Double Dares and Hoping Hearts: Chapter 2

by Kitian

Disclaimer: None of the characters being used are owned by me because I am not Squaresoft, just a broke RPG fan with lots of spare time to write. Rats.

Key: = Character's internal thoughts





Toilet paper? Check.



Spray paint? Check.



Shaving cream? Check.



Dignity and sense of self-respect? .....I"ll have to get back to that one.



It was Friday night, a night of celebration and festivity for many of the students attending Balamb Garden, but not for a certain fair-headed SeeD Instructor who found herself staring down the blank white surface of a dormitory room door.

Just what the hell am I doing here? This is crazy. Remind me again just how exactly I got myself into this fine, fine mess?

She felt rather stupid really. She was outfitted in loose-fitting jeans and an old Balamb Garden T-shirt she had gotten years ago, wearing shabby clothes on purpose just in case she made a mess of herself. On top of that, everyone she knew was at what could arguably be the most fabulous party in all of Balamb Garden's history, and here she was, standing face to face with.....a door. Just staring at it, breathing in and out as her stomach churned and flopped in circles like a circus seal doing tricks. Not her ideal Friday night.

Now that I think about it, Garden has some really ugly dormitory doors.....Next time I see Cid, maybe I'll talk to him about changing the designs for the--ahhh focus Quistis, FOCUS. Yes this is probably the stupidest thing you'll ever do in your life, but you're going to get through this. Just think of it as....as a SeeD mission. Yeah, that's right. Just like the exam, you remember.....focus....Ok. SeeD Cadet Trepe, your mission is to infiltrate enemy quarters and proceed to administer damage through toilet paper and shaving cream applied to....Aw hell just who am I kidding? I don't know what I'm doing here. This is stupid.

Quistis was about to turn away from the ominous door and forget the whole plan, just walk away and show up at the SeeD Ball instead, screw what the others would say, but she quickly curbed herself.

No, you have to do this for yourself, too! So the others don't think I can do it, huh? I CAN. I, Quistis Trepe, have mastered the art of battle, become a trained SeeD Instructor at the age of fifteen, traveled across vast lands filled with dangerous monsters, and helped to destroy an evil sorceress threatening the balance of life as we know it. Vandalizing a single room should be no problem. I have no intention of backing down now. They'll take back every word they said. I'll show them.

Her jaw set firm in determination, Quistis decisively slid her Instructor's key card, which conveniently opened all doors except for highly secretive ones, through the ID slot. With a quiet *blip* the card registered and the mechanical door soundlessly glided open in front of her, revealing nothing but pitch black. With a sharp intake of breath, Quistis gathered all her courage and resolutely stepped forward into the dark room.

"Where's the damn light...." she muttered under her breath, her hand fumbling wildly around the wall next to her, searching for a switch of any kind.

Aha! With a small flick of her wrist, pale light flooded the room and Quistis was surprised by what met her eyes. She had always figured Seifer would be a slob; in class, he was always slouching, uniformly late, exceedingly lazy, and his papers were regularly wrinkled and creased, constantly turned in with sloppy penmanship and little doodles in the margins.

The room that awaited her was picture perfect; not a single speck of dirt could be seen anywhere. There were no clothes tossed carelessly across the floor, no books or papers of any kind scattered on the desk. There was very little furniture or furnishing present of any kind, apart from the basic standard that every SeeD was given: a single bed, a desk, a dresser, and a bookshelf. The whole room had a very modernistic, very clean feel to it, the bed sheets were slate gray and the walls a bare, stark white.

There were several picture-frames on the bookshelf; Quistis recognized one of the posse at what looked to be a fishing dock; another of a scowling Seifer at an age she guessed to be around fourteen, looking very scruffy in a plain white T-shirt four sizes too big for him and torn jeans criss-crossed with grass stains; and a small one of a very attractive woman with shoulder-length dark hair that she didn't recognize.

Hmmm....wonder who she is. Never seen her before. Pretty. What's Seifer doing with her picture, I wonder? None of my business I suppose.....

In the far right corner of the room, she had no trouble spotting the impeccably polished case of Hyperion, the deadly blade encased safely within it. She distinguished the sleek shape of a fierce crimson cross marking the front of the case, and she discerned it to be the one imprinted on the sleeve of his trenchcoat. Overall, he appeared to be quite neat. What a surprise.

Crouching in the middle of the room, Quistis heaved the sack she had been carrying over her shoulder onto the floor, unloading it item by item as if she were Santa Claus distributing Christmas gifts for all the good little boys and girls. The sack's contents included all the customary provisions: toilet paper, shaving cream, red spray paint, and various other....mischief-making tools that Zell and Irvine had loaded her down with.

Okay....where to start, where to start.....

Deciding that the toilet paper seemed a good choice to start with, she grabbed two full rolls and walked over to the desk.

Here goes nothing.....



************



"Irviiiiiine....come dance with me!!" Selphie snuck up behind Irvine, her slender arms slithering across his chest to wrap him in a firm embrace from behind. She giggled excitedly into his ear and nuzzled him coquettishly in the crook of his neck. Irvine's irresistible smirk widened, and he stood up from his chair to comply with Selphie's request.

Beaming with happiness, Selphie led him out onto the dancefloor and immediately pulled him to her in a snug dance position, her arms encircling his neck and both his hands placed gently on the top of her hips. One of her favorite slow songs was playing, and Selphie reveled in the moment as she and Irvine swayed leisurely to the beat, her head resting lightly on his broad chest.

I can hear his heart beat....it's so relaxing....

She admired the glittering chandeliers above them, the streamers and garlands of pale yellow flowers lining the room, and the crowds of formally dressed students dancing to the ballroom music and engaging in animated conversation. The dance had turned out just as she had planned it, and she couldn't have been happier at this very moment.

So perfect....

"Irvine..." she sighed contentedly, "everything turned out great, didn't it?"

"Yeah babe. Everything's wonderful. You did a really good job puttin' all this together. When you pour all your energy into something, I get so impressed by the results."

"Really? You mean that?" Selphie lifted her head to look up at him, a delighted look lighting her chestnut eyes.

"Really. You amaze me sometimes." He looked down at her earnestly, and Selphie grinned with sheer ecstasy, blushing with the compliment.

"Aw shucks Irvy, it's nothing. The second I joined the Garden Festival Committee, I knew I was going to make it something totally awesome. I couldn't have done it without everyone's help. Besides," she added, a devilish grin stealing its way onto her petite features as she scrunched up her nose in the cute way that made Irvine melt inside, "I had to make it extra special so that Seifer wouldn't find a reason to leave early...."

Irvine returned her smile and squeezed her to him more tightly.

"Mhmmmm.....speaking of, Quistis should be in Seifer's room by now. Do you think she'll run into any trouble?"

"Why would she? Everyone's here, Irvy. She'll be fine. You have to admit, it was the perfect plan, asking her to do this the night of the SeeD Ball. I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve...."

"Yeah, me neither...." Irvine glanced thoughtfully over to where he could see Seifer sulking in the corner between Raijin and Fuujin, obviously unhappy to be here and even less happy to be wearing the conventional dark blue SeeD uniform. He wasn't going anywhere for a while.

His gaze trailed across the room and over to where Zell was leaning against a wall, trying his best to put 'the moves' on some girl with pigtails. Irvine couldn't imagine how Zell could possibly smoothtalk a girl, but apparently his quirky charm was working because the girl was giggling and blushing, obviously entranced by his charisma. Hmm, maybe Zell really was more of a ladies' man than he let on. Or maybe that particular girl just had strange taste.

His eyes wandered again to rest on Squall and Rinoa, who were sitting at a rather reclusively located table. Rinoa was snuggled comfortably against Squall and whispering little sweet nothings into his ear. Squall passively watched the ballroom dancers, one arm wrapped around Rinoa's tiny waist and the other gently enclosing her hand in his on his kneecap. Every once in a while, Squall would return the whispered declarations of affection and he and Rinoa would share a moment of tenderness before Squall pulled away to watch the dancers again, not wanting his romance to become too public. Still, the way he lovingly looked at Rinoa when he thought no one was watching didn't escape Irvine. They could be such a sweet couple when they wanted to be....

Finally he brought his gaze back to the mahogany haired sprite before him, and he decided to devote the rest of the night to enjoying himself with her. This was her night of glory, after all. Still, even as he looked deep into the eyes of the girl he loved, he couldn't help thinking......

"I wonder how Quistis is doing?"



*************



"What the FUCK is wrong with this stupid friggin' toilet paper??"

Quistis was on the verge of throwing the roll of toilet paper across the room in sheer frustration. She had spent the past ten minutes trying to get the damned thing to unroll correctly, a seemingly simple task, but toilet paper was always more complicated than it first appeared.

It being a brand new roll, Quistis had tried to find the end of the paper where it was stuck with a thin layer of glue to keep it from unraveling in the packaging. Once she'd finally accomplished that, she tried to pull the paper loose only to end up ripping a long length of toilet paper neatly into half while the other half stayed stuck at the end to the roll.

"Shoot...."

She'd tried again, only to end up tearing it into even thinner halves.

"Dammit this stuff is worse than duct tape! It just keeps tearing...."

When she'd finally started to get it to unravel without being torn straight down the middle,she had started to pull at it harder in her frustration and the toilet paper kept coming off in neat little square sections at the perforated lines, hardly fit to toilet paper an entire room.

"Gosh freakin' DARNED it!" Stupid Balamb Brand. Quistis would never understand toilet paper manufacturers. Who gave a flying crap about softness and snuggliness when the dratted thing kept falling apart in your hands?

Finally, finally having gotten the toilet paper to unwind into sections longer than a foot, she set about to weaving it all around furniture and lamps around the room, making sure not to get it too tangled lest the stupid thing decided to rip again.

Once she was satisfied with her TP-ing job, Quistis returned to her pile of supplies in the middle of the room and grabbed the can of red spray paint. Shaking it emphatically, she quickly uncapped it and turned to where Seifer's bed was behind her.

This looks like a good place to do it. The sheets should wash off, and even if they don't, we can always replace them....

She leaned over the drab colored sheets and pointed the spray can directly at the covers, pressing down on the tab with her index finger.....only to have nothing come out.

Huh. I'm pretty sure this is a new can.... She shook it again, more fiercely this time, and pressed down again. Nothing.

Confused, she looked down at the directions on the back of the metal cylinder, reading with a perplexed look on her face.

All I have to do is shake and spray, right? That's what it says to do here.....That's so weird. I swear Irvine said he bought a brand new can just yesterday!

Shaking it one last time, she decided to aim the can at her hand, just to see if she could feel any air coming out or if something was blocking the hole that the paint was coming out of.

At first she felt nothing, so she pressed down harder and before she knew it an explosive spray of glossy wet red paint showered over her hands.

"Ackk! Oh what a mess...." Her hands glistened with vermilion paint, and Quistis felt totally disgusted with herself. Well *that* was a smart move....Now if someone walks in on me, I'll be caught red-handed....literally....

Sighing in frustration, Quistis turned back to the bedsheets to complete the task at hand.

At least I got it to work....

Taking a moment to reflect on what she should write, Quistis decided on what she thought was an appropriate insult that would be sure to strike a nerve with Seifer and aimed the spray paint.

"Zell, this one's for you...."



************



"Man, this party is so stupid....I can't imagine how people can enjoy something so incredibly boring. The only reason I'm here is because if I didn't come I couldn't graduate. Who came up with that retarded rule anyways?"

"DANCE STUPID. AGREE."

"I mean honestly, look at those people out there! They've just become elite mercenaries in a combat force known worldwide for its warfare capabilities, and they're dancing the night away like ninnies! If I were Commander of Garden, instead of Puberty-boy over there, we'd celebrate by going out and fighting T-Rexaurs or having a full out Deathmatch or something fuckin' *worthwhile*....anything but dancing...."

"AGREE. DEATHMATCH PERTINENT. DANCING....NOT."

"And come on! These SeeD outfits....they even make *me* look bad. I hate wearing this kind of shit. Leave it up to SeeD to come up with a get-up that's uncomfortable AND ugly as hell. I wish I had my trenchcoat....I feel so weird without it. They wouldn't even let me bring Hyperion! Can you believe those jerks?"

"JERKS, AFFIRMATIVE."

"Oh of course I agree wit' ya, y'know? I mean c'mon, these suits are so ITCHY, y'know? And I feel, like, a wedgie comin' on...."

The green-eyed man and his silver-haired companion turned to give the third member of their trio a long, hard stare. One could almost see the thought running simultaneously through their heads: how did this guy ever become a part of their posse?

Seifer, Fuujin, and Raijin had spent the entirety of the SeeD Ball standing sullenly in the most remote corner they could find, glowering at any party-goers who dared to come too close. Fuujin's face was as emotionless and passive as ever, her savage crimson eye darting here and there across the ballroom, as if wary of an imminent threat that could pop out at any given moment. Seifer had his arms crossed, and had spent the whole night so far sighing in exasperation, commenting on the absurdity of their being forced to be here, or maintaining a stony silence. Raijin shifted uneasily from foot to foot, constantly looking over to his two comrades, opening his mouth countless times as if to make some form of encouragement to join the carousing and then shutting it upon deciding it wiser to stay silent.

As Seifer and Fuujin were making an uncomfortable Raijin fidget under their austere gaze, a figure dressed in a sleeker, all-black version of the SeeD uniform reserved for only its highest ranking members, stepped up onto the stage. When he walked up to the microphone and leaned forward to speak into it, the entire ballroom hushed and grew quiet. Eager faces turned expectantly up towards the stage, watching as the figure's set of unfaltering steel gray eyes swept over his audience, waiting for the opportune moment to speak.

"Ugh....as if the night couldn't get any worse, Puberty-boy has to go and make a speech. Be still, my beating heart. I can't wait to hear what our Almighty Commander has to say...."

"Good evening. As you all know, as Commander of Balamb Garden, it is my official duty to welcome all newly acquired members of SeeD. The hardships they have overcome and the skills they have mastered have allowed them to become a part of Balamb's most prized fighting force. I commend all of you for your hard work and perseverance in getting this far; only a select few are destined to become SeeDs. Congratulations."

The room erupted into applause, enthusiastic whoops of delight, and hearty back-slapping.

"Oh for Hyne's sake....I can't take anymore of this. Puberty-boy could go on all night, but I sure as hell ain't staying for it."

Seifer uncrossed his arms and started stalking towards the large double doors leading out of the ballroom. Fuujin and Raijin both flanked him, intent on accompanying him out of there, but to their surprise he whirled around and stopped them dead in their tracks.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Following you of course, y'know?"

Onstage, Squall cleared his throat and launched back into his speech about the prestige and honor of becoming a SeeD.

"What for?"

"ALWAYS FOLLOW. POSSE, REMEMBER?"

"Not tonight, Fuuj. Remember, it's against the rules for new members to leave early; policy and all that shit. I don't care about getting caught, but if all of us leave, they'll definitely notice and we'll all be in trouble. Not that I care, but it's a pain in the ass to be on probation. Besides, if anyone asks, you guys can make up an excuse for me or something."

"But Seifer....it ain't fair that you get to go and we gotta stay here, y'know? I mean, we always stick together, so..."

"Yeah, well, not right now. I really don't feel like it. Besides, I thought I was your leader and I just told you to stay put? You don't want us all getting caught, do you?"

"SEIFER...." Fuujin started, but he cast her a glance that let her know that he wasn't about to argue. Her jaw clenched in dissatisfaction, but she remained silent.

Meanwhile, the crowd had started applauding and cheering like crazy again, Squall's speech apparently having a positive effect on them. Seifer spun around again and elbowed his way through the horde, his maneuvering going almost unnoticed in the swarming, roaring mass of students.

Almost, but not quite.

Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine had been standing just offstage, watching as Squall delivered his speech to the excited assembly of SeeDs. Rinoa had been watching the most intensely, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar flash of blonde hair making its way to the back of the room.

"Selphie....is that.....Seifer?" Rinoa whispered to the brown-haired girl beside her.

"Where??" Rinoa pointed towards where Seifer was forcing a throng of students out of his way, eyes set determinedly on the exit door.

"Ohmigosh no! He can't leave, not yet!" Selphie gasped.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Irvine leaned over to listen, curious what they were pointing at.

"Seifer's leaving the ballroom! It's too early; Quistis can't possibly be done yet! I bet you my nunchakus she's still in there, and if he walks in on her...." Selphie left the rest to Irvine's imagination, and he didn't need any prodding.

"Zell! Let's go! Seifer's on the move," Irvine murmured as he jabbed Zell and pulled him away from behind the stage.

"What, what, what? I was just listening to Squall's speech! Why are you--hey--quit dragging me around like I'm some kind of--"

"Pipe down, wouldya? We gotta go stop Seifer before he leaves and finds out what Quistis is doing to his room."

"I--oh.....I see....well geez, why didn't you tell me sooner? We gotta keep him from going back there, man!" Irvine declined from telling Zell that he had told him, but continued to silently drag him towards the exit, where Seifer was progressively headed. Selphie stole one last look at Squall still on stage, and decided to bound after the two. Rinoa stayed behind, not wanting Squall to finish his speech and come back to find all his friends missing, but she watched vigilantly as Seifer came upon the doors that would take him away from the ballroom and back to his dorm room.

I hope they get to him in time.....or else I'd really hate to be Quistis!



************



"Finally! Made it out of there alive....damned SeeDs....." Seifer breathed a sigh of relief, neglecting the fact that he was also a SeeD now himself. The empty hallway in front of him was a welcome sight, especially after having been thrust into the bustling horde of fervent students, all cheering and clapping and driving him crazy with their enthusiasm.

Brainless sheep, all of them....

He quietly made his way down the hall, hands thrust deep into his pockets as he sauntered away from the noise and commotion behind him.

Peace and quiet. Never thought it could seem so nice. Garden is actually kinda cool when it's all dark and deserted like this....I wonder if it's like this at night when everyone's asleep. Maybe sometime I should come out here and--

"Seiiiiiferrrr!!!" Selphie was the first to come running down the halls, gasping for air. Irvine was immediately behind her, followed by a breathless Zell.

What the--?

"Heyyyy there, Seifer, ol' buddy pal! Where are you goin' so fast? The ball isn't over yet, you know!"

Seifer arched his brow in disdain, frowning at Selphie's all-too-friendly words.

"Since when was I your buddy? And yes, I am perfectly aware of what's still going on in there. I just thought I'd....I dunno....take a walk. Too damned noisy in there."

"A walk, huh? Well, umm, I don't think you wanna do that right now, do ya? Cuz yeah....ummm....the best part's still to come!!"

The hell is wrong with this chick....she's so annoying.....

"Best part? As far as I'm concerned, there's no good part so there can't be a best part. Why are you so interested in whether I stay or not anyway? It's none of your business what I do. Now let me go on my way." Seifer turned to continue passing down the hall, but Irvine intercepted him, blocking his way. When Seifer tried to push around him, Irvine firmly placed a hand on his shoulder to restrain him.

The hell--???

"I don't think you're going anywhere just yet, Seifer. I thought that all new SeeDs were required by policy to stay until the ball was over?"

"Selphie, get your lame cowboy of a boyfriend to get his damned hand off of me before I cut it off for him-"

"Yeah, too bad Hyperion's not here. I told you, you're not going anywhere. Rules say you stay, so you stay."

"Yeah..." Zell cracked his knuckles from where he was standing behind Selphie.

Shoot. I'll have to think quick to get out of this.....

"Ohmygod look! I think Squall just broke up with Rinoa!" It was a long shot, but to Seifer's surprise, the trio withholding him diverted their attention for the merest fraction of a second, startled by the way Seifer had yelled out and pointed, which was all he needed to shove Irvine's hand away and sprint down the hall.

"What the--hey, he's getting away!!" Irvine whirled around to see Seifer's racing form quickly disappear around a corner. The three of them ran after him, but as they rounded the corner, the saw it diverged into four different hallways, all leading into separate sections of the dormitories.

"...Which way did he go?" Selphie stood there, puzzled at how Seifer could have slipped from their grasp. Worry started to settle on her face as she realized that Seifer was most likely going back to his dorm, and they all knew what, or more importantly who, was going to be there when he got back.....

"Does anyone know where Seifer's room is?" Selphie asked nervously, although she knew that none of the three of them probably had any idea. She definitely didn't.

"The hell? Do I *look* like I would know where Seifer's stinking room is?" Zell barked.

"Well, there's four hallways and three of us, so the best we can do is split up and take three of the four. Odds are, one of us will have to run into him. If not....well I guess Quistis is on her own. Not much we can do about it...."

"Irvine, you're such an ass! You're the one who got her into this dare thing in the first place, and now there's a possibility Seifer could walk in on her and you don't seem to really care! You know what kind of a temper he has....if he sees what she's doing.....dammit! How could we lose him??" Zell punched the nearest wall, venting his frustration on inanimate objects as usual.

"Hey, you didn't seem to object when I came up with the idea! If I recall correctly, you were just bursting to get back at Seifer!" Irvine retorted hotly, upset that Zell was trying to pin all the blame on him.

"Wha--well I'm not the one who keeps pushing Quistis to do things she doesn't want to do! If it weren't for your teasing her, she wouldn't always be--"

"HEY!! Quit it you two! None of this even matters! Quistis is going to get in big trouble and it's everyone's fault, okay? Whatever chance we had of catching up with Seifer is probably blown because both of you insist on fighting over nothing. I'll take the hall farthest left, Irvine will take the middle left one, and Zell, you go down the middle right hall. We'll just have to hope for Quistis' sake that he didn't take the hall farthest to the right."

Irvine and Zell were slightly taken aback by Selphie's outburst, and also a little embarrassed that she had had to stop them from quarreling like two elementary school kids. Irvine paused a moment to admire how assertive Selphie could be when she took charge, but after she turned to run down her designated hall he followed suit and went down his. It didn't take Zell long to realize that he was left standing alone, so he turned and hurried down the third hallway.



Leaving one hallway unpursued......



***********



Jeez....what in Hyne's name was all that about? I swear, those little brown-nosers just can't help being a royal pain in the ass. Especially that Irvine guy.....what the hell was his problem? I just don't get them...

Seifer strolled aimlessly down the hallways, which were dimly lit since it was already nighttime and the majority of Garden's residents were either still partying away or sleeping in their quarters. He liked it best when Garden's hallways were dark and deserted; too many people just bugged him. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he was completely alone, and he was relieved to see nothing but a vast, empty stretch of hallway.

I hope none of them followed me....Thank Hyne, I think they let up. That was so weird.....

Suddenly Seifer's stomach growled, and he was rudely reminded of the fact that he hadn't had dinner yet, since the food had been served during the ball and he had spent the entire time sulking in the corner. Ruefully he rubbed his complaining stomach, wondering where he could get some grub this late at night.

"I know! I think there's a vending machine somewhere near my room. I'll just grab a midnight snack then head straight to bed...." he said aloud, to no one in particular. Satisfied with his new plan, Seifer headed straight for his room.



**********



S.....E......I.....F.....E......R......



Quistis watched as the sheets were streaked a bright cherry red, paint spurting in flowing streams that followed the movements of her deft hand.



I.....S......



She paused to shake the can, then pressed down again, feeling a strange sort of satisfaction as the dye seeped into Seifer's covers.



A.....



She took a step sideways, following the words she was writing.



C.....H.....I.....C.....K....E.....N.....



One more word, and she'd be done. She took another step to her right, crossing her left leg behind her right.



W....U......



Unfortunately, in crossing one leg behind the other, she had inadvertently caught her left foot on one of the sheets that had come loose under the covers and slid to the floor. Her foot slipped, and Quistis felt herself falling backwards, her arms flailing outwards and desperately grabbing at whatever they could find to hold onto, which was nothing but thin air. With a sharp yell and a loud crash she fell to the floor, landing hard in a flurried mess of sheets and flying spray paint.



***********



"Hmmmm......the pretzels look good.....but I don't eat carbs before sleeping. Same goes for all the desserts. Chips are too salty..... Candy? I hate candy. Ugh, this vending machine sucks..." Seifer was standing in front of the vending machine down the hall from his room, a look of serious contemplation clouding his features as he mulled over his pre-slumber snack.

Tired of lounging in front of a vending machine doing nothing, Seifer dropped three quarters into the small metal slot in the machine's side and jabbed a couple random buttons. The vending machine clicked then whirred as the metal coil around a candy bar in a colorful aluminum wrapper slowly unwound. Seifer watched with almost-interest, until the coil stopped moving and the whirring stopped and the candy bar stayed where it was.

"What the--" Seifer punched the clear plastic siding on the vending machine, rattling the entire mechanism with his strength. The candy bar remained fixed in its spot, hanging precariously over the edge, threatening to fall over but stubbornly remaining steadfast.

"Move, dammit! Stupid piece of shit machine!" Seifer punched it again, this time hard enough so that the plastic almost fractured. The candy bar stayed where it was.

Angry now, because this had become more of a test of will between the almighty Seifer Almasy and an immovable bar of chocolate, Seifer raised his arm as if to strike again, but he was stopped by a muffled sound that rocketed down the hallway and seemed to be in one of the rooms nearby.......



***********



"Owww.....that hurt..." Groaning, Quistis dropped the spray can she had been holding and rubbed her sore rear, cradling her head with her other hand. She sat there on the floor for a minute, still a little dazed from her sudden fall.

I am such a clutz! I probably deserved that. Shoot, I hope nobody heard me fall....I better hurry up and finish before people start coming back from the dance.

Hastily Quistis pushed herself up from the floor, only to realize a second later that that was a poor choice to make. All the blood rushed from her head due to her sudden movement and her dizziness came back in an abrupt throbbing surge. All she could see for a moment was static as her vision blurred from loss of blood. Staggering backwards, Quistis flopped onto the bed and leaned forward, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the bloodflow to return. Slowly the blood came back to her head, and Quistis felt the dizziness disappear. Sighing, she leaned back, feeling herself sink further into the mattress as she placed a hand behind her to support her.

Wow, Seifer's mattress is so comfy....much softer than mine....the covers are so downy and warm and wet.....



Wait a minute. Wet? That's not right.....



Slowly Quistis turned around to look down at the bed and realized that in her momentary spell of dizziness, she had sat down *directly* in the spray paint, which hadn't gotten a chance to dry and was totally.......freaking.......wet.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Quistis jumped up with a cry, and when she turned around to determine how bad the damage was, she saw a humongous bleary red smear where she had been sitting on the covers, but even worse....there was the most horrid crimson stain streaked across the entire seat of her pants.

For a second she didn't say anything, just stood there looking at the mess that was Seifer's bed and a very similar mess that was her pants.

"These were my favorite jeans! HYNE!"

Quick quick gotta wash the jeans before the stain sets in....How long does it take for spray paint to dry? I hope a long time....Please wash out, I don't want this huge MESS on the back of my favorite jeans!! It took me forever to find a pair that fit so comfortably....

Quistis ran into the sparkling white bathroom that was adjoined to Seifer's room, not even bothering to shut the door behind her as she quickly peeled off her jeans and threw them into the sink. Pumping her hands full of soap from the soap dispenser, she set about to washing her pants under the purging rush of cold water that rushed out of the stainless steel faucet. Her hands chafed against one another as she scrubbed furiously, watching the bubbly suds turn bright pink in her hands then disappear in swirling rivulets down the drain. Water splashed over the rim of the sink and all over her, soaking her through and drenching her shirt and making it cling wetly to her damp skin.

Oh come on, there's still so much red!

Her hands sore from scouring the rough denim, Quistis turned off the faucet, defeated in the battle against stains.

I loved those jeans.....

She wrung them dry, wrenching the thick fabric in her strong hands, her pants making a squelching sound as all the excess water poured forth, trickling down into the sink and leaving Quistis' hands soaking wet.

That'll have to do. But since my pants are all wet.....

In her fervor to remove the stain from her pants, Quistis' state of current undress had gone unnoticed to her. But now it slowly dawned on her that she was standing in the middle of Seifer's room in only her underwear and a medium-sized T-shirt soaked through with slick soapy pink-red stains. Suddenly she felt very exposed, goosebumps growing on her legs as a small breeze from the vent in the room blew across her bare legs. Standing in the middle of Seifer's room, she had never felt more naked in her life.



***********



I swear I just heard a really loud crash. Like the sound of someone falling....and then someone groaning..... It sounded like it was coming from one of those rooms..... Geez, it's probably those two in the room next to mine getting 'frisky' again.... ugh I hate it when they get so loud. It's really disgusting and I can hear *everything*..... But the light in their room seems to be out.... And I'm pretty sure I just saw them in the ballroom, so that can't be them...... Hey, wait a minute, now that I think about it, I think those sounds were coming from *my* room! What the hell? There's nobody in there....at least, there *shouldn't* be.... Raijin, I swear to Hyne if that's you searching for your dirty magazines in my room again, I swear on Hyperion I'm gonna pummel you senseless!

Intent on giving Raijin the whooping of his life, Seifer forgot all about his bad luck with the vending machine and walked determinedly towards where he could clearly see a thin crack of light seeping out from under his door.



************



I can't leave the room like this! If someone saw me walking around like this, oh Hyne if someone saw me walking out of *Seifer's* room like this, I'd never hear the end of it! I have to find some pants....pants.....Seifer, where in the hell do you keep your pants?!?

Normally she would be disgusted at the thought of wearing something that belonged to Seifer, but at that particular moment, she was left without much of a choice. She spotted his dresser by the bed, hurried over to it and threw the top drawer open, plunging her hands into it and rooting around, desperately hoping to find something wearable only to feel the soft, worn fabric of loads and loads of......boxers.



She had successfully plundered her way into Seifer Almasy's underwear drawer.



Absolute horror of what her hands were touching; no, not touching, but *clutching* in huge wadded handfuls, struck her, and for a moment she was rooted to the spot, aghast at the notion of touching objects that were constantly in close contact with....with......oh HYNE!!!!!

Quistis was about to scream in horror, but the sound of something.....someone.....stopped her.



No.



It had to be her imagination.



She did not just hear footsteps.



She did not just hear someone coming down the hall.



She did not just hear someone stop in front of the door that led to the very room she was in, clutching great gobbing handfuls of Seifer's underwear and wearing only a soggy T-shirt with toilet paper covering every inch of furniture and red spray paint streaked all over the bed.



No no no no no no no no no no no no no this was just not possible!!!!!



She didn't have time to react, not even to think.



She heard the faint beep of the electronic card being registered from outside the room. The door slid open, and Quistis' heart stopped.





Author's Notes: Heh heh heh....this chapter was much longer than the first one, but oh so much more fun to write. Betcha wanna find out what's going to happen next. What will Seifer's reaction be? How will Quistis explain his room and...other things? Will Quistis ever be able to get the red stain out of her pants? Stay tuned for chapter three of Double Dares and Hoping Hearts to find out!