Disclaimer: I own nothing here, except the story.

  ~*~ Life and Love ~*~

~*~ Chapter 16 ~*~

            This morning Quistis was up early and quickly bustling around the room gathering her clothes and belongings, and stuffing them all into the suitcase.  Just as she was about to succeed in clamping her stubborn suitcase shut.  A knock came upon her hotel room door.  The unexpected knocked caused the blond women to lose her focus, and the lid spring open with her belongings mocking her by spilling its contents on to the bed.  Her face was flushed with annoyance. She marched to the door and threw it open then returned to stuffing her things back into the suitcase again.

            "Good morning to you too, Trepe," Seifer said as he invited himself into the room.  "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he observed her wrestling with the suitcase.

"What do you think, Genius?" she responded with frustratation.

"Well ask and you shall receive," he smirked at his offer.

Quistis stopped what she was doing and smiled sweetly, "Really?"

"Of course, anything for you babe," he winked.

"Well if I asked you to leave me alone, would you disappear from the face of the earth?"

"Um…No," he said bluntly.

"Well you're no help then," her smile immediately disappeared, and she returned to wrestle with her suitcase.  After a couple of minutes, Seifer moved her aside and helped her closed the suitcase.  With two clicks and the struggle between the suitcase was over, exhausted she sat down on the bed.

"Seifer, why are you here?" she suddenly asked.

"I'm here because you said I could come," He smirked again.  "Have you forgotten already Trepe?"

"No, really, why are you following me everywhere?"

"I'm here to take care of you," he replied honestly.

"I don't need you to take care of me.  How many times do we have to have this conversation?"

"Never again, if you'd stop asking it."

"Well, I don't like you constantly hulking over me.  I've traveled alone before, and I'm still fine."

"No your not," he said flatly.

"What?  Tell me the real reason why you're here?"

"I'm here because I am," he replied smartly.

"Bullshit."

"Such a foul mouth you have there Trepe," he said in a mocking tone.

Quistis was irritated again.  She abruptly got up from the bed and strode in front of Seifer and stood face to face with him.  Her eyes burned into his green eyes, "Seifer Almasy, why me?"

"Why you?" he teased her with the repetition.  "Good question, Trepe," he said with a smirk.

"And that smirk, who knows what goes on in that brain of your when you smirk," she pointed at him.

"Don't you like my smirk? Many ladies happen to think it's sexy," he winked. 

"No…I don't.  I don't know," she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Do you really want to know why? I'm such an ass to you?"

"Please do tell Mr. Almasy?" she said sardonically.

His expression became serious.  His eyes burned into hers as he prepared to confess to her.  "I think…No, I don't think. I know.  I—"
            A knock came from the open door, "Excuse me, miss your cab is ready."  Seifer scowled at the sudden interruption.  "Do you need any help with your belongings to be carried out?" the bell boy continued. 

Quistis raised an eyebrow at the young man at the door and thought for a bit.  "Actually, yes would you take these two suitcases she pointed to the objects lying on the bed?"

The young man immediately easily picked up the two suitcases and promptly left the two alone again.

Quistis looked around the room for anything she might have forgotten and looked at Seifer.

"Don't scowl.  Makes you look unattractive," she teased Seifer forgetting their previous argument with the sudden rush.  She headed to the door.  "Aren't you coming?" she paused at the door and asked Seifer who hadn't moved from the spot he occupied.

"What?"

"Aren't you coming?" she repeated.

"I thought you didn't want me to flow you around.  Since I'm like the bane of your existence."

"'Bane of my existence? I like that," she laughed.   "Well you are…but I've become somewhat accustomed to your company at present." She smiled and turned out into the hallway.

Seifer stood there like a statue for a minute longer looked at the now empty door.  Maybe it was better that he didn't confess to her yet.  He still wasn't sure where he stood in her heart.  For all he knew she could just see him only as a friend and decide to leave with Soria into oblivion.

Then he noticed there ware something glistening near the open door.  He stooped down and discovered it as Quistis's rose necklace.  She must have dropped it he thought, and quickly slipped it into his coat pocket.  Now both necklaces, the rose and Hyperion were jiggling in his pocket.  They were together in the same vicinity of each other, but not connected as one as they should be.  Seifer thought of the irony.  The necklaces seemed to reflect the situation of their owners.  Then again did it also mean he and Quistis are destined to be together?  Like the two pendants, were made for each other, made to be one.   Or were the necklaces destined to stay apart forever.

When he reached the hotel lobby be abandoned all thoughts, and put on his trademark smirk and got into the cab next to Quistis.

"What took you so long?" she asked.  Without a word he drew out her rose cross necklace and handed it to her.

"Oh when did I…" her hand unconsciously touched her bare neck.  "I remember now.  I must have dropped it the night you annoyingly showed up.  When I specifically told you not to follow me," she accused.

"All right, so I made you drop it, and now I found it.  Don't I get some redeeming points?"

Quistis chuckled, "Maybe…I'd have to think about it."

"You think too much."

"And you don't?"

"No I just brashly and stupidly crash through life.  Remember?"

She laughed.  He was glad that at least he could make her laugh.  Even if she didn't love him, he would be satisfied with having a friendly relationship with her.

She leaned back into the backseat, "Sometimes I wish my life wasn't so complicated," she sighed.  "I just want to live a peaceful life or something."

"If life wasn't complicated, life would be boring and meaningless," Seifer thought out loud.

"But what is life? Don't we just live, learn, and die?" she asked.

"Well there are other things in life we all take for granted."

"Like what?"

"There are things like, Love."

"Love?" She thought for a moment and started to giggle.

"I never knew Seifer Almasy would consider love as an important part of life."

"Why not? Isn't love what brings people together?"

"Or apart?"

"When did you get so cynical?"

"When I—"

"Well that's besides the point," he interrupted her.  "People do lots of things because of love.  Take Puberty Boy for example, his love for Rinoa got him to where he is now."

"Wow the world is going to end.  Taking Squall for an example," her hand reached up to his feel his forehead.  "Are you sure you're all right? I think your head is a bit warm.  Maybe you shouldn't go with me."

He removed Quistis hand from his forehead, "Quistis I'm not kidding.  When you are alone too much, it makes you think."
            "But you said that you didn't think," she pretended to be confused.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"You're mocking me."

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings Seifer?" she said sardonically.

"No, what are you feelings?" His hand still holding on to hers,

"My feelings? About what?"

"About Soria and the Azurials?"

"I don't know.  I guess if I go with them I wouldn't have to worry anything else.  Since I'll just disappear and my life will be set for me. I guess," she said matter of fact.

"But you could disappear anywhere, and still live a peaceful life."

"I know, but…sometimes I wonder if I have anything worth staying for."

"If you had something to stay for would you?"

            She thought for a while and answered, "Maybe."

            "Would you stay for me?" he suddenly asked.  His grip on her hand tightened.

            She looked at Seifer, and stifle a laugh, "I'm sorry…why would you want me to stay for you?"  She suddenly remembered the moment they shared together for the past couple of weeks.  The kiss, the protection, the support, the warmth, if she stayed did this mean moments like these would continue?

            The cab topped in front of the train station.

            She took a deep breath and pulled her hand away from his grip, "I…I don't know," she managed to stutter as she paid the driver, and quickly got out of the cab.

Standing at the boarding platform, she looked at the stretch of reddish metal that composed of the train reflecting the sun.  She wished she thought of asking to barrow the Ragnarok, but its too late now.  She wondered how long the trip would be.  At least she could get some rest in the SeeD cabin.  Seifer came up behind her with their things.

"All aboard!" he mimicked the conductor.  "Lets go before are left eating the dust."

Quistis nodded and both entered the train and prepared to journey into their past. 

A/N: Okay one more chapter to go!  Sorry this one is a bit short, but hopefully I'll get the last chapter up within the next two days! Thanks for all the reviews.  I can never thank all my readers enough.

P.S. Sorry about the funky formatting for the last couple chapters. FF.net been being evil and I haven't had time to fix them yet.