A/N: Yet another late update and yet another chapter which didn't come out the way it intended to… I can't apologize enough, but things were just too damn awful for me these days… Some of my teachers were kind enough to inform us last Thursday that we're taking the first two exams the following week, giving us… 7 days to prepare. On a second note, I have to hand in an assignment by Wednesday, which should be 25 pages long and has yet to begin being written. The reason? I spent the last two days consoling my best friend for the loss of her father who passed away Friday morning. Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that I ask for your understanding for the following weeks as I'll be rammed with work from every direction. I will update, just not in the supposed 4-day basis. And thank you all for your support through your reviews…
Last chapter summary: Quistis called Ellone to ask for her help. Today, Ellone, along with Ethan –her boyfriend- and Laguna visit Garden…
~*A second chance*~
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 3: Family reunion
The next morning…
- "Hold still Squall!" whined Rinoa, while she tried to fix Squall's hair.
- "Rinoa, leave my hair alone!" said Squall through gritted teeth.
- "The President's coming! You have to look your best!" she said ignoring his pretests.
- "For Hyne's sake! He's just my dad!" said Squall exasperated, but shot his eyes wide open as soon as he did.
- "Ha! I made you call him 'dad'!" said Rinoa cheerfully "You-called-him-daaaad…" she chimed, hopping around cheerfully like a schoolgirl.
Squall simply grunted and straightened out his clothes. They were all gathered at the Main Hall, right in front of the Directory, waiting for Laguna, Ellone and Ethan's arrival. Seifer, Squall and Cid with Matron were sitting in front to be the first ones to salute him, while all the others stood behind them; Quistis, Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine and Zell.
- "Oh I'm so excited!" squealed Selphie "We're gonna see Sis, Sir Laguna and Sis' boyfriend all together!"
- "Yeah, I know…" said Zell "I've missed them all…"
- "I've never met Sis' boyfriend…" said Irvine "What's he like?" he asked.
- "They came here last year during summer. You and Selph were in Trabia then, that's why you didn't meet them." said Zell.
- "Ethan's pretty cool." said Rinoa "He's about you height…" she said looking at Irvine "He's got short blond-brown hair, a brow ring and THE cutest honey eyes!"
- "Don't let Squall hear you say that…" said Zell grinning.
- "I was only making an observation!" whined Rinoa.
- "Ooh, now I can't wait to meet him!" said Selphie cheerfully, earning a glare from Irvine "I love you…" she said to him, grinning.
- "Anyway…" said Zell "He's strangely taken a liking to Alm-ASS-y…" It was his turn to be glared at by Quistis "What?" he said exasperated "He can call me 'Chicken-wuss' all the time and I can't call him that?"
- "It's OK Zell…" said Quistis chuckling. She'd missed the incessant quarrels and taunts between those two…
- "So, like Zell said, he and Seifer became pretty good friends. Ethan said he liked Seifer's style…" said Rinoa.
- "From what I realized, Ethan's pretty much into teasing everyone as well… But always with a good intention…" said Zell.
- "So, how did they meet?" asked Selphie eagerly.
- "Ethan has been working in Laguna's office for years. He used to be an assistant for Laguna's legal advisor, but he's already a lawyer himself. He was just getting a bit of 'training'." said Rinoa "He's about Ellone's age… I couple of years older I think…"
- "Ethan noticed Ellone one day when she came into Laguna's office. At first she hated his guts…" said Zell chuckling "She said she thought he was 'the most conceited ape' she'd ever met!"
- "They used to fight all the time, mainly because Ethan teased her to get her attention, but she fell for him and they started dating. Isn't it romantic?" said Rinoa giggling.
- "Kinda like Seifer and Quisty…" said Selphie, eyeing her blonde comrade.
- "Oh shut up…" said Quistis blushing.
- "Hee, hee… You know it's true…" giggled Selphie.
Quistis laughed inwardly. That's how she thought she probably ended up with Seifer; after some serious quarrels and fights. Her thoughts drifted to the blond man who stood before her. That morning, when she woke up next to him, she felt kind of… relieved. She hadn't been dreaming after all. She was still in the same room, next to the same guy, with the same awkwardness and tension that came along with each touch… And she kind of liked it… She liked the sensation of waking up in someone's arms, having him sweetly whispering 'Good morning' to her, while kissing her lips softly. She liked having someone telling her he loved her, telling her he found her beautiful and unique… But was she just using Seifer to hold on to that sensation? Or was he a welcome part of the entire 'package' that came as her new life? She didn't know… Not yet…
- "There they are!" came Rinoa's squeal, jolting Quistis back to reality.
Quistis smiled broadly as she saw three people approaching the Hall where they stood. The two of them, were familiar faces. The third, seemed like a distant memory of a dream, which would make sense, as she was supposed to have met him before. Ethan, Ellone's boyfriend, was exactly like Rinoa had described him. Cool… And as he held Ellone tenderly from her waist, Quistis couldn't help but feel really content for her childhood friend. She seemed to be glowing from happiness. Laguna looked just fine as well. Looking nothing like his 56 years, he still had the spirit of a teenager. The pair of jeans and sweater he was wearing helped a lot in making him look younger. His hair was still as long as ever, although his raven locks were now mixed with grey ones as well. Cid and Edea were the first ones to approach the three visitors, exchanging handshakes with them and, in Edea's case, hugs.
Squall sighed and prepared himself for yet another 'reunion' with his father. Seifer noticed his discomfort and smirked.
- "What's the matter 'Pubes'?" he asked "Aren't you happy to have your pop back here?"
- "Blow me Seifer…" said Squall frowning.
- "Aw, c'mon… Cheer up… He may have brought you a Christmas Present…" Seifer said grinning.
- "Fuck you… You couldn't possibly understand…" mumbled Squall, lowering his head.
- "Don't try and make me look like the heartless asshole here Leonhart, because if there is one in this room, it's you…" said Seifer, seriously this time "Give the poor man a break. He's obviously done more than my father ever has…" said the fair-haired Commander, walking forward to greet the trio.
Squall looked at him raising an eyebrow. He watched Seifer give Ellone a big hug, Laguna a firm handshake and receive a high-five from Ethan. He shook his head and proceeded in welcoming all of them as well…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Quistis was sitting in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. Sis should be there any moment… When she hugged her for welcome back in the Hall, Ellone whispered to her that she would claim to be tired and then sneak into her dorm to talk. Seifer was in the office at that time and would be missing for a fair few hours, so they had plenty of time. No sooner had she thought of Ellone, than the door knocked. Quistis got up and walked over to open it.
- "Made it…" said a smiling Ellone, standing behind the door.
- "Good… Thank you so much…" said Quistis, closing the door behind her.
- "I hope you don't mind that I told Ethan about this," said Ellone "I just didn't want him getting any 'ideas' about where I went…" she added grinning.
- "It's OK," said Quistis smiling "Where is he anyway?" she asked.
- "He went up to Squall and Seifer's office to hang out with them. I made him promise he wouldn't say anything though. Especially not to Seifer." replied Sis.
- "Oh good." said Quistis "Have a seat."
Ellone walked over to the double table and sat down.
- "Coffee?" asked Quistis.
- "No thanks. I just had some." said Ellone.
- "OK… I'll just get right to the point then…" said Quistis sitting right next to her.
- "I'm listening…" said Ellone eagerly.
- "First of all," began Quistis hesitantly "I want you to keep in mind that I'm not crazy."
- "Why would I ever think you are?" asked Ellone puzzled.
- "Because what you're about to hear will be pretty… bewildering…"
- "Quisty, you're scaring me…" said Ellone narrowing her eyes in fear.
- "Trust me, you're not the only one scared…" said Quistis adopting a similar expression.
- "Well, go on! Tell me! What is it?" asked Ellone impatiently.
- "The previous morning," began Quistis taking a deep breath "I woke up into something totally new." Ellone raised an eyebrow.
- "Meaning?" she asked.
- "Meaning… that I went to sleep into a different world and woke up in another one…this one…" said Quistis, looking at Ellone worriedly, afraid she might take her for some sort of nut.
Ellone looked at her with an expression of ultimate confusion. She blinked a few times, then spoke.
- "Quisty I'm still not following you…" she said.
- "Alright," said Quistis taking a deep breath, tucking some strands of stray hair behind her ears "Have you ever had a dream, where you saw that you were in a totally different world?"
- "Yes. Many times." replied the brunette.
- "That's what happened to me. Only I realized I'm not dreaming…" said Quistis.
Ellone sat up, feeling uneasy. She stared at Quistis' blue eyes for a few moments, not saying a word. She took a deep breath, staring blankly at nowhere in particular.
- "I believe you Quistis." she said eventually.
- "You do?" asked Quistis eagerly.
- "Yes. Although I can't quite comprehend completely what you just said… I believe you." she repeated.
- "Oh thank you!" said Quistis leaping into her arms.
Ellone caressed the fair locks of her little 'sister's' hair, as she held her in her arms. After a while, she gently pushed her back and looked at her, holding her arms.
- "But I need you to tell me more things, so that I can help you in whichever way you think I can." said Ellone.
- "OK… What do you need to know?" asked Quistis.
- "This… different world you say you come from… What exactly is different there?" asked Ellone.
- "Let's take things from the beginning," said Quistis sitting up straight "In 'my' world, things are only different from the moment I became an Instructor here."
- "How so?" asked Ellone.
- "You'll understand later on." said Quistis "In the other world, when I became an Instructor, I couldn't help but show some…impartiality towards Squall."
- "Squall?" asked Ellone confused.
- "Yes, Squall." repeated Quistis "As a result, I neglected other students and I was quite… spiteful towards a certain one."
- "Lemme guess… Seifer?" asked Ellone crossing her arms.
- "Exactly." replied Quistis "I always tried to protect Squall, I always praised him, so Seifer ended up being the one taking the blame all the time. You know what a gifted soldier he is, but he just never got any praise for it from me…" she added, lowering her head.
- "Go on…" said Ellone, intrigued of what would come next.
- "As a result, Seifer never passed the SeeD exam while Squall passed with flying colors. Eventually, Seifer ended up becoming Edea's Knight during the war, while she was possessed." narrated Quistis.
- "Her Knight?" asked Ellone puzzled.
- "It was his childhood dream. So he joined the… let's say 'dark' side. Then, when we fought the Galbadians…"
- "Just like it happened here…" interrupted Ellone.
- "We fought the Galbadians here too?" asked Quistis. Ellone nodded "I see… Anyway, when we infiltrated Galbadia Garden, we faced Seifer and Edea in battle again… Seifer later on disappeared, Edea came back to her senses, but Rinoa became possessed by the same Sorceress that had possessed Edea."
- "Ultimecia." said Ellone.
- "Yes!" exclaimed Quistis.
- "I can see that your 'world' is not very different from this one…" said Ellone rubbing her chin.
- "Obviously… Actually, it's only a matter of a different choice…" said Quistis.
- "Which choice?" asked Ellone.
- "You'll find out later on…" said Quistis "So… In our attempts to cure Rinoa, we sent her into space…"
- "Where she broke the seal of Adel…" said Ellone.
- "Yes! And then after the Lunar Cry…"
- "You invaded the Lunatic Pandora to save me…" added Ellone.
- "Exactly! We fought Seifer again, beat him, but when he escaped, he tried to sacrifice Rinoa to Adel." said Quistis.
- "Impossible!" said Ellone surprised.
- "Seifer's the 'bad guy' in my world Ellone…" said Quistis sadly.
- "Continue please…" said Ellone, more interested than ever in Quistis' story.
- "Anyway, we fought Adel and beat her as part of our plan. Then you came over and sent her conscience into Ultimecia." narrated Quistis "Right then, Time Compression began and the six of us, me, Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Irvine and Selphie, were found in Ultimecia's world, where we fought her."
- "And…?" asked Ellone biting her nails in anxiety.
- "We won. And then everything went back to normal…" finished Quistis.
- "Oh wow…" said Ellone impressed "But what about Seifer? What happened to him?"
- "Right to the heart of the 'problem'…" said Quistis smiling weakly "A couple of months after the battle against Ultimecia, we received an official form from the Galbadian government, announcing the capture and execution of Seifer…"
- "What?!" Ellone cut in.
- "Yes…" said Quistis "When we found out, all of us felt sorry for Seifer, even though he was guilty of all the charges pressed against him…"
- "What charges?" asked Ellone, afraid of Quistis' answer.
- "Betrayal and murder." said Quistis coldly.
- "That can't be true!" said Ellone gasping.
- "I'm afraid it was…" said Quistis sighing "The very same night we received that form, I locked myself up in my dorm and thought about many things while drinking. I came to the conclusion that the way Seifer ended up was mostly my fault…" said Quistis, lowering her head.
- "Don't say that Quisty! Why would it be your fault?" asked Ellone. Quistis scoffed.
- "Because someone… Hyne actually… came to my sleep that night and granted me a second chance. A world in which I made a different choice. A world in which I paid Seifer more attention when he was my student… Your world… This world…" said Quistis, while a silent tear ran down her face.
- "So…" said Ellone bewildered "You woke up the next morning here?"
- "Yes. And that's the end of my story…" said Quistis, wiping her wet eyes.
- "Oh my Hyne…" said Ellone staring at her blankly.
- "It's unbelievable, I know…" said Quistis.
- "Come here…" she said hugging Quistis tightly.
Quistis tried to hold her tears inside, but they finally got the better of her. She began sobbing loudly, while Ellone caressed her back.
- "It all happened because of me Ellone!" whispered Quistis between tears "I cost Seifer his life!"
- "Hey, hey… Hyne is fair… She saw that you were sorry for your choice in the past and gave you this chance to make up for it… Besides, you couldn't have possibly known where that would have led you…" said Ellone, comforting her.
- "I need you help…" said Quistis pulling, back, looking at Ellone with eyes red from tears.
- "I'll do anything…" said Ellone.
- "I need you to show me my past…" said Quistis "My past here… In this world…" Ellone looked at her puzzled "I have to know Ellone! Because right now I'm with someone I never loved before, but he claims to love me! I need to know how, why I loved him. I need to know what happened that led me and everyone else here! Please show me…" she pleaded.
- "Alright…" said Ellone nodding "Lie down…"
Quistis lied on the double bed as Ellone told her to do. Ellone breathed deeply and tried to concentrate.
- "Close your eyes…" she whispered.
The last thing the azure eyes saw where the ceiling of the room, slowly disappearing from sight, behind long eyelashes. And then, a feeling of the conscience being drawn away into the abyss…
A/N: Sorry for the small chapter, but I just had to fit this scene in somewhere. BTW, I was thinking of writing a short fic about Ellone and Ethan right after I finish this. I've never tried to approach Ellone's character before and it's something I'd really like to try. What do you guys think?
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
As of the next chapter, we begin the re-telling of the original story events which led to Quistis' 'new life'…