Chapter 15

"If A is success in life, then A equals X plus Y, plus Z; work is X; Y is play and Z is keeping your mouth shut." - Albert Einstein.

As Quistis' world shifted alarmingly on its axis, she had come down to two realizations. One; her life as she'd known it, had just practically ended. And two; the looks on the five faces staring down at her will be forever etched in her memory.

After what seemed like an eternity of a cricket noise, Selphie finally broke out, "I-I-I'm so sorry, very, very sorry. We didn't mean to - that is...I thought, that you - that uuhh..."

Irvine elbowed her on the side and whispered. "Quiet before you choke on your own foot."

Then Zell, who isn't very well known for his tact said, "You two are not..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. "Are you?"

"We're not!" Seifer and Quistis yelled at the same time.

"Sheesh, just asking. No need to be in such a hissy fit," Zell returned.

Seifer was just about to say that he'd give him something to be in a hissy fit about. But Quistis, in all her agitated distress at last exploded.

"Someone get him out of here," she burst, referring to Zell. "Actually, all of you get out of here! Irvine you explain everything, I'm so tired of explaining." She threw a hand at them and continued with more emphasis. "It's me who should demand an explanation. You all came barreling into this room that I paid for."

"You heard the woman. Get out, there's nothing to see," Seifer added. Suddenly feeling more awkward that it didn't sit well with him that Quistis is sitting there, as half naked as he is, for the entire world to gawk at.

"Well, if you ask me, I'd say I could see everything," Zell said.

Seifer's fingers curled into fists, a sure sign that he wasn't up to humor anybody at the moment. Then he turned to Quistis and said, "I swear I'm going to muzzle him."

"Oh please, do your worst."

Zell just stood there, somewhat wounded. "Quistis, you'd let him do that to me?"

"Yes! If you don't shut up and get out! All of you!"

Laguna motioned everyone to the door and said, "Let's go people. Give them a bit of privacy."

Quistis prayed for more than just a bit. She wanted a lifetime of privacy.

They filed out of the door, and the last one to leave was Squall, who had been staring at Seifer the entire time with his famous disdainful glare, and of course, Seifer threw the favor back. But before he saw the last of Puberty Boy, he needed to tell him something.

"Hey Squall," he called out.

Squall turned to face him.

"Nice pants."

Squall didn't say anything and instead, gave him his back and disappeared behind the door. But before it connected back to its latch, a fist slipped in between, and jutting out was one (offending) finger.

Seifer broke out in a hoot of laughter. It was rather refreshing to see him again. And after all these years, it was amazing how he could still enjoy him get irritated.

"How could you laugh at a time like this?" Quistis demanded. She was holding on to the coverlet with such intensity that her knuckles turned white. "Because if there's any humor in this, I'm not seeing it."

"I thought it was rather obvious," he said.

"Oh, I see it now." Quistis jumped from the bed, taking the sheets along with her, securely wrapped around her body. "The whole situation is perfectly convenient for you, isn't it? You could easily look back and laugh over at this whole mess that you've made because you never planned on staying here in the first place. You don't need to worry about how you could face your friends again, or how much you've missed out on your work." She flipped her hand through the air dismissively. "Oh wait a minute, I forgot, you don't have friends. You don't even have a job. Well I've got news for you, I do"

Seifer eyed her acutely and crossed his arms, saying absolutely nothing.

"God! What must have they been thinking? We didn't even..." she stopped, then thought of the right words. "We didn't even do anything!"

"If nothing really happened," Seifer said quietly. "then why are you even so concerned?"

She drew back slightly and fell silent. Her eyes were blinking rapidly and she could feel the wetness in them. She wasn't about to let him drive her to tears, so she swiped at her eyes and coughed as she did it, trying to hide the movement by pretending to cover her mouth. Then she muttered in the sternest tone, "If there's any fairness in this world, this has to be all your fault."

"My fault?"

Quistis had gotten her rigor back and completely forgetting that she was completely nude under the coat of bed sheets. "If you hadn't gone stupidly to the beach last night and made yourself sick, we wouldn't be here right now, would we?"

Seifer nearly flinched at the rancor in her voice. "Well, forgive me if I forgot to thank you for that heroic rescue, but then again, I don't remember asking for your help."

She was so tempted to say that he did ask her to stay, only that he didn't remember it, but where would that lead them? The burden of having to carry on as if nothing had happened was just a bit too much. She felt rage rising within her, roiling in her chest, pressing against her stomach until she thought she would burst. "You made me feel sorry for you!"

"Oh now, that's what a man wants to hear," he sneered.

"For the love of God, Seifer," she snapped. "I didn't save you because I felt sorry for you."

"Then why?" he asked, with as much acid as he could put in. "I thought you would've been thrilled to see me gone."

"That is true," she admitted. "But I also didn't want to see you cast adrift."

He took a step toward her, advancing with barely controlled fury. "I've been adrift all my life. So your point is moot. You're rescue couldn't have been more too late."

Quistis was stunned. "You really don't know how much potential you've got, do you?" she whispered. "You're not an idiot, Seifer. In fact, you're smarter than you let yourself think," she continued hotly, then she realized to her disgust what she had been saying. "God! Why am I even trying to defend you from you?"

Seifer gaped at her, unable to comprehend how she could dismiss years of self-resentment in one blithe sentence. "You don't understand," he said, shaking his head. "You of all people, you couldn't possibly. Just look at you," he flicked his wrist toward her. "You're near perfect, so don't give me advice you've never needed yourself."

She wanted to smack him. Nothing seems to get through to this man. "You think my life is perfect? You think being hounded by the 'Trepies' twenty-four-seven is perfect? How about all of your decisions are being made for you? I bet you'd just love that," she added with biting bitterness. "Why don't you try living with nothing but hotdogs for diet," she said, her voice rising in volume. "You want to know what I really do at Garden? Do you?" Quistis asked in an awful tone, practically shouting each word. "I wipe the snot off the nose of little kids. I've never been given a mission for the past four years, and instead, they stuck me in the classrooms with a bunch of eight-year-olds. I've been doing nothing Seifer. And nothing but papers, after papers. Papers that have me trapped until my dying day, and Trepies lurking at every corner. If you want my life so badly, you can have it."

Seifer stood motionless, his face unreadable. Suddenly, he smiled. It was a cruel, hard expression, one she'd seen on his face so very long ago. "You really don't get it."

Quistis felt sick, she knew what was coming next. She averted her gaze from his and let his words sink sharply into her skin.

He grasped her upper arms with such ferocity and his face came menacingly close to hers. "If you want to complain about the trials and tribulations of universal admiration, try being an exile for a day. See how that feels like then let me know what you want to complain about," he bit off.

Then Quistis dared to meet his eyes again, but regretted the moment she did, because in those dark green depths, she felt her heart wrenching in her chest. She swallowed convulsively, but her throat seemed to have tightened. But she managed to say, "Seifer, you're not the boy you think you were."

"I know that," he said, but his eyes darted to look at something else.

"Seifer, look at me," she ordered gently. When he did, she repeated, "You are not the boy you think you were."

"I know that," he said again, looking puzzled and maybe just a bit annoyed.

"Are you sure?" she asked softly.

"Damn it, Quistis! I know - " he stopped short. "Quistis, get dressed." Seifer pointed to the bathroom. There were just some things a man didn't want to deal with a half naked woman. "Put some clothes on for crying out loud."

It was an evasive maneuver, if she ever heard one. For a man who dwelled so much on his past, he didn't particularly like to talk about it. It haunted him, but he still refused to face it. "You're a coward, Seifer," she winced as the insult crossed her lips, but it had to be said. Then she stalked off to the bathroom, carrying her bundle of clothes, leaving him standing there, confused and very irritated.

The bathroom door slammed shut, and Seifer slumped in the bed, thinking he'd gotten himself deeper in a mess. Oh, he could walk away so smoothly and take the next train out of Balamb, leaving her reputation in tatters. But his conscience wouldn't allow it. Neither would his pride.

He'll show her that he isn't the coward she described him to be. He'll show her how much he isn't the boy....

Damn it. He owed her an apology. It ate at him to think that he did. One thing he didn't do often was apologize, because there were rarely such times that he needed to. But this situation needed something.

He stood up and walked to the bathroom. He was going to knock, but decided against it. Instead, he pressed his ear against the door, feeling like the worst sort of heel as he did so.

He didn't hear anything, it was quiet. "Quistis!"

"What?"

"I...uh..." He could have kicked himself because he didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar noise of a hair dryer.

The damned woman was trying to drown him out, obliterating anything he could have said. He banged on the door, "Damn it, woman! What are you doing?"

The door suddenly swayed open, she was fully clothed in her...pajamas?

"I'm drying out your clothes, you nimrod!" she said, waving his shirt and pants, while she carried the hair dryer in the other hand.

"Oh," he felt like an idiot. "Uh, thanks." He saw beyond her what appeared to be his duffel bag, which was still soaking wet, and...his gun-blade case leaning against the toilet. Seeing it made him feel more the fool. He had a picture of her in his mind carrying him, along with his possessions from the beach, up to this point. It humbled him.

Quistis sniffed. "Well, just wait outside." She still looked annoyed with him.

"Look, I should be doing that. You go downstairs," he said, reaching for his clothes. "Your friends are waiting for you."

He thought she was going to clout him with the hair dryer with the look she just gave him.

"Alright, alright!" he said, managing to pull out a strangled smile. "I'll come down with you."

She pulled back. "Really? I didn't think you'd stay after...after..."

"Forget it.'

"I ca - "

He cut her off by pressing a finger over her lips. "Don't say anything. Just...smile."

"Smile?" she asked, looking baffled.

"Yeah. Smile," he said once more. "I uhh...really should've thanked you. So, thank you."

"It was no - "

He shushed her again. "I said don't say anything. Let me talk this time," he whispered, his eyes more intense. "And I'm sorry."

Her eyes grew wide. "You know, I was just thinking of saying that."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Well, if I knew that, I should've just kept my mouth shut," he said with a hint of mirth.

"You beast!" she said, but it contained more glee than it should have.

He laughed. It was a genuine sound that she felt rumbling within her soul.

"I'll wait outside," she said.

Seifer nodded and began the process of drying his clothes. It suddenly felt strange how much he required her nearby, all so suddenly. It was mind numbing to think about. But right now, he wouldn't analyze it, he'll just go with the flow, do what impulse says and see where it takes him from there. But still, it would be wise to take caution.

It was starting to feel almost natural to have her there constantly. Whatever happened between them was something he didn't want to find out, but whatever it is...it felt good. There was that spark, that strange undeniable spark between them whenever they fly insults, or throw a joke, sometimes even a teasing smile.

Suddenly, those moments mattered.

It was so very odd, because five years ago, she didn't even matter. Nothing about her mattered. She was suddenly...there. Just there. Constantly there.

His clothes have finally dried. He pulled on a pair of dried underwear then donned the rest of his clothing. He checked himself in the mirror and studied himself.

You are not the boy you think you were.

Maybe, just maybe, she was right.

He sucked in an amountful of air then opened the door. Quistis was sitting on the bed and gave him a strained smile. He suddenly felt that he wanted it to grow wider.

"I've got an idea," Sefer said, his eyes lighting up in an impish glimmer.

"Whatever that is, I don't want to be a part of it," she retorted, but nonetheless, curious to know what it is about.

"Let's go crazy," he added quickly. "Let's have them believe something had really gone on between us."

She gasped. "Are you insane?"

"Didn't I just suggest to go crazy?" he chortled. "Besides, we both know nothing really happened." Then he paused and asked, "Well, nothing that I know of, right?"
Quistis fought off the heat from her face. "Of course nothing happened," she bit out.

"Right! So what's the harm? Just imagine their reaction. Don't you want to know what they'd say? Their faces? Just imagine the look on their faces."

"I've already seen their faces," she snorted.

"Have some life, Trepe. This only happens once in a blue moon," he said, mischief glittering in his eyes.

Suddenly, she saw a shadow of the old Seifer of five years ago in those emerald greens. The same devil-may-care fellow he was reputed to be.

Much to her surprise, she heard herself ask, "Promise that this would be fun?"

"One hundred percent guaranteed," he beamed. "After saving my ass, a good time is the least I could give you."

Suddenly, they heard a shuffling noise at the door. It was hard to tell if the person on the other side was trying to eavesdrop or merely standing out there in the hall for another reason. Both Seifer and Quistis looked on. Then, they both looked at each other.

"Quistis, go jump on the bed," he murmured.

"Why?" she asked in a very low tone.

The shadows under the door shifted.

"Just do it," he said. "Make some noise."

"Like what?"

"Sound as if...ah...you're enjoying something."

Quistis thought of ice cream. She always enjoyed a bowl of ice cream. She hopped on the bed and started jumping, the springs squeaking under her weight. "Oooooh," she began.

Seifer's head snapped up. "What the heck was that?"

"I was thinking of ice-cream. I like ice-cream."

"Think of something else," he hissed. He noticed the shadows moving again. "And try not to sound so...childlike."

"Oh, I see." She began jumping again. "Mmmmmm..."

"Yeah that's it," Seifer approved, then he hopped on the bed with her. "Aaaahh...yeah, that's the spot!" he said with a guttural groan.

Quistis tried not to laugh, but she truly enjoyed fooling her friends into thinking the worst. She heard shuffling on the other side of the door, the shadows seem to move more. "Did you see that?" she whispered.

"That means we're good," he said. "Now say my name."

"What?"

"No, scream it."

"Seifer!!!" she called out.

"Not like that," he ground out. "Say it like you would for ice cream."

She knitted her brows and then finally, "Oh I get it," she paused, then continued, "Oooooh, Seiferrrr."

"Yes, that's it," he said, feeling more giddy than he could ever remember.

They continued moaning, groaning, and jumping. The bed squeaked, and the headboard bumped into the wall.

Until very suddenly, the door fell open and came rolling in were Selphie, followed instantly by Irvine, next to tumble in were Zell, then Laguna...and even Squall, all on top of each other.

Quistis and Seifer broke out in a whoop of laughter. They were laughing so hard, they fell on the bed together. It was ingenious, the whole plot was perfectly ingenious.

While the whole lot of them on the floor was embarrassed at having been caught listening in. But it was Selphie who had the courage to make an exclamation. "That was just mean!"

Seifer stood tall on the bed, looking down at them like some playful god, "No," he drawled. "That was fun."

"I'm so sorry, guys. I couldn't help it," Quistis said in between gasps of laughter. "You've already formed your opinions, there was little I could say to change your minds."

Then Irvine dusted himself off from the floor and stood. "Seifer has turned you into a monster." He offered her his hand and helped her down from the bed.

"You guys, that was just sick!" Zell exclaimed.

Then Seifer bounced off his pedestal and eyed him. "Funny to hear you say that, since you were just caught eavesdropping."

Zell's face burned like hot peppers. "I'm getting out of here," he announced, striding out of the room.

Not surprisingly, Squall had disappeared already. Seifer was just as surprised to have caught him with the bunch, but he was eager to have seen his reaction, a glimpse that he was at least human to react. Too bad he didn't stay long enough to say something. But then again, he rarely has something to say. Especially when the situation included him.

"Well, now, I think that was the cleverest joke." Laguna beamed.

"You think so?" Quistis asked.

He nodded. "Isn't it nice," the older man said, leaning so that only Quistis could hear his words, "to discover that we're not exactly what we thought we were?"

And then he walked away, leaving Quistis wondering if maybe she wasn't quite what she'd thought she was.

Maybe - just maybe - she was something a little bit more.

A/N: I'm stumped. I didn't know what exactly I was thinking when I wrote this chapter.