Disclaimer: Same as always: I don't own the characters; I don't own Squaresoft. But I own the storyline.
Authors Note: Chapter 5. Finally. After…a year, almost? ^^;; Please leave a review after you read it. Then I'll know that someone reads it. O.o… and that I'm not purely writing this for my own pleasure, but for the pleasure of you, the reader as well. ^^
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Orphan at Heart---------------------
Written by: Lixia
Chapter 5 – It Starts with a Breakdown
"It all?"
Quistis nodded. Was she really going to tell him? Before she knew it, she was telling him everything. She didn't know why and she was so ashamed at herself when she had finished.
She told the man she used to hate, and barely knew every little thing that caused her anguish. She told him about Squall, and her love for him, her lonely days at Balamb Garden, her Instructor responsibilities, and her jealousy of Rinoa.
Tears brimmed her eyes, and though she tried to control herself, she found that she couldn't. All the pressure built up over the years finally exploded and all to a stranger she didn't even trust.
"Shh…Quistis…" Seifer's hands grasped her gently but firmly. She was unaware of his caring demeanor at the moment, and didn't know whether to look at him or not. She kept her eyes squeezed shut as she cried; her head was down so he couldn't see her, and her hair was covering her face.
"Come on Quistis…" Seifer said softly, and lifted her face so he could see her.
Suddenly Seifer noticed
she wasn't crying as an Instructor, but crying as a lonely child who had
remained strong for all those people she called 'friends' through their
tough times.
And yet, here she was in need of those friends and no one was there for her. He
nearly felt that same pain himself, and somehow, for some unknown reason,
Quistis' pain cut through him.
Why? He didn't know. They were partners in a business agreement. Nothing more.
Hell, he had planned on running off with her money in the long run, never to
return again, but something made him come back to her. Something he couldn't
even explain himself. Why did he feel a strange attraction to her as soon as he
saw her last night? He shook his head. It was nothing. Many were attracted to
the blonde. It was obvious why. She was hot. Why else would she have those
Trepies? They were all made up of young boys still desperate for a girlfriend,
or undergoing puberty. No love there.
"Quistis, don't let this get to you," Seifer said, brushing a strand tear from her soft cheek. "Forget them. Forget all those people you've tried to please for all these years. Forget Squall."
Quistis sniffed and gingerly tried to get up. She harshly wiped away her tears from her face as if she was unaware how she was treating herself, and slumped on the chair Seifer previously sat in.
He stood over her, genuinely concerned. Quistis remained silent, clutching a tissue in her right hand. Occasionally she wiped at her tears, but still, she didn't say anything. Her mind was so sick and tired of all her built up emotion. But she heard Seifer plain and simple. Forget Squall, he had said.
"How could I?" she asked quietly.
"Huh?"
"How could I forget Squall?" she repeated; a fresh stream of tears ran down her face, as more pain was reminisced.
"Easy. Clean your mind of all Squall-ish thoughts," he said, then smirked, "can' be too hard, ne? He's not a very memorable character. He's kind of like a wall."
Quistis stared at him blankly, and then suddenly as if she really saw that, she laughed. Her ring of laughter lifted Seifer's own spirits, he was glad she was getting her humour back.
"A wall?" she asked uncertainly.
Seifer nodded, "A cold hard brick wall that doesn't deserve the likes of you," he continued.
"Can a wall really handle your bitchy Instructor-ness?" he added.
"Oh shut up, Almasy," Quistis grumbled, reaching over the table. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. Seifer chuckled as he caught the pillow. "It's progress. Don't you feel better now?"
Quistis wiped the last of her tears and looked down. "Thank you Seifer."
"For what? Insulting Puberty Boy? Ha. Pleasure's all mine, Instructor." He winked.
Suddenly it seemed as if a friendship was beginning. Both Quistis and Seifer could feel it. They now shared a bond and it was one they never thought could have happened. Not when Quistis thought Seifer was nothing but an arrogant bastard.
And not when Seifer
thought Quistis was nothing but a boring, grumpy Instructor.
Now they seemed to find out that they were indeed very different, but very much
alike.
When Seifer left for the
night, a new warmth grew in Quistis' heart. For the first time in all her
years, she felt like she had found the true friend she'd always wanted. He was
the one person who could truly understand what she was going through because
he'd felt worse and could relate.
When she closed the door behind her, she suddenly realized he'd shown a side to
him she didn't think existed. He had tried to comfort her. He had gently held
her, and told her not to worry.
She saw the tenderness Seifer was capable of. She quickly opened the door, and walked out into the hall, expecting to see the gray of his trench coat.
But he was gone.
Seifer left the hotel, feeling rather uncomfortable. His heart felt like it was
being squashed into a tiny little pit. Somehow that denial about attraction was
a flimsy borderline. He'd talked to her once intimately, and he already felt
bonded to her? That was crazy.
He quickly met up with Fujin and Raijin, and they asked him where he had been. He made up some excuse about business and showed them the money. Both seemed to be carefree at that point. They found a crappy motel and stayed there for the night.
Seifer lay awake, running the theory of love through his mind, while listening to Raijin snore and Fujin's subconscious complaints about the cheap bed underneath her. All the while, he felt guilty about the money. He would have to repay her eventually now, and he didn't know how.
Four days passed since the night Quistis broke down. That meant there were three more days before the end of her vacation. She wished she had taken a two-week break. Seifer spent the second evening with Quistis discussing the art of gunblading and how he had come to become a gunblade warrior. In return, she told him about her own choice of weapon and the two seemed to have a relatively informative discussion about their weapon. Any mention of the previous night seemed to be forgotten between the two, but their feelings towards each other seemed to stay.
The next day, Seifer decided he wanted to talk to her more than just the evening hours, and invited her to go to the Shopping District just to get away from the hotel room environment. More and more, Seifer felt unsure about his love theory. Four days and he had suspicions and a ton of denial.
Quistis was in the same boat. Her feelings of Squall were beginning to fade, but she remained in denial as well. There was no way Seifer and her could be anything but friends. Even friends seemed an impossibility.
On the fourth day, Seifer had a call from Mr. Fletcher—the crook he had been dealing with. He had been thinking about what he and Quistis should do to spend the day. He looked over at Raijin and Fujin as if they had grown another head. "What? Now?"
Raijin nodded forlornly. "I'm afraid so. He has a new assignment for us, and he's gonna make sure we do it right. I think he means business, ya know?"
"Since when did he not mean business?" Seifer sighed. That meant he would have to cancel his plans with Quistis. "I'll be back in an hour, and tell me if Fletcher tells you anything more." He was out the door before Raijin could say anything.
"Damn Fletcher. Damn him to hell," Seifer grumbled, as he made his way to the hotel. His almost carefree life was shattered by the mention of his name.
When he got to Quistis' door, Seifer knocked twice before she opened it. "Seifer, aren't you a bit early?" Quistis asked. Then she noticed the distressed look on his face. "Seifer, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Quis, I don't think we'll be able to meet up today. I…have a business assignment," he explained. Quistis looked disappointed, but she nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it's fine. Besides, I've been wondering how you were going to pay me back for that money you borrowed."
Seifer nodded, "Heh. I've
wondered myself. Anyway, so I'll try and see you tomorrow then."
Quistis shrugged, "Sure. Tell me if you can't make it."
"You know I will," said Seifer.
The two stood still for a moment in awkward silence. Then Seifer stepped away from the door. "So see you later," he said.
"Yeah, see you…." Quistis trailed off. Seifer backed up further then turned to walk down the hallway. He turned the corner and disappeared.
Quistis…there was something about her that he couldn't quite figure out. He knew that if he had let himself do so, he would have approached her and kissed her. He shook his head as he got to the elevator. No. He and Quistis were nothing but friends. That was probably all she thought of him anyway.
When he returned to his two friends, they were already prepared to do what they were told by their leader. "Well?" he asked.
"Fletcher wants us to steal him a package of arms. Some bomb missiles or something. Why us? This is ridiculous, ya know?"
Fujin continued sharpening her weapon: a circular blade, but said nothing.
"Well let's just get it over with then. Where to?" Seifer asked, picking up his own gunblade and hauling it over his shoulder. Raijin gave him the directions leading to the abandoned warehouse basement where a 'business man' was to be waiting for them. He was rather surprised at how easy it was to smuggle illegal material from city to city, especially in a busy place such as Deling.
"He's only got one crate for us, and Fletcher expects that we take them from him in the full. He had someone deliver this package to him in exchange. It'll be our hides if we don't make it, ya know?" Raijin continued.
"DANGEROUS." Fujin spoke up.
"Yeah. Can't get caught, but luckily nobody lives there so we should be fine, ya know?"
Seifer remained silent as they headed out the door and towards the building. He had his weapon concealed from the few pedestrians he happened to pass by, but as they neared the 'dumpy' part of Deling, no one was around. It was definitely as deserted as he had assumed it would be. Steam rose up from sewage holes, and broken parts of buildings, cars and anything else was strewn around about them. Garbage scattered every corner he could see, filthy and unappealing. Graffiti decorated the sides of the abandoned buildings that still stood. Clouds hung above them dark gray, as if signaling a bad omen. All three of them felt uneasy as they walked through the deserted streets. "Picked up the perfect place for stealing missiles," Seifer muttered under his breath. His companions said nothing.
