Second to last chapter here. I'm gonna apologise again, because this was gonna be much longer, with a bigger plot, but somewhere I just got too busy. I think I wrote an ending already you can live with, so kill me later.
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Fifty Days
Chapter 21: Never Say Goodbye
Pacing outside of the room, Selphie kept knocking on it and asking whether they were finished yet.
Irvine tipped his hat from over his eyes. "Calm down willya? The ball isn't till tomorrow night, and-"
"But there's still so much to do, and I still haven't got a dress! How could I have been so slow!"
"Sefie, you've been up all night choosing colours for fireworks. You need to relax."
"But there's still so much to do!" she repeated. "There are the placings-"
"Nida's, handling that."
"The band still hasn't met up-"
"Xu."
"And some of the invitations still haven't been sent-"
"Me. Selphie, we got it. You need to chill and enjoy. This is the best night you've planned so far. Don't miss it because you're too beat-tired to go."
Normally Selphie would have listened, sat down somewhere and relaxed for about five seconds, then got up and started pacing and worrying again, but this time she actually listened, and sat down on the bench next to Irvine. The four were in one of Balamb's few clothes shops, waiting to choose. Squall had picked out the first Tux that fit, and Irvine had gone for one more in with his style, basically a more snazzy black version of his usual get-up, and the girls- well, Rinoa, usually so confident, wasn't the same when choosing a dress. Irvine checked his watch. Again.
"And don't do that!" Selphie said. "It's not nice."
"She's been in there for a half hour easily," Irvine muttered.
"Just because your taste in clothes is horrible…"
"You wound me. Ow. I die. See?"
"Shaddup and another thing- Rinny!"
Selphie leaped up as Rinoa walked from the dressing room.
"You look lovely," Squall said as soon as he had looked up.
Rinoa bit her lower lip and tried to look down her own back. "Are you sure? It doesn't look a little tight?" she asked nervously.
"Rin, you look perfect," he said, suppressing a laugh.
"Yeah, you look great," Irvine said, eyeing her up and down. Then Selphie slapped him. "Hey! I didn't deserve that!"
"You did!"
"…Maybe."
"Hey!" Rinoa cried, in a voice which said pay attention to me or it's red-hot-pokers-under-the-fingernails time voice. "What about the dress." She twirled. She had picked out a white strapless number that looked much the same as her old one, except this one had what looked like some kind of silver filigree inlaid that shimmered and seemed to snake around her body as she moved. Her hair was down, as always, but had silver highlights picked out. She looked stunning, and Squall said as much. She smiled.
"Your turn."
Selphie squealed in delight and immediately rushed into the dressing room, clutching her own choice close to her.
"Women," Squall muttered darkly.
"Continue that sentence and I will tear out your insides," Rinoa said, and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Nothing was farther from my mind," Irvine said, tipping his hat back over his eyes and going back to sleep.
"Where's Seifer and Quistis anyway?" Rinoa asked. "There's supposed to be here."
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"You're as bad as Selphie," Seifer grumbled, getting a sore back from the wall he was leaning against.
"No-one is as bad as Selphie," Quistis replied. There are many fates worse than death, but few worse than Selphie. "Well?"
Seifer smiled as she did a small twirl. "Very nice."
They were in a smaller shop at- of all places – Timber, after taking the train there.
"Balamb is nice, but not so up-to-date," Quistis had said.
"Which is why you dragged me here?" he asked tiredly.
"I offered to do this by myself," she replied with a smile.
Over my dead body am I letting you out of my sight. "Meh. I was bored stuck in Garden with nothing to do but glare at students."
"You actually enjoy that, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Meanie. Now, what do you think?" she asked, and stepped from the dressing room.
Even Seifer, who had little dress sense beyond clean and not clashing, had to admit she looked nothing short of stunning. She had picked out a golden-yellow dress that wrapped around her and expanded at the bottom to leave a short trail, and the edges of the twists had a golden thread sown in. It was simple, but it brought attention to her eyes and hair, which was let down completely, without it's usual styling. He was almost dazzled. Almost, because although she was undeniably beautiful, she was also almost cadaverously thin-
"I know," Quistis said softly. "But mention it and I'll cry, and I don't want to do that here."
"You shouldn't be here. You know what Kadowski said-"
"We've been over this." She smiled slightly. "I'm going to leave an impression no-one's going to forget."
Seifer leaned forwards and kissed her gently. "You've been doing that constantly for years."
She changed back into her normal outfit, then took the dress over to the counter and paid for it without saying anything. The man over the counter stared at her as he rung it up, and she smiled at him and walked out, grabbed Seifer's hand as she did so.
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"They should be here by now!" Selphie moaned, almost hopping from one foot to the other.
"Stop it or you'll get me worrying!" Rinoa demanded, then immediately turned to Squall. "What time is the train due?"
He sighed the sigh f the long-suffering. "About five minutes."
"You said that five minutes ago!"
"I'll say it five minutes from now also if- here it comes," he replied with relief.
The train pulled up at the station and Seifer and Quistis stepped off from the carriage before the general crush of the other passengers.
"What did you get? Is it nice?" Selphie asked instantly, running up to Quistis and trying to peer into the bag she carried.
"I'm fine, thank you. The trip was nice. And how are you?"
"Quisty!" Selphie said, shocked. "You know I didn't mean."
Quistis laughed quietly and held open the bag. "Look."
Selphie almost snatched the bag away and walked back to Rinoa, and the two began to examine the dress as closely as they could without actually getting her to try it on there and then. Selphie checked the label.
She frowned. "I thought you were a bigger size than this," she said.
"I was, but-" Quistis stopped talking with a shrug and an uneasy silence crept over them, until Squall, oblivious, suggested they all go back to Garden, before night fell. A chorus of nervous agreements and they were in the car, the three girls sat on one side of the truck whilst Squall, Irvine and Seifer tried to find as much room as they could.
"Enjoy?" Squall asked dryly.
Seifer shrugged. "Every minute was-"
"-hell," Irvine went on, "and they always-"
"kept asking what we thought, even though-"
"-you don't know what you're talking about. So be quiet," Rinoa finished for the trio.
"How many more times do we have to go through this?" Squall pleaded.
"At least once a year, I think."
"We're doomed."
"Yeah."
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The trio of couples split up at the foyer. Squall and Rinoa went back to their rooms, as did Irvine and Selphie, the latter trying not to look so eager to get back to her battle plans. Seifer though dragged Quistis straight to the infirmary.
Doctor Kadowski looked up as they approached, and then turned and shooed the single assistant there from the room, and ordered him to make sure he closed the door properly. As soon as he had gone she turned to Quistis.
"Okay. There's no-one here."
Quistis' slight smile instantly left her face, and she almost collapsed in Seifer's arms, the life leaving her. Kadowski quickly got an arm under her and helped her over to a bed, muttering under her breath.
"I told you, don't go to this thing Quistis."
"Hastening the inevitable, right?" Quistis whispered hoarsely, trying to smile and failing. She winced as Kadowski slid a needle into her forearm and connected it to a clear plastic bag. "Wha-?"
"To help you," she replied, as always. She sat down on a stool next to the bed. "Quistis, think about what you're doing. If you go to the ball you might die."
"…Die anyway…"
"Stop that. Maybe something will come along soon. I know Ellone and Rinoa's idea never panned out, but damnit, there might be something."
Quistis shook her head. "…No more… of this," she said. "I can't…"
"You never gave up on anything in your life. You're giving up now, so near the end?"
"Best time… to give up," Quistis said quietly.
"As you wish." She turned to Seifer and held out a hand laying in it a single ampoule of red liquid. "Make her take this," she demanded.
"What is it?"
Kadowski's eyes narrowed. Everything she had leaned told her not to do this, but her patients mind was made up. "What she wants." As he took it, she grabbed his hand and leaned into his ear and whispered something. He nodded once, and she turned back to Quistis. "Maybe your fiancée can talk you from this. I don't want to see you dead, Quisty."
Quistis shook her head again. "Can't be avoided," she said resignedly.
"Then on your own soul be it. Sorry, I have to say that. Help me with her." She lifted Quistis slightly, and as Seifer took the weight she withdrew the thin needle from her forearm. Seifer supported her until she was able to stand, and he let go. Slightly. Then went to leave.
"I want to see you here in two days time Quistis," Kadowski called as the door slid shut. "Two days!"
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They reached Quistis room a few minutes later, and Quistis sat down heavily on the sofa as Seifer closed and locked the door.
"What did she tell you?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing important," he replied.
"…You're lying. I know."
"I mean it Quisty, it was nothing."
She glared at him, but when he didn't say anything more, she gave up and turned over, staring at the ceiling. "Remember when we first met?"
Seifer grunted. "Sure. You were in the same class as me but Hyne were you pushy. You ordered me to help you clean the class once, even though it was you whose turn it was."
She smiled at the memory. "You helped though."
"Please. It was to stop you bugging me."
"And nothing's changed," she whispered.
Seifer knelt down beside her. "No. A lot has changed. I changed. Plus you're a lot less pushy now."
"Hey!" she tried to hit him, but he backed away. "No picking on the convalescent!"
"As the lady wishes it." He stopped smiling. "Quisty…"
She held up one hand. "You said you never regretted it. Don't stat now."
"It never even crossed my mind. I get the feeling if I close my eyes tonight I'll never see you again."
"I'll still be here tomorrow."
"But will you be still here?"
"That was uncalled for."
"Sorry. But, just thought in case of, I should say something like-"
Quistis put a finger to his lips. "Never say goodbye Seifer. I'm not quite read for that yet. Just be with me tomorrow night."
"I swear it."
"I know." She closed her eyes, and was asleep almost instantly. But Seifer stayed up far later, just watching her.
She will not last much longer. The ampoule is concentrated Curaga. It'll act like an adrenaline rush for the night, and then it'll turn to poison in her system, and her system can't handle it. Care for her, because she won't live long after you give it to her.
He looked down and found his hand holding the ampoule. He stared at it, wondering whether he'd crush it. He never did.
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One more. Just one.