Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I do not own the places. I don't own anything related to FFVIII, all I own is the plot.

- Chapter seven: Devine Apparition-

"Is this the last one?" he whispered desperately.

"HUSH."

"Fu, I'm tired."

But Seifer smiled his plastic smile again.

"Anice, glad you could make it." He shook the woman's hand and threw a hopeful glance at the door.

When the butler closed it he let his relief show. Fujin gave him a stern glance but he ignored it. No more guests to greet. All he had to do now was get through this party.

He sat down on the chair next to Fujin's father at the end of the hall. He glanced up at the chandelier and found himself dozing off slowly. He smiled a faint smile as his eyes closed.

He would just sit in that chair and leave the dancing to the guests. He thought about the last party he had attended. On the beach at the orphanage. That had been a nice evening and one of his happiest memories.

Suddenly a loud crash made him look up. The music stopped and a large crowd gathered quickly near one of the tables.

'A lovers' tiff no doubt.' he mused.

The woman let out a wail of pain. The man tried to stand up and his hand raised to his hand, going though his hair. It was a simple gesture, but it brought back so many memories. More than anything else could.

"Squall?" he said unbelievingly.

It was Squall. What was Squall doing here? Who was he with? Why was he pushed? All these questions rushed through his mind.

The woman pushed her way through the crowd. She was crying.

'She looks like-'

She was crying because she was hurt.

'Could it be?'

He fell back into his chair as Rajin called for more music.

Fujin pulled him up. "DANCE."

He nodded vaguely but then shook his head. "No…not now. Later."

"SEIFER."

"No! Not now." he insisted.

He searched the room and noticed more familiar faces. Zell and Selphie were talking to someone. He chuckled at seeing Zell in a gentlemen's suit, but he ignored them and searched the hall.

He caught a glimpse of her golden hair in a shadowy corner of the room. He pushed past Fujin, past his guests. He had to get to her, he had to know for sure.

"…Quisty?"

He could barely say her name.

The woman went rigid, but didn't turn around to face him.

"…No…" she whispered.

He reached out to her, touching her shoulder. She let out a small gasp and snapped around. He was caught off guard when she finally revealed her face.

He had hoped for this moment for so long and so hard. But never had he thought that it could be true. He knew she was dead, he had seen her drown!

How could she stand before him now so clearly?

Was she an apparition? Her eyes were frightened and filled with tears. A lone whimper escaped her lips. He felt a rush of joy and sadness at the same time shooting through his body and mind.

He stretched a hand out to caress her cheek but she stepped back. Before he could touch her, she ran. She disappeared just as fast as she had turned up.

He realised she had gone too late. Searching for her in this crowd was futile now.

As he turned back he wondered if it had been real at all. Perhaps he had imagined everything. Perhaps she had been there only in his mind.

Perhaps she was a sign…or an apparition. Perhaps this meant he was going crazy after all.

He went back to Fujin, who stared at him curiously. He shook his head.

"ALRIGHT?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her properly for the first time that evening. She really was a beautiful young woman. But Quistis was too fresh on his mind. He hand only just seen her, an angel…he was sure seeing her meant something.

How could he make up his mind when his mind kept showing him images of a woman he had truly loved.

"SEIFER…"

"I need a drink." he said.

He excused himself from her presence and wandered through the crowd. He stared around aimlessly and ended up near the door. He wondered if he could walk through them to leave the party, perhaps never to return again.

No, if he did that then Quistis would have died for nothing. He had to stay here to finish the job, even if it was only to make sure her death hadn't been in vain.

His thoughts were interrupted when the doors he had been staring at intently swung open. Two men entered, they had come back, his friends.

He walked over to them quickly. He laid his hands on their shoulders and stared at them speechlessly. A sudden surge of homesickness hit him and he let out a sob.

He turned his face away, not wanting to let them see him like this.

"Hey Seifer, you know you could just tell us if we're that ugly." Zell said gingerly.

Seifer knew that he and Zell had never been the greatest of friends, but seeing him here and hearing him joke made him want to cry with happiness.

They had been in the hall seconds ago. They had been real…Had she been real too, then?

He calmed himself and then hugged them both.

"I- I'm glad to see you guys." he said. "I really am."

"You could just have invited us yourself, you know." Zell replied with a grin.

Seifer sobered up a little. "Hey…that's right…Fu wouldn't have…who did invite you guys…not that I don't want you here."

"Your Fiancée's father did." Squall answered casually. "Rinoa and Irvine are away on a mission, so they couldn't come. But they send their regards."

"Yeah, so it's just the four of us." Zell added.

"…Four…" Seifer whispered.

Zell nodded. "Yeah, but the girls went back to the hotel."

So all of it, everything he had seen that day, had been real. Quistis had been real. She was alive. The feeling that seared through him was inexplicably delightful.

He motioned them to come to Fujin almost as if he was in a dream. Quistis was alive. She was alive! All that time she had been alive. He could see her again, touch her again. Perhaps…he could even hold her again.

He looked at Squall and Zell, who were talking to Fuji and her father. Suddenly his wonderful happiness disappeared again. It had been Quistis who had pushed Squall into the table.

'Why?' he thought.

He had never seen her like that. Well, only once. The day he had left Balamb for ever. That had been a moment of pure desperation.

He felt a stab of jealousy. Had Quistis pushed Squall with that same desperation? The emotion she had only showed for him, the love of her life?

He couldn't help thinking this. Just when he thought he had found her again, he had realised that she was out of his reach.

A curse escaped his lips before he ran. He managed to leave the hall without knocking into anyone. There was only one place he could think of to go. Balconies had always been Fujin's refuge. Perhaps it would help him too.

"Here you go. A nice cup of tea."

Quistis took the mug and crawled onto her bed like a frightened child. Selphie sat down on her bed and stared at Quistis. Quistis avoided Selphie's eyes and stared at her dress that hung from a peg on the wall.

All the effort she had put into forgetting about him had been a waste of energy and time. She had allowed herself a moment of relaxation while dancing with Squall. Seeing Seifer had caught her off guard completely.

"Are you alright?" Selphie asked carefully.

Quistis did not hear her. She saw herself at the pier in Balamb harbour. She felt her feet running. She could feel the cold water close in around her all over again. She gasped, almost expecting water to pour down her throat.

"He…He called my name…he tried to touch me…I couldn't, Selphie. I just couldn't! I tried to forget everything, he knows why! Why would he seek me out when he knows he's hurting me like this."

She started to sob. Selphie stood up hastily and took Quistis' cup before the tea spilled all over her bed.

"He left because he loved you. That's what makes this whole situation worse." Selphie said. "He must know you still feel the same way. Perhaps he just couldn't cope with pretending not to love you anymore. He wouldn't have spoken to you like that if he didn't still care."

"I have to go. I can't stay here." Quistis whispered. "How can I stay now Fujin knows I'm here. She'll always keep her eye on me. She'll never leave me alone, she'll never trust me!"

"You can't go now!" Selphie said. "That would look even stranger! You've got to sit this one out. Pretend you're in love with Squall or Zell if you have to, but don't you dare bail on us now."

Quistis nodded subdued. Selphie was right. She couldn't keep running from Seifer or Fujin all her life. Besides, Squall would never let her go. He would probably ask for her resignation as a SeeD.

"I'll stay. But I can't pretend to be in love with someone else…"

"Perhaps you don't have to." Selphie mused. "That lovers' tiff you pulled off back there was rather convincing. It might even have convinced Fujin you're not interested in Seifer anymore."

Quistis blinked. "You think?"

Selphie nodded vigorously.

"But what about Rinoa. Everyone knows about them. Sorry Selphie, but that's just not convincing enough."

Selphie thought about it some more. "…We could say they broke up…"

Quistis snorted. "Oh sure. Who'd she pick then. Irvine?"

Selphie giggled. "Well, why not! They're off on a mission together and I came here with Zell. So…it could be convincing."

It was silent for a while. Quistis couldn't understand how easily Selphie spoke about her relationship with Irvine.

"Don't you ever worry Irvine might really want to see someone else?" She asked carefully.

Selphie shook her head. "I know Irvine better than anyone else does. He's a huge flirt, a charmer. But he's also a very honest person. He wouldn't risk our relationship if it wasn't already unstable. I think I'd even understand him if he ever broke up with me. It sounds crazy, I know. But I think he'd have a good reason for it and I think I'd be able to understand."

A knock on the door made them both look up. Selphie opened the door and let the guys in.

"How did it go?" Quistis asked.

Squall shrugged. "Alright. We talked to Fujin and her dad. They were curious about who had invited us, but her dad covered us."

"Seifer seemed really pleased to see us." Zell added. "He cried. He actually cried! I never thought I'd see that happen. Actually…I felt rather sorry for him when we saw him like that."

"And Fujin seemed to be very interested in that little fight you and I had." Squall continued. "Perhaps we could use that to make your situation a little easier."

He looked at Quistis.

Selphie giggled. "We were thinking along the same lines."

Quistis stood up and walked onto the balcony. The fresh midnight breeze sent a chill down her spine. The balcony door opened and closed and she knew who had followed her.

"…I can't go round pretending I love you." she said tiredly. "It's not all that easy for me, you know."

"I know. But you don't have to. All you have to do is pretend I hurt you really bad and that we split up. Perhaps pretend we made up our argument before Fujin's birthday, because it would be easier to work in two's again…"

Quistis turned around and leaned backwards against the banister.

"…Pretend you hurt me?" she sighed. "I guess I could manage that. It's best that way anyway. If I'm with you then Seifer won't try to seek my affection anymore, which will make this whole wedding business a lot easier."

Squall nodded. "I'm glad. You seem…as if your mind is clearer than before."

"I feel that way." she answered. "Somehow I think that tonight made me realise there's nothing I can change. Even if I could have changed something, I don't think I'd have had the energy for it. It's all just too much hassle."

She threw her head in the air.

"Love! Who needs it!"

But Squall knew she didn't mean it. He could hear the bitterness in her voice.

"Come here…don't be like that." he said as he closed her in a comforting embrace. "I have this feeling it will all work out somehow."

"Then…why do I have this ominous feeling something terrible is about to happen…" Quistis whispered quietly.

…dum dum dum… they met, they talked…sort of…so, what did you think? Trust me when I say there's going to be a whole lot more tension in the story. grins evilly.

Matron Raenee: …there's…a…cat…on…my…head…AAAAAAAAAAH get the kitty off me! No, I love cats. We've got two at home. They're called Haggis and Whisky nn I'm glad you liked the violence bit in the last chapter. There's going to be more of that too. Tension and violence…lovely, isn't it :D

Firess Ifrit Devil: Hmm, you know, if you're really looking forward to destroying somebody then it would be very wise for me not to continue posting. Or just post everything but the last chapter so you won't be able to kill me seeing as how you'd want to know how it ends…But then again, that would be mean, wouldn't it nn So just keep your firess ifrit powers inside their cage until this story is over. Then you may do what you want :D

Dark Angels: Weimar Republic and the two world wars…I had to study that for a whole year two years ago. That was ALL we got in history class and god was it boring! I know I shouldn't say that, because it really happened and all, but still. I'm a student and a little more variation in history assignments would be good sometimes, wouldn't it? Glad you liked the pushing into the table bit. I was happy with that too. I just feel sorry for Seifer because he totally has the wrong idea about her ad squall now. But, of course, that was meant to happen :D aren't I the evil one nn

I have been having some trouble with my internet connection at home, so that's why it took me this long to update. I hope that it'll work properly again soon and I'll see you guys then!
love, Raven55