A/N: Hello guys! What's up?
As promised, this chapter in my own version of what happened from the moment Seifer found out about the mission in Timber. The game only gave out some of the things he said, through Quistis, but nothing else was revealed, although it was certain they traveled together. So, what you're about to read, is what my deranged mind, along with the aid of my psycho Muse, Sal, came up.
I was looking for an obscene song for this chapter… Well, I didn't need to look far… The name popped right into my head: Marilyn Manson ^_^ I just love that guy… Anyway, the song sung by Seifer is called err… 'Sl**garden', it comes from their latest album 'Golden Age of Grotesque' and as you might have guessed… I don't own the song or the band.
Last chapter summary: Squall passes his SeeD exam and attend the inauguration Ball. He meets up with Rinoa there, after a quarrel she had with Seifer, which terminated their relationship. The following day, he gets sent on his very first mission to Timber, along with Zell and Selphie. There, they meet the rebel group they're helping out, leader of which is none other that Rinoa…
~*A second chance*~
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 12: The journey to Timber
Quistis walked inside the Disciplinary Room, holding her binder and a stack of test papers right underneath her armpit. She had to finish grading them and since she had been asked to keep an eye on the person who was under detention, she had decided to do the grading in the Disciplinary Room. She was more than surprised to find an all too familiar blond, sulking, slouched in the front row with his legs plopped onto the desk.
- "Seifer?" Quistis asked puzzled "You're the one in detention?"
- "You'd think they don't put SeeDs under detention…" he said shrugging "I don't get it either…"
- "You're the Head of the Disciplinary Committee for Hyne's sake! Aren't you supposed to reinforce the rules?" she asked, dropping her things onto her desk.
- "Gotta break a few rules to reinforce them, Instructor…" he said smirking.
- "*Sigh* You're unbelievable…" the blonde said, shaking her head in disbelief.
She sat behind her desk and instantly concentrated on her papers. Seifer fidgeted around for a bit, trying to find a way to pass his time… He really couldn't stand staying still. And he really didn't like silence… 'Maybe I oughta liven this tête-à-tête up a bit…' he thought, the gears inside his brain starting to spin like crazy.
Quistis was engrossed in her grading, trying hard not to laugh with some of her students' responses.
'7. Name the eight elements used most commonly in battle:
Fire, Ice, Thunder, Water, Earth, Love, Friendship, Unity.'
'*Scoff* You forgot 'Peace', dude…' she thought, giving the student six points for a half-correct answer.
'8.Give the proper etiquette used when addressing a highly ranked political persona:
I refuse to answer this question as I believe that it is highly dependable on the credibility and demeanor of said political persona. Seeing as there are not many nowadays who are worthy of meeting the people's high standards, I believe I would not address him/her at all.'
'*Snort* I'll give him two points just for making me laugh…' thought the blonde Instructor, shaking her head in disbelief.
It is a proven fact that the average human cannot concentrate fully for longer than a period of time on the scale from one to eight seconds, as their minds tend to wander off, even for the slightest amount of time. In addition, it is proven that the longest period of time during which a person is able to retain concentration is about thirty seconds. Quistis Trepe was proud to be one of the few people that were able to concentrate hard on their work and seemed to get very close to the aforementioned 'record'. However, she couldn't possibly ignore the humming sound that was now reaching her ears. Unfortunately enough, the humming gradually, yet swiftly, turned into singing…
- "… I can't believe that you are for real, but I don't care as long as you're mine…"
Quistis' eyes rolled upwards and glanced through the empty space of air before her, right above her glasses which had slipped down her nose. A fair eyebrow arched. Seifer was still in the same position as before, allegedly examining his gunblade while singing in supposed boredom. In a decent and quite sensual singing voice by the way… 'But that's not the point…' Quistis shook her self mentally. She knew all too well that he was only doing this to piss her off…
- "…When I said 'we', you know I meant 'me'. And when I said 'sweet' I meant 'dirty'…" he chorused.
- "Seifer, do you mind? I'm trying to work here…" said Quistis impatiently.
To no avail though… The blond completely ignored her and smirked. He even had the nerve to start singing even more loudly…
- "…When I said 'we', you know I meant 'me'. And when I said 'sweet' I meant 'dirty'…" he went on.
- "Seifer, cut it out! I'm an Instructor and can get you in more detention any time!" Quistis threatened him, banging her palms on the desk, getting up from her chair.
Seifer chuckled for a moment, but then resumed his singing… Quistis was enraged… And where had she heard this song before? Yes, she was certain she had heard it again… And if she wasn't mistaken, something incredibly obscene followed these lyrics…
- "…I'm unsafe, I'm unsafe…" sang Seifer, his expression no deviously mischievous. Quistis' eyes widened.
- "Seifer stop it!" she hissed.
- "…I won't repent and so…" he went on, now with an even more –if it was possible- devious look on his face.
- "Seifer, I'm warning you!" Quistis now shouted.
- "…I memorize the words to the porno movies…It's the only thing I wanna believe…" he sang, almost yelling.
Quistis got up and furiously strode over to him; he was now laughing his heart out while singing
- "…I memorize the words to the porno movies… This is a new religion to me…"
She grabbed his vest and pulled his face close to hers. Although quite surprised, he masked it well with yet another smirk.
- "I may not be your Instructor anymore, but I am your superior, so you'll pay me some Hyne damn respect!" she hissed.
- "Wait till you hear the last part, it's even better!" he said chuckling, completely un-phased from her previous threat.
Quistis let out a groan of indignation and let him go, turning her heel. She decided to simply ignore him. He was only trying to get under her skin… Yes, all she had to do was ignore him…
- "I never believed the Devil was real, but Hyne couldn't make someone filthy as you…"
'Relax Quistis… Don't let him get to you… IGNORE him, that's it… Ignore him…'
- "…When I said 'we', you know I meant 'me'. And when I said 'sweet' I meant 'dirty'…"
'Just block your ears from this… It's only a damn song…'
- "…When I said 'we', you know I meant 'me'. And when I said 'sweet' I meant 'dirty'…"
'You can do it… Just don't pay attention to the lyrics…'
- "…You are the church…"
'Oh no…' her eyes flew open 'Argh! JUST – DON'T – LISTEN!"
- "…I am the steeple…"
'He's not gonna say the rest… right? RIGHT?!' her hand moved unconsciously to her whip suspending from her belt in her hip.
- "…When we fuck we're all Hyne's people…"
'That's IT!'
Seifer failed to see the stinging tail of the Red Scorpion coming right at him. Even his impeccable reflexes couldn't match those of Quistis when infuriated. The whip coiled around his wrists and he found himself pulled down abruptly, his back making hard contact with the floor below. Before he even had time to blink, Quistis was already standing above him, the bottom of her boot pressing hard on his throat.
- "Dammit Trepe! It was only a fucking song!" he hissed, coughing as the boot pressed harder on his gullet.
- "Really, have you no shame?!" Quistis shouted "You're already in detention -for Hyne knows what- and you're doing such obscenities in front of an Instructor?!"
- "Oh, so that's what it's all about!" he said knowingly "You wanna know what I did…"
- "What?" Quistis said bemused.
- "You're dying to hear why I'm here, aren't you?" he asked chuckling.
- "No!" said Quistis "I'm dying to get out of this place to get some peace!"
- "Aw, c'mon! Admit it!" he said smirking.
- "I don't care what you did, Seifer! But I'm starting to think that you're dying to tell me!" Quistis retorted.
- "Well, if you must insist…" he said shrugging. Quistis rolled her eyes "Xu caught me handing out some pamphlets and she was rather… disturbed, with the material presented…"
- "Oh dear Hyne… What did you do to her this time?" asked Quistis, almost afraid of his answer.
- "Let's just say that my damn wicked computer skills created a more… revealing version of Xu…" he said smirking.
- "*Scoff* As if you could actually handle a computer…" said Quistis.
- "Oh no?" asked Seifer arching a fair eyebrow "Heh… Then it's true that nobody suspects a hacker…"
- "So you're telling me that you are a computer-wiz?" asked Quistis in disbelief.
- "Among other amazing skills o' mine… yes." he said smirking. Quistis was still staring at him in disbelief "Still not buying it, eh?" he asked. Quistis shook her head "Alright then… You asked for it…" Quistis raised an eyebrow "Where do you think the Trepies got a hold of those pictures from, about a year ago?"
Quistis' eyes widened saucer-like.
**FLASHBACK**
- "Dude! Check these out!" whispered a boy to his classmate right next to him.
- "What?"
- "It's pics of Instructor Trepe!"
- "Big deal… We can see the living version everyday…"
- "Naked!"
- "WHAT?!"
Quistis stopped writing on the board and turned around.
- "What's going on back there?" she asked.
- "Uhh… Nothing, Instructor…" stuttered the boys in unison.
- "What's that you've got there?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
- "NOTHING!" yelled both boys in terror.
Quistis walked towards their desk and pulled whatever one of them had quickly shoved under his desk. The two boys shut their eyes in dread and winced at what was about to follow. Quistis brought what were obviously pictures in front of her. Her jaw dropped…
**END OF FLASHBACK**
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "Ha! I win!" said a red-haired girl.
- "*Grunt* Pick a card…" said the blond boy she was playing with, resentfully.
The two teenagers were sitting in the hallway by the elevator, playing Triple Triad.
- "We agreed we'd play with the 'All' trading rule!" protested the girl.
- "We did not!"
- "We did so!"
- "Did not!"
- "Did so!"
- "AAAAAAAAARRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!"
The two cadets froze in position upon hearing the scream which came piercing the air.
- "What was that?!" asked the boy.
- "I dunno… I think it came from the Disciplinary Room…" replied the girl.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "UNGH! *Choke* C'mon Trepe! *Cough* No-one believed *Gurgle* it was you *Gag* in the pictures!" Seifer tried to speak.
Quistis was on top of him, her right knee pressing his chest hard, while her left heel was resting on the floor, leg sprawled over his right shoulder. Her whip was looped around his neck and she was pulling it with all the strength she could muster. Seifer's face was dangerously turning from red to purple and his hands were gripping the whip around his neck tightly, trying to break free and –most importantly- breathe.
- "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HUMILIATING THOSE PICTURES WERE?!" she screamed.
- "Well *Cough* that was the idea…" he smirked-slash-winced.
Quistis pulled the whip even harder.
- "ARGH! OK, OK! *Cough* I'm sorry! *Cough* Now let me *Gurgle* breathe, dammit!" he choked.
Grinning, Quistis loosened her whip. She had just made Seifer Almasy actually apologize to a person. Seifer drew a huge breath as soon as his throat was whip-free and rubbed his sore skin. Quistis fell back on the floor, right in the opening between Seifer's legs. Her own were sprawled on each side of his waist and she was breathing heavily, recoiling her whip back in place.
- "I swear Trepe, if you ever-" said Seifer, getting up.
He had a threatening expression on his face, but was suddenly caught off in mid-sentence and both his eyebrows arched. A smirk was plastered wide on his face as his eyes rested in the opening of her skirt.
- "What now?!" asked Quistis narrowing her eyes.
- "Pink thong… Niiiice…" he said, rubbing his chin.
Quistis' cheeks blushed furiously. She was embarrassed. And furious. And agitated. And enraged. Did I mention pissed? Letting out a shriek, she literally jumped onto Seifer and grabbed his throat in both hands. Seifer's eyes shot open and he found himself lying with his back on the floor once again.
- "I – AM – GOING – TO – KILL – YOU!" Quistis hissed, shaking with anger.
Seifer was staring at her completely shocked. He'd never seen her like that before… He must have really done it this time…
It is my humble opinion that you should really reconsider your 'way' with women, master…
'And it's MY humble opinion that you should really SHUT UP, Ifrit!' Seifer thought, trying to figure out a way out of this.
Fortunately for him, her cell-phone chose that Hyne-sent moment to ring. Mumbling some incoherent words between gritted teeth, Quistis got up and walked to her desk. She ran a hand through her blond locks, took a deep breath and answered the call. Seifer wasn't an idiot to ignore the golden opportunity given to him and took advantage of it, getting up. He adjusted his clothes and began dusting himself off, when something Quistis said on the phone caught his attention.
- "… tried to kidnap Deling?!" asked Quistis stunned "But I thought that wasn't what the mission was about… *Pause* A set-up? *Pause* And who did they put instead? *Pause* Well it makes sense… He's got many spies lying around, it was more than certain that he'd get to them… *Pause* So where are they now? *Pause* Oh no… *Pause* What are we going to do? Did you talk to Cid about this? *Pause* Do you think we should get down there? *Pause* Is he certain he'll be able to sort this out? *Pause* Alright, I'll keep on stand-by… Call me again if you hear anything new, OK? Bye." she said, terminating the call.
- "What happened?" asked Seifer, so casually as if nothing had happened before.
- "Something went wrong with a mission in Timber…" said Quistis worriedly, her too seeming to have forgotten the whole issue.
- "Mission?" Seifer asked curiously, folding his arms in front of his chest.
- "Some mission they sent Squall, Zell and Selphie on. They were supposed to help some rebel group in Timber." replied Quistis.
- "What group?" Seifer asked, arching an eyebrow.
- "I can't tell you. It's classified information." replied Quistis, returning to her chair.
Seifer strode over to her and grabbed her left wrist.
- "A friend of mine is involved in such a group, Instructor, and from what I heard, something went wrong. So she might be in danger." he said narrowing his eyes at her "Now… Which group?"
Quistis swung her arm free and looked at him sternly.
- "Are you telling me the truth?" she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
- "Yes. Now for the last Hyne damn time: Which group?" he asked, placing his palms flat on the desk.
- "You promise you'll tell no-one I spoke of this?" she asked, pointing a finger at him.
- "YES! Now tell me!" he said exasperated.
- "From what I've been told, they're called the 'Forest Owls'." said Quistis. Seifer's eyes widened "Squall and his team are supposed to aid them gain Timber's liberation."
- "WHAT?!" roared Seifer "As if it wasn't enough that Rinoa is over in Timber, working her ass off with the lamest group alive…"
- "Who's Rinoa?" asked Quistis, arching an eyebrow.
- "I don't believe this…" said Seifer pacing back and forth, completely ignoring Quistis' question "They might end up fightin' the whole Galbadian force! And all they dispatch are three rookie SeeD members?! Dammit! I'm going to Timber!" he said, rushing over to the desk he was sitting on before.
He grabbed his Hyperion, which lay on the desk all this time, and ran towards the door. Quistis sprinted there first and blocked the entrance.
- "Seifer, you're not going anywhere!" she hissed "I've already given you out classified information, foolishly as it turns out, and you most certainly will NOT blow my cover. Besides, you're in detention for another," She checked her watch "Half an hour! Now go back to your seat!" she ordered.
- "Trepe, move out of the way or I won't hesitate to resort to violence…" said Seifer through gritted teeth.
- "NO!" yelled Quistis.
- "I said," spat Seifer, pushing her away from the door "MOVE!"
He opened the door and broke into a run down the hallway. Quistis cursed under her breath and ran after him.
- "SEIFER ALMASY, GET BACK HERE!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seifer barged inside the Parking Lot breathing heavily. Beads of sweat were beginning to collect on his forehead and body, as he looked around the hall. He spotted a black SeeD car and ran towards it, pulling the door open. Right on cue, Quistis came panting inside. She barely saw the door of the black SeeD car closing and ran over to it. Seifer had just turned the engine on, when she opened the passenger door and stepped inside as well.
- "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she hissed "You can't take a Garden car!"
- "I can and I will. Now get out, Trepe!" he retorted, switching the engine off.
- "I'm not getting out without you!"
- "Have it your way…" said Seifer smirking and turned the key in the ignition.
- "Seifer, don't you dare-" threatened Quistis.
Too late. Seifer had already stepped hard on the gas petal and the car sped off and out of the Parking Lot. Quistis fell back on her seat and gripped the sides so hard, her knuckles turned white. Hastily, she grabbed her seatbelt and fastened it.
- "Glad to see I'll have some company on the way to Timber…" said Seifer smirking, stepping even harder on the gas.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall was leaning against the wall of the 'Forest Owls' wagon inside the main room. He had his arms folded in front of his chest. Zell and Selphie were standing by his sides, both just as pissed as him. Rinoa was pacing back and forth before them, looking down at the floor, sulking. Zone was standing in a corner and Watts had wandered off somewhere. Squall didn't know nor care where… But what he did know, was that this was his first mission and things couldn't be going any worse. He was under a contract with what was possibly the worst rebel group in history. Hell, the worst group, period. These people were completely clueless. They just sat down for five minutes, set up what was supposedly a strategy and went for it heads on. No wonder they'd just failed miserably…
- "Man, I can't believe the President was a fake…" mumbled Zone.
- "I can't believe we fell for it!" said Rinoa, stopping to walk.
Squall resisted the urge to retort 'No shit.' and just tried to swallow his fury. Just then, Watts came storming inside the room, an excited expression on his face.
- "Info, sir! New info!" Watts shouted gleefully.
'Hyne, not again…' thought Squall.
- "It's big news! I found out the real reason why the President's here sir! The President's going to the TV station! Security's real tight, sir!" said Watts.
Squall rolled his eyes as he went on about his 'exciting news'. Apparently, the President was planning on broadcasting a certain message to the entire world, hence choosing to use radio waves. Hence, choosing Timber, as their station was the only one who could handle broadcasts over the air.
- "…Wouldn't it be wonderful if the first broadcast could be the declaration of Timber's independence?!" said Rinoa cheerfully.
- "Hey! That might be possible!" exclaimed Zone.
- "Let's come up with a plan then!" suggested Rinoa "Can you guys give us a minute?" she asked the SeeDs.
All three nodded and plopped down on their knees, starting to discuss 'strategy'. Squall slapped his forehead and shook his head in disbelief 'This is it… I'm doomed to serve these people eternally…'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "Last call for Timber!" the train conductor of Balamb Train Station called "Last call for Timber! Everyone please board!"
Seifer skidded towards the Ticket counter, closely followed by Quistis, who was still trying to persuade him to get back to Garden.
- "Two tickets for Timber. And make it quick!" he told the saleswoman.
She gave him a disdainful look and cut two tickets, grabbing the two thousand Gil he'd slipped on the counter and checking his SeeD ID.
- "There you go." she told him and handed the tickets.
Seifer grabbed the two slips of paper and sprinted inside the station, towards the train's boarding entrance. Quistis stepped up the small stairway behind him and came to a halt once inside the wagon.
- "Your ticket…" Seifer said smirking, handing her one slip.
- "I can't believe I'm doing this…" she mumbled under her breath, and took the little piece of paper.
- "I reckon we should check our SeeD cabin out…" said Seifer smugly, trotting towards the card receptor on the door, leading to the cabin hallway.
He slid his ticket down the machine, opening the door. He did a mock-bow, motioning to Quistis to walk inside first. She rolled her eyes and grunted, making her way down the hallway. She checked her ticket and found their cabin, cabin 6A. She slipped her own ticket into the other receptor on the door, opening it. She stepped inside, Seifer following suit behind her. Quistis tediously walked towards the bed inside, where she collapsed, letting out a sigh of relief. Seifer arched an eyebrow at that and rubbed his chin.
- "Damn Trepe, I was thinking we should take a shower or something first, but if you're up for it now… you're on…" he said smirking, pretending to walk over to her with 'bad' intentions…
Quistis swung her leg up, thrusting the bottom of her boot onto his chest.
- "Couch." she said narrowing her eyes, pointing at the sofa lying a few feet away.
Seifer chuckled and did as he was told. He slouched himself onto the couch and let out a sigh, similar to Quistis' previous one. They both felt exhausted; after their somewhat 'interesting' quarrel, they'd been running around Garden and Balamb, trying to catch the train on time. After a few moments of silence, Quistis sat up on the bed, resting on her elbows and looked at Seifer.
- "Now… Since I've done the unthinkable and haven't actually reported you to Cid as I should have… You owe me an explanation. Why are we running off to Timber?" she asked.
- "I already told you; a friend of mine is leading this group you mentioned and I need to get down there to help. Skilled as Puberty-Boy might be-" began Seifer.
- "'Puberty-Boy'?" Quistis asked, raising an eyebrow.
- "Leonhart. It's a nickname I've given him…" replied Seifer smirking, making Quistis roll her eyes "So as I was saying… Skilled as Leonhart might be, you can't possibly expect those three to pull off something big like that. They need my help."
- "Your modesty never ceases to amaze me…" said Quistis, shaking her head in disbelief.
- "It's the truth and we both know it." snapped Seifer "Cid should have known better than to send three brand new SeeDs, not to mention sending them on a mission with an objective more vague than the answer to the 'meaning of life'… Seriously now… Liberate Timber? What the hell was he thinking?!"
- "No arguments here…" said Quistis. Seifer was right; it had been very foolish of Cid to give out such a mission, much less to three new SeeDs.
- "Damn straight…" said Seifer cockily.
Quistis rolled her eyes for yet another time that day. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, then at the brooding blond lying lazily on the couch. Maybe Seifer should be given more credit… Even though he acted like an overly grown five-year-old most of the time, he seemed to be much more than what he let others believe… Thoughtless and impulsive as his most recent action was, it did serve a valiant purpose. He was risking his rank –not to mention neck- to run off and help a friend in need. Gallant indeed… Who was he anyway? The only friends he seemed to have, were Fujin and Raijin… He? Wait a second; hadn't he said back in Garden that it was a girl? Yes, yes… Someone named… Rania? Or something like that… Could it be his girlfriend? It would make sense… Quistis didn't know why, but that thought made her feel a slight stinging at the pit of her stomach… Weird…
- "Seifer…?" she said suddenly.
- "Hmm?"
- "This… friend of yours… in Timber… What was her name again?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
- "Why do you care?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
- "Just out of curiosity…" Quistis said, shrugging.
- "*Pause* Rinoa." Seifer replied laconically. Quistis bit her lip and blurted out the next question.
- "Your… girlfriend?" she asked hesitantly.
- "I'm not answering that." Seifer said coldly, glaring at her 'Touchy, touchy…' Quistis thought.
- "Why not?" she asked.
- "Because I said so, Trepe." he retorted in a somewhat hostile manner.
- "What's the big deal? I'm not judging you or anything! It's a simple yes or no question!" Quistis said exasperated.
- "It's none of your damn business!" he replied loudly, sitting up on the couch, facing her.
- "Oh, isn't it?" she snapped, sitting up as well "I'm risking by damn position for that girl. Shouldn't I at least know who the heck she is?!"
- "No-one asked you to come!"
- "You practically kidnapped me here!"
- "When the fuck did I ever do that?!"
- "When you drove off with me inside the car!"
- "You could have gotten off when I told you so, Trepe…" he said shrugging.
- "Will you just answer the damn question and get on with it?!"
- "NO! She's not my girlfriend! Not anymore! We're friends now! Happy?!" hissed Seifer, falling back on the couch.
- "Thank you." she replied grinning, lying back down as well "I win this time…"
- "Tsk, whatever…" said Seifer, shaking his hands in the air indifferently. Quistis chuckled "What's supposed to be so damn funny?" Seifer asked, arching an eyebrow.
- "You and Squall are more alike than you think…" she said grinning.
- "Alright Trepe…" he said crankily, getting up "I kept my patience with the whole 'girlfriend' issue, but now you've asked for it!"
He walked over to her and grabbed her right leg.
- "Seifer, what are you- ARGH!" Quistis shrieked as Seifer pulled her off the bed.
She winced as her back made hard contact with the floor. Seifer kept holding her leg up, looking down at her, smirking.
- "Say you're sorry." he said sternly.
- "Or what?" she hissed.
- "Say you're sorry, or else I'll be staring at your little pink thong all day!" he said in a devilish manner, looking down through the opening of her skirt.
Quistis' eyes shined with embarrassment and rage. She swung her free leg, hitting him square on the cheekbone, sending him wincing on the floor. Not losing a second, she tackled him and pinned his wrists on the floor. Seifer chuckled and smirked.
- "C'mon Trepe, don't make me hurt you… We both know I'm stronger than you…" he said.
Quistis was about to retort something, when he slid one leg free and swung it in the air, making them both roll on the floor. Quistis winced and when she opened her eyes, she was the one pinned on the floor, Seifer on top of her.
- "Told ya." he said sneering.
The blonde struggled hard to escape his grip, but to no avail. He was damn strong! And the little bastard had made sure he'd secured her legs under his as well.
- "And now, we'll talk about your punishment…" Seifer said, leaning down close to her.
Quistis' eyes widened. The damned jerk knew exactly how to threaten her. All he had to do was touch her, get close to her. Proximity was more than enough to bring her in an uncomfortable state… And as he stood above her, towering her, his jade gaze piercing through her, she felt her heart pounding like a drum at a rock concert; wildly. She wasn't certain what he really had in mind, but, alas, she never found out, as the train conductor chose that particular time to announce their arrival in Timber.
Seifer's head jerked upwards, breaking the connection of their long-time stares. He swiftly got off her and back up to his feet. He grabbed his Hyperion from the couch nearby, suspending it from his belt. Quistis was still trying to sit up on the floor when he tossed her her whip. She grabbed it and coiled it around its usual place on her belt. She made a move to get up, but Seifer did it for her account, by grabbing her wrist and yanking her upwards.
- "Come on, Instructor!" he said sportingly "We don't have all day!" he added, dragging her to the exit "We can discuss your spanking later." he finished, winking at her.
- "My WHAT?!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Squall, Rinoa, Selphie and Zell got off the wagon of the 'Forest Owls', closely followed by Watts. The latter walked right in front of them and spoke.
- "Say! I remember now, sir! I think the TV Station is located behind a building called Timber Maniacs! Please head in that direction, sir! I hope you find it!" he said.
- "WaaaaaaTTTS!!! C'MON! The Galbadian soldiers are comin'!!!" Zone yelled from inside the wagon.
Behind Watts, the train had already started moving.
- "Uhh… Mr. Watts…" began Selphie, pointing at the wagon, but he seemed to be too engrossed on what he was saying to pay attention to her.
- "…Lots of guards patrolling the city now! Please be careful, sir!" he went on.
- "Hey, dude… The carriage…" said Zell, looking at the wagon moving away.
- "…Seems like the hotel's not available, either! Should you need to recover, use the Owl's Tear sir! Heard it works wonders! I believe you can find it at the old man's house…" continued Watts.
- "Umm…" Squall begun.
- "…I guess you won't be needing it anyway. You're all SeeDs, you'll be fine, right, sir!?" finished Watts.
- "Watts!" yelled Rinoa.
- "What?" asked Watts innocently.
- "The carriage!" shouted everyone in unison, even Squall.
Watts turned around, watching the wagon leave without him. He broke into a run and ran on the tracks, following it.
- "Hey…!!! Don't leave me, siiiiiiiiiiir!" he shouted.
Rinoa shook her head in disbelief. She turned around and began trotting towards the town Square.
- "Follow me!" she said sportingly.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "I can't believe you Seifer!" said Quistis irritably.
- "What did I do now?!" asked Seifer exasperated.
- "Beating a soldier isn't the best way to extract information from him!" she hissed "I don't know how the hell you passed the SeeD exam without knowing that!"
- "I do know it… I just choose not to use it…" he replied smirking "'Sides… It got us the info, didn't it?"
- "Even though it did, we'll be damn lucky if we don't have half the Galbadian army on our tail now!" she retorted.
- "Figures…" said Seifer indifferently.
The pair was walking towards the Train Station and had just reached the stairway, when they heard shouts right behind them.
- "THERE THEY ARE!" yelled a Galbadian, followed by a swarm of other blue-clad soldiers.
- "Aw shit!" cursed Seifer, grabbing Quistis' hand, breaking into a run down the stairs "You're a fucking jinx Trepe, you know that?!"
- "Oh, so it's my fault now?!" yelled Quistis.
The two blonds ran down the stairway and into the bar before them. They sprinted right through it, towards the exit, ignoring the puzzled looks on all the attendants' faces, when Quistis came to a halt, pulling Seifer back.
- "Wait!"
- "What for?! They'll gain on us!" yelled Seifer exasperated.
- "They'll expect us to run down this exit! We'll hide in the bar, it's dark in there!" she said, pulling him back in.
She ran into a corner, hastily removing her hair clip, then following suit in pulling Seifer's trench coat off.
- "Trepe, this ain't the best time to be gettin' it on, you know!" Seifer said half-smirking, half-looking worried.
- "Shut it you idiot! I'm just making sure we won't get recognized!" she spat back.
- "Oh right! No-one's gonna recognize you with your hair down and me without my coat!" he said sarcastically.
- "I'm thinking here!" said Quistis cantankerously.
Right on cue, the Galbadians busted inside the bar. Seifer turned his back on them, cursing under his breath. Not knowing what else to do, he looked at Quistis and did the first thing that came in mind. He roughly grabbed her face in both palms and pressed his lips hard on hers. Quistis' eyes shot wide open and she was about to push him back, when she noticed that his deranged plan was actually working. The Galbadians couldn't see their faces, so they passed unnoticed and the squad ran right through the bar and towards the exit that she and Seifer had tried to escape only a little while ago.
She turned her attention back to him and was about to tell him it was safe and to let go, when she sensed his tongue darting into her mouth and heard a soft moan escape his lips. He had his eyes closed and he wasn't tensed up like seconds ago, but relaxed and calm. And if Quistis wasn't mistaken, he seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit as well… She let out a moan of protest and pushed her palms against his chest, but Seifer didn't seem eager to let go. On the contrary, he moved one hand down to her waist and slid the other on her nape. Quistis shivered at his touch and felt her stomach fluttering, her heart racing like mad. It felt damn good, but she had to tell him to let go, they had to go and help the others, they… 'Oh fuck it!' Quistis thought and wrapped one arm around Seifer's neck, raking the other hand through his hair.
After what seemed like ages, Seifer pulled back. Quistis slowly slid her eyes open and looked at him; he was breathing heavily and had his gaze locked on hers. His chest was touching her own and she could feel his wild heartbeat through their contact. Neither of them had moved their hands from their aforementioned positions. Quistis swallowed hard and tried to break the awkward silence.
- "S-Seifer… I…It-" she mumbled, but never finished her sentence.
The door of the exit barged open and in came the soldiers again. The two blonds jerked their heads towards that spot momentarily and then looked back at each other. Before Quistis had time to even blink, Seifer pulled her back close to him and kissed her again.
- "I don't know where the hell they went! We searched everywhere!" protested one of the soldiers.
- "Just forget about it and let's get out of here…" suggested another.
The door closed behind the small squad of soldiers, but Seifer and Quistis were still 'glued' on one another. Quistis didn't know whether the kiss –or rather kisses- had meant anything more than just a means of cover. She could understand why Seifer had resorted to such a plan originally, but right now she couldn't help but feel that they'd long ago crossed the line between obligation and pleasure. And to be frank, she couldn't care less. For once in her life, she decided to just shut up and enjoy the moment. And enjoy it she did…
The pair seemed oblivious to the world around them, until they heard an all too familiar voice behind them.
- "Is this your card?"
Seifer and Quistis slowly opened their eyes and stopped kissing, lips still united though, both cocking an eyebrow.
- "Huh…? It is! Why do you have it?!" said another voice, unknown.
- "Found it outside." spoke the familiar voice again.
- "Are you serious…? OK. Thanks! You know what? I'm feelin' generous! So you can keep that card. And also… this one! I'll move out of the way now…" said the unknown voice.
Footsteps were heard and the back door opened and closed once again. Quistis shot a sideways glance towards the door and Seifer tried to turn around a bit to catch a glimpse too. They turned their eyes back to each other and immediately pulled away. Blushing furiously, Quistis clipped her hair back in place, while Seifer put on his trench coat on, the tiniest of blushes spreading on his cheeks. Quistis adjusted her clothes and looked towards the exit.
- "Uhh… Was that-?" she began, trying to break the ice.
- "Leonhart? Yeah, I thought so too…" said Seifer.
- "Right…" said Quistis, nodding.
They both stood still for a bit, avoiding each other's gazes. Seifer chewed on the interior of his cheek, while Quistis fidgeted around with a stray lock of hair.
- "Err… Shall we?" Seifer asked, motioning towards the door.
- "Yeah let's go…" agreed Quistis.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The two blonds made their way towards the back door and out to the alley. They quickened their pace up a bit, upon hearing familiar voices down below. They sprinted along until they reached a few metal stairways, leading up to the TV station. They found Squall, Zell, Selphie and Rinoa standing there, obviously in the middle of what seemed like a quarrel.
- "…Well, it's not! We're serious…" spoke a raven-haired girl, who Quistis guessed was probably this 'Rinoa' "So serious, it hurts…" she said, almost crying, and made a move to dash away, when…
- "Rinoa!" called Seifer.
The girl stopped in her tracks and looked down to where the familiar voice had come from. Quistis noticed the girl for the first time and the flashback of the dance the previous night came rushing in mind. It was the girl that she'd seen with Seifer and later on in the balcony talking to Squall. So that was Seifer's 'friend', for whom they'd rushed all the way to Timber for…
- "SEIFER?! What are you doing here?!" Rinoa asked, completely bemused.
A/N: Don't get too excited about that kiss, mmmkay? Just wait and see (or rather read what will happen next…)
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
The six teenagers barge inside the TV station, trying to stop the President's broadcast, when they come across a mysterious woman…