Race to the Wedding
Chapter 7
A few days had passed since Seifer's first mission at Dollet and he had been bored to death with no other mission at hand. The few days passed like hell. Anything exciting other than teasing by passers would surely uplift his morose mood.
"Hwaahhhhhhh..." he yawned at the lazy pacing clouds hovering about the Quad.
"Seifer..." a voice called out from behind.
He turned to face the man with his mirrored scar. "Do tell me I have a mission. I'll board the next train right away!"
"No..."
"Well that sucks." He scoffed, "What do you want?"
"Here..." Squall handed him a piece of paper, and as Seifer read it, he went on with the explanation, "There'll be an Amazing Race coming up for this year's Sportsfest. Want me to sign you up?"
He raised a brow and thought it interesting, but something stopped him from agreeing immediately, "It's for couples, stupid."
"I'm challenging you and Quistis to the finish line." He dared, pointing at him. It was just announced a few hours ago that Cid had increased their pot money for their little pair-up game to 50,000 gil. Perhaps it was because out of personal interest that Cid made such a bold offer just to pair up the two. Squall, in serious need of some cash made it an option to go ahead with his take on attempting to hitch the two before anyone else gets the job done.
"You're challenging ME!" he snickered, followed by a glower. "What's the catch?"
"Whoever loses...proposes to his partner."
Seifer went on a laughing spree. "I've heard you say stupid things before, but that is BY FAR the stupidest. You expect me to propose to Quistis!"
"Are you expecting to lose?"
"What'd you say!"
"You're not chickening out on my challenge, are you?" he smirked, knowing he just hit the right nerve.
"I think you're the chicken! You're just makin' a poor excuse to propose to Rinoa. Why else would fight a losing battle?" Seifer snickered.
"Whatever...made up your mind already?" he said folding his arms.
"You're on!" he retorted. "And don't think I'm doing this because I favor you marrying Rinoa. You have to finish puberty and adolescence first before you get my approval, got that?" He added as he handed Squall the signed paper.
"Don't worry, I won't be the one proposing." He chuckled, holding in a wicked grin.
o O o
When the day of the competition came, they were made to stand on the small land mass jutting out at Obel Lake. There, they were briefed about the entire course of the race. Their first task was run a three-legged race from their starting point there, up to Roshfall Forest where they should find a Chocobo using a Choco Sonar and Choco Ziner. Riding the Chocobo to reach Dollet, they had to answer three consecutive questions correctly before they could ride the ferry to Balamb's dock. To leave the premises to Balamb, they should devour an entire platter of mystery food. Their last stop would be at the Garden's Training Center where they had to catch the Cactuar with their corresponding flag before taking the flag to the Headmaster's Office to claim their prize.
As Seifer strapped their foot together in secure fashion, Quistis couldn't help but ask, "Why are we doing this again?"
"Like I said, it's good exercise. It beats the boring workouts we do at the Fire Cavern." Seifer explained, still not mentioning about his bet with Squall.
"I suppose...but I still don't feel right racing against REAL couples." She mumbled rubbing her elbows with the queasy feeling she got.
"Oh screw them! It's not in the rules that only official couples get to join. Now quit whinin' about nothing, we gotta race to win!" Seifer asserted as he finally pulled in the final loop to secure.
"I thought we only joined for fun!" Quistis complained, but it was too late, the gun was shot and Seifer began to run dragging her along.
About a dozen couples ran through the grassy Lanker Plains including Squall and Rinoa, Irvine and Selphie, Zell and a pigtailed librarian, Xu and her long time boyfriend. The three-legged race was the easiest of all the challenges as one by one the couples disappeared into the thick canopy of the forest.
o O o
"SEIFER! That's the fourth whistle we lost!" Quistis yelled in irritation as a Chicobo mischievously stole the whistle Seifer was holding.
They had been in the forest a while now because of Seifer's refusal to use the Choco Sonar. He had been grumbling about spending a lot of Gil from buying the whistle. With the last of his cash, he bought the whistle swearing to catch a Chocobo with it.
Figuring that Seifer was left with no other choice but to do it right, Quistis began to walk aimlessly around with the sonar held out.
"Quit that, you look stupid!" he said shoving off the Choco Sonar from Quistis. "A'right, I got a plan. You stand there and blow the whistle, when that damn bird gets down, I'll grab it for it to call the big bird."
"But that's cheating!" Quistis protested with a frightened look on her face. She was a woman who always abided with the rules, breaking it—even more, cheating through it would be unthinkable.
"You and your all too rule-abiding attitude will get us nowhere! Let loose. It's okay to break the rules sometimes."
Seifer had her thinking, tough hesitant, she felt like they were really behind and refused to be the last couple to arrive. Quistis and Seifer by nature had been a competitive duo even as kids, which made them argue about a lot of things. Neither one wanted to lose, so Quistis conceded to his plan.
She stood close to a bush where Seifer hid and blew the whistle. By and by a young Chicobo dropped from the branches and landed on her head. Immediately, Seifer grabbed it by the neck and threatened by strangling it.
"Call your mommy you dumb chicken!" he demanded, shaking the bird's neck.
"Seifer! Don't hurt the Chicobo!" Quistis scolded slapping his hand off the chick.
"Now look what you made me do!" He glared at her when the Chicobo slipped off his grip.
"Shhh!" She covered his mouth with her palm and whispered through her teeth, "Did you hear that? It's a Chocobo coming our way."
"Hurry, let's get on it!" he ordered, his voice muffled through her palm.
A few seconds later, a huge Chocobo came rushing towards them. Quickly, Seifer grabbed onto its back while lifting Quistis up to climb on it. The weight of the two caused the Chocobo to squeal as Seifer kicked it with his heel to run.
"Quit complaining! Do you realize how much I spent for you!" he growled referring to the Chocobo.
"I can't believe your cruelty against animals!" Quistis rumbled again, holding Seifer's waist to cling on.
"Don't fret, I only do this when I have to. The rest of the time, I'm like a saint to them." He laughed in an amusing way.
The Chocobo huffed its way across the grassland with an effort to catch up with the other Chocobos at a distance. They weren't as delayed as they had thought, four other pairs raced with them on their way to Dollet along with Zell and his partner. Seifer, wanting the Chocobo to run at a faster pace, slapped its hind on several occasions that by the time they mounted down it, it trembled on its knees in exhaustion.
o O o
They rushed to the harbour leaving the four couples behind. On the harbour, they met up with Squall and Rinoa who had repeatedly been answering questions against Irvine and Selphie but had been failing to meet the quota of three consecutive right answers. When they got there, the girls exchanged greeting before the quizmaster continued with the questioning.
"To the new couple who just arrived, you must buzz in first before you could answer. Answers will only be either a yes or no, true or false." The quizmaster briefed, referring to the latecomers. "Question: If you set Poison magic 100% to ST-Def-J, you don't receive damage from poisonous physical attacks."
"Dammit...what's he talking about!" Rinoa grumbled.
Quistis smiled and buzzed in, "That's false. You can't reduce physical damage to '0' unless evaded."
The rest of the couple's jaw dropped open while Seifer was left haughtily laughing at them. He looked at Squall and gave him a threatening glare.
"Dumbass...better get ready to propose tonight." He murmured without opening his mouth.
"Don't get your hopes up, we're just half-way through." He sneered back, making sure Rinoa didn't overhear him speak.
"That's right, couple #4, you get one point, two more correct and you can go through." The quizmaster said as he looked back to his questionnaire, "Question: By using F Mag-RF, you can refine 5 Fires from 1 M-Stone Piece."
"Oh! I know that one!" Selphie screamed, raising her hand.
But Quistis quickly buzzed in and got to answer instead, "The answer's 'yes'."
"Correct again! Let me remind you that you need to buzz in order to answer." The quizmaster reminded, looking at the pouting Selphie. "One more to go for couple #4 before you can precede to Balamb for the next task. Question: The higher the Speed Stat, the better your chances of using a Limit Break."
Several couples immediately buzzed in, but Rinoa was granted the permission to answer.
"Of course that's true!" Rinoa excitedly said with confidence.
"Nope, that's a wrong answer, the answer's false."
"WHAT!" Rinoa reacted in disbelief.
Seifer was heard laughing again, but it was directed to Squall. "Tsk tsk...you should have seen this coming."
"...Whatever." Squall groaned, turning away from him.
"Next question: True or False, under Zombie, you succumb more easily to Holy attacks."
"That's true." Quistis answered smiling right after she buzzed in.
"Good job! You may now head to the ferry for your next challenge in Balamb." The quizmaster announced, giving them the ferry ticket to Balamb.
"Bye guys!" bid Quistis as they ran off to the dock.
"Don't take too long Squall!" Seifer added, trailing behind Quistis.
o O o
At the dock, they selected the best looking ferry possible. The moment they handed the ferryman their ticket the ferry started paddling to sea. While they sat there, they laughed about what has happened to their little adventure so far. Quistis had to admit, Seifer was right about signing them up for the competition, but all Seifer could think about was making sure he wouldn't lose to Squall no matter what, not just for pride but for Quistis' sake, and his. The ferry ride didn't take too long, in fact, it propelled like a speed boat that they were able to dock at Balamb within an hour.
"C'mon, they're gaining in on us!" Seifer said, pointing at the three distant ferries quickly making its way across the sea.
"Why do you bother winning so much?" Quistis complained as she was being dragged along the streets of Balamb.
"Because I refuse to be a loser!" he annoyingly replied doubling his steps.
"Dammit Seifer, slow down! You're gonna make me trip on my heels!"
"Who the heck told you to wear heels on a race!"
Quistis simply growled without saying anything.
He made a point. That sucked.
When they finally reached the town entrance, they were barricaded by a number of SeeDs and directed them to a table located at the gas station. There they saw two other unfamiliar couples barfing over a tray of some gooey stuff. Immediately, Quistis swallowed hard. On an ordinary basis, she was a picky eater, and to have to eat something who-knows-what, was simply too horrifying for her. She looked at Seifer with anxious eyes as he picked a piece of folded paper from the basket. She took another gulp when he started unfolding it.
"We're eating Blobra jelly." Seifer read, and looked at Quistis with encouraging eyes, "That's not so bad."
"Maybe for you...do you realize that Blobras are charged with electric impulses! We could be could be electrocuted!" she quailed in anger tone.
"That's nonsense! It's already cooked, it's safe...see?" Seifer assured as he took a spoonful of jelly, but jerked up as if been electrocuted the moment he swallowed.
"I'm NOT eating that!" she barked, putting her foot down.
"Quit yappin' and just eat it will ya? It's only one cup!" Seifer insisted, trying to feed her a spoonful of jelly.
"I said NO!"
"Yes you will!"
"NO!"
"Eat it!"
"MAKE ME!" Quistis roared in a tone which made her decision final.
Irritated as she was, Seifer roughly scratched his head and squatted on the ground without saying anything for the next few minutes. He felt stupid for agreeing to Squall's terms, knowing that he couldn't control Quistis in any way whatsoever. If there was anyone who had the ability to shut him up, it was her. He couldn't enforce anything she refused to concede with, what more trouble it would be if he showed her an engagement ring under such terms.
"Hey guys! Glad you finally made it." Quistis greeted when Squall and Rinoa arrived panting for air.
"Hey! I thought you guys already reached the Garden by now." Rinoa huffed as she took out a piece of paper from the basket and handed it to Squall.
"Well, we've decided to stop here—" Quistis started to explain, but Seifer dragged her away before she could finish.
"We're not quitting the race and that's FINAL!" He said in a tone which matched her roar earlier.
"Why are you being so obnoxious!" she roared back, pulling her arm from his grip.
"Because!"
"Because WHAT!"
Rinoa was peeking at them from a short distance, figuring out what they were arguing about.
"We're gonna have to eat Caterchipillar eggs." Squall said, ignoring the arguing blondes Rinoa was looking at.
"Ewww...sounds gross." Rinoa moaned, turning her gaze at Squall.
"It's only a couple of pieces, I'm sure it won't hurt."
"I guess...but still, I don't like its mushy texture in my mouth."
"Not as bad as I thought." Squall uttered, chewing a piece of golf ball-sized egg.
"YOU DID WHAT?" they suddenly heard Quistis' infuriated voice.
A second later they saw Seifer and Quistis strode towards the table and began to gobble the bowl of blue jelly. Rinoa tried to ask what happened, but they totally ignored her, chomping down the goo as fast as they could and fidgeting a few times when electrocuted. Nonetheless, they managed to survive with just their hair turning frizzy as consequence to their nonstop intake of the jelly. The moment they dropped their bowls, they immediately dashed off without even looking at each other or bidding the other couple goodbye.
"I wonder what got them so excited?" Rinoa said looking at the now distant pair.
"They have to. It's a race to the wedding." Squall answered with a chuckle.
"I don't get it..."
"They have to win first place, or Seifer will have to propose to Quistis." He winked.
"Oh, I see...that's a good one." She giggled, but then became curious, "How did you get Seifer to agree on those terms? What's the catch?"
Squall suddenly became flustered.
"...It's a secret..."
o O o
The two blondes ran to the Garden at top speed without ever talking to each other. It was a weird moment, especially when Quistis realized that her proposal was due by sundown, with Seifer! Taking the quickest route to reach the Training Center, they right away began to rummage through every nook and cranny to find the Cactuar which held their corresponding color, white. Just for that day, all T-Rexaurs and Grats were cleared out and replaced with a hoard of Cactuars to choose from. It was hell of a pain for the two couples who managed to reach there. It was between them and Xu. Whoever got away with the right flag would be the winner.
The place was a mess, Cactuar here, Cactuar there, and cactus thorns everywhere! Yelps of the four people could be heard every now and then as the Cactuars would mischievously fling at them their prickly needles. Other than their evasive nature, they were mere pests who simply love to annoy the hell out of people. Every Cactuar was attached with a piece of cloth around one of their ankles with varying tints. The hardest part though was getting hold of them since killing any one of them would automatically sanction a pair to be disqualified.
"Wow, I can't believe you got here so fast!" Quistis complimented when she bumped with Xu.
"Of course! That's what top SeeDs are expected to do." She approved with a smile. "I can say the same to you."
"You have no idea how desperate we are to win!" Quistis groaned, glancing back and forth for their Cactuar.
"Wanna tell me about it?"
"That good-for-nothing Almasy got us into another mess!"
"What did he do again?" Xu replied expectantly.
"He made a deal with Squall."
"Ohhh? What kinda deal?"
"You'll be surprised."
"Then surprise me."
"If Seifer and I don't win first place..." she hesitated, but caught Xu's waiting eyes, "...then Seifer will have to propose to me by tonight."
"No kidding!" Xu was rather flabbergasted. She knew exactly what Squall was up to.
"I told you, you'd be surprised." Quistis deplored a stare at him.
A few more idle seconds of chitchat before they both heard their partners yell in unison.
"I GOT IT!"
"Oh shit!" Xu shrieked when she all of a sudden, 'accidentally', she threw a shuriken at their Cactuar and killed it.
"What'd you do!" Xu's boyfriend blurted as he held the Cactuar's body oozing with water.
"I'm so sorry!" Xu tried to make her voice sound remorseful as possible. "You shouldn't surprise me like that!"
"HA! I guess that leaves us as champions!" Seifer immediately boasted, waving Quistis their white flag.
"I couldn't possibly leave you with that man." Xu added with a beam.
"Xu, I can't thank you enough!" Quistis expressed her gratefulness with a tight hug.
"You'll repay me when the time comes." Xu chortled with an impish grin.
"What are you doing! C'mon, we gotta hurry to certify our victory!" Seifer enthusiastically said, dragging her out of the Training Center.
Quistis took a last glance at Xu and gave her a gratifying smile before she doubled her efforts to catch up with Seifer.
On their way out, they met up with three other couples along with Squall and Rinoa who was giving them a teasing look. But they just ignored what the two were trying to show and instead hastened to the Headmaster's office. There, they were warmly greeted by Cid and Edea, whose smiles reached their cheeks when they saw the two enter.
o O o
"Congratulations! You are the first couple to arrive...that makes you the champions of this year's Sportsfestival!" Cid proudly acclaimed as he shook each of their hands.
"I wasn't expecting you to join, but I knew you'd end up as winners when I saw your names on the registration." Edea commended with applause, "Congratulations! Now come with me, I'll let you choose your prize."
"Alright! I hope it's something cool." Seifer excitedly followed her, wiping his face from sweat.
"We got lucky this time, all thanks to Xu...I hope you won't get us into another stupid mess like this again." Quistis said, sounding more relieved than angry.
"Nah, I had enough excitement to last me til tomorrow." He casually replied.
"Tomorrow!"
"Fine. Next week."
Edea had them stand before Cid's desk. Atop of it were five small black velvet boxes; in it sparkled five different rings with different stones for each. The first box contained a diamond ring, the second a ruby ring, the third an emerald, next to it was a sapphire, and the last was amber. It all had different styles of cuts and sizes and the bands were either made of gold or silver. The sight made Quistis open her mouth with awe.
"They look beautiful don't they?" Edea admired, and pulling Seifer in closer to the table. "Now, it's tradition for the guy to choose the ring of the lady to be wedded."
"Excuse me?" Quistis pardoned after overhearing the word 'wed'.
"These are engagement rings. That's why the contest is for couples." Edea couldn't help but giggle at the two.
"But what if we DON'T wanna by engaged! We're not even dating!" startled, he was taken aback by what Edea said.
"I can't believe we were running to get caught." Quistis added an instant later, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Hahahaha!" Cid idly walked to the distressed couple, laughing all the way towards them. "You're as surprised as we were when we saw your names on the registration form. Why don't we settle this matter right now..." He rubbed his wrinkled chin as he thought of a compromise. Eventually, his lips widened to a significant smile. "I say we follow tradition and let Seifer get to choose the ring for Quistis. But it doesn't have to be an engagement, it can be just a gift. Or you can give it to her when things DO work out between you two."
"That's a wonderful idea!" Edea's went along with his words. "Since you're not yet a couple, the ring can wait...who knows?"
"What's with everyone? Are you trying to get us engaged!" Seifer snorted, not amused.
"Don't be silly, we were only joking."
"Yeah right!" he said, unconvinced.
"Now, let's get down to business..." Cid coughed to get their attention. "Seifer, which ring would you like to give Quistis?"
"I dunno..." He wasn't sure what to get her, so he turned back at her and asked, "What do you want?"
"Seifer, you get to decide for her." Edea gave him a warning look before Quistis could even breathe an answer.
"Fine!" he gruffly obeyed, but he had to glance back and forth between the rings and Quistis before he started considering one. After several glimpse at her, he began to notice just how beautiful her blue irises were and how eagerly she was looking at the ring which resembled her own eyes. It was then that it struck him, "I think the sapphire's perfect for her."
She turned her brightened eyes at him. She was a bit surprised that he chose the ring she wanted best. Was he able to understand her silent gesture? Did he happen to hear her unsaid prayer? Whatever it was he sensed, their wavelengths harmonized that time for some reason.
Without saying anything more because the next couple arrived to the scene, they made their way out of the office after courtly bidding their surrogate parents farewell. The couple who went out and just went in exchanged brief glances before heading on.
"Like they said, here..." Seifer scratched his nape as he handed her the ring.
But Quistis calmly refused. "I can't accept that...it still feels like an engagement ring to me."
"Then what the heck do you expect me to do with this!"
"Just keep it, and give it to the real girl who deserves it." She smiled, half-heartedly. She really loved the ring, but thought it wouldn't feel right wearing it.
"Suit yourself then...I'm on my way to the pawnshop." He claimed, tossing the ring in his pocket.
"You're such oaf Seifer!"
He grimaced without turning back. He knew she'd say something like that.
Sneak Preview:
Three Feet Rival
Chapter 8
"Now where did the 'kiss from a prince' suddenly come from?" Quistis remonstrated with a raised brow.
"She might wake up with a kiss from the prince—or something like that." Rinoa smiled with speculative eyes, "You once told Squall that. I'm just turning the tables. Now YOU will be the princess and Seifer will be THE prince!"
Quistis was temporarily rendered speechless at Rinoa's uncalled for comeback.
"Heck, do you actually think she was serious when said that?" Seifer aided in defense.
"I don't know...but I'm serious about you kissing her." Rinoa said with an edge of persistence.
A/N: Okay, I know...another chapter that seems to have been rushed and stuck together to put it all in one update...well I have to admit, I really didn't know what to write! To honestly tell you, this is the last chapter that I thought about out of the entire story. You have no idea how my brain bled for this! But I guess it kinda turned out okay and funny in the end. See that Review button down there? Click it and tell me what you think!