No Turning Back

Chapter 2 …Or the beginning

One year ago.

Flashes of light woke her from a nap, a much needed lap if she has to be honest with herself. The rain was pelting on her windows on this rare march storm. Yawning, she stretches her body (till her spine pops) before she walks in her tiny kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee.

March is the time of the year she both loves and hates the most. While she is extremely busy with all the exams, both written and field, she loves it. She loves to see her students make it to SeeD. But she also knows that most of them won't make it this time around. And she hates to see their disappointed face, time after time again.

Another flash and Quistis drowns the last of her coffee before she has to prepare for the meeting for the field exam. It looks like this year will bring them to Dollet.

Dollet, a place that brings back memories from her own SeeD exam. The one where she made it to SeeD (with the highest SeeD score ever) and Seifer who failed his exam.

"SeeD Trepe has set a great example for you students to follow. Perhaps if you will pay attention to what she does and has done, you can also become a SeeD like her." The Garden Facility member told the class before the graduated SeeD could begin their speeches.

Quistis hated this moment; she had to share her moment of triumph with the one who had failed so drastically, again. She would ask him later about it, after she has made her speech.

"First of all, I want to thank…" Quistis began but she was interrupted by the shrill sirens going off throughout Garden. The annoying siren was being accompanied by the monotone voice of one of the D.C.

"All Students have to evacuate Garden. I repeat: All students have to evacuate Garden and meet at the rendezvous in Balamb. All SeeD gather by the terminal. All SeeD to the terminal."

Sparing one glare at Seifer she could see his face darken by the order to evacuate, while she has to stay behind and defend Garden. This wasn't how Seifer saw the world and she knew it. She mouthed 'sorry' to him before following her fellow SeeD.

The monsters had escaped from the training center. The SeeD had to kill them before they could roam the entire Garden. While Quistis was confident she could destroy most of the monsters alone, she knew she wasn't a match for the T-Rex alone. In no time the monsters were killed or lead back to the training center. All but one T-rex. Quistis and her fellow graduate Xu were trying to fend the monster off. Quistis and Xu are duo-casting sleep, but the monster didn't fall to sleep. The monster roars one time before swiping both girls of their feet with his strong tail. Before the monster can make the killing move a gunblade is lodged in its chest.

Seifer had come to save the day.

With the help of Seifer, and the other SeeD who came a few minutes after him, they killed the T-Rex.

While the D.C. was giving Seifer a hard time because he had ignored direct orders again, all Quistis could think about how grateful she was that he came back. She wasn't a fool and she knew that if Seifer didn't interfered when he did, she and Xu wouldn't be here anymore, or at least they wouldn't have been unhurt.

There was only one way Quistis wanted to thank Seifer, so she made her way to his room.

Quistis remembered that night good, that was the first time she had kissed him. She knew him for years and they had been friends since she walked into Garden three years before, but they hadn't ever acted on their feelings, which were mutual. That day was the beginning of their short romance.

It was all bound to go wrong the moment Quistis became an instructor.

While Quistis tried to remain professional, Seifer didn't.

After failing two other SeeD exams he was getting jealous. Jealous off all the others who had made it to SeeD? And he was jealous of the woman he loved. Their relation began to cool down and slowly they drifted apart.

And they were still drifting.

The ringing of her phone brings her back to the presents.

"Instructor Trepe."

"Ah, Quistis, awake at last." The humorous voice of her friend and confident Dr. Kadowaki.

Whit a smile on her face (Dr. Lisa Kadowaki knew her well) she asked: "What's the matter Lisa?"

"Your students have been at it again."

"Again..?" Quistis shakes her head. She didn't have to ask which students.

"They're both in the infirmary; you may want to check on both of them. Before they slip out of here."

"Are they hurt?" 'Badly' she adds in her mind. There wasn't a moment they wouldn't take the time to train together. And every time they train, at least one of them ends in the infirmary.

"Not badly, they do have a nasty scar on their faces, both of them. Looks like they finally marked each other."

"I'm on my way."

Straightening her outfit, Quistis walks towards the infirmary. Towards the two men she loves.

In the infirmary Seifer awoke. His head hurt, but what had he expected? His head was slashed open with a razor-sharp gunblade.

The sounds of their gunblade's kissing each other are still ringing in his ears.

He doesn't understand what had happened during their training. The last year they had been training partners (being the only two gunblade-specialists), but never had they wounded each other this badly.

During this fight something had snapped inside of Seifer.

He had heard that the field exam was being held within 48 hours. While most people got excited when they heard the news, Seifer's mood dropped drastically.

He knew this was his last chance of becoming a SeeD.

Last December he had turned 18, the max. age limit to become a SeeD.

If he failed he wouldn't only lose his dream of becoming a SeeD, he would also loose the women he loves.

Yes, he still loves her. Even after the year they have been apart, he still loves her.

During their training he feared he would lose her forever, if not through him leaving SeeD, and then through the looks he had seen her giving Squall.

Squall of course never noticed, but he did.

One more thing for Seifer to be angry about.

He cheated and he hurt his fellow student, which alone was enough to expel him from the exams.

Another thing to be angry about.

Without thinking he left the infirmary. He knew the doc would have to call his instructor and he couldn't handle seeing her, not now.

He slipped out of the window and went to the beach.

"I'm sorry instructor. He has slipped out of his room."

"Don't worry about it." She told the young assistant. "I'll find him."

One of her students had bailed out of the infirmary; it only took one guess which one. Dr. Kadowaki was sitting behind her desk and gave Quistis a smile when she entered.

"Leonhart is just waking up. I'm afraid you just missed Almasy."

"Yeah, Jennifer told me." Quistis walks towards the room her student lies in and shakes her head. 'Will they ever grow up?'

"Let's go Squall." She told the young man lying in the infirmary bed before walking away, expecting him to follow her.

After giving Squall her little speech about safety she let him get ready for class. She herself had to look for her other wayward student.

Knowing him likes she does, there is only one place where he will go to cool his mind; the beach.

When she and Seifer were together the beach was their spot. A place for the two of them where they felt they could be completely honest with each other.

She saw him sitting at the surf, his head down and his shoulder slumped.

She hated to see him this way.

But she also knew she couldn't change anything. Even if she wanted to be with Seifer again, she knew they couldn't, not until he made it to SeeD.

Putting a hand on his shoulder she could feel him stiffen at this sudden contact, but to his credit he didn't react except for grunting a silent "Leave me alone, Instructor."

"I won't leave you, Seifer." She said while sitting next to him in the sands, their thighs almost touching.

The silence that followed was tense, but neither of them wanted to fill it. Not until Seifer couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you want?" He asked her angrily.

That was a good question, what did she want? She wanted to be together again, she wanted to heal her broken heart. But not with the person he was today. Not with this bitter person who seemed to hate the whole world.

"I want you to come back." 'To me' she added to herself.

He remained silent.

"You have an exam to complete soon."

"….Why should I participate? It's not like I will ever make it."

"With that attitude you won't." Quistis replied. "I know you can make it, but you have to follow orders, not ignore them."

Seifer stands up abruptly, almost tumbling Quistis in that action. "Your one to talk about ignoring orders…. If I didn't ignore them three years ago you wouldn't be sitting here!"

Of course, she always expected that was a result why he still didn't follow orders, but she couldn't let this continue. Standing up and brushing the sand off of her clothes she places both hands on his shoulders and looks deeply into his emerald eyes. "I believe in you." She said giving him a chase kiss before walking away.

'I've always believed in you.' She thought while walking away. Leaving a dumb folded Seifer on the beach.