reassured her.
"Why would he do that?"
"I don't know. He always has been so generous and kind to everyone for as long as I can remember. It's almost like he's trying to compensate for something."
"Well at least he seems like a good man."
"Oh, he defiantly is a good man," Nora exclaimed. "How many people would go through all this trouble, just because their adopted daughter happens to fall for the wrong guy?"
"You're his adopted daughter?" Nora nodded. Quistis was surprised how such information about Nora Alma would have passed her notice.
"Yes, it's not a big secret or anything. He adopted me about 10 years ago. I will never forget that day. I think he was out searching for his wife and son when he found me."
"Son?"
"Yeah, apparently his wife took their son and left him, and he had been searching for them for some time before he found me scavenging for food in a dark alley. I remember one day he received a message with something in it that made him stop looking for them." Quistis looked at Nora and could not imagine the woman as a lonely, dirty, starving child lost in the street, but then she thought of herself she was an orphan herself. "I remember now," Nora continued. "It was a necklace that looked like a cross. Only fancier I think. The ends of the cross were like pointed or something." She tried to draw the shape of the cross in the air for Quistis to visualize. "I guess it belonged to his wife. He still wears the necklace even now. I don't believe I've ever seen him take it off."
The cross that Nora drew out for her in the air looked like Seifer's fire or Hyperion crosses Quistis thought to herself, and she continued listening to Nora.
"He doesn't talk much about his past. I don't think anyone really knows much about his past either, but I'm sure he has his reasons for keeping it to himself."
"Well, I think President Alma is blessed to have an understanding daughter like you." Nora blushed at Quistis's comment. "I only want do my best for the man who saved me from starving in the street ten years ago. But I can't help felling guilty for giving him such problems with my relationship with Victor."
"I'm sure the wedding will turn out fine. We will definitely do our best to keep your wedding day the happiest of your life."
"I hope so, but something tells me not to hope for too much."
As the two women continued chatting, the two men had returned. When they approached the two women, Seifer was enchanted by the sight of Quistis in the beautiful dress. He was speechless. Nora greeted Victor with a kiss and smiled at Seifer. "So what do you think? Doesn't she look lovely in it?" She hinted at Quistis. Quistis could only blush at the sudden attention she was getting. Victor only commented on how lovely she looked, and Seifer could only remain speechless.
~~~
"Quistis! Are you still alive?" Seifer yelled through the bathroom door. Immediately the door swung open revealing a very annoyed Quistis.
"What do you want Seifer? I thought yo…Wha…Why are you looking at me like that?"
Seifer was again mesmerized at the sight before him. The glow from the bathroom light made her look like a goddess of spring. Her dress fitted her perfectly. The single strap of the dress draped over her right shoulder leaving a short train hang down her back. The soft pink satin dress wrapped around her hips and flowed down to the ground like a flowing stream. A ringlet came loose from the strategic mesh of rings piled on her head. She brushed aside a curl that framed her face and repeated her question.
"Seifer? What do you want? And stop looking at me like that," she snapped. With a sigh she moved around him and looked for her weapons. Carrying a whip while wearing this dress was implausible, she picked up a pistol and lifted up her skirt and hooked the pistol into her leg holster. After straightening up her dress, she sat down on the bed to put on her strappy heels.
Seifer finally came back to his sense and came up to her, "I wanted to give you this." He held out the rose cross necklace. He had apparently got I fixed and polished the other day.
Quistis stood up surprised at the gift, "you didn't have to…"
Seifer pleased at her reaction smiled, "Don't worry about it. It's yours anyway."
"What do you mean its mine?"
"I'll explain later. Here turn around."
Quistis could feel the cool silver rest on her skin. Her hand glided over the newly polished rose cross.
"It's beautiful. Thank you." She said as she turned to face him again.
"No, your beautiful, Quisty." He stepped in lessening the gap between them. His green eyes burned into her blue ones. His hands came up and touched her face. "You look beautiful."
"Oh it's…just the dress…and you look very handsome yourself in your suit and…," she managed to stutter out.
"No," he interrupted her, "You always look beautiful." Just as Quistis raised her hand to remove Seifer's hand from her face, he leaned in and gently kissed her lips. Quistis's eyes widened in shock, she had not expected him to kiss her, or such tenderness in his kiss. Her mind reeled with thoughts. The emotions that Seifer had roused in her were overwhelming, and she suddenly realized she wanted more. She closed her eyes as Seifer leaned in to kiss her again. Her hand wrapped around his neck bringing her closer to him. Her thoughts continued to flow. Why? Why is she doing this? This is wrong…isn't it? And the wedding! She suddenly remembered the reason they were here, and broke off their kiss and pushed Seifer away from her.
"I'm sorry…We can't…," she said trying to catch her breath. She saw the disappointment and hurt in Seifer's eyes. "We have to go." She waited for him to gather his things and they both left for the Presidential Residence together.
A/N: Just wanted to thank you guys who are totally still following my fic, even though it had a very long hiatus…Hopefully can finish the fic up soon…I really want to finish it so I can start on another, but for now I'll keep working on this. Hope you guys like this chapter. Again thanx for the reviews guys! *huggles*
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