"What Would I Be Without You"
-Kawaii Hana-
DISCLAIMER:
I don't own anything from FF8. Too bad... I would have made a direct sequel from it, though... (Ehehehehe...)
NOTE TO READERS:
- Italic – - represents thoughts
(Italic) – don't mind them
Bold – "emphasized" words
SPECIAL NOTE:
Aaaah! Finally, a chapter in a looonng time! Ugh, really sorry for the usual late update… Actually, I had planned to post this up way back on the 9th of April coz it was a best friend's birthday… Unfortunately, the chapter was not even halfway done while the supposed deadline was fast approaching…. And I don't like type- rushing. The outcome of the chapter might not satisfy me…
Oh well, Hope the length of this chapter compensates for the tardiness… ehehehe… xD
Enjoy!
Chapter 12: Warm Compresses, Warm Laughter, Warm Memories…
"You promised you won't get adopted! You said we'll always be best friends!
"Seifer, wait! Listen, Ms. Trepe says she's really my mother! We'll always be best friends… I'll come and visit every day if you want…"
"NO! You broke your promise! DON'T EVER COME BACK! We're NOT FRIENDS anymore!"
"Wait, Seifer… WAIT!
And she woke up …
Sweat pricking on her forehead… Breaths were a little faster than usual… Hands trembling lightly against the soft velvet sheets of the bed she was sleeping in… Quistis Trepe had the most awful dream and woke up in the middle of the night… but…
Is this Quistis' lost memory… a memory she didn't want to remember…
The blonde SeeD let out a sigh… A tired one… as she is… It has been a long day… Going through the streets of Deling City while being whistled by nothing-much-to-do guys, enduring a three-hour ride to Winhill as two certain young males bicker at each other to no end, meeting quite eccentric people and… already having a suspect on the very first night…
Yeah… That's probably why she's having weird dreams… All this piled-up stress are starting to tire her out. But as a Seed for three years in a row and the youngest to become one at that, Quistis Trepe has long been used to the extremes… especially if you compare all that to a normal teenager's troubles…
Pretty soon, the 18-year old had begun to calm down. Her breathing came to a normal rate and her hands no longer shaking. There is only one problem…
She couldn't sleep…
-Just my luck…- She sarcastically thought to herself. Her eyes instinctively landed on her partner asleep on the couch with a blanket covering the lower part of his body and a pillow that was originally from the queen sized bed.
-Whooaaa… Wait a minute… Did I just call Seifer… 'my partner'? Well, technically, yes… We are partners in this mission… but wow, never thought I would use that word on Seifer…-
Quistis had to smile…. Well, just a little one. Even though, it had been indeed a tiring day. There were multiple times that Seifer proved to be more responsible and more capable of becoming a SeeD than everybody thinks back in Garden. Okay, maybe her, too… She also has looked down on him a bit but as Seifer was her former student, she has always known that he has that much potential.
The blonde SeeD began to observe the Cadet on his well-deserved rest, although he might complain of backaches later. The way he lays on the couch is little… awkward… and few angles that might cause a problem sooner or later…
-But, geez, he didn't really have to sleep on the couch…- She thought.
It was a fun first night for Seifer and Quistis on the mini-PUB. As they were the 'supposed' newcomers to the town, they had everyone's attention. People coming to their table introducing themselves, asking questions and such…
Zen proved to be a good and sensible guy after all. Although, the very first meeting between those two guys wasn't really a good way to start off, alas… there they were – talking like best buds that night. (Hmm… I wonder if Seifer and Zell could be like that, too… xD)
Despite the major delay in making dinner, Stella proved to be quite a good cook… well, with the help of the other women, of course. The food was not as grand as the ones you could get in Deling City Hotel but it was good enough for Winhill to be proud of. Seifer and Quistis had enjoyed every bite.
Astrid, Zen's "Ms. Aunt" also had the share of the spot light that night. This 39 year-old light blonde was sort of the "stand-up comedian" the entire time, telling humorous, possibly exaggerated stories of "When this Guy fell in Love with Me" or much to Zen's chagrin, the embarrassing stories of "When He was a Whining Four Year Old"… (xD) She was the life of the newcomers' (Seifer and Quistis) party, although she looks she has always been the life of every party in Winhill, whether she was invited in it or not…
Gylan Ronner… That man with the biggest heart (to a fault)… They just met him only recently… but Seifer and Quistis could already see how he is looked up to by many… Why, just that one night, our favorite couple had seen the man pledge his services in helping fix a rusted fence, a leaking pipe or taking care of a few chocobos while the owner is away - all of these, earning the old man more respect and less suspicion from our favorite pair.
And then, there was Hazel… Well, nothing much to say about her. Gylan had managed to bring her back to the PUB but has not spoken a word ever since, tediously eating her dinner alone by the corner, completely ignoring the festivities going on. And it seems that, as Seifer and Quistis noticed, the other people have already gotten used to this type of treatment.
Aside from those four, Seifer and Quitis have also met more people, particularly that of the "friendlier side" of Winhill. There was Mayor Ashterton, who was the first person to approach and introduce himself that night. From what our favorite couple learns from Zen, the 65 year-old has been mayor of the town for the past 25 years. He also mentions that the Mayor is somewhat neutral when it comes to accepting strangers… even though since our 'so-called newlyweds' only motive for moving in is because they wanted to settle down and start their new life together, there was no harm in being nice…. (Yep, no suspicious motives at all… xD)
After Gylan had managed to keep the moody Hazel in tow and after he had finished promising to take care of the chocobos, he also had that said chocobo owner introduce himself to the newcomers as well. His name was Daniel Sheckleton… Just an average 35-year old farmer with a henpecking wife and two kids… When he had introduced himself, he looked at Seifer with a look that can be mixed with jealousy and pity… (Jealousy, because he missed the days when romance was in the air… Pity, because he knows those days might be over soon for the young unsuspecting newlywed… xD) But nevertheless, he still looks a nice guy…
As time passes and almost everyone had finished their second or third rounds of food, it was a rather elderly man that next introduced himself to Seifer and Quistis. He looked much older than the mayor, walking slowly with a wooden cane and only speaking very briefly, only to say a greeting for formality and his name… "Just call me Grandpa Britz… And I hold a shop just by the entrance… Please do come by once in a while…" Both blondes could only nod in appreciation and the old shop owner went his way…
And just as Zen had said, most of friendly side of Winhill was a bunch of quite young people. Most were in their twenty's, thirty's and in their teens as well, proving that they were too young or were not yet born to experience that dreadful attack from Esthar. All in all, both Quistis and Seifer enjoyed the celebration from the beginning till the end. After all, they had been raised into a world of fighting… Things such as getting married or settling down might have never crossed their minds…
And that probably was the cause… Seifer enjoyed the party maybe way too much… He just went ahead, plopped down on the couch and fell asleep, leaving one side of the queen-sized bed free.
"Um… Seifer…?" Quistis asked. "Aren't you gonna sleep on the bed? It's much comfortable in…"
"Nah…" She was cut short. "There are no hidden cameras around here and all so no need to play the "Mrs" tonight."
The blonde girl crossed her arms. Why did he sound like he thinks she enjoys pretending of being married to him...? And she was just about pull of a sarcastic remark when…
"Goodnight, Quistis. Today was great day, I guess… " An unexpected sincere tone came out from the usually sarcastic and 'prideful' man. It had made Quistis forget what she was supposed to say and drop her mouth instead. But, well, since she was good mood then… "Yeah… I guess living in here for a while is a worth a try… Good night, Seifer…"
There was no response. The young man was already fast asleep, softly snoring… Quistis shook her head and sighed. Do some people really fall asleep that fast? She herself began to yawn and found the empty bed very tempting. Looking one more time at the sleeping figure, she sighed for the umpteenth time that day.
-Well, he'll feel awfully cold by morning – Quistis thought and proceeded quietly to the drawers. She pulled out of what seemed to be a cotton blanket colored sky blue and gently placed it on Seifer.
-Damn… I just placed a blanket on him and it feels good…. Is this how a mother feels when they tuck their children in bed…?- Quistis shook the thought and went to bed.
The lights were out and both the SeeD and the cadet fell to a well-deserved sleep…
But, well…
Around five hours later, Quistis just had to wake up with a really nasty nightmare. And that was where we left off…
-Great…? What to do? I don't feel sleepy anymore…- Quistis thought as she lies on her side of the bed, fully awake. Trying to sleep in vain again might make her more tired. But lying around and waiting till morning might also end up in the same thing.
Quistis sat up from bed again, thinking maybe she should give up in trying sleeping after all. She looked over to her right, seeing the Seifer still sound asleep. – Hmm… I bet you're having a good dream right now…Too bad for me…-
She looked at the Grandfather's clock located right across the couch. It was still five in the morning. Well, not very unusual… since that's when she usually gets up and prepare for her morning classes…
That was before… When she used to be a SeeD Instructor… It was for only a year but it felt that she has had that job for a long time. But somehow she was glad she lost the job by the time Squall and her other friends graduated. If she still were an instructor, she would probably be stuck in Balamb Garden while the others were traveling the whole world doing side missions, gathering useful items for their weapons and ultimately, defeating that Sorceress from the future.
It seems when you have lost something, you regain something even bigger…
-Great… I'm so dead bored in here… Now I'm already making a philosophy and reminiscing about the past… even though it was only two months ago… -
Quistis sighed yet again. She never thought there would be a time where she wished that Seifer would and annoy her around like he used to…
Wait… Would that mean she actually enjoys him bugging her around…? -No, no, no…Hyne, I'm just so bored here…. Wait, I think my brain is still asleep… I have to refresh it… Wait… refreshment?-
Then, she blinked… She looked past the couch where a sleeping man was laid upon. There was the door leading tp the suite's bathroom. The two checked it earlier and it was complete with built-in shower and a bath tub… How Stella managed install both in every suite is quite a mystery… But for Quistis right now, it's pretty convenient.
Without much hesitation, the blonde SeeD finally got up from bed and quietly went to her bag to get her bathrobe, towel and some clothes. Finally, there was something to do…
"Seifer, Seifer, honey where are you?" A voice filled with warmth and love…
"Wight hewe!" Says a two year old Seifer, donning a black cape and a plastic sword.
She laughs softly and then she kneels. "Oh Sir Seifer of Dollet… It is an honor that you are here…"
"W-what can I do fow yoo.." Said the little knight, struggling for words…
"Give me a hug?" Stretching her arms wide, the warmth seems to radiate across the room.
"Yes! Mama Hug!" Says the knight who immediately dropped his sword and rushed towards his mother's arms…
"Mama! Mama!"
"Hm?"
"I… wuv… yoo!"
"I love you too Seifer…"
THUD!
Sometimes pain brings you back to reality. Well, for Seifer, it couldn't be truer than this situation, as his strange dream was rudely interrupted when he hit his head on the floor.
"Owww…" He whined softly to himself… As he opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't in his Balamb Garden dorm room that he shares with Raijin. He was in a Winhill Hotel, apparently slept on a couch…
A heavy sigh escaped him. –Oh boy, it will be a long day again- He mentally noted to himself, finally realizing the situation he's in and the supposed responsibility as a leader of a mission…
He then noticed that a blue blanket was over his body. He realized that Quistis must have put one over him. He suddenly remembers and stands up impulsively… Another pang of pain rushed to his body…
- Oww, that's it… I am not going to sleep on a couch anymore…- He groans as he massages his back and neck. Yet another pain- brings-back-to- reality situation, huh? (xD)
He hears soft trickling sounds of water from a door across the couch. He sees that it was the bathroom door. –Oh, Quis's taking shower, huh?-
He sighs again and sees the queen size bed already made up, except that one side is missing a pillow. He took his pillow from the couch and placed on its original spot on the bed…
I love you, too Seifer…
It echoed again… That voice… The most beautiful voice…
His mom's…
Seifer sat down on the couch again. His face bore a blank stare, directed on the ceiling…
-When was the last time I thought of her…? - The young man pondered and sighed… again. For when pondering from old memories arise, there can only be sadness and pain long buried…
He cannot even remember how his mother's face looks like exactly. It was frustrating… It has been a long time that he felt this way… that grief… that pain of losing the only one who knew as your family…
"What's up there in the ceiling, Seifer?"
Her voice had once again pulled him away from thoughts, He was glad that she did, though. If she had not interrupted, his thoughts might go into something he cannot afford to do right now… Like losing his cool again… in the middle of SeeD Special Exam…
There she was, already full dressed in a small shirt and jeans. Her hair was still wet and a white towel was hung around her neck to avoid her shirt from getting wet.
"Seifer?"
"Hm…" He responded… dumfounded…
"What was there in the ceiling?" She repeated again, in a patient tone. Seifer took a look up and looked at her again. "U-uh… nothing…" She raised an eyebrow. "Why were you staring then…?"
"I wasn't staring. I was ju-"
"You were…?"
"J-just thinking that it's going to be another long day again…" Seifer hesitantly replied… -Wow that was probably the stupidest alibi I have ever made in my 18 years of existence…-
He expected Quistis to think the same. But what's this? How come she looks worried…?
"Did you hit your head or something when you woke up…?" She asked.
"Huh? Y-Yeah…"
"You have a pretty nasty red bump on your forehead right now. You look like when Zen had one last night…" She said as a matter-of-factly.
He impulsively touched his forehead with his right hand. And sure enough, he felt there was a bump and pressed it… It was not really that painful but he felt it nevertheless.
"Heh… Lesson learned today: Don't sleep on couches." Seifer said with a sheepish grin.
Quistis gave a small laugh. "I'll ask Stella if they have a warm compress here."
"No, don't!"
"Why?"
"They'll ask how I got the bump and we say I fell on the couch. And if they'll ask why I fell on the couch and I answered I was sleeping on it; they'll ask why I was not sleeping beside you…sooo… It'll just make things complicated like yesterday when Stella went into our room and saw…t-that… and well just complicated things…"
Seifer let out a huge exhale after all that talking. Quistis giggled as she covered her face with a hand. (I think I have made Quistis too giggly in this story, don't you think…? o_O)
"Wow… you have put so much thought about just me getting a warm compress…" She said while trying to stifle her small laughs. "I never thought you were a person who would think things through"
"Heh…" Seifer retorted. "I'm not like Squall, you know. That guy thinks like… a LOT! You know like this…" He immediately stood up and did the infamous Squall facepalm. He cleared his throat and in a super deep voice, he uttered, "It is inevitable…" (xD)
The imitation was so indeed like the original's voice. Quistis could not take it anymore and burst into laughter. Even Seifer, who was surprised he could actually pull off such an imitation, had laughed hard at himself as well… (And somewhere in Balamb, a certain brown-haired young man bit his tongue… just kiddin'…xD)
And sweet warm laughter ran across the Winhill Hotel Suite # 18. There they were, two blondes laughing themselves to tears, momentarily forgetting the personality differences that had long set them apart, those weird memory-dreams and the difficult mission that was placed before them. The atmosphere felt warm and cozy… It was rare but good… (And… cheesy piano music on cue...xD)
And for what seemed like blissful eternity, their laughter slowly begins to die down… only to catch their breath in its place…
"D-Damn… I didn't know… I can actually pull of that quite well!" Seifer said as he breathed deeply after that all too hard laughter.
"Me neither!" Quistis replied with a smile. She noticed that Seifer was still rubbing his forehead. "Well, speaking of Squall, I think it's about time you called him and give him your daily report…"
"Yeah, I better get to it, then." Seifer sighed. Duty as always for Quistis… But, not how much people quite make her out to be. There was definitely a different side to Quistis that Seifer only saw… for now… (xD)
"Well, I think I'm really gonna ask for a warm compress." Quistis said, with a tone of finality in her voice. "Don't worry. I'll think up for another reason why there's a red bump on your head." She made one last smile and left the room.
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It was 6:15 am… The sun was just beginning to rise as she made her way to the 2nd floor hallway of the Winhill Hotel… She sighed and scratched her head. Yet another boring task of checking guests and informing them that breakfast will be made as soon as they come down to the mini-PUB.
Why did Gylan have to force her into doing such a task? Was it because that the newcomer couple came from Balamb? What is Gylan trying to get at… this time…? She is 14 years old already, for the love of Hyne! She's not the 4 year old crybaby anymore that appeared before him during the funeral…
Funeral…
Her tracks suddenly came to a full stop. It was beginning to reappear again. Memories of a funeral with over 14 coffins that all lay beside a badly burned home, hundreds of mourners dressed in black, offering condolences and sweet nothings to her… But none of them understand what she really wanted then…
And then, he appeared…and gave it… A hug…
Yes, that was it…. No other sweet nothings or sincere condolences could comfort her, a child unjustly robbed of a family and a home…but a hug did… One such hug from a total stranger…
Yes, a stranger from far, far away… Large brawny arms giving warmth to a child left behind in the cold, cold night…
And that stranger turned out to be her legal guardian…
That stranger with a big, big smile…
Then she blinked… back to the present time. The laughter ringing across the entire hallway had finally simmered down. She shook her head, trying to wave off those unneeded flashbacks as she hears a door about to open. Within seconds, she was back in her unfazed form – a face the whole town of Winhill knows…
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"Oh, Hazel? Is that you? Didn't know you were there… Sorry, were we being too loud?" Quistis, who still had the aftereffects of laughter shining through, beamed a smile… although, she wasn't actually conscious about it… (xD)
"Nah, it's fine…" Came the monotonous reply. "I mean, you guys are the only guests in this place anyway…"
"Oh I see…" Quistis can only respond briefly in return. A part of her tells her she's like talking to a younger female version of Squall Leonhart… Which brings her back to that hilarious Squall imitation earlier and… -No, no, no, you better hold it in, Quistis… or you'll start laughing again…-
"So, uh…" The younger girl began. "Gylan asked me to tell you guys that if you guys want to have breakfast now, just come down to the mini-PUB and Stella will make them for you."
"Oh, why thank you then. My, Stella sure does wake up early…" Quistis remarked. "Well, Seifer needs to call someone… from back in Ba-… from home… He just wanted to make sure the truck that helped moving our stuff had not left anything behind before we got into the train to Deling City."
"Ok…"
-Wow, that was a smooth lie, Ms. Quistis Trepe. For someone who constantly rejects your late students' alibis, you sure could do make one yourself in a split second…-
"And well, actually right now… I need… a warm compress…" The blonde girl continued. "Seifer sort of has a red bump on his forehead. He, uh… slipped on the wet bathroom floor when he was going to take a shower after me."
"Oh, so that's why you guys were laughing…" Hazel hastily concludes.
"Yes, and well, he decided that he'll call the moving company while he waits for me…" Quistis said, adding one more lie to another. It was quite addicting… Well, white lies don't usually hurt, right?
The 14 year old looked up slightly and her hazel eyes glistening its green-brown hue in the soft sunlight. "If you need things such as compresses or bandages, you can get them in a medicine cabinet just at the end of the hall right there."
Quistis took a quick glance at the back and looked back at the girl standing few meters before. Her focus on the younger girl's special eyes…
"You know, you have really beautiful eyes… It suits your face very much…" Quistis said all of a sudden. And finally, this time, it was not a lie.
"Hmph…" The girl pulled a small smirk. Or was it a smile..? "You're the 5th person who said that to me… Thanks…"
One small word impact… followed by a hasty exit… It was just how the raven- haired girl made her way out of the PUB last night. Quistis was, of course, surprised by the younger girl's simple act of sincerity and in a blink of an eye; she finds that the girl had already descended down the stairs.
The blonde sighed and made a small smirk. -Wow, for someone who's supposedly a trained mercenary, I keep getting caught off guard by her…-
Somewhere deep inside the former SeeD instructor's head tells her that this is not Balamb Garden anymore, but the town of Winhill – which is not really as it first seemed to be…
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"So, after arriving at the Winhill Hotel about 1800 hours, we got ourselves into our room and settled. At about 2000 hours, we had our dinner and got acquainted with some of the people who usually dine at the Winhill Hotel every weekend. That's all, sir…" Seifer finished, summarizing the events that had transpired over the last two days.
"…"
"Uhhh… Squall?"
"Is it just me… or you sound… so… so happy?" The commander on the receiving end of the line blurted out. Coming from Squall Leonhart, the question was a bit off, right? (xD)
"Uh well, um…" Seifer didn't know what to reply either…
"Uhh… Forget that. " Squall said. "So are things doing okay with you and Quistis?"
"Y-Yeah! WE are doing great!" Came the enthusiastic reply…
"Really?"
"Yeah, really…"
"…"
"Squall?"
"Am I speaking to Seifer Almasy? I don't think I have ever heard him say 'we are doing great' that enthusiastically… especially since you were very much opposed of doing the mission in the first place…" Squall said blatantly or was it… playfully? (Fufufu…xD)
"Haha… Yes, that's very funny Squall… OK, so maybe I didn't like doing this at first… but hey, you never gave us the choice to refuse either…"
"Oh… 'us', huh?"
"What the HELL? Am talking to the real Squall Leonhart, too? I don't think he likes teasing his friends for fun!"
-Friends, huh? – A brief small grin appeared but went down as Squall cleared his throat, finally being serious. "Well, you could say I'm in a good mood, too…"
"Oh really? Is Rinoa there?"
"No… Still with the faction… Well, Matron came to visit yesterday." Squall replied.
"Huh? Really? Aw, man… Wish we left much later…"
"Yeah… well, she was a little sad that she didn't get to see you both off…"
"I see… Huh? Wait? Don't tell me you guys told Matron about this mission! I thought this was s'pposed to be top secret!"
"Well, leave it to Selphie and the others to spill the beans, as usual…"
Seifer sighed in exasperation.
"Don't worry, Matron won't be telling anyone anyway… She asked what you guys were up to so… we answered just as truthfully…" Squall added.
"Well yeah…. I'm okay with Matron. It's Selphie and those idiots I'm worried about. The whole Garden is probably talking about this right now…"
"Well, the only ones who I know who have gotten close to the truth are the Trepies. But all they know is about you taking a special SeeD exam… They don't know about the… Uh… undercover thing…"
An exasperated sigh came from Seifer. "Hope they won't come barging in here…"
"It'll be fine… besides, if you got that much time to worry about that fan club, then start worrying about your mission first…" The commander reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah… I know…"
"So, Seifer…"
"Hm, yeah?"
There was brief pause…
"N-Nothing… Just call me again if something's up… Bye…" With that, Squall had hung up, leaving Seifer alone to his thoughts. – Hm, was he mad? Or something came up?-
Just as he was pondering over this, Quistis has just entered the room with a small warm compress in hand.
"Hey there, that was fast…" said Seifer.
"Well, as soon I got outside, I saw Hazel and asked her where I could find one." Came the reply.
"Ah I see…"
"How was the call with Squall today?"
"Weird, actually…" Seifer answered, summing up what had just happened a few minutes ago.
"Huh?"
"Well…. He seems to be in a good mood or something so he just started to tease me annoying like that Chicken-wuss…"
Quistis raised an eyebrow and a smile. "Really? What was he teasing you with?"
"Naaah… nothing interesting…. But he told me Matron actually came to Garden for a visit…"
"Huh? Wha- Matron came to visit… Wow, it's rare for her to do so…" Quistis exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, I know…" Seifer could only agree, but then he made a sour face. "But you know what… Those three? Selphie and those guys…? They actually spilled the beans to Matron on what we're doing right now! Hyne, talk about top-secret mission!"
Quistis giggled a little. "Hmm…. Well, there's nothing to do about it. It's those three we're talking about…"
"Yeah…"
"Well, here goes…"
"Huh?"
Without warning, Quistis had placed the palm-sized warm compress on the young man's forehead. Seifer had immediately felt the sudden wave of warmth.
And slowly and unconsciously, he held her hand with his… And their eyes met… and locked… He felt the warmth of the compressed deviced on his head…. He felt the warmth of her hand flowing through his…
-Which was warmer…? Right now, it feels so damn good-
"Mama! Mama!
"I wuv you!"
"I loye you too, Seifer…"
Warmth…
-Was that how it was before? This warm sensation…-
And then without another warning, a wave of nostalgia came across both blondes… And there it came again… A flashback… Another returning memory…
In a scene where the walls were made of the stone and the room filled with little beds and toys, there was a boy sulking by himself on his bed.
"Um… Seifer…?" A small voice came from behind. It was from a blonde girl, carrying a small blue warm compress.
"What!" Came an irate response, but the girl did not budge, as if she was used to this.
"Matron said you should put this on your forehead. When Zell pushed you, you hit your head pretty bad…"
"I don't need it! I'm strong!" The boy looked at her, showing an obvious red bump on his forehead, in the exact spot where it will be somewhere in the future… (xD)
"N-No… Matron says so!" The girl protested, stubborn as always.
"Hey! Take your hand off! Ta-" The boy stopped and felt a surge of warm and tenderness pressing against his forehead.
"See? It feels nice and warm…"
"W-well… your hand feels warmer…" Came a frank remark. Having realized what he said, the boy's face became red…
"Huh?" The little girl's cheeks began to blush red as well…
Another memory returned… nicely… And warmly…
Seifer hesitated a bit but eventually spoke. "Errm… I can hold on to this myself, Quistis…"
"Y-Yeah, here…" Said, Quistis as she finally let go…
There was silence… They had already known that both of them experienced the same flashback like the one last night and… the one just now…
It was getting awkward again… It's funny really… Their memories from their childhood were just getting back together and yet… this happens…
Tok! Tok! Tok!
Knocks disturbed the awkward silence. "Uh, Seifer? Quistis? " It was Zen. His usual loud voice gives more life to the dead silent hotel suite.
"What's up?" Seifer asked, annoyed but relieved of loss of the grave atmosphere .
"Well, if it's not too much of a bother but… can I come in?"
It seemed like a very simple question but… it broke the ice between the two blondes.
"Huh?" Both of them blurted out at the exact same time.
"No time to explain! It's j-just….. My aunt's coming up here! Please hide meeee!"
Both rolled their eyes… and looked at each other…
Somehow, even if the awkward moments were to come again… just leave it to Zen to break it and save them…
"Well, shall we help him hide?" Quistis asked Seifer as loud knocks still can be heard across the room.
And Seifer made an evil grin, a grin that one would remind you of that Sorceress's Parade moment. Somehow, it made the blonde lady at ease. The arrogant aura of that guy was back…
"Hmm… We helped him once… Let's see what happens now if we don't…"
In turn, Quistis gave a devilish grin, an act that Seifer was surprised of but did not react.
"Hey guys…? Why aren't you answering back!" Zen stopped banging the door. "H-Hey…."
"ZENARDO MILLER!" A familiar female voice could be heard through the hallway…
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
One last cry of agony… As two blondes covers their mouths from laughing… (Yeah, that was evil, I know… xD)
Yet another warm memory of laughter, perhaps…?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0000 (KAWAII HANA 08) 0000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hey there!
I'm BAAAAAAACCCCCKKKK!
With just one chapter, though… (xD)
Sorry… This chapter had gone through a number of revisions actually… including a lot of chapter title changes, too…
Well, I dun know when will the next one comes…. But I hope some of you guys still wanna see more of this story… hehehe….
Oh well… Thanks so much for reading and….
SAYONARA!
xD