AN: Thanks to She'kspeare, Kelani2539, TianDogg, Chrischi, Pretty Green
Eyes, Wolfdrifter and mystical-12 for reviewing! I'll try my best to do as
you requested, and Kelani2539, I've got a nice little surprise for you, but
ya gotta read the thing till the end to find out, k? Luv y'all, enjoy the
chapter!
It was late by the time Quistis led Miranda back to their dorm. Though Miranda tried not to show it, she was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Quistis had run her through for all she was worth in the Training Centre, pitting her again and again against multiple T-Rexaurs, and though Miranda and triumphed again and again, all the fighting had nonetheless taken a toll on her.
"Do you want to go down to the cafeteria for a late night dinner, or shall I call for delivery?"
"Delivery'd be nice." Miranda slurred, barely able to force the words out of her tired mouth.
Quistis looked worriedly at her new Cadet. She had to admit that Miranda was strong, but no-one could make it through what Miranda had just gone through and still be in condition to walk around. Not even Quistis herself. She knew that Miranda was tired, but everytime she asked her whether she'd like to go back to the dorm and rest, Miranda had refused, rather snappishly too.
"Well, here we are." Quistis announced as she finally got the door open.
Miranda, with speed both her and Quistis thought was impossible for one as tired as Miranda was, rushed towards the soft, cozy couch and immediately threw herself onto it. She was asleep in mere seconds.
"Guess I'll wake you up when I get back with dinner." Quistis whispered, and proceeded to go out to the cafeteria.
* * *
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
An ear-shattering scream erupted out of Quistis' dorm. Quistis, who was clutching bags of a take-out dinner from the cafeteria, immediately sprinted to her dorm and unlocked it as fast as humanly possible.
There was Miranda, screaming with all her might, squirming on the floor, as she had fallen off of the couch. Her hands were flailing madly in the air, as though fighting off some invisible enemy that only she could see. Quistis dropped dinner onto the floor, completely forgetting about it as she saw Miranda in her distress.
"NO!! LEAVE HER ALONE!! LEAVE ME ALONE!! I DIDN'T PULL THE TRIGGER! I DIDN'T PULL THE GODDAMN TRIGGER!" Miranda screamed, sounding very frightened.
Quistis knelt by Miranda and shook her violently.
"Miranda!! Miranda, wake up!! It's only a dream, only a dream, wake up!"
Miranda eyes shot open, and she drew ragged breath after ragged breath, trying to calm herself.
"Qui... Quistis?"
"I'm right here Miranda. Everything's all right, it was only a dream."
Quistis had never seen Miranda like this. She always came across as someone who was very cool and collected, quiet and mysterious, kind of like a female version of Squall. Quistis wouldn't have been surprised if Miranda's favourite phrase was "whatever". Now, Miranda was sitting, staring avidly at Quistis, panting and drenched in cold sweat, seemingly scared out of her mind by something she had seen in her dream.
"Quis... Quistis, I'm so scared." Miranda mumbled, shaking, her eyes wide in fright.
"It's ok, it was only a dream, everything's alright Miranda." Quistis replied, gingerly patting her on her shoulder.
Quistis got up to go get a glass of water and a wet towel for Miranda, but Miranda shot her hand out and held tight to Quistis' hand.
"Don't... Don't go Quistis. I don't want to be alone."
Quistis turned and looked down, surprised, at Miranda.
"What?" Quistis said, shocked.
"I don't wanna be alone! Don't leave me!"
"I'm not leaving you Miranda," Quistis said gently as she knelt down beside her again, "I'm going to get you a glass of water and a wet towel."
"I don't wan' a wet towel, I don't wan' a glass of water, I wanna be with someone." Miranda whimpered.
Quistis looked at the pathetic little quivering form of Miranda, and felt something strange swell up in her heart. Was it pity? It couldn't be... It was something else... Could it be.?
"Alright Miranda, I'll stay here with you. But how 'bout we sit on the couch? The floor isn't too comfortable, now is it?"
Quistis gently pulled Miranda onto the couch, and she sat down herself. Before Quistis could do anything else, Miranda had lain down, curled up into a little ball, placed her head onto Quistis' lap, and grasped Quistis' hand tightly. The feeling in Quistis stirred again, but Quistis couldn't identify it. Or maybe it was that she didn't want to identify it.
"Quistis?"
"Yes Miranda?"
"I watched Avy die Quistis, I watched her fall down, a great gaping hole in her forehead, I watched her close her eyes and stop breathing. I could have stopped it, I could have stopped the stupid thing, but... I... She's dead because of me."
"Miranda, if this is bothering you -" Quistis began, but Miranda cut across her.
"I fired. It was my shot that killed Avy. She was my best friend Quistis, and I killed her. Ultimecia, she was there, I was trying to kill her. I fired, and she disappeared. And there was Avy, staring wide-eyed at me, staring wide-eyed at my Gunblade, at the bullet. It hit her in the forehead, it exploded in her brain, she was killed in an instant..."
Quistis didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to respond. So this was why Miranda was so secluded, this was why she wouldn't let their relationship go past an Instructor-Cadet relationship, she wouldn't even let Quistis be her friend. She was afraid something like this would happen again, she was afraid that if she let someone else be her friend, she would somehow kill them.
"Miranda?"
There was no response. Quistis looked down and swept a couple of locks of black hair from Miranda's face, and found her asleep, tears running down her cheeks.
* * *
The next morning, Quistis awoke at the insistent beeping of her alarm clock. Groaning, she got up from the couch, walked over to her bedside, and slammed a fist down onto her clock. Her legs were slightly numb, and her hand seemed to have had its circulation cut off. She moved her hand around, trying to get the blood back in, and used her other hand to surreptitiously rub her thighs.
"You ok?"
Quistis looked up and found Miranda walked calmly out of the bathroom, looking clean and refreshed. There was no look of tiredness, no look of terror shining out from her eyes, nothing that hinted at the fact that Miranda had indeed been scared out of her wits last night.
"'Course I'm ok, are you?"
Miranda bristled at the question.
"Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?" she snapped, scowling at Quistis.
Quistis stared at Miranda, shocked. What had she done to receive such an onslaught? Quistis watched as Miranda walked towards the door and yanked it open.
"Where are you going?"
"None of your business." Miranda growled.
Miranda walked out and slammed the door, leaving Quistis to stare at the door, feeling oddly empty.
It was late by the time Quistis led Miranda back to their dorm. Though Miranda tried not to show it, she was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Quistis had run her through for all she was worth in the Training Centre, pitting her again and again against multiple T-Rexaurs, and though Miranda and triumphed again and again, all the fighting had nonetheless taken a toll on her.
"Do you want to go down to the cafeteria for a late night dinner, or shall I call for delivery?"
"Delivery'd be nice." Miranda slurred, barely able to force the words out of her tired mouth.
Quistis looked worriedly at her new Cadet. She had to admit that Miranda was strong, but no-one could make it through what Miranda had just gone through and still be in condition to walk around. Not even Quistis herself. She knew that Miranda was tired, but everytime she asked her whether she'd like to go back to the dorm and rest, Miranda had refused, rather snappishly too.
"Well, here we are." Quistis announced as she finally got the door open.
Miranda, with speed both her and Quistis thought was impossible for one as tired as Miranda was, rushed towards the soft, cozy couch and immediately threw herself onto it. She was asleep in mere seconds.
"Guess I'll wake you up when I get back with dinner." Quistis whispered, and proceeded to go out to the cafeteria.
* * *
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
An ear-shattering scream erupted out of Quistis' dorm. Quistis, who was clutching bags of a take-out dinner from the cafeteria, immediately sprinted to her dorm and unlocked it as fast as humanly possible.
There was Miranda, screaming with all her might, squirming on the floor, as she had fallen off of the couch. Her hands were flailing madly in the air, as though fighting off some invisible enemy that only she could see. Quistis dropped dinner onto the floor, completely forgetting about it as she saw Miranda in her distress.
"NO!! LEAVE HER ALONE!! LEAVE ME ALONE!! I DIDN'T PULL THE TRIGGER! I DIDN'T PULL THE GODDAMN TRIGGER!" Miranda screamed, sounding very frightened.
Quistis knelt by Miranda and shook her violently.
"Miranda!! Miranda, wake up!! It's only a dream, only a dream, wake up!"
Miranda eyes shot open, and she drew ragged breath after ragged breath, trying to calm herself.
"Qui... Quistis?"
"I'm right here Miranda. Everything's all right, it was only a dream."
Quistis had never seen Miranda like this. She always came across as someone who was very cool and collected, quiet and mysterious, kind of like a female version of Squall. Quistis wouldn't have been surprised if Miranda's favourite phrase was "whatever". Now, Miranda was sitting, staring avidly at Quistis, panting and drenched in cold sweat, seemingly scared out of her mind by something she had seen in her dream.
"Quis... Quistis, I'm so scared." Miranda mumbled, shaking, her eyes wide in fright.
"It's ok, it was only a dream, everything's alright Miranda." Quistis replied, gingerly patting her on her shoulder.
Quistis got up to go get a glass of water and a wet towel for Miranda, but Miranda shot her hand out and held tight to Quistis' hand.
"Don't... Don't go Quistis. I don't want to be alone."
Quistis turned and looked down, surprised, at Miranda.
"What?" Quistis said, shocked.
"I don't wanna be alone! Don't leave me!"
"I'm not leaving you Miranda," Quistis said gently as she knelt down beside her again, "I'm going to get you a glass of water and a wet towel."
"I don't wan' a wet towel, I don't wan' a glass of water, I wanna be with someone." Miranda whimpered.
Quistis looked at the pathetic little quivering form of Miranda, and felt something strange swell up in her heart. Was it pity? It couldn't be... It was something else... Could it be.?
"Alright Miranda, I'll stay here with you. But how 'bout we sit on the couch? The floor isn't too comfortable, now is it?"
Quistis gently pulled Miranda onto the couch, and she sat down herself. Before Quistis could do anything else, Miranda had lain down, curled up into a little ball, placed her head onto Quistis' lap, and grasped Quistis' hand tightly. The feeling in Quistis stirred again, but Quistis couldn't identify it. Or maybe it was that she didn't want to identify it.
"Quistis?"
"Yes Miranda?"
"I watched Avy die Quistis, I watched her fall down, a great gaping hole in her forehead, I watched her close her eyes and stop breathing. I could have stopped it, I could have stopped the stupid thing, but... I... She's dead because of me."
"Miranda, if this is bothering you -" Quistis began, but Miranda cut across her.
"I fired. It was my shot that killed Avy. She was my best friend Quistis, and I killed her. Ultimecia, she was there, I was trying to kill her. I fired, and she disappeared. And there was Avy, staring wide-eyed at me, staring wide-eyed at my Gunblade, at the bullet. It hit her in the forehead, it exploded in her brain, she was killed in an instant..."
Quistis didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to respond. So this was why Miranda was so secluded, this was why she wouldn't let their relationship go past an Instructor-Cadet relationship, she wouldn't even let Quistis be her friend. She was afraid something like this would happen again, she was afraid that if she let someone else be her friend, she would somehow kill them.
"Miranda?"
There was no response. Quistis looked down and swept a couple of locks of black hair from Miranda's face, and found her asleep, tears running down her cheeks.
* * *
The next morning, Quistis awoke at the insistent beeping of her alarm clock. Groaning, she got up from the couch, walked over to her bedside, and slammed a fist down onto her clock. Her legs were slightly numb, and her hand seemed to have had its circulation cut off. She moved her hand around, trying to get the blood back in, and used her other hand to surreptitiously rub her thighs.
"You ok?"
Quistis looked up and found Miranda walked calmly out of the bathroom, looking clean and refreshed. There was no look of tiredness, no look of terror shining out from her eyes, nothing that hinted at the fact that Miranda had indeed been scared out of her wits last night.
"'Course I'm ok, are you?"
Miranda bristled at the question.
"Of course I'm alright, why wouldn't I be?" she snapped, scowling at Quistis.
Quistis stared at Miranda, shocked. What had she done to receive such an onslaught? Quistis watched as Miranda walked towards the door and yanked it open.
"Where are you going?"
"None of your business." Miranda growled.
Miranda walked out and slammed the door, leaving Quistis to stare at the door, feeling oddly empty.