War Story
Chapter Four: Training Grounds
By PasifiKStaR
Author's Note: Eh...boring chapter. Oh, someone reviewed my Seiftis one-shot and asked if I was leaving the Squinoa bandwagon for the Seiftis one. My answer: I'm on both. :D I like both couplings.
All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.
She smiled as she buried her head against the weak excuse for a pillow, her long golden strands of hair flowing around her resting head. Her slender fingers gripped her sheets as she curled up against her dream entity. It was so warm and comfortable. She felt so safe snuggled against it.
'I could just stay here forever...' she thought to herself.
"RISE AND SHINE, SLEEPY HEADS!" a voice boomed outside her door.
Cerulean blue eyes flew open with shock as she sprang up on the hard mattress, her eyes darting around for some sort of intruder, or at least for the owner of the voice.
"Wake up! Today is your FIRST DAY of BASIC TRAINING!"
And then the harsh reality crashed into her. Quistis groaned and fell back down on her bed, strands of hair sticking out all over the place. Outside in the hallway, she heard someone knocking on the door next to hers - Zell's door.
"I'm up!" a complaint filled voice shouted.
"You have to get up faster, chicken-wuss!" Seifer's loud voice ordered harshly. "You're training under Diablo Squad now! You should've been up before the sun rose!"
"Even roosters aren't up by then!" Zell retorted.
"Get ready and meet at the flag pole in front of the barracks in FIVE MINUTES!" Seifer shouted.
She heard heavy footsteps made louder by thick soled black boots. Then the pounding on her door began. 'Damn it all...'
"Hey! Miss Journalist!" Quistis winced and sat back up, her eyes squinted as she reached for her glasses. "We don't have all day for you to primp! Flag pole in five minutes!"
"Five minutes?" Quistis growled. "You could've at least given me more warning!" she grumbled. She grabbed her sheets and tossed them to the side, not bothering to make her bed, as she ran to the big metal chest at the foot of her bed.
Outside her door, she heard Seifer laugh. "I'm not your alarm clock! From now on, you better be at that flag pole before the sun rises or else you're LATE!" There was a brief pause. "Four minutes, forty seconds!"
Quistis let out a deep throated growl as she grabbed the pants she had been provided, a loose shirt, and some underwear. She quickly changed out of her shorts and night shirt and ran her hand through her hair before tying it up in a pony tail quickly. She glanced down at the clock by her bedside.
'Two minutes, thirty seconds...' her mind read as she shoved her feet into her boots. She pulled the laces up quickly and tied them. For the first time since she hit puberty, she didn't look at a mirror to make sure everything was in place before flying out the door.
She ran down the hall and through the door and then outside into the chilly dark morning. Her eyes adjusted as she ran blindly to the flag pole at the front of the barracks. As she reached it, she saw Zell standing up straight, but swaying slightly as he seemed to be fighting off the effects of sleep.
Standing directly in front of them were Squall and Seifer, both dressed in boots, uniform pants and white shirts. Their dog tags could be seen resting over their collar bones. They didn't seem the least bit cold and looked wide awake.
"Finally, the little reporter is up," Seifer snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "About damn time."
"I am approximately...45 seconds early from the time you told me to get here," Quistis snapped. "You never even told us what time we had to be up here."
"From now, you two are to be here at 5 AM sharp," Squall said sternly. "It's 5:45 right now, so we are 45 minutes late. We better start to make up lost time. First thing is first, warm up five minute job before a 5 mile perimeter run around the Doomtrain. Let's go!"
Squall turned and lead them to one of the asphalt walk ways. Seifer looked over at the other two blondes and sneered. "I hope you stretched..." he smirked.
"One! Two! One! Two!" Squall started up jogging and Zell and Seifer began to follow him. Quistis rolled her eyes and began to follow after them.
'This is going to be a long day...'
Two hours later, Zell felt like his legs would give out from under him. His stamina had gotten him quite far, but he still was not used to running several miles. He looked over his shoulder as they jogged down a dirt path around the back of the base. His mind kept telling him that he only had to hold up for just a little bit longer.
He glanced up at Squall ahead of him. The brunette was sweating slightly, but didn't look to be the least bit out of breath or tired. Squall's face had a concentrated look on his face as his body bobbed up and down with each step. Zell looked over his shoulder and saw Seifer jogging next to Quistis.
His mouth nearly dropped in shock when he realized that Quistis was running in the same league as the two soldiers. She, too, was barely breaking a sweat, a smug smile on her face as she glanced over at a disappointed Seifer. She knew he wanted to see her break while running.
'Moron,' Quistis thought to herself as she kept up the pace with ease. 'Doesn't he know that I'm a marathon runner? AND I was a tri-athlete in high school and college?'
"All right," Squall shouted as they reached the flag pole in front of the barracks once more. "Take a break and go get breakfast. You have one hour and then report back here for basic drills! At ease!"
Their jog came to a relaxed stop and Zell practically collapsed on the steps of the barracks. Quistis smiled and walked over to him, stretching her arms slightly as she did. "You did great, Zell," she assured him. "Most people would've died after such a run."
Zell looked up at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding?" he gasped out. "You guys totally kicked my butt! I started dying on the third mile and you're barely breaking a sweat."
"You forget that I'm a marathon runner," Quistis reminded him. "C'mon, let's go get breakfast. And don't worry, you did fine."
"Yeah, for a civilian," Seifer snorted as he passed them on the way back to the barracks. He sneered down at Zell. "You better start working harder, chicken-wuss. We have no room for weaklings on this squad."
Zell was fuming as Seifer walked up the rest of the steps and entered the room. Quistis shot him a vicious glare. "Don't listen to him," she told her photographer friend. "We have a long day ahead of us, we should get something to eat. Aren't you the least bit hungry?"
The tattooed blond nodded. "Come to think of it..." As he stood up, his stomach let out a loud growl. Quistis raised and eyebrow and he blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah..."
"Quistis, Zell," a voice said from the top of the steps. Rinoa hopped down the last two steps to be at their side and smiled as they looked up at her. "How was the run?"
"It wasn't as bad as I expected," Quistis told her. They both glanced down at Zell, who was still flushed from his run. "Zell's new at this."
"Ah..." Rinoa chuckled. She looked over at Squall and smiled. "I told you not to run them ragged!" she scolded.
"I didn't," the commander replied calmly. "Quistis did far better than expected and Zell has good stamina. By the end of the week, he'll be able to run without any problems."
"Just watch out for him and Seifer," Rinoa said as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "They're the worst at basic training."
Zell paled and Rinoa laughed. She waved good-bye to them and headed towards the main building. Zell groaned. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"
"Ten more! Ten more!" Seifer shouted above Zell furiously. "Ten more, chicken-wuss! Come on! I have a grandma who can do more push-ups than that! You pathetic excuse for a man! Can't you even do ten more!"
"That's what you said ten push-ups ago!" Zell argued. Sweat drenched his hair as his arms shook beneath his weight.
"Don't talk back to me, you maggot! TWENTY more!" Seifer ordered as Zell let out a huff of air.
Quistis had already given out under the weight of her body on her arms, but had managed to do around fifty push-ups. Her arms were numb as she fell under her weight, breathing deeply with sweat dripping down her face. She looked over at Zell from where she was trying to calm her heart rate down.
Her face was still flushed as she rubbed her biceps. "One hundred two! One hundred three! One hundred four!" Squall was growling as he loomed over Zell.
Quistis winced. She couldn't imagine doing over a hundred push ups at one time. Of course, she also couldn't imagine doing three sets of twenty pull-ups just after lunch. Rinoa had come with some medical shots to prevent malaria when they had just finished their second of the three sets.
Seifer had started yelling at her saying that she was ruining the training and she yelled back at she wasn't ruining anything. A loud shouting match, which was ignored by Squall who was used to hearing it, ended with Seifer accusing Rinoa of being weak.
Quistis had barely seen the look of anger in Rinoa's eyes before she jumped up and grabbed the metal bar with her left hand. With ease, the girl did twenty pull ups with one arm, not breaking a sweat, and then flipped up wards to do a head stand on the bar. Seifer snorted and turned his head away as Rinoa dismounted perfectly.
"I can do hundred of those before you can even do a damn head stand!" Rinoa shrieked before stomping off. Seifer yelled that it was because she was a gymnast and was promptly given the finger.
"Ugh!" Zell finally collapsed, his arms at his sides limply as he groaned. His face was matted with dirt as his body heaved with each pained breath.
Above him, Squall and Seifer nodded in satisfaction. They had pushed their two new recruits harder than they had originally expected. "All right!" Squall said as he looked at his watch. "Five runs through the course! Up! Up! Up!"
Zell winced as he struggled to get up. His arms were like jelly as he struggled to crawl up. Quistis stood up, knowing her body would pay the price the next day. "Get up, woman!" Seifer shouted in her face suddenly.
The blond female wasn't paying attention and when he yelled in her face, she let out a scream and her right hand rose. SLAP.
Zell's mouth dropped and Squall turned around, a slightly surprised look on his face. Quistis stared at Seifer as she felt the pulsating pain go through her palm. Seifer's face was turned slightly and he was gritting his teeth. "Oh my Hyne..." Quistis gasped out. "I am so sorry! It was a natural reaction-"
"GET IN LINE!" Seifer growled furiously. Quistis jumped back and quickly ran to fall in line behind Zell and Squall. "GO!"
Squall turned his head, amusement on his face as he ordered them to head out. The stomping of boots sounded in their ears as they headed towards the mile long course. They had two run throughs earlier, just to get used to it. "Come on! The day's not over yet!" Squall shouted.
Tires, ditches, walls to climb over, nets to climb, ropes to crawl under - they were all there. Zell had ease climbing, but always had problems with the tires. Quistis found the tires easy, but always had problems with the damn wall.
"You're going to pay for that, Trepe..." a low voice growled behind her. Quistis suppressed her shiver as they jogged to the open field.
"I'll be timing you this time," Squall told them as he took a stop watch from his pocket. "Seifer will run along side of you to make sure you do it correctly! Ready! Set! GO!"
Zell and Quistis took off. "Faster! Faster! You're too slow! You maggots! You weak, puny little girls! You're too slow! You'd be DEAD by now! You make me sick!"
Seifer's generous words of encouragement rang in their ears as they ran through the course. Zell nearly tripped in the tires and was quickly yelled at by Seifer for his mistake. Quistis kept her eyes on the wall in front of her as she approached it. She had watched Zell climb over it before and mentally visualized herself doing the same thing.
"JUMP! JUMP! Don't hesitate! Go FASTER! You're TOO SLOW! What are you, stupid? Can't get over one simple wall? Move it!" Seifer's shouts were also laced with numerous profane words as he jogged along side of the track.
Quistis took a deep breath and sped up as she approached the wall. With all her might, she jumped and grabbed on to the top of the eight foot wall. She gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up, her booted feet grinding against the cement surface.
"Get up there! Get up there! You weak pathetic little bi-" She felt her anger rising as she heard Seifer yelling at her. Zell, who was behind her, caught up with ease and practically flew over the wall. "Chicken-wuss is beating you! Is that what you want? You're pathetic! You're nothing!"
"SHUT UP!" Quistis growled as she swung her body and managed to hook her foot on the wall. Without a second thought, she pulled herself up over the cement wall and flung herself on the other side. She winced as pain shot through her legs when she landed. She failed to see the smug look of satisfaction on Seifer's face.
She gritted her teeth and ran forward. She hated that initial shock once her feet hit the ground. She could see Zell ahead of her, about to crawl underneath a series of rope. "What are you waiting for? Get your Hyne damned ASS UNDER THERE!"
Her heart was racing as sweat poured down the side of her flushed face. She dove underneath the rope and began to crawl underneath.
"Keep your eye's up! Be aware of where you're going!" they heard Squall shout further away. "Don't go in there blindly!"
"Faster! You're too slow! Pay attention!" Seifer was yelling. "We're not your mamas! We're not cutting you slack! Either you do this our way or GET OUT!"
The two blond recruits were running to their next obstacle as Seifer ran along side of them. His metal dog tags sounded against his chest as he ran. Her muscles were burning. Her skin felt searing hot. She could've sworn she was sweating blood by now.
Blue eyes narrowed as she saw Squall up ahead, waiting with a stop watch in hand. With a final burst of speed, she dashed to the end point. Squall clicked the button and nodded.
"Keep jogging! Do a cool down run so you won't cramp up!" Squall ordered as he recorded their times on a clip board.
"How'd we do?" Quistis couldn't help but as she stretched.
"BADLY," Seifer snorted. "Better pray that you improve over the next few days, Miss Journalist, or you'll never cut it."
She narrowed her eyes at Seifer and looked over at Squall to see what he had to say. "If you don't improve, you'll never get to go on missions." Squall stated simply.
Quistis took a sharp intake of breath and Seifer smirked. "Better get in some more practice," Seifer said as he studied her. "Or you'll never make it out of here alive."
Three days. Three days of unadulterated physical hell. Bruises were common now and she no longer cared that dirt was lodged all over her body without her knowing. She no longer cared that her hair would be matted with mud and leaves. She didn't give a damn that her hands began growing callused or that she had already popped a bloody blister on her foot from running.
Quistis walked through the doors of her barracks at the darkened camp and looked around warily. It was one AM and she was up for what she considered her personal training. Making sure her boots were tied on comfortably, she began to jog towards the training grounds.
The moon was bright and full as she jumped and grabbed the metal bar. She took deep breaths, calming herself and her heart rate to match perfectly with each movement. Her hands gripped the familiar bar tightly as she pulled herself up and down.
One set of twenty. Two sets of twenty...five sets of twenty. Her arms were starting to ache. She let herself hang and then let go before stretching her arms across her chest. A swift movement of her hand pushed back her bangs into their tight French braid. She took a deep breath before grabbing the bar once more and hanging her legs over it.
Two green eyes watched from the shadows behind an equipment shed. He'd followed her since the first night. He heard the door across from his opening and close. Someone's light footsteps were heard walking away and he looked out his window. Quistis had just stepped out of the barracks.
Frowning, he grabbed his jacket and followed her. For the last several nights, he followed Quistis as she did dozens of pull ups, push ups, sit ups, and ran the obstacle course several times. Part of him was angry at her. She was obviously breaking the rules, but worst yet, if something happened to her while training, no one would find her until morning.
Without anyone to spot her, she ran the risk of getting hurt. So he would stay with her and watch from the shadows to make sure she didn't hurt herself. An hour later, she proceeded for her second hour focusing on the course.
She stretched at the starting line and took some calming breaths. Mentally counting, Quistis took off and Seifer watched. She had gotten better, he had to admit. She was faster, stronger, and had more stamina. He could see her mind starting to work whenever she encountered a problem.
Quistis jumped and grabbed a hold of the top of the wall. She swung her body over it and landed gracefully before taking off again. Seifer smirked. She was making great time. As she crossed the finish line, Seifer clicked the stop watch in his hands and raised an eyebrow.
Quistis was jogging in place, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "Congratulations," Her body stiffened at the sound of another voice. She whirled around and saw Seifer walk out from behind a tree. "You made it under five minutes."
"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed as she narrowed her eyes.
"Making sure you have a spotter," Seifer replied coolly. "I think you'll be fine on this."
Quistis lifted her chin and scoffed. "No one asked you to spot me. I'm fine practicing by myself."
"Don't be stupid," Seifer told her sternly. "One mistake and you could be laying unconscious or die before someone finds you."
'Damn him...I hate it when he's right...' Her hands turned into fists at her sides and she took a deep breath.
"We're starting something else tomorrow." Seifer told her calmly as he turned around Quistis looked at him suspiciously.
"What are we starting...?" Quistis asked reluctantly. Seifer smirked, knowing he got her attention.
He turned around and looked at her, freely allowing his eyes roam up and down her sweat drenched body. "Can you swim?"
Quistis' eyes went wide as she looked up ahead of her. She had been at Fort Doomtrain for over half a week, but she had never seen what laid right beyond it. She hesitantly followed him up one of their run routes. Instead of turning to the left, they went straight and over the hill behind the fort.
There laid a lake hidden behind hills on all it's sides. The water was clear and lined with small, smooth stones at the bottom. The reflection of the moon created a large white spot in the water and Quistis stared at it in awe.
"All Diablo members can swim to the other side and back, non-stop," Seifer said coolly. Quistis squinted her eyes. She couldn't make out the other side of the lake except for a grove of trees. "Think you can do it?"
Quistis snapped her head to look at him and gave him a defiant look. "I bet I can make it back before you."
Emerald eyes sparkled with interested. "Are you challenging me, Trepe?" he asked in a snotty voice.
Quistis smirked. "Are you too stupid to know what a challenge is when you hear it, Almasy?" she retorted.
He lifted his head and nodded. "You're on."
A sly smile graced Quistis' face as she knelt down and began to untie her boots. Seifer removed his jacket and tossed it on the pebble lined shore. He lifted his shirt over his head and let it fall over his jacket.
He then bent down and untied his boots. Quick fluid movements undid the laces and he removed them. They landed with a thump by his clothes before he proceeded to unbuckle his belt. As his pants dropped to his ankles, a chuckle sounded next to him.
Seifer turned his head and frowned as Quistis grinned. "Nice boxers." she commented as her eyes dropped down to the cloth around his hips.
Green camouflage print boxers graced his body and Seifer snorted. He removed his socks and tossed them with the rest of his clothes. Quistis lifted her hands to her belt and quickly unlatched it. A second later, her pants were resting over her boots.
"Water's cold." Seifer warned. He glanced down at Quistis and smirked, an appreciative look on his face. She was clad in a black sports bra and matching black brief cut cotton panties. She looked over at him, a proud look on her face.
"I won't have to worry about that," Quistis said as her own eyes ran up and down his half naked body. "I'm not the one who'll have shrinkage."
Seifer's eyes widened as she smirked. He suddenly felt self conscious as the lean blond woman headed into the water. His mind quickly found a reply and he followed behind her. The cold water of the lake touched their feet, but either allowed themselves to show discomfort in front of the other.
Slowly, they waded in until they were waist deep. Seifer looked over at her. "By the way," he said as he stretched his arm across his chest. "The shrinkage doesn't effect him much."
Quistis raised an eyebrow and lowered her gaze to his abdomen. She grinned and took a deep breath as she looked straight ahead of her. "I guess you're right," she said coolly. "Can't let it disappear now, can we?"
Seifer shot her a glare as she drove into the water. Not wasting a second, he dove after her. The cold water ran past their bodies, but they quickly got used to the temperature with each movement. Their bodies let off warmth as they broke through he surface for a breath and continued to swim across.
"Not bad!" Seifer shouted as his arms went over his head and cut through the water in front of them. 'She doesn't know who she's dealing with! I've beaten practically everyone in that damn base at this!'
"Same to you!" Quistis shouted back. 'He doesn't know who he's dealing with! I was a star swimmer!'
Blood pumped through their bodies as they cut through the clear water. Splashing echoed in their ears with each hand that slammed into the water and slid along side their bodies. The rush was amazing.
They reached the shore across the lake, not even realizing how long they had been swimming. Once they were waist deep, they flipped underwater and started back down the lake again. Each time Seifer pulled ahead, Quistis easily caught up. When Quistis pulled ahead, Seifer pushed himself harder.
As they neared the shoreline they had started from, they were neck and neck. They began to push themselves harder, seeing their goal directly ahead of them. Their hearts were racing as their vision was clouded by water. All they felt was the rush, their bodies were moving on their own, like machines on automatic.
Seifer pulled ahead, arms raised in front of him as he swam to the shore. From the corner of Quistis' eye, she could see him beating her and put it into overdrive.
The tip of her hand brushed the pebble lined bottom and her legs came down to stand. "I WIN!" two voices chorused through the night air.
Sapphire met emerald. "What?" they chorused. "No!" Quistis stomped her foot on the ground as they stood ankle deep in water.
"Yes!" Seifer corrected. "I got here first!"
"You did not!" Quistis snapped. "I did!"
"Bull!"
"You want a re-match?" Quistis challenged proudly.
"What?" Seifer said. He looked at his water proof watch on his wrist and frowned. "Idiot, you have two hours before wake up call-"
"Do you want a rematch or not?" Quistis snapped. Seifer narrowed his eyes at her.
"You won't get by on your two hours sleep," Seifer told her sternly. "Stop being stubborn! Just deal with the fact that I won!"
"You did NOT win!" Quistis argued. "I reached the shore first-"
"You did NOT reach the shore first-"
"You were behind me and-"
"I pulled ahead first and-"
"Get in the water!" Quistis shrieked. The two stood there, in the cold morning air, not even realizing that their breaths were now visible in the chill air. Her shoulders were heaving up and down as her body turned bright pink. Soaking blond hair was plastered to her head.
"Put your clothes on," Seifer spat out. "You're going to get sick."
"What are you afraid of?" Quistis replied as he turned around and began to walk to his clothes. "Afraid to loose? To me? To a CIVILIAN?"
Seifer swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He turned around, an angry look on his face as he walked over to Quistis. She stood her ground, but felt her heart start to race as he approached. Water droplets were sliding down the contours of his body as his boxers clung to his muscular thighs. Quistis mentally chided herself for even looking down there.
He stopped inches from her and glared down at her. "You want water?" he said in a low voice. Quistis shivered at his voice. "FINE!" he growled. His arms shot out and grabbed her.
Quistis let out a yelp as she was thrown over his shoulder. He marched them, chest deep, into the water and held her over it. He could feel her cold, wet body turn warm as it touched his. With a smug look on his face, he dumped Quistis into the lake.
"Ah!" She jumped up, splashing up water as she gasped for air. Her golden bangs fell across her face as she struggled to get a breath before she fell beneath the surface once more. Her feet were slipping on the smooth wet surfaces of the stones on the ground.
Her arms were flying, trying to steady herself as Seifer stood before her, head tossed back and laughing as she looked like a drowned rat. "Happy now?" he laughed joyously.
Her hands found his arms and immediately latched on to them for support. She felt his hands grasp her forearms tightly and haul her up, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "What the hell did you do that for?" she shouted as she pulled one arm away and slapped his defined chest.
"Thought you could cool down a bit, Trepe," he smirked. He held her up with one hand and looked down at her. His eyes studied her wet face as his hand rose and brushed her hair out of the way. She was still breathing hard as she lifted her head to look at him. "Feel better?"
"I hate you..." she gasped out raggedly. Her face was flushed.
Seifer chuckled and held her head in his hand. "I know." he whispered. Quistis swallowed nervously and closed her eyes.
Warm lips closed over icy cold ones. Her hand tightened it's grip around his arm as her other hand rose and sunk themselves through soaking blond hair. Her lips parted to take a quick breath as he pulled back. A split second later, his arms were around her, his mouth eagerly covering hers as he molded his body against hers.
Quistis felt her body grow warm quickly as she kept his head lowered against hers. Her eyes were closed as her heart pounded against her breast. She could feel his heart matching the pace of hers as his larger hand rested on the small of her back. Soft lips left hers for the moment as they trailed gentle kisses along her jaw bone.
A sharp gasp of surprise reached her lips as his hand that was on her back lowered. "Seifer...what...?" she breathed out.
He let out a low chuckle as his head rose and intently kissed the tip of her nose. "Do you still hate me, Quistis?"
"N..."
"Rise and shine! You over slept, TREPE!" Someone was pounding on her door and Quistis groggily opened her eyes.
"What...the? Where am I?" Sleep laden blue eyes looked around the small room and she groaned. "Great...a dream..."
"TREPE!" A male voice shouted. "GET UP! You're LATE!"
She gritted her teeth as she sat up. "I'm up! I'll be there in a second!" she screamed as she got to her feet. She ran her hand through her hair and froze. It was cold and damp...and still in a French braid.
"Not a second longer!" Seifer barked. She heard him stomp away and Quistis jumped up. She ran to her desk and grabbed the compact from her desk. She slapped it open and looked at her face.
Her eyes were a bit sunken as her hair looked like a mess. Her heart was racing as she snapped her compact closed. She shook her head and quickly got dressed.
When she burst through the front doors, Squall gave her a disapproving look as Zell jumped up and down, ready for the morning run. Seifer was looking at his watch and shook his head. "You're late!"
"Let's just get started." Quistis retorted. She looked at Squall, who nodded and ordered them to get ready. They began their run and Seifer ran along side of Quistis.
"You look like crap." he stated simply.
"I'm not in the mood to deal with you." she retorted as she sped up. Seifer merely sped up as well.
"You're late, don't let it happen again," he told her sternly. "If you're late, you make the squad late. Got it?"
"Affirmative, Lt. Almasy." she spat out emotionlessly.
She didn't catch the grin on his face as he jogged up ahead. "You're grumpy," he said as he passed her. "I told you that two hours sleep wouldn't do you."
For a brief second, Quistis stumbled. She turned her head sharply towards him and he smiled. She rolled her eyes and ran past him to jog next to Zell. "I'm still up for that re-match when you are."
"Any time, Miss Journalist," Seifer said as he gave her a slight nod of his head. He looked up ahead of them and smirked. "Any time."
Quistis was sitting at her desk, writing in her 'journal'. She figured long ago that the best way to remember her experience after it was over was to write everything down. However, she found that on this assignment, her bullet listed notes had turned into paragraphs describing her days. She paused and chewed on the black pen cap.
'So it did happen last night...' she thought to herself. Immediately, she blushed at the mere thought of it. Standing chest deep in freezing cold water, dressed in nothing by underwear, were the two of them. Their hands were all over each other, exploring and memorizing all contours of the other's body into their minds.
She could still smell the scent of his wet skin as it brushed against hers. His breath was steaming hot and a moist tongue had swept into her mouth and skillfully did enough tricks to make her melt against him further. In her seat, Quistis shivered at the lingering memory. She had to admit, he knew what he was doing. In a way, he sort of earned his right to be arrogant.
"Nah..." Quistis said as she smiled to herself and closed her journal. "He'll never be good enough to be THAT big of a jerk."
As she slipped the leather bound book into her bag, she heard a low, heavy sound, and then felt the barracks move. She froze in her spot, her hand tightening around the bag. There was another sound and the barracks moved again. Her face paled as her heart stopped in her chest.
"QUISTIS!" Someone was pounding on her door and without a second thought, Quistis grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She ran to the door and nearly tore it open. Seifer stood in front of her and grabbed her arm.
"Seifer! What's going on?" she gasped as she was pulled forward. Like her, he was still dressed in his boots, pants, and white shirt, only he had his jacket on and a gunblade over his shoulder.
"The base is being attacked!" he shouted as he dragged her behind him. "Hurry up! We have to get downstairs!"
"Downstairs?" Quistis gasped. She was starting stumbling as she tried to keep up with him. They burst through the doors and ran down the stairs. As they ran down the hall, she saw the broken windows and heard the crunch of shattered glass beneath her boots.
"Doomtrain is built over a series of underground tunnels about twenty feet below," Seifer said he held her hand tightly. Their footsteps echoed in the stair well as they reached the first floor. There, Irvine was waving them into a small door half the size of regular doors in the corner. "You'll be safe there!"
Quistis had always assumed it lead to pipes or heating ducts. "C'mon!" Irvine said as he looked around warily. "They're waiting for you downstairs!" The sounds of yelling could be heard outside, through the broken windows. Explosions rocked the base form all sides and Quistis turned her head away to shield herself from any flying debris.
"Where are the others?" Quistis gasped as Seifer let her go. He put his arm over her head and physically lowered her body so that she could go through the small door.
"Zell and Selphie are downstairs!" Irvine reported.
"Shit!" Seifer shouted. Quistis was already on the small set of stairs that coiled against the wall and lead into the lower sanctums. "Where are Puberty-boy and Rin?"
"Squall was at some meeting and Rinoa was at the medical center!" Irvine told. "Seifer! Get in there!"
"You first!" Seifer ordered. Irvine hesitated. "I'm your commanding officer! Get your ASS IN THERE!" he barked. Irvine jerked his head back and knelt down to get in.
Quistis looked up. "Seifer!" she called out, but the two males above her ignored her as the sound of whistling bombs dropping sounded outside.
Seifer knelt down just as Irvine slipped through the door. "Kinneas, make sure she's safe, got it?" Seifer added with a tone of warning. Irvine nodded as the door was slammed closed. He briefly heard the sound of it being locked from above.
He looked down at Quistis as darkness flooded the tight fit. "Irvine, where-" he heard her voice begin.
"Quistis, start moving!" Irvine urged her quickly. "Selphie and Zell are already down there!" he assured her.
Quistis looked down at the dark tunnel and nodded. She stood up on shaking feet and gripped the metal railing against the wall. She quickly sped down the stairs. Up ahead of her, she heard the door slam and she looked up. She froze for a moment as the sound of electricity ran through wiring. Dim yellow lights lit up the tiny corridor to light their way.
"Wait!" Quistis gasped as she looked past Irvine. Her eyes were wide with fear as the cowboy urged her down the stairs. "Wait! Irvine! Where is Seifer?"
"He'll meet us down there!" Irvine told her. Her frantic eyes looked up to him and he gave her a desperate look. "Quistis, PLEASE! Hurry down there!"
"What about-"
"He'll be FINE!" Irvine insisted. "He didn't make it to Lieutenant for nothing! Now get a move on, Quisty! He'll have my ass on a platter if something happens to you!"
Quistis felt her face heat up and she quickly turned back to the stairs. Then ran down the stair well and could hear voices below. In the dim yellow light, she could make out Selphie and Zell standing there. Zell was gripping his camera case tightly against him as Selphie stood by a door.
At the sound of their footsteps, the two people at the bottom looked up. "Thank Hyne!" Zell gasped as he saw Quistis.
"Are you guys okay?" Selphie said as she rushed over to them. She immediately began looking them over for any wounds and Quistis nodded and pushed her away gently.
"Selphie, I'm fine," Quistis said. "Where are the others-"
"They'll meet us at the rendezvous place," Selphie said. She lifted up her identification card and slid it through a small scanner by the door. The little light on it turned green and the sound of a door unlocking could be heard. Irvine grabbed the handle and pulled it open. "C'mon!"
Quistis nodded and looked up the stairs one last time. Zell grabbed her hand and pulled through the door. She turned around and looked at the large empty, cement lined corridor. Dim yellow light bulbs lit the way as Irvine closed the door behind them.
"What about-"
"We have to get you two to safety!" Selphie shouted. "Stay close and follow me!"
"Where are we going?" Zell gasped as they ran after Selphie. He had to admit that for a short girl who he'd never seen doing any sort of training while on the base, she was extremely fast.
As they ran, Selphie lead the way, Zell and Quistis behind her, and Irvine bringing up the rear, a gun in hand as he continuously looked back over his shoulder in case they were being followed.
"Diablo's rendezvous point!" Selphie said. "Don't worry, we have procedures for events like this!"
Quistis zoned out. All she knew was that she was running and following behind the messenger girl. The tunnels seemed endless as they ran through. Several times, they had ran into other squads heading for their own meeting points. Zell, camera ready as always, didn't hesitate to snap pictures of people running as they flew past them.
Her heart was aching they reached a heavy steel door. There was another card scanner by that door and Selphie quickly slid her card through it. The light turned red and for the first time, they heard Selphie let out a swear. The moment of shock was short lived as she slid her card again the light turned green.
With a sigh of relief, she and Irvine pressed their bodies against the steel door and slowly forced it to open. "Come on...!" Irvine hissed behind gritted teeth. As the door opened, a stack of dirt tumbled into the clean cement tunnel.
Quistis narrowed her eyes. "Quistis! Come on!" Selphie's voice called. The blond looked up and saw Selphie waving her hand through the thin space between the door and the door way. Zell managed to squeeze himself through and Quistis sucked in her already flat stomach as she slipped out after him.
Irvine removed his hat and held it out to Selphie to hold as he went through the door. He let out a groan as he barely managed to get through. "Head towards the opening, but don't go outside!" Irvine said.
Quistis and Zell turned their heads and saw an eerie glowing red light ahead of them. They exchanged looks and began to walk towards it. As they walked, Quistis looked down. Her boots were now covered with dirt. She looked around and saw that they were in some sort of bomb shelter built into the ground.
"Be careful! Don't go outside!" Selphie warned. The two nodded as the reached the wood reinforced entry way into the bunker.
Zell took a sharp breath as his eyes widened. Quietly, Quistis joined him and looked outside. Her eyes went wide as her hand rose to cover her mouth. Dark smoke rose into dark clouds in the air as the reflection of burning red fire danced in her deep blue eyes. She could feel the heat rising from the smoldering buildings below against her face.
She swallowed as a tear slid down her pale cheek. They were standing in a bunker one of the hills that over looked base. Far below them, red, orange, and yellow light glowed like heated embers in a camp fire. The sounds of explosions could still be heard as they watched buildings become consumed in flames.
Her breath was sharp and ragged as she fell back against the dirt wall, shaking. Her lips trembled as she began to cry at the vision before them.
"Welcome to Fort Doomtrain. Otherwise known as the Gateway."
"The Gateway to what?"
"To Hell."