War Story
Chapter Three: The Gateway
By PasifiKStaR

Author's Note:

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.

"Welcome to Fort Doomtrain," Seifer said as passed by Quistis on his way disembarking from the carrier. "Otherwise known as the Gateway."

They were walking down a metal plank that lead from a door at the side of the carrier to the port where the massive ship had docked. Cranes were in use over head as they opened up the cargo holds and began to move equipment and supplies out of the carrier. All along the ship base, there were men and women operating machinery and monitoring the supplies.

In the distance, she could see a series of buildings, including barracks and offices, built in a naturally protected area against the lining hillsides. The Galbadian flag hung over the base.

Quistis had slowed down in her walk down the walkway to look at her first view of the foreign land when Seifer's voice sounded from behind her. She turned her head and watched as he walked past her carrying a navy blue duffel bag over his shoulder, embroidered with 'Lt. S. Almasy' on the side along with the Galbadian Military seal.

She frowned and tightened her hold on her own duffel as she began to speed up. "The Gateway to what?" she asked casually as she stepped on to the cement dock.

"Hell." Seifer's answer was so simple, yet harsh. She snapped her head up to look at him, blue eyes narrowing behind black wire rimmed glasses.

Quistis snorted and turned her head away. Selphie said she would meet them there with their ride to the main base. Seifer had kept a good distance from her and also seemed to be looking around. 'I wonder if he's looking for Selphie, too...' Quistis thought to herself as she stood there.

Zell had already disembarked when Selphie came to get him. She didn't know where Irvine and Squall or even Rinoa were. The only person from her squad she had seen was Seifer. And she wasn't about to go ask him for help.

"Seifer!" a voice shouted. The owner of the name wasn't the only one who turned. Quistis turned her head towards the sound of the voice. She squinted as she tried to zero in on the owner.

"Hey! About time!" Seifer's voice laughed. Several feet in front of him, a young woman with silver white hair melted out of the crowd. She was dressed in the military issued pants and boots, but wore a loose blue work shirt smudged here and there with dark grease.

She had a black eye patch over one eye and there was something stitched into the front pocket of her shirt. It looked like a military seal and what was probably her name. Quistis strained to listen in on their conversation and block out the rest of the noises that were happening around her.

"Sorry," the young woman said. She approached Seifer and reached out to give him a hug. "Little late."

"Don't worry about it," Seifer replied as he released her from a friendly hug. "I've been stuck on that hunk of metal for way too long. You won't believe who I've had to deal with!"

'Bastard!' Quistis' mind screamed. 'I just KNOW he's referring to me!' She struggled to keep the scowl off her face as she pretended to be looking around for the others.

"Man, am I glad to see your face!"

Immediately, Quistis froze. What did he mean by that? The hug, she was positive, was a friendly gesture. Quistis' eyes widened as she whirled around. Her blond hair was pinned back, but her bangs flew around her face as she turned to look at Seifer. He was following the young woman away and Quistis felt herself move before her mind could stop her.

"Seifer!" she felt his name slip out of lips and froze as she realized just how natural it felt.

The tall blond male turned around and raised an eyebrow as his silver haired companion hopped into the driver's seat of a dark colored, military issued jeep. The gun in the back was unloaded, but still looked menacing. Seifer raised an eyebrow.

"What? Didn't get enough last night?" he asked with an arrogant smirk. Quistis felt her face burn up as she gritted her teeth and gave him a glare.

"I just wanted to know if you know where Selphie is," she hissed behind gritted teeth. "She was supposed to get us a ride to the base."

Seifer merely snorted and shrugged as he tossed his duffel bag in the back seat of the jeep. "Why would I care?" he asked as he jumped into his seat and gripped the top of the frame. He leaned out of the jeep to grin at her. "MY ride already came. See you at the base, sweetheart!"

Quistis gasped as he blew a playful kiss at her before laughing. He fell back on his seat, his hands over his stomach as he laughed at her expense. She stood there, a horrified look her face. As his mockery finally reached her senses, face scowled furiously as her hands turned into white fists at her sides.

Before she knew it, she was shaking in fury and soldiers who were around her seemed to sense it as they put greater distance between themselves and her. Behind her angry face was a series of curse words all directed at the cocky blond man. First he implied something that DID NOT happen and then he blows a kiss at her like she's his adoring little fan girl.

"Son of a bi-"

"Quistis!"

Her name some how managed to cut through her furious mindset as she turned to her left. She saw Zell waving from a the window of a large, fully armored, vehicle. Irvine was in the driver's seat, from what she could tell, and Selphie was in the passenger's seat.

"Over here!" Selphie shouted, despite the fact that Quistis had already seen them. The green eyed blond took a deep breath and lifted her hand to acknowledge them.

'Calm down...calm down...THEY didn't do anything to make you yell at them. If this is anyone's fall, it's HIS...' her mind reminded her as she began to approach. Zell came out of the Humvee and took Quistis' bag from her hand.

"Check this out! We get our own Humvee! Fully armored and everything!" Zell told her excitedly.

Quistis merely smiled and nodded. "I was looking for you guys," she said as she took her seat in the back seat with Zell. "Where were you all?"

"We went to get this baby," Irvine said from the driver's seat. "Oh, do you have your ID? The one that we gave you while you were having a physical?"

"Yes, I've carried it on me at all times like I was instructed." Quistis assured him. She was about to take out a card, but Selphie told her it wasn't necessary yet.

"Just have it ready," Selphie told her. "We're going to go through a check point to get into the base, so they'll want to see all our IDs."

Quistis nodded. "So what do we do when we get there?"

"First thing is first, we get our quarters," Selphie said. "We have barracks, but we'll have our own rooms. Our bathrooms are communal. Don't worry though, we won't be separated as we're a team."

Quistis nodded once more. "So the bathrooms are communal via boys and girls?"

"Unfortunately..." Irvine grumbled with a slight grin on his face. Selphie frowned and slapped his arm. He merely chuckled.

"Irvy, I swear..." Selphie sighed. She turned back to Quistis and Zell. "Yes and well have our own area. Squall is at the head of the hall, then the room for our resident on call medic, which for the time being will be Rinoa. She was just given the orders this morning before she disembarked. Then Zell's room will be there, next to yours."

"What about you, Irvine, and Lt. Almasy?" Zell asked, his tone slightly annoyed when he said Seifer's title.

"We're across the hall from you. Seifer, then Fujin, then Raijin, then Irvy's, and then mine," Selphie explained. "The bathrooms are at the end of the hall and are marked. Be sure to bring your ID. You need to swipe it to get in."

"Just to use the bathroom?" Zell asked. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

Irvine began to chuckle and Selphie shot him an unimpressed look. "It used to be unnecessary until men came to use the women's facilities and women came to use the men's when there wasn't enough room. At that point, things were getting ugly and soldiers were accusing members of the opposite sex of 'peeking'..."

"Ohh..." Zell nodded. "Does Squall get his own bathroom?"

"He and the medic are supposed to share one...the military isn't THAT rich," Selphie chuckled. "But it's okay. I doubt he'll have problems with Rin."

Quistis perked her head up. "Speaking of those two, I haven't see them since yesterday. Did they leave already?"

Zell nodded. "Squall and Rinoa left earlier to go to a meeting at the base," he said. "I ran into them as they were leaving. I was going to get breakfast."

"I see," Quistis nodded. She looked out the window at the passing sights. For a while, they were on an open road. She could see training fields in the distance. She looked up ahead and saw the fortified and guarded walls of the base. It looked just like the bases she'd seen in Galbadia. "Hey, Selphie...how old is Fort Doomtrain?"

"It was built during the first Sorceress War two decades ago," Selphie explained. "It's been a foreign soil training ground and base ever since. But after THIS Sorceress War started to become used more of as a starting point for the troops. So for most troops, it'll be temporary."

"Even for us?" Zell asked.

"For the time being yes, " Irvine said. "After your basic training, we're heading off to central Esthar."

Quistis took a deep breath. "It seems so soon..."

"You won't be doing any sentry duties or go on patrol, Quistis," Irvine assured her. "We're training you on the basics, but what you'll be learning in the long run is what's necessary for our operations."

"Which reminds me," Selphie said. She leaned forward and seemed to be digging through the bag that rested on her lap. Quistis craned her neck to see what Selphie was digging for and saw a document sized tan envelope. "Squall told me to give you these."

"What are they?" Quistis asked. She took the envelope from Selphie and opened it up. Inside was a document and her trained eyes quickly scanned it. According to the document, the exact details of their missions were classified and she had to sign a confidentiality notice. "What?"

Zell looked over at her. "I know...I had to sign the same thing."

Quistis' eyes widened. "YOU ALREADY SIGNED IT?" she nearly screamed.

"Quistis, calm down," Selphie said. "Squall went over it himself and if he thinks it's fair, then I believe him. If you have problems with it, you should talk to Squall."

"Yes, I have a problem with this!" she shouted. Her hand slapped the documents in front of her. "How can I possibly write my story if they won't let me mention anything! What kind of idiot do they take me for to think that I'll comply to this?"

"Quistis," Irvine said from his seat. He looked at her from the rear view mirror and frowned. "We're just the messengers. Don't chew our heads off. Take it up with Squall."

The beautiful blond frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest and settled into her seat. Her blue eyes were narrowed as she looked out the window, an angry and annoyed look on her face. Zell sighed.

"I thought they were fair..." he mumbled quietly as he looked down.

Quistis looked over at him, her face softening slightly. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zell," she said. "I didn't mean to imply that you were an idiot." she assured him. He looked up and smiled.

"No harm done," he said brightly. "I know you just want to write a truthful story."

Quistis nodded. "I'll take it up with Squall. Sorry, guys."

"No worries," Selphie shrugged. "We're going to meet him after we get to our rooms. They'll be a small briefing telling you the details of training and maybe then you'll get to meet Fujin and Raijin, our weapons specialists."

Quistis nodded once again. She looked out the window and saw that they were slowing down as they approached the check point. She took out her ID and showed it to the officers outside their vehicle as they rolled down the windows and stopped. The guards nodded and lifted the barricade, allowing them access into the base.

Quistis looked around as she made a mental note to herself. She had just entered through the Gateway to Hell.

"Yes, sir!" Squall stood up straight and saluted the older man in front of him stiffly.

"Your are dismissed Commander Leonhart." the short blond male said. Squall turned on his heel and stepped out of the room.

As the door closed behind him, Squall relaxed somewhat and proceeded down the fort hallway. He retraced his steps back to the other wing, where he had left Rinoa earlier that morning. She had her own briefing to attend. He saw the sign that marked the beginning of the medical wing and turned the corner. No matter how many times they had been at that base, parts the main building still were like a maze to him.

"How was it?" Rinoa stood up from where she had been waiting, seated in the waiting room. She was dressed in a female soldier's prim dark uniform with gold hems.

"Captain Strife said that he will judge for himself if Quistis and Zell will be able to handle our next operation. Otherwise, the operation will go to a different unit." Squall grumbled. He turned and Rinoa followed behind him.

"He knows that you'll push them harder if their passing is a requirement for the next mission," Rinoa nodded knowingly. She turned her head slightly and looked up at him. "Just don't kill them."

The corners of his lips tugged up slightly. "Fine," he concurred. "But keep in mind you never said anything about working them until they collapse."

Rinoa's eyes widened as her mouth dropped. "Squall!"

He grinned slightly as he looked over his shoulder. He pushed the door open so she could go through first. "The entire team depends on this. We can't risk a weak member, you know that," he said as they walked down the pathway. "Besides, you helped give them physicals and said that they were both perfectly healthy."

Rinoa sighed. "I'm just saying don't over do it. It takes time to get the sort of stamina and strength you guys"

"Their files say that Zell is an active martial artist and has high ranking in five disciplines. He'll be able to do what he needs to do. Quistis was reported to be an active runner, so she should be fine." Squall informed her.

Rinoa nodded. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I wanted to go and get breakfast but-"

"COMMANDER!" a female voice cut through the air furiously. "WE HAVE TO TALK!"

Rinoa smiled slightly as they stopped and looked up at him. "She saw the privacy documents."

"I know," Squall said. He looked down at her and smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Until then, commander!" Rinoa gave him a playful salute before turning and heading off in the direction they had been going.

Squall turned around just as a fuming Quistis reached him, the tan envelop in her hand. "What exactly is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"They are privacy and confidentiality notices." Squall stated, an emotionless look on his face.

Quistis struggled to keep from rolling her eyes. "I KNOW that, but why are they being given to me? I was told I would have the freedom to write whatever I see fit!"

"Miss Trepe," Squall said, taking a more formal tone with her. "Please keep in mind that whatever you see and hear and experience while in this unit will be highly protected information. You are free to write about the generality of your experiences, your thoughts, feelings, even point out certain occurrences. But the purpose of the documents is to be sure that you don't expose the details that could make us loose this war."

Quistis shook her head. "No, I refuse to sign them." she retorted.

"If you do not sign the documents, the military will be forced to censor your work or worse," Squall stated. "It was part of the agreement between the military and the outside press." His face was now more hardened.

Quistis was glaring daggers at him. "I do not believe this. I will NOT sign these papers! It will with hold the truth from the readers!"

"You have a choice in the matter, Miss Trepe," Squall stated dangerously. He was obviously not used to people questioning his orders. "You can either sign the papers and continue with this unit OR you can write whatever you wish and the military will censor your work, if not retract you from your assignment."

Quistis' eyes widened as she heard him say that. She didn't doubt that there were people back home who wanted her place on the field. She took a sharp gasp of breath. "What kinds of things can I not report...?" she heard herself whisper.

Squall relaxed a little bit. "I suggest you read the documents for yourself. You must turn them into me by noon today or at least give me an answer. Otherwise, you will not continue on."

He turned around and walked away, leaving Quistis standing there, shock written on her face. Limit her work or have it censored or even denied. She had come all that way and then if she didn't sign the documents, she could be faced with having to return empty handed to Balamb. She'd loose her privilege and the experience of a lifetime.

"You stand there long enough and pigeons will start to perch on you," a voice laughed to her side. Quistis' dulled face turned and saw Seifer walking towards her from the main building where he had gone to report. He was grinning and was met with a vicious glare from Quistis. "Aww? What? Not happy to see me?" he asked as he opened his arms wide for her.

Quistis scoffed and turned her back to him. "I don't have time for you, Lt. Almasy." She began to walk towards the barracks she had a tour of earlier.

"Ooh...hard to get, huh?" Seifer chuckled as he walked slightly behind her. He looked over at her as he wasn't met with an icy comment. "What's the matter? Did Commander Puberty Boy tell you that you bit off more than you could chew?"

"Lt. Almasy, IF you don't mind, I would like to return to my quarters without you mocking me. I have business to attend to!" Quistis told him haughtily. Seifer merely laughed, serving only to fluster her more. She could already feel her face heating up.

"Don't worry too much about the privacy papers, Miss Trepe," Seifer said as he slowed down behind her. "All we're asking is that you don't reveal government top secret information that you might be privy to. Otherwise, you can write about just about anything from the food they serve here to the bombs that explode in central Esthar."

Quistis snapped her head around and saw him about to cross an asphalt walkway. "And how would you know that?"

"I spent a few hours with the others drafting it," Seifer shrugged. He began to cross the walk way. "Better sign it, Miss Trepe! I don't want my two hours of sleep that night to be in vain!"

"Two hours of..." She blushed suddenly, the thought of that arrogant man taking time out to help draft a document he wouldn't really be affected by. 'Why does he even care so much...?' Quickly, she shook her head and answered her own question. "He doesn't. He doesn't even want you or Zell here..." she mumbled

Quistis squinted her eyes slightly and followed Seifer's retreating form. He was heading towards some large bunkers and she could see machinery inside. Someone was welding something and another person was going over large metal boxes containing weapons. Seifer waved at some people and removed his jacket. It slipped off his shoulders smoothly.

She watched with crystal blue eyes as the material slid down his arms, revealing him in a tight white tank top underneath. She bit her lip slightly as she watched him gather his long coat in his arms and toss it on a work bench. His pale, defined arms stretched out, revealing taunt muscles underneath his creamy skin. The muscles of his back moved elegantly as he stretched out before leaning over to help someone with something.

"Like what you see here, Miss Trepe?"

Her world came to a crashing halt as that all too familiar voice flooded her senses. Her eyes flew wide open as she looked up and met Seifer's highly amused face. Green orbs were laughing behind crinkled eyes as a wide, arrogant smile was plastered across his face. He was crouched down next to a big, tan man with black hair and was holding something up.

Seifer looked across the street and couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh as Quistis face turned bright red. Her hands clamped around the documents she had been holding and was gritting her teeth. As he laughed, his two friends looked over at him.

"What?" Fujin asked as she came out of the bunker in the clothes Quistis had seen her wearing earlier. Only this time, she was wearing a black tank top and her work shirt was tied around her waist. She had gloves on and looked like she was working on something inside.

Quistis' eyes zoned in on the silver haired woman and immediately she felt her jealousy flare within. As soon as she recognized the feeling, horror and anger swept through her body and she struggled to keep the emotions from being revealed on her face. Seifer looked up at Fujin and gave her a smile as he casually shrugged. Quistis glared at him and he could feel the sharp daggers from her eyes bore into perfectly tone back side.

"Yes, I do!" she suddenly shouted loudly. Seifer's grin weakened a bit as he turned back around and looked at her. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a half questioning look. Quistis straightened up and smirked at him. "That guy in there is kind of cute!"

Seifer's emerald eyes widened as his head flew to the side to look into the bunker. There, he saw another another tall blond male who wore an eye patch similar to Fujin's. He was dressed just as he was, but covered with grease and sweat, making him almost glisten in the morning sun. Seifer's mouth nearly dropped and Quistis grinned.

Before he could give a rebuttal, she whirled around and quickly headed for their barracks. Seifer turned to answer and frowned when he realized she wasn't there. "What's wrong, ya know?" Raijin asked as he lifted up the metal welder's mask. He smothered the torch and gave a questioning look to Seifer.

"Did you just hear what she said?" Seifer snapped as he turned to his friend.

"No, I was welding this sheet metal together, ya know." Raijin replied honestly.

Seifer grumbled, annoyed and Fujin began to laugh. He looked up and frowned. "What? What's so funny?"

"Jealous!" Fujin told him easily as she turned and headed back into the bunker.

"I am not jealous!" Seifer shouted at her departing back. "Why the hell with I be jealous over that one eyed monkey loving techno fiend?"

"You're jealous of me, Lt. Almasy?" a voice from within the bunker chuckled. "I'm flattered." Seifer shot a glare at the spiky haired blond within.

"Shut it and get back to work, Gippy-boy," Seifer snapped. The other blond merely grinned and returned to fixing whatever it was he was fixing. Seifer crouched back down on the ground next to Raijin. "Women..."

"Quistis?"

Go away...

"Quistis? You in there?"

Damn it! I said go away!

"Quistis, Squall wants to know if you signed those papers!"

Papers? PAPERS!

Quistis shot up from where she was leaning over her tiny desk. She had fallen asleep while reading the documents provided to her. They laid around the small area in front of her, in disarray.

"Quistis?"

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Quistis shouted over her shoulder as she rapidly began to gather the papers into her hands and into one neat little pile. She quickly signed the last page and shoved the sheets back into the envelope.

As she lifted it up and headed for the door, she frowned. No doubt Squall would wonder how the crisp envelope he had given Selphie in the morning was now featuring some serious wrinkle lines just a few hours later.

She opened the door and saw Selphie standing out there, a cheerful smile on her face. "Hey, Quisty!" she said brightly. Her smile weakened slightly. "Umm...did you...?"

"Yes," Quistis told her. She handed Selphie the envelope. "I signed it. It was fair enough for me to do my work."

"Great!" Selphie said. "Because when we all sat around to draft it, our main concern was that you'd have enough freedom in your work and not to limit it too much, yet still protect confidential information."

Quistis nodded. "It's very much appreciated," she paused for a second. "Say...how long did it take you to draft it."

"A few hours. Rinoa, Squall, and Seifer did most of the work, though." Selphie told her.

Quistis raised an eyebrow slightly. "Seifer actually spent time on this?" Selphie nodded and Quistis gave her a look of disbelief. "No offense, but I see that as a bit of a shock."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem like it, but he's good with paper work," Selphie giggled. "Rin said that they should have put him in a desk position."

Quistis smiled and nodded. "I see. So, do I have to take the papers to Squall or will you do it?"

"I'll do it. I was sent to get them," Selphie told her. "I'm the messenger of this little unit."

Quistis chuckled lightly and lifted a hand to her mouth to lessen it. "Well, you're doing a good job," she assured her. Selphie beamed a smile and looked just about ready to literally bounce out of the hallway. "So will we meet at dinner?"

"We're having lunch soon," Selphie said. "Rin said to have you guys eat since most of this afternoon you'll be working at the gun range."

"With the guns we were given before to practice with?" Quistis asked with a slightly worried tone. 'And with...HIM?'

Selphie nodded. "Yes. You remember where it is, right? Just meet them there at two today. Lunch is in the cafeteria! I'll see you there, okay? Bye, Quisty!"

With that, Selphie clutched the envelope against her chest and practically flew out of the hall. Quistis lifted her hand and closed the door. She leaned on it heavily as she closed her eyes. 'Three hours... three hours of practice...with HIM. Oh, Hyne!' Quistis groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I can't face him now! Not after he saw me...oh, Hyne!" she gasped in horror. "I was checking him out!"

A pained groan escaped her lips as she slid down to the floor, her back against the heavy door. Had she really done that? Had she really stood there for who knows how long watching him move? Worse... watching him STRIP off his jacket. Suddenly, she wished she didn't sign those papers.

"Still mad?" Fujin asked as she stood in the shooting stall between Raijin and Seifer. Bang bang bang!

"No." Seifer retorted proudly. Bang bang bang bang!

"Then why are you shooting at a picture of Gippal, ya know?" Raijin asked coolly over the sound of the gun shots.

"No reason." BANG BANG BANG!

Fujin bit her lip to keep from laughing at her friend. Seifer had been harsher to one of the mechanics since the journalist had proclaimed that the mechanic was 'cute'. She'd noticed the green eyed blond shoot glares at the mechanic all day. Now, the Lieutenant was standing with a gunblade in hand, shooting at a target with a printed picture of the mechanic's face on the target's head.

Raijin sighed and put down the Sig firearm he was holding. "Admit it, ya know," he said as he lifted his hands to his head. "You're jealous."

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Seifer growled. Fujin winced and Raijin immediately snapped his ear covers on just as Seifer let loose another round of bullets into the already decimated picture of Gippal's face.

Fujin turned to Raijin and opened her mouth, silently speaking 'jealous'. Raijin nodded in agreement. Seifer tore off his ear covers and slammed them on the counter, a hardened look on his face. "Teasing you," Fujin assured him. "She's joking."

"It's the eye patch, isn't it?" Seifer mumbled under his breath as he stared down at the gunblade he had put on the table. Behind him, Fujin and Raijin exchanged looks. He tilted his head back as his hands gripped the edge of the counter. "What is it about eye patches that women find some damn appealing?"

"It makes a man look dangerous," Seifer whirled around and saw Quistis walking towards them. He hadn't heard her enter the room and frowned. Had he been so caught up? Quistis stopped in front of them. "Is this where shooting practice is?"

"Quistis Trepe?" the young weapons specialist asked. Quistis turned to look at her, forcing herself to be civil as she quelled the jealousy that rose once again.

"Yes...I saw you earlier today," Quistis nodded. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Fujin," she said. She lifted her hand Quistis shook it. The taller blond smiled but noticed Fujin's soft hands. "Weapons specialist."

'That means...they're part of the unit?' Quistis let go of Fujin's hand. "So this must mean that he's Raijin, the OTHER weapons specialist of Diablo?"

"Affirmative." Fujin stated, pleased that Quistis knew who they were.

"Hey, guys," Seifer said as he looked over at his two companions. "I'll see you at dinner."

The two nodded, knowing that Seifer had just given the signal to be left alone. They waved good-bye to Quistis as they packed up their equipment and left. She watched as they packed two small cases with guns and ammunition before leaving the two of them alone at the range.

"When do we sta-" Quistis felt her breath swept out of her as Seifer grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. Her eyes widened as she found herself pinned between the counter top and Seifer's body. His arms were on either side of her, locking her in place. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Quistis shouted as she looked around frantically.

"So you like dangerous men, huh?" His voice resonated against his throat and Quistis felt her body quake at the thick, husky sound.

"Yes..." Quistis said. Her sapphire eyes were wide as saucers as they looked up and met glazed over green ones. He took a step closer, pressing his well toned body against her soft, curvy one.

"How dangerous?" he almost purred. She could feel his chest move against her body as he spoke, but she couldn't move. Her eyes were locked into his and he could feel her heart racing against his body.

"Very..." she whispered softly. She saw a flicker of intensity flash through his unusually calm eyes and it sent a shock through her body. Tentatively, she continued and leaned forward ever so slightly. "I like them...very dangerous..." The flicker cut though his eyes once more.

Her hot breath caressed the skin of his face as he loomed over her, slowly getting closer and closer. "Good," he breathed as his eyes slowly went up and down her face. "Because..." His hot breath seared across her face like hers did to his only moments earlier. Quistis felt as if her legs would give out on her at any moment. "I'm as dangerous as they come."

She was intoxicated by him. His voice, his body, his scent. It was drowning her wave after wave. Her mouth opened slightly and a pink tongue darted out to moisten dried lips. His eyes lowered as he caught the movement and silently wondered to himself if he dared capture it for himself.

There was no one else in the room. No one else would see them. And she looked willing to be taken by a kiss at any moment. Hell, she was already licking her lips. "Seifer..." she rasped out. He could feel her body shaking against his.

"What?" he asked smoothly.

Her body felt hot against his as her face slowly colored with a blush. "Get off me..."

The spell was broken and Seifer's eyes blinked and widened. He stared down at her and pushed himself off the counter and away from her quickly. Stumbling two steps back, he ran his hand through his combed back hair and took a deep breath. 'What the hell am I doing?' his mind raged as the sudden realization hit him. 'If they find out about this...!' His hands clenched. "Shit."

Quistis had raised her hand to her heart and gently rubbed the area over it, trying to calm it down. Her mind was racing as she adjusted her glasses and looked around nervously. No one was there with them and she silently thanked Hyne. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't bring herself to move away from the counter.

She feared that the moment she took a step, she'd crumble to the ground. Her legs felt like jelly all of a sudden. Her body felt hot and flushed and she tugged at the collar of her shirt to try to relieve the heat. 'So close...' Quistis frowned at her thoughts. 'So close to WHAT exactly?'

Seifer took a deep breath. "Do you have your gun?" he stated suddenly. Quistis jerked her head up in shock.

That was it? He had just pinned her body against his, sending her into a spiraling vortex of emotions...and he just asked her if she had her gun. "No," Quistis snapped quickly. She looked down at the floor. 'But I wish I did...'

Seifer merely nodded and turned around. "I'll get you the Beretta." His voice was straight and to the point. It carried no evidence of his earlier actions and neither did his collected posture as he walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Quistis allowed her legs to give out on her and she fell to the ground, sitting on her legs. Her eyes where wide open, filled with disbelief. What he had done to her on the ship...was playful flirting. But when he grabbed her and pinned his body against hers...that was MORE.

Sexual harassment? Quistis narrowed her eyes and mulled over what just happened. Perhaps... but what was most disturbing was that she had welcomed and even challenged it. Her own body reacted to it, even her thoughts did.

'You've known him for a day, Quistis,' her mind scolded. 'You hardly know him! How could you want him so bad already?'

"Here's your gun. Get up," a deep voice said in front of her. Quistis looked up and saw the tall man return holding her weapon. "Put on the ear protectors and get started," he ordered in a cold voice. His eyes avoided hers as he handed her the gun. "I want improvement by at least 5 percent today."

Quistis stood up, one hand grabbing on to the counter to help her up. As soon as she thought her legs could carry the weight, she let go and took the gun. As she turned around, she saw Seifer step back, away from her and she frowned.

He said he was dangerous. Quistis pulled the trigger of the loaded gun after making sure the safety was off. BANG 'But I felt so safe...'

The shower was on and raining down on Seifer's body. His head was lowered as the icy blast rattled his body with small, cold streams. His forehead touched the bathroom tile in front of him and he frowned. How could he have let that happen? How could he have left himself SLIP?

She could very well go up to Squall and say "Commander, Lt. Almasy has made passes at and touched me inappropriately!" Once Squall would hear, he'd be demoted quickly, if not dishonorably discharged. Thank Hyne he had managed to keep his distance when Squall and Zell were there, but wondered why she didn't say anything. She wasn't the type to back down easily.

He admitted to himself that he was attracted to her beautiful face and obviously perfect body. But he didn't know what drove him to do what he did. He'd NEVER done that to that a woman before and it sickened him that he did. It was one thing to put his hand on her shoulder and joke around or hold her to fix her posture, but to grab her and hold her body against his?

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Seifer took a deep breath to try to calm himself. He had barely met her a day and a half ago. She must've thought he looked like some sort of sexual predator after what he did.

The entire time at practice, he found himself avoiding any physical contact with her. He stood a good few feet away the entire time. Seifer suddenly felt as if he would ravish her the second he touched her and it pained him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt a woman, any woman, like that. He might have been a sarcastic jerk, but he was a gentlemen when it counted.

His hand rose and he turned off the water. He shivered and grabbed a towel, drying himself off in the stall and putting on some boxers before stepping out. He took some loose, comfortable pants from a hook on the wall and put them on before grabbing his shirt and tugging it over his head.

"Hey, Seifer." The blond looked up and saw Irvine come in for his evening shower. If there was one thing he knew about the cowboy's person hygiene, it was that it was impeccably good. Irvine showered in the morning and in the evening when they were at their leisure.

"Kinneas." he greeted.

"How was practice with Quistis?" Irvine asked casually as he hung up his dark blue towel on a hook. Selphie had embroidered his initials at the bottom since it was a standard issue military towel and the others' towels all matched his.

Seifer stiffened as he heard her name. "Good." he said quickly. He quickly grabbed his things and headed out the door.

In the hall way, he was about to turn and go into his room when he paused. He turned and looked over at Quistis' room directly across from his. He took a deep breath and before he knew what he was doing, knocked on her door.

Soft footsteps could be heard approaching before a lock was undone. The door opened a crack and blue eyes widened at the sight of the freshly clean soldier at the door. "Seifer...er...Lt. Almasy." she mumbled.

"Seifer is fine," he told her sternly. He looked around uncomfortably, unsure of where to start. He was not good with this sort of thing. "Uh...about today..." he began. 'Oh yeah, Almasy. SO SLICK.' He winced inwardly. Quistis opened the door a little more.

"What about today?" she asked softly as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Seifer's hand rose and rubbed the back of his neck. Finally, he took a deep breath and met her gaze. "I'm not good at this so I'll get straight to the point," he spat out in his usual cynical tone. "I'm sorry for grabbing you and holding you like that. It was uncalled for and unnecessary. If I hurt you, I apologize. I'll understand if you tell Leonhart about it."

Quistis' eyes widened even more and she nodded dumbly. "I see..." she said softly. "It's all right..." 'What? When did it become all right?' her mind asked. "It was an accident...and I did provoke you while I knew what you were doing..."

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Regardless, it was unnecessary. Sorry." Before she could answer, Seifer turned his back on her and rushed to his room. She watched with sad eyes as he slipped into his door and lock her out.

Seifer turned the lock on the door and pressed his forehead against it. Her eyes...Hyne, how he loved her eyes. They could be shooting deadly glares one moment and the next...the next, they were looking at him like they were missing him before he had even left.

Quistis closed her door silently and took a deep breath. She bit her lip and silently prayed she knew what she was doing.

"Told you she'd sign the papers." Rinoa said as she sat next to Squall on his bed.

"I thought she wasn't going to." he admitted.

"Of course she was," Rinoa said as she flipped through her magazine dressed in pajamas. "She signed them to stay."

"Stay to what?" Squall scoffed as he turned to look at her. He was laying on the bed, waiting for Rinoa to get done with her magazine so they could tiurn off the light and sleep. "To see War? Violence?"

Rinoa closed her magazine and put it on the floor next to the bed. She turned to Squall and smiled. "I don't know..." she said as she reached over and turned off the light. "But I'm sure she has a reason."