In His Eyes- Part 2
By Matoko Shizaki

Disclaimer: FF8 © Square Soft. If I could own one of them though, it would be Zell. All the way! He's entertaining and cute! Not to mention hyper… What more could you want?

Notes: Last part was really long huh? About ten pages with my computer. I figured I'd make the chapters longer and make about three chapters a.k.a. parts.

Pairings: Quistis/Seifer, Rinoa/Squall, Selphie/Irvine.

By the way, anyone want to request a fic? These are my only guidelines:

Series:

Yu Yu Hakusho
Inu Yasha
Final Fantasy VIII

Genres:

Action/Adventure
Comedy
Romance

Other:

I will do Yaoi if the coupling makes sense but I will not do Yuri. Sorry!
@~@~@~@~@

Warm water trickled over Seifer's weary face. He welcomed the relaxation openly. After a week in the infirmary and having spent one full day as Quistis' roommate, he needed a break. His day hadn't been as enjoyable as he hoped…

@~@~@~@~@

"Seifer! Get up! You're going to be late!" Quistis called from the kitchen.

"Quit your whining. I'm coming…" Seifer groaned as he hauled himself out of bed. Only dressed in boxers, her quickly pulled on his pants and ventured into the kitchen. Quistis was leaning on the counter reading the paper when he came in. The usual mess had been cleaned up the night before when Quistis moved in so he no longer had the luxury of finding a breakfast of cold pizza. Besides, he had lost his appetite with all this cleaning. The first thing he did was pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Squall's going to give us our orders today! We have a new mission." Quistis said from behind the paper.

"Why would I care?" Seifer mumbled. "That asshole… he makes me sick. Always such a goody-two-shoes."

"Shut up. He's your superior and you're going to have to like it." Quistis mused as she rolled up the paper.

"I don't take orders from anyone!" Seifer shouted, spilling some of his coffee onto the floor.

Soon he found a rolled up newspaper jammed into his face. "You're going to have to take orders sometime!" Quistis shook the paper at him and tossed it onto the counter. "It's no wonder you failed the SeeD testing so many times."

"Hey, I was the best candidate they had!"

"Oh yeah, someone who doesn't follow orders, who's arrogant, selfish, and an overall jerk. Sure… enduring SeeD qualities."

Seifer scoffed. "I'm going…" he said, heading back to his room. As soon as he was fully dressed, he headed out the door towards the gardens.

@~@~@~@~@

"I can't believe Seifer's not here yet, you know." Raijin said as he tore up another blade of grass to entertain himself.

"Remember… Quistis. His roommate." Fuujin muttered.

"Yeah… she's really annoying, you know!"

"As are you."

"I am not, you know!"

"Would you two shut up?! You're giving me a headache."

Fuujin and Raijin turned to meet the cold gaze of their partner in crime and leader of the disciplinary committee, Seifer.

"What took you so long, you know?" Raijin asked.

"I said… shut up." Seifer groaned. "We need to make our rounds."

"What about SeeD training?" Fuujin asked coldly.

"Screw that. I've more important things then to take orders from that inept leader wannabe…" Without another word, he stalked off with Fuujin and Raijin trailing behind him.

@~@~@~@~@

It was three in the afternoon, time for classes to be letting out, and the SeeDs' main unit stood in an empty classroom discussing their plans. Rinoa finished reading over the briefing and looked up at Squall.

"So when are we leaving for the mission?" she asked.

"A week." Squall replied. "At the most." he added. "It could be tomorrow."

"That's good! It'll be like a vacation!" Selphie chimed.

"A well deserved vacation." Zell commented. Suddenly, the door opened and all heads turned to notice Seifer standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Zell demanded.

"Relax chicken wuss. I'm a SeeD too you know… well, this mission is my SeeD testing. This is a SeeD briefing." Seifer replied, grinning with satisfaction to know that his presence bothered Zell.

"You're late Seifer." Squall commented coldly.

"So what if I am?" Seifer retorted, turning to his rival.

"Listen, you're under my orders. The orders were to be here on time." Squall hissed through clenched teeth.

"No one… but no one… orders me around." Seifer growled.

"Until now." Squall muttered. Then he turned to the others. "I want you to read over the briefing and be ready to leave at anytime."

"Right." Irvine muttered.

"You can go." Squall sighed. The briefing was over.

@~@~@~@~@

It was a silent walk back to Seifer and Quistis' room. The silence was finally broken when Quistis lifted her head to look at Seifer.

"Why do you have to be resistant of everything anyone tells you to do?" she asked.

"Because…" Seifer said calmly. "I'm my own man. I rule my life and no one else."

"Does it look like we're trying to rule your life?"

"Yes." Seifer sped up, hopeful to reach the room before Quistis. Suddenly, something hit the back of his head hard. He lurched forward, stumbling a little, and then turned angrily on his roommate.

"What the hell?!"

"Read that. Maybe you'll actually help us with this mission instead of being a total pain in the ass!" Quistis retorted, turning on her heel and heading down the other hallway.

Seifer picked the briefing up off the ground and glared at it. "Fine…" he shouted to Quistis.

@~@~@~@~@

He turned off the water and seized the towel hanging on the same bar as the shower curtain. Quickly, he rubbed his short blond hair dry and then wrapped the towel around his waist. Mist cleared as he opened the door and stepped into his room. Lying there on the bed as if waiting for him was the briefing.

Seifer sighed and sat down on the bed, giving in to his curiosity. After all, curiosity killed the cat, not Seifer Almasy. He flipped open the cover of the packet and began reading.

"Recently a war between rival cities Pollex and Castor has began to become reality. Due to the fighting, an emissary has been sent from each city to discuss peace. Tiril Gambia is the emissary from Pollex. Several times her life has been threatened by rebels in Castor. Their last attempt at her life was almost successful…"

"Boring…" Seifer muttered. He scrolled down the pages and continued reading. Right there in the middle of the page was a picture of Tiril Gambia, Pollex's emissary.

"Holy shit…" Seifer muttered. "She looks just like Quistis!" His curiosity had been ignited and he read on.

"Quistis shall be posing as Tiril Gambia while the real emissary is taken into protective custody. Seifer shall serve as her 'body guard' while the rest of us monitor any advances from the rebels. If they take the bait and try to harm Quistis, we'll be there to stop them and capture the leaders."

Suddenly Seifer stopped, his head jerking up. There was the sound of keys jingling in the lock and the door opening. Quickly, Seifer threw aside the briefing, removed his towel, and donned a pair of pants before peering out into the kitchen.

It was completely dark. All Seifer could see was the figure's outline. The curves, the thin but slightly muscular build, the flowing hair… There was no doubt in his mind that Quistis was back.

"Where were you?" he asked coldly.

"Out." Quistis replied with a sharp tone to her calm voice. She removed her coat and hung in on the chair.

"Out where?" Seifer pressed.

"None of your business." Quistis told him. Suddenly she turned to face him. "Did you read the briefing?"

"Yeah…" Seifer mumbled.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"What should I think?" Seifer replied.

"I'm not sure…" Quistis muttered. She opened the fridge, grabbing the carton of milk. With her left foot, she closed it again and opened a cabinet overhead to retreve a glass. "But I just talked to Squall. We're leaving early then expected since there have been further assassination attempts."

"When?" Seifer asked leaning against the counter. Quistis took a sip of milk, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and then looked up.

"Tomorrow." she replied casually.

"Great… just great…" Seifer muttered under his breath as he strolled back into his room.

"Orders were to pack tonight! You should've!" Quistis mused.

"And I give a shit?!" Seifer roared in return.

He slammed his door shut and then headed for his dresser. After clearing away a few empty beer bottles, Seifer opened the top drawer. In a flurry of clothes, he tossed what he was bringing onto his bed. Once that was done, he rummaged through the bottom drawer and finally found his duffel bag. Without folding anything, he stuffed it all into the bag and zipped it up. In one of the outside pockets he stashed his wallet and CD player. After wrapping it in cloth, he placed his gun blade in. "Dammit… dumb mission…" he grumbled to himself. He picked up the bag, testing how heavy it was, and then threw it against the door.

Rummaging through his remaining drawers, it was almost impossible to find a t-shirt. Finding a black one, he was satisfied and stripped down to his boxers. He threw on the shirt before flopping down onto the bed.

Slowly the door opened and Quistis came in to see Seifer reclining back on the bed, his arms folded behind his back and his eyes focused on the ceiling. Despite his ease, he was still very observant. "What do you want?" he asked.

Quistis didn't answer, only leaned on the door frame. After several moments of tense silence, Seifer sat up. "If you have something to say, say it!" he ordered. The blond SeeD sighed.

"Why do you always have to be so cold?" she asked. There was a curious glint in her beautiful eyes, a glint that made Seifer uncomfortable. Her eyes… they made him feel like he would tell her anything.

"Because," he said, lying back down. "No one gives a shit about me. Why should I give a shit about them?"

"That's not true." Quistis said. "If people got to know you better maybe they would care more."

She had got him on that one. He knew she was right… and he hated it. Instead, he kept silent. Silence had always been his best way out.

"Since we're going to be…" Quistis paused. "…'working together' for a while, I thought that maybe…" she trailed off but Seifer filled in for her.

"Get to know each other. A sappy bonding session." he muttered.

"Uh… yeah. I guess you could call it that."

"Hn…" Seifer muttered. "Whatever. There's nothing to say." Before Quistis could answer, he rolled over onto his side so his back faced.

"Everyone's right about you." Quistis muttered. "You are an asshole."

Seifer turned back, his teeth clenched and lips curled back for a sharp retort but she had already left and close the door. "Bitch…" he muttered, turning off the lights.

@~@~@~@~@

CLANG!!!

Quistis sat up with a jolt and looked around her room. No one was there…

CLANG!!!

There it went again! Quistis' fingers fumbled as she picked up her glasses and put them on. The sound must've been coming from the kitchen. She flung the covers off and stood up before jumping again.

CLANG!!!

"DAMMIT!!" someone in the kitchen yelled. It had to be Seifer.

The door swung open with ease and Quistis stood there, watching as Seifer fumbled around through the pots and pans muttering something like, "All I want is a fuckin omelet! Is that too much to ask for?!"

"You know," Quistis said adjusting her glasses. "The frying pan is in that cupboard." She pointed to the only one Seifer hadn't ransacked.

"Look who's up." Seifer grumbled. "Little Miss 'You're Going To Be Late'!"

"What time is it?" Quistis asked. Seifer removed the pan he had sought for so long and slammed it down on the stove. He turned on the burner, igniting flames around the bottom of the pan.

"Nine."

"Oh my gosh! We're leaving in an hour!" Quistis gasped, catching her glasses before they fell off her face.

"Chill." Seifer cracked an egg with one tap against the side of the pan. "Your happy little commander called. We're not going for two hours." Another egg plopped onto the pan, making a loud sizzling noise. He turned, opening the fridge with his foot, and removed a bag of shredded cheese.

Quistis sighed, removed her glasses, and polished them on her baggy t-shirt. "That's good…" she muttered. Still weary from the startling awakening, she flopped down into a chair at the table. Even with head lying on the table, she could hear the sound of sizzling as Seifer transferred the omelet from pan to plate and turned off the burner.

The legs of the chair scraped the floor as Seifer pulled back his chair and sat down. He tossed a handful of silver ware onto the table and Quistis could hear him rummaging through the pile. Suddenly, she felt something pushed up against her arm. She looked up and a plate with half an omelet was sitting in front of her. Seifer had already dug into the rest.

"For me?" Quistis asked, eying the omelet hungrily.

"Yeah," Seifer muttered around bites of egg. "But it's not like I made the other half for you. I just don't happen to be that hungry."

Grateful, Quistis grabbed a fork and began eating. Surprisingly, Seifer was a fairly good cook. Half way through her meal, Seifer cleared his place and headed back to his room to change. She soon followed the example and returned to get dressed.

Lying out on the floor was her SeeD uniform, one she had set out the night before. She dressed quickly, keeping her eyes on the clock. "One hour…" she muttered. After dressing, she gave into her neat habits and made the bed, folded the t-shirt and underwear she had slept in, and watered the small plants she had lining her windowsill. Without anything else to do, she just laid back on the bed and waited… waited for the call that would start their mission.

@~@~@~@~@

"You know, the briefing read 'body guard', not 'pack mule'." Seifer grumbled as he hefted Quistis' bag onto his other shoulder.

"It's just for a moment Seifer…" Quistis said, locking the door to their room. Seifer growled and dropped her bag in the hall. As soon as the room was locked up, Quistis picked up her bag and followed the tall blond knight down the hall to the Garden entrance.

@~@~@~@~@

"Hey Selphie! That's my hat!!" Irvine chuckled, swiping at her head to retrieve his priceless accessory.

"C'mon Irvy! You know it looks better on me!" Selphie squealed.

"Heh you wish…" he muttered playfully, giving her a noogie.

Meanwhile, Zell and Squall had finished loading the luggage into back of the van provided for their travels. Zell dusted off his hands on his SeeD jacket and sighed. "When are we leaving, Squall?" he asked.

"Any minute now. We're just waiting for Quistis and…" Squall frowned before muttering, "Seifer." through clenched teeth.

Rinoa poked her head out from inside the van. "Hey Squall," Squall looked up immediately upon hearing his name. "Aren't we supposed to have more supplies? Where's all the technical junk?"

"Sent ahead. It's being held at our rendezvous point."

Rinoa nodded and went to step out of the open doors at the back of the van. Having missed the bumper, she slipped and stumbled out. It was Squall who lashed out and caught her by the waist. "You ok?" he asked, a strange glint in his calm blue eyes.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Rinoa replied with a smile. A whistle from behind them caused them to immediately part.

"Aw you two make such a cute couple." It was Seifer. He was standing there, his bag slung over his shoulder. Quistis was coming up behind him, toting her bag as well. "You guys should get married." Seifer added as he pushed past Squall and threw his bag into the van.

"Jealous, Seifer?" Rinoa asked, her hands placed on her hips. Seifer turned, and smiled. He raised a hand and traced his fingers down her cheek.

"You wish, babe." His hand was slapped away and he chuckled. "You two better not have some fun on this mission, if you know what I mean."

Quistis shoved Seifer from behind after placing her bag in the back. "Leave them alone, Seifer." she ordered.

"Can't anyone take a joke here?" Seifer asked, turning to the other SeeD with a broad, fanged smirk. Sour faces were his reply. "Hn. What a bunch of losers…" he muttered.

"Alright, time to go." Squall ordered. Zell perked up, a smile creasing his face.

"I call driver's seat!" he cried. He made a mad dash for the door but Irvine grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

"You wish cowboy. I'm driving."

Squall pushed past them. "No I'm driving. Kinneas, you can sit up front and help me navigate. Dincht, you're in back. Same with everyone else."

Irvine flashed Zell a victorious smile while the blond pouted and climbed into the back. He was soon followed by Selphie, Rinoa, and Quistis. Seifer stood there, watching as Squall climbed into the driver's seat.

"Didn't you hear the orders, Seifer?" Squall asked, meeting his rival's cold gaze. "In back."

"Why do you get to drive?" Seifer asked, looking for a fight.

"Because." Squall said, closing the door. "I'm the squad leader."

@~@~@~@~@

Zell's ears clamped over his ear and he groaned. "Aw c'mon Kinneas! That country music is total shit!"

"If you don't like it, don't listen." Irvine shouted over his shoulder. Then he turned back to studying the map in his lap.

"Where are we headed again?" Selphie asked, getting out of her seat and glancing over Irvine's shoulder at the map.

"Right here…" Irvine tapped the small dot on the map. "Castor."

"Ooh! That's a cool name!" Selphie chirped.

"It's the name of one of the twins that makes the constellation Gemini." Rinoa explained from in back. "Legend has it that the twins were close and one was a god, the other a mortal. When then mortal one died, the god one sacrificed his life to be with his brother. The other gods were so touched they put them in the stars." By this time, she was meditatively looking up at the ceiling of the van as it rattled on down the road.

"Who gives a shit?"

Rinoa shot a glare over in Seifer's direction. He was sitting on the other side of the van, legs up on the divider between the two sections of the seats. His head was tilted back, eyes shut, and arms crossed. He looked bored already.

"Shut up Seifer." Rinoa growled. She turned to Zell and whispered, "I can't believe we're stuck with him for the entire mission. It's too bad we didn't leave him behind." Zell nodded in agreement but didn't look up from staring out the window.

After sudden silence, Squall reached up and changed the radio station. "What did you do that for, man?" Irvine asked, looking up from the map.

"Zell has a point." Squall said, eyes on the road. "That stuff is shit."

"Told ya so!" Zell shouted from the back.

"Then what kind of music do you suggest, chicken wuss? Oldies?" Seifer asked.

"What's it to you, Seifer?" Zell replied.

"Just wanted to know if you were more of a loser then I originally thought." Seifer retorted. He wasn't reclined back now but sitting up, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.

"I'm not a loser! I could kick your ass any day!" Zell shouted.

He suddenly regretted his words because of the dangerous glint in Seifer's eyes. "Is that so? You really want to become shish kabob on the end of my gun blade?"

Zell swallowed hard. "W-Who said I'd be the one speared?!"

As the argument went on, Quistis looked across the bus as Rinoa, catching her gaze. The look in Rinoa's eyes literally said, "This is going to be a long ride."

@~@~@~@~@

"Ammo?"

"Check."

"Potions?"

"Check."

"COM systems?"

"Check."

"Security cameras?"

"Check. That's all of it." Quistis sat the clip board down on the desk in the hotel room.

"Good." Zell flopped down onto the other bed. "So…" he said, running his hands through his hair. "You're sharing the other room with Seifer?"

"Yeah…" Quistis muttered. "Rinoa and Selphie have this one."

"Heh. Lucky you!" Zell laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "Hope you survive."

"Me too."

Suddenly, the hotel room door opened and Selphie came in. "Hey guys! Done with the inventory check?"

Zell sat up. "Yeah. They done installing the security cameras?"

The brunette nodded. "Yup."

There was a sudden grumble and Zell clutched his stomach. "Man! I'm starving!" he complained.

"That's why I suggested to the commander that we go out somewhere… fun for dinner." It was Irvine. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his cowboy hat tilted back so you could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Where Irvy?" Selphie asked excitedly.

"Just some bar across the way." the cowboy replied, straightening up.

"Irvine!"

Irvine stuck his head back out into the hallway to meet Squall's annoyed but defeated gaze. "Yeah commander?" he questioned, tipping his hat at him.

"Just so long as no one gets drunk…" Squall muttered wandering across the hall to the room where him, Irvine, and Zell were staying.

"Good call Kinneas." Seifer said from his room. "A little boozing never harmed anyone."

"Damn right!"

"Oh geez…" Selphie giggled nervously.

@~@~@~@~@

Smoke and the scent of alcohol filled the room where the SeeDs came in. Crowded around one tall table, they all ordered drinks and then sat back.

Quistis coughed and waved some cigarette smoke away from her. "Couldn't we have sat in non smoking?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.

"C'mon Quisty," Irvine mused. "The non smoking section isn't right next to the bar!"

"I should've know…" Quistis muttered.

"Hey, at least we get to relax, right?" Rinoa said brightly.

"Yeah! This is kind of like a group vacation! We can stay up all night, sing karaoke, have pillow fights, tell scary stories…" As Selphie's list grew longer, Seifer growled.

"Alright, that's enough. We get the point." he told her.

"Ok…" Selphie sat back, pouting a little.

"Do they have hot dogs here?" Zell asked, turning the menu around over and over.

"No Zell…" Quistis muttered, exasperated. The clink of glasses made them all look up. The waiter had arrived with an arm full of drinks.

"Margaritas?" The girls hands tilted up, Selphie's raised high with enthusiasm. "Gin?" Irvine gratefully accepted his drink and took a long sip of it. "Bloody Mary?" Seifer jerked his head up and received his drink. "Vodka?"

There was long pause. "Zell, that's what we ordered for you." Irvine explained.

"Oh!" Zell smiled sheepishly and took the small shot glass offered to him.

"Please say you didn't…" Squall muttered. Before Irvine could protest, the waiter interrupted.

"Then the soda must be yours." he said sitting the bubbling glass before Squall. He muttered his thanks and took a sip.

"You're no fun, Squall!" Rinoa badgered. "Just have a drink."

"I can't afford to be drunk." came the cold reply.

"Fine, suit yourself, puberty boy." Seifer leaned back drinking down half of his Bloody Mary in one gulp.

"……… I'm going to the bathroom……" Squall muttered. He pushed out his seat and left, hands jammed in his pockets.

Irvine looked to Zell, then to Seifer. "Do it!" Seifer hissed. The red haired cowboy nodded, took Zell's shot from him, and spiked the drink. By the time Squall came back, Zell had received a fresh shot and everyone was talking casually.

"…" His eyes swept back and forth, from Irvine to Rinoa. His eyes fell on Seifer.

"What? What are you looking at?" Seifer asked. There was a little snigger from Zell but Squall ignored it. With a sigh, he lifted his glass to his lips and drank. The other's could barely stifle their laughter.

"What?" Squall asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all Squall!" Rinoa chirped, putting an arm around his shoulders.

@~@~@~@~@

Sorry for the long chapter! Good though, huh? Can you imagine Squall drunk? LMAO. I can imagine Irvine, Zell, and Seifer drunk. Whatever. Hope this didn't suck!