Dancing to Fall

Chapter 13

Over three weeks had passed since Seifer's fateful encounter with Gilgamesh and he had been recovering fairly well. They went on with rehearsals as scheduled and so far things have been running smoothly with everyone's full cooperation. Seifer in particular, hasn't been much of a pain as everyone thought he would. He and Quistis had been fairing well in delivering the lines, attending the workshops and taking on the role as lead cast. The play had become the talk of the Garden being the 'event of the year' as so claimed by the academy's papers. Gossips and expectations of the Garden Festival have gone around that pressure was beginning to build.

They were starting to build the stage while props and costumes were already half-way done. Everyone involved in the Garden Festival had been tight on their schedule with regular classes in the morning and practices right after dismissal and on the weekends, it has been a tough call. It was because of such circumstances why everyone was beginning to bond, the two lead cast in particular has been.

Quistis, though felt certain indifferences with her renewed feelings for Seifer ever since his accident a few weeks ago, had been persistently under denial, setting aside her personal life to concentrate on the play. Whenever they were left the chance to practice, they were usually heard giggling and laughing at each other's mistake on delivering the lines. Though at times it became odd for Quistis to speak out romantic lines to Seifer especially when she's made to say it with feelings, her willpower to stop herself from entirely falling in love was undeniably strong that no one has ever noticed the difference she was beginning to feel for Seifer. To forget about her issue, she had buried herself with work and the play that it gave her no time to think through how she really felt for him. She had been twice a workaholic, and that, everyone had noticed.

"Ya sure you got enough sleep last night?" Seifer casually asked as her stress level was becoming apparent.

"I'm fine, really! Don't mind me. We're halfway til the big night, I can handle it." Quistis defended in confident tone.

"Hell, we may be halfway there, but that's still a month from now! I can't just ignore the fact what you're doin' isn't healthy for you. What if you collapse right in the middle of our kissing scene? Now that's gonna make me look bad!" he sarcastically pressed his concern with a smirk.

"Oh, so that's what you're worried about." she stopped on her feet and folded her arms, apparently not amused by what he said.

"Get real! Of course I'm worried about you...you haven't been yourself lately. You're stressed out!"

"I said I'm fine! This'll all be over soon and things will be back to normal." She had chosen her words well, one that spoke to him about her stress and one that spoke to herself about her little fling which she hoped would be gone after the play. She was a bad liar, but she had been saying the lie so frequently that it sounded almost convincing now.

"Sure hope so, because I'm becoming a victim of your mood swings."

"I'm sorry...it's just that—nevermind." She bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything more.

"C'mon, just say it already!"

"I already said I'll be fine...now let's go, we're late for practice!" she said as an excuse to change the topic.

Their rehearsals went on for hours as scheduled. They were made to act and speak their lines on stage without the script this time. They had been getting better and better, Seifer in memorizing his lines, while Quistis with her acting. It was becoming evident, the play would turn out a smashing success.

After gruelling hours of serious acting, the rehearsal finally ended. One by one, people began to exit the auditorium. It was their last night of practice for the week.

"Seifer, Quisty, wait up!" Selphie came running behind them.

"You need somethin' Director?" Seifer asked with a sluggish yawn.

"Yeah, I need you guys at the ballroom at exactly 9:45 p.m. tomorrow." She said with a grin.

"WHAT!"

"Why?" Quistis inquired, giving Seifer a quick hard glance at his overreaction.

"We need a photo shoot for the posters and TVCs. I've decided to start advertising the play this week!"

"The whole Garden knows, it's unnecessary." Seifer said with an apparent unwilling face.

"Of course it is! It's protocol!" She excitedly replied when she saw Quistis' disposed gaze at her. "The costumes are in your rooms! Now don't be late!" She yelled, leaving them behind before Seifer could say anything more.

"Dammit, what a pain." Seifer grumbled scratching the back of his head.

o O o

The moment Selphie was out of sight, Seifer placed his palm on Quistis' golden crown to get her attention.

"I'm walking you to your room tonight. I have a little something for you—a gift of appreciation for shaving me last week."

"That was a month ago!" she nagged, slapping Seifer's heavy hand off her head. She hated it whenever he made his towering height obvious to her.

For a moment, she stared at him with child-like curious eyes when she caught sight of him tuck something in his coat as if making something obviously hidden. So he did get her something. If it took him a whole month to decide that she deserved a thank you gift then it must interesting.

"Fine." She grumpily gave him a smile and led the way.

Seifer chortled behind, but it only took a few steps for him to gain on her.

As they were walking silently with not much to talk about, Quistis felt somewhere between comfort and discomfort at the sound of nothing but the clanking of their footsteps and his breath. He was being unusually quiet. She gave him a side glace and saw a slouched back along with sleepish eyes.

He caught her stare and casually placed his hand around her shoulders.

"Let's walk slower. No need to hurry 'bout my surprise."

She felt his hand heavy on her shoulder and didn't really know where to place her feelings, a little more to the discomfort or a lot more to the comfort. She quickly scanned for topics to open up to ease the silence and the 'situation'.

"You seem more tired than usual."

"What can I say? It took me all night to figure out a gift to compensate for a month's delay." He winked.

It's official, that was uncomfortable.

"What kind of a gift is it then? Do I at least get a clue?" She teased off the uneasiness and unwound his arm around her shoulder.

He didn't seem to mind what she did, but she did bother to mind what he did after. Since she had to hold his hand to take it off, it became a gut weird feeling when she realized that he didn't let go of her hand when she did.

And so it was.

There they were, walking, holding hands.

The walk wasn't in any way a romantic stroll, it was simply casual, friendly…

But slow.

She felt his hand warm, soothing. What was going on? It was the first time they walked holding hands.

Was Seifer making a move?

"Your hand is stiff." She heard him muttered as he began to circle his thumb on her palm in massaging motion.

"It's just tired." She denied.

"Yeah right!" he gawked, releasing her hand and bumping his shoulder on hers causing her to topple a little.

Was that any way to make a move? Maybe she was just assuming too much.

"Well, we're here. Now where's my gift?" she demanded without shame the moment they stopped on her doorstep. They were just 'buds' after all.

"Don't get too excited." He snickered inserting his hand in his coat.

"I hope I won't be disappointed—AGAIN." She raised her brow at the last word. Memories of Seifer's attempts of thanks or surprises always ended up…irritating.

She focused her eyes on the object as it slowly revealed itself. A big grin could be seen blurring above her eyes on Seifer's face as she eagerly focused herself at the object being pulled. The first thing she saw was a long stem and a single leaf.

Great, he got her a twig.

Her eyes traced along the thin stalk, eyeing further up the leaf, eyes widening as it landed to look at a beautiful red rose.

It was beautiful. The lushly double bloom had around sixty satin-textured petals, each blazed with crimson at the base blending into scarlet shading, with edgings that deepened and spread as the petals unfold.

A white rose would mean friendship, but a red one meant love.

Was he…courting her?

The thought was put a little at ease when she realized something.

"Isn't that the same rose we used as prop earlier?" she sternly interrogated.

He gave her a guilty grin. "Maybe…"

So did that mean he wasn't courting her?

He scratched his nape and gave her his most charming smile along with a rather cheesy excuse. "Will it actually surprise you if I say I was the one who looked for the most beautiful rose at Balamb for the rehearsal just so I could give it to you after?"

He really knew how to charm a woman—a skill he rarely used around anyone.

Then perhaps he really was making a move.

"Thank you…." She blushed as she received it.

"Quisty?"

She looked up but her words were choked in her throat.

"The surprise is in the petals." He said in his most romantic voice.

Quistis' heart leaped and stopped when he smiled a very sexy smile at her. She took a gulp before she started to search the rose with her fingers. The flower fumed with raspberry-like fragrance, satin petals curled back sharply as she opened them wide. What was in it? It certainly was big enough to hold in smaller pieces such as a pendant, a pair of earrings,

A ring.

Or even…

A spider…

A spider?

A SPIDER!

It was two eyes staring at six.

So

Was he courting her?

DEFINITELY NOT!

Of all the things that had come to exist in the whole damn forsaken world, it was definitely the spider that had shaken her to her knees, and one plausible reason for her to have a heart attack. She could ride a Ruby Dragon or pat a Marlboro for all she cared, yet the teeny weeniest spider could make her guts run dry even just at the thought of those little demon's…well…everything!

Abhorred to the horror which crouched before her very eyes, she threw the flower which to the least of her luck fell in her room.

Everything fell black. She had to close her eyes to clam herself. She was breathing hard and slow, as if in her deathbed. When consciousness sunk in, she felt something strange, as if something against her chest was reverberating a laugh.

Was she laughing?

Apparently not.

When she opened her eyes, it was when she realized she was hugging Seifer real hard, and it was from his chest where she heard the laugh.

She was hugging him because she lost her senses at the fright, but for some reason she didn't know why, his hand too was wrapping her.

The first second was Quistis flustering.

The next was Seifer chuckling.

And the on the third second, it was Quistis' fist on Seifer's face.

Apparently the punch was nowhere near a joke, his nose was bleeding.

Quickly taking his hand off her to pinch the bridge of his nose, he swore. "What the fuck was that for!"

Quistis pushed him as hard as she could, but her effort only made Seifer budge a step back. Nonetheless, she was satisfied to see blood splurging down his nostrils.

"YOU JERK! You only got what you deserve!" she barked in synchronized motion with her middle finger flicking at him.

It felt like the heat of her anger would melt him physically, but he only seemed more amused. He replied with a cocky smirk, but wasn't able to hold himself off that he busted into a boisterous laughing extravaganza. He didn't care if blood spilled all over the floor or if he dies from bleeding, that couldn't possibly match up to the bliss he felt at the sight of Quistis' flabbergasted expression.

She screamed a hundred curses at him, hundreds quickly turning into thousands by the second. Striding into her room and throwing the rose at his face, temporarily overcoming her fear of spiders with the anger she felt for the man in front of her, she could only wish the rose had three-inch thorns that it might rip his face to shreds. Then, with another growl, she slammed the door at him.

He heard banging and screams inside.

She heard a man laughing hard outside.

Five minutes…

Silence.

She peeped behind the cracked door and saw no one in sight, save for the dented flower on her doorstep…less the spider this time.

Then perhaps, he really was trying to show something…different.

Seifer turned around the corner and saw her picked up the flower and retreat in her room. He couldn't help but giggle at the memory…her, giving him perplexing stares; her, giving him her sweetest smile as she received the rose; her, falling into his trap; her, freaking out at the spider; her fist on his face…she certainly showed a lot of different sides within a span of two minutes that he almost felt like he was…admiring her.

The little blush she tapped on her cheeks sure made her look prettier even with a murderous face.

In all the months AND years he had seen her, it was only a counted times when he had seen her bothered exerting extra effort to enhance her look. But he somehow never failed to notice that for the past two weeks she was beginning to add minute details on her whenever he saw her; a light foundation at one time, an extra lip gloss at another, a pair of earrings last week, a beautiful hairpiece a few days ago, and the pretty little blush just a few minutes ago.

Was she flirting with someone?

With Squall?

He'd be damned. She was clearly OVER him, WAY over him. WAAAAAAAAAAAY OVER HIM!

Zell?

Hell no! The fuck was he thinking! HAHAHAHA!

Irvine?

Doubt it. She'd be damned to be Selphie's enemy. Some petit bitch she could be.

Then perhaps Gavin?

Nah! She already made it clear, he wasn't a threat. Er…yeah, he just couldn't be. Because…

Wait!

Could it be?

Was she flirting with him?

Made sense…made perfect sense, because indeed he was beginning to notice, she was becoming more beautiful to him as each day passed. He shook his head and chuckled. It was a weird familiar feeling he was beginning to notice, almost the same kind of weirdness he felt two summers ago at Timber.

Almost,

But different.

Maybe he was beginning to have a crush on Quistis…but perhaps a little bit deeper than just a crush.

He chuckled once more, a little too hard this time that his nose began to bleed again.

"Oh shit!"

He jerked and quickly pinched the bridge of his nose just in time to stop the blood from oozing out. He had to take note, Quistis was a woman who preferred to punch rather than slap. And that she was one hell of a boxer. He smelled the iron scent of blood and clearly remembered her face as she punched him.

She certainly was a Beauty.

One heck of a ferocious beauty indeed….

o O o

The clock struck a minute pass ten in the evening. The night was calm and enchanting with the stars out in their full luminance, and the light misty air outside the Ballroom, it was a perfect night for a photo shoot.

"Sorry I'm late, I had a little trouble fitting in the dress." Quistis apologized as soon as she entered the room.

All present in the room turned their eyes on her. There she stood in a pearl white brocaded gown with her hair hung loose on one shoulder and lightly blushed cheeks that no one bothered to reproach her tardiness, her excuse was enough to compensate for the fifteen-minute delay.

"Well I think it's perfect!" Rinoa immediately commended approaching her.

"Oh-la-la!" Irvine hooted as he stared at her with bewildered eyes.

"I'll say!" Selphie agreed who also approached her, stepping on Irvine's foot along the way. "What do you think Seifer?" Selphie curiously asked as soon as she stood beside Quistis and turned her to his direction.

Seifer who was then scratching his face with his paws, irritated by all the facial hair Selphie had attached, for a moment looked at her in awe. He thought it unfair how she got to wear something that made her beautiful while he was stuck to work with a worn-out cape and a couple pounds of hair.

"Not bad."

"That's it?"

"Am I supposed to say anything else?"

"Anything else better than 'not bad' would be great." Selphie sighed, "You should really consider the effort she's put in to look this pretty."

"Really Selphie, you don't have to force him to say something he doesn't want to." Quistis sarcastically added sternly looking at him. The memory of his spider prank last night was still fresh, and a single stare from him could make her blood boil.

"Well I think you're stunningly beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, the apple of my eye, the prima donna—"

"Dammit Seifer, you're doing it again!" Quistis angrily intruded to stop his praises.

"WHAT!"

"Being obnoxious!" she furiously approached him to slap his shoulder. In her mind, Seifer was being insensitive with her 'supposed' feelings for him. For the past month, she has been hard on him, becoming stubborn towards him as a psychological therapy of leading herself to believe he wasn't the man for her. The reverse psychology was a good distraction, but at times it became the means of letting her feelings become stronger for Seifer.

"What the heck was that for!" he complained, irritated.

"OOOOOKAY! I think that's enough love-quarrel for now. Why don't we just shoot and call it a night, shall we?" Selphie immediately butted before the argument escalated.

"I couldn't agree more." Quistis coincided, walking away from Seifer and on to the center of the ballroom.

Seifer quietly followed her with a snickering face.

When the two finally met up at the center of the room, Selphie readied her camera, only to find the two looking away from each other.

"Uhmmm...you're suppose to look at each other!" Selphie rushed to the site and made the two turn to each other.

Seifer turned and looked at Quistis with sharp eyes, but Quistis was reluctant to meet his. Selphie had to tilt her chin just so she could look up. He was looking down at her and he saw the hesitance in her eyes. Her gesture made him think about their relationship; although they were close enough to fool around, at that distance, it was becoming too close for comfort. He cleared his throat with a gruff to get her attention. When she heard him, she looked at him and both eyes finally met. He smiled at her. At that, their anger seemed to just melted and turned to giggles. They were good friends, no words needed to change the mood.

"Now that's more like it! You've made your director happy. Just a few more adjustments and we can start with the shoot." Selphie said, cheerful again.

Selphie took Seifer's hand and placed it on Quistis' waist, while she made her arms rest round his shoulders. When the two looked uncomfortable enough, she pushed them even closer to each other up to the point where their bodies pressed together.

"Right! That's perfect, now don't budge an inch, I'll just get my cam!" Selphie left glancing at them with every step she took, making sure they didn't move.

As they stood there stiff and uncomfortable than ever, Seifer couldn't help but notice Quistis' heart throbbing hard against his chest. She was so nervous that he was sure her heart would burst out of her chest any second.

"Hey, ya okay?" Seifer asked with a voice half-concerned, half-amused.

"I-I'm fine...just a little nervous." She croaked the moment he asked, afraid that he would notice her issue with him.

"A little huh? I could feel it from here." He giggled as a reaction.

"Well, aren't you? I mean..."

"Not really, just a little weird, I guess. You sure you're a'right?"

"Yeah...I just have a lot in my mind, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Oh...stuff..."

"Can you elaborate on that?"

"What! NO!" She was caught so off guard that she was taken aback.

"Why the heck not!" He complained with a wrinkled forehead. He could see from her change of expression that it was the question she wasn't hoping for he'd ask.

"I told you not to move!" Selphie exclaimed who was already standing right before them.

They were absorbed in the light conversation that they didn't notice her approach. Immediately Quistis gave out a sigh of relief; she was safe. Seifer gave her a quick narrowed glare before pulling her back close to him.

They were back into an odd physical closeness, but the second time they weren't as stiff. Selphie repositioned them a bit closer than the first, but no complaints were said, they simply wanted to get it over with, it was getting late.

The first set of shots was taken quickly with the couple simply standing still and Selphie moving about the ballroom searching for the best angle.

"Alrighty, now for the TVC I need you to dance for me." Selphie ordered with a smile.

"Hey! You said no nothing bout dancin'!" Seifer immediately protested at her word.

"True, true, but then again you really don't have a choice do you." Selphie calmly asserted her authority as director.

"Dammit Selphie, I swear I'll get back at you the moment this crap is over!" he made a disgruntled face, as if her words personally offended him.

"Bring it!" she dared.

"Oh, you have no idea—"

"Guys please! I'm really tired and I have to get up early for class. Can you settle the matter right after the shoot...please?" Quistis pleaded with just a hint of aggravation in her expression, breaking the escalating strain on the two.

"Fine!" He smugly considered her request. He then conveniently placed his hand around her waist and held up her other hand in position for the dance.

She gulped when he began to lead. Besides the fact that he repeated the same class for failing three consecutive semesters, she could clearly recall Seifer's aptitude in dancing when they were assigned to the same class a few years back. She knew they'd end up stomping each other's feet, so she took the initiative to lead instead. Putting an effort to take control, they ended up pulling each other by force.

"Th'hell are you doing!" He grumbled beneath his breath with knitted eyebrows.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to lead!" She grumbled back pulling him left.

"Heck! I'm the guy, I should lead! Didn't you take Dancing 101!" he pulled her to the right.

"That's the point! I've seen you dance and it's terrible!" she said, forcing him to step to the left.

"That was six years ago!" he retorted, forcibly dragging her to step right.

"STOP! STOP! STOOOOOOP!" Selphie's scream echoed throughout the entire ball. "Guys, that's the worst of the worst dance I've seen in my life! What's wrong with you? You're both leading each other to trip!"

"Tell Quistis that!"

"That's because you can't dance!"

"I object!" Rinoa couldn't help but join in after overhearing the argument. "Seifer's an excellent dancer! He happens to be taught by a great teacher!" She defended from the distance to where she stood.

"Gee, thanks for not mentioning your name!" he yelled back sarcastically grinning at her.

"I think you should let Seifer lead...it gets kinda obvious on film." Selphie suggested, settling the matter.

"Alright..." she sighed in surrender.

"Now, let's do this again, this time I hope I get a good shot." Selphie mumbled as she adjusted the lens of the camera.

He gently placed her hand on his shoulders, then placed his right on her waist again while his left gripped her other hand. When Selphie gave out the go signal, he drew her closer to his body, their bodies almost touching. Looking at her with serious eyes, all she could do was nod in submission. With the camera's red light on and Quistis waiting, he started to lead her on the dance floor taking half-steps and slowly making a circular pattern. They waltz beautifully around the ballroom like a top turning and circling around the floor in unified motion that Selphie felt uncertain if she should stop them at any point. Everyone could only watch as the two blondes glided before them.

Irvine quietly approached Selphie who absorbed in the screen of her camcorder.

"Is this your idea of Seifer and Quistis Matchup for Falling In Love with Each Other Contest 1001 of a Bet thingy?" he mused himself by watching the petite brunette glower at the random words he used to mock her contest title.

She placed her hand on her hip to show her displeasure, but the other hand and her eyes still directly focused on the two.

A soft curve formed at the edge of her lips as she replied, "No, this is my hopeful concept of betting them a fairytale ending."

Quistis was certain she was floating in mid air. She could no longer feel her feet stepping on the ground, he was leading her so well that she simply let go of all doubt and hesitation and let Seifer lead her. Inwardly she admitted he was the best dance partner she ever danced with. She couldn't look away from those deep set of emerald eyes, she felt lost in their spheres and in his arms.

She felt the moment surreal, a moment which only happened in fairytales.

Was this the start of a fairytale?

Of her fairytale?

After a while, she saw him ogling at her with such meaningful eyes. She suddenly became self-conscious.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know...I wasn't kidding when I said you look stunningly beautiful tonight." He whispered in all sincerity this time. He was looking at the ground when he said it, he wasn't comfortable expressing such emotions out loud.

The more he began to really notice her, the more he began to think about her beyond her actions, beyond what was present.

She was smart and rational, reserved but outspoken, voluptuous but never slutty, an overachiever but humble, interesting and unpredictable, independent but altruistic, she had the qualities both physically and mentally of a woman he deemed as perfect.

She was his fantasy.

A not so distant one.

He could have made a move a long time now if not for two things…one: she lacked self esteem, and two: she was being her own knight. She wasn't a damsel in distress like other women. She could slay the dragon that'd attack her and go conquer the lair of the witch at her own bidding. She didn't need a hero to save her though no matter how obvious it was at times that she still needed a man. But he couldn't possibly be that man she dreamed of riding on horseback and a silver armor. Not the prince, nor the knight.

Besides, he looked at his paws, and then looked at her.

How could a beast possibly deserve such beauty?

He frowned a bit at the trail of the thought.

"Thank you...but I think anyone will look beautiful dancing with a beast." She whispered back kidding, hoping to change the mood and that he wouldn't say anything more to make her already miserably failing efforts of stopping herself from totally falling in love.

Her heart throbbed and she felt goose bumps when he gave her a sweet-crooked smile, not only because he looked so charming whenever he gave out that particular smile, rather—even beneath all the facial hair,

She saw him.

Seifer

Not a beast...

And at that very moment she realized that all it took was that damn cocky smile of his for her to surrender and silently admit that she was dancing with the man she has finally fallen in love with.

Sneak Preview:

Damsel in Distress

Chapter 14

"Kiss me."

"Excuse me?"

"I said kiss me."

"This is a joke, right?"

"Only if you think it's funny." His tone was formal; he didn't seem to be joking. He shifted his weight and sat upright, turning his position to face Quistis. "Just one." He muttered in serious expression, his eyes intent.

Her eyes widened and her heartbeat throbbed twice as hard. She looked down for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. She drew back a bit, but could only stare as their faces inched in closer and closer. He wasn't kidding and she began to panic. Unable to fathom the sudden turn of events, she closed her eyes and simply waited for his lips to press.

With that kiss, it would seal the deal.

A/N: There's something that's been bugging me since I came back to fanfiction after five years, and that is the difference between Hits and Visitors in the Traffic section. If there's anyone who reads this and cares enough to explain, then please do so because I always end up with a '?' on my head when I look at the charts. Hehehe…thanks in advance for the angel who'll explain. ^_^