Seifer felt her stiffen.
Seifer knew Quistis could slapped him if she wanted to. He couldn't afford it, so he had to try harder. His kiss, delving deeper, making her breathless, making her relax. She melted into his embrace.
"The students- " She breathed.
"let them." and he kissed her again, tasting those lips he compared to Rinoa's.
One.
Two.
Three.
"Woof!" a dog barked.
In the middle of that kiss, he vaguely heard a woman yell. "Angelo!"
Quistis pushed him away. He let her.
A charming brown bordie collie rushed Seifer's feet. It behaved as if it hadn't seen him for a long time. Smiling, he knelt down and patted the collie. He never even noticed the way Quistis looked at him. As if she had never seen such tenderness in his face. As if she had really seen the expression at all.
A pretty black haired woman with caramel streaks walked towards them. Seifer raised his head, observing the two women for the first time.
Rinoa's pretty and warm face appealed to a man. It drove a man to want to protect her. Quistis on the other hand, had a different kind of appeal. She wasn't the damsel in distress type, the kind of woman a man desired to protect. He couldn't pinpoint Quistis' appeal, really, and he had no intention of exploring it either.
He had an ex to face.
"Hello Rinoa." He greeted.
"Hello Seifer." She replied. Then she moved to the dog. "Angelo, you mustn't disturb them…."
Seifer placed his hand around Quistis' waist, pulling her close. "No problem at all, Rin. Quisits and I just a little chat. We entered the Academy around the same time. Too bad I was thrown to Galbadia for bad conduct. But I guess it was a blessing. We had a little catching up to do. Heard she's an instructor now."
"Quisits Trepe?" Rinoa asked. She gaped at the blonde woman. "The Quistis Trepe?" she beamed. "Oh I've heard a lot of you from the instructors at Galbadia Garden. You're quite popular there."
Quistis looked genuinely surprised with the revelation. "Really? I… never knew."
"But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rinoa Caraway. Nice to meet you. "
Seifer watched as Quistis returned the pleasantry. She knew how to act. "A pleasure to meet you too." then she looked to Squall. "Hello Squall. She's a very sweet girl."
"Hey Q." he replied, not quite looking Quistis in the eyes.
"Q?" Rinoa asked.
"That's her nickname." Then he scratched his neck, "Sorry if we interrupted you guys."
"Please don't worry." Quistis said. "It.. it was nothing…"
"But the two of you were kissing."
A blush crept into Quistis' face, Seifer noted. Amusing. Just how would Trepe explain herself?
"We were rekindling an old flame." she mumbled, as if the saying the words were the penance for a death sentence.
Squall looked surprised. "What old flame?"
"I've never told you, but before I left, I had a little crush on Quisty." Seifer smirked at her, playing along with her story. "But alas, I was too crude and too brash, and she was too stuck up for me. So we parted ways."
"I didn't know that." Rinoa said, looking surprised.
"Some emotions aren't worth expressing, not unless it's at the right time." The he levered his gaze to Squall, his grip on Quistis' waist getting tighter. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"
"Mind what?"
"if I dated your ex-girlfriend?"
The silence was oppressive. Rinoa only raised a finger to her lips, speculating whether his motive was sincere or not. Squall's jaw dropped, and Quistis could only bow her head and look at the deck of cards.
Angelo woofed again.
"Of course." Squall said, snapping out of his trance. "Feel free to date her. It's not as if she's my wife or anything."
Rinoa glanced at Quistis and Squall, curiosity written all over her face."
"Oh, you didn't know Rin? Squall and Quistis used to be a couple."
Rinoa blanched. "I didn't."
Seifer felt the body beside him tense. "But that's all in the past now." He continued. He's her past. She's my present. The same way I'm your past and he's your present."
"Y-yeah." This time, Rinoa looked uncomfortable. "Very well. Then please excuse us."
And the couple left, the dog in tow.
Finally alone, Quistis pried his arm away from her. She whirled, facing him. "You shouldn't have done that."
"done what?"
"He's her past. She's my present. The same way I'm your past and he's your present." She mimicked. "It was awkward for them."
"Oh? I thought we were a team. Why are you siding with them?"
"It's just that…."
"What?"
She crossed her arms against her chest. "That was very cruel."
"Wasn't it cruel when he left you for her?"
Silence.
"Wasn't it cruel he kept her out of the shadow that the two of you were a couple?"
Quistis kept her silence, and he knew why.
Because she knew it was the truth. Their exes had been cruel to them.
"That doesn't give us the right to be cruel to them."
Seifer sighed. "You and your morals, Trepe."
"Kindly explain to me why we have to pretend a relationship just to break them apart."
"To make them jealous."
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but your plan doesn't sound realistic."
"Look at it this way, Trepe." He said, "He cheated on you. She left me for him. Both carry the guilt of leaving us. No matter how hard they try to deny, they know they can't escape that guilt."
She still look unconvinced. "Why me?"
"If I just got a different girlfriend, it wouldn't elicit the same response with Squall. Likewise, if you got another boyfriend, it wouldn't elicit the same response in Rinoa."
Quistis still kept her arms crossed against her chest.
"The plan is simple."
Her eyes narrowed. "Too simple."
"People underestimate the simple things in life." He countered.
She stared at him, wondering if his too simple plan would work.
"You don't need to worry."
He placed his palms on top of her shoulders. "Right now, all you need to do is trust me. Smile. Pretend that we're girlfriend and boyfriend. We're dating after all, right?"
There, he said it.
Seifer entered his room as he removed his trench coat. It was such a long time. His old room looked just like his current room. Well, all dormitory rooms in Balamb looked the same. Even the ones in Galbadia was not an exception. Sitting on his bed, he took a picture from his wallet. It was an image of him and Rinoa.
He couldn't help but recall the events that happened in his life.
During his early days in Balamb, he was indeed brash. And that brashness gave him the scar on his face. but that Seifer was just a boy. The present Seifer was different.
Older.
Wiser.
Stronger.
Ruthless, if possible.
When he was whisked to Galbadia, he realized he could excel there. And excel he did. His youth and impulsivity was welcomed, and he worked hard to improve himself.
That was how he met Rinoa. He was practicing his sword skills when she passed by. Back then, he didn't knew she was the daughter of General Caraway. To him, she was a breath of fresh air. Young. Lively. Full of charm. She appealed to him in a way he didn't think it was possible.
A simple crush led to courtship, and she said yes. They had a good four years, until Squall entered their lives. Squall f*cking Leonheart. His enemy and rival in Balamb Garden.
Rinoa accidentally became a Sorceress and had a hard time controlling her powers. Squall was sent by Balamb as reinforcements. That was how the two got acquainted.
Seifer grew livid that he wasn't there to save her, but she assured him that everything was well.
Six months later, she broke up with him. Three months later, she was his girlfriend.
The betrayal had cut through Seifer's soul. Cut through his heart.
He couldn't understand it.
What went wrong?
Wasn't he loyal and faithful?
Didn't he have eyes for her?
Didn't he try to be the best for her?
Wasn't it enough?
Wasn't he enough for her?
He crumpled the picture in his hand.
When he learned Rinoa requested to transfer to Balamb Region, he knew couldn't miss the opportunity. He would win her over. Right beneath Leonhart's nose.
Headmaster Martin wasn't eager to let him go. Despite Seifer's misgivings, he was a good asset for Galbadia.
"I don't want to let you go Almasy, but if this is what makes you happy, then so be it. We'll process the papers for your transfer as soon as possible."
"Thank you Headmaster."
Martin softly tapped his index finger on the table. "Are you doing this to win your ex-girlfriend?"
"Pardon?"
The headmaster smiled. "You heard me. I mean, why don't you find another girlfriend instead? I'm sure you still have friends in Balamb Garden. You might even find a new love or two."
If he wasn't the headmaster, Seifer could have strangled him. "Not interested."
Upon his transfer to Balamb, he used his intel skills to gather information about Squall. To his surprise, he never expected he was in a relationship with Quistis Trepe. Looks like he ditched Trepe for my ex.
Plastered on the wall was Quistis Trepe's picture. Coolly, he assessed the picture in front of him. Instructor Number 17. The youngest Instructor admitted in Balamb Garden. She was quite popular with the students, even in Galbadia and Trabia Gardens. Only Hyne knew how she became popular in those Gardens. Famed for her Blue magic ability and a rabid fans club who called themselves Trepies. Quistis was also the "King" of the Card Master Club in Balamb Garden.
Time had been kind to her. She was a pretty thing during their adolescent years. But now she was a stunning woman. Not a girl, but a woman. Women with glasses were hot, Seifer had to admit.
At one look, it seemed that she was everything a man could ask for. The ideal woman, if possible.
But Squall had left the ideal woman for Rinoa. He could imagine the blow to her pride and ego, and he laughed.
This would be interesting.
Using Quistis was never part of the original plan, but when he happened to see her in the canteen this morning, he grabbed the opportunity.
It was really simple.
They would ruin their exes newfound relationship. It didn't matter whether Rinoa was happy with Squall, or whether Squall truly loved Rinoa.
He would make Squall pay for stealing his woman.
Quistis was just the perfect instrument to achieve that. No romantic emotions existed between the two of them. He didn't love her. Neither did she. But he was willing to do anything to win Rinoa back. If it was necessary to collaborate with the ex-girlfriend of his nemesis, then he would do it.