Shadow of the Sun
Ch.4: Shattered Hopes...
A blinding synthetic illumination lit the infirmary. A blonde female lay on one of the numerous beds strewn about, with blankets wrapped around her.
A man sat next to her tenderly brushing the stray strands of hair from her face and placing them in the correct spot nestled behind her ears.
Quistis could feel the tender strokes across her face; it was as though a fine silk was being swept across her cheek. The feeling was warm and comforting, assuring her that everything would be alright.
Her eyes began to twitch and struggled to open. She let out a few moans before wincing in pain as her eyes were blinded by the artificial light illuminating the room. Her vision started to come together, forming out of brackish, muddled darkness into bright flaming colors and a broad shape hovering over her.
She reached up and caressed the man's face with her hand, gently tracing his jawbone and slowly pulling him towards her.
"Oh Zell, I've missed you so much." Quistis spoke with an affectionate emotion as she closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss.
The two blonde's lips met with a vigorous, yet gentle intensity. Quistis could feel the warmth from his kiss swell up into her cheeks, but as the kiss continued a stabbing pain welled in her chest. Something was wrong, very wrong; Zell's lips and his taste were completely different. Instead of Zell's usual slow and passionate kiss, this one was sloppy and haphazard.
Her heart began to race as a cloud of dread washed over her body, her eye's burst open only to see, not Zell, but another blonde staring her in the face, with a devilish smirk slithered on his lips.
Quistis quickly sat up and started panting heavily.
"Seifer?" Her face went flush as she realized that it was not Zell, but Seifer sitting before her, with a self-content smirk plastered on his features.
"What in Hyne are you doing?" Quistis shouted more astonished than angry.
"Only what you wanted me to, my dear instructor." Seifer cackled before walking towards the door.
"Hey, did you really save me and stop that T-Rexaur?" Quistis hurriedly questioned before Seifer left.
"Ha…Don't flatter yourself…" Seifer called back as he walked out of the room, leaving Quistis with an eerie chill that only Seifer could create.
Quistis shuttered at the fact of just kissing Seifer. Her small hands reached up and began rubbing her shoulder trying to forget what had just occurred.
"What did he mean, don't flatter myself? How dare he take advantage of me like that? Zell I'm…I'm so sorry I didn't mean to…" Quistis' words were halted as the sound of a door closing shattered the silence of the infirmary.
"Didn't mean to what?" A deep voice questioned from the doorway.
Quistis raised her head so as her gaze could meet the stranger's.
"Oh, Irvine, I didn't hear you come in." Quistis replied.
"So still having those dreams huh?" Irvine asked concernedly.
Quistis' gaze fell to the floor as her heart began to race. She could feel the sweat congregate all over her body.
"Quistis, are you alright?" Irvine asked snapping Quistis out of her reverie.
"Huh, yeah. I must have taken a harder hit than I thought. So…what happened?" Quistis asked hesitantly. 'Was Seifer the one who really saved me! Or...' Quistis' mind screamed with the same question over and over.
"Well, you were attacked by a T-Rexaur and knocked unconscious. You're just lucky it didn't kill you." Irvine informed the hospitalized blonde.
"So what happened? Why didn't that thing come and finish me off?" Quistis pried trying to find the answer she was looking for.
"You will never believe whose back!" Irvine said ecstatically.
Quistis' heart began to race as her eyes widen in anticipation. 'Oh Hyne could it really be, did he come back and save me?' Quistis could barely keep her excitement in, "Is he back! I mean is he really back?" Quistis questioned practically bouncing right off the bed.
"Yeah he is finally back." Irvine replied shaking his head.
"I can't believe it!" Quistis squealed.
"I know me neither…" Irvine said astonished.
"So you're telling me Ze…"
"Yup, Seifer is back." Irvine said cutting off Quistis in mid sentence.
Immediately Quistis felt a fist of ice plunge deep into her stomach, as her heart was crushed. She stopped bouncing and just sat there with a far away look in her eye. She couldn't believe it; her whole world was turned upside down and shattered.
Irvine reached out and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Hey you know if you're not up to the mission tomorrow, I can do it for you." Irvine offered generously, as he was obviously concerned for her wellbeing.
It took a minute for Quistis to get her bearings, but even then she was still so far out of it. "Huh? Oh no, I…I can do it, thanks." Quistis spoke with words void of all emotion. 'Should I tell Irvine about Seifer, and what he said? If he really did save me then why did he say that?' Quistis questioned to herself.
She rose from the bed and listlessly strolled towards the door.
"Hey I don't think you should be moving quite yet, let alone leaving." Irvine called after her, but to no avail, she was already out the door.
Quistis continued her way back to her room. Her eyes never left the floor as she navigated the halls in a complete state of shock. Moments later she made her way to her door and burst in, not even bothering to close the door behind her.
Upon hearing the thunderous clamor Selphie burst up from her sleep with Nunchaku in hand searching for the intruder.
"Ahh! Who's there, who wants a piece of this?" Selphie yelled incoherently, as she swung her Nunchaku wildly.
Quistis didn't even acknowledge Selphie's presence; instead she just made her way to her bed. She got in and curled herself up into a tiny ball, while pulling the blankets tight around her. She reached up and pulled down one of her pillows and clasped it tightly to her chest.
After a couple of minutes Selphie finally calmed down and realized that she wasn't under attack. She took a few much needed deep breathes and placed her weapon of righteous fury back in its normal resting spot.
"What in Hyne were you thinking, just barging in here like that? I could have seriously messed you up?" Selphie practically yelled, with all the hand and wild arm motions to go with it.
She waited for an answer, but none was given. "Well Quistis? What's the big deal?" Selphie asked even more aggravated than before, if that was at all possible. Everyone in their right mind knows not to wake Selphie when she's sleeping, and then just to ignore her, you must be crazy.
"Huh, oh sorry Sel." Quistis' apology was barely audible and lifeless.
Selphie let out an annoyed sigh and shook her head. She decided to just go back to bed. She turned off the light and made her way back under the warm embrace of her covers.
Quistis glanced at the clock noting it read 2:33 a.m. She rolled over and closed her eyes trying to obtain some form of sleep, but to no avail. Thoughts of Zell kept streaming through her mind, only to be disturbed by visions of Seifer saving her and then kissing her, like Zell once did...
'It…it was just an illusion, a figment of my imagination! But that couldn't have been Seifer, I saw him, it was Zell, he smiled at me…' Quistis' mind raced with unsure thoughts.
'Am I really going crazy! I don't know if I can take it anymore…' Quistis sighed and laid on her back staring at the empty darkness that coated the ceiling.
A/N: Well it sure has been a really long time since I last posted, but been going through some crazy times. I am really sorry for that, and I hope there are still some of you out there who are still reading this and if you are please review! Especially Selfie Fan, you are my best reviewer, I hope I keep improving and live up to your expectations. I owe a lot to you, especially sinc eyou not only give me advice, but incouragement. Well ok please anyone and everyone read and review, thank you. Later...