Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII...

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. For some reason, I had a really hard time writing it. Actually, I had been going through a period recently where I just couldn't seem to be inspired to write anything. Thankfully, I'm finally over it! Thanks for all of your reviews!

To Love You More

Chapter Thirty-Three

"What are we?

What you wanna be

Everything!

That you wanna be

All I need

Right in front of me

I've know before

Would you come my way?

Or did you burn out to the end

Would you come my way?

Should have listened when you called my name..."

-"Bullet Proof" Goo Goo Dolls

PROMPTLY at ten o'clock the next morning, Quistis arrived at the pier. Although it was still morning, the weather was already unbearably hot. As a result, Quistis had opted to wear a short denim skirt, paired with a white sleeveless top. The straps of a white bikini top could be seen tied around her neck. Her hair was pulled up into her usual clip, wanting to remain as cool as possible. Her eyes scanned the pier, searching for a certain arrogant blonde. She was surprised to find that she was disappointed that he wasn't there yet. Wasn't he the one who had insisted on being there on time?

"Sorry I'm late, Instructor." His voice was suddenly next to her ear, causing a chill to run down her spine. "I was just checking over the boat."

Quistis spun around to face him, choosing to ignore that he had seemed to be reverting back to her old nickname. She had more pressing matters to address. "What boat?"

"My boat," Seifer said, as if stating the obvious. "What, do you think I sit on the docks all day to fish?"

"No..." She trailed off, shrugging. "So, why did you need to check your boat in the first place?"

"Because, my dear instructor, we're going sailing today," he replied, smirking.

"Sailing?" Quistis asked, narrowing her eyes. "You never said anything about sailing."

Seifer laughed at the look on her face. "Relax. I told you that I had a surprise planned, right? Well, this is only part of it. Come on, let's go." He gestured for her to follow him.

Sighing, she decided to humor him. Whatever he had planned couldn't be that bad, right? Besides, curiosity was beginning to get the best of her, and she was anxious to find out what else Seifer had in store for her.

Seifer stopped abruptly in front of a medium-sized boat. Anyone could tell that it was a fishing boat just by looking at the nets slung over the sides, and the traps piled on the deck. The blonde fisherman lowered a ramp that would allow them to board the vessel.

"Be careful," he warned, as Quistis began walking up it. "The ramp can be slippery. I don't think you want to become shark food, but what do I know. You could be into that kind of stuff."

Quistis rolled her eyes. "Very funny." She quickly finished ascending the ramp, and placed her feet firmly on the deck of the ship.

Seifer followed closely behind her, and once aboard, began to work on untying the ropes that were tied to the dock. He seemed to undo them in record time, much to Quistis' amazement. She had never imagined that Seifer would ever be so adept in handling boats and the like. Then again, she had never pictured Seifer as a fisherman.

"You ready?" Seifer asked, his trademark smirk once again paying about his lips. "I won't let you down."

"OKAY, guys, the dresses have arrived!" Selphie squealed.

Rinoa, Carrie, and Michelle, one of Carrie's close friends, were assembled in Selphie's dorm. The bubbly brunette was more than excited that the bridesmaid dresses, and, more importantly, Carrie's gown, had arrived.

"Thanks for picking them up, Selphie," Carrie said gratefully. "I can't believe that the wedding is only days away!"

"Hey, no problem. So, are you nervous about marrying Zell?" Selphie asked with a wink.

Carrie began to blush. "Of course I am! What bride isn't?" She giggled. "It doesn't matter, though. I know that Zell is the guy for me."

"That's so romantic," Michelle said, sighing dreamily. "I wish I could find a guy as sweet as Zell."

The girls all laughed good-naturedly. "Okay, girls, time to try these dresses on!" Selphie exclaimed, pulling out three bridesmaid dresses from the closet. She handed one to Rinoa, and then one to Michelle, setting hers aside on the bed. "We'll try these on first, and then we'll help you with your gown, Carrie."

Carrie nodded. "Okay. I'll wait here while you all get changed."

Rinoa and Michelle each took off to their respective dorms to try the dresses on, while Selphie changed in the bathroom. As Carrie waited for the girls to return, she walked over to the closet to inspect her gown. She carefully laid the silken material onto Selphie's bed. The design was simple; a short-sleeved, straight gown, dotted with baby pearls around the neckline and waist. It suited her perfectly, and she couldn't wait to try it on. As she walked over to the closet to see if her veil was in there, she couldn't help noticing that a lone bridesmaid dress hung in the front of the closet; Quistis'. Carrie, like the majority of the Balamb Garden population, had heard about how Quistis had just taken off. Very few people could say they were surprised, though. It was pretty obvious to everyone that Squall and Quistis had been having problems. Still, Carrie hoped that Quistis would come back in time for the wedding. The rehearsal dinner was just three nights away. Carrie really admired the blonde, and sincerely wanted her at her wedding.

The door to the bathroom opened, causing Carrie to jump back from the closet. She felt as if she had been snooping, even though she knew that she hadn't. Selphie entered the room, followed closely by Michelle, and then Rinoa.

"You guys look amazing!" she exclaimed, completely meaning it. Anyone would happily agree with her. The pale lavender, spaghetti-strapped dresses looked great on all three of the girls. They were made of a rustling satin, and were simple and elegant. The lavender color accentuated each of the girl's features, from Selphie's brown hair, to Michelle's dirty-blonde.

"Well, you have great taste," Selphie complimented her. "Now, it's your turn! Into the bathroom with you!" She placed the gown safely into Carrie's arms. "Holler if you need any help."

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, the bride to be nodded and entered the bathroom. As soon as the door had shut behind her, Selphie turned to Michelle.

"Michelle, I hate to bother you, but do you think you could go get changed and then head down to the Quad? My crew has assembled there to finalize the ballroom plans, and it would be a real life saver to me if you could handle it."

Michelle nodded enthusiastically. "No problem. The second Carrie gets done, I'll head over there."

"Thanks, Michelle!" Selphie said happily. "You're the best!"

Seconds later, the bathroom door opened, and out stepped Carrie, smiling nervously. She twirled around once, showing off all sides of the gown. "So...what do you think?"

"It's beautiful, Carrie!" Michelle gushed.

Selphie nodded in agreement. "Perfect!"

Carrie looked to Rinoa for her opinion, but she seemed to be lost in thought. Selphie elbowed her, trying to break whatever trance she was in.

"Huh?" Rinoa questioned, confused.

"Doesn't Carrie look gorgeous?" she said pointedly.

Finally getting the hint, Rinoa nodded enthusiastically. "You look wonderful, Carrie. Zell won't know what hit him when he sees you."

Carrie was positively beaming. "Aw, thank you, guys. I don't know what I'd do without all of you!" She disappeared back into the bathroom to change back into her regular clothes.

"Well, that's my cue to go," Michelle told them. "Don't worry about the decorations, Selphie. I'll make sure everything is all set. See you guys later!" She smiled and left the room.

As soon as she had left, Selphie turned to Rinoa expectantly. "Okay, spill. You've been quiet this whole time. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong," Rinoa insisted. "I'm just tired."

Selphie shot her a look that clearly read, 'You expect me to believe that?' "Rinoa, I know you a lot better than you think. You've been spacing out this whole time. What's going on?"

Rinoa sighed, knowing that Selphie would not drop the subject. "It's really complicated, Selphie, and I don't exactly feel like going over the details right now. I'm just having a hard time processing some things."

"Is this about your breakup with Irvine?"

"Wow," Rinoa said, surprised. "News sure does travel fast around here."

"No," Selphie said, shaking her head. "I talked to Irvine earlier today and he told me you guys had broken up. I take it you didn't want anyone to know?"

"It's not that. I just hate how you can't do anything without the rest of Garden hearing about it." She sighed once more. "To answer your question, though, no, this has nothing to do with Irvine. Actually, us breaking up was one of the better things to happen lately. We're definitely better off as friends."

"Your decision didn't have anything to do with Squall, did it?"

Rinoa once again looked at her friend in surprise. Was it that obvious? Before she had a chance to respond, Carrie had walked back into the room.

"I guess I'll get going now. Thanks again for all of your help." She smiled warmly. "Don't forget, the rehearsal is Saturday night at seven. See you then!"

The second Carrie was gone, Selphie turned back to Rinoa. "So...are you going to answer my question?"

"I think you already know the answer," Rinoa said quietly.

"So it's true then. You still love him."

Rinoa looked up sharply. "Where did you hear that?"

Selphie looked away momentarily, as if ashamed. "When I was talking to Irvine this morning, he mentioned that he suspected that you and Squall...still had feelings for each other."

"What a mess," Rinoa said miserably as she buried her head in her hands. "Everyone will know before long."

"Hey," Selphie said softly, "It's alright. Nobody's going to know unless you tell them. I'm not saying anything, and I know that Irvine won't, either. He could only tell because he's been close to you lately. That's all. No one else will notice a thing."

Rinoa shook her head. "They'll find out eventually." She turned to her friend, a look of despair written all over her face. "I've done a horrible thing, Selphie."

"No, Rinoa. Falling in love is not a crime. You have no control over who you love."

"You don't understand!" Rinoa exclaimed. "It's so much more complicated than that!"

Selphie looked at her friend in surprise. Rinoa rarely showed such outright despair. She was always the one who saw the brighter side of things, and remained optimistic through it all. What could have possibly happened to have made her act this way? "What is it?" she asked gently. "Rinoa, you can tell me."

"I can't get you involved in this," the sorceress answered truthfully.

The truth was, Rinoa would have loved to get everything off of her chest and confide in her friend. However, doing so would require Selphie to keep a secret, a life-altering secret, from Quistis. There was no way that Rinoa was going to allow that to happen. She wouldn't ask Selphie to choose between her and the blonde.

"Listen, Selphie, I really appreciate your concern. You're one of my best friends, and if I thought I could tell you this without it affecting you, then I would. The thing is, if I told you, you would only end up caught in the middle of an extremely messy situation. That's the last thing that I want to happen."

Selphie nodded in understanding, although her curiosity remained piqued at Rinoa's cryptic statements. "Okay, I won't mention a word of it again. Even if you can't tell me, though, you're still my friend and you can always come to me for anything, k?"

Rinoa smiled, partly from relief, and partly because she felt so lucky to have such an understanding friend. "Okay. Thank you, Selphie. I really mean it." She drew her into a warm hug. "I really should get going now, though. Thanks again for the talk."

"Don't worry about it. Just remember what I said." The two women stood up, and Selphie walked Rinoa over to the door. "See you later!" she exclaimed.

QUISTIS stood by the railing of Seifer's boat, watching the sun blazing in the distance. It was a perfect day to be on the ocean. Still, as she stood there, she couldn't help but think about how things were going back at Garden. More specifically, how things were going with Squall. Did he miss her? Had he even given her a single thought since she had left? She was doing surprisingly well without him. The laid-back environment of FH had done her a world of good. Of course, there was also Seifer. She hated to admit it, but she liked being around the blonde. He was a distraction, yes, but...was that all he was?

Quistis sighed. What am I doing? She had come to FH to figure out what she really wanted. To decide how to proceed in her relationship with Squall. Instead, here she was, on a gorgeous day, sailing the ocean with Seifer Almasy, her husband's life-long rival. What would Squall think if he saw her now? Quistis shook her head. Who cares what he would think? He was the one who wanted the break in the first place. She was free to do whatever the hell she wanted. Squall Leonhart did not control her life.

"What are you thinking about, Instructor?" Seifer asked, his tone playful, as he came up beside her.

She hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell him the truth. "I was thinking...that Squall wouldn't be too happy if he saw me right now."

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "I don't see anything wrong with you."

Quistis rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I meant."

"You're right, I did. What you really meant was that your old husband would throw a fit if he found out that you're with me. He probably would hate the fact that we've seen each other almost every day, too. Is that the gist of what you're trying to say?"

The tone of his voice gave away nothing about how he felt. Quistis couldn't tell whether he was angry or amused. "Yes," she said softly. "That's the gist of it."

"And what about you?" Seifer demanded. "How do you feel about it? Do you wish you'd never run into me?"

Quistis shook her head. "No. I'm glad that I ran into you." Seeing the sudden smirk on his face, she felt the need to clarify. "It's been nice to have someone to talk to. You know...a friend."

Seifer nodded, now grinning. "Of course, Instructor. Let me just say that I'm honored to be your friend. Although, while we're still on the subject of your husband, I doubt he'd be pleased to know that."

She shrugged. "You know what? I'd rather not think about Squall right now. It's such a beautiful day... I'd just like to enjoy it."

Nodding, Seifer backed away from the railing. He looked out onto the distant horizon, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun. He could just make out the faint outline of land. "We'll be there soon," he informed her.

"Yes, but where exactly is 'there'? You haven't said a word about where we're going. For all I know, you could be leading me to a death trap."

"Now, do I look like the type of guy who would do that to a poor, defenseless woman?"

Quistis laughed out loud at that one. "Poor and defenseless, huh? Might I remind you that I'm carrying a whip with me?"

"Why, Quistis," Seifer said, grinning once more, "I am shocked! I never thought you were that kind of a person. Makes me feel dirty."

"Seifer!" Quistis exclaimed in disgust.

At that point, Seifer was doubled over in laughter. Quistis stared at him in disbelief. He was laughing so hard that tears were practically running down his face. Suddenly, a small sound escaped from Quistis' lips, and then erupted into an all-out laugh. Within seconds, she, too, was doubled over in laughter, unable to control herself. Minutes passed with the two of them laughing hysterically.

Surprisingly, Seifer was the first to compose himself. He opened his mouth to say something, but the situation was beyond words. All he could do was shake his head.

"Thank you," Quistis said suddenly, finally getting her laughter under control. "I really needed that."

Seifer simply smiled and wandered back into the boat's cabin. They would be docking soon.

"YOU know, these things are pretty pointless. We're having a dress rehearsal in three days, so what's the point in trying on these tuxes now?" Zell complained as he finished buttoning his tuxedo jacket.

Squall, Irvine, and two of Zell's other friends, Brett and Dusty, were gathered in Zell's room. Unlike the girls, they weren't exactly thrilled to be stuffed up in a room, trying on tuxedos.

"Hey, man, you don't want to disappoint Carrie, do you?" Irvine asked pointedly. "Besides, we're having a rehearsal, not a dress rehearsal. You don't want to wait until the morning of your wedding to find out that your tux doesn't fit, do you?"

Zell sighed in defeat. "No."

"I feel your pain, Zell," Brett chimed in. "Are you sure you want to go through with it? I mean, what's wrong with the single life?"

"My philosophy, exactly," Irvine said, laughing. "I'm afraid that Zell's already whipped, though."

"I am not whipped!" Zell exclaimed indignantly.

"Sure could have fooled me," Irvine retorted. Dusty and Brett nodded in agreement. "What do you think, Squall?"

Squall had chosen to remain quiet throughout the whole ordeal. Zell was his friend, but the commander wasn't exactly in the mood to be social. Not that he ever really was to begin with. "Yeah," he said absently, "Definitely whipped."

"Some friends I have," Zell grumbled. "You know, when you guys get married, I'm never going to let you hear the end of it."

"Well, I'm enjoying the single life," Irvine informed him, "And from the looks of it, so is Brett. Squall's already married, so it looks like you've only got Dusty to pick on."

Zell just shook his head. "I give up."

"Come on, Zell, just admit it," Brett urged. "I mean, you're not even having a bachelor party!"

"Excuse me for not wanting to have a hangover for my wedding," Zell argued.

"Ok, Brett, leave the guy alone," Dusty interjected. He decided to change the subject. "What did you guys think about that gas leak this morning? It would have been a real pain in the ass if it had checked out."

Irvine's eyes immediately traveled to Squall, who seemed to be fascinated with the floor. It was probably best to just change the subject, but... "Yeah, it was kind of strange, wasn't it? Care to shed any light on the situation, Squall?"

Squall looked up, his eyes narrowing. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something in the way Irvine had spoken that made him feel uneasy. "There's nothing to tell. There were reports of a possible gas leak, and we had to check it out before we allowed students to stay in Garden. Why is that so strange?"

Irvine shook his head. "It's not, really. Guess I was just curious."

Zell looked between the two men, sensing a slight tension. "Well, I have more important things to worry about. There was no gas leak, Squall took the necessary precautions, and it's done with. No use in talking about it all day."

"Are we done here?" Squall asked suddenly. "I have to get back to work." Without waiting for an answer, he quickly crossed the room, opened the door, and left.

"SO, what do you think?"

Quistis heard Seifer's question, but she didn't even know how to begin to reply. The scene before her was so breathtakingly beautiful that no words could even begin to do it justice. They had just arrived in a small cove. The water in front of them was such a pale blue that you could see right through to the bottom. The sand they were standing on was a beautiful, pale pink, and they were surrounded by lush vegetation and wild flowers of every color imaginable.

"It's...amazing," Quistis said softly.

Seifer inwardly smirked. He knew she would love it. "Well, why don't you make yourself comfortable while I grab lunch."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Lunch?"

"Yeah, lunch. You didn't think I'd take you out here empty handed, did you?"

"I guess not. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Seifer shook his head. "Nope. Like I said, just sit back and relax, and I'll handle everything."

Quistis watched as Seifer disappeared back into the boat. Since she had first run into him at FH, he had constantly been surprising her. He was so unlike the Seifer she had previously known, yet, she could still sense traces of his old personality within him. Over the years, Seifer had really grown up and matured. He was in charge of his own life now, and she really admired that. It was too bad that she hadn't been able to get through to him when she was his teacher. Still, perhaps having learned such things on his own was for the best. He had sure turned out a hell of a lot better than anyone could have imagined, including herself. That realization made her face burn in shame. She had been foolish to be so judgmental.

Perhaps part of the reason why she had always been so biased when it came to Seifer was because of Squall's lifelong disgust for him. It was no secret that she had always been partial to Squall, so it was no surprise that she would look down on his rival. She realized then that Squall had changed her opinions on a lot of things. She had let her feelings for him overshadow everything else. I feel like a fool.

"Here we are," Seifer said as he set up a blanket on the sand and began laying out various food items on it. "You ready to eat?"

"Actually, do you mind if I take a swim first? I'd really like to, um, clear my head."

"No problem. A swim sounds great." Seifer grinned and began to strip down to his bathing suit.

Quistis stared at him, her mouth open in shock. She hadn't said anything about him joining her, but it looked like he was going to do so, regardless. She was shocked to find it difficult to look away as he discarded his shirt. There could be no denying the fact that he had a gorgeous upper body. As Seifer suddenly looked up, Quistis quickly turned away, her face red with embarrassment.

Seifer grinned, but chose not to say anything. He feared that Quistis would change her mind about that swim if he teased her further. He began walking towards the water, stopping once to look over his shoulder and call to Quistis. "You coming?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and quickly slipped out of her skirt and top. She sprinted into the water, allowing its cool sensation to wash over her. It was such a refreshing and invigorating moment. Right then, she felt as if she could take on the world. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the fresh smell of the ocean...and a mouthful of water.

"Seifer!" she shrieked, her eyes blazing in anger. "What is wrong with you!"

Seifer would have responded if he hadn't been so caught up in laughing. Many people would have trembled at the look in Quistis' eyes, yet Seifer found it completely amusing. Besides, he thought Quistis was cute when she was angry.

Quistis just stared at him. Since talking didn't seem to be working, she decided to give Seifer a taste of his own medicine. She gave him a shove, causing him to stumble and fall face first into the water. A grin of triumph lit up her face. As she stood there, feeling quite proud of herself, she failed to notice that Seifer had yet to resurface. Finally, that realization dawned on her, and the grin quickly left her face.

"Seifer!" she exclaimed, scanning the water frantically. "Seifer, where are you?"

The water around her remained still and calm, showing no signs of human life. Quistis' heart began to beat frantically in her chest. Something was definitely wrong. Nobody could hold their breath for this long. What had she done?

"Seifer!" she called once more, unwilling to give up and face defeat.

"You called?"

Quistis' eyes widened as she spun around to face the shore. There, standing upon the shore, was Seifer, that damn smirk yet again adorning his face. Quistis could only stare at him, her worry melting into relief, which quickly dissolved into anger. She marched straight to the shore, her eyes blazing.

"What the hell is your problem, Seifer!" she demanded, once she had reached him."

"I was just having a little fun with you, Instructor."

Quistis clenched her fists in anger. "Who the hell do you think you are? Do you think what you just did was funny? I thought you had drowned!"

Seifer knew he should be taking her more seriously, but at the moment, he was a little distracted with admiring Quistis' toned body. Hey, no one had forced her to wear that skimpy bikini.

"Seifer, are you even listening to me?"

Seifer forced his eyes away from her body to meet her own. "I'm sorry, okay? Like I said, I was just trying to have a little fun. I'm sorry that I worried you." Quistis just shook her head in defeat. "But you were worried about me, right?" He hound himself grinning once more. "Does that mean you like me?"

When had his face grown so close to hers? Quistis felt herself blushing at their close proximity. She quickly turned away, suddenly very uncomfortable. "Let's just eat, Seifer."

Seifer inwardly grinned. Oh yeah. She likes me alright.