Meeting Love, Finding Despair
Chapter Five
Perfection in the Fire
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and its respective trademarks are copyright of Square Europe.
Copyright: Seluna Armanti and Shira Trepe, both belong to Quis, Auria and Malice Shaw.
Seluna awoke the following morning beside Kiros. The sunlight drifted through the semi-parted curtains, framing his chiselled features in a halo of golden light. The subtle rise and fall of his chest depicting his dreaming, and his eyelashes pressed butterfly kisses on his cheeks. She shifted slightly, attempting to nudge his arms from her waist, and he let out a small moan, instead gripping her tightly to him and resting his chin on her shoulder. Seluna thought for a moment if she should wake up him, and decided against it, shifted carefully from his grasp, and pulled herself free from the bed.
He watched her as she dressed, bathed in the golden light of the morning, her skin coated with canary, reminding him humorously of cocoa butter. He gazed at her as she shifted through her drawers for clothing, and smiled to himself as she pulled on a silk top and plaid slacks, covering up any hint of femininity that he had caressed just the night before. She was all business; this woman was, when she wasn't letting her constant guard down.
As she ventured towards her kitchen to presumably make a meal, Kiros wondered to himself, just what the night before was to either of them. It was a release for the both of them, emotions high and running, and even he had to admit, he needed to let go just once. Yet other things clouded his mind. If it were a simple one-night thing, he ventured, he would not be thinking about it.
Kiros rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he eased himself into a sitting position. "Seluna?" he called, as he threw back the covers.
Seluna turned the corner with a large stack of pancakes. Her business suit was crisp as ever, as though she had done nothing but turn on the computer.
"Good morning, Kiros," she said with a warm smile.
Kiros smiled back.
In another part of the Presidential Palace, Quistis tossed and turned on her bed. A dream of another time and another place haunted her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Quistis was sixteen. She was waiting in the "secret spot" for Seifer. They'd been dating for about nine months. Tonight she was supposed to meet him here.
As usual, he showed up about fifteen minutes late. He always did. She could never decide whether it was because he wanted to look cool, making his girlfriend wait for him, or if he really was late because he didn't care enough to start getting ready earlier.
He strode up to her and casually placed his arm around her waist.
She smiled and kissed him on his lips, a quick little peck.
"So what have you been up to, Quisty?" he asked, moving closer to her.
"Well...you know...class..." she murmured.
He smiled, a rare, genuine smile. Most of his smiles were smirks of satisfaction after he'd 'accomplished' something. This one was no such thing. It made him look so charming.
She turned to look over the rail and out at the Garden, brilliant lights everywhere.
He held her close, his arms around her waist. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against her neck. She giggled.
"You know that tickles!" she said, squirming. He grinned and continued kissing her neck as she squirmed.
"Seifer Almasy!" she said, giggling. She squirmed until she turned all the way around, back against the rail, and was looking into his eyes.
"I love you, Quistis," he said.
His words left her speechless. She stared at him for a few moments before her own voice came back to her.
"I love you too, Seifer." she choked out.
Another memory played out, this time, even more haunting than she had ever thought of.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Quistis was seventeen.
She sat on her bed. Seifer should be here any minute, she had to tell him...
This relationship couldn't work any longer. He was beginning to become controlling of her. Ever since she became an instructor, he still a student, things had been hard.
Her job was demanding more then she thought it would. She had to teach, plus go out on exams with her students, usually taking one at a time. Her schedule was booked, she couldn't make time for him, and she understood how that could be irritating for him.
This had to end.
Seifer walked into the room.
"Quistis! I'm glad you could find time for me to come over. I just"-- she cut him off.
"Seifer...I don't think this will work," she said solemnly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I don't think we should see each other anymore..." she said, barely daring to look him in the eye.
He looked back for a few moments, stunned.
"So you want to break this relationship completely?" He asked suddenly.
Tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes. "I don't know what I want Seifer. This won't work with me being an instructor. I have no time for you, and that's not fair to you." she said.
"I don't care about what you consider 'fair'. I want to be with you, I don't care how much time...just with you." he said.
"I can't handle it. I'm not even getting four hours of sleep a night anymore. I can't take all this. Something has to change, and it has to be this," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
Seifer stared coldly for a few moments.
"Thank you for your valuable time....Instructor," he said coldly, and walked out, leaving the door hanging open.
That was the first time he had called her "Instructor". The wound had cut deeply into her heart, like a knife through butter.
The day she had sat on the judge's panel to decide his sentence for his war crimes had been the hardest day of her life. She remembered looking at the little slim choker across his neck, smiling sadly to herself. She'd given him that, long ago.
She sat up abruptly in bed. A wave of emotion ran over her as she threw back the covers and padded lightly to the kitchen.
I'd better wake Shira soon, she thought.
Quistis made breakfast before heading into her daughter's room to wake her up. A smile escaped her lips as she saw Shira spread-eagle like across the sheets.
"Shira, wake up, honey," Quistis whispered, shaking her daughter gently.
Shira's eyes were unfocused as she woke up. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head before she saw her mother's face.
"Mummy!" she exclaimed, hugging Quistis tightly.
Quistis hugged her back, before picking her up off the bed. A little under twenty kilos, Shira was small for her age.
"You ready for breakfast?" Quistis asked as Shira scrambled down.
Shira nodded. "Mummy? How do you know Seifer?"
Quistis hadn't been prepared for that. A look of discomfort crossed her face for a second, before she schooled the expression into a neutral one.
"He was my student," Quistis said, avoiding the truth.
"You taught him?" Another question that was unavoidable. Quistis had to force herself not to shout at her daughter for asking such questions.
"Yes, a long time ago," The truth was much more complicated than that, Quistis knew.
"Is he coming to see us again? I liked him," Shira's innocent question made Quistis blush red.
That clever girl, she thought, I guess nothing escapes her when Laguna takes her out on outings.
"Yes," Quistis replied abruptly, setting a plate of French toast down in front of Shira before sitting down herself with the same.
Through breakfast, Quistis was forced to answer questions about Seifer, until the doorbell rang.
Seifer Almasy stood outside, a bouquet of lilies in his hand and a picnic basket in the other; clearly intending to invite them to a picnic.
"Can I come in or are you just gonna make me stand here?" Seifer joked, as he entered the apartment.
Quistis frowned and scooted over to a nearby seat to sit down.
"Seifer!" Shira's voice was excited, as she ran to hug him.
Seifer lifted the little girl up before tossing her gently into the air and placing her down again on her feet.
"Good to see you, Shira," Seifer laughed.
Quistis excused herself, and walked into the kitchen. Her kitchen was tidy, ample and well equipped. She headed for the cupboard to grab some cleaning supplies, busying herself with cleaning.
Meanwhile, Seifer was faced with a barrage of questions from the inquisitive little six year old. He watched her as she walked over to a toy chest to one side of the room and pulled out a rather large rubber hopper.
"How did you and mummy meet?" Shira asked, as she bounced happily around the room on her hopper.
Seifer laughed. "We've known each other since we were younger than you," he replied, "We met at the Orphanage."
He paused, not knowing how much of her mother's history Shira knew. "How much of your mummy's history do you know?" he asked gently.
"Mummy was born in Dollet, at the beginning of the First Sorceress War," Shira replied as if she had memorised the speech off by heart. "Mummy's told me everything," she bragged.
Seifer gave a short bark of laughter. "Did you know that we were once in love?" he asked, and Shira nodded.
Just then, Quistis appeared out of the kitchen. An esky was in one hand, her whip dangled dangerously by her side.
"Are you ready, Mr Almasy? The picnic is waiting," Quistis said playfully.
A/N. This was pretty hard to write, I lost inspiration during this chapter. Hopefully, Malice will write the next chapter if I don't come up with anything...Special thanks to Starlight for betaing part of this chapter. xD
Chapter Five
Perfection in the Fire
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and its respective trademarks are copyright of Square Europe.
Copyright: Seluna Armanti and Shira Trepe, both belong to Quis, Auria and Malice Shaw.
Seluna awoke the following morning beside Kiros. The sunlight drifted through the semi-parted curtains, framing his chiselled features in a halo of golden light. The subtle rise and fall of his chest depicting his dreaming, and his eyelashes pressed butterfly kisses on his cheeks. She shifted slightly, attempting to nudge his arms from her waist, and he let out a small moan, instead gripping her tightly to him and resting his chin on her shoulder. Seluna thought for a moment if she should wake up him, and decided against it, shifted carefully from his grasp, and pulled herself free from the bed.
He watched her as she dressed, bathed in the golden light of the morning, her skin coated with canary, reminding him humorously of cocoa butter. He gazed at her as she shifted through her drawers for clothing, and smiled to himself as she pulled on a silk top and plaid slacks, covering up any hint of femininity that he had caressed just the night before. She was all business; this woman was, when she wasn't letting her constant guard down.
As she ventured towards her kitchen to presumably make a meal, Kiros wondered to himself, just what the night before was to either of them. It was a release for the both of them, emotions high and running, and even he had to admit, he needed to let go just once. Yet other things clouded his mind. If it were a simple one-night thing, he ventured, he would not be thinking about it.
Kiros rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he eased himself into a sitting position. "Seluna?" he called, as he threw back the covers.
Seluna turned the corner with a large stack of pancakes. Her business suit was crisp as ever, as though she had done nothing but turn on the computer.
"Good morning, Kiros," she said with a warm smile.
Kiros smiled back.
In another part of the Presidential Palace, Quistis tossed and turned on her bed. A dream of another time and another place haunted her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Quistis was sixteen. She was waiting in the "secret spot" for Seifer. They'd been dating for about nine months. Tonight she was supposed to meet him here.
As usual, he showed up about fifteen minutes late. He always did. She could never decide whether it was because he wanted to look cool, making his girlfriend wait for him, or if he really was late because he didn't care enough to start getting ready earlier.
He strode up to her and casually placed his arm around her waist.
She smiled and kissed him on his lips, a quick little peck.
"So what have you been up to, Quisty?" he asked, moving closer to her.
"Well...you know...class..." she murmured.
He smiled, a rare, genuine smile. Most of his smiles were smirks of satisfaction after he'd 'accomplished' something. This one was no such thing. It made him look so charming.
She turned to look over the rail and out at the Garden, brilliant lights everywhere.
He held her close, his arms around her waist. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against her neck. She giggled.
"You know that tickles!" she said, squirming. He grinned and continued kissing her neck as she squirmed.
"Seifer Almasy!" she said, giggling. She squirmed until she turned all the way around, back against the rail, and was looking into his eyes.
"I love you, Quistis," he said.
His words left her speechless. She stared at him for a few moments before her own voice came back to her.
"I love you too, Seifer." she choked out.
Another memory played out, this time, even more haunting than she had ever thought of.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Quistis was seventeen.
She sat on her bed. Seifer should be here any minute, she had to tell him...
This relationship couldn't work any longer. He was beginning to become controlling of her. Ever since she became an instructor, he still a student, things had been hard.
Her job was demanding more then she thought it would. She had to teach, plus go out on exams with her students, usually taking one at a time. Her schedule was booked, she couldn't make time for him, and she understood how that could be irritating for him.
This had to end.
Seifer walked into the room.
"Quistis! I'm glad you could find time for me to come over. I just"-- she cut him off.
"Seifer...I don't think this will work," she said solemnly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I don't think we should see each other anymore..." she said, barely daring to look him in the eye.
He looked back for a few moments, stunned.
"So you want to break this relationship completely?" He asked suddenly.
Tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes. "I don't know what I want Seifer. This won't work with me being an instructor. I have no time for you, and that's not fair to you." she said.
"I don't care about what you consider 'fair'. I want to be with you, I don't care how much time...just with you." he said.
"I can't handle it. I'm not even getting four hours of sleep a night anymore. I can't take all this. Something has to change, and it has to be this," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
Seifer stared coldly for a few moments.
"Thank you for your valuable time....Instructor," he said coldly, and walked out, leaving the door hanging open.
That was the first time he had called her "Instructor". The wound had cut deeply into her heart, like a knife through butter.
The day she had sat on the judge's panel to decide his sentence for his war crimes had been the hardest day of her life. She remembered looking at the little slim choker across his neck, smiling sadly to herself. She'd given him that, long ago.
She sat up abruptly in bed. A wave of emotion ran over her as she threw back the covers and padded lightly to the kitchen.
I'd better wake Shira soon, she thought.
Quistis made breakfast before heading into her daughter's room to wake her up. A smile escaped her lips as she saw Shira spread-eagle like across the sheets.
"Shira, wake up, honey," Quistis whispered, shaking her daughter gently.
Shira's eyes were unfocused as she woke up. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head before she saw her mother's face.
"Mummy!" she exclaimed, hugging Quistis tightly.
Quistis hugged her back, before picking her up off the bed. A little under twenty kilos, Shira was small for her age.
"You ready for breakfast?" Quistis asked as Shira scrambled down.
Shira nodded. "Mummy? How do you know Seifer?"
Quistis hadn't been prepared for that. A look of discomfort crossed her face for a second, before she schooled the expression into a neutral one.
"He was my student," Quistis said, avoiding the truth.
"You taught him?" Another question that was unavoidable. Quistis had to force herself not to shout at her daughter for asking such questions.
"Yes, a long time ago," The truth was much more complicated than that, Quistis knew.
"Is he coming to see us again? I liked him," Shira's innocent question made Quistis blush red.
That clever girl, she thought, I guess nothing escapes her when Laguna takes her out on outings.
"Yes," Quistis replied abruptly, setting a plate of French toast down in front of Shira before sitting down herself with the same.
Through breakfast, Quistis was forced to answer questions about Seifer, until the doorbell rang.
Seifer Almasy stood outside, a bouquet of lilies in his hand and a picnic basket in the other; clearly intending to invite them to a picnic.
"Can I come in or are you just gonna make me stand here?" Seifer joked, as he entered the apartment.
Quistis frowned and scooted over to a nearby seat to sit down.
"Seifer!" Shira's voice was excited, as she ran to hug him.
Seifer lifted the little girl up before tossing her gently into the air and placing her down again on her feet.
"Good to see you, Shira," Seifer laughed.
Quistis excused herself, and walked into the kitchen. Her kitchen was tidy, ample and well equipped. She headed for the cupboard to grab some cleaning supplies, busying herself with cleaning.
Meanwhile, Seifer was faced with a barrage of questions from the inquisitive little six year old. He watched her as she walked over to a toy chest to one side of the room and pulled out a rather large rubber hopper.
"How did you and mummy meet?" Shira asked, as she bounced happily around the room on her hopper.
Seifer laughed. "We've known each other since we were younger than you," he replied, "We met at the Orphanage."
He paused, not knowing how much of her mother's history Shira knew. "How much of your mummy's history do you know?" he asked gently.
"Mummy was born in Dollet, at the beginning of the First Sorceress War," Shira replied as if she had memorised the speech off by heart. "Mummy's told me everything," she bragged.
Seifer gave a short bark of laughter. "Did you know that we were once in love?" he asked, and Shira nodded.
Just then, Quistis appeared out of the kitchen. An esky was in one hand, her whip dangled dangerously by her side.
"Are you ready, Mr Almasy? The picnic is waiting," Quistis said playfully.
A/N. This was pretty hard to write, I lost inspiration during this chapter. Hopefully, Malice will write the next chapter if I don't come up with anything...Special thanks to Starlight for betaing part of this chapter. xD