Tears of Love
Chapter III "Surprises"
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Time was a strange thing, to some people, like Quistis, it was nothing more but an enemy. What felt like last month, Quistis remembered the joyous moment when Laramie took his first steps, or his first word: "mommy". Now, Quistis sat in a full room with people that were all present to celebrate Laramie's birthday.
"Mom! Mom!"
Quistis averted her attention from her son's birthday cake to his sprinting form. Laramie's hair swirled side to side as he ran, some sweat made his brown hair clamp onto his forehead, and he carried a large, shiny object in his hands.
"Look what grandpa gave me!" The ten year old boy shouted with a massive smile on his face. He held his prized gift higher to give his mother a better look, even though she identified what it was already.
"He gave you a gunblade?!" Quistis exclaimed, which brought everyone's attention to them. She would need a word or two with him later for giving her ten year old son a dangerous weapon. She didn't even want to know if ammo was provided as well.
"Mom, it's not real." Laramie whined. He slid his palm quickly across the edge of the blade, which nearly made Quistis' heart jump out of her chest. But when he showed her his hand unscathed, she sighed in relief. "See?"
Quistis smiled and kneeled so she could be more at eye level with her son. She knew why Laguna gave Laramie a gunblade, since he started school he fell in love with the weapon. Sometimes Quistis wondered if it was hereditary.
"Don't forget to thank him for it."
"I won't." Laramie beamed. He took a step back and started slashing the weapon around. "I can't wait to get a real one."
"Not until you're twenty." Quistis reminded. But then she remembered something. Several months ago Laramie expressed an interest in joining SeeD. "Or when you become a SeeD."
Laramie stopped chopping the air with his toy and turned to look at his mother. A slight grin appeared on his face as he thought about joining SeeD. He had been wanting to become one ever since he found out both his parents were famous SeeD's. But then his face faltered with a frown. "If I join SeeD, does that mean I would have to leave home?"
Quistis' smile faded. The thought of her child leaving tore her to shreds, but she promised herself she would never stop Laramie from becoming a SeeD if he wanted to. "Yes. Students and SeeD's are required to live at their Garden."
Laramie fell into thought. Then his sky blue eyes lit up. "No, I don't want to go to Garden."
Quistis' eyes widened. "Are you sure? You said you wanted to join Balamb Garden, just like me and your father."
Laramie shook his head. "I don't want to be like dad. I don't want to leave you."
Tears started to form in Quistis' eyes, and she felt her chest grow heavy. She found it almost hard to breathe. She grabbed Laramie in a tight embrace and cried softly.
"Mom!" Laramie whispered. "Everyone's watching."
Quistis giggled and pulled away before she kissed his forehead. "Why don't you go and show your friends what your grandpa got you. We'll have cake in ten minutes."
Beaming, Laramie turned and sprinted to where his friends had circled around one of his other toys: a small hover board that Quistis had gotten him.
As Laramie demonstrated what he could do with the gunblade, Quistis joined the group of parents that were present. Immediately the women inched closer to the famous SeeD.
"So, Laramie has changed his mind about becoming a SeeD like his famous mother?" One woman smiled warmly as she sipped her coke.
Quistis shook her head. "I think he wants to join Esthar's army."
A man whistled. "I hear the army is tough to get into. It's just as bad as all of the Garden's."
"Don't you teach the soldiers, Ms. Trepe?" Another woman asked.
"Just Quistis." The ex-SeeD reminded with a smile. "And yes I do teach the new recruits." Ever since the large increase in monsters since Adel's release over ten years ago, President Laguna established a new order, an army that served to protect the city from the monsters. The job Laguna held for Quistis was a teaching position. After all, who would make a better teacher than a fighting prodigy?
"Ah, what are you talking about?" An elderly woman hissed at the man that spoke earlier. "Laramie has a famous SeeD for a mother. But dear, what of his father?"
Quistis blinked. She never expected anyone to ask of Laramie's father. She took a sip of her drink before answering, "He was also a SeeD. But he passed away during the war."
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry for bring up such a memory!" The elder woman gasped. "Ignore an old woman's curiosity."
Quistis smiled. "It's nothing at all." The conversation changed to Laramie's smarts in school and his popularity. Perhaps he was partially popular because the Quistis Trepe was his mother, but he was also very good with people and just seemed to attract people to him, just like his mother.
Straying from the cluster of adults, Quistis walked around the room as she watched the kids play a game where the children took the role of monsters and Laramie was none other than "the hero that took down Ultimecia, Squall".
Seeing her son brought a tang of pain in Quistis' chest. Laramie was the spitting image of Squall, he looked just what she remembered when they were at the orphanage. And now he had a gunblade, a toy gunblade, but now all he needed was a fur jacket, a massive collection of belts, and a scar.
Shaking her head, Quistis returned to the group of adults and decided to have fun. She then called the children to group up for the cake.
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A twenty-eight year old Rinoa sat comfortably in her private train compartment. She wasn't a SeeD, but she still received their benefits, obviously as she was Squall Leonhart's wife. She sat on a wonderfully cushioned couch as she glanced at her watch. She had been on the train for three hours and it still hadn't approach Esthar.
To pass time, Rinoa picked up her magazine Evangelia and opened it to its center news story.
The Famous SeeD's and Where They Are Now
By Talena Devan
Twelve years have passed since the defeat of Sorceresses Adel and Ultimecia and peace has yet to be disturbed. So where are our famous heros now? All, but one, are still hard at work at Balamb Garden. However, one of the more famous heros, or I should say heroine, Quistis Trepe has left the dangerous profession and has made a new life in Esthar.
Rinoa placed the magazine onto her lap, she read the article about a dozen times. The article continued with a short interview with Quistisand asked her about her new life in the big city. She didn't say much other than her satisfaction with her new home, new job, etc.
When Rinoa saw the article yesterday she literally fell out of her chair. Twelve years ago, when Quistis suddenly disappeared, she and Selphie made a pact together that they would find out where Quistis went, go and drag her back to Garden. Or, they would at least visit and talk to her about her abrupt departure without even saying goodbye.
For years they couldn't find out where their older friend had ventured off to. Cid had no idea where she left after she signed her resignation, and no one else seemed to know either. After the fifth year Zell and Irvine gave up helping the girls find any trace of Quistis.
But then, Rinoa finally found out where Quistis was, in Esthar. She tried to get a hold of everyone, especially Selphie, but they were all away on missions. So Rinoa decided she would go and visit Quistis herself. Esthar was a big city, but luckily the magazine showed a picture of Quistis' home. With the computer, Rinoa was able to zoom in on one of the corners of the picture and she was able to read the nearby street sign behind the house that gave the street name. Then with the numbers on the house, Rinoa had her address.
Finally, the train stopped. A woman announced on the intercom that they had arrived to Esthar. Inhaling deeply, Rinoa stood up, grabbed her bag, and stepped out of her compartment.
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Rinoa stood several feet away from Quistis' house. She glanced at the picture in the magazine again. Her hands were shaking with nervousness as she inched closer to the door. Suddenly she wondered if this would truly be Quistis' house, and not just some random house the magazine just placed in the article.
Just knock, that'll be the only way you'll find out, Rinoa thought. As she got closer to the door she analyzed the home. It was small, but nice. The other homes were just as small. Every lawn showed off perfectly cut green grass. Beautiful flowers littered most homes, some had vehicles while the majority lacked them, as did Quistis' apparent home. As Rinoa carefully stepped on the small path of walking stones that crossed the yard she heard child laughter. Glancing behind her she saw a small group of boys chasing each other a short distance away.
Rinoa pressed the doorbell and eagerly waited. Her palms became sweaty and she never felt her heart beat so rapidly. The door opened and revealed a pale face that Rinoa hadn't seen in years. Tears began to moisten her brown eyes, she lost control of herself and she suddenly fell forward and grabbed Quistis in a fierce hug.
"Quistis!" Rinoa whispered.
The taller woman didn't know what to do, or say. One moment she was relaxing on her bed and reading a book. Then she opens the door, expecting her son to return with dirty clothes and dirt on his face, instead, she's face to face with Rinoa. She only hoped Selphie wouldn't appear, she didn't think she could bear one of the bubbly girls bear hugs.
After a long moment, Rinoa pulled back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, they had gotten a little teary. Quistis continued to stand without as much as smiling.
"Quistis." Rinoa choked. She honestly never thought she would cry, but there was just something about finally being able to see her friend after ten years that got her a little emotional. "Wh-why did you just leave? Why didn't you tell us?"
Finally, Quistis snapped out of her shock-like-trance and guiltily stared at the floor. "Is it just you?" Rinoa nodded. Quistis took a step back and gestured for the shorter woman to step inside.
The shorter woman eagerly stepped inside to cool house. The room she stood in was the living room. A small leather couch hugged the wall and a reclining chair sat beside a large window. There was a small corner table between the recliner and the couch, in the corner, with a large lamp and a thick, small book under it. A television stood opposite the couch, but the screen was black.
To the left of Rinoa was the dining room, a small dark wooden table and four matching chairs. A center piece of a basket with fresh fruit gave Rinoa's stomach a slight cramp. She hadn't eaten since she left Garden and a delicious smell arose from the kitchen. Rinoa inhaled deeply, it was a pie.
"Have a seat." Quistis said suddenly, she shut the door behind her and gestured to the dining table. "I'll get some tea."
The sorceress complied and wedged a chair out from under the table. She sat and placed her purse by her feet. The kitchen connected to the dining room. It was small with a sparkling silver refrigerator, and a stove with a matching color. The counters were wooden colored and the tops colored black. The cabinets matched the brown color of the counters. Rinoa saw Quistis reach into the oven and pull out a large pie. Mouth watering, Rinoa turned her attention to the large window in the living room, the sky was dimming.
Quistis returned and placed a tall glass of cold tea in front of Rinoa.
"Thank you." The shorter woman smiled. She lifted the glass immediately and took a long drink.
Quistis sat opposite of her after she set a small plate of thin cookies between them. "So why did you come? After all this time?"
Rinoa helped herself to a cookie and nibbled on it. She glared at Quistis for a split second. "You just left without saying goodbye."
The blonde shrugged. "I had my reasons." She took a sip of her tea.
Rinoa placed her cookie down. "How can you say that? You just...left! We thought.." She slapped her hand on the table in anger. Regretting her loss of emotions, she mumbled an apology. "We thought perhaps you were angry with us. But when the days turned into weeks, and months into years...we thought something may have–um–happened to you."
Quistis lowered her eyes. She did feel guilty about suddenly shunning her friends. Every night she felt guilty about it, even now. Now, suddenly seeing Rinoa brought mixed emotions. Joy, guilt, fear. Joy for seeing Rinoa after so many years, and for seeing she was healthy, and for the wedding ring on her finger. She didn't need to ask whom she was married to. Guilt was from leaving her friends and worrying them. Fear for Rinoa finding out about Laramie.
"Quistis?" Rinoa asked softly. Her brown eyes were wide with worry.
"Huh?" The blonde muttered.
"Why did you leave? Did something happen?"
Quistis looked at the table again. How would she tell her? She couldn't tell her. What if Rinoa and Squall already had a family? No doubt they must have children already. She couldn't bear to cause any disturbances in their happy life.
"Quistis?" The tone in Rinoa's voice shook slightly. Her eyebrows knitted together. She was feeling frustrated, yet terrified at the same time. "What happened?"
Memories flooded back. The feeling of fear and guilt, the desire to abandon her happy life, her home. Quistis shook her head lightly. "Nothing happened. I just...left."
Rinoa gripped her glass. "You couldn't have just woken up one morning and decided you wanted to leave and ignore us!"
Quistis couldn't look into her eyes. She didn't want to tell Rinoa, Squall perhaps, but not Rinoa. It felt too awkward.
Rinoa sighed. She leaned back against her chair and stared sadly at her older friend. Her stomach tightened, not from hunger, but from worry. What could have happened to make Quistis leave? The question had been burned into everyone's heads for years. Sometimes it felt like Quistis was dead. Even though Rinoa wasn't as close to Quistis, as the others were due to their childhood, it still hurt to lose a friend.
She could still remember that day. The day Squall and the others were assigned to assassinate Edea. Quistis scolded her for her foolishness and her belief in a childish myth, the bracelet. But later Quistis abandoned her duty as a SeeD and returned to apologize.
A thought erupted. Perhaps if Rinoa looked around the house she may find clues as to why Quistis left.
"Could I use your bathroom?" She asked.
Quistis nodded. "Down the hall. Second door to your left."
"Thank you." Rinoa stood and watched Quistis as she headed for the hall. When she was out of Quistis' line of sight, the blonde sighed and pressed her hands against her eyes.
The hall was short, but long. To her right, beside the kitchen, was a room with several bookshelves lining the walls. The floor was carpeted to match the pale walls, and a desk and computer stood before a small window. A smile crept on Rinoa's face. She knew Quistis couldn't be without a library of some sort. The books varied from fictional stories of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance to non-fiction and books of GF's, blue magic, monsters, fighting techniques, weapons, etc.
Rinoa left the room and glanced into the room at the end of the hall. The room was large, the walls were painted a slight color between beige and pink. A warm looking double bed sat in the center of the room, against the wall. Opposite it was a tall dresser, beside it was a small desk with a large, oval mirror. A bathroom connected to the room, beside the closet to the right of the bed.
Leaving, Rinoa turned and found the bathroom Quistis had instructed her to go to. Was she taking too long to explore the house? She just hoped Quistis wouldn't come in to search for her, but she was done looking anyway.
She entered the living room again, but then stopped abruptly. There was a room before the bathroom. She should have just ignored it, it was most likely just another room. But then she remembered there was something different about the room that felt out of place. First thing she remembered about it was the colors. When she passed it, the room had too many colors.
Walking backwards, Rinoa peeked in quickly. Eyebrows knitting together, she couldn't stop herself from entering the room. The first object she saw was a bunk bed. A bed was absent from the bottom and a small couch substituted it. Beside the bunk bed was a large, bare window, like the one in the living room, only it didn't have any curtains. A small telescope stood before the window. To the left of the door was a small desk and chair, there was no computer, but the desk was littered with papers.
Whatever was written on them Rinoa paid no attention. Instead, her eyes focused on what was mounted on the wall, opposite the closet, to her left: a gunblade. Her hand stretched to touch it, but instead of feeling cold metal she felt only plastic. It was a toy. Frowning, Rinoa looked down and saw a smaller version of a hover board Zell always rode on. It was a child's room.
A large smile grew on Rinoa's face. There was only one explanation, Quistis had a child. A boy most likely, judging by the slight mess of the room. Still smiling, Rinoa stepped out of the room and into the living room. Quistis was still seated, hunched and with her hands still on her face.
"Quistis." Rinoa said excitedly.
The door suddenly opened. Quistis sat up straight and her face melted into a warmer expression.
"Mom!"
Rinoa watched eagerly. A boy's voice echoed in the house as the door opened. The sunlight shone inside, behind the small figure at the doorframe, creating a shadow over the boy's face. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
Rinoa's eyes widened. Her smile faded.
The small boy smiled as he said, "I'm home," but he immediately saw Rinoa's presence. His face became hard and stern, expressionless almost, and he quickly stepped behind Quistis, as if shielding her from what Rinoa could do to her from the hall.
"Who are you?" The boy asked, his eyebrows connecting, his face turning into a frown.
Rinoa could only stare silently. As small and young the boy was, he looked so much like Squall it scared her. His hair color was the same shade, even the same haircut, except a little shorter. The facial structure, the line of his jaw, the shape of his nose, his cheekbones, even his frown was identical to Squall's. The only difference, besides his height, was the absence of a scar between his eyebrows and his eye's were sky blue, just like Quistis'.
Quistis stood up. She rested her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Rinoa." Sighing softly, Quistis kept her eyes locked on the younger woman's. "This is my son, Laramie. He's also..."
Bile rose in Rinoa's throat, but she swallowed hard several times to compose herself. Her chest felt tight. She almost didn't want to finish hearing the sentence, but she had to speak it to confirm it, to believe it.
"Squall's son?"
Quistis nodded.
Rinoa felt lightheaded. No, it's a joke. It can't be true.
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