---Chapter 8---
Seifer heard a cough from their bedroom. Quistis must be up he thought to himself as he carried a tray with breakfast into their room.
"Good morning, how are you feeling?"
She looked at him with weak eyes and slowly propped herself up and leaned against the headboard of the bed.
"I feel…I don't know. What do I look like?" She brought her hand up, felt her own forehead, and brush aside her long blond hair.
"You look beautiful," Seifer answered with a grin.
She nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I look like crap."
"Okay you do," he agreed, "but I still love you."
"You don't regret marrying me?"
"Never," he smiled and placed the bed tray over her and gestured for her to eat.
"This is good," she commented between bites of syrup soaked pancakes. He smiled in reply and kissed her forehead. Then went over to the window and spread open the curtains letting light flood into the room, brightening Quistis's face.
"You know you look better today," he observed.
"What?" she asked took a drink of orange juice.
"You look better today," he repeated.
"Oh, well to be honest I feel a bit stronger today. Maybe it is because the sun is out. The past couple days had been so dreary with the summer storms." She continued eating. "Let's go out for a walk," she suggested.
"Are you sure?" he asked unsurely.
"Yes, I want to go outside."
"All right, finish your breakfast, then we'll go, maybe we can make it a picnic." She smiled at his suggestion.
"Thanks sweetie." He cringed at her calling him "sweetie" and gave her a playful glare as he went to the kitchen to prepare for their afternoon outing.
The weather was a warm summer day with a warm breezy blowing through the moist air. Quistis loosely held Seifer's hand as they strolled along the beach walking further way from their little picnic spot they sat earlier for lunch. The sky was a clear blue without a single cloud in sight.
Quistis stopped walking to shake off the sand that accumulated in her sandals, but decided taking off her sandals would be better.
Seifer lost in his own thoughts did not realize that Quistis had stopped walking and walked ahead a couple steps, then stopped when he finally realized that his wife was missing from his side.
"Are you all right?" He walked back to her.
"I'm fine," she waved him away with one hand and the other hand had a finger hooked in the strap of her sandal's heel. "I'm just trying to pull off my shoes." Seifer came up to allow his wife to use her free hand to support herself as she gave the final tug on her shoe so it slipped off. "There," she let out a breath.
The sand was warm from basking in the sun all day as she put her feet down. She shook the remaining sand from her sandals and hooked her arm around her husband and smiled. "Okay, I'm ready."
They continued walking a bit more until Quistis turned her head and looked toward the horizon. They stood in a comfortable silence for a while and finally settled down onto the sand as the sky started turning a dusty rose color from the setting sun.
"It's a beautiful day today, don't you think?" Quistis commented. Her arms wrapped around her knees as a light breeze brisk by.
"Yup," Seifer agreed as he stretched his arms up and leaned back to lie on the warm sand. Quistis turned too look at him. His eyes were closed, as he took in the warm atmosphere. Quistis leaned back and rested her head on his chest. She laid there in silence listening to his heart beat, and she listened to his breathe with each rise and fall of his chest.
"Seifer," she finally said her head still resting on his chest. Seifer only made a sound to acknowledge he was listening.
"Seifer, I've been thinking, and I want you to promise me something," she continued.
"No," he said flatly and cut her off.
"What?" Surprised at his abrupt response she raised her head to look at him. She hadn't expected that answer from him.
"No, I don't want to make a promise to you. What ever it is it's probably going to be a silly request, like you want met to go on with my life and marry someone else or something that that extent right?" he said with his eyes still closed.
"Why not?"
"Because, I don't make promises. I do whatever I want. Because I'm Seifer Almasy."
Quistis couldn't help giggling at his juvenile response. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.
"Besides don't talk like you're dead already. I'd miss you too much," he continued and kissed the top of her head.
Off in the distance along the shore the couple could see two figures walking along. One of the figures was a small child running back and forth excitedly playing chase with the waves while the other figure a woman was holding a beach ball and watching the small child. The pair was walking towards Seifer and Quistis's direction.
"Look," Quistis pointed to the mother and child. "They look so happy. Makes me think of the days when we would play here when we were at the orphanage with Matron."
Suddenly a beach ball dropped beside them, they sat up and Seifer grabbed the air filled-sphere before it could roll away.
"Excuse me, Mister," came a small voice. It was the little girl they saw running along the shore a few minutes before. "Can I have my ball back please?"
"What's your name little girl?" Seifer asked. The little girl became shy and looked down as she started digging her toes into the sand.
"Mya," a woman's voice came, "Her name is Mya."
"Oh, what a lovely name!" Quistis exclaimed. "You have a beautiful daughter."
"Thank you. She is such a doll most of the time," the woman said with a smile. "Do you have any children of your own?" They both shook their heads. "You both seem to like children."
"Yes, we are both teachers," Seifer answered.
"Well, I was a teacher," Quistis corrected.
"Oh how nice. Is that how you both met?"
"You can say that," Seifer smirked.
"I think you would make a nice mommy," chimed in Mya as she ran up to hold her mother's hand after she re-obtained beach ball which now cradled under her small arms.
"Why thank you Mya. You are such a good little girl."
Mya was getting restless again and started pulling her mother away to continue on their little excursion.
"Well I better get going. It was nice meeting the two of you," the woman said her farewell and chased after her child.
After the pair walked a considerable distance away, Seifer turned towards Quistis and saw her face looking pallid under the orange-red sky.
"Are you all right?" Quistis responded by shaking her head. "What's wrong?" Seifer asked again. She opened her mouth to speak, instead she responded with a violent coughing fit that made her out of breath.
Worriedly Seifer scooped the coughing woman in his arms and brought her home, laying her down on the bed. He settled down next to her on the bed and watched her fall into an uncomfortable sleep.
A/N: Sorry for another short chapter. I'll have last two chapters up next week promise. I know the last few chapters have been fluff or something like that…but fluff makes you feel all fuzzy and happy inside. =) Again thanks for all of those still following this fic! See ya all next time! ;)