A/N: Hey guys.
I'm really sorry this update has taken so long, but I had to cope between exams, weariness and a slight writer's block concerning this chapter. I really couldn't think of anything to write for quite some time. Which is why this chapter is so small. But… In order to make up for this, the next one will be up in two days. It's a promise!
And once again (because it was asked), I'll say that the sequel to LCA will be updated only when I finish this fic. Sorry for the delay, but I really can't handle it and I wouldn't want it to be written poorly. Just show some patience please.
Last chapter summary: Rinoa's abrupt awakening has left four victims and many wounded in its wake. After a funeral is held in B-Garden, our heroes divide in two groups. One to pursue Rinoa and the other to find the entrance to the hidden city of Esthar.
A second chance
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 29: To reality and back again
Quistis felt her head spinning wildly and squirmed around onto the mattress she was laying. Opening her eyes bit by bit, she aided herself up by standing onto her elbows, looking around her.
Ellone was sitting beside her on the bed, rubbing her sore temples in comfort. Quistis looked at her sister, blinking a couple of times.
- "Why did you break the connection?" she asked.
- "It's getting late." Ellone replied "Seifer could be back any moment now."
- "What time is it?" Quistis asked, raking a hand through her hair.
- "Almost eight."
- "I see…" Quistis said, yawning "When will we continue?"
- "Tomorrow morning." Ellone replied "And I believe we should finish up."
- "Alright… What are you going to do now?" Quistis asked.
- "I'll get back to my room and wait up for Ethan. Sorry I can't stay. We'll talk about everything tomorrow morning." Ellone said "You should get some rest. You look drained."
- "A bit…" the blonde said, stretching her legs, looking down at her feet.
- "What's on your mind?" Ellone asked, as she got up, straightening her clothes.
- "Nothing…" Quistis replied, shrugging "I've just begun to feel… different…" she replied, grinning slightly.
- "Good different, or bad different?" Ellone asked.
Quistis looked up at her, smiling.
- "Definitely good."
Seifer walked down the Dormitory corridor, fiddling with his keycard between his fingers. He stopped outside his dormitory door, sliding his keycard through the receptor. Stepping inside the room, he was surprised to find Quistis fast asleep. She was hugging her pillow tightly, curled into a fetal position, sleeping peacefully.
Smiling, he took off his jacket, throwing it haphazardly onto a nearby chair and silently removed his shoes. He approached the double bed, sitting cautiously next to her. He took a moment to watch her sleep, cocking his head to the side. He grabbed the hem of the blanket that had slipped down to her waist and lifted it up to cover her completely.
The sudden feel of warmth made Quistis stir and slowly slide her eyelids open. Her face was lightened up by a warm, sleepy smile, as Seifer leaned down closer to her, raking a hand through her hair. Thinking impulsively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. The contact was neither fierce nor demanding; just deep and relaxed, executed in full, fluid movements. It seemed to her like the most natural thing to do at that moment and at the same time, the most soothing. Lips still locked, she pulled him closer to her on the bed and pulled away, nuzzling her face into his chest.
- "Lie down next to me…" she whispered sleepily.
Although somewhat puzzled by her sudden change of behavior, Seifer did as he was told, resting his body close to hers.
- "Hold me…"
More and more bewildered by each passing second, he complied once again, wrapping his arms around her.
- "Kiss me…"
Lips upturning, he placed a soft peck on her forehead first, then moved lower onto her lips. Smiling in contentment, Quistis snuggled closer to him, wrapping her own arms around his waist, covering him up with the blanket as well.
- "Let's just stay like this… For a while…"
Quistis squirmed around in bed before fluttering her eyelids open. The room was pitch dark, nothing like it had been when she'd closed her eyes before; she'd obviously fallen asleep. Moaning sleepily, she rolled over. She was dying for a sip of water, but the covers were too warm and she had no intention of losing that sense of heat in order to get up. She'd just try to get to sleep again. But…
She opened her eyes again. The side of the bed next to was cold and empty. Sitting up on the bed, she cast a fleeting look around the room for any sign of Seifer. He was sitting by the window, smoldering cigarette between his fingers. The moonlight was falling onto his solemn face, as he exhaled the smoke, resting his head against the glass of the window. Upon hearing a ruffling sound coming from her direction, he turned around and faced her. He smiled.
- "Why aren't you sleeping?" Quistis asked him, tucking the covers underneath her armpits.
- "Not that sleepy really…" he replied, shrugging "How come you woke up?"
- "Thirsty…" Quistis replied, clearing her dry throat.
Seifer got up, walking towards the cupboards above the desk. He took out a glass and walked to the bathroom, filling it up. He returned inside the room, walking to the bed. He sat down next to her, offering her the glass.
- "Thanks…" Quistis said smiling, taking the glass from his hands.
She drank the content in one big gulp, resting the glass onto the nightstand.
- "Want some more?" Seifer asked gently, running a finger through her hair.
- "No, I'm fine." Quistis replied, shaking her head in negation.
- "Alright… Go back to sleep." he said, holding her head from the back, kissing her tenderly on the lips.
He got up from the bed and made his way back towards the window, resuming his seat on the ledge. He put out the cigarette on the ashtray resting onto the edge, only to pick up his pack and light up another one. His bare chest and legs shivered at the cold touch of the wall and marble beneath his skin, but he quickly recovered. Quistis wondered how he didn't mind walking around inside the cold room dressed in only a pair of black boxers. She continued to watch him as he sighed deeply, exhaling more smoke and closing his eyes, resting his head against the wall behind him.
It didn't take a tremendous amount of brains to figure out that something was ailing him.
Quistis slowly crawled to the side of their bed, slipping out of the covers. She shuddered at the feeling of the chilly atmosphere around her, rubbing the bare part of her arms in warmth. Her feet made cold contact with the floor tiles as she got up, only to realize that she was dressed in a long, black T-shirt. Apparently, Seifer had taken the liberty of undressing her when she fell asleep. A tinge of embarrassment reached her cheeks, but it was quickly brushed away when she approached him. She sat down onto the wide ledge opposite him. Sensing her presence, Seifer opened his eyes again.
- "What's wrong?" she asked in genuine concern.
- "Nothing…" said Seifer shrugging "Just… thinking…"
- "About what?" Quistis asked, tucking the front locks of her loose hair behind her ears.
- "Stuff…" Seifer said, shrugging yet again.
He just kept avoiding answering her question. What could be troubling him so deeply?
- "Seifer…" Quistis said, moving closer to him, touching his cheek with her palm "What is it?"
The blond turned and looked at her. Quistis was known, among others, for being able to read through a person easily. But right now, she couldn't decipher what it was those jade eyes were hiding from her. Was it pain? Was it sorrow? Was it nostalgia? Was it fear? Was it a little bit of everything? As an answer to her unspoken questions, Seifer closed his eyes again, leaning into the touch of her hand, then turning to kiss her palm.
- "I was just… remembering… things…" he mumbled, looking at her, putting out another cigarette.
Quistis noticed that the ashtray was a little something more than full by now. He'd obviously been awake for quite sometime now… Thinking.
.
- "What kind of things?" she asked.
- "Just… what would have happened if…" he trailed off, turning his gaze outside the window again.
- "If…?" Quistis urged him, cupping his palms within hers.
- "If… If I'd chosen a different path…" he muttered "If I… If I'd followed her…"
'Her'… Quistis had a strong feeling that he was referring to Edea. And consequently Adel… And Ultimecia…
- "Do you regret not becoming her Knight?" Quistis asked.
- "No." Seifer said firmly.
It was the first sentence he'd uttered that night about which Quistis was sure he was speaking in complete certainty.
- "I just… wonder…" he went on "About what would have happened in that case."
- "Is this the first time you've thought about this?" she asked.
- "No. I've thought about it many times…" Seifer replied "It first occurred to me a few years ago… When we escaped from the D-District prison."
- "Why then?"
- "Because Irvine and Rinoa told us about the bombings at Trabia and Balamb Garden." he replied "It made me wonder if I'd have been the one to order them if I'd followed her."
Quistis sighed and moved even closer to him.
- "And what did you think back then? Would you have done it?" she asked him.
Seifer rested his jaw against his bend knee and looked at her though pained eyes.
- "I don't know…" he replied in all honesty "And that's what scares me… I'm afraid that… that… in order to live my dream, I'd…" he trailed off, voice wavering.
Quistis rushed to his side before he could finish that sentence. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, resting his head against the crook of her neck, while she ran her fingers through his hair.
- "I'm scared, Quistis…" he whispered "Scared of what I could have done… Scared of what I truly am…"
Quistis woke up the next morning, finding Seifer asleep, in the same position she'd remembered him before shutting her eyes. He was resting his head against her shoulder, arms wrapped around her waist, while she was cradling him with her arms around his shoulders. After his confessions last night, she's pleaded him to try and forget everything and get some sleep. They lay held together in their embrace for quite some time, before they finally both fell asleep. Quistis could have sworn she felt the moisture of a tear tricking down her neck at some point…
Carefully slipping out of his grasp, she slid out of bed. She pulled the covers up to his shoulders, kissing him on the forehead tenderly. Seifer didn't stir.
Quietly, Quistis made her way to the bathroom, rubbing her shoulders in comfort. Sleeping in the exact same rigid position all night didn't help relax her…
She felt fully awake only when a refreshing handful of tap water wet her face. She wiped her face dry with a nearby towel and rested her palms against the sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She sighed. Her gaze turned to the bathtub inside the roomy bathroom. She could really use a bath right about now… Not thinking about it twice, she walked over to the tap and turned it on, letting warm water fill the tub as she shut the drain.
Minutes later, she was lying inside the foam-filled tub, allowing her sore muscles to relax. Cocking her head to the side, she closed her eyes and sighed. The load of information she had to be objected to the last couple of days was overwhelming. Another great mount of events had filled her head the night before, and she struggled to place them in an order inside her head. But what had struck her most, was not something Ellone had shown her; it was Seifer's confession the previous night. He seemed to be lost, just like her. Trying to figure out if the path he'd chosen was the right one. The right one for him. He obviously hadn't taken the time to consider his actions, to consider what felt right in his own heart. He hadn't allowed his choice sink in properly. And she was sure she was doing the same. She could certainly feel a change of heart already, but she knew it would take a lot longer before she got accustomed to this new life and past. However, she had to admit…
She liked this…
Smiling, she sank deeper into the warm water of the tub, letting out a moan of pleasure.
It was that exact moment that the door opened wide, revealing a sleepy-looking Seifer. He gave her a lazy grin, before turning the tap on, throwing water on his face. Quistis allowed a smile to slip onto her lips, before realizing her position. Blushing, she frantically rearranged the bubbles in the tub, trying to cover what was necessary. Fortunately, Seifer was too preoccupied with brushing his teeth now, that he didn't even notice.
Quistis spend one agonizingly long minute watching Seifer, before he yawned, stretched and turned around to face her.
- "Morning…" he finally said grinning, rubbing the back of his hair.
- "Morning…" Quistis choked out, trying to conceal her blush behind the white foam bubbles "How are you feeling today?"
- "A lot better." Seifer replied, smiling "Thanks."
- "Don't mention it." Quistis replied, grinning awkwardly.
Seifer turned his attention back to the cabinet above the sink, taking out a razor and shaving foam. He shook the container, then removed the cap, spraying a generous amount of creamy foam onto his palm. Dividing it into both hands, he spread it onto the surface of his fuzzy cheeks. He washed his hands and grabbed the razor, beginning to run it down his skin.
- "I don't get why you use to much foam…" Quistis commented, making Seifer stop and turn around to face her.
- "Huh?" he asked.
- "Well…" she said, resting her chin and arms onto the edge of the bathtub "You don't have that much facial hair. I don't get why you use so much foam."
- "I do have facial hair!" Seifer snapped, sounding a tad annoyed.
Quistis smiled inwardly. She's obviously touched a nerve there. Time for her favorite leisure activity… Annoying Seifer…
- "I never said you didn't…" she said in mock innocence, shrugging "I just said you don't have that many… But you're blond. It's nothing to be ashamed for; all blonds don't have much hair…" Seifer was beginning to narrow his eyes "I mean… It's not really an indication of masculinity…"
Before she even had time to blink, a loud splash was heard and her face was sprayed by a considerable portion of warm water and foam. Rubbing her eyes open, she found Seifer plopped in the bathtub with her, holding his razor next to her neck in mock threat.
- "Apologize." he said, trying to keep a straight face, but Quistis could see the corners of his lips twitching.
- "Aw, Seifer…" she cooed, trying to annoy him even more "Baby, I still think you're manly enough-"
- "You little-!"
Seifer's voice drowned within Quistis's gales of laughter as he lunged upon her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her on her back against the tub, leaning in close to her, grinning. Quistis chuckled and smiled at him, before he locked her lips in a kiss full of longing and… shaving foam. Quistis eventually pulled away, her cheeks covered in foam now as well. She reached down and grabbed the razor that Seifer had tossed to the floor when he grabbed her. Snaking a hand behind his neck, she kept him still, while running the razor down his cheeks. When she was done, she rested the razor back onto the floor and grabbed both Seifer's freshly shaved cheeks in her palms, giving him a peck on the lips.
- "You're going to be late…" she said tenderly.
Seifer made a noise between a whimper and a moan of protest.
- "Come on… It's the last day before holidays…" Quistis urged him. Seifer sighed.
- "Fine…"
He gave her one last, deep kiss and got out of the tub, grabbing one of the big towels hanging from a hook on the wall. It was only then that Quistis realized she'd allowed him into the bathtub with her… It made her feel uneasy for a couple of seconds, but his warm smile before exiting the bathroom relaxed her a tremendous lot.
She heard the door of the dorm open and close again a few minutes later…
Quistis was lying onto the double bed of her room, clad in a pair of blue pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt, skimming through the pages of a book as her still wet hair fell on her shoulders. A knock on the door made her jump up eagerly, shutting the book and rushing towards the threshold. As expected, Ellone was waiting outside, for their last 'session' together
- "Took a shower?" Ellone asked while stepping inside, touching Quistis's wet blond locks.
- "A bath…" Quistis replied, unable to suppress a blush.
- "Alone?" Ellone asked meaningfully, as Quistis shut the door behind her.
- "Throughout most of it… yes." Quistis mumbled, grinning awkwardly.
Ellone chuckled and took her usual place on the edge of the bed, waiting for Quistis to join her. The blonde soon crawled up on the bed, sitting cross-legged across her big sister.
- "So, you're getting along with Seifer better now?" Ellone asked eagerly. Quistis nodded.
- "Much better." she replied, smiling broadly.
- "I'm glad I've been helping you, Quisty." Ellone said, returning the smile "It seems so long ago that you were lost, not knowing what to do. It's hard to believe it was only yesterday."
- "I know." Quistis nodded "It's a little difficult to realize that all these events have happened. But I'm sure I'll cope with it in due time. For now, I just need to know."
- "I see…" Ellone said, smiling warmly "Ready to go on?"
- "Ready."
Quistis resumed her usual position on the bed, taking in a deep breath to relax and closed her eyes. Soon, she sensed the familiar surge of slightly painful relaxation take over her, until she found herself facing the past once more…
A/N: I really liked that bathtub scene Hope you did too…
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
Our heroes, now divided in two groups go on with their separate journeys.
Will Seifer's fears about the team that pursues Rinoa prove accurate?