Chapter 17

It had been two days since the incident. Squall was in the infirmary, and each one of his childhood friends had watched over him at one point or another during the day. Irvine and Quistis reported to Cid that Squall had gotten hurt on his own accord and by his own actions, despite the fact that Quistis wanted to shout to the world that he had done it protecting her stupid self. Yet, they both knew, with Quistis being the leader, that she would again have her Instructor's liscense taken away. Quistis was now watching him. There was no improvements in his conditions.

The needle that had been stuck in his arm released a poison inside of Squall. Dr. Kadowaki had been examining the poison, only stating that it would affect a part of his brain. She let out a small huff of air. Knowing the way how her luck had been the past few weeks, it would leave Squall either brain damaged...or dead.

Irvine walked behind her, staring at the window. "Irvine...Squall's going to seriously hate me, now..."

"I doubt that."

She turned her eyes towards them, the sapphire in them glistening with tears. "Why are you being so nice to us?" she asked.

"...because I hope that you see I'm better than Squall."

She frowned, staring back to the window, watching Squall's face. She let out another huff of air. "And you're still trying?"

"I don't see why not..."

They stood there for what seemed like an hour, but was really only a few minutes. Irvine coughed and Quistis turned to look at him. "You're still here?" she asked him.

"Yea..."

"Any reason why?"

He thought for a moment, his eyes wandering from the window where Squall was and down to her. "Cause...you look like you need company." She let out another huff of air, this one causing a small fog to rise up on the window. "And I don't really want to spend a second more without you."

Her eyes coolly glanced over at him, tears still building up and refusing to fall. "Ah! There you two are!" They both glanced over to Dr. Kadowaki, who held a stack of papers in her arms. Irvine casually walked over to her, picking up the papers from her arms. "Thank you, Irvine. Well, since you're both here, I'm sure you'll go and tell the others. The poison that was released into him attacks a certain part of his memory."

Quistis choked a little. "Memory? Like...his childhood?"

Dr. Kadowaki nodded. "His childhood, his adulthood, how to fight, how to walk, his...relatives...anything."

"Do you know which one?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Dr. Kadowaki shook her head. "No. He'll be awaking within the day...I suggest that you go and get his files and anything important to him."

Quistis nodded her head and Dr. Kadowaki immediately took the papers from his hands and continued walking out of the infirmary. She turned her heel to leave, but immediately felt Irvine's arm grab her arm. She turned and looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion, fear, passion, and love all at once. "I'll go with you..."

She pulled her arm away slowly, their hands barely meeting. Irvine looked around and gently bent down to her face. She backed away slightly. "What are you doing?"

"One hundred and twentith time I'm asking you...go out with me."

"Irvine..."

She rolled her eyes and immediately left for the records room. Irvine stayed behind, his eyes lingering towards Squall. He was moving slightly in his bed, as if he forgot how to wake up. Irvine chuckled. "Lucky bastard," he mumbled.

"Who's a lucky bastard!" Irvine turned his head to see Selphie and Zell staring at him. Selphie had a basketful of muffins and Zell simply carried some orange juice.

"No one...what's all this?" he asked.

"We want Squall to be comfie when he wakes up!" Selphie smiled and walked into the room, the two boys trailing behind. Selphie placed the muffins onto the table and bent over to look at Squall's face. Zell sat down, placing the orange juice and cups onto the ground. He stretched out, smiling at Irvine. He mouthed, "I saw Quistis leave looking very different."

Irvine raised his finger to his mouth as Selphie started to talk to Squall. "Come on you guys! Talk to him!"

"Selphie, its not like he's in a coma...he's just remembering things," Zell pointed out.

Selphie stuck her tongue out at him and then stopped as she heard Squall's voice, "Like how the moment I open my eyes...I'm going to see muffins in front of me..."

Selphie giggled loudly and looked down at Squall, his eyes opening up and staring directly at the muffins. "How ya feeling?" she asked, bending down so her face was at bed level.

"...tired."

Selphie turned to Irvine and smiled. "Go get her!" she said.

Irvine simply shrugged and walked out of the room to look for Quistis.

Squall gave her a confused look but merely shrugged it off. "So you remember us?" Zell asked.

"Yea...why?"

Selphie grinned. "Cause...you got stung by this queen bug of some sort on a mission. The poison from the sting attacks a piece of your memory."

"Oh."

"You remember how to use a gunblade?" Zell asked again.

"...considering I'm craving to right now, yes. I remember all of you, I remember the Sorceress War...I remember Laguna and Ellone and Time Compression."

As Selphie and Zell listed the important things, Irvine opened the records room door. "Let me help," he said. He walked over to her, picking up some of the files. She nodded her head and picked up the other half. "He's awake."

"He is?" she said, hope overcoming her body.

"Yea. Just woke up thanks to Selphie."

She shifted the files around in her grasp and immediately left the room. She had gotten what she needed and more. She walked briskly towards the Infirmary, rushing past the students. She could hear Irvine's boots clicking behind her as she turned down the hallway and walked straight through the automatic doors. She stopped, staring directly into the window. She shifted the documents and Irvine walked past her, grunting softly. Selphie stood up, her hands flying rapidly at the folders, handing Squall each one carefully. She could hear them talking.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Reports! Everything you've ever done, everything about your life, everything about you!" she exclaimed. She turned her head, smiling at Quistis. Quistis breathed in and took a slight step forward, before she heard Squall's voice.

"Where's Rinoa?" he asked, slightly confused. Quistis stopped dead in her tracks. Maybe he didn't remember the previous mission. "I remember seeing her in Esthar for some sort of mission..."

Quistis breathed in as Selphie looked through the first half of reports that Irvine had brought in. Quistis had the recent missions in her arms. She took another step, then another, and finally walked through the doors, placing the files carefully down at the foot of his bed. His gray eyes looked up, meeting with her own sapphire eyes. Selphie smiled, seeing the pure love in Quistis' eyes as she looked at him. "Hello, Squall."

He blinked. There was no emotion behind his eyes. "I'm sorry...do...I know you?" Selphie's eyes flashed open, fear overcoming her face. "...you don't look familiar," he announced. Quistis' heart began to race, faster and faster.

"No," she said softly. "No...you don't know me." With those words, she turned around and left, moving quickly. Squall sat up some, grasping the folders she had dropped off in his hands. He stared at the now empty door, blinking.

"Squall," Selphie's soft voice rung out the silence in his mind. "That's Quistis..."

"Who?"

Zell frowned. "Quistis...we...all grew up in the orphanage together?"

"She was your instructor...our friend..." He shook his head. Selphie bit her lip and looked at Irvine. "Squall." He looked up at her. "She's your girlfriend."

Zell began to laugh. "No she's not, Selphie! Where did you get that idea?"

"My girlfriend? If she was my girlfriend...then why did she leave like that?" he asked, now curious.

"She's hurt that you don't remember her!"

"Selphie, stop...I swear, sometimes Selphie...you let your daydreams get to you," Zell laughed out.

Selphie looked pleadingly at Irvine. He was the only other person that knew of Squall and Quistis' secret relationship. "Irvine! Tell him!"

"Tell me what?" Squall announced, now even more confused.

Irvine sighed, grasping his head. "Selph...you know that they never dated," he said abruptly. Selphie blinked, pain and hate filling her eyes. "They both would have gotten fired for it..."

Squall nodded his head in agreement. "Cause I'm a commader...and she's just an instructor."

Selphie blinked, nodding her head dimwittedly. "...yea..."

Irvine walked out of the door as Zell began to talk to Squall. Selphie glared at him, tears ready to fall out of her eyes at any second. Irvine walked coolly and calmly towards the headmaster's office.

In her dorm, Quistis sat, leaning against her bed. Tears magestically flew out of her eyes, but there were no sobs coming from her mouth.

A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! (hides)