Author's Note:

I STILL do not own Final Fantasy or any of its characters! Are you shocked?! So am I... ;p

Special thanks to Angry Angel!!! Thank you for being my first reviewer ever, Jen! It made me so happy!! And thank you to Lolo for being my spiffy beta reader (and catching my weirdo sentences)!!


Chapter Three: Quistis Who?

Quistis gazed out the train window and watched the surroundings whiz by. She checked her watch. Any moment now, her friends would be entering the cafeteria. Zell would order his "Breakfast Dogs," which were actually sausage links on mini hot dog buns, Selphie would be chatting up a storm in between sugary cereal bites, and Irvine would interject a word every now and then... with his mouth full of pancakes and bacon. Had Quistis been there, she would probably order her usual small bowl of cereal and toast and spend the entire time nodding and listening quietly. She usually had too many lists of things to do running in her head to interject anything of value into the conversation. Quistis frowned at the thought.

Am I really that dull? She sighed. A nearby magazine caught her eye. On the cover was a young blonde woman who seemed to be carefree and full of life. I could be like that...really... As she thought about it, her eyes filled with determination. Yes! I can and WILL be just like her! That's right! Instructor Quistis Trepe is gone for now! As soon as I reach Dollet, I'll be Quisty, the happy-go-lucky, not-a-dull-bone-in-her-body woman! Yes... that's EXACTLY WHAT I'LL DO! It's BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT I TELL YOU! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Quistis glanced over to her left and noticed a few people staring at her. "Eheheh... the scenery is so beautiful, isn't it?" Quistis said sheepishly.

-Meanwhile...-

"But, but... She's never gone on a mission and not told us before," Selphie said dejectedly.

"There was no time," Cid replied.

"But where did she go and when is she coming back?" Zell interjected.

"Can we call her? Ooohh... I miss her already!" Selphie continued.

"Quisty's on a mission?" Irvine asked, rejoining the real world after zoning out for a moment.

Zell and Selphie turned and looked at him with curious expressions. "........"

"Uh... I knew that, I mean... uhh..." Irvine tried to explain. "Nevermind..." He said as he lowered his hat over his reddened face.

"Now I know you're all worried about Quistis," said Matron. "But I assure you she'll be just fine."

-And in another part of Balamb Garden-

"......"

"Heh heh... My turn," Rinoa said as she took the controller from Squall's grasp.

"...I was so close to beating her third form!" Squall whined.

"You weren't supposed to cure their zombie status yet." Rinoa said matter-of-factly.

"Well... I blame Tidus." Squall continued, crossing his arms. "I mean... what's with that lame attack where he runs around slashing people? Like anyone would ever do that in real life..."

Rinoa rolled her eyes and pressed the reset button. "Just watch..."

-Later...-

Quistis made it to her hotel room and set her suitcase down on her bed. She opened it and frowned at what she saw. There were six of the same peach outfit stuffed inside.

"Well... this won't do at all." Quistis said to no one in particular. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. Inside was her rarely-been-used credit card. A twisted grin crept across her face.

A few minutes later, she was walking down the main street, glancing around at the new face of Dollet. Upbeat music hummed from speakers and bright flowers lined the sidewalks and shop window boxes. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves at nearby sidewalk cafes. It looked completely different from the last time she had visited. Finally, Quistis stopped in front of an interesting shop and decided to look inside.

An hour later, Quistis came out with a single bag. Inside was a blue-green halter top, a pair of dark denim shorts, and a modest pair of black flip flops. Quistis frowned as she looked at the bag's contents.

Not exactly the effect I wanted to achieve... Maybe I just need to try a little harder...

She looked down at her normal peach outfit and then slapped her forehead.

Of course! No wonder I couldn't find anything!

She ran back to her hotel room and changed into her new outfit. She glanced at herself in the mirror and nodded approvingly before heading back out into town again. Of course, even this slight change needed some getting used to. Quistis had never worn flip flops before and she found herself having to curl her toes slightly as she walked. Every so often, she'd check to make sure the halter top was tied tightly and would pull at her shorts to make sure they didn't expose too much of her legs. In short... she was quite a strange sight.

A few blocks down there was a store called "Designique." It was much larger than any of the other stores and boasted a beautiful stone walkway and miniature garden at its entrance. Quistis was sure she'd find something in such a large and lovely place.

Inside, people were bustling up and down the three floors, carrying armloads of bags with them. Quistis boarded one of the high-speed elevators and began to browse the second floor. A sea of colors and fabric spread out before her. Quistis had never seen so many different kinds of clothing in her life.

"...Wow..." she breathed.

She had only taken a few steps when ...

"There she is! MISS! PLEASE, WAIT!"

Quistis turned around and stared wide-eyed at what was coming her way. A barrage of people carrying balloons and a big sign ran up to meet her.

"Congratulations, Miss!" Said the man leading them. "You are Designique's millionth customer!" With that, the rest of the crowd began cheering, tossing streamers and releasing balloons.

Quistis was so surprised, she couldn't force any words out of her mouth. "I... I..."

"Would you like to hear what you've won?" The man continued with a huge grin. Quistis nodded. "You have won a shopping spree, complete with your own personal assistant to help you choose your purchases! Congratulations and remember, at Designique, our designs are just as unique as our customers!" The crowed cheered a final time then dispersed as quickly as they had come. "Here's your gift card," said the man. "Your personal assistant will be here in just a moment." He turned away for a moment and spoke into a walkie talkie. "I need a personal assistant... quick... What?... Well, I don't care, just get me someone... anyone!"

While she waited, Quistis looked at the shiny gift card. She had never gotten one for clothing before. It had always been ones for bookstores or weapons shops where she could get accessories for Save the Queen, her trusty whip.

"Aha, here we are!" Cried the man, breaking Quistis out of her trance.

Quistis turned around and let out a small gasp. "Seif-"

"Oh nononono, don't worry!" The man interrupted. "He just looks like him. Besides, no one has heard of that scoundrel for awhile. So I'll be going now, happy shopping!" The man consulted his walkie talkie again as he dashed off.

Quistis blushed. "Allow me to apologize." She began.

"Don't worry about it." The assistant replied. He was tall and had short blonde hair with a few tiny wisps of bangs falling slightly forward. His eyes were the same emerald color and his skin the same golden as a certain knight Quistis and her friends had helped to defeat not so long ago. There was only one difference. Seifer Almasy had a distinct scar running across his forehead and this man had none. "Uhmm... Miss?"

"Wha... OH! Oh... please excuse me." Quistis replied embarrassedly. "I think I left my mind on the train." She paused for a moment. "I'm Quistis." She said with a smile.

The assistant smiled slightly. "Alexander." He replied with a nod. "So, Miss Quistis, where would you like to try first?"

The next few hours were interesting, to say the least.

"Uh... Quistis... Wouldn't you rather try that section over there. This is generally where our...uhmm... elder customers shop."

"Oooh... of course. I knew that... I was just making sure I didn't miss a thing...heh...heh..."

"Might I suggest this outfit?"

"Oh, well... it's lovely, but... I-Isn't it a little short?"

"It just looks that way on the hanger. Some of these clothes can be deceiving."

"Oh... okay..."

"I'll add it to the list..."

"...What?..."

"I said I'll add it to your cart."

"Oh...okay..."

Quistis and her shopping assistant had been all over the entire second floor and now entered the dressing room, trailing a mountain of clothes behind them. After her assistant unlocked one of the large stalls, he hung six of the outfits on one of the hangers and allowed Quistis to enter and lock the door. While he waited, he took a seat in a nearby chair.

Damn... Who knew one woman could take so damn long to shop. Whew... And leave it to me to pick the one dressing room with the finicky air conditioning. Crap... I'm sweating buckets. He absentmindedly took out the handkerchief in his pocket and wiped his forehead.

The stall door's lock clicked and Quistis opened the door. "Well, what do you thi-" She stopped short and gasped. Before she could say anything else, she heard footsteps coming. She grabbed her assistant by the arm and quickly pulled him into the stall with her, then shut the door closed.

"Alexander? Are you in here?" Asked a woman's voice.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

"Where's your customer?" She asked in a suspicious tone.

"I'm here." Quistis replied. "I needed some help with my dress's zipper."

"Very well. Enjoy the rest of your day here at Designique." The woman replied cheerily.

Quistis listened carefully as the footsteps disappeared. Then she turned towards the man next to her. "Seifer..." She whispered.

"Alexander." He corrected.

Quistis shook her head. "No... Seifer..." She pointed towards the narrow mirror at the back of the stall.

Seifer stepped closer to the mirror and touched the spot where his trademark scar now showed. "...Damn... I know better than that..." He slowly turned around and looked at Quistis. She could see something alien in his eyes. It caused them to turn a fiery goldish-green.

Fear...

"Please, Quistis." Seifer whispered. "I know I'm not exactly your favorite person in the world, but please, you can't tell anyone it's me. This is the only job I've been able to get. These people are so busy they don't have time to run background checks and they're too dumb to realize there's a reason I look so much like 'The World's Most Hated Man'. Please, Quistis."

Quistis was stunned. Not only had she just been reunited with the man who tried to kill her and her friends, but now he was seemingly pleading with Quistis. The man who was thought to be one of the most ruthless and cold-hearted people in all of Gaia looked like he was close to tears. It was simply unthinkable.

"...Quistis?"

Snapping back to reality, Quistis dug into her purse. Seifer inched back, thinking she was going to pull out a can of mace, but instead...

...she pulled out a stick of concealer.

"Hold still," she commanded softly. Seifer bent down a little as Quistis dabbed concealer over the area where his scar showed. "There..."

Seifer checked his reflection. "...It's perfect." He looked back at Quistis. "Thanks."

Quistis didn't even look at him. "Here." She held out the stick. "I never use it, anyway."

Seifer nodded and took the small tube. He let his gaze fall on the ground as he scratched the back of his neck. "If you'd like... I can get someone else to assist you."

Quistis stared at him for a moment. He looked like Seifer, sounded like Seifer, but his demeanor was nothing like the Seifer she remembered. He seemed so much more docile. Part of her was amazed at such a change, and part of her was curious about how he had come to be this way.

"Uh...That's all right." Quistis replied. "You've been an excellent help to me."

Now it was Seifer's turn to stare. "...You sure?"

Quistis nodded. "Now if you don't mind..."

"Oh, right... sorry..." Seifer left the stall and closed the door behind him.