Seifer sighed as he leaned against the wall of the alleyway. He had just been chased out of the base and the soldiers were still pursuing him. He heard the pounding of feet behind him and pushed himself off the wall wearily. Did they have nothing better to do than chase him around all morning? Setting off down the alley away from the sounds he reflected that they probably really didn't have anything better to do than follow him around the city. Reaching the end of the alley, he jumped up on top of a dumpster, using the perch to climb up onto the flat roof of a house. Peering over the edge of the roof he saw the soldiers enter the alleyway after him. Smirking, he set off across the roof, free of pursuit; for now at least.
He had been sent back to Timber to retrieve the files that documented the attack on the Garden. General Caraway had been hard at work since the battle trying to get the Galbadian President brought up on charges but since he didn't have any concrete evidence, his attempts had been unsuccessful. Finally, Caraway had contacted Headmaster Cid about hiring SeeD to get the information for him. Seifer had been the ideal choice for the mission because of his involvement in the original conflict.
He had gotten in easily enough but had gotten overconfident on his way out and had been discovered. Now he was being chased through the whole town of Timber. He had to admit that if this was happeing to someone else he would have found the whole thing highly amusing. But, as it was, it was very frustrating. Glancing behind him, he saw that the soldiers still hadn't figured out his trick.
The group of soldiers in front of him were a shock to him though. Without time to think of anything else, he just kept running, bowling into the middle of the group. He felt hands grab the back of his coat and kicked out behind him without looking and smirked as he felt the hands release him. He put his shoulder down and smashed into another man. The soldier was lifted off his feet from the blow and fell onto his back on the rooftop. Seifer jumped over the fallen man and kicked out again, hitting another soldier in the stomach.
As he broke free of the group he sprinted for the edge of the roof. The remaining soldiers behind him began to shoot at him. With a curse, he ducked his head and picked up speed. If he timed his jump, he could get to the the roof of the pet shop and into the train station before they could catch him.
Not slowing a bit, he hit the edge of the roof and jumped, clearing the alley and hitting the slanted room of the pet store. He slid back down a little and hurriedly began scrambling up the roof, trying to get to the other side of the roof, out of range of the bullets still flying around him. Reaching the top, he pulled himself over, letting his body slide down head first while his right hand kept hold of the top of the roof. When his arm was fully extended, his legs were swung rapidly down under him again. He winced as he felt his right arm come out of socket. Letting go of the edge, he slid down on his back until his feet hit the edge of the roof. Holding his right arm to his chest, he jumped down from the roof, landing solidly on his feet. His left knee collapsed as a sharp pain shot up his leg. He gritted his teeth against the pain and pushed himself up with his good arm. Limping quickly, he entered the train station and got a ticket for the first train anywhere. He heard the soldiers entering the station as he boarded the train, the sliding door seperating them as the train pulled out of the station.
Still limping, he made his way through the passenger car until he got to the SeeD car. He entered and was glad to see that it was deserted. Groaning, he dropped into a seat, feeling the back of his left leg gingerly. His fingers found a bloody patch halfway down the back of his pants leg. Through the hole ripped in his pants by the bullet he could feel a bleeding line creasing the back of his leg. The bullet had just grazed him then. Sighing in relief, he leaned back in his seat. Quistis would have killed him if he had ended up getting shot.
Feeling his shoulder, he decided to just leave it out until he got back to the Garden and Doctor Kadowaki could fix it. With a groan he levered himself out of his seat and checked the luggage compartment under the bench seat. Sure enough, there were SeeD uniforms folded neatly in the drawer, just as regulations demanded.
He changed clothes as quickly as he could with his injuries, tossing his sweaty shirt and bloody pants into an empty duffel bag that was also in the compartment. He put his trench coat back on, making sure that the files he had been sent to retrieve were still in the inside pocket of the coat. Feeling something else in the pocket he slowly stuck his hand in and pulled out a small box. He had been carrying it around for weeks, always in the inside pocket of his coat. He found he couldn't help pulling it out and just staring at its contents.
The ring was white gold with a single diamond in the center, two blue sapphires on either side of the diamond. Swallowing in trepedation, he closed the ring box with a snap and sat back in the seat heavily.
He couldn't believe it. He was actually considering asking Quistis to marry him. He knew without a doubt that he loved her and that he wanted to spend his life with her but he had never imagined himself gettting married. Until Quistis, he could never imagined wanting to. He didn't know why he had been granted this second chance and he didn't really care. He was just thankful that he had it – had her. She had saved him, from Ultimecia, from himself.
Quistis was nervous and antsy as she taught her class. Seifer had only been gone one day. She knew he couldn't contact her while he was on the mission but she couldn't help fearing that he had been hurt or killed.
Giving up on lecturing, she assigned group work for the class and sat at her desk with her face in her hands. She was scared for him. He'd always been confidents in himself and she had to admit that he was a good fighter but she couldn't stop herself from being afraid for him.
She jumped as her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. Pulling it out of her coat, she opened it and was surprised to see that she had a new text message from Selphie.
"I knw ur n class, sry. Sfr bck, n inf."
Feeling lightheaded, she closed the phone, feeling her hands shacking as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. A knock on the door came a moment later and the class looked up, curious.
"Keep working," she said as she stood up shakily, her voice sounding weak in her own ears. Rinoa was standing on the other side and immediately pulled her friend into a hug as she saw the look on her face.
"You go. I'll stay here with your class," Rinoa said. Quistis nodded gratefully and set off to the infirmary at a quick walk. Before she got to the end of the hall it had become a run.
Seifer was reclining on his bed in the infirmary, bored out of his mind. He had only been back at the Garden for a few minutes when Selphie, coming out of the cafeteria, had seen him limping towards the infirmary. She had helped him get to the doctor's office and then messaged Quistis to tell the instructor that he was back. Doctor Kadowaki had reset his shoulder and applied a salve to the bullet wound on the back of his leg within a couple of minutes and ordered the SeeD into one of the private rooms to rest. Seifer had protested, stating that he needed to get the documents he had recovered up to Squall's office. The doctor had resolutely taken the files and sent them with Selphie up to Squall's office.
Now Seifer was alone and bored. The doctor had told him to get some sleep but he found himself unable to rest. His interest was piqued a little when he heard voices in the other room. He began to regret not falling asleep whenever Quistis stormed into the room, her face pale, blue eyes angry.
"Seifer!" she cried, punching his wounded arm.
He winced. "Ow! What did I do?" he asked, raising his hands to defend himself.
"You dislocated your arm," she cried, punching him again.
"That's not that bad," he protested, grabbing her wrists in his hands to spare himself more blows.
"You got shot!" she yelled in his face, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seifer did manage to look guilty as she glared at him and he used his grip on her hands to pull her down into his arms. She clung to him, squeezing her eyes closed as he held her. "I'm sorry baby. I'm okay though. I'm right here," he whispered, rocking her gently. "I love you," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"I love you Seifer," she said back to him, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "You scared me. I missed you."
He smiled at her as he answered. "I missed you too Quis. I'm sorry I scared you. Did no one think to tell you that I wasn't dead when they went telling you I was in here?" he asked, gesturing with one hand to the infirmary.
"I guess not," Squall's voice came from behind them as the commander entered the room with Rinoa right behind him.
"Well maybe you should have thought of that so she wouldn't freak out," Seifer commented to his commander as his friends came in.
"I'll have to do that next time," Squall said, smirking down at his former rival. Quistis' head whipped around at this and she fixed her blue glare on Squall. The smirk slipped off of the teenaged commander's face and he took a step back. "What I mean is…" he stuttered, trying to retract his statement.
"Alright Quis, lay off him. You know he didn't mean anything," Seifer said, pulling Quistis' body to lean against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She tried to sit up and turn towards him so she could argue but he wouldn't let her, just held her tighter and pressed kisses against her neck.
Rinoa was watching the scene with a smile on her face while Squall was smirking at Seifer. The blonde just pointed at them and slid a finger across his throat, making his meaning clear. Quistis smirked and hugged Seifer's forearms as she settled into his arms.
"I'm going to need to see you in my office later, whenever you get out," Squall said as he waved goodbye. "I've got to head back to the office." The couple on the bed said goodbye, Rinoa standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss.
"Is the class doing okay Rin?" Quistis asked.
The scorceress smiled and nodded. "Yeah, they turned in their group work and I let them go."
Quistis nodded her thanks and smiled back at her firend. "Thanks for covering for me. I don't think I could have made it through the rest of class."
Rinoa grinned. "Yeah I noticed. You were freaking out Quis," she teased her friend.
"I can't help it that I love the careless, inconciderate…."
Seifer interrupted. "I wasn't trying to get shot," he objected. The girls both laughed and Seifer scowled. Just then the door opened behind Rinoa and Doctor Kadowaki came in. She smiled at them and moved over to the bedside.
"You two shouldn't gang up on Seifer like this." Seifer grinned and stuck his tongue out at Rinoa. "And Instructor Trepe, you really shouldn't be lying on the patient," she continued, causing Quistis to blush and Rinoa and Seifer to laugh. Seifer released his hold on Quistis' waist and the doctor seized one of Seifer's wrists to take his pulse while Quistis slid off the bed. Doctor Kadowaki checked Seifer's shoulder to make sure it wasn't bruised and then handed him a bottle of salve for his leg. "Just put some more on every three hours and you should be fine in a few days," she ordered, checking things on his chart as she spoke.
"So, can I leave?" he asked hopefully, sitting up in bed. The doctor nodded and was surprised when Seifer immediately swung his legs out of the bed and stood up. "Thanks doc." Quistis hugged Seifer as he walked over to her, smiling up at him.
"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered as he tightened his arms around her.
"So Quistis are you done with classes for the day?" Rinoa asked the embracing couple. Frowning, Quisitis shook her head.
"I've got one more," she said.
Seifer checked his watch quickly as he pulled his trench coat over his shoulder gingerly. "Well, I have to go talk to Squall for a while so how about we all meet in the cafeteria at dinner time?" he suggested. The two girls nodded and smiled.
"Just make sure to tell Squall. Otherwise he'll just work through dinner again," Rinoa requested. Seifer nodded with a smirk and the friends moved out of the infirmary. When they reached the hub of the Garden, they seperated. Rinoa went to the dormitory, while Quistis and Seifer walked together to the elevator. The car reached the second floor but Seifer pushed the stop button before Quistis could get off.
"Come here," he said quietly, pulling on her hand to bring her closer. Leaning down, he kissed her. She melted against him, her fingers sliding into his hair as she tried to pull him closer. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you," he breathed into the stillness as they struggled to catch their breath.
"I love you too Seifer," she responded, wishing more than anything that she didn't have to leave the elevator. "I have to go to class now," she sighed. Seifer tipped her chin up and dropped another kiss on her lips.
"I'll see you after," he said as he pushed the button for the third floor. She exited the elevator and he waved goodbye as the doors slid closed.
As the doors opened again on the top floor, Seifer was greeted by a scathing glare from Xu. He smirked as he walked up to her desk.
"Good afternoon Xu. What could I have done already to make you so happy to see me?" he asked teasingly.
"There are cameras in the elevators," she growled at him. Seifer was momentarily surprised but covered it quickly.
Glaring at her, he replied. "Well then possibly you heard what we said?" he questioned, almost angrily.
With a grudging look, Xu nodded at him. "If you hurt her, I'll kill you," she couldn't resist adding.
"I'll never hurt her again," Seifer said, as serious as Xu had ever seen him. Surprising herself, she nodded and pushed the button to signal Squall that Seifer had arrived.
"You can go on in. He's expecting you."
Seifer pushed the door to Squall's office open and the commander waved him in. "How was the mission Seifer?"
"Besides getting shot and pulling my arm out, it went good. They found me on the base when I was getting back out but there's no way they could figure out who I was. I was in Timber army uniform so they'd have to check the whereabouts of every one of their soldiers and once Caraway releases the information, they won't ask questions about how he got it. They'll be too glad to have Galbadia off their backs to question their good fortune."
"You're right. Just to be sure I'll call General Caraway later and make sure that SeeD's involvement stays silent. Any casualties?" Squall asked, looking up from the papers on his desk.
Seifer shook his head. "There were some injuries but I didn't kill anyone."
Squall scanned the paper in front of him again as he wrote something down quickly. "Well then, I think that's it. Unless there's something else you needed?"
"Actually, I'm supposed to drag you to the cafeteria at dinner time," Seifer said with a grin. Squall glanced up again, one eyebrow raised. Seifer raised his hands and laughed. "Rinoa's orders man. Quis is meeting us there after her class gets out."
"Well, that should work. It'll take me a little while to finish the paper work on your mission and I have to run it up to the Headmaster and then I can go."
Seifer nodded and began to pace anxiously. Squall looked up from the paperwork again. "Was there something else you needed to tell me?"
Seifer stopped walking, turning to face his friend's desk. "I'm in love with Quistis," he blurted. Squall leaned back in his chair silently. "I want to marry her," the blonde continued. Squall pushed back his chair and stood up, moving around the desk and seating himself on the edge, pushing things out of the way with one hand without looking.
There was a familiar ring over the loudspeaker and the Garder unconciously slowed down, waiting to hear what the commander was going to say. Instead of hearing immediate orders, there were just some rustling noises and then Seifer's voice.
Say something Squall.
Rinoa was on her way back to the dorms when she heard the speaker come on and was surprised to hear Seifer's voice rather than Squall's.
I don't know what to say Seifer. That's fairly huge.
Rinoa frowned. Did they know the loudspeaker was on? Deciding to check, she moved out of the dorms quickly, walking swiftly towards the elevator.
Tell me I'm not doing something crazy. Seifer's voice was almost pleading.
I can't tell you that Seifer. You have to do what you feel. If you love her then go for it.
Rinoa reached the elevator at a run, hammering on the up button anxiously.
Quistis was doing her best to keep class going normally but the student's amusement was making it hard. Her face grew redder as the words continued to come over the speaker. Reaching a decision, she stood up, drawing the student's attention back to her.
"Read chapter seven on weapon maintainence until I get back," she said. "If I don't get back before the end of class, do not leave until the bell."
Moving at a quick walk, she hurried down the hallway toward the elevator but was frustrated to discover that the elevator was in use.
Rinoa groaned in frustration as she pounded on the third floor button as the elevator rose slowly.
I've never proposed to someone before. What if it doesn't come out right?
She loves you Seifer. It'll come out fine.
The doors of the elevator slid open and Rinoa bolted through, running past Xu's desk without stopping and bursting into Squall's office.
"Guys! The intercom has been on!" she gasped out, leaning over to catch her breath. Squall turned around on the desk, seeing where a paper weight had pressed the button for the intercom that was on the top of the desk. Hurriedly he reached over and switched it off. Turning back to look at Seifer, he winced as he saw the redness that was rising in the ex-knight's face.
"She heard us?" he questioned slowly, his tone unreadable. Squall nodded guilitly and Rinoa bit her lip.
"Seifer," she started to speak but Seifer interrupted.
"No Rinoa," he said quietly, turning his head to look at her. "I have to find her. I just messed up the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said and the desperation was evident in his voice, his green eyes worried.
"Sorry Seifer," Squall offered as the blonde turned to leave the room. Seifer didn't turn around but waved over his shoulder as he left the office.
Hitting the down button, he anxiously racked his brain for an idea of where Quistis might be. She was supposed to be in class but he thought that since he had just announced to the whole school that he wanted to propose to her that she might have gone somewhere else to get away from the curious students and faculty. Cursing his stupidity, he tapped the button again, deciding to check the classroom first, just in case.
The doors slid open and he felt the breath rush out of his lungs. Quistis was standing in the elevator car, tears streaming down her face, a hand covering her mouth. He moved cautiously into the car, hoping she wasn't too upset. "Baby? Quistis?" he walked slowly closer, never taking his eyes off of hers. When he got close to her he wrapped his arms around her and was surprised when she instantly clung to him. "Are you okay?" he asked her, looking down at the top of her head.
"You were going to propose to me?" she asked and he could hear the tears in her voice.
Swallowing, he nodded. "Yes; I mean, it's us Quis. How could we be less than forever?" He paused. "I still will if you'll let me."
Her tears started anew and she pulled back to look into his face. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs as he brought his hands up to cradle her face. "Don't cry," he murmured, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. She smiled as he pulled back and took her hands, holding onto her as he lowered himself onto his knees, being careful of his injured leg.
"Quistis, I love you. You've been there for me when no one else was and the time we've spent together has been the best of my life. I can't imagine life without you and I can't understand how I lived so long without you. I never want to be without you again. If you would marry me, it would make me the happiest man alive. Will you marry me?" His green eyes never wavered from her blues as he waited for her answer, fear of her rejection apparent in his face.
She squeezed his hands, tears running down her face as she nodded, unable to speak. Swallowing, she spoke. "Seifer, yes. Of course. I love you," her words came in a rush as her hands shook.
Seifer stood up as quickly as he could, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. Her arms went around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair. Pulling back, Seifer reached into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out the ring box. He opened it and held the ring up where Quistis could see it. He lifted her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, pressing a kiss onto the back of her hand. She reached up and hugged him tightlly, tears still streaming from her eyes.
Blinking in surprise, she realized that Rinoa, Squall, and Xu were all watching them silently. Tears were in Rinoa's eyes and she was smiling at her friends. Squall's arm was around the sorceress, a genuine smile on his face. Xu was smiling despite herself, one hand covering her mouth.
"So when's the wedding?" Rinoa asked cheekily as Seifer turned around. He smirked at her and wrapped his arm around Quistis.
"Unimportant things like dates don't concern me," Seifer answered. "All that matters is that we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."
"Does that mean you're not mad at me?" Squall asked, smirking at his former rival.
Seifer smirked and Quistis stopped him from answering, kissing him and locking her arms around his neck. Pulling back slightly, Seifer responded. "Yeah, I forgive you." He didn't have time to say anything else before Quistis was kissing him again.
AN: It's finally finished! This is my oldest and longest story and I have loved writing every page of it. I hope ya'll have enjoyed reading it and I appreciate everyone who's read and those who have reviewed. Thanks so much. Drop me one more if you like it.