A/N: OK, this time it took me reeeeally long to update (as opposed to usually that is), but the good news, is that my exams are officially over! Whoo-hoo!
Last chapter summary: Zenton Deling and his comrades all got released from the D-District prison and Deling gained the position of President of Galbadia… Things now don't look good for Seifer, but his friends are all determined to help him prove his innocence. And so the investigations begin!
~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~
A sequel to 'Love Conquers All'
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 7: Let the games begin…
The wheels of a yellow car screeched onto the narrow path ahead and the vehicle came to an abrupt stop right in front of a pair of metal Gates, emitting a big cloud of dust as it did so. A muffled curse came from the interior of the car and the front door of the passenger's seat flung open. Zell literally threw himself out of the car, breathing heavily and clutching his heart with his right palm. He coughed as he inhaled dust and cleared the air in front of him with one palm, while banging hard on his chest with his clenched fist. He threw a kick at the door behind him, slamming it shut, as the sound of the car engine died out and the door of the driver opened.
- "Sometimes I really can't blame Seifer for calling you a chicken…" said Selphie, exiting the car "I wasn't going that fast!" she added and closed the door, putting the car keys in her pockets.
Zell shot her a poisonous glare as he dusted off his black leather jacket and coughed mildly a few last times, the dust in front of him now settling down.
- "'Wasn't going that fast?!'" he yelled furiously "You were driving at a hundred and fifty miles per hour! On the turns!"
- "Really now Zell…" said Selphie impatiently, zipping her fluorescent yellow furry jacket shut "How did you expect me to drive? Like a grandma?"
- "There's a reason that the speed indicator includes sensible speed limits such as seventy or even ninety, for Hyne's sake!" said the blond, finally catching his breath.
- "Tsk, whatever…" said Selphie indifferently "Come on, we've got work to do…" she added, walking towards the Gates before them.
Zell shook his head in disbelief and followed his miniscule friend. The up to now muted clattering of Selphie's brown, heeled boots making contact with the ground, sounded as she stepped on the stone-paved path, which led to the Gates. The two teenagers walked towards the entrance where a couple of Galbadian soldiers were standing in guard. The murder site of the former Galbadian President had been closed down for any investigations of any sort. The holiday mansion of Sirius Connelly now stood grimly silent and gray, despite the vigorously green environment it was positioned amongst, creating a profoundly contrasting picture.
The window curtains were closed shut, blocking the interior of the manor from view. Two large yellow plastic ribbons were bound on the deep red mahogany door of the entrance forming an 'X'. On the ribbons, large blue letters read 'POLICE LINE – DO NOT CROSS'. On both sides of the doorway, stood another pair of soldiers. Army trucks were parked on the grand grass yard laid in front. Obviously, more soldiers were stationed inside the mansion. Zell arched a fair eyebrow upon noticing that.
- "This place is guarded to the bunks…" he whispered on Selphie's ear.
- "Yeah, I guess they're here to make sure no-one messes up the crime scene." Selphie whispered back.
- "Or to make sure no-one discovers anything…" he mumbled.
- "Well, we're about to find out, aren't we?"
- "I highly doubt we'll get past those soldiers without having to knock them out…"
- "We'll see about that…" said Selphie slyly.
The two SeeDs came to a halt in front of the blue-clad men. Selphie stepped forward, wearing her sweetest smile on.
- "Good morning." she said chirpily to the men.
- "Good morning." said one of them back "Can we help you with something?" he asked.
- "I've noticed that the entrance is prohibited. Does this mean that no more investigations can be conducted?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
- "I'm afraid so, Miss." replied the soldier "We've got orders from the President himself to keep this area's bounds forbidden."
- "Even if we've got a warn?" asked Zell, stepping in front.
- "Even so, sir. President's orders."
- "Well thank you very much for your time then, gentlemen." said Selphie, the smile never abandoning her face "Good day." she added, grabbing Zell's hand, gently dragging him back towards the car "Act casual and just get in the car." she whispered when the soldiers were out of earshot.
Zell opened the door of the passenger's seat and entered the car, Selphie following suit right after him. The hyper girl turned the key in the ignition and drove off.
- "Now what?" asked Zell, as Selphie drove down the path they'd come from.
- "Now we do this the old-fashioned way…" said Selphie, making an abrupt turn to the right when they were out of sight.
Zell gripped the sides of his seat roughly, his eyes widening up.
- "Where are you going now?!" he asked, almost afraid of what her answer was going to be.
- "Relax, I'm taking a little detour through the conveniently bushy flora…" replied the girl, grinning.
- "If I survive this, I'd like to make clear that I'm driving on the way back!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The yellow car came to a halt amidst the dense forest, located not too far from Connelly's mansion. Selphie grabbed her nunchaku from the back seat and walked outside. Zell stepped out as well, stuffing his blue baggy jean pockets with a couple of small pouches. He closed the door behind him and followed Selphie.
- "Any chance of telling me what you've got in mind, or do I have to guess?" asked the blond, shooting rogue glances to the trees and bushes around him.
- "I don't know if you noticed, but this small forest communicates directly with the mansion…" said Selphie, pushing aside some twigs and branches which came in her way with her weapon.
- "We still have to find a way to get past the thick wall fence which prevents us from entering into the house. I don't know if you noticed that…" Zell retorted sarcastically.
- "You don't use your brains, do you?" asked Selphie impatiently. Zell shot her a glare "That's why we're going through the forest! To be able to climb up the wall more easily, doofus!"
- "My mind's too confused from damn jet-lag…" he mumbled.
- "'Jet-lag'?" asked Selphie in disbelief.
- "We flew from Winhill to Balamb last night and from Balamb to Deling within less than twelve hours! What do you call that?!"
- "An excuse for being brain-dead…" said Selphie chuckling. Zell narrowed his eyes.
- "At least I've got enough brains to know how to take care of my car. Don't start bitching when we get back and we find yours buried under a pile of Thrustaevis crap…"
Selphie stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow. She hadn't thought of that…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall and Rinoa walked hand-in-hand down the crowded corridors of Balamb Garden. Students and SeeDs all waved smiling at them or saluted Squall, always receiving a warm smile from Rinoa and a polite nod from her significant other. The couple stopped right outside the Infirmary, where Rinoa now worked.
- "What are you gonna do today?" Rinoa asked Squall, hugging him from the waist.
- "The usual…" replied Squall, shifting a bit uncomfortably "Paperwork and probably a brief meeting with Cid once I get a call from Zell and Selphie on how the investigation is progressing."
- "Good… I'll call Quisty later on to see if they got to Centra OK. They should be arriving there any time now," said the young sorceress, checking her watch "In about an hour. Hey, wanna go grab some lunch when you're done?" she asked.
- "Sure. I'll come pick you up." replied Squall, giving her a kiss on the forehead "Have a nice day."
He made a move to leave, but Rinoa grinned mischievously, grabbing him from the wrist. She pulled him back and held his nape with one hand, giving him a kiss. Squall fidgeted around nervously; PDA still wasn't coming off too well with him. Rinoa pulled away and winked at him, ignoring his scolding glare.
- "Have a good day at the office sweetie…" she said and walked towards the Infirmary entrance.
Squall shook his head in disbelief and scoffed-slash-chuckled. He turned his heel and made his way towards the elevator.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "NO!"
- "Don't be such a whiner, just help me up!"
- "These boots have stepped on Hyne knows what! They're not touching my brand new jacket!"
- "As if you don't get paid enough to get it cleaned! Hell, you get paid enough to buy a dozen new ones!"
- "Read my lips: NO – FRICKIN' – WAY!"
- "Zell… CUP. YOUR. PALMS!!!"
The blond grunted and bent over, mumbling something incoherent. He intertwined his fingers, making a 'cup' for Selphie to step upon. The brunette rested one hand onto his shoulder, pressed the other against the trunk of the tree right next to her and stepped onto his palms with her left boot. Zell grimaced in disgust as he felt, what he hoped was mud, smear on his hands. Selphie pressed her weight against Zell's palms and aided herself up, resting the other foot between an intersection of branches on the trunk of the tree. She hugged one thick branch right above her and stepped onto Zell's shoulder at first. Zell cursed under his breath and grabbed Selphie's other leg from the ankle, boosting her up.
- "Hyne Selphie, why didn't you wear more practical shoes?!" protested Zell "We're on a mission! And why did y- ARGH!" he winced, covering his eyes with one palm.
- "What?" asked Selphie innocently.
- "I can see up your damned skirt, that's what!" he retorted, pointing blindly at the inexistent mini denim skirt she was wearing.
- "Then don't look!" said Selphie irritably and stepped onto his head with her free foot.
- "NOT THE HAIR!" said Zell furiously, a trickle of mud now running down his forehead.
- "Stop shouting!" hissed Selphie, wrapping her legs around the branch she'd been holding on to "Do you wanna alert everyone of our presence?!"
- "Almasy's gonna owe me big time after this…" grunted Zell, trying to wipe his long front bang clean.
Selphie skillfully climbed her way up the tree, despite her non-practical attire, making Zell arch an eyebrow at that.
- "Well, what are you waiting for? A written invitation? C'mon!" Selphie beckoned her friend to follow her up the tree.
Zell sighed and hopped, grabbing a branch suspending right above him. He pulled himself up and followed Selphie.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The amber veil of the dawn had just begun to creep upon the surface of the continent of Centra. The vivid morning light fell warm on Seifer's face, making the blond wince slightly and squint his eyes open. He closed them shut again immediately and shielded his face from the brightness with a spread palm. He gradually got used to it and leaned over the window before him. They were almost there. He could already see the peninsula upon which the old orphanage was built. He smiled as he spotted it as well; the tiniest of white blurs in the horizon, next to the foaming waves of the archipelago resting on its 'feet'. How long was it since he'd been there? Twelve, thirteen years? Hyne, how many memories it brought back… The little use of Guardian Forces he'd made through the years hadn't been able to allow too many memories to slip away, yet the salvo of recollections, now playing in fast forward before his eyes, was always as painful. He rubbed his forehead to ease the white sharp pain in his head and let out a sigh.
He looked down at Quistis, who was sleeping peacefully in his embrace. She was covered with his long black trench coat, her long hair was flowing past her shoulders, framing part of her face. Seifer raked his fingers through her almost orange locks; she obviously hadn't taken care of herself in quite some time and the crimson color was beginning to wear off from her hair. He smiled. Now that he thought of it, he preferred her as a blonde. Red gave her spunk, but blonde reminded him of the little girl he liked to chase around and whose fair pigtails he used to pull. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. She was probably the person he linked most of his childhood memories to. Which were possibly the only blissful ones in his still young life. He sighed again. The absence of any carefree reminiscences during his living made him feel old… So old… So old it hurt… It made him wonder; how long did he still have, to live? How long did he still have, to finish what he had started? He looked at Quistis more intently. How long did he still have, to get his life back on track?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rinoa was sitting atop the desk in Dr. Kadowaki's office, dressed in the white robe she wore while working there. The doctor had been on a weekly leave and was returning the following day, leaving Rinoa to take care of all the possible patients on her own. Fortunately, so far she hadn't had to deal with any severe cases, just minor casualties. Right now, she had no work that needed to be done and had decided to give Quistis a call. She was holding her baby blue cell-phone right against her ear, waiting for her blonde comrade to answer the call. She toyed around with a raven lock while waiting, until after a few seconds, she heard Quistis' familiar voice on the other end.
- "Hello?"
- "Hey Quisty…" said Rinoa "Arrived in Centra yet?"
- "Hey Rin." replied her friend cheerfully "Yeah, we're at the orphanage. With Matron. Oh, you should all have been here! It's amazing! It's still pretty cold outside, but the day is beautiful!"
- "I bet…" said the young sorceress smiling "How's Edea?"
- "Relaxing, for once in her life… The new orphanage is ready and she's just taking some time to rest before it starts working again." replied Quistis.
Rinoa's attention was caught from a gleeful, almost girl-like fit of laughter and the protesting sound of a much heavier voice from Quistis' end of the line.
- "What's going on there?" she asked curiously.
- "Oh that…" said Quistis rolling her eyes "Seifer…"
- "Who else?" said Rinoa grinning "What's he done this time?"
Quistis turned to look right behind her. Edea was sitting on a chair outside at the porch, laughing hysterically like a school-girl at the sight before her. Seifer was sitting right across the table from her, so pissed, that steam could almost be seen emitting from his ears. He was ready to lunge himself onto Raijin, who was making fun of him for losing to Edea in Triple Triad by nine to one. Right next to Edea sat Fujin, the broadest of grins plastered on her face as well.
- "We were all sitting out in the porch and Seifer with Edea played Triple Triad for fun. Seifer lost to her –quite miserably if I may add- and Raijin is making fun of him. I'm counting the seconds until he snaps and takes out his gunblade…" Quistis replied to Rinoa's previous question.
- "That pissed?" asked Rinoa chuckling.
- "Just wait and hear… I'm on four now… Three… Two… One…" said Quistis.
Right on cue, Seifer stood up and slid his Hyperion put from his belt. Rinoa heard a panicked yelp as Raijin broke into a run, Seifer on his tail.
- "I was only kiddin' Seifer, ya know?!"
Rinoa laughed heartily upon hearing Raijin's cries for help. She could just bring the picture to her mind…
- "So I take it you're having fun so far?" she asked.
- "It's quite relaxing, yes…" replied Quistis smiling "Anything to take Seifer's mind off things… When we arrived here today he seemed pretty down. It broke my heart to see him like that…"
- "I feel you… Anyway, Squall's taking a late flight to Esthar tonight to see Laguna and talk to him, so we'll probably have access to the on-line library by tomorrow. Are you going to start working in the morning?" Rinoa asked.
- "Yeah, probably. Just keep us informed on anything new, alright? I'll be returning from time to time for a bit, to erase any suspicions on Seifer's whereabouts, so I'll see you again soon."
- "OK Quisty. We'll call back tomorrow, k? Give my love to everyone, especially Edea. Bye!" said Rinoa.
- "I will. Bye Rin."
Quistis terminated the call and walked back to everyone, smiling. Seifer and Raijin had returned to their seats by now, so Quistis went and sat next to a sulking Seifer. She grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him roll his eyes.
- "I don't need anyone's pity…" he mumbled, crossing his arms.
- "If it makes you feel any better, you can have your card back…" said Edea, smiling warmly at him, handing him his GF's card.
Seifer scoffed. Then snatched the Nosferatu card back…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "Zell, I swear, if you let me fall…" said Selphie irritably.
- "I said I was holding you tightly!" hissed Zell behind her.
Selphie was lying stomach first on a long branch, close to one of the windows of the mansion. Zell was holding her legs so that she wouldn't fall, while she was picking the lock of the window before her. She slid a small nail file between the window's crack, raising the small metal binder that kept the window locked. She smiled and pushed the window open.
- "Operation complete!" she whispered excitedly, turning back to give Zell the thumbs up.
Zell grinned and slowly let go, as she crawled her way inside the room, through the open window. Zell followed right behind her, hopping down on the floor as silently as possible. He adjusted his clothes and glanced around the room, while Selphie slipped the nail file back in her jacket pocket. Zell looked at her and spoke.
- "Y'know Selphie…" he whispered grinning "Sometimes you can get really scary… Brilliant, but scary…"
Selphie smirked superiorly. She glanced around the room as well, sliding her nunchaku behind the waistband of her skirt and quietly made her way to the door. She pressed her ear up against it and remained still for a few seconds, trying to hear what was going on through the other side. After a bit, she pulled back and walked over to Zell.
- "We've got company…" said Selphie "Did you bring everything I asked you?"
- "Sir, yes sir." Zell replied mockingly, digging into his jean pockets.
He took out the small pouches he'd grabbed before leaving the car, as well as two pairs of leather gloves. He handed Selphie one pouch and a set of gloves, wearing the other one. Selphie slipped her fingers through the gloves and slid the pouch into the back pocket of her skirt. She zipped her jacket pockets open and took out two black ski masks, handing one to Zell. The blond held it in one hand, looking at it bewildered, as the brunette slipped it on.
- "Umm… What exactly is this?" he asked.
- "Duh… They mustn't see our faces you goof. We need to remain subtle and anonymous…" retorted Selphie.
- "Ahh, I see… Hence the whole Tweety-bird outfit on your account…" said Zell sarcastically. Selphie stuck out her tongue at him.
- "We only need to hide our faces for a few seconds dummy. Just enough for the Sleep and Silence Powders to take effect…" she said, patting her skirt pocket.
- "And… 'ski masks' was the best you could find?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
- "Just put the damn thing on!" hissed the brunette.
Zell shook his head in disbelief and did as he was told.
- "There." he said, resting his fisted palms against his hips.
- "Do you have the Sleep pouch?" Selphie asked.
- "Yes, I gave you the Silence one."
- "Good. Remember; I go first and you follow suit after me."
- "Yes Bonnie…" said Zell wearily "Now what?"
- "Now follow me Clyde…" she said in a sinister manner, taking out the small pouch.
She crept over to the door and placed a gloved palm on the handle. She raised three fingers indicating 'three' and began counting down. The moment her fingers formed 'one', she gave Zell a nod and a meaningful look and busted the door open. Losing no time, she spilled the contents of the small bag in the hallway, where many guards were gathered, rendering them all mute. Right on cue, Zell threw a handful of Sleep Powder, plunging the hallway into blissful slumber. Selphie gave Zell a high-five upon witnessing the success of their plan and followed suit in walking down the hallway silently. She carefully opened the first door they came across, 'weapons' at ready. The door flung open, revealing no-one inside and nothing that concerned the two young SeeDs' mission.
- "Bedroom…" whispered Selphie "We're looking for the study…" she added, closing the door again.
She continued to walk down the corridor and stopped once reaching a set of two large doors. She turned and looked at Zell who shrugged and beckoned her to open the door. Selphie took a deep breath and pushed the doors open with slight difficulty. Bingo. The mansion's study. Selphie threw her hands up in excitement, ready to let out a squeal of delight, when Zell's palm rushed over to her mouth and hushed her. The brunette grinned awkwardly at her comrade's scolding glare and stepped inside the room.
The two friends didn't take long to find the exact place of the 'crime scene' inside the spacious study. Selphie pointed at the far left corner and, passing by the big desk in the middle, she approached the site. She stepped over the yellow ribbon placed by the police around the corner and kneeled down on the carpet, touching the wall with one palm, leaning over to take a closer look. Zell kneeled right next to her, pulling the front of the ski mask up to his forehead. Selphie did so as well and let out a sigh.
- "So… Your thoughts?" she asked quietly.
Zell cocked his head to the side and examined the corner thoroughly. A small round hole had pierced the wall they were facing and a few small cracks lined from the hole to the wall. Zell gently stuck his pinky finger inside the hole and felt resistance almost immediately. He withdrew his finger and lowered his gaze, leveling it with the hole and noticed a small silvery glimmer as the light fell upon it. He lowered his eyes down towards the carpet, where he spotted the brownish outline of some sort of puddle-like stain, which was no longer very apparent on the carpet. The blond turned and looked at Selphie, then spoke.
- "The bullet's still in the hole." said Zell "But something doesn't fit…"
- "What?" asked Selphie.
- "See the edges of the hole?" he asked, pointing at it "They seem too… 'neat'. As if someone pierced the wall on purpose. And the cracks… I've seen bullet holes on walls before and the cracks should have been much deeper and longer than that. Especially if the shot was taken from such a close range like in this case…"
- "Hmm…" hummed Selphie, touching the edges of the hole "Good points…"
- "And that carpet-" began Zell.
- "The stain?" asked Selphie knowingly.
- "Yeah. I mean, it's more than certain they'd clean it up after investigating the place, but-"
- "The stain isn't apparent enough." added Selphie nodding.
- "Exactly. Didn't 'Seifer'," Zell made air quotes with his fingers "Supposedly kill the President the night before New Years'?"
- "Yup."
- "And the body was found the morning after New Years'."
- "Right." said Selphie "The blood should have soaked the carpet by then. It would have been much more visible than that." she added, pointing at the carpet.
- "Precisely…" agreed Zell "So our 'boys' are obviously hiding something…"
- "Obviously…" repeated Selphie, taking out a small camera from her pocket.
She took a few quick shots of the murder site and got up to her feet, putting the camera in place and pulling her mask back down. Zell got up as well and lowered his mask, stepping over the police line taped across the corner.
- "So what do we do now?" he asked Selphie.
- "I'd like to take a look around the other rooms, see if we can find anything else…" replied the brunette, walking towards the doors.
No sooner had she finished her sentence, than they heard footsteps getting steadily louder from the hallway outside. The two SeeDs exchanged knowing looks and stealthily sprinted to each side of the doorway. The stuck their backs against the wall behind them and kept completely silent.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "Those sluggish pricks are trying to stall the shift change as much as they can…" said one guard to the other one walking up the stairway with him.
- "I don't care… They're gonna drag their lazy asses out to the cold like we've been doing for two hours. Like I'm obliged to guard the entrance all-" the other began, but immediately stopped talking once laying eyes upon the sight before him.
All their colleagues who were supposed to be guarding the rooms of the second floor were now lying down, indulged into a peaceful siesta. The two men exchanged a swift, sharp glance and picked up their pace on the stairs. They approached some of the sleeping men, nudging them to the side, or kicking them lightly to see if they'd budge. To no avail though; none of them were eager to move although they were certainly not dead. The two guards nodded at each other in assent and took out their gunblades. One of them motioned towards the open doors of the study with his chin, quietly making his way there. The other man followed suit on tiptoes, trying to remain as silent as possible. The two guards reached the threshold and hesitated for a couple of seconds, before stepping inside.
They had barely taken two steps, when they both fell unconscious to the floor with a thud. Selphie slipped her nunchaku back in place, while Zell grinned and cracked his knuckles, rubbing his slightly sore elbow. Selphie brought her index finger to her lips and slowly poked her head outside, scanning the hallway for any more potential trouble. She crooked a finger, beckoning Zell to follow her as she skidded down the hall, back to the room they'd originally come out from. She trotted inside, closing the door behind them.
- "There might be more of them. Plus the others are bound to wake up any moment now, so I suggest we skedaddle." said Selphie.
- "Think we've got enough evidence from here?" asked Zell, following her towards the still ajar window.
- "Well, we investigated the crime scene. There's probably not much more we can find here…" she replied shrugging.
- "Alright then, let's go." he said, pulling the window wide open "After you…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "…And this last one is from the wall… See the very neat outline of the bullet hole?"
Selphie was sitting inside Squall and Rinoa's dorm, on their bed, showing Squall the pictures she'd taken in the mansion. She was sitting on Irvine's lap, still dressed in the clothes she'd been wearing ever since that morning. Irvine was holding her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, looking down at the pictures spread all over the bed as well. Squall and Rinoa were sitting opposite them examining the photos.
- "Interesting…" said the young Commander "These certainly are a start… It's more than evident that they were trying to hide something here…" he mumbled.
- "So did anyone see you?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
- "No, we wore masks." said Selphie proudly "My idea…"
Irvine kissed her on the cheek and smiled warmly at her. Selphie giggled and rubbed her nose against his, Eskimo-like, giving him a peck on the lips. Squall raised his glance upon them, narrowing his eyes and clearing his throat loudly, while Rinoa grinned. The couple turned back to Squall, ending their little tête-à-tête abruptly.
- "So that's all you got?" asked Squall.
- "Yup. I wanted to take a look around the rest of the rooms, but some guards got in our way, so we decided to hit the road before more came and we got into trouble." replied Selphie.
- "Where's Zell by the way?" asked Rinoa.
- "He went back to his room with Zuka as soon as he got here… I heard him mumble something about mud and the dry-cleaner's…" said Irvine, a confused look on his face.
- "Right… So we're done with the mansion outside Deling." Squall said matter-of-factly "What did we decide we'll move on to next, Selphie?"
- "Well… We need some Internet research done, but we agreed we'd leave that up to Seifer and Quistis." said Selphie "As far as field work is concerned, I suggest we go and question a few witnesses in the city."
- "Fair enough… Who's going?" Squall asked, stacking the pictures in front of him.
- "Hey, I could go…" Irvine suggested.
- "Aren't you coming with me to Esthar tonight?" Squall asked, cocking an eyebrow.
- "Well…" said Irvine grinning "I didn't get to see my Sefie all day, so I thought…" he added, hugging Selphie tighter. Squall rolled his eyes and groaned.
- "Fine… Let me do this alone…" he said crankily, crossing his arms.
- "I'd come with you, but I've got work in the Infirmary since the doctor won't be back until tomorrow noon…" said Rinoa, smiling mischievously. Squall glared at her.
- "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked, his voice cold as ice.
- "Very." Rinoa replied giggling, giving him a kiss on the shoulder.
- "Whatever… So who's going with you?" Squall asked Irvine.
- "I could." piped in Selphie.
- "You just got back."
- "I don't mind…" she said shrugging, grinning at Squall.
- "Fine, go." he said nonchalantly.
- "So… are we done here?" asked Irvine.
- "Yeah, you can leave." replied Squall.
Selphie hopped off Irvine's lap and adjusted her clothes, while Irvine got up and stood beside her, slipping his hand around her shoulder.
- "When are you flying to Esthar?" asked the cowboy.
- "In a couple of hours." replied Squall, stretching a bit.
Rinoa bent her head under his outstretched arm and rested it upon his shoulder, while hugging him from the waist with one arm. Squall threw her a scornful look, but put his descending arm around her shoulder anyway.
- "Have a safe trip then." said Selphie "Give Sir Laguna lotsa kisses!" she added, making Squall cock an eyebrow sarcastically.
- "Night…" added Irvine, waving at the other couple, as he and Selphie left the room.
Squall and Rinoa waved back at them. As soon as the door closed back again, Squall wrapped his other arm around Rinoa and gave her a scolding glare.
- "I should be very mad at you now… Traitor…" he growled at her, resting his forehead against hers.
- "You know I can't come with you…" Rinoa said in a mincing manner.
- "I know, but that didn't keep you from feeling so excited about me meeting Laguna alone…" Squall retorted.
- "What can I say? I'm a cruel, mean person…" said Rinoa jokingly.
- "No kidding…" replied Squall, kissing her tenderly on the nose.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Quistis was lying atop Seifer, palms resting against his bare chest. She was wearing one of his big T-shirts and her orange locks fell loose upon her shoulders. Seifer was rubbing one crooked finger against her cheek tenderly, looking at her intently. He ran a finger through a stray lock of her hair and played with it.
- "The red color's almost off…" he said.
- "I know bunny…" agreed Quistis "I haven't dyed them in ages… I'll probably get on to it one of these days…"
- "Don't. Let them go back to blonde…" he said softly.
- "I thought you preferred it red."
- "Nah, I was wrong… You're just… not you without blonde hair…" Seifer said.
Quistis smiled warmly at him and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips. She rested her head on the crook of his neck, letting him rake his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
- "Y'know…" said Seifer at some point, making Quistis raise her head back up "I never thought I'd be spending another night here with you again…"
- "Mmm, yes… although I believe that the situation is slightly different than what is used to be when we were kids…" she said jokingly.
- "Yeah… You weren't dressed in nothing but my T-shirt back then…" Seifer said smirking, nuzzling his head into her neck.
- "Perve…" Quistis mumbled, as she felt his lips kiss the tender skin of that area "I feel awful you know…"
- "Why?"
- "Because we've defiled the bed that innocent children are going to sleep upon, that's why…" Quistis replied chuckling.
- "As if they're gonna know…" said Seifer smirking.
- "No, but I will know."
- "Quisty?"
- "Mmm?"
- "Shut up." said Seifer and kissed her deeply.
Quistis resisted the urge to smack Seifer and instead buried herself in his arms, the sound of his steady breaths slowly lulling her to sleep…
A/N: More Seifer and Quistis in the next chappy…
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':
Quis and Sei begin their own investigation back in Centra, trying to unravel the mystery behind Deling and Robinson's pasts…
During their research, they come across something intriguing…