Disclaimer: yes, yes, we all know who own them...
ETA 07/05/2008: thanks again for Against Everything who beta-read this chapter!
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WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
By
Cerespallas
Starring: Quistis Trepe and Irvine Kinneas
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"Irvine! Squall is here!"
Irvine woke up instantly. He jumped from the bed and stared at his travel partner. "...Where?"
"He's downstairs. I never thought he was going to track us down this fast..."
The chocoboy walked to the closet and drew out their backpacks. "He foun' all the chocobo forests n' even flew to Chocobo Heaven with a gold one, n' you're sayin' you never thought he'd find us this fast?" He pointed to the balcony. "We're goin'."
"This is a third floor, Irvine!" Quistis held up her hands in a clear refusal. "What is it with you and this jumping-off-the-balcony act?" She pulled her body back even as the chocoboy pulled her hands toward the balcony. "I'd rather live, thank you very much...!"
Irvine pulled the former instructor along with trained ease, something she never expected from the gunman. "I brought some GFs to help me on the way, n' I'm usin' some of them now."
"You... You STOLE the GFs from Garden?!" Quistis shut her eyes, muttering curses. "Hyne... I'm really running with a criminal..."
"We helped Squall when he was gatherin' some of the GFs, Quis. We got the same rights to use 'em, or even own 'em, for that matter."
Irvine pulled out a whistle from his duster pocket and blew it, causing a long whistling sound. Quistis watched him in confusion.
The bird's cries filled the air shortly afterward.
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"I know they are here." Squall batted away the hands of a guard who was trying to stop him entering the mansion. "This place already smells like ammunition oil and apples."
"But, Sir! We have solid orders not to let anyone through! This is the senator's residence; please give her some respect..."
Squall raised one eyebrow at the soldier, who promptly shrank under his gaze. "I'm supposed to be part of the senate and live here, unless the Timber parliament forgot about that already. Now call your so-called-Senator, I need to bring my escapees back to my school."
"No need to, Squall. I'm here." The commander turned to the stairwell a few meters from the front door. Rinoa leaned against the right railing, standing halfway up the stairs. "Now, can you please bless the "so-called-Senator" with your gracious presence?"
Squall had come alone, but his peons would be coming soon after... Provided the Garden had parked correctly.
"...Rinoa?" He frowned. "...You look—"
"Squall!" Zell and Selphie came running inside the mansion, ignoring shouts from the gate guard. "Are they here? Whoa! Rinoa?!"
The elegant young senator waved to the trio. "Make this quick, please. I have an economic meeting in seven minutes."
"—You look old," finished Squall. "We've been separated for ten weeks and you grow old by ten years? Is that an effect of the Sorceress's knight-less condition?"
Selphie's jaw dropped as she stared at her boyfriend in surprise, while Zell covered his own face with his palms. Rinoa's eyes narrowed dangerously at her ex-lover.
"That is the most...ugh!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I should've been expecting no less, I suppose."
"I came to get Irvine and Quistis back. I know they are here."
"How?" the senator asked, inspecting her nails in boredom. "What makes you think so?"
"Just a statement from a ticket seller in Balamb about two midnight tickets to Timber that were purchased yesterday." Squall walked to her. "Are you hiring them for a mission, Miss Caraway? Why didn't you do that through the formal channels as usual?"
Rinoa rolled her eyes. Dear Angelo, now I know why his friends are running from him.
The commander stopped only one step below her. "I demand that you return my employees and abort this mission. I will contact you through the official channels and confirm the mission; no need to do this secretively." Except if this is a super-important mission. The understanding between them, though unspoken, was quite clear.
But the lady waved him away. "I didn't hire them on any kind of mission. Timber doesn't need SeeDs anymore. We're at peace now." And even if I did, do you think I would tell you? They shared each others thoughts once again.
"I don't believe you, Miss." You did this with Cid to get us help you on the silly Kidnapping-The-President mission, remember? "I will get what I need to know from them."
Not that talking to Cid gave me the best SeeDs to liberate Timber anyway. Rinoa stopped Squall in his tracks. "No. No one enters my house without my permission!"
Isn't that the same "Not-the-best-SeeD" that became a world hero and then sent ten employees to help you a year later? Squall pushed her away and walked upstairs.
Stop it, you barbarian! She ran to catch up with him.
Just because I don't wear blue costumes or try to look like a middle-aged woman doesn't mean I'm barbaric. Squall was already on third floor.
Selphie and Zell followed the strangely silent couple. The tiny girl tilted her head to the third floor as they walked up. "Why do I have a feeling they said more than we heard?"
Zell shrugged as Rinoa's angry scream split the air. "Well, they've got a history together. And they are a former Sorceress and Knight pair; as far as I know, Squall never really cut off his vow to her. They're probably telepathic." He pouted while thinking about it. "When they were together... I often felt that way too. When Squall got sleepy or tired, Rinoa looked the same. They never talked much but I often caught the two of them getting upset with each other or smiling at the same time. Like an inside joke I never heard."
Selphie smiled sadly. "...That was almost like me and Irvine."
"Yeah, it was you two whose connection I noticed first." Zell and Selphie watched as Squall barged through a door at the end of the hall.
"What are you guys doing!?" screamed Squall from the room. Zell and Selphie stared at each other before breaking into a run into the room.
What they managed to see was a blur of mixed brown and peach colours jumping off the balcony. Selphie let out a high-pitched scream, running to the railing.
Squall was already on the balcony, looking down.
Irvine and Quistis landed safely on the back of a teen Chocobo. Irvine sat in front, waved to Squall and grinned in a winning way. Quistis sighed and shook her head, refusing to see her ex-boss.
"Boko!" shrieked Squall, realizing who the chocobo they had was. "Boko! How could you!"
Boko glanced up with one eye. He only chirped softly. "Wark."
"Quistis! Stop this madness at once!" Squall ordered his best instructor, who was still looking anywhere but at him. "What is this mission that requires you two to become secretive and steal my Chocobo?"
"YOUR Chocobo?!" Irvine smirked as he petted Boko's fur. The bird chirped happily. "Who's da one gettin' him to join us? Who's da one feedin' him Gysahl Green three times a day? Who's da one bathin' him twice a week? Who's da one-"
"That's enough," Quistis said, cutting him off. "Let's just go."
"Boko! Who's your master?" dared Squall, glaring at his teen chocobo.
Without hesitation, the three-year-old Chocobo tapped his head on Irvine's hand, chirping sweetly. Squall's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the traitorous Chocobo. "That's it? After all I've done for you!"
"Uh," Selphie piped in, "so what did you do for him, Squall?"
"I..." Squall turned to his girlfriend. "I gave him a home!"
Boko stared at Squall in anger. Irvine raised an eyebrow. "You mean... The Parking Lot? The place where he almost got hit by cars n' breathed foul air every day?"
"Yeah, Squall." Rinoa crossed her arms, leaning against the railing. "A home. And by that, you mean... Like the "home" you gave Angelo, Cerberus and Carbuncle when you put them in the Training Center, where they got chased by T-Rexaurs on a daily basis?"
"Where should I have put them then?" Squall challenged, defending himself. "I couldn't give them dorms. Plus, it saved on broken things, litter boxes, and food bills!"
"I think this conversation is going nowhere," murmured Zell. "Aren't we here for them?"
"Oh!" Irvine raised his hand. "Based on that, I now declare Cerberus n' Carbuncle mine!"
"WHAT?" Squall yelled at the chocoboy. "You took all my GFs!"
"Nope, not all..." Irvine fixed his hat. "I left some for you n' Zell."
"Huh?" Selphie raised her hand. "You left nothing for me?"
"You had four GF in that head of yours already, baby," replied Irvine.
"Oh? Oh, yeah, I did!" cheered the girl.
"If you'd lost some, your head would be way lighter than it is now..." Zell shut his mouth as Selphie understood the insult quickly. "Uh... anyway, Irvine, what kind of mission do you have now?"
Irvine exchanged looks with Quistis. "Mission?"
"Squall said you two must be going on a secret mission! And when you get home you will be punis-" Squall shut Zell's mouth with his hand.
"Oh." Irvine suddenly understood. "Typical Squall, huh..."
"Shut up, Irvine!" Squall pointed to the big ice-cream-shaped building looming above the horizon. "Drive Boko back to the Garden. We'll talk about this later!"
"You know Squall, I have a better idea!" Irvine pointed to his destination: the direction directly opposite the parked B-Garden. "We're on the happiness mission, honey! Buh-bye!" He didn't even need to drive Boko, as the teen Chocobo ran happily on his own.
"Don't follow us, Squall!" Quistis's voice floated back as the chocobo carried them away.
"No! Stop!" Squall watched in disbelief. "My Chocobo! My GFs!"
"Squall..." Zell rubbed his neck. "Maybe you should say 'my friends!' first..."
Rinoa glanced at her watch. "Oh well.. I'm late for my meeting! Now, as much fun as I had, I believe it's time for you three to leave."
"Happiness Mission?" Squall crossed his arms. Is that a GF or a drug? Perhaps it has to do with some sort of GF-induced happiness? Either it's a very powerful mass-hypnotism GF or a strong addictive drug. Now this is getting interesting...
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"So...where to now?" Quistis kept her hands on Irvine's waist as Boko ran faster than ever. "We not only stole some GFs, we stole Squall's beloved Boko..."
"Boko only became 'his beloved' when it turned out that his car n' Zell's bike needed repairs," informed Irvine.
"Wark!" agreed Boko. How he managed to chirp during his fast run eluded Quistis.
"I wanna go see my Garden," murmured Irvine. "It was never repaired, was it?"
"Well..." Quistis pondered. "We never got any funding and no one could be spared for the repairs. Their Garden pilot got killed and the rest of the students ended up joining us. Squall didn't see any benefit in rebuilding broken Gardens and the circumstances were different than they were in Trabia."
"That's a no, then." Irvine pointed at the giant red metal building, slumped against rocky mountain. "I'm thinking about grabbing some stuff I want."
Boko stopped in front of the immobile Galbadia Garden and then, as he had been trained to be perfect, sat down. Irvine and Quistis stood up with ease, and the big yellow bird nuzzled Irvine's hair with his beak. The chocoboy patted his head and kissed his beak before Boko ran away, back to the nearest Chocobo Forest. He'd be damned if he'd go back to the Garden and that foul Parking Lot any time soon.
"So." Quistis walked beside Irvine, entering the Garden from the front gate. "It seems alright, but it's a bit... sloping?"
"Yeah, they hit the mountain too hard to pull some parts from the rocks." Irvine inspected every part of his old home. "Sloped by thirty degrees, whoop. If we don' hold on to the wall we'll be slidin' down the floor in no time."
Quistis held on to the lower side wall when they entered the hall. "What were you actually doing here, Irvine? I mean, you're not a SeeD. Why did you live here?"
"I was sold here."
Quistis stopped her inspection, turning to the man in shock.
"It's true, I was sold here," Irvine said indifferently. "I'm supposed to be a servant, only I work for free."
"Who bought you? And... Why?"
"You know that Chocobo farm in Winhill? That's my house." Irvine opened the emergency door. "I got adopted at six and was raised there. Always thought I'd run the farm."
"Then..." Quistis followed him upstairs. "What happened?"
"Dad died. We had no mom; all my four brothers were adopted too n' I'm the smallest. So the oldest divided our money n' three of my brothers moved out." He entered the third floor. "But big bro sucked at managin' the farm, so we ran up our debt. The farm was sold by the bank..." Irvine shook his head, smiling as he remembered the past. "...To Martine."
"Martine... you mean, that Martine?"
"The one and only. Big bro n' I got kicked out with nothin' left." He turned towards her. "You see, I'm the best of the five."
"Uh..." She wondered about the change of topic. "Okay..."
"Good at everythin'. I can breed chocobos. Chocobos loves me, I can run the farm just fine except when it comes to managin' money. I can shoot. You know, I was the best shooter in Winhill. I'm also the best lookin'."
"Where is this going...?"
"That's why my brother sold me," continued Irvine. "Big bro offered me to Martine for free. In return he got the farm back for five years. If Martine likes me, big bro gets to keep the farm."
"Hyne..." Quistis gasped. "You mean he sold you as..."
"A sex slave, yeah. Only, Martine didn' swing that way." Irvine stopped in front of the headmaster's office. "I'm just twelve n' a male. He bought the farm for his retiremen' villa, but when he was offered me, he saw me as a pet for life."
"So he agreed..." murmured Quistis. "He can be jailed for that!"
"No proof, no paper. Only spoken agreemen' n' a small thin boy." Irvine's finger travelled along the stitching on the edge of his hat. "Plus, he didn' treat me badly. I did everythin' for him, but there were never bad words or beatin's. He even let me join classes in Shootin'. That's how he knew I was gonna be a gunman." Irvine snorted. "Past is past anyway. I don't hold grudges against him, n' big bro died two years ago."
As the chocoboy opened the office door, Quistis frowned. Had it been me, I won't have just laughed it off... I can't understand his view of life... He's too gentle to get mad...
Irvine yelped as someone pulled him inside and threw his body hard against the wall. His eyes squinted as he saw a pointy blade leveled on his throat.
"Irvine!" Quistis walked in and saw none other than Seifer, pointing Hyperion at Irvine.
"Oh, it's just them, you know." Raijin waved to Quistis from his sitting position on the couch. "Hello, Instructor!"
"MORNING," greeted Fujin, standing near the high trophy cabinet.
"Tch, just the pretty chocoboy..." Seifer put down his gunblade and observed Quistis. "What are you two doing here? Does Puberty-Boy wants to claim my home too?"
"...Your home?" Quistis stood there, perplexed. "Have you three been... staying here? For three months?"
"Yeah, lotsa food here, you know!" claimed Raijin. "They left enough food in the freezer to live on for years!"
"Where's Squall?" Seifer looked behind Quistis. "A gunblade match will be nice. This place's starting to get on my nerves."
"You guys..." Irvine moved his aching shoulder. "...Didn' wreck this place, did ya? I just came to get somethin'."
"Nah, nothing else left here." Raijin waved his hand around the entire room. "They took everythin' when they left except the food."
"What are you doing here anyway, sniper?" Seifer piped in, studying the tall man. "I looked through the folder, but there's no file on you in there. What's a non-SeeD doing in Garden?"
Irvine didn't want to retell the whole story once more, so he just shrugged. "I know a place where the Boss put his collection."
"Collection?" This caught Seifer's interest. "What did he have? We looked everywhere..."
"There." Irvine pointed at the trophy cabinet behind Fujin. "Help me move the cabinet, there's a room behin' it."
Fujin walked to Quistis as the three tall boys hurriedly walked to the cabinet and started working on it. The former instructor tilted her head to the silent woman. "Are you guys alright? After the war, I thought you three were staying in Balamb. People said you three were there."
"WERE," replied Fujin, eyes watching the work. "BORED."
"And you're saying here is better than Balamb?" Quistis frowned. "Isn't this place too big and sloppy to live in?"
Fujin shook her head. "ENOUGH."
"I-I'm sorry, I don't mean..."
"NO." Fujin turned her head to her former instructor. "I mean... This place is enough for me."
This was only the second time she'd ever heard the quiet girl talk in full sentences, so Quistis stared her for a while. "Why don't you speak like that all the time?"
Fujin rubbed her throat with her slender fingers. "HURTS." She explained more. "If I talk too long."
"Oh. Oh, I see..." Quistis didn't even notice when the cabinet was moved and a dark hole was shown. The three boys scrambled inside the hole, and Seifer cursed, his head hitting the low ceiling.
"Isn't that curable?" Quistis wondered if bringing Fujin back to Odine might work. He was the best doctor, and healing broken throats might be easy. "I know a doctor..."
"S' OKAY," said Fujin, stopping her. "They accept me."
Quistis stared at Fujin's back as she walked to see what was behind the wall.
She does look content, though. Is being with her brother and Seifer enough for her?
"Fujin." Quistis watched as Fujin looked at her. "Are you happy?"
"YES," she said without hesitation.
"How come...?" You live in this sloped building, only the three of you, and no one else knows you're here... How can you be happy?
Fujin reflected upon her own answer. "I just need them to be... Sometimes people just need someone to share."
"Quis!" Irvine shouted from the hole behind the wall. "Come in, come in! He didn' take it all! Now it's all ours! Come here!"
The boys shouted with joy as the girls entered the small room.
Quistis scanned the room, noticing Martine's wealth inside firsthand. He'd stored a lot of old wine in a small cellar, along with racks of fine hand-watches, expensive crystal balls, rare old books, and leather coats for men.
"He took a few thin's, but not everythin'!" Irvine cheered with glee as Seifer and Raijin paraded around in two of Martine's leather coats. Fujin clapped her hands and smiled as Seifer put a pretty ruby crystal ball in her hand. "I've never been happier than I am now that my Boss wore the same size as me!"
"I don't know..." Quistis still opened her hands to accept a sapphire crystal handed to her, though. "Isn't this considered... Theft?" But, as she twirled the pretty crystal on her hand, her conscience began to dissipate. She was a normal woman, after all.
"Hey, no one else is gonna claim this!" Seifer smirked as he pulled two bottles of wine from the cellar and waved them happily. "I now declare these possessions mine! Let's party, guys!"
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Quistis groaned as she struggled to open her eyes, her head pounding like crazy and her body feeling heavy.
I'll never drink like that again...
As she sighed and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the ceiling, so much like her dorm ceiling that she almost believed nothing had happened. She hadn't gone with Irvine on a crazy journey to find something called happiness.
She hadn't met the changing Rinoa, Seifer, and his posse. She hadn't ridden Boko or run away from an angry Squall.
She hadn't... Oh, Hyne! Was that a man's arm on her waist?!
Quistis gasped as she traced the arm back to the sleeping man behind the blanket. The man was hidden beneath the blanket, so she couldn't see his body.
OH...Hyne... This is not happening!
Quistis looked down at her own body. Of course, she had to be naked. And of course, they had to be lying on the Galbadian bed, right in the Galbadia Garden room. The bed even sloped, following the sloping floor. Her body was pressed against the sleeping man.
...Of course, Hyne... Considering how much I call Your name, of course You had to do this to me one day just to test my Hyne-damn faith, didn't You?!
Quistis searched for her clothes frantically, all the while struggling away from the arm. Oh, there they were: her clothes on the floor behind the door. Hyne, Quistis, have the good sense not to drink while you're on a journey ever again...
Okay, stop blaming Hyne... Quistis dressed in light speed, which was hard considering that she also had to make sure the sleeping man didn't awaken from the noise. You should know better to drink four bottles of wine... Not to say the others around you didn't drink more...
"Oh!" she shrieked, covering her mouth quickly as she turned to the sleeping form on the bed.
What if it's... Seifer?! Or Raijin... Oh, Hyne! Hyne, Hyne, Hyne! I call Your name thousands of times and this... Is how You test me?
It figured that, just because she ran away with a criminal, riding someone else's Chocobo, pocketing one of the prettiest bits of crystal she'd ever seen, getting the entire rarest book she'd ever wanted, and now using the most expensive watch in Martine's possession...
Uh, okay... I never said I didn't deserve it, but...
Quistis bit her lip as the sleeping form moved. She watched with wide eyes as the man pulled the blanket away from his face.
"...Ungh..." Irvine yawned, rubbing his eyes. "...Mornin', Quisty..."
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TBC
Happiness is...
What you share with someone you care about...