Warning: This story contains shoujo ai (girlxgirl romance). So if you don't like the idea of romance between two women then stop reading now!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy 8 or any of its characters.
Author's Note: I'd first off like to take the time to say that this story has a main pairing of XuxQuistis, but that doesn't mean there won't be other pairings. There'll all be of little focus but there will still be other pairings. Like SquallxRinoa, SeiferxQuistis (one-sided. This won't change. So I'm sorry to fans of this pairing), FuijinxSeifer (one-sided. Might change if reviewers want it to be mutual), IrvinexSelphie (one-sided. Also might change if reviewers want it to), etc.
Also, the main plot of this fic won't really kick in until sometime over the halfway mark. So for a good while it'll just be a whole bunch of humor, drama, romance, and action that doesn't seem connected together. Or at least that's how the plan is at the moment, that might change and I might make the plot occur sooner. I'm still not sure when or how to approach it yet. The rating is M just so that you know it gets more serious/bloody in later chapter. Much later chapters, but it'll still happen. So the rating will already begin at M. So, for now, just enjoy chapter one!
Chapter Summary: Xu comes back from her mission, but something's wrong…terribly wrong…her mind…her mind is…THE MIND OF A TODDLER! What the…
Chapter One: Mommy
In the morning of a typical morning in Balamb Garden there would be a few students training in the training center. A few more would be taking a shower or getting dressed, but most would just still be in bed. The morning, for the students, regardless of what activities they may be doing was always quiet and peaceful. Unfortunately for Quistis, today would not be a typical morning for her.
Quistis had known that her lover, Xu, had been sent away in a mission, and wouldn't return for several days. 'It'll be lonely without her…but as a SeeD she has to do the mission she was given…' she assured herself. She was already awake for a few hours, and daylight was just barely starting to pour into the room through her window. She had already taken a shower, and was coming out to dry off. She took the nearby towel that she placed nearby ahead of time and started to dry off her body. From outside the bathroom she could hear a knock come from her dorm door.
"Just a minute!" She yelled, as she was putting on her bathrobe. She didn't hear a response so she assumed she was too far away to hear. She quickly straightened up her bathrobe, to make sure no cleavage was shown, and left the bathroom to unlock the door. When she finished unlocking it, a very dramatic Selphie burst inside. "A bit early for you showing up don't you think Selphie?" Quistis asked jokingly.
"Quistis this is serious! I have something important to tell you!" Selphie exclaimed hysterically. Quistis noticed that she was not trying to be hyper or energetic in the least as she yelled; it was more like she couldn't. Her face showed a mixed expression of concern and sadness, two expressions that contradict Selphie's usually perky attitude.
Quistis placed one hand on each of Selphie's shoulders, and stared directly into her eyes. Now concerned, she asked, "What's happened?"
"It's Xu. She came back from her mission, but she…she's…" Selphie looked away from the older woman. Neither wanting to continue her message nor wanting to look her in the eye.
She then used each hand to grab a hold of Selphie, rather tightly, and begin to shake her. "She's what! Tell me!" Quistis demanded.
Selphie winced slightly, and continued speaking, "She's in the infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki doesn't know what's happened to her, but she thinks that Xu is…" her words no longer reached Quistis.
She was already out the door, and running through the hallway. Quistis had already heard enough to know that Xu needed her, or maybe it was really vice versa. Her thought pattern had a total absence of anything else other than the well-being of her lover. She made it to the infirmary at remarkable time, and the only two people inside were Dr. Kadowaki, and Xu.
Dr. Kadowaki was examining Xu with her stethoscope, but she stopped when Quistis entered. Xu, on the other hand, was lying on a bed. Her body lay there, motionless, eyes closed, and with pale skin. She had no signs of loosing any limbs, blood, or showing of any first-glance injuries. Quistis noticed that the insides of Xu's eyelids were moving. So her biggest fear was instantly dismissed upon sight of it, she wasn't dead.
"Don't worry, she isn't dead. She's only asleep," Dr. Kadowaki explained with no need of a question. "I suggest she gets plenty to eat when she wakes up, and a good nights rest tonight. If any sign of anything unusual occurs to her, then please be sure to notify me immediately. You may take her to your room now if you wish." she finished.
"Thank you, Dr. Kadowaki, but I wouldn't want to disturb her right now. I'll just stay her, by her side, if you don't mind."
"Stay here as long as you like, but uhh…" her voice trails off, as she points to Quistis' robe, waiting for an explanation.
"Oh yes. This…well…err…" she said, suddenly remembering her unplanned sprint. Quistis had a hard time putting her thoughts into words. 'Selphie looked so serious that I thought she was going to tell me Xu was dead. I couldn't just walk here with that on my mind. I had to get here as fast as I could.' Her voice continued its struggle to formulate words as another person came into the infirmary.
"Quistis you forgot your clothes!" exclaimed an out of breath Selphie. A set of SeeD clothes was in the grips of the panting girl, some bra and panties included. A very red and a very embarrassed Quistis took hold of her clothing. Without a word, she ran into the second room for patients to rest in, and pulled the drapes to keep lingering eyes at bay. She shortly came back out, fully clothed.
"Thanks Selphie." she said.
"No problem," Selphie said. "So uhh…is Xu…?"
"Like I said earlier, she appears to have no physical injuries. She should theoretically be fine when she wakes up." said Dr. Kadowaki.
"What do you mean 'theoretically'?" inquired Quistis. Dr. Kadowaki stuffed her hands in her pockets, and seemed to casually start to look at Selphie, Xu, the floor, anywhere other than Quistis.
"Well the fact of the matter of is that when I was running some cerebral scans, I found some irregularities: the number of wrinkles to her brain where well below average." horror struck Quistis sharply and painfully while Selphie was left quite confused.
"Meaning what…?" Selphie asked, not understand the doctor's explanation.
"Meaning Xu's mind has reverted back to…" Quistis began.
"…the age of adolescence, I estimate." finished Dr. Kadowaki.
"But…ho-"
"I don't know how it happened. Of course this is just one theory that might explain what will happen to her. There are other possibilities, but this theory seems most likely." answered Dr. Kadowaki, again before Quistis could speak out her question. Quistis gave herself a few minutes to recover from the doctor's words before proceeding to speak.
"Is there anything that you can do?" she asked with clear desperation and anxiety.
"There is nothing I can do, with modern medicine, to help," said Dr. Kadowaki, "but I will see if I can't find a solution."
"Thank you." Quistis muttered. She then proceeded up to Xu's bed, and fruitlessly attempted to pull her body upward. "Selphie, help me out." she requested from her friend. Selphie silently obeyed, and the both of them managed to put Xu on Quistis's back; Selphie helped to support some of Xu's weight from behind. Xu didn't' stir awake from the sudden movement, she continued to slumber on and on.
"You're going to take her back to your room now?" asked Dr. Kadowaki.
"Yes, and I'll be sure to inform you if your theory is correct or not" replied Quistis. With that as her final words, she led Xu, Selphie, and herself back to her and Xu's dorm.
When they reached the room, Selphie, and Quistis were mutually careful in placing of the sleeping SeeD on her and Quistis's bed. Quistis placed a cover on her lover's sleeping body. The instant she finished, she saw that Xu was starting to wake up.
She intently watched her lover's eyes peeling open, and have their gaze slowly focus into perspective. Xu took one look at Quistis and quickly flung her arms around her. She then quickly placed a single, yet strong, kiss on her lover's cheek.
Thinking she knew where this was going, Selphie decided upon leaving the two alone. "Well I should probably leave you two-
"Mommy!" yelled Xu. Quistis and Selphie's eyes widened with surprise. Had they heard her right? Selphie looked around to see if there was somehow a mysterious fourth lady in the room; there was none. "Mommy! Mommy!" Xu yelled again, with great enthusiasm. Xu gripped more tightly unto her lover as she spoke. Xu then buried her face in her lover's chest, and said "I've missed you mommy."
Author's note: Well that's chapter one. One of my first thoughts on Xu was to have her mind be at the adolescent stage, but I thought the toddler age would be better since I have better humorous ideas at that age than adolescence.
People should note how long I take to get an update, because I am one slow writer. So I'm sorry if you're expecting an update to this in like a week or two, because it will definitely take longer than that. Also, take note that I won't abandon or suddenly decide to discontinue a story. All my stories I intend to write until the end. So if you check up on my stories long enough you'll find updates to them sooner or later.
Just remember to review and vote whether you want the IrvinexSelphie, and FuijinxSeifer pairing to be mutual or not. It doesn't matter to me, but I'd like to give reviewers some power over this fic. Also I'd like to ask, who should Zell be with? I have no idea if he should be with the library girl, or somebody else. I'm leaving that entirely to reviewers, or he'll just stay single throughout the fic. These are your choices to make reviewers. Have fun choosing. That and does the library girl even have a name? I'll make one up if she doesn't.
Anyway, here's a preview to a little part from chapter two. Just remember that this is a rough draft right now. Meaning this is subject to change or even being cut out from the final draft.
Chapter two: Growing up
"So how's Mommy-hood?" giggled the young train enthusiast.
"Very funny Selphie…" replied a worn out Quistis, sarcastically. Quistis collapsed to a nearby chair, and laid her head on the table. She then took the hot dog from Zell's hands.
"Hey that was…" Zell looked into Quistis's worn out, bitter, murderous eyes and decided it was best not to argue with her right now. One measly hot dog over his life was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He then finished his sentence, "…yours."