Disclaimer: All characters except MINE belong to Square.
Author's Note: I received an e-mail: "are ya gonna finish faded destiny and mirriorored temptatrion ive been waiting ages man." It, and numerous other signs, reminded me I have a duty to myself, my fans, and my characters to write more onto my stories. I'm sorry for the horrendously long delay-- it won't happen again. I'M BACCK~~!!! If you wanna re-read Mirrored T, go right ahead. At least its not too long...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Seven: Radiance
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Quistis stepped into the familiar surroundings of Edea's Orphanage. She hadn't stepped one foot inside the place in over a year, and it looked like Seifer had been doing some redecorating. All the debris that had been on the ground was gone, and so was a lot of the clutter. New furniture made of wood had been dragged into the main room and had been positioned to make the room appear as a family room and kitchen. The walls of the room had been cleaned and holes in the ceiling had been plugged. An oven, refrigerator, several counters, and a microwave oven had been placed neatly along one of the main walls.
Quistis stepped onto a large, dark red rug that encircled the middle of the family room space. She heard the door close behind her and footsteps sounded as Seifer stepped up behind her. She finished surveying the new, fresh room and turned to face him.
"You've done a lot to this place," she commented. "All by yourself?"
"Yeah," he said as he figeted a slight bit. He decided not to waste any time, "so, Trepe. Where's Questi?"
She pulled back slightly, almost unnoticeably, and rolled her eyes. "Packed away until I need her again. It's none of your concern, Almasy. We're here to talk about Selphie, not my other identity."
He stared at her for a second more before letting himself fall onto one of the larger chairs. As he lounged out, he motioned for her to take a neighboring chair.
She shook her head 'no'. "I must be leaving in a few minutes." A smile crept onto her pale face, "I'm meeting a friend back home."
Seifer pretended not to be interested. "Listen, about what I said outside a few minutes ago. I didn't know you didn't know that you fell down an elevator shaft."
"The mind blocks out traumatic events it doesn't wish to remember," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "The doctors wanted me to remember on my own. Too bad that won't happen now." She looked at him, her ice blue eyes filled with curiousness. "Tell me what happened."
"You fell down an elevator shaft."
"No shit."
"Well, that's what happened."
"Tell me how, ass hole."
Wow, Seifer thought. Trepe's really got a vulgar mouth on her today. "...You lost your room key. You went into the elevator to go to the main office on the first floor, and I was leaving and was in the elevator with you. The elevator had hardly begun to decend when it jolted to a stop. The lights went out. We found a door on the top and I helped you climb out. You told me the elevator car was about to fall because the cables were breaking or something. So, you helped me climb out, and..."
...there was this, this radiance I felt between us...
Not knowing why he had stopped talking, or even what he had been thinking, she motioned impatiently for him to continue.
He snapped back into his train of thought. "...The elevator was about to fall, and I could reach a cable above us but you couldn't. So I was on the cable, and you were holding onto my hands when the car fell and hit three floors below. You were still too far down to reach the cable and you... slipped."
Quistis imagined what it would be like to fall three stories down an elevator shaft onto rusty metal. She pictured falling, letting out only a slight cry out for help, and watching Seifer's smug face watch her as she fell, an uncaring look across it. She imaged being whirled around in midair, having to watch the ground rush up to meet her.
Quistis laid a shaking hand across her torn side, which suddenly ached. She knew she had been impaled. She glanced up at the blonde man sitting down before her, and took note of the concerned look across his face.
"What happened to Selphie?" Quistis gasped out.
"I don't know."
"Damn you!" Quistis shouted out. "You do know what happened to her."
"I don't!" Seifer shouted back, standing. He walked over to her, towering above her. Quistis suddenly felt weak. She took a timid step backwards.
"The last time I saw her, she--" Seifer paused.
"She...?"
"She ran off to Balamb town," Seifer finished. "I told you that."
And I thought she'd be out of harms way, Quistis thought sadly.
"I must find her," Quistis thought out loud, turning on her heels and making her way to the door. "She could be in danger."
She heard Seifer follow her. "She could be in danger? She's probably dead."
"Don't talk like that," the blonde woman muttered. "Have hopes."
"I don't care if she's dead," Seifer said smugly.
"Screw you," Quistis said in a fiery voice, still refusing to face him. She had reached the front door, slipped her right hand around the handle, and turned it. Except, the door wouldn't come open. Sighing, she yanked at it harder but still it didn't budge. She released the handle, feeling her white cheeks flush a bright crimson.
"You gotta pull it up when you open it," Seifer told her, brushing her aside. He opened the door for her and held it open.
"Thanks," she told him, her eyes meeting his. It was an exact repeation of what happened on the elevator car before Quistis fell. Their eyes locked, and fire melted ice.
Radiance.
Quistis' vision went blurry and her throat had gone dry. "Come with me," she blurted out.
"What?"
Her vision cleared. She coughed slightly. Why had she just asked him that!? Why?!
She made the excuse that she still was on a mission to lure him to her. Yes, that had to be it. She had to keep him near her so that she could complete the mission she started over four months prior.
"I need help. Will you help me find her?"
"....No," Seifer said in an annoyed tone. He opened the door even wider. Quistis took this as her cue and stepped through the open doorway, feeling the warmth of the sun's rays on her head.
"You know," Quistis said. She stopped and turned to face him. He was about to close the door but paused to listen to her words. "If Selphie is indeed dead, I will make you pay Seifer. For you were the one that caused her to venture off on her own. If she is hurt, you will pay."
Seifer looked at her for a quiet moment, then silently shut the door.
Quistis turned around and walked across the gravel path, away from her old home. She had a feeling Seifer Almasy was watching her from a window. She could practically feel his blazing eyes burning into her back. She ignored they feeling and kept her pace normal. She glanced up at the sky: the sun was beginning to fall behind the mountains.
"Damnit," she whispered. It was almost time to meet Celyn for his birthday. She was going to be late, and even then she wouldn't have time to get ready. She was sure she would look better than she did in the hosptal anyhow.
Her hunt for Selphie would begin tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: ....? yes? no??
Author's Note: I received an e-mail: "are ya gonna finish faded destiny and mirriorored temptatrion ive been waiting ages man." It, and numerous other signs, reminded me I have a duty to myself, my fans, and my characters to write more onto my stories. I'm sorry for the horrendously long delay-- it won't happen again. I'M BACCK~~!!! If you wanna re-read Mirrored T, go right ahead. At least its not too long...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Seven: Radiance
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Quistis stepped into the familiar surroundings of Edea's Orphanage. She hadn't stepped one foot inside the place in over a year, and it looked like Seifer had been doing some redecorating. All the debris that had been on the ground was gone, and so was a lot of the clutter. New furniture made of wood had been dragged into the main room and had been positioned to make the room appear as a family room and kitchen. The walls of the room had been cleaned and holes in the ceiling had been plugged. An oven, refrigerator, several counters, and a microwave oven had been placed neatly along one of the main walls.
Quistis stepped onto a large, dark red rug that encircled the middle of the family room space. She heard the door close behind her and footsteps sounded as Seifer stepped up behind her. She finished surveying the new, fresh room and turned to face him.
"You've done a lot to this place," she commented. "All by yourself?"
"Yeah," he said as he figeted a slight bit. He decided not to waste any time, "so, Trepe. Where's Questi?"
She pulled back slightly, almost unnoticeably, and rolled her eyes. "Packed away until I need her again. It's none of your concern, Almasy. We're here to talk about Selphie, not my other identity."
He stared at her for a second more before letting himself fall onto one of the larger chairs. As he lounged out, he motioned for her to take a neighboring chair.
She shook her head 'no'. "I must be leaving in a few minutes." A smile crept onto her pale face, "I'm meeting a friend back home."
Seifer pretended not to be interested. "Listen, about what I said outside a few minutes ago. I didn't know you didn't know that you fell down an elevator shaft."
"The mind blocks out traumatic events it doesn't wish to remember," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "The doctors wanted me to remember on my own. Too bad that won't happen now." She looked at him, her ice blue eyes filled with curiousness. "Tell me what happened."
"You fell down an elevator shaft."
"No shit."
"Well, that's what happened."
"Tell me how, ass hole."
Wow, Seifer thought. Trepe's really got a vulgar mouth on her today. "...You lost your room key. You went into the elevator to go to the main office on the first floor, and I was leaving and was in the elevator with you. The elevator had hardly begun to decend when it jolted to a stop. The lights went out. We found a door on the top and I helped you climb out. You told me the elevator car was about to fall because the cables were breaking or something. So, you helped me climb out, and..."
...there was this, this radiance I felt between us...
Not knowing why he had stopped talking, or even what he had been thinking, she motioned impatiently for him to continue.
He snapped back into his train of thought. "...The elevator was about to fall, and I could reach a cable above us but you couldn't. So I was on the cable, and you were holding onto my hands when the car fell and hit three floors below. You were still too far down to reach the cable and you... slipped."
Quistis imagined what it would be like to fall three stories down an elevator shaft onto rusty metal. She pictured falling, letting out only a slight cry out for help, and watching Seifer's smug face watch her as she fell, an uncaring look across it. She imaged being whirled around in midair, having to watch the ground rush up to meet her.
Quistis laid a shaking hand across her torn side, which suddenly ached. She knew she had been impaled. She glanced up at the blonde man sitting down before her, and took note of the concerned look across his face.
"What happened to Selphie?" Quistis gasped out.
"I don't know."
"Damn you!" Quistis shouted out. "You do know what happened to her."
"I don't!" Seifer shouted back, standing. He walked over to her, towering above her. Quistis suddenly felt weak. She took a timid step backwards.
"The last time I saw her, she--" Seifer paused.
"She...?"
"She ran off to Balamb town," Seifer finished. "I told you that."
And I thought she'd be out of harms way, Quistis thought sadly.
"I must find her," Quistis thought out loud, turning on her heels and making her way to the door. "She could be in danger."
She heard Seifer follow her. "She could be in danger? She's probably dead."
"Don't talk like that," the blonde woman muttered. "Have hopes."
"I don't care if she's dead," Seifer said smugly.
"Screw you," Quistis said in a fiery voice, still refusing to face him. She had reached the front door, slipped her right hand around the handle, and turned it. Except, the door wouldn't come open. Sighing, she yanked at it harder but still it didn't budge. She released the handle, feeling her white cheeks flush a bright crimson.
"You gotta pull it up when you open it," Seifer told her, brushing her aside. He opened the door for her and held it open.
"Thanks," she told him, her eyes meeting his. It was an exact repeation of what happened on the elevator car before Quistis fell. Their eyes locked, and fire melted ice.
Radiance.
Quistis' vision went blurry and her throat had gone dry. "Come with me," she blurted out.
"What?"
Her vision cleared. She coughed slightly. Why had she just asked him that!? Why?!
She made the excuse that she still was on a mission to lure him to her. Yes, that had to be it. She had to keep him near her so that she could complete the mission she started over four months prior.
"I need help. Will you help me find her?"
"....No," Seifer said in an annoyed tone. He opened the door even wider. Quistis took this as her cue and stepped through the open doorway, feeling the warmth of the sun's rays on her head.
"You know," Quistis said. She stopped and turned to face him. He was about to close the door but paused to listen to her words. "If Selphie is indeed dead, I will make you pay Seifer. For you were the one that caused her to venture off on her own. If she is hurt, you will pay."
Seifer looked at her for a quiet moment, then silently shut the door.
Quistis turned around and walked across the gravel path, away from her old home. She had a feeling Seifer Almasy was watching her from a window. She could practically feel his blazing eyes burning into her back. She ignored they feeling and kept her pace normal. She glanced up at the sky: the sun was beginning to fall behind the mountains.
"Damnit," she whispered. It was almost time to meet Celyn for his birthday. She was going to be late, and even then she wouldn't have time to get ready. She was sure she would look better than she did in the hosptal anyhow.
Her hunt for Selphie would begin tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: ....? yes? no??