Meeting Love, Finding Dispar
Chapter Four
A Trip to Timber
By Quis and Auria
With additional help by Malice Shaw
Quistis led the way to her apartment in the Esthar residencies. Seifer followed her, his tall frame towering the normally tall instructor. She fumbled for her key card, and entered her apartment.
Children's toys were strewn on the floor, a Barbie doll here, a stuffed Moogle there. Seifer arched his eyebrow as he noticed these.
"You're too old to be playing with toys, Quisty," Seifer said mockingly.
Quistis turned her icy glare on Seifer. "For your information Seifer, I actually do have a daughter," she snapped.
Seifer laughed. "You are crazy, Quistis…and when do I get to meet her?" he asked in a slightly sardonic tone.
"You will meet Shira tonight. I'm picking her up from her father's," Quistis replied, as she walked into her room. "I'm just getting changed, stay in the kitchen."
Quistis quickly changed out of her suit into a pair of khaki green pants and a tank top of a similar colour, and placed her hair into a simple ponytail.
Seifer waited until he was out of Quistis's view before deciding to look around. He explored the kitchen, looking and smiling at the cookbooks.
A Guide to Healthy Nutrition, First Edition- Lyn Kadowaki
Seifer smirked. Trust Quistis to have a book like that, he thought with an amused expression. He saw a delicately framed photo of Quistis and a small child with startlingly blue eyes and pale blonde hair.
Her daughter, so she wasn't bullshitting me after all, Seifer thought as he picked up the photo.
Just then, Quistis came out of her room. "Seifer," she called, "Come on, we're going!"
Seifer took a double take as he saw her. "Wow, impressive choice of clothes, Quistis," he said sincerely.
Quistis gave him a look that clearly made Seifer look like an idiot.
Seifer laughed. "That hurt, Quisty," he said, holding his hand to his chest, trying to be cute.
Quistis ignored the jab, quickly walking past him into the living area where she picked up her bag and a pair of sunglasses.
"Come on, if you're going to come with me, then hurry. I'm not leaving you here, because I don't trust you," she said jokingly.
Seifer rubbed his chin before following Quistis like a lost puppy out to the garage where her hovercraft was waiting.
Quistis hopped in without waiting for Seifer. Quite frankly, she was beginning to tire of his overly cheerful, too Zell-like behaviour. Soon they were zipping across the roads towards Timber.
"You know, all this time I've been in jail, the only thing that kept me sane was thoughts of you," Seifer said suddenly.
Quistis just nodded. Sure they had been lovers at one stage, back when they were still SeeD cadets, when the two of them were fifteen.
~A few years ago~
Quistis walked through the main hallway on the second floor of Balamb Garden. She looked so prim and proper, her hair pulled back in a smart bun, but with a few strands hanging loose in the front to show she wasn't completely by-the-book.
Her new SeeD uniform was pressed to perfection. Every crease was exactly how it should be. She held a few books in her right arm. Everything was as it should be for her first day of class as a SeeD at the Garden.
She had just made SeeD yesterday, and was now transferred to a SeeD class. No more junior classmen for her, she was with the important group at Garden. Unfortunately, she seemed to be the youngest SeeD at Garden. She had always been a prodigy at almost anything.
She entered the class, shooting the teacher a smile for good measure. 'If I can't be perfect in class work, at least I can be perfect in personality.' she thought.
She sat at her desk, placing her two books, notebook, and pencil neatly in front of her. She was definitely ready for this.
"Hello class...my name is Instructor Cardinal. I will do my best in training and teaching you, so that when you are dispatched for real missions in real combat, you won't need me holding your hand." he said, standing up from his position in his chair at his desk and moving to the front of the class.
Quistis did as she was told. She remembered when she first came here. She was ten years old, sent directly from Edea's Orphanage. She barely remembered the orphanage now.
The instructor interrupted her thoughts.
"I'm sure you all have an adequate Guardian Force junctioned?" he asked.
Class was over three hours later. Quistis was glad to flex her butt muscles again. She was glad she still had a butt! After sitting in that harshly flat chair all morning she felt hers had been flatened to nothing.
She exited the classroom to see a bunch of junior classmen gathered around in a large group. There was shouting and excitement emanating from every student around.
Quistis, being the responsible person she was, decided to investigate this. She pushed through the crowd to find fourteen year-old Squall Leonhart and fifteen year-old Seifer Almasy on the floor, fists flying.
She remembered them from her last class, the one before she was promoted to SeeD. Seifer was always on Squall's back for something, and Squall was always ready for it. The two were truly rivals; fighting over anything and everything.
"Stop! Just stop!" she bent over, trying to pull Seifer away from Squall. Seifer stood up when grabbed by Quistis, Squall followed.
"Don't talk about her like that Almasy." Squall said menacingly.
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Seifer spat back. Quistis had obviously missed something.
"Just shut up! What are you talking about?" she said, completely frustrated with this whole mess. It was always like this.
"He got all pissed because I told him his sister is dead."
"He has a sister?" Quistis asked.
"I don't know...I heard him say something about a sister, so I said that just to piss him off. He went crazy and attacked me. I think he should see Dr. Kadowaki." Seifer said to Quistis. Quistis rolled her eyes. Seifer had managed to do it again.
Squall stormed off, still totally furious.
Quistis turned on her heel and walked away. At least they were seperated, thats all that mattered right now.
Seifer walked up to Quistis.
"What?" she said, still looking straight ahead.
"You're SeeD now right?" he asked.
Quistis looked down at her SeeD uniform, stopped walking, and looked at him.
"You could say that." she said.
"So how is it?" he asked, smirking.
"Fun. We get to finger paint," she said sarcastically. She wanted him to go away right now, she needed no more stress.
Seifer looked her straight in the eye for a moment.
"Trepe, you are so uptight." he said after a few seconds.
"You expect me to be all buddy-buddy after that show you just put on?" she said.
"It was a pretty good show, huh?" he said arrogantly. Quistis rolled her eyes and continued down the corridor.
He soon caught up.
"So where are you headed to?" he asked.
She thought for a moment. She really didn't know, she was just walking to get away.
"I don't know." she said. Seifer smirked.
"So Quistis doesn't have a plan...did you happen to look out the window and catch those flying pigs, they're a dandy." he smarted off.
"Seifer, what do you want?" she asked irritably.
Seifer shrugged. "I don't know...I was bored, so I decided to bother you." he said.
"How immature." she stated. He laughed.
"I guess that's how I should be for being a fifteen year old boy." he said, putting emphasis on the word "fifteen".
However much a pain, he is charming, Quistis thought.
~End Flashback~
A part of her wished they could go back to those days in Garden, but another, more realistic side of her knew that those days would never come again.
There were only a few more kilometres until they reached Timber. Quistis pulled the hovercraft to a stop, and hopped out.
"What the fuck are you doing, Trepe?" Seifer called, as he followed Quistis.
"Walking the rest of the way, Almasy," Quistis retorted, as she headed towards the outskirts of the town.
Timber had changed quite a bit since Quistis had first visited there. As president, she had worked hard at the job. Her insight, talents and visions shone through, and Timber was now a small country town bustling with energy and vigour unknown before. A long, winding road stretched out and before them stood a sign with the population numbers of Timber.
Quistis smiled before turning to Seifer. "Well, there's always the high road," she joked, as she began to sing.
By yon bonnie, bonnie banks and by yon bonnie, bonnie braes Where the sun shines bright on Loch LomondFor me an' my true love'll never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie bank of Loch Lomond
Oh, ye'll take the high road an' I'll take the low road
And I'll be in Timber afore ye
For me an my true love'll never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
As she ended the song, a soldier marched towards her, a deadly expression etched on his face. He was wearing the colours of a Galbadian soldier.
"You are trespassing on Galbadian soil," he said.
Quistis laughed. "Excuse me, but I don't think that Timber is part of Galbadia any longer," she said, "I'm Quistis Trepe, the first president of the New Timber Republic."
The soldier snorted. He glanced at the man behind Quistis and a flicker of fear registered in his eyes.
Seifer was still an enigma, no matter what he was. As he walked past Quistis, his arm snaked out, and grabbed the scrawny soldier around the neck.
"Listen here, fuckwit, and listen well. If you dare insult Quistis, I will personally see to it that you're dead before you can count to fifty. Got it?" Seifer said in a menacing tone, his eyes steely, like the colour of the ocean on a cloudy day.
The soldier smirked. "If that's all you have to say, then scram!" he said.
Seifer didn't release the man from his hold. He slammed the man against the signpost. "Watch it, or I'll personally see that you die," he threatened. He released the soldier and continued walking towards Timber.
Quistis was shocked that he would do such an act of violence, but then remembered whom she was with. She smirked softly as she continued towards Timber.
The outskirts of Timber was populated with tiny, quaint houses, the type most likely to be found in a history book or a children's fairy tale. The tiny cottages stood to one side of the road, and climbed up into the natural hills and dales around Timber.
They stopped. On the verge of the town, Quistis spied a stuffed Moogle. She bent down to pick it up, smiling as she inhaled its musky scent. She looked at it once more, before realizing something. It was Shira's Moogle.
"Come on, Seifer, we have to hurry!" she exclaimed, urgency in her voice.
"What's wrong, Quistis?" Seifer asked, genuinely caring about her.
"Shira!" the strangled cry arose from her throat, as she ran towards the house where Zone lived.
She burst through the door angrily, her whole mind focused upon Shira's safety, and that alone was her primary concern.
"Zone, where is Shira?" Quistis asked, as her ex-husband came into view.
Zone looked a mess. He looked like he hadn't slept for three days, a beer gut prominent and sticking out. He was not the man Quistis remembered him to be; a few short weeks ago he looked healthy and alive. Now, he looked worn out and unwell.
"Quistis," he slurred, "Shira's asleep."
Quistis looked closely at Zone. "Zone, what's happened?" she asked quietly, knowing that there was a reason for his dishevelled look.
"I got kicked in the stomach by a Galbadian dog, that's what," Zone said, before he collapsed.
Seifer sprang into action as Quistis ran towards her daughter's room.
"Shira, honey…. Mummy's come to take you home," she said, as she woke her daughter.
Shira was still sleepy when Quistis picked her up. Small for her age, she was easy to lift. Shira only looked like she was four years old. She leant her head against her mother's shoulder and went back to sleep.
Quistis cradled her daughter in her arms as Seifer stood up after helping Zone to his feet. He had collapsed again after Quistis left the room to retrieve her sleepy daughter.
He smiled at Quistis before letting his gaze wander over to the little one in Quistis's arms.
"So, shall we go?" Quistis asked, motioning to Seifer to pick up a suitcase.
Seifer nodded, and picked up the suitcase before heading to the front door.
Quistis followed him, carrying Shira on her back.
In the sunlit afternoon, the fields around Timber looked quaint. A ripe field of hay was ready to be harvested, and the green oat fields looked healthy and lush. Quistis had planted and harvested the fields with the people of Timber, and it brought a smile to her face to see the fields going so well.
Soon, they were heading back to Esthar. Shira was asleep for the whole journey.
A smile appeared on Seifer's chiselled features as they rode back. "You're lucky, Quistis," he said softly.
Quistis smiled as she heard his voice.
It had been so long since he had kissed her, and she longed for it.
A/N. Phew! This chapter's done! For the duration of this fic, Timber will be a small farming community as well as the TV Station's home.