Disclaimer: Yeah, do you think FF8 belongs to me? I don't think so..

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The rain fell steadily upon the train's clear windows. The sound of it lulled Quistis and drew her to watch from her seat out to the passing landscape. The mild fog that had come with the rain have woven itself into the scenery, making it seem as if it had been there for centuries. Quistis felt her mind drifting as it often did when she was relaxed and almost let it before she remembered where she was heading to and why.

Shaking her head slightly, as if to set her mind back to reality, she focused on the report sitting on her lap. She frowned, flipped through the pages and reread the parts she had highlighted. Rinoa and Irvine had written the report nearly 3 months before and from the length and looks of it, they had stumbled upon a rather large and complex operation.

".. it seems that the underground meetings we've caught scent of has been going on for a while now. The discussions are held in extremely private locations and no one seems to know more than that, or won't say at the very least. We suspect that many citizens in this town are unaware of the situation and only the lower class, poverty ridden Samaritans have any information that is of use to us. SeeD Irvine and myself will continue to follow this operation and it seems to be something of a great deal more importance than we had first believed it to be…"

Closing the folder, Quistis fell into her thoughts. Headmaster Cid had explained to them about the suspicion the town mayor had about his citizens dealing in illegals. It seemed like an easy mission, Quistis mused. Illegals, meaning basic drugs, had starting becoming a problem not too long ago. Usually, the cases involved operations being ran by small town gangs who wanted to make a name for themselves. Those were easily dealt with and had become almost routine, sadly. But after the last report, word from Irvine and Rinoa had stopped coming, until finally, Cid made the decision to send another team after them. Which explains why Quistis was on a train bound from some small town that she'd never heard of.

Quistis started when the door to the compartment opened and found herself frowning as Seifer made his way into the small space and sat himself down on the couch across from her. He flashed her that arrogant grin of his and proceeded to ignore her as he looked out at the window, arms across his chest, his left foot spread across his right thigh.

It didn't explain, however, why she found herself one half of a team that included Seifer Almasy.

She sighed inwardly, and attempted to ignore him as she continued with her thoughts. What had happened to the pair, she wondered, her brow wrinkled in frustration. From all looks of it, they hadn't been suspected or found out… then again, she thought, it's completely possible for them to have been founded out sometime after the report had been written. But Rinoa and Irvine were trained SeeDs; even if their identities had been revealed, they would've found someway to get in touch…

"Thinking hard?" Startled, Quistis blinked several times before fixing her mouth into a thin set line.

"Unlike some people." Seifer quirked a brow and shrugged his shoulders.

"I've figured out all that can be figured out."

Sarcasm coating her words, she folded her own arms across her chest. "And what's that?" Seifer turned his face from the window and tilted his head slightly, as if studying her, before breaking out into a sneer. "That we won't find anything else from the reports aside from the fact that there's something else in full swing other than a quaint little town with half its citizens making a living as fishermen."

Biting her lip, Quistis wisely remained quiet and kept the temper that tickled her throat at bay as she broke eye contact and ended the conversation. Because she knew he was right, she was even more frustrated. Forcing herself to calm down, she continued to watch the passing landscape outside her window and this time, allowed herself to get lost in her daydreams that she so often had when only misery had been her company.

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Omg.. Its been like what, half a year now? I'm so so sorry for the delay! I just never got down to typing up another chapter until now. And I know its horribly short. ;; Please don't hurt me. *dodges tomatoes and rotten fruit as she laughs nervously* Anyways, since its summer, I think that the next chapter will be following along soon. I'll try my best.