~*~ When Did This Happen? ~*~

:: Seiftis. Squffie hints. (Quistis x Seifer, Squall x Selphie) ::

Chapter Twenty:  The Ice Goddess.

~Silverium~

Disclaimer: Squaresoft. Not Silver.

"All right, let's see how you're doing," The voice of Kadowaki permeated through the black voice of Quistis' world.

            Quistis tilted her head towards the doctor. In her solitary existence she had become colder than ever. Four days since her return, and Trepe had skipped all her classes, reasoning that she couldn't copy down notes she couldn't see. She refused to leave her dorm for the most part, spending lots of time standing at her balcony railing, wondering what the sunset looked like.

            Slowly the bandage she wore under her glasses (put back in place after the incident, by request of Quistis) was unraveled and Quistis' blind eyes stared up at the ceiling. Dr. Kadowaki had to fight the urge to sigh in disappointment. The pearly orbs looked around casually, seeing nothing, expecting nothing.

            "Maybe we will try a stronger version of eye drops…"

            "Why?" Quistis asked, her voice low, "It's been a week, my sight is not coming back."

            "Now, now, you don't know that," Dr. Kadowaki replied sternly, "I'll strengthen your dosage. The officials are still trying to locate the killer of that man, and when they find him he'll no doubt have some sort of cure or at least a list of ingredients for whatever hit you."

            Quistis shrugged and then deftly re-tied her bandage. The shades were slipped back on and Quistis stoically jumped off the table. She reached out and grabbed the cane that had been supplied to her. It was always an embarrassment coming down to see the doctor but she had to do it. Quistis was only thankful that she had been Garden long enough to have memorized what the building looked like. If she had to go through fumbling to find elevator switches or what not she would probably have killed herself.

            Instead of going to her dorm, though, Quistis took a walk to the training room. Inside she heard nothing, only the quiet rustle of the creatures inside. Leaning her cane against the wall, near the door she unhitched her whip and let it drop to the ground, coiling at her feet. Quistis sucked in a breath and then started to walk forward. It was a careless dare she undertook. She almost called out a challenge to whatever beast would watch her, hear her.

            A noise behind her caused her to whirl and snap out her whip in reflex. She heard the roar of a T-Rexasaur. Backing up until her long-range weapon could be put to the greatest effect (or so she hoped, she couldn't judge distance very well yet) Quistis waited until the beast had stopped thrashing from the sting she delivered. Immediately Quistis jumped forward, sending her whip crashing across its…snout? Possibly. The dinosaur growled louder and sent its own weapon, a whip-like tail, and slammed it into Quistis. Knocking the breath out of her and sending her flying back a few feet Quistis lay on her side, catching her breath. She heard the creature nearing her, she could feel its presence. Hurriedly she groped for her whip and upon finding it she stood up and twirled, making a ring around her. The whip smacked against the leg of the T-Rexasaur, providing Quistis with the knowledge of how close it was, and in this case, it was very close. Too close. Quistis was in trouble.

            Frantically she stepped backwards and lashed out, driving the beast back with strike after strike. She heard the doors of the training room open and a sudden cry,

            "Quistis!"

            The hesitation of her whip-hand cost Quistis dearly. The dinosaur raked its head against her, sending her scraping across the ground, tumbling into the opposite wall. Her whip was gone, and she could tell she had broken a rib or two. The ground vibrated with the footsteps of the fiend and Quistis clawed at the ground, trying to figure out where she was and how to get up. Pain lashed through her body but Trepe would not give up. Someone was in there with her, and they would not witness the Ice Queen's defeat. Quistis was too good to be seen in trouble.

            "Quistis watch out!" The voice shouted frantically,

            Quistis stood up, slouched over a bit, but her face in a deadly calm.

            "Shiva." She summoned, holding out her whip and then throwing her head back as the magic erupted from her being.

            If Quistis was the Ice Queen then Shiva was the Ice Goddess. Exploding from the ground in her pillar of solid water and sending it shattering in all directions Shiva decimated the T-Rexasaur easily, lining the entire Training Room with ice thanks to Quistis' strong power. Cold cerulean eyes watched the dying beast without a care as Shiva settled down on the ground, stepping on the frozen plain she had created. Behind her, Quistis toppled over and the Guardian Force abruptly returned, not willing to tax her mistress' strength any longer.

            Seifer, furious with Quistis but scared of her condition, raced over, sliding across the ice like a bullet to where he dropped to his knees and stopped at her side. She was knocked out completely, her leather jacket fell away from her torso and he could see the bruises, the bone fragments, that had been inflicted upon her.  Seifer picked her up as gently as he possibly could, cursing.

            "Quistis you idiot. What the hell were you doing? You're blind girl, not stupid. You can't fight like this, damnit Quistis, why are you doing this? Kadowaki is going to kill me."

            Seifer ran down the hallways Students stared wide-eyed at him, carrying the bleeding form of Quistis in his arms, an aura of fear and fire swirling around him, causing them all to back away. In the doctor's office Kadowaki's face turned scarlet at the sight of a girl who was like her daughter looking as if she had willingly signed her life away. Seifer received the lecture meant for Quistis and decided he would later redistribute it to the ex-instructor when she was conscious. When he was kicked out of the office the tall blonde stalked to his dorm, shoving past Zell on his way, and promptly slammed the door in Selphie's face as she was about to ask him something.

            Looking hurt at the rude gesture Selphie caught up with Zell and gave a big huff.

            "Seifer is so moody!" She burst out, "Quistis had him all happy and now he's grouchy again!"

            "You saw him too? Creep just walked right into me, I'm not THAT short," Zell grumbled,

            "Where's Seifer?" Squall asked as he met them coming out of the elevator,

            "In his room, sulking over something," Zell growled,

            "Quistis tried to fight in the Training Room, she got hurt, but I suppose he already knows that." Squall's flat expression was livened only by the worry in his eyes,

            "Quistis is hurt?" Selphie squeaked, "Again?"

            "Why did she go to the Training Room?" Zell groaned in dismay, "She can't see…oh…that's probably why."

            "Way to be smart," Selphie supplied, but she tossed him an impish grin, "Squall…we need to cure her, let's ask Cid to give us the go-ahead. Let's track down that bastard that hurt my Quisty!"

            Squall looked down at Selphie, her fist tightened, raised in the air, posed to make the victory dance but hanging on his approval. Reasoning quietly, ignoring that she was on tip-toe and ready to wobble, Squall began to think it through. After considering the consequences and time, money costs and practicality, Squall gave a small nod.

            "YEAH! MISSION AHEAD!" Selphie streaked into the elevator to pester Cid.

            "Well," Zell started but he trailed off and just stood there staring at the elevator doors,

            "Let's pack." Squall shrugged and walked down the hall, "I'll get Seifer, you get Irvine."

            "We don't even know if we're going!" Zell cried at Squall's back,

            "We're going. Selphie won't take 'no' for an answer."