Disclaimer: nope, you know it wasn't mine.
ETA 15/5/2008: Thank you for all the one who had reviewed this story from the start to finish. I'm so glad this little three shots actually make you happy. And for my beta reader, Against Everything, thank you so much!
-x-
WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
By
Cerespallas
Starring: Quistis Trepe and Irvine Kinneas
-x-
Happiness is…
When you learn to listen and accept things around you…
What you share with someone you care about...
And…
-x—
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..."
She let out an unintelligible scream.
3. Never, ever, EVER, under any circumstances, sleep with your travel partner!
"Trepe?!" Seifer's voice sounded from behind the door. He yanked it open and barged in. "What happened…wh- Kinneas?!"
Irvine cringed, covering his ears so the shrill voice wouldn't ruin his eardrums. "What the 'ell's with you two…?" He arranged his messy hair while Seifer turned towards Quistis in confusion.
"What the hell's with the scream, Instructor? Never see your friend naked?" He shook his head, holding up his hand when Quistis tried to explain. "Never mind, woman. I'm going back to sleep."
Seifer returned to his own room as Quistis looked down at the clothes on her body, then turning her gaze to Irvine.
What am I doing…? Seifer shouldn't know what happened! She slapped her forehead repeatedly while Irvine tilted his head, looking at the blonde woman in confusion.
"'S that the new way for killin' hangovers…?" he murmured, dropping his head back to the pillow. "Don' wake me for another hour…"
Quistis glared at the oblivious man, but felt inwardly relieved. She walked outside the room and resisted the urge to run back inside and strangle Irvine.
We're both at fault in this… She walked into the hall and sat on the bench. But I can't stay on this journey anymore…
She held her chin in her palms and rested her elbows on her knees. "I should've known this would happen…" she said to herself. "This is Irvine, after all…"
"What's that about me…?"
She looked up. Irvine stood nearby, wearing his brown pants. He was half naked and had his hands in his pockets.
Quistis turned her eyes away as Irvine sat next to her.
"Quis…" he sighed, looking down at his fingers. "…'s that your first?"
Her head whipped around with neck-breaking speed. "…What?!"
"I don' remember…" Irvine's head was still bowed low. "But the bed has some…"
"Stop!" she cut him off quickly. "Just—Oh, Hyne—just… don't mention it!" She quickly stood up. "This journey is over, Irvine! This… this stupid, mindless travel!" She couldn't even look Irvine in the eyes anymore. "I never thought we'd end up like this!"
"You're not Sefie…" murmured Irvine, still not looking up. "'Course it does…"
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Gritting her teeth, Quistis kicked Irvine in the head with all the strength she could muster.
"AAAAUW!" he yelped, falling back off the bench.
"That is so low!" she shouted, her eyes filling with tears. "NEVER-EVER come close to me again, jerk!" She turned around and ran outside.
This journey was really a bad idea.
"Quis!" Irvine quickly caught up with her at the front gate, his hand grabbing her arm. "Quis, I didn' mean it like that!"
"Let me go!" Quistis snapped her elbow back, hitting him on the chin. "Hyne, you're such a bastard!"
Even though his head was spinning fast, Irvine still refused to let go. "Listen to me first!"
She stomped on his instep, and he shouted out in pain.
"Quis! Aaah! Damn it!" He avoided the punch to his face and quickly let go of her arm. "Okay! Okay… listen! I didn' mean to compare you n' Sefie!"
"Of course you didn't!" she shouted, quickly wiping away her tears. This was not what she wanted for her first time! "You're such a bastard!"
"No!" Irvine shouted back. "I didn' compare you two 'cause there's nothin' to compare you with!"
"Oh, but of course!" Quistis threw her hands up into the air. "Because she was the best, right? Why do I even bother…" She wiped away the tears that threatened to ruin her image once more. "Just crawl back to your Sefie, you low piece of-"
"Quis!" Irvine closed her mouth with his hand. "Stop it, 'Kay! I never did it with her!"
Quistis grew bitter with anger. "Because she's that precious! And I'm not…" she finally cried, sitting on the ground. "Hyne… I'm such a… worthless …"
"No." Irvine sat down in front of her, embracing the woman as she sobbed. "Who told ya you're worthless? I'd never!"
"But you didn't even touch her…" she cried. "And you did it with me because you were drunk…"
"Quis." Irvine cupped her chin and looked down at her red face. "I never touched Sefie 'cause I couldn't!"
She frowned. "What do you mean you couldn't? We just did it…"
"That's what I mean." Irvine caressed her face. "Listen… you wanna know why Sefie and I broke up? 'Cause I wasn' even feelin' anythin'!"
Quistis blinked in confusion.
"I loved her, Quis! I never thought there'd be someone I could love that much! But…" He sighed. "We can't do it 'cause I wasn' seein' her as a woman. We tried everythin', even the silliest thin' I thought I'd never do… it still didn' work."
This is silly… but he just… Quistis's eyes widened as she slowly understood.
"Then," he continued, "it became a burden on us. I always thought I'd marry her and all, but I began to doubt myself. She said she wasn' good enough, and I thought I was no longer the man I should've been…"
"What happened…?" she whispered, her eyes cast downwards toward the hand that was still caressing her cheeks.
"I cheated on her," Irvine continued with guilt in his voice. "There was a girl who was always flirtin' with me… Sefie didn' like it, she always said I should stay away from her, but she was such a good frien' to me. When I confided in her, she said she understood and invited me to her room, so we could talk more in private… I thought there was nothin' else that would happen. After all, if I didn' even lust after Sefie, how could I with another girl…?"
"Oh, Hyne…" Quistis murmured. "You slept with her…"
He nodded. "It was the worst day of my life, when I realized what I did… It's all my fault," he laughed in a bitter tone. "When I confessed what I did to Sefie, she ran to Squall. That same night Squall confronted me. He said if I couldn't make Sefie happy, I should give up on her. I did."
Irvine kissed her forehead. "Let's move on, Quis. We still got a long way to go." He stood up, leaving her to her own mind.
-x—
-x—
"You sure you wanna go this soon?" Seifer and his posse stood at the front gate, to see them off.
"Well, Squall might be followin' us, so there's no tellin' if we'll ever get to our next destination…" Irvine said, his eyes on Quistis, who stood far apart from them.
Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Hey chocoboy, did something happen between you two? She doesn't seem glad about this…"
Irvine shrugged. "Nothin' you should care about, Almasy."
"Ah… so something did happen."
"Whatever. Don' tell Squall we were here."
"Of course not. You can tell him yourself…" Seifer pointed to the sky behind the chocoboy. Irvine turned around and saw B-Garden flying toward them.
"Irvine!" shouted Quistis, pointing at the same mobile Garden he had seen.
"What is wrong with the Commander?!" grumbled Irvine, running to Quistis. "Let's go!"
"How…?" Quistis looked at Balamb Garden with mixed feelings. She could just get back now… to her life from before…
That was when Irvine grasped her hand. "Quisty…"
Quistis turned towards her travel partner.
"Not now, Quis. I need you."
"You…" she said with uncertainty. "You… need me?"
"I do." He held her hand to his chest. "I don' wanna go alone. I need you with me."
Her heart leaped. Blinking, Quistis shook her head as if she had just awoken from a daze.
What happened…? When he said that, I…
Irvine raised his hands and shouted, "Doomtrain!"
Her jaw dropped. She yelled at him, "What do you think you're doing? You want to fight Garden with a single GF?! No! Forget it, I'm not following…"
"Who said I'm fightin' them? Am I insane?" Irvine hugged Quistis. "Okay, when I say jump, we both jump!"
Quistis frowned. "What?" Then it occurred to her. "You… you want to us to board Doomtrain!"
"Yeah, pretty!" Irvine held Quistis close while the sound of train shook the air. "One… two… three… Dooomtraaaaaaain!"
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Quistis screamed, hugging her partner for her dear life as Irvine leaped onto the runaway GF, who never stopped even to stack on its two passengers. "Hyneeeeeee!"
"Whooooooohoooooo!" Irvine's voice sounded as Doomtrain passed Seifer's team. "Yeaah, baby!"
"Irvine! I'll kill you!"
"Aaauch! Gwack.."
The three who were left at the front gate watched the GF run full-speed toward the horizon until it disappeared from their view.
Fujin was the one who came around first. "CRAZY."
"Yeah, you know…" murmured Raijin, still looking at the last traces of the runaway train.
Seifer started to chuckle and then laughed out loud. "Whoa! Never thought chocoboy could be that good! He's gonna join us someday!"
"Seifer…!?" Squall, who had just walked down from the Garden, ran to them. "Where are they? What are you three doing here?"
"Oooh…" Seifer sneered to his rival. "Puberty Boy! Welcome to my humble abode…" He opened up his arms wide. "How about a welcome hug?"
Squall narrowed his eyes at the arrogant blonde. "Cut it out, Seifer. Where are Quistis and Irvine?"
"Ya didn't see that?" Raijin pointed to the last spot where Doomtrain had been visible. "They just mmf-" Fujin covered his mouth as Seifer stepped forward.
"They are in there." Seifer waved to G-Garden behind him. "Of course, to get to them, you have to pass through me…" He tapped Hyperion, the gunblade sheathed at his hip. "What do you say, Pubes?"
Squall looked at the sloping G-Garden and then said coolly, "I will, if they survive the fire."
"Fi-" Seifer turned around and watched as the dorm area let out a stream black smoke from the window. "…The hell!?"
"Aaaah!" Raijin screamed as he saw the room Irvine had inhabited the night before go up in flames, "No! Fuu! Our stuff!" He ran toward the Garden. Fujin followed.
Squall started to walk past Seifer, but the blond pulled him away. "No, no, Pubes. They will be fine… now let's start."
Squall shook Seifer's arm off his. "Forget it. I'm not here for a petty match."
"Petty match!" Seifer quickly unsheathed his gunblade and slashed at Squall, who ducked and stepped back. "Let's see how petty I can be, Commander fucking Leonhart!"
He raised his gunblade and stabbed downwards toward Squall, an attack that Squall quickly halted with his gunblade before slashing at him in an attempt at revenge. Sneering, Seifer raised Hyperion and jammed it toward him. Squall blocked the gunblade and pulled his body back, raising his gunblade to fighting stance.
The two gunbladers continued to dance through their familiar moves even as Selphie and Zell arrived at the scene. Squall's two loyal employees looked at their boss, who was now so absorbed in the fight he had forgotten their real objective.
Zell sighed and looked toward the slopping Garden. "Sefie… I bet you ten Gil they're not in there…"
"I bet twenty!" replied Selphie, crossing her arms in Squall style. "...Is that smoke…?"
"Fire?" muttered Zell. "Figures… Irvine's gotta be here. Although I'm not sure how burning his sleeping place could do anything…?"
"Ha ha ha ha! Is that the best you can do, Puberty Boy?"
"Shut up, lapdog…!"
Zell and Selphie stared at the two gunbladers while they insulted each other between gunblade clashes.
"Sef…" Zell rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry… let's go back to the Garden and grab some hot dogs… this could take a while…"
Selphie bounced happily and followed Zell back to their mobile B-Garden, leaving the two fighting boys to their ego match.
-x—
-x—
"President, sir! Kinneas and Trepe are asking for permission to meet you, Sir!"
Laguna Loire glanced up from his comic book as he sat on his comfortable sofa. "Who…?"
"Kinneas and Trepe, sir!" The Esthar Palace Guard continued to salute. "One bruised chocoboy and one cold-looking blonde woman!"
Laguna was still staring the guard with blank look, so Kiros, who was sitting behind the president's desk and signing various documents gave him a clue without looking up. "Sniper and whip girl, Squall's group."
"Oh…Oooh!" Laguna quickly stood up, hushing Kiros away. "Go! Go! Squall can't see me like this!"
"You'd think he'd know about it already…" Kiros yielded his couch to the President, arranging the documents so they looked neat and important. "There, hold my pen and pretend you're busy." He walked to the sofa and, hiding the 'Mighty Lion of Balamb!' comic behind the pillow, sat down on it.
"Okay! Let them in!" Laguna at waved the guard and took a deep breath.
He smiled and nodded in a presidential manner as Irvine and Quistis walked in. "Hello!" He grinned. "Nice to have you two here! Where's your Commander…?"
Quistis bowed to the President. "Hello, sir… he's not with us today."
"Oh." Laguna looked dejected. "Oh well… Kiros, move away." He stood up, hushing Kiros back. The aide rolled his eyes and went back to doing the President's job, while Laguna pulled out the comic and sat on the sofa.
"Sooo…" Laguna took a glance at Irvine, who stood near him. "What happened to your face?"
Irvine tried to smile, but it was lost behind his many bruises. "Um… I fell down?"
Quistis snorted and looked away.
"It happens to me too!" Laguna waved his hands in an ignorant manner. "Sit wherever you like! What's up?"
The two guests sat down and looked at each other before Quistis decided to say something. "We're here to ask for your permission to stay here for a while…"
"Sure!" Laguna went back to reading the comic, taking in the the part where Leon saves Rini from being lost in space. "Lots of rooms here, choose whichever one you want!"
Quistis raised an eyebrow. That was easy… "Are you not interested in hearing our reason…?"
"Nah…" Laguna cooed as Leon hugged his Rini in the Ragny, a space ship they'd just found. "Friends of Squall are friends of mine! Go ahead, make yourselves at home!"
Irvine touched his bruise and cringed. "…Do you guys have spare potions here?" He looked at Kiros, who pointed at the cabinet.
"Sir..." Quistis sighed as Laguna cursed the guards who took Rini away when the Ragny landed on Gaia. "…Sir! Mr. Loire, sir!"
"Wha?" Laguna looked at her. "Yeah?"
She looked up to the ceiling and took a few deep breaths. "If Commander Leonhart comes here, please don't tell him we're here."
"Why not…?" Laguna tilted his head, holding the comic on his chest.
"We're not here on his orders." Quistis stared at the President, daring him to read the comic while she spoke. He didn't. "We came here on our own, on a…" She thought about it for a while, as Laguna tried glancing at the comic page. "Research… We're researching which country has the most people who experience happiness."
Laguna didn't understand any part of it, but he knew better than to make the whip girl lose her patience. "That's cool! My country has uh-" He looked at Kiros, who shook his head at the President's ignorance. "Did we, Kiros?"
The aide glared his president down. "Yes, Laguna. Our country has the most satisfied people among all the countries on the planet. You can read on the data and the overall research work done by Odine in his laboratory, Miss Trepe. We have done a many surveys on topics focusing on the satisfaction and content behaviour of the Estharian people."
Quistis nodded to Kiros, the one who spoke the same language as her. "Thank you, Mr. Seagull. Now Mr. President, if you allow me to-" She threw her hands up, exasperated, as Laguna grinned down to the comic... Leon had just saved Rini from eternal imprisonment! "Forget it… Irvine! Let's go!"
"Go?" Irvine turned around. He had drunk six bottles of potions already. "Yup!" He smiled. His smile shone through his shining face thanks to his overconsumption of the potions. "Sure! Sure!"
"My Hyne…" Quistis held her forehead. "Irv… you're on a potion high…"
"Nooo I'm not! Let's go babe! Let's go! Let's go!"
-x—
-x—
"It's useless…" whined Irvine. "Why are we doin' this?"
Quistis glanced up from her study of Odine's research. They sat in the lab's library, sorting through thousands of research folders. After fifteen minutes, Irvine got bored and, as a result, started to annoy her.
"This is important," she answered, looking at anything that might give away some clues. "It's obvious that the Estharians are widely known for their content behaviour and peaceful life. Why do they have what we don't? I have to know."
"I seriously think this isn' the right way…" He closed the folder, then stood up, stretching. "Well… I'm off to bed now… G'night." As he walked away, Quistis frowned at the wall clock.
Huh… nighttime already…? We really are spending all day here for nothing…
Quistis sighed, closing the book and putting her head between her hands.
Nothing… no clues, no sign of anything… What am I doing here looking for happiness anyway? Perhaps Irvine was right… this isn't the right way…
She stood up and put the folders back in their respective places before leaving the library.
"Quiz!" Dr. Odine walked up to her. "Found any cluez?"
"No." Quistis massaged her temple. "Nothing in the research…"
"Dat iz very bad…" the crazy scientist scowled. "I want to create ze happinez potion az well…"
"Uh… that's… great to know." She put her hands on her hips. "Listen, I'll get to bed now… If there's anything new, please contact me?"
"But of courze!"
Quistis nodded and walked out of the laboratory, leaving Odine murmuring something about a "happiness experimental subject."
When she was outside, she looked up and saw the dark sky. The town was empty, and although Esthar's lights always illuminated the streets, everyone was clearly fast asleep.
Quistis switched on the transportation circle that could bring her back to the Palace straight away, but changed her mind when the circle arrived.
I want to walk… maybe I'll think of something…
She walked from the laboratory, crossing her arms and thinking of everything that had happened since they started the journey three days ago.
Mostly stupid things… and I slept with Irvine… that's the most stupid of all…
"Miss…"
She looked to her far left, where an old man in his nineties was smiling at her. She smiled and drew closer to him.
"Yes, sir…?"
"I saw you there. What's wrong?" The old man wore an Estharian blue robe and carried a very old walking stick. His face was full of wrinkles and looked very peaceful. He was short, the top of his head only barely reaching her chest.
"I'm thinking of something," replied Quistis gently to the gentleman. "What are you doing up this hour?"
"Looking at the stars." The man raised his wrinkled hand to the sky. "It keeps me happy."
She looked up. "You can be happy just by looking at the stars?"
"Yes, human beings can be happy just by doing the simplest of things." He smiled when she frowned. "You see, people are always looking for things that make them better than who they really are."
"They are?" Quistis looked down, studying her own boots. "I guess so…"
"What they fail to see is…" He waved his hand at the sky. "...What they really have all along. What nature gives them when they born. What they really have inside of them."
"And what is that?"
The old man stared straight into her eyes. "What are you looking for, little one?"
"I'm…" Quistis gulped, her pulse beginning to beat fast. "I want to be happy."
"Why do you look for something that's already inside you?"
She stared at the gentleman in surprise.
"You see, little one," continued the old man, "people do things because they want to be happy. You're on this journey because you want to be happy. So is your man. But what you, and a lot of people, miss is… you can't be happy unless you accept yourself."
Unless… I accept… myself?
"Humans are born happy. As they grow, they lose the happiness they had when they were still young. They become tired and bitter with age, with the sin all around them. They forget how the grass is green, how the sky is blue, how beautiful a star is. How they were born happy, how it's the only thing they were granted with when they first opened their eyes to look upon this beautiful world." The old man smiled sadly. "I always wonder how to make humans understand… how to make them accept themselves again. But I don't really have to try hard."
"…Why?"
"Because, when they understand…" The man pointed at the sky. "...They are ready to go. Humans accept who they are as they grew old. They have nothing to be proud of except their memories. That's when they become who they really were all along. They accept who they are and how things are around them. They are what you call 'wise.' I called them 'sinless.'"
Is that why old people are so…?
"You are young, little one. That was why I wondered why you wanted to be yourself at this age. There are not many people of your years who want to find the real meaning of happiness. Maybe that's why I didn't try that hard to give the meaning to you…" He chuckled. "I laughed a lot when I saw what happened with this… let's say... Journey of yours. You're young; you still have a long ways to go."
Quistis's face grew red with shame.
"But if you're serious, my little one… I just gave you the answer." He looked up, smiling at Quistis, who was too stunned to do anything as he held her hands in his own old, cold, wrinkled hands. "Listen, little one… Happiness is not a thing. You create your own happiness…"
Quistis's eyes were full of tears as she tried looking at the man. Her tears blocked her view. When the gentleman released her hands, she tried to grab his hands again, tried to feel the cold and wrinkled hands in hers, tried to believe in what she just experienced.
But the man disappeared. And then, she heard his last sentence.
"By the way, I actually like that you call my name so much… but to do it when you do things with your man is… very disturbing… so please refrain from that when you do it again, my little one…"
-x—
-x—
4. Life is surprising. Deal with it.
Irvine turned his head to the door as someone gently knocked on it. He stood up from his bed and walked to the door.
He opened it and frowned when he saw the crying Quistis.
"Quis…?" He pulled the woman inside his room and held her warm face. She must have been crying for a long time for her face to be this warm… "'S wrong…Quis?"
Quistis buried her face in his chest and hugged him tight. "I just met Him," she said, her voice muffled.
"Him?" Irvine kissed the top of her head. "Who?"
"Him. Him, Irvine." She looked up, her chin on his chest. "Him."
"Uh… him..." Irvine began to wonder if reading so much research had tired her out. "You wanna sit?"
"Nooo…" She sighed, burying her face in his chest again. "I understand now… I'm so stupid…"
"You? The smartest of the gang, stupid?" Irvine frowned. "Okay… who's this man? I hafta talk to him…"
"He's right… I can't just find happiness," she sighed, enjoying the warmth of his chest. "I have to make it myself. The material's already there… All I have to do is mix it."
"Oookay… this jerk we're talkin' 'bout is Odine, right?" Irvine stroked her hair. "I'm gonna skin that jerk alive tomorrow."
She chuckled. "…Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, we're both tired now so…" He shrieked as Quistis hugged him tighter. "Pretty, can't… breathe… stop, please…?"
She smiled, looking up before easing her embrace. Irvine sighed in relief. She pecked him on the lips, making him blink in a daze.
"You know," Quistis whispered in his ear, "He called you my man… I wondered if that's another sign…"
Irvine tilted his head as she pecked him again. "…He did?" He bent down, taking her lips in his. "Smart one… just saved his own ass…"
She grinned as his lips let her go. "Well… he also said to refrain from... that... when we do it again, so…"
"Refrain…?" Irvine frowned as she kissed him again. "'Kay… that one I don't understan'…"
"You don't have to." She pulled him in to taste her lips. "It's just… a sign…"
-x—
-x—
"Mr. President, sir! Commander Leonhart from Balamb Garden is here!"
Laguna looked up from his 'Ulti's Doom' comic to his palace guard. "He's here?" He turned towards Kiros, who was signing important documents for his president. "You heard that, Kiros? He's here! He must be here for me!"
"Doubt it," mumbled Kiros as he tried to figure out how to save up some financial spending. "He must be here for Irvine and Quistis."
"Well, whatever it is, he's here!" Laguna ran to his table, pushing Kiros out of the way. "Move! Move!"
"Damn it, Laguna!" Kiros stood up, letting his president put the comic inside the drawer and hold up the documents, pretending to read them. "He's gonna find out sooner or later…"
"Well, when he does I've become his dad already!" Laguna nodded to the guard. "Let him in! Hurry!"
Kiros shook his head and leaned against the nearest wall.
When Squall walked in, Laguna's face shone ten times brighter. The commander blinked, confused at the president's joyous expression.
Selphie walked in after Squall. She shouted with joy as she saw Laguna. "Hello, Sir Laguna!"
"Selphie!" Laguna jumped up from his couch and ran to Selphie. The two hugged and bounced off the floor, laughing happily. "How are you, my dear?"
"I'm fine, Sir Laguna!" replied the cheery girl to her idol. "The Laguna Fanclub is doing great too! Thank you for all your support!"
"Great!" Laguna blinked, and looked at Squall with a frightened face. Kiros slapped his hand against his face.
"Uh… hi, Squall!" Laguna rubbed his own head. "Uh… how do you do?"
Squall crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising his eyebrows at Selphie, who grinned guiltily. "Selphie… I told you to stop the stupid fan club, didn't I?"
"You did?" She sneered, hiding behind her idol. "Uh… I must've been really sleepy back then…"
Squall glared at her, then turned to Laguna. "…We'll talk about this later. Laguna, I'm here to pick up Quistis and Irvine."
"Uh…" Laguna looked at Kiros for support, but his aide looked elsewhere. "I… didn't…"
Squall walked to him, almost in the range of a hug. "Laguna. I'm serious. Did you call them on a mission? Tell me what happened…"
Squall may not have realized his own odd power over Laguna, but the President gulped when he saw his oblivious son come in so close to his arms.
Must… not…. Laguna steeled himself. I promised her… must… not… tell….
"Laguna?" Squall walked closer, now standing in front of him. "Where are they?"
-x—
-x—
"Quis…" Irvine spooned on her, arms holding her tight. "Ya awake yet?"
Quistis opened up one of her eyelids, her arms reaching back to pat his head. "Go back to sleep, Irv…"
"Um…" He snuggled his nose against her neck. "Not to ruin this kinda moment, but this is mornin' already…"
"Yeah, I noticed that too…"
"And I just heard Squall screamin'…"
Now that awoke Quistis up. She sat up, and her head collided to Irvine's nose. She ran to dress herself as the man yelped, holding his bloody nose.
"Why am I always in pain…?" Irvine grumbled as she threw him the clothes. "I'm tired... don' wanna run again… back to bed, pretty…"
5. Time to face reality, guys…
"I'm going home," said Quistis. Her back was to Irvine, so she didn't see his eyes as they widened.
Irvine jumped up from the bed and grabbed her arm. "You wanna leave me? Now…?"
She batted his hands away as she finished dressing. "Listen, Irv." She looked straight into his eyes. "I know how to have my own happiness now."
"By leavin' me?" He looked really hurt. She hugged him, her hands still holding his face when she released him.
"No. I can be happy anywhere." She looked at Irvine, who now looked anywhere but at her. "Irv, look at me. Irv…"
He looked at her, his eyes full of hurt and sadness.
"Irv… we can be happy anywhere. Happiness belongs to everyone. The only thing you have to do is bring it out. I don't need to stay on this journey anymore. I already know how to be happy now."
"You're leavin' me…" he whispered. "Don' leave me…"
"I'm not. But... You have to find your own happiness, Irv. You can find it on this journey."
"No…" He was ready to cry. "I can't find it if I'm not with you…"
She smiled and pulled his face close to kiss his lips. "Then you have your answer." She released him, turning around to pack her belongings inside her orange backpack. "I'm going. Decide your fate for yourself, Irv."
Irvine watched as she walked out from the door.
From his life.
Wait… from my life…?
He blinked. That's crazy! I won't let her go!
He quickly dressed, scrambling all his stuff in his leather bag, and fled out the door.
He ran outside and saw Quistis walking toward the presidential office.
This is my time… I'm gonna find my own happiness…
I'll find it with her!
He smiled as she turned around, smiling at him. She held out her hands to him.
This is your time, Irvine… Time to create your own happiness…
-x-
-x—
-x—
-x—
And…
Happiness is when you accept who you really are…
When you realize that, you can create your own happiness…
-x-
FIN
A/N: Want another Quirvine? Or Squalphie? Or... Zell and Fuu? Tell me ;)