Disclaimer mania! Do not own squaresoft, but I am very thankful for the amazing characters they made! They inspired so many amazing stories!

Chapter 5

~Quistis~

Nobody is able to get under my skin the way Seifer Almasy can. The moment I saw his Hyperion in the corner my blood started boiling. I tried with him for years as my student to set him on the right path but his stubborn Hyne-damn attitude is such a block on his potential. I'm really struggling with if I call Squall or Selfie, but what would that accomplish. More aggravated people. Clearly Cid and Matron need him in some way. I grab my bag and start for the door when Matron grabs my arm.

"Please stay for dinner at least" Matron says her eyes gently looking into mine. She always knew how to guilt trip me. The idea of sitting at a table with that man sounds like a nightmare.

"Okay, but if he says anything at all to get me angry I swear I'm leaving and I will tell Squall about this" I admit.

"Please, there's no reason to bring the others into this, I promise Seifer really is a better person now. Stay and you will see" She motions for me to sit down and I oblige, dropping my bag back down.

"Do you have any wine, Hyne knows I'm not doing this sober" I sigh. She walks over with a bottle of merlot and a glass.

"So aside from yelling at Seifer what brings you here" She asks moving back to the counter continuing to prep her very popular lasagna, Seifer's favourite I remember.

"Ugh, I'm thinking I may leave Balamb. I came here to try and clear my head for a bit, took the week off to think it over. I may go to work with Selfie at Trabia, it's just such a big decision. What do you think Matron?" I look over at her sadly.

"Quistis, I know Balamb may feel like home for you and clearly it bothers you to leave. All of you have all grown and changed so much though. Truly you should do what makes you happy. When was the last time you we're happy?" She says putting the tray into the oven and making her way over to me with a glass of her own.

"Teaching… so it's been years really since I've been happy. Selfie offered me my license back too, which I would love. I just feel like I'm abandoning my post at Balamb." I gulp down the rest of my glass and she tops me off. I definitely want to be drunk if I have to face that ass after.

"Well that answers that! You should clearly go to Trabia, Squall will understand. You can't help everyone, sometimes you have to put yourself first" Just like Matron to make everything seem so simple and clear. She is right, after all she usually knows what's best for us. She was in fact the only kind of mother I ever had. Definitely the reason I ended up here when I got to borrow the Ragnarok.

I start filling her in on details of all the others life, why she hadn't heard from Zell in a while and how Rinoa is very busy with her pending nuptials. Cid and Seifer wander in around seven, at which point I realize we are almost done our second bottle, so when I look up at Seifer I just manage a "Oh it's you" and turn back to Matron and helping her set the table.

"I'm just going to get cleaned up for dinner" Seifer says grabbing his bag and heading down the hall. Still no shirt and his strong back glistening from working in the sun all day, I have to quickly avert my eyes before he notices drunk Quistis checking him out. I start kicking myself and get back into the moment. Okay set the table.

Shortly later we all sit down for dinner as the sun is setting. Seifer makes his way down wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, he looks so different in civilian clothing. Here I am still sitting in my peach battle gear even though it has been years since I've seen any kind of battle.

"So how's school?" Seifer asks antagonizing me. I don't even respond and just continue eating my meal. "Like how's chicken—"he gets kicked by Matron under the table "How's Zell?"

"Not like you care but everyone is doing very well, Zell is dating that Library girl after all" I respond.

"Haha I should have seen that coming, I used to catch that girl stalking after him in the halls with the DC. So what about Fujin and Rajin? I haven't talked to them since the incident, hoping they both became SeeD" He prods, not knowing the truth about his friends.

Surprised Matron and Cid didn't tell him I clear my throat "Uhm, well they both became SeeD, I am so sorry I guess you hadn't heard, Fuj she, uhm, well, sorry Seifer, Fujin passed away on her first mission as SeeD" At this point he turns white as a ghost pulls himself away from the table and walks out the door. I turn toward Matron and Cid "How did you not tell him?!" I exclaim.

"Well we didn't want to upset him, we never thought it would come up…" She admits sadly. "Like what good would it have brought" I start feeling guilty for being the bearer of bad news. I get up and walk to my bag. "Oh please don't go"

Instead of picking it up I open it and pull out a bottle of whiskey and showing it to them. "Figure it's the least I can do…" I say making my way to the door and down the steps towards the beach. I see his figure, head down, sitting in the sand. Pulling off my boots and setting them aside I make my way over to him.

"What do you want?!" He barks "I don't want to talk."

"That's fine, peace offering?" Is the only thing I say extending my arm and the bottle of whiskey. He takes it from my hand and I sit next to him. I offer him just a warm smile and he just looks down, opening the bottle.

"Thanks" he says. Then we sit there in silence watching the last of the sunset, all the while passing the bottle back and forth periodically until we both fall asleep in the sand under the stars.

A/N

Should have another one up by the end of the weekend! Stay tuned!