Quistis opened her eyes and found herself in her dorm.
'What am I doing here? Wasn't I just in the Infirmary? Wait, what about that girl?!'
Bolting straight up in terror and worry, Quistis looked wildly around her room, only to fall back down onto the bed from the wave of nausea and dizziness that overtook her from sitting up too fast.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Quistis looked up in surprise and stared into the face of the girl from the Infirmary. There was a moment of silence between them, in which Quistis managed to hold back the bile that had risen into her throat.
"Um, I'm glad to see that you're alright." the girl said, nervously sticking her hands in the pockets of her coat.
"Me too. Um, I mean, I'm glad to see that you're alright too." Quistis replied, smiling nervously.
A sudden bright grin flashed onto the girl's face, but as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared, leaving a very sullen look on her face.
"So your name's Quistis Trepe, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Hmmm."
The girl made as though to turn away, but Quistis stopped her.
"What's your name?"
Turning to face her, the girl stared at Quistis, making her feel as if she was under some sort of examination.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes. I think it'd be nice to know what the name of my saviour is." Quistis replied wryly.
Smirking, the girl replied, "In that case, I think Miranda'll do."
"What d'you mean 'Miranda'll do'?"
The girl simply shrugged and walked away to lean against the door.
"That means you can call me Miranda." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "If you must know, I don't have a real name, at least, not one that I can let people know."
Quistis arched an eyebrow.
"It's for your own safety Quistis. And please, don't ask any questions about my personal life or my past, it's not something that'll help with your safety either."
With that, the girl who called herself Miranda returned to the shadows.
* * *
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Quisty? Quisty? Ya in there?"
Yawning, Quistis pushed the sheets off of her and slipped into her slippers, meaning to head over and open the door, but a small hand pushed her gently back into bed.
"No way you're getting out of bed now, you just recovered."
Quistis frowned.
"What about the door?"
"Whoever's out there can wait."
As soon as Miranda turned her back, Quistis lithely got up and prepared to slip past her to get the door, but Miranda heard the slight whisper of Quistis getting up, and with lightening speed, placed both hands on Quistis' shoulders and pushed her down again.
"You'd best listen to me. Or else."
"Or else what?" Quistis snapped. She wasn't used to getting ordered around like this, it was usually her doing the ordering. And plus, this petite girl couldn't possibly do much harm.
A sudden ring sounded, and Quistis watched wide-eyed as Miranda swept back her coat revealing a long scabbard. With deft hands, she drew out a long blade. A long Gunblade.
"Quistis, I'd like you to meet Samurai's Last Wish."
A clever cross between the sharpest blade in the history of blades, a Japanese samurai blade, and a rifle of sorts, Samurai's Last Wish could most probably outrank Squall's Lionheart if it tried.
"You wouldn't..." Quistis whispered, shocked.
A moment's silence followed, as Miranda stood, deep in thought, with Samurai's Last Wish hovering a couple of inches above Quistis' throat. Finally, sighing, Miranda sheathed her Gunblade.
"No. I wouldn't. But if you try to get up, just one more time, I will. That's a promise."
The tone of Miranda's voice was more than enough to convince Quistis that she wasn't afraid to do what she had promised to do. Quistis sighed in defeat and stared up at the ceiling. But even before Quistis could close her eyes and try to go to sleep, the person outside of Quistis' door knocked again.
"Quistis? Quistis? Answer the door!"
Quistis recognized the voice as Rinoa's.
"Hey! Quisty!! C'mon! Open the stupid door!"
Selphie. So she was out there too.
"Hey girls. Sorry, but I'm kinda too sick to answer the door right now. Mind coming back later?" Quistis called out.
Miranda shot her a death glare before hissing, "They aren't supposed to know we're in here!"
"Oh. Oops."
"Quisty!!! Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh! Are you alright?" Selphie screeched.
"Quistis? Doctor Kadowaki said that you accompanied a girl to the Infirmary, but when she got back, you weren't there, neither was the girl. A Trepie saw you getting carried back here by some stranger. Are you alright?" Rinoa called.
Quistis heard Miranda growl. Smiling cautiously, Quistis asked, "Well, they know. Can I let them in now?"
"Fine. But wait till I'm gone before you let them in."
Without a backwards glance, Miranda sprinted out onto the balcony and leapt off, disappearing into the noon sky. Quistis could only stare as though transfixed at where Miranda was last, but another knock brought her back to her senses. Getting up slowly, Quistis walked over and opened the door. And was immediately strangled by Selphie's bear hug.
"QUISTY!!!"
"Um, air would be nice right about now." Quistis wheezed.
Rinoa laughed merrily. Selphie stammered a million apologies, and Quistis led the two into her room.
"So Quisty, d'you know who was the girl you took to the Infirmary?"
"Said her name was Miranda. She carried me back here after I fainted."
"OMIGOSH!! You fainted?!"
"Selphie! Calm yourself! Let Quistis explain." Rinoa said, though she herself had a worried look on her face.
"Well, I dunno, I tried to heal Miranda with Curaga. Guess the spell took more outta me than I'd ever expect it would."
The other two girls nodded solemnly, but before they could say anything, the intercom crackled to life.
"Would Instructor Trepe please report to Headmaster Cid's office please."
Quistis groaned.
"Need help?" Rinoa asked.
"You know, that'd be nice."
Rinoa and Selphie got up, and helping a slightly woozy Quistis, made their way to Cid's office.
'What am I doing here? Wasn't I just in the Infirmary? Wait, what about that girl?!'
Bolting straight up in terror and worry, Quistis looked wildly around her room, only to fall back down onto the bed from the wave of nausea and dizziness that overtook her from sitting up too fast.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Quistis looked up in surprise and stared into the face of the girl from the Infirmary. There was a moment of silence between them, in which Quistis managed to hold back the bile that had risen into her throat.
"Um, I'm glad to see that you're alright." the girl said, nervously sticking her hands in the pockets of her coat.
"Me too. Um, I mean, I'm glad to see that you're alright too." Quistis replied, smiling nervously.
A sudden bright grin flashed onto the girl's face, but as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared, leaving a very sullen look on her face.
"So your name's Quistis Trepe, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Hmmm."
The girl made as though to turn away, but Quistis stopped her.
"What's your name?"
Turning to face her, the girl stared at Quistis, making her feel as if she was under some sort of examination.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes. I think it'd be nice to know what the name of my saviour is." Quistis replied wryly.
Smirking, the girl replied, "In that case, I think Miranda'll do."
"What d'you mean 'Miranda'll do'?"
The girl simply shrugged and walked away to lean against the door.
"That means you can call me Miranda." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "If you must know, I don't have a real name, at least, not one that I can let people know."
Quistis arched an eyebrow.
"It's for your own safety Quistis. And please, don't ask any questions about my personal life or my past, it's not something that'll help with your safety either."
With that, the girl who called herself Miranda returned to the shadows.
* * *
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Quisty? Quisty? Ya in there?"
Yawning, Quistis pushed the sheets off of her and slipped into her slippers, meaning to head over and open the door, but a small hand pushed her gently back into bed.
"No way you're getting out of bed now, you just recovered."
Quistis frowned.
"What about the door?"
"Whoever's out there can wait."
As soon as Miranda turned her back, Quistis lithely got up and prepared to slip past her to get the door, but Miranda heard the slight whisper of Quistis getting up, and with lightening speed, placed both hands on Quistis' shoulders and pushed her down again.
"You'd best listen to me. Or else."
"Or else what?" Quistis snapped. She wasn't used to getting ordered around like this, it was usually her doing the ordering. And plus, this petite girl couldn't possibly do much harm.
A sudden ring sounded, and Quistis watched wide-eyed as Miranda swept back her coat revealing a long scabbard. With deft hands, she drew out a long blade. A long Gunblade.
"Quistis, I'd like you to meet Samurai's Last Wish."
A clever cross between the sharpest blade in the history of blades, a Japanese samurai blade, and a rifle of sorts, Samurai's Last Wish could most probably outrank Squall's Lionheart if it tried.
"You wouldn't..." Quistis whispered, shocked.
A moment's silence followed, as Miranda stood, deep in thought, with Samurai's Last Wish hovering a couple of inches above Quistis' throat. Finally, sighing, Miranda sheathed her Gunblade.
"No. I wouldn't. But if you try to get up, just one more time, I will. That's a promise."
The tone of Miranda's voice was more than enough to convince Quistis that she wasn't afraid to do what she had promised to do. Quistis sighed in defeat and stared up at the ceiling. But even before Quistis could close her eyes and try to go to sleep, the person outside of Quistis' door knocked again.
"Quistis? Quistis? Answer the door!"
Quistis recognized the voice as Rinoa's.
"Hey! Quisty!! C'mon! Open the stupid door!"
Selphie. So she was out there too.
"Hey girls. Sorry, but I'm kinda too sick to answer the door right now. Mind coming back later?" Quistis called out.
Miranda shot her a death glare before hissing, "They aren't supposed to know we're in here!"
"Oh. Oops."
"Quisty!!! Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh! Are you alright?" Selphie screeched.
"Quistis? Doctor Kadowaki said that you accompanied a girl to the Infirmary, but when she got back, you weren't there, neither was the girl. A Trepie saw you getting carried back here by some stranger. Are you alright?" Rinoa called.
Quistis heard Miranda growl. Smiling cautiously, Quistis asked, "Well, they know. Can I let them in now?"
"Fine. But wait till I'm gone before you let them in."
Without a backwards glance, Miranda sprinted out onto the balcony and leapt off, disappearing into the noon sky. Quistis could only stare as though transfixed at where Miranda was last, but another knock brought her back to her senses. Getting up slowly, Quistis walked over and opened the door. And was immediately strangled by Selphie's bear hug.
"QUISTY!!!"
"Um, air would be nice right about now." Quistis wheezed.
Rinoa laughed merrily. Selphie stammered a million apologies, and Quistis led the two into her room.
"So Quisty, d'you know who was the girl you took to the Infirmary?"
"Said her name was Miranda. She carried me back here after I fainted."
"OMIGOSH!! You fainted?!"
"Selphie! Calm yourself! Let Quistis explain." Rinoa said, though she herself had a worried look on her face.
"Well, I dunno, I tried to heal Miranda with Curaga. Guess the spell took more outta me than I'd ever expect it would."
The other two girls nodded solemnly, but before they could say anything, the intercom crackled to life.
"Would Instructor Trepe please report to Headmaster Cid's office please."
Quistis groaned.
"Need help?" Rinoa asked.
"You know, that'd be nice."
Rinoa and Selphie got up, and helping a slightly woozy Quistis, made their way to Cid's office.