A/N: Whoo-hoo! My very first reviews on this! I'm glad to see that people were actually waiting for this to be posted… It really trips me out…
BTW, something I forgot to say: The dialogue is in plain italics, the thoughts are in bold italics and the plain text is… well, plain text! Bold words indicate intensity in speech, while capitals stand for words being shouted (or intensity in thoughts, 'cause I can't get them any bolder!). Hope you didn't get confused before…
I've got the habit of responding to my reviewers, but only if I actually have something to say. So if I don't respond to some of you, I'm not ignoring you, I just got nothing to say…
Last chapter summary: A note arrives in Balamb Garden informing everyone about the execution of Seifer Almasy. Quistis seems to take it heavier than anyone else and goes on a drinking binge… J/K… OK, not funny… Anyway, a certain 'someone' comes to her sleep and talks to her… What will the next day be like? Read to find out!
~*A second chance*~
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 1: First steps into a new life
Quistis squirmed around in bed, feeling her head about to break into a million pieces. She held her sore forehead with one hand, while rubbing her eyes open with the other. The morning light made them sting and she winced. She turned over to her other side and hugged her pillow, closing her eyes again 'I'm never drinking again…' she thought and tried to go back to sleep. She didn't have a reason to get up anyway… She covered herself under the warm blankets that had strangely reached her waist in her sleep; she always slept quietly, without moving at all 'Must be the alcohol…'she thought shrugging. She tried to make herself comfortable on the mattress; it somehow felt different… More soft. Not that she minded, but it was still strange. Ignoring all thoughts, she resumed her efforts to fall back asleep. Something caught her attention though; she realized that the breathing sound she could hear didn't belong to her… Puzzled, she rubbed her eyes once more, opening them slowly. Her eyes soon focused and the, up to now blurred, image in front of her became clear. And what she saw made her jump back startled…
There was a man sleeping right next to her. Not just any man though… The right side of her bed was occupied by none other than Seifer Almasy himself, in flesh and blood. Quistis' heart stopped momentarily. Her left hand fingers automatically slid to her right arm, pinching it roughly. A stinging sensation went through her body and she nearly let a groan of pain escape her lips. She winced, clenched her teeth and re-opened her eyes. So she wasn't dreaming… But how could she not be? Seifer was supposed to be held captive now, by Galbadian authorities, waiting to be executed in a few days. How could he be in her bed, in her roo-. Hold on… This wasn't her room. It was certainly a Balamb Garden SeeD dorm room, but definitely not hers 'And definitely not a single-person room since the bed is… DOUBLE?!' she noticed for the first time, her eyes opening up wide. But those were only given to... -Quistis shuddered- couples… Yes, she was more than certain. Squall and Rinoa had a room just like that; Selphie and Irvine did as well...
'Oh my Hyne… How can this NOT be a dream?' she thought, holding her head with both hands in despair. But the worse part had yet to come… As she was sitting up on the bed, the blanket slid from her skin, revealing her naked body. Naked… Afraid of what she was about to see, she hesitantly took another look at Seifer. Yep…Just as she feared… Well, at least that's what it looked like. He was covered up to his waist and his chest was bare. Taking a deep breath, Quistis slowly grabbed the blanket and lifted it up, peeking underneath. Immediately, she jolted her head back up, eyes saucer-like, cheeks flaming red. He was nude alright… 'But HOW?' Quistis asked herself. She took another deep breath and tried to maintain her composure 'OK… Let's think logically here… I'll just ASSUME that there was the slightest chance of me sleeping with Seifer after being drunk or something… HOW can he POSSIBLY be here?! He just… CAN'T!' she thought, feeling as if she was going crazy.
Right then, Seifer let out a sleepy moan and rolled over, lying onto his stomach, laying an arm onto her lap. Quistis jumped up at the feel of his touch. She tried hard not to scream, but she was breathing very fast, as if hyperventilating. She could feel his touch; this was certainly no dream… 'Just a REALLY bad living nightmare…' she thought. She looked at him closely once more. It was indeed him; just like she remembered him, only he somehow seemed older. A bit manlier. By-passing the fact that this was quite odd since she hadn't seen him in less than a few months' time, she continued to examine him. His hair was just a bit longer and spikier. He'd also let a small golden goatee grow, hardly covering the front of his chin. Right then, Quistis noticed a small silver bead glistening right between his chin and bottom lip 'A piercing, eh?' she thought and instantly wondered why the hell was she actually noticing things like that right now… She shook her head in disbelief, resting her back on the wall behind the bed. A thought suddenly crossed her mind; could it not be him? Could he be someone who looked disturbingly like him, she'd ended up in bed with? But such resemblance… Quistis let out a big sigh 'I can't understand this… What's going on here?!' she asked herself.
Suddenly, the tall, towering figure lying next to her moved. Quistis both feared and couldn't wait for him to wake up. If he did, he'd explain what the heck was going on, but she would also have to face him… Her anguish didn't last long. The blond man yawned deeply and stretched, finally opening his eyes to look at her. Quistis gave him a terrified-slash-eager look. To her surprise, his facial expressions turned into a broad grin and his emerald green eyes lightened up at the sight of her.
- "Good morning baby…" he said sleepily. Quistis let out a whimper "Slept well?" he asked.
- "I… I… guess so…" she mumbled.
- "Still a bit drowsy from last night?" he asked grinning, touching her cheek.
Quistis flinched when his fingers touched her skin. He'd never touched her before… Not even once. And it felt so weird, because she always expected Seifer's touch to be rough, but instead she was surprised to feel his fingers gently stroking her cheek. A soft touch. 'A lover's touch…' Quistis thought, but immediately shook herself mentally. Right then, she realized that she was allowing him to see much more skin than appropriate. Swiftly, she grabbed the blanket and brought it up to her chest making Seifer grin mischievously.
- "Nothing I haven't seen hundreds of times…" he said, grabbing her waist with both hands.
Before she had any time to react, he pulled her closer to him and pressed his lips hard against hers. Quistis felt numb; Seifer's teeth gently bit her lips playfully, then his tongue darted into her mouth, searching for her own. She didn't know what to feel; she was so confused that she couldn't tell whether she enjoyed or despised his way of kissing. She was suddenly really tempted to punch him away, but she realized that after –apparently- sleeping with him, that act would seem somewhat… deranged. Before she had time to realize what she was going to do as her mind had blurred, Seifer pulled away gently, biting her bottom lip one last time. Quistis relaxed her up to now widened eyes, then blinking a few times, she looked at the satisfied expression on Seifer's face 'Damn arrogance…' she thought.
- "Do you feel better?" he asked taking a lock of loose golden hair away from her face "From last night I mean. You had a lot to drink…" he said 'Aha!' thought Quistis 'There we are!'
- "Kind of better…" she replied casually "How much did I drink anyway?" she asked.
- "Two screwdrivers and ten shots of tequila…" answered Seifer grinning "Made you go wild…" he added, winking at her 'Well, that would certainly explain a lot…' she thought.
- "Really?" she asked rubbing the back of her hair "What did I do?" she asked.
- "Well…" said Seifer biting his bottom lip "Let's just say that after we got back from clubbing, even Cid on the 3rd floor could have heard us…" Quistis turned burning red in a matter of one second at Seifer's remark. He noticed her discomfort and laughed "I'll go have a shower. Care to join me?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
- "I…" she said blushing -if that was possible- even more "I… think I'll pass, thanks…" she said grinning.
- "Suit yourself…" said Seifer shrugging.
He held the back of her head with one hand and gave her one more swift kiss. Quistis drew a quick and deep breath, unable to react. Seifer broke the kiss and looked at her for a few seconds. He got up smiling, flinging the covers off his body and walked towards the bathroom, not bothering to put anything on. Quistis' jaw dropped; she should have looked away, but how could she? The sight was more than inviting… OK, so she knew what a naked man looked like, but seeing one in real-life, made her 'virgin' eyes sting with embarrassment. By the time she had decided to look away, Seifer had already reached the door of the bathroom.
- "Last chance…" he said leaning onto the doorframe "You comin'?" he asked seductively.
- "Maybe… later…" said Quistis grinning, trying to keep her eyes away from any 'dangerous' regions.
- "You OK?" he asked frowning a bit "You're acting a bit… weird…"
- "I'm fine…" she said a little too quickly "Just still… drowsy… from last night…" she replied.
- "Alright…" he said and walked inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Quistis fell heavy back onto the bed 'Hyne… Why are you being such a cruel deity?' Quistis thought.
Now, now… Is that the 'thank you' I get for granting your wish?
Quistis jumped up in bed. That creepy voice from her dream again…
That wasn't a dream…
'OK, now I'm freaking out…' thought Quistis looking around frantically.
No need to feel scared…
- "W-w-what do you want?" she stuttered.
I just wanted to calm you down… This isn't a dream Quistis. This is the different path you've now chosen in life.
- "What do you mean by that?" she asked confused.
You said you thought things would have been different if you've paid more attention to Seifer…
Here's your chance to realize exactly how much different…
- "But…" Quistis began.
Enjoy your new life…
The eerie sensation she felt when the voice was heard inside her head had now disappeared. Quistis was left looking thunderstruck. Was that who she thought it was? Apparently, the 'voice' answered upon her calls to Hyne… So either Hyne had given her a second chance, or she was going crazy. Probably the latter… 'And now I'm DATING Seifer?!' she thought feeling desperate 'All I ever wanted to do was SAVE him, not DATE him!' Just then, Seifer came out of the bathroom door, with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one, with which he was drying his hair off 'At least now he's WEARING something…' she thought, feeling incredibly relieved.
- "Hey Quis?" he said "Are you sure you're feeling OK?"
- "Yes…" she replied forcing a smile.
- "Why am I not convinced?" he asked, sitting next to her in bed. Quistis' heart began to pound faster.
- "Honestly, I just feel a bit off from last night…" she replied.
- "Look at me in the eyes and say that." he said, holding her chin.
Quistis stared into the two green emerald orbs before her, unable to phrase a word, trying to hide her anxiousness. Unfortunately, Seifer seemed to read right through her and immediately caught her awkwardness.
- "You're lying." he said crossing his arms "Something's wrong and you won't tell me. What is it?" he asked, with a look of genuine concern in his eyes.
Quistis had never seen him like that before. The Seifer she knew was never sweet and caring. He was always arrogant and spiteful. But the man before her was different… And she was even more surprised when he pulled her into his arms and began caressing her hair.
- "What's wrong, huh? Tell me…" he whispered.
She closed her eyes and smelled his after-shave… She didn't want to admit it, but the sensation of him holding her felt really good and somehow familiar 'Well of course it's familiar… I've obviously been with him for some time…' she thought. Her head was now resting on his still kind of damp chest and she could listen to his heart. She felt his strong, slender fingers slide through the locks of her hair, calming her down. She couldn't help but feel uptight, but in some weird, 'Twisted…' she thought, way, it felt right. It made her feel safe and secure. She sighed deeply and turned her head up to look at him. Her eyes locked with his as he lowered his head to look at her too.
- "Well?" he asked.
- "Will you believe me if tell you that I'm just… embarrassed for what happened last night?" she asked.
- "No." he said raising an eyebrow.
- "It's the truth…" she said and tried to look as convincing as possible; it worked.
- "Alright, I believe you…" he said smiling, although something in his expression told Quistis he wasn't buying it totally…
Quistis sighed in relief inwardly. But then she felt her stomach jump up, when Seifer leaned in again 'Oh no. Oh Hyne. Don't do that… Don- Mmm…' Quistis was less surprised this time round, but she still couldn't make out how she felt. Her awkwardness prevented her from feeling good or awful from the kiss. And did he have to kiss her all the time?! 'Of course he has to, you idiot…' she cursed at herself 'He's your…eww… 'boyfriend'…' Damn it… She had hardly been kissed in the past and now she found herself involved in an actual relationship out of the blue. She stopped to think that had it been someone else, she might have freaked out less. But given the fact that she was involved with a wanted criminal, who hated her guts for years and who should now be under Galbadian arrest, she couldn't feel anything but utter confusion. Seifer slowly pulled back from the kiss eventually, interrupting her thoughts.
- "I gotta go…" he said huskily "Before we get too carried away…" he added, getting up from bed.
He walked up to the closet and opened it up. He took out a black T-shirt, a pair of slightly baggy jeans and a black leather jacket. Quistis raised an eyebrow at that; 'Isn't he wearing his usual attire anymore?' she thought 'How c- Oh Hyne…' Seifer had flung his towel off and was now in the process of putting his underwear on 'Do it fast… PLEASE!' Quistis thought, trying –and failing- to look away.
- "If you don't stop checking out my ass, I really will stay, and have Puberty-boy all over my case later…" he said turning around, smirking.
Quistis grinned at him awkwardly as he resumed getting dressed, thinking where the hell exactly was that 'third eye' on his back. The smirk… Now there was something that reminded her of the old Seifer so far. That and 'Puberty-Boy'. But what was Seifer talking about? Why mention Squall? 'I have GOT to find out what's going on…' she thought, as Seifer approached her again, now fully dressed.
- "I'll be done by 12 at noon. Come pick me up from the office for lunch, alright?" he asked.
- "OK…" said Quistis nodding 'Office? WHAT office?'
Seifer gave her one last peck on the lips and walked out of the room. Quistis was left all alone in the room, staring blankly at nowhere in particular. She was still sitting up in the double bed, still naked and still utterly confused. Her glance wandered around the room; it was pretty plain, but tasteful. It kind of reminded her of her own 'Well if I actually DO live here, that would make sense…' she thought. The room contained the double bed Quistis was laying upon, a nightstand next to it, a pretty big desk with two laptops and a coffee machine on it, a few cupboards and cabinets on the wall above, a pair of chairs, an armchair and a door which obviously led to the bathroom. Quistis' eye fell upon the nightstand next to the outer side of the bed. A framed photo stood on it. She moved closer to that side of the bed and reached out for the picture.
Not surprisingly, it was a couple-shot of her and Seifer. Quistis was wearing a long black strapless dress and had her hair down. Seifer was right behind her, holding her from the waist. He was wearing a pair of formal black pants and a white shirt which hung loose on top. He was slightly leaning down, so that their heads were resting against one another. They were both smiling and looked really happy… Quistis looked at the picture not knowing what she should feel… 'Well… I suppose we make a… cute couple…' she thought, although 'cute' was an understatement…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The cafeteria of Balamb Garden was crowded as always, even in the mornings when most students had classes. Quistis decided to go grab some coffee and get a bit of fresh air. Hyne knew she needed it. She was more than glad to find Rinoa and Selphie sitting on a table, chatting 'I guess some things never change…' she thought smiling.
- "Here's your coffee Instructor Trepe." said the woman behind the counter, handing her a carton cup.
- "Uhh… Thank you." said Quistis kind of baffled and paid the woman.
She grabbed the coffee and walked over to her friends 'Instructor? I'm an Instructor again?' she asked herself, puzzled 'That's probably the first good thing I've heard so far…' she thought. She approached the table her friends were sitting at, receiving numerous 'Good mornings' from students on her way there 'Typical…' Rinoa and Selphie spotted her walking towards them and smiled at her. Quistis sat down the table and set her cup on it.
- "Morning!" she said, happy to see them, taking a sip from her coffee.
- "Morning…" said Rinoa grinning mischievously "My, my… Weren't we the loud ones last night?" Quistis almost choked on her gulp.
- "You… you… heard?" she asked, blushing profusely.
- "It's not like it was difficult… You probably kept the whole corridor up…" said Selphie, grinning in an identical manner to Rinoa.
- "Oh Hyne…" said Quistis, holding her forehead with one hand.
- "Hey, no need to be embarrassed. It's not the first time it happens anyway…" said Rinoa shrugging 'Oh great… Now THAT should make me feel better…' thought Quistis.
- "So…" said Quistis, trying to change the subject "It's pretty crowded here, huh? Even when everyone has classes."
- "Classes?" asked Rinoa raising an eyebrow.
- "Quisty… It's Sunday." said Selphie, looking at her puzzled.
- "Oh…" said Quistis 'Well how the hell should I know what day it is?!' "…right…" she added.
- "Besides, everyone's free for the holiday break…" added Rinoa.
- "Damn, you really should drink less when we go out…" said Selphie.
- "Yeah… I guess I overdid it last night…" said Quistis grinning.
- "Well I suppose it was OK, since it was Seifer's birthday and all… At least you gave him a really good 'present'." said Rinoa winking at her.
Quistis grinned awkwardly at her and looked down at the small carton cup she was holding. Things just couldn't be any worse right now… First and most important, she had no clue what the hell was going on around her. Second, she was dating Seifer 'Hmmm… Maybe that's the most disturbing issue of all…' she thought momentarily. Third, not only were they dating, but they were obviously quite the… Quistis stopped thinking, trying to imagine herself with Seifer… in bed… She felt her stomach rumble, threatening to spill its entire contents. And judging from the fact that she'd had a lot to drink last night as she'd been informed, that possibility was dangerously probable to happen. She sighed deeply, rubbing her sore forehead, deciding not to fill her brain with any more… 'unhealthy' thoughts. She took another sip from her cup as a discreet bell sound was heard and a voice Quistis recognized spoke through the PA.
- "Commanders Almasy and Leonheart request Instructors Aki, Dincht, Kinneas, Rogers and Trepe to their office. I repeat: Commanders Almasy and Leonheart request Instructors Aki, Dincht, Kinneas, Rogers and Trepe to their office." said Xu through the intercom.
Quistis failed to maintain her composure and this time, she choked on her coffee at the sound of 'Commanders Almasy and Leonheart' 'Oh this ought to be good…' she thought, as she got up from her chair.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
'First of all… Zell and Irvine are Instructors too? *Scoff* But the best part… Squall AND Seifer are Commanders? I mean… SEIFER?! Damn, Cid must have been outta his mind…' thought Quistis, making her way to the elevator. She soon reached the third floor and looked around for the office. She found a door which read 'Commanders Seifer Almasy and Squall Leonheart' and entered it, shaking her head in disbelief.
She found everyone else already there. Zell, Irvine, as well as Instructors Aki and Rogers were standing in front of a pair of desks. Squall was also standing, talking to them, while Seifer was slouched on a chair behind what seemed to be his desk and had his legs resting on it. He had his arms crossed behind his head and seemed to be bored out of his mind. When Quistis walked inside, he smiled at her and gave her a wink. Quistis blushed and approached the others.
- "Morning, Instructor Trepe." said Squall nodding at her "Now that we're all here, we can begin. Please take your seats."
All five of them sat in armchairs in front of the two desks. Squall stayed up and began pacing back and forth the room.
- "As all of you already know, we're experiencing a problem concerning the number of students in certain classes." began Squall "Commander Almasy and I, worked a bit on it and came up with a potential solution, but we'd like to hear your views on it first."
- "Where are the rest of the Instructors?" asked Irvine.
- "This problem only concerns battling classes." said Squall "Anyway, we thought that the only means of solving that, since we can't afford any extra Instructors, is to cut down the number of students, by creating two new classes. You're here to discuss which one of you is willing to be working the extra shifts…"
- "So basically…" said Seifer interrupting Squall "We wanna know whose life is emptier so that we can load him with more hours with the little creeps…" he added smirking. Squall turned around and shot him a poisonous look.
- "Why don't you divide the hours, so that all of us get just a little extra more?" suggested Quistis "If you can do it this way, I can take some extra classes."
- "No you can't!" protested Seifer.
- "Why can't she?" asked Instructor Aki, crossing her arms.
- "Because…" said Seifer trying to figure something out "… she's got…other…'stuff'… to do…" Squall looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
- "I think that's an excellent idea Instructor Trepe." said Squall grinning, looking at Seifer "How do three extra hours sound to all of you?" asked Squall.
- "I can handle it." said Zell shrugging.
- "Me too." said Instructor Rogers.
- "I'm in." said Irvine.
- "Yeah, it's fine." said Instructor Aki.
- "Excellent. Then it's settled. You'll all be receiving you new timetables after the holiday break. Dismissed." said Squall.
- "Instructor Trepe?" said Seifer, trying to look calm "I uh… need to… inform you about something. Could you stay?" he asked. The rest of them rolled their eyes; it's not like it was a secret that Seifer and Quistis were an item… "Hey, we said DISMISSED!" yelled Seifer getting up.
The four Instructors shook their heads in disbelief and exited the office.
- "Damn it… I'll teach those four to respect my authority…" mumbled Seifer walking over to Quistis.
- "Three guesses why they don't…" said Squall grinning sarcastically.
- "You and I will talk later 'Puberty-boy'!" said Seifer pointing a threatening finger at Squall.
Squall scoffed and went back to his pile of paperwork on the office. Seifer approached Quistis who was standing there awkwardly.
- "So…" he said raising an eyebrow "Don't mind the extra hours, eh? I suppose you like seeing me less?"
- "Seifer, it's my job…" said Quistis wearily 'Heh… He always WAS a smart one…'
- "Yeah, yeah… I know…" he said shrugging "We're still up for lunch, right?" he asked.
- "Sure…" said Quistis shrugging 'Oh well… If you can't avoid them, join them…'
- "Good… I'll see you in two hours." he said and grabbed her waist, pulling her into a kiss.
Quistis stood stiff as Seifer's tongue penetrated her mouth fiercely. He noticed her discomfort and pulled away momentarily.
- "Hey, 'Pubes'?" he said turning to Squall "Do you mind turning away? The sight's not for juniors. 'Sides, you're making my girl feel uncomfortable…" he said, grinning sardonically.
- "Whatever…" mumbled Squall, shaking his head in disbelief.
Seifer smirked and leaned back in. Quistis really had to get used to this now… Seifer obviously enjoyed doing it a lot and what possible excuse could she find to avoid it? 'Sorry, but I suddenly realized I'm disgusted by your kisses…' Not that she was, but she couldn't tell if she enjoyed them either… Yet.
A/N: So… What did ya think? Too awkward? Awkward enough? Not awkward enough? Just gimme your opinions on this… And don't forget to press that little button down there and see what it does!
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
Quistis' first day in her new 'life' continues to present her with new surprises again and again and she decides to make a phone call to a certain someone to clear things out…