Chapter 4

Seifer woke up early the next morning. He slowly but painfully managed to get out of bed. Upon entering the bathroom, he found his blood-stained clothes soaking in the bathtub. He tried to quietly get dress and prepared to go to work, but instead his foot connected with the door causing him to yelp in pain and waking the sleeping woman in the living room.

"Seifer!" She cried when she realized he was up and about. "You should be in bed!" Seifer winced as she grabbed on to him and led him back to the bed. "What do you need? Let me get it for you," she offered.

"I need to go to work," he said promptly.

"You can't go to work. You're hurt, and you need rest," she replied matter-of-factly.

"I feel fine, and it doesn't hurt when I move."

"Then why did you wince just now when I helped you on to the bed?" She interrogated him.

"Wait you didn't let me finish. I meant to say it doesn't hurt when I don't move much."

"Sure," her tone was skeptical. "You're still not going anywhere. Now lie down," she commanded.

"But…"

"But what? I'm sure the school can find someone to substitute for you. Here," she handed him the cordless phone. "Call the school and tell them you are calling in sick and they need a substitute for you. I'm sure someone like you wouldn't mind missing a couple days of class," she teased.

"No, you don't understand. I'm the only gunblade instructor in the area," his tone was mixed with desperation and irritation.

"I don't doubt it, but I guess there won't be gunblade training for a while."

"What?! Okay screw the teaching. I need to make a living!"

"If you would just rest, you can get better, and then you can go to work. Besides," she continued, "anyone can teach basic stuff like the types of spells, guardian forces, and other things. All they need to do is lecture from the book, it's not like they're being trained to become SeeDs. Even your gunblade training is the very basics."

"I guess," he conceded. "When the hell did I start listening to you?" he said with a smirk.

"Who said you were listening?" Quistis got up and was about to walk out the room when Seifer replied to her rhetorical question.

"Well, that is why I have decided that you can be my substitute," he said with a smugged grin.

"What?!" It was Quistis turn now. "What, the hell are you talking about?"

"What? You are more then qualified, you've taught me everything thing I know."

"No," she said firmly. "You are insane."

"Well, it's not an unreasonable suggestion. You've been an instructor at SeeD for the past how many years?"

"Yeah and I got fired," she interrupted.

"Once, but you got rehired," he continued, "So you still would be qualified to be my substitute"

"Well…" she sighed.

Seeing her faltering expression as his suggestion he continued nonchalantly, "you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I'm sure like you said they could find someone else to teach my class."

"I didn't say I wouldn't do it. I just said you are insane."

"So you agree," Seifer proudly said at his success in convincing her. "All right, I'll call the school to tell them you're my substitute." Before she could even answer or protest he was already on the phone speaking to his supervisor.

Quistis grumbled to herself while getting dressed. She pulled on a black skirt and found a light blue blouse. She looked out the window and saw it was still cloudly. This was one gloomy summer she thought to herself. She found her knee-length coat, and threw a thin black chiffon scarf around her neck to cover the cut on her neck, and went to speak to Seifer for some final details.

"Okay…so what do I need to know before I walk in to the lion's den?"

"All you need is a long stool and a whip," he teased. "Well, I've called the school and they say it's fine. All you need to do is go to the office and do some formal crap and then you can sub for me." Quistis nodded as she listened to him.

"So what are you teaching your students? What is the agenda?"

"Well since this is a short summer training, and it just started I haven't gone over much. I've only gone over the basic of how to handle the gunblade and stuff. So you can go over that stuff and whatever you want. I trust you."

"Why thank you," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, and you can take Hyperion with you if my students decide to challenge you or something."

"I thought you said they were beginners."

"They are…but they are a tough crowd, and you know seeing you're a woman and all."

"Excuse me? Is this what went through your mind when I was your instructor?" Quistis looked at him inquisitively.

"Yeah and something else more pleasing," he said with a wink. "Besides being a pain in the ass to you was fun, you never had to nerve to really do anything to me."

"Oh now the truth comes out," she picked up the Hyperion case and her Save the Queen. "Don't worry Instructor Almasy. I'll take care of your kids. If they piss me off I'll whip them into shape, just like I did to you," she winked back and left.

Quistis walked into the classroom and found the group of students talking to each other loudly. She sat down placed Hyperion on the side of desk and sat down. She put on her glasses and started looking over Seifer's things. His desk was clean and organized. His books were stacked neatly on one corner and his stacks of paper in another. She easily found his grade book and found each name written neatly on the grid lines and she found notes posted for each day's agenda.

Quistis was impressed at Seifer's organization and a proud smile crossed her lips. She finally looked up and saw that the class had settled down into their seats as they watched her curiously.

"Good morning class. My name is Quistis Trepe, you can address me as Instructor Trepe or Miss Trepe. I will be your substitute for Instructor Almasy, while he is out sick. Do any of you have questions before I begin anything?" She looked around a room and saw a blond hair girl with pigtails raise her hand.

"Instructor Almasy is sick? He's never sick is he all right?" The girl asked.

"Instructor Almasy is fine and should be back in a week or so. Any other questions?"

"Do you also use a gunblade?" a tall boy in the back of the room sitting his arms crossed and his long legs stretched out to the side of his desk.

"No, my specialty is in the whip."

"A whip?" He scoffed. "Figures."

"Is there a problem, young man?"

"Yeah, how can a whip compare to a gunblade?"

"You shouldn't underestimate the power of the whip. The whip if welded in the right hands can be deadly," Quistis replied coolly.

"So if you're a whip expert why are you teaching a gunblade class?" The boy continued to challenge her.

Still maintaining her cool exterior she replied, "I said my specialty is the whip, but never said I didn't know how to use a gunblade."

"So what's the point of a whip expert teaching us gunblade techniques? When it is obviously Instructor Almasy is the only person qualified to teach us," he persisted.

Quistis was growing impatient with the boy's impertinence, but remained cool. "Yes, Instructor Almasy is the obvious person to teach gunblade techniques." The boy smiled with victory. "But I can't blame you for not knowing this, but yours truly taught your dear Instructor everything he knows about combat, including gunblade techniques." Quistis leaned back into her chair and waited.

"You're saying you were Instructor Almay's teacher."

"Yes, Now that we've cleared up my qualifications shall we begin?" She smiled to herself at her small victory of having the class under her control, and opened the text book to begin the day's lesson that had been planned in Seifer's agenda.

The rest of the class went by smoothly without conflict or challenges from the students. The bell signaled the end of class, and the students gathered up their books and filed quickly out of the room turning in their assignment from the previously day as they left.

"Excuse me, Instructor Trepe," the tall boy from earlier in the day stopped in front of her to turn in his assignment.

"Yes, Jake?" the boy nodded to affirm that she remembered his named correctly and continued, "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you or Instructor Almasy will be grading this assignment."

Quistis thought for a bit, "That's a good question. I would have to discuss it with Instructor Almasy later today."

"Oh and Instructor Almasy said that we were suppose to start combat training next week. Will he be back for it? Or will you be training us?"

"Well, right now that is hard to tell at the moment. We'll just have to see when next week comes." The boy nodded and left the room. Quistis gather all the papers and things that she needed to prepare for tomorrow's class agenda.

"Seifer!" a voice came from outside. A young woman with light brown shoulder length hair appeared at the door. "Who are you? Where is Seifer?"

Her question came out almost rude to Quistis, but Quistis didn't care stir up some conflict and promptly replied. "I'm Instructor Almay's substitute. He is going to be out sick for the rest of the week."

"What? Seifer is never sick," the woman replied surprised.

"So I've been told."

"What happened?"

"He got into a little accident, but he's fine," Quistis answered her and was about to leave to room.

"How do you know?" The woman stopped Quistis from leaving and gave her an unfriendly glare.

Quistis raised an eyebrow at the woman's rude behavior, "Well if—," before she could respond the woman interrupted her.

"Never mind, you're just a Sub I'll go to the office they would probably know better then you," she said and abruptly walked away.

Quistis furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and shrugged the incident aside and head out back to check on Seifer.

Quistis was greeted with an unhappy Seifer standing in front of the door when she reached the cabin.

"What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting."

He crossed his arms across his chest and replied, "I've have rested to the point where I can't feel my ass any more. I had to stand up to make sure I still had one, and since I was up I decided to stay up."

"Fair enough," Quistis conceded.

"And you're late."

"Late? For what?"

"You should have been back an hour ago," he said placing his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry mother. When I went to the market to buy some food for your empty fridge, I just simply lost track of the time. Dear me. Could you ever forgive me?" she said in a southern girlish accent.

Finally noticing the bags Quistis was carrying, he offered to help, but Quistis pulled them away from his grasp and walked into the kitchen. "You should go and sit or something wile I go and make some lunch." Seifer reluctantly agreed and sat at the dining room table and watched Quistis put the groceries into the fridge and start preparing lunch.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Lunch will be ready in a couple minutes."

He started to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't like sitting here helpless," he sulked.

"Well too bad, it's your own fault for being careless and getting hurt," Quistis teased.

"My fault?" He was offended.

"Yes."

"That is such Bull shi—, "their argument was interrupted with a knock on the door. "I'll get it." Seifer said while slowly getting up, wincing a bit and opened the door to find the brown hair girl Quistis encountered earlier in the school. "Joyce, what are you doing her?"

"Hello," she smiled sweetly. "I heard you were out sick, so I thought I'd bring you some lunch since you live alone and all." Quistis noted that her voice was distinctly very different and almost charming compared to earlier today.

"Uh…thanks," He took the bag and was about to close the door when Joyce held the door open with her hand.

"Can I come in," she asked trying to peer in behind Seifer.

"No," he said flatly.

"Why not?" Now he voice was becoming whinny.

He quickly thought of an excuse. "Well it's a mess, you shouldn't come in…you can die of toxic fumes in here." Ignoring him she pushed her way through the door and observed the neat well kept room.

"This is definitely not messy. It's actually quite clean." She started to walk around the living room and observe every nook and cranny. "This is a really nice place you have here Seifer. How come you never invite me over?"

"Well…I'm the kind of person who likes to keep my working and personal relationships separate," he said with an expressionless tone.

"Oh, I see," Joyce responded seemingly disappointed.

"Seifer, where are you? Lunch is ready?" Quistis' voice came from the kitchen.

"Who's that," Joyce asked forgetting her disappointment and walked toward the kitchen.

"That's an old friend of mine."

Joyce's smile immediately vanished when she saw Quistis. "What are you doing here?" She said curtly.

"And it's nice seeing you again too." Quistis said with mild annoyance.

Joyce looked at Seifer and back at Quistis. "I thought you said you liked to keep you're working and personal relationships separate," she accused.

"I do. Quistis, here, is just helping me out for the next couple of weeks, and she is a very old friend of mine. In fact we grew up together." Quistis nodded in agreement and gave Joyce a smug smile.

"Well lunch is ready and I'm starved," Quistis interrupted. "So are you going to be staying for lunch with us?" Quistis asked with an overly sweet tone.

"No, thank you. I just came to see if Seifer was feeling better and decided to bring him lunch. I have another engagement to keep. Good bye."

"Well that's very kind of you Miss Blanche."

"Of course I'm nice. Oh and the lunch I brought is only enough for Seifer. Sorry, didn't expect him to have company with him."

"Oh no worries either, I only made enough lunch for me and Seifer only. We weren't expecting any unannounced visitors too show up." Quistis executed her last words with a smile.

Seifer sensed the growing tension between the two women, and decided to interfere. "Well Joyce, Ill walk you out," he gestured for her to go before him and led her through the door. He returned to find Quistis continuing to set the table as he slowly sat himself down again with a grin on his lips.

"What's with the Cheshire Cat impression," she asked.

"You're jealous," he continued grinning.

"What? I am not jealous. I was annoyed at how rude she was to me earlier today, and I guess I'm still annoyed at her." She finished setting the table and sat down.

"Did she come to class looking for me after class again?"

"Yeah, she did. She's a persistent little one isn't she?"

"Fuck yeah. She never leaves me alone. I always try to leave before she finds me."

Quistis stopped eating and looked straight at Seifer, "am I really hearing this? Seifer Almasy, the fearless, is running from a psychotic female stalker?" Quistis stifled a laugh.

"Shut up," he lightly kicked her leg under the table. "Shut up and eat your lunch."

"I'm sorry. I better be quiet so you can savor the delicious meal the love of your life made for you." Quistis laughed.

"Screw you. I'm not gonna eat that." He pushed the bag aside.

"Why? Afraid she might have some sort of love potion as the additional ingredient?"

Seifer scoffed, "with that chick anything goes. Besides I trust your cooking more."

Quistis just rolled her eyes and continued eating.

A/N: I'm ashamed to see the last time I updated this was in January and now it's July. Eek…I will again apologize profusely for the long delay. Now that I'm jobless and school less I definitely have more time for writing. =). Thanks for the reviews everyone. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!.

And sorry about the change in format. It's been so long since I've been on the formattin has changed on me and I'm confused how it goes again. ugh.