ArdentSinner: This chapter is dedicated to Neko-yuff16 for being ever so patient and correctly guessing what happens next. It goes to say that great minds think alike. I've begun writing this piece right after finishing the previous chapter (which is before I posted it). It wasn't really a personal problem or anything (though the lack of response may have contributed to the delay), just that I was too busy with college. And Internet access was practically close to zilch here. I've actually finished the 6th chapter and have started on the 7th ages ago. I'll post 6th ASAP. Thank you for waiting for so long and thousands of apology! TT Hopefully I'll be more active come April when I finish college and will be waiting for my university intake.
Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer applies. I don't own the characters of FF8 but I do own their clothes and car and the story is somewhat my brainchild.
Road to Deling – Chapter Five: Bubbles and Muses
Seifer shook himself out of his stupor. He stood and splashed his face with cold water. He looked up and stared at the fogged bathroom mirror. The smell of vanilla rose and fuchsia drifted heavily in the room. It was intoxicating.
Brilliant green eyes stared back at him. He vaguely felt that he knew the stranger he was looking at… Seifer knew that he was looking at himself and yet, he felt like he was looking at a whole different person; like looking at the person he was five years ago, way before the horrors of the Sorceress War.
The young man smiled back at him, not with his trademark smirk, but a genuine grin. His forehead was smooth, devoid of the usual frown that graced it. His glossy straw-blond hair fell a bit in his face from its typically severe slicked-back style, de-aging him a few years more.
Suddenly, a vision of Aphrodite appeared. She stood by the bathroom door, one foot in the bedroom and another in the bathroom, eying him with such intensity. Beautiful honey locks fell in a cascade of molten gold. The muted light of the bathroom and the wafting steam made her look outright ethereal. So fair and utterly beautiful. To say that it made her look like an angel would be somewhat clichéd, but that's exactly what she looked like.
She came in seeing Seifer looking so seriously at the mirror. It would seem that he was scrutinizing himself in the mirror. Not in a vain way, though. To Quistis it seemed like he was trying to recognize the man he was looking at. So engrossed was he that he didn't see her gazing him with the same intensity he was eying himself. He was breathtaking. His skin was golden under the light. Vaguely, she wondered why she never noticed the contrast between her two pupils. Squall was the Pallid one, so cold and indifferent. Seifer was the Blazing one, so fiery and passionate. But despite being equal rivals, Seifer often underestimates himself.
Far too often…
He had the same air as the boy she used to know16 years ago. He was so intense even then, though he they were only seven. And she, she was always practical. She remembered the Princess and Knights pretend game they use to play. Irvine would be King and Selphie would be his Queen. Squall the Prince and Zell the Jester. She would want to be a Sorceress but would always end up being the Princess and Seifer…he would be her Knight. He never wanted to be anything else.
From her vintage point, she could see his broad, toned back. His skin practically glowed in contrast to his navy and white vest. The sleeveless top emphasized his strong arms and the subconscious flex of his neck and back muscles. He was the complete embodiment of the Greek god, Apollo.
Then she spoke, rather uncertainly, " Seifer?"
That broke his reverie and snapped him smack into reality. And the reality, he realized, wasn't really that far off from his dream. And he stared into the mirror at her, like an idiot. Thinking that he didn't hear her over the gushing water, she stepped into the bathroom and a few steps closer to him. He kept his eyes on the mirror, watching her silently until she was a foot and a half away from him, before turning to face her.
He leaned heavily against the marble sink for support. He questioned her with raised eyebrows, as if to say, "Yes?"
She merely took another half a step towards him and turned her back to face him. She lifted her hair aside and he understood. He tried to drag the zipper down but then he realized that it was stuck. He tugged carefully at the zipper, trying to dislodge the cloth. He was amazed at her choice of clothing. It just seemed to him that she doesn't have to wear extremely body hugging clothes to look extremely ravishing. This one just skims her body, accentuating it instead of superimposing.
"Does this happen to you a lot?" she asked wryly.
"What? Playing handmaid?" he asked, equally dry but with a touch of laughter.
"Ha-ha. No, you deficiency with zippers," she turned slightly to leer at him.
"Actually, I'm rather deft with mine," he chuckled, poking her in the side again for making things difficult for him.
The laughter hung in the air as Seifer tugged gently at the stubborn fabric, trying to free it from the Jaws of the White Zipper.
"So how did you put on this dress the first time around?" he asked out of curiosity.
Her laughter tinkled in the air. He could feel her smirking when she said, "With a lot of jumping and stretching and bending."
"Ah, I see," he said, chuckling at the mental image. He kissed her cheek from behind and lingered.
She hesitated for a while before leaning her face against his lips.
"Well, I bought the dress for the Spring Festivals…," her voice drifted away, swallowed by the pouring water.
"But I would have remembered if you had worn it," he said trying to recall, then continued, "You in this dress is not a vision anyone could easily forget."
"…I didn't go," she said softly. There was a sudden tug at her dress, stopping her flow of words.
Seifer gave a grunt of triumph when the zipper parted. Then he thought he misheard, so he asked again, "Pardon?"
"I…didn't go," she repeated her statement, this time lined with irritation.
Seifer turned her around, eying her square in the eye, "Why not?"
"I had my reasons, Seifer. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to enjoy the bath you've prepared for me," she expertly brushed off his question. Seifer noticed that there was an embarrassed blush on her face.
"Fine," he shrugged, turning away but he still remained in the bathroom. He wasn't prepared to leave just yet and he made that known to Quistis when she demanded he leave the room.
"I'll turn around so you may undress, but I'll leave the room when I please," he said wryly, facing the door.
He smirked when he heard her mumble under her breath, "Humph! Arrogant Jerk!"
He made a move back to the mirror to shave then he heard a soft rustle of fabric, a swishing of water followed by a chinking of the metal rings that held the shower curtain sliding against the metal rods as she pulled the curtains together. He felt that it was safe to turn now that she was in the shower. The large candle on her side of the curtain illuminated the walls, casting her shadows against the crème curtains.
Boy, does she know how to turn a guy on. What an uncomfortable predicament he's placed himself in this time. Seifer sighed to himself. I need to get out of here. He proceeded to shave quickly and skillfully.
Once he was done shaving, he took a bathrobe for himself and called out to Quistis, "When you're done soaking yourself through, don't drain the water. I'll do it when I'm done. There's a towel and bathrobe for you on the toilet seat."
Without another word, he exited the bathroom. She didn't even get to thank him. Quistis heard the door open then close. I don't understand him at all. Sighing, she slipped deeper into the welcoming warmth; finally, some peace and quiet.