Title: Dreaming in Color
Author: Kasai
Rating: PG-13, for language and 'adult themes' later
Summary: Guardian Forces have made them forget, but the memories lurk in the minds of all the orphanage children. A little introspect to our favorite gang's early lives, centering around Quistis and Seifer. Quifer. The first half of the story will be in the orphanage and the second will be present day.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that was in FFVIII at all... Not the characters, not the plot, not the map... Y'know, nada. It all belongs to Squaresoft. I'm not making any money off of this, it's merely some harmless fun. That applies for the rest of the fic, too, so please don't sue me. x.x
A/N: This idea just... came to me. I thought that it might be nice to see how our favorite couple (Seifer and Quistis) might react with each other when they were children. While this won't start off as a Quifer, being as they're just kids, it will develope into one later when the story switches to our friends after the Ultimecia battle. Let me know what you think! Also, since this is kind of like an introductory thing, it won't be as long as upcoming chapters.
Dreaming in Color - Chapter 1 : Dreams
About ten years ago, in a familiar orphanage on Centra...
The air was warm with the coming of summer, carrying the light scent of the many blossoming flowers. The grasses of the familiar field on the side of the orphanage swayed as they were pulled two and fro in the wind, which was gusting jovially. Mingling with the scent of various wildflowers was the ever-present redolence of the ocean, salty and humid. Spring was in full flux, making the orphanage peaceful and serene.
It was the kind of environment that got people to thinking, even one so young as her whole nine years of age. Her shock of shoulder-length blonde hair was tugged behind her in a playfull game by the wind. She sat on the stone wall, watching as the wind tumbled across the small plain and stirred the foliage there. Her startling sapphire eyes regarded the country side without really seeing it. The sun kissed her fair skin, bathing her in warmth. Sighing, caught up in the moment, Quistis shifted her weight and stretched out her arms behind her. Her pastel yellow sundress stretched with her, etched with small blue floral designs. Smoothing out her skirts, she placed both her hands at her sides, swinging her feet and leaning forward a bit into the wind. It's so pleasant out today, she thought with a smile.
A gust of wind carried the sounds of a basketball game from the nearby court yard. Quistis tilted her head to try and catch some of the conversation.
"Zell!" a female voice whined slightly, "How come you never pass me the ball?" Quistis smiled. Selphie didn't like feeling left out of anything.
"'Cause you're short! The goal is too tall for you to shoot for!" Zell argued back.
"Don't worry, Sefie. I'll pass you the ball," came Irvine's voice. Irvine was like Quistis in the manner; he tried to keep things fair. It weas good, too, because as one of the two oldest, she had to try and keep order when Matron wasn't around, and she was feeling much too tranquil to move at the moment. It wasn't like Seifer would keep order, anyway... His talent seemed to be disrupting order.
For that reason, it seemed, Seifer made his appearance. Quistis inwardly sighed wistfully. She'd had some peace, only for Seifer to come over and sneer and ruin it all. But she wouldn't show him that, because he liked that kind of thing. That was probably why he teased Zell so much; he always fought back. He teased Quistis, too, but it seemed more of a challenge than a hobby. Quistis was the mature one; she didn't play his game. She was as polite as she could muster and that seemed to get on his nerves.
He didn't say anything as he approached. The young blonde merely leaned against the stone wall that she was perched on and gazed out at the field. She paid him no mind and continued to let the wind tug at her golden tresses. After a few long, drawn out moments of silence, she began to get irritated. Surely Seifer hadn't come to enjoy the day, as she had? He was never at peace with himself, it seemed.
"Why are you here?" she asked, but it wasn't said in a cruel undertone. Merely curious, something to interrupt the silence.
Seifer shrugged, his expression careless. "The others are playing basketball. Since you aren't playing, they had uneven teams. I didn't really want to play, anyway."
"Oh."
They shared the strange, yet companionable silence for a few more minutes before Seifer finally turned his head in Quistis' direction. His sea green eyes held a spark of curiousity, and an underlying commotion. Quistis, if she could do anything, was proud of her ability to empathize. Seifer clearly had something on his mind.
"Why are you out here? Dreaming about your lover boy, Squally?" he asked with a cruel snicker.
She shook her head, honey-colored hair fanning out around her face before the wind yanked it back behind her again. "No," she answered simply, though inwardly she wanted to glare at him for calling Squall her 'lover boy'. "Just thinking. Not about Squall." Of course he would say that she liked Squall. No, that wasn't it at all. Squall never defended himself against Seifer's vicious torrent of insults, so Quistis felt obliged to step in for him. She was older, and if Squall wouldn't save his own pride, she would. How like it of Seifer to think she liked him. Not like that. Boys were gross, anyway.
Seifer gave her a look and rolled his eyes, as if to say 'Yeah, right,'. He stared back out at the field. Quistis was left to wonder if maybe he had found the same charming aspect of the field that she had. She did a double take. No, this was Seifer Almasy, who was about as complex and appreciative as she was boisterous and reckless.
"Hey Quistis, you ever had a dream?" he piped up from beside her, still leaning on the stone wall, but slouching into it a bit more so that he leaned on his arms. He was not looking at her.
She stole a glance at him form the corner of her eye. "A dream?" she asked. He nodded, though he looked somewhat distant. "Of course. If you go to sleep, then you dream."
"No, stupid," he said, rolling his eyes again, this time looking at her. "Not that kind of dream. The kind that you'll do anything to get. Y'know, like... you're future. What you want to do no matter what it takes."
Quistis tilted her head, peeling her vision from the field and ocean in the distance to the sky, littered with small, dispersing clouds. A dream...? Well, yes, she thought of the future a lot. She wasn't like Selphie, though, who wanted to have her own rock band one day. She wasn't like Zell, who secretly wanted to learn martial arts so that he could kick Seifer's butt when the older boy picked on him. She wasn't like Irvine, who wanted to travel all over the world. She didn't know what Squall wanted to do, but she was sure that whatever it was, it probably wasn't her idea of a dream.
Shrugging, she didn't look down at him. "I don't think so. I just want to do something important, I know that much. I don't think it's a dream, though. Just something I want to do..." she trailed off, looking back down to the expanse of flowers. "Why?"
He looked up her like she was crazy. "Everyone has a dream, Quisty, even you. You just don't know what it is yet. Hell, even that wimp Squall probably has a dream. He's just too quiet to tell anyone."
"Watch your language," she admonished offhandedly. "And I don't have a dream, not yet." Prodding slightly, interested now, she looked down at him. "What is your dream?"
"Come on, I know you have a dream. You're just too embarrased to admit it. Do you want to be with Squally-kins forever and ever? Want him to kiss you?" He made overexaggerated kissing sounds and Quistis frowned down at him, turning away.
"I don't like Squall like that."
"Sure you don't."
"I don't."
Pause.
"So, what is your dream?" she asked, after a beat.
He was silent, and for the moment she thought that he would refuse to tell her, even though it was obvious that was what he had come to talk about. She guessed that he wanted to hear hers first, to figure out if it was anything like his own. Maybe he was embarrased...?
She saw the muscles in his arms flex, and he pushed himself onto the stone wall. Quistis had still not changed her position. Now Seifer stood next to her, towering above her. He stood stiffly, uniformly. "I want to be a knight."
Quistis tried to stiffle her giggle; she really did. But her chest heaved, and the giggle escaped her throat. Smiling broadly, she covered her mouth with her hand as if to say 'it wasn't me!' His irritated glare come upon her, and her giggles stopped, though she still smiled wide as she looked back up at him. "You can't be a knight. Knight's are only in stories... Now we have soldiers."
"Naw," he said absent-mindedly. "Sorceresses need knights to protect them. I'll be a Sorceresses' knight."
"There are no sorceresses left."
"There will be when I'm old enough to be a knight." His tone barked no argument, and Quistis decided against shattering his hopes. When he was older and more mature, he would understand and come up with a new dream, she knew. Pressing her hands down and pulling her legs up, she stood next to him, clasping her hands behind her back. Her bare feet felt the cold stone, and pressed into all the indentions in the rock. He spared a glance down at her as she smoothed out her dress and tucked her canary colored hair behind her ears.
"Whatever you do, do it with all your heart."
He said nothing after that, just continued to gaze out before finally hopping down and walking away. Quistis smiled, standing for a few more moments before she, too, leaped off the wall. Grabbing her strappy sandals and slipping them on, she was about to go back to the house for a snack when a pretty red flower caught her eye. Bending down, she examined it. It's petals were not broad as most of the other flowers, rather there were many of them drawn in tight around the center. What had Matron called it? ... An Indian Paintbrush, that was it. Plucking it from the stem, she twirled it around in her fingers before tucking it behind her ear. Then she turned to go, the meadow at her back.
Author: Kasai
Rating: PG-13, for language and 'adult themes' later
Summary: Guardian Forces have made them forget, but the memories lurk in the minds of all the orphanage children. A little introspect to our favorite gang's early lives, centering around Quistis and Seifer. Quifer. The first half of the story will be in the orphanage and the second will be present day.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that was in FFVIII at all... Not the characters, not the plot, not the map... Y'know, nada. It all belongs to Squaresoft. I'm not making any money off of this, it's merely some harmless fun. That applies for the rest of the fic, too, so please don't sue me. x.x
A/N: This idea just... came to me. I thought that it might be nice to see how our favorite couple (Seifer and Quistis) might react with each other when they were children. While this won't start off as a Quifer, being as they're just kids, it will develope into one later when the story switches to our friends after the Ultimecia battle. Let me know what you think! Also, since this is kind of like an introductory thing, it won't be as long as upcoming chapters.
About ten years ago, in a familiar orphanage on Centra...
The air was warm with the coming of summer, carrying the light scent of the many blossoming flowers. The grasses of the familiar field on the side of the orphanage swayed as they were pulled two and fro in the wind, which was gusting jovially. Mingling with the scent of various wildflowers was the ever-present redolence of the ocean, salty and humid. Spring was in full flux, making the orphanage peaceful and serene.
It was the kind of environment that got people to thinking, even one so young as her whole nine years of age. Her shock of shoulder-length blonde hair was tugged behind her in a playfull game by the wind. She sat on the stone wall, watching as the wind tumbled across the small plain and stirred the foliage there. Her startling sapphire eyes regarded the country side without really seeing it. The sun kissed her fair skin, bathing her in warmth. Sighing, caught up in the moment, Quistis shifted her weight and stretched out her arms behind her. Her pastel yellow sundress stretched with her, etched with small blue floral designs. Smoothing out her skirts, she placed both her hands at her sides, swinging her feet and leaning forward a bit into the wind. It's so pleasant out today, she thought with a smile.
A gust of wind carried the sounds of a basketball game from the nearby court yard. Quistis tilted her head to try and catch some of the conversation.
"Zell!" a female voice whined slightly, "How come you never pass me the ball?" Quistis smiled. Selphie didn't like feeling left out of anything.
"'Cause you're short! The goal is too tall for you to shoot for!" Zell argued back.
"Don't worry, Sefie. I'll pass you the ball," came Irvine's voice. Irvine was like Quistis in the manner; he tried to keep things fair. It weas good, too, because as one of the two oldest, she had to try and keep order when Matron wasn't around, and she was feeling much too tranquil to move at the moment. It wasn't like Seifer would keep order, anyway... His talent seemed to be disrupting order.
For that reason, it seemed, Seifer made his appearance. Quistis inwardly sighed wistfully. She'd had some peace, only for Seifer to come over and sneer and ruin it all. But she wouldn't show him that, because he liked that kind of thing. That was probably why he teased Zell so much; he always fought back. He teased Quistis, too, but it seemed more of a challenge than a hobby. Quistis was the mature one; she didn't play his game. She was as polite as she could muster and that seemed to get on his nerves.
He didn't say anything as he approached. The young blonde merely leaned against the stone wall that she was perched on and gazed out at the field. She paid him no mind and continued to let the wind tug at her golden tresses. After a few long, drawn out moments of silence, she began to get irritated. Surely Seifer hadn't come to enjoy the day, as she had? He was never at peace with himself, it seemed.
"Why are you here?" she asked, but it wasn't said in a cruel undertone. Merely curious, something to interrupt the silence.
Seifer shrugged, his expression careless. "The others are playing basketball. Since you aren't playing, they had uneven teams. I didn't really want to play, anyway."
"Oh."
They shared the strange, yet companionable silence for a few more minutes before Seifer finally turned his head in Quistis' direction. His sea green eyes held a spark of curiousity, and an underlying commotion. Quistis, if she could do anything, was proud of her ability to empathize. Seifer clearly had something on his mind.
"Why are you out here? Dreaming about your lover boy, Squally?" he asked with a cruel snicker.
She shook her head, honey-colored hair fanning out around her face before the wind yanked it back behind her again. "No," she answered simply, though inwardly she wanted to glare at him for calling Squall her 'lover boy'. "Just thinking. Not about Squall." Of course he would say that she liked Squall. No, that wasn't it at all. Squall never defended himself against Seifer's vicious torrent of insults, so Quistis felt obliged to step in for him. She was older, and if Squall wouldn't save his own pride, she would. How like it of Seifer to think she liked him. Not like that. Boys were gross, anyway.
Seifer gave her a look and rolled his eyes, as if to say 'Yeah, right,'. He stared back out at the field. Quistis was left to wonder if maybe he had found the same charming aspect of the field that she had. She did a double take. No, this was Seifer Almasy, who was about as complex and appreciative as she was boisterous and reckless.
"Hey Quistis, you ever had a dream?" he piped up from beside her, still leaning on the stone wall, but slouching into it a bit more so that he leaned on his arms. He was not looking at her.
She stole a glance at him form the corner of her eye. "A dream?" she asked. He nodded, though he looked somewhat distant. "Of course. If you go to sleep, then you dream."
"No, stupid," he said, rolling his eyes again, this time looking at her. "Not that kind of dream. The kind that you'll do anything to get. Y'know, like... you're future. What you want to do no matter what it takes."
Quistis tilted her head, peeling her vision from the field and ocean in the distance to the sky, littered with small, dispersing clouds. A dream...? Well, yes, she thought of the future a lot. She wasn't like Selphie, though, who wanted to have her own rock band one day. She wasn't like Zell, who secretly wanted to learn martial arts so that he could kick Seifer's butt when the older boy picked on him. She wasn't like Irvine, who wanted to travel all over the world. She didn't know what Squall wanted to do, but she was sure that whatever it was, it probably wasn't her idea of a dream.
Shrugging, she didn't look down at him. "I don't think so. I just want to do something important, I know that much. I don't think it's a dream, though. Just something I want to do..." she trailed off, looking back down to the expanse of flowers. "Why?"
He looked up her like she was crazy. "Everyone has a dream, Quisty, even you. You just don't know what it is yet. Hell, even that wimp Squall probably has a dream. He's just too quiet to tell anyone."
"Watch your language," she admonished offhandedly. "And I don't have a dream, not yet." Prodding slightly, interested now, she looked down at him. "What is your dream?"
"Come on, I know you have a dream. You're just too embarrased to admit it. Do you want to be with Squally-kins forever and ever? Want him to kiss you?" He made overexaggerated kissing sounds and Quistis frowned down at him, turning away.
"I don't like Squall like that."
"Sure you don't."
"I don't."
Pause.
"So, what is your dream?" she asked, after a beat.
He was silent, and for the moment she thought that he would refuse to tell her, even though it was obvious that was what he had come to talk about. She guessed that he wanted to hear hers first, to figure out if it was anything like his own. Maybe he was embarrased...?
She saw the muscles in his arms flex, and he pushed himself onto the stone wall. Quistis had still not changed her position. Now Seifer stood next to her, towering above her. He stood stiffly, uniformly. "I want to be a knight."
Quistis tried to stiffle her giggle; she really did. But her chest heaved, and the giggle escaped her throat. Smiling broadly, she covered her mouth with her hand as if to say 'it wasn't me!' His irritated glare come upon her, and her giggles stopped, though she still smiled wide as she looked back up at him. "You can't be a knight. Knight's are only in stories... Now we have soldiers."
"Naw," he said absent-mindedly. "Sorceresses need knights to protect them. I'll be a Sorceresses' knight."
"There are no sorceresses left."
"There will be when I'm old enough to be a knight." His tone barked no argument, and Quistis decided against shattering his hopes. When he was older and more mature, he would understand and come up with a new dream, she knew. Pressing her hands down and pulling her legs up, she stood next to him, clasping her hands behind her back. Her bare feet felt the cold stone, and pressed into all the indentions in the rock. He spared a glance down at her as she smoothed out her dress and tucked her canary colored hair behind her ears.
"Whatever you do, do it with all your heart."
He said nothing after that, just continued to gaze out before finally hopping down and walking away. Quistis smiled, standing for a few more moments before she, too, leaped off the wall. Grabbing her strappy sandals and slipping them on, she was about to go back to the house for a snack when a pretty red flower caught her eye. Bending down, she examined it. It's petals were not broad as most of the other flowers, rather there were many of them drawn in tight around the center. What had Matron called it? ... An Indian Paintbrush, that was it. Plucking it from the stem, she twirled it around in her fingers before tucking it behind her ear. Then she turned to go, the meadow at her back.