Title: Thousand Cranes

Author: Kuri Tessy

Feedback: Yes, please!

Pairings: Quistis/Seifer

Rating: PG/PG-13

Warnings: Angst and Death

Disclaimer: FF8, characters, and other nice things don't belong to me. It's

sad, but true.

Notes: In Japanese class I watched a video on Sadako Sasaki and the story of the one thousand paper cranes. I was touched by the video''s message and got the idea of writing a fanfiction piece about it.

My Thanks: Hi all! I am back from the dead for those who remember my short appearance so long ago. I want to apologize ten times over for leaving my fanfic hanging. Terrible form, I know. So, after almost a year of abandonment I am ready to continue and fire Thousand Cranes back up! Whoohoo! I want to thank all of you who reviewed, including frost_support, seyendaidni, riulyn, d i z z y u p t h e g r r l, Bugaboo, Dalpal, laocadia, Jacks, and Caterchipillar.. ^^ I really appreciate you going out of your way to do so. Comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism is always welcome! I like to know how people are responding to the story and how they should think it should

progress!





Thousand Cranes





Trained for years in the art of combat, pushed to achieve a higher level of physical perfection, Quistis Trepe was one of the elite Seeds. Equipped with rage, adrenaline, and a keen sense of direction she should have given Seifer a run for his, or more appropriately, her money. Countless tracking missions she had completed successfully, so Quistis was not worried about losing her quarry's tracks. No, she was more worried when after running through her sixth dank alley of Deling City her body began to rebel against her. Stubbornly, the young woman pushed on through the streets noticing every little detail which might give way to Seifer's presence. A bit of strewn paper and gravel, a disgruntled bystander, anything to find the thief and inflict her revenge.



Quistis mused as she was clutching her side, that once she found Seifer she would gladly transfer her current pain over to her tormentor. She began planning her victory as she reached a public landmark, the train station. Of course, the misfit would flee to the train station with her money. Quistis rolled her eyes in frustration, she should have known that. Her side ache flared in reprisal of her mistake. 'O.K., so perhaps I over did the whole hunter thing," Quistis thought to herself as she entered the building. Her body was taking a beating for her lack of insight.



It was now almost her second day in Deling City and the sun had yet to rise. Quistis looked about her in the long hall of the station. Just before the wee hours of the morning there was little activity of passengers taking and leaving the trains. Quistis smiled to herself, it was going to be too easy. Her current plan was simple, ask the man selling the tickets if he had seen Seifer. Without a doubt a man such as Seifer was a striking and rememberable figure.



Quistis approached the man's booth, "Sir, by chance have you seen a man about my age? He's around six feet tall, has blond hair, and wears a trench coat."



Quistis had to shake her head, it was amusing that Seifer still wore the old thing. She wondered how many times he had to have it repaired. As she recalled it was damaged and torn the last time she had fought him in battle. Perhaps, he had a closet full of grey trench coats. She smiled to herself, the thought was unlikely.



She shook her head to release her stray thoughts and gave the man her attention.



The man smiled and nodded, "Why I suppose I did see the fellow. He bought a ticket for the train going to Dollet. He looked like he was in a hurry, because he ran out of here like a bat out of hell."



Quistis held back a chuckle. She couldn't honestly see Seifer as a bat, never mind the hell part, but at least she knew where he was heading.



With a nod, Quistis thanked the kind man and asked for the time of the train's departure. It wouldn't do if the train had already left, she wouldn't be able to catch him then with her current lack of money on her person.



"Miss, that train should leave in about ten minutes," the man answered as the golden haired woman quickly left and once again resumed the role of pursuer.



As Quistis stalked through the long hall she muttered to herself, "It is a matter of principle that I, as his former teacher, should have this right to justice. Did I not teach him nothing?! First, he steals MY money, then adds insult to injury by completely discarding everything that I taught him. I would think that my own student would have better judgement." Continuing, she threw her hands in the air, "Did I not teach my class not to go to the most obvious of places in signs of attack or in escape? Didn't I?!"



Observers to Quistis's tirade blinked several times at her flustered appearance. An old lady leaned over to her companion and loudly remarked, "Teachers have the hardest jobs. Just think, trying to spoon feed common knowledge to a bunch of brats. I couldn't do it."



Quistis overheard and stopped in her tracks. The haze she had been living in for the past day seemed to lift for a moment. She wasn't a teacher anymore. Why was she even here? Of course, she was upset with Seifer's actions, but honestly, it wasn't as if she didn't have her own Seed account with plenty more money. She didn't understand, it really didn't make any sense. Once again the haze resettled and Quistis shook her head. The haze was like a blanket smothering any coherent thought. The room was also fading, or was that her memory? When had she last eaten? Perhaps that was the reason she felt dizzy. Oh yes, dinner with Seifer. Seifer! But, what about Seifer? With a new burst of determination, Quistis's earlier revelations disappeared and her need for revenge took hold. Dismissing her concerns and questions, Quistis resumed her searching for the waiting area of the Dollet train. At last, she managed to stumble towards a pacing figure in grey.



Quistis cringed when the haze seeped deeper into her mind but she managed on towards her goal. Grasping for her whip, she clasped the ends in her hands. Wasting no time, Quistis lunged herself at the man and the length of whip found itself wrapped around the male's throat.



Quistis gave a yell of triumph and applied pressure. Drawing herself close to the tall figure in grey she whispered in his ear, "You weren't so lucky to escape me, were you Seifer? No one steals from me and gets away with it."



A gurgle was released from her victim and Quistis lifted her gaze up to the man's frightened blue gaze. Blue eyes? Quistis examined Seifer's face and saw that his facial features had changed. A dazed man with brown hair and a grey suit struggled to release himself from Quistis's whip.



Quistis flicked her whip back to her and stepped away from the man. Why was everything so fuzzy and why did Seifer look different? Those were her last thoughts before the side of her head was hit and darkness consumed her.



Seifer Almasy glared down at the crumpled form of the woman. What had the twit been thinking? The man she had assaulted was staring at the two of them with shock. A small crowd had begun to form to watch the events unfolding. Seifer ignored them. What the hell was wrong with Quistis? She had completely passed Seifer, who was seated in a chair beside the pacing man and hadn't attacked him. Seifer had seen her stumbling into the waiting area and thought that there would be a confrontation between the two of them. Something was obviously wrong with her.



Slinging Quistis over his shoulder for the second time in twenty-four hours, the vagrant knight stepped through the entrance of the train.