Final Fantasy VIII 1. Proposal

Chapter 1: Proposal

_Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII (duh!)_   
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Quistis stood out on the balcony, watching the waves lap against the Garden. Inside the ballroom, the SeeD ball was in full swing. She felt a presence on the balcony behind her and didn't bother to turn around. She already knew who it was. 

"What are you doing out here?" Seifer asked as he walked up next to her. 

"I was just looking at the moon and the water," Quistis answered with a smile, "why, did you miss me?" 

"You know it" Seifer grinned and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her and then let her go as she pushed him away. 

"Not in front of the others," Quistis scolded and motioned to the people in the ballroom, "if they see their Instructor playing kissy face, it will undermine my authority." 

"Ah, but everyone in there is a SeeD," Seifer pointed out, "you won't teach them anymore." 

"Touché," Quistis laughed and kissed him. "Come on, let's go back inside." She started towards the ballroom. 

"Wait!" 

Quistis turned back, her pale orange gown fanning out around her as she did so. Seifer hadn't moved and he looked nervous. Quistis' brow furrowed with confusion. 

"Seifer?" She walked back over to him, "What's wrong?" 

"I…I need to…ask you something," Seifer told her and refused to meet her eyes. 

"What is it?" Quistis was becoming worried by his actions. 

"Quistis, I…" he paused as he tried to find the words, "You know that I love you, right?" 

"Of course," Quistis smiled. 

"Well, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and…" 

As he trailed off, she noticed he was playing with something in his pocket. She looked up at him and their eyes locked. 

"Hyne, Quistis," he breathed, "I love you so much and I know I don't deserve you but I want you to be by my side forever and…well, I'm just gonna say it." He took a deep breath, "Quistis Angelica Trepe, will you marry me?" 

Quistis' mouth dropped open as she started at the man in front of her. She watched as his eyes changed from nervous, to scared, to sad and then to relieved in the space of a few seconds. She smiled and tears began to fall down her cheeks. 

"Yes," she whispered. 

A smile illuminated his own features and he hugged her tightly. He swung her around a few times before putting her back on her feet and kissing her deeply. He pulled a velvet box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a sparkling diamond set into a golden ring. Seifer carefully took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her slender finger. It was a perfect fit. 

"I love you, Quisty," he whispered against her lips. 

She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes. "I love you too, Seifer." 

"Come on," Seifer suggested, "let's get back inside before we freeze to death." He wiped the tears off of her face and led her back into the ballroom. The orchestra began playing a slow number and Seifer smiled. 

"Care to dance, Miss Trepe?" 

"I'd love to, Mr. Almasy." 

He pulled her against him and they began to spin around the room, oblivious to the other couples around them. As they danced, her mind wandered back to when it had all started. 

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**FLASHBACK: 2 Years Ago**

Quistis Trepe, Balamb Garden's youngest, and in most people's opinions, best Instructor walked into the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor office. She had been summoned by the Headmaster ten minutes before, for what reason, she didn't know. She hoped it wasn't bad news for her. 

The elevator doors opened and Quistis smoothed out her SeeD uniform skirt before exiting. Once she was certain she looked presentable, she left the elevator car and walked into Cid's office. She spotted him immediately, sitting behind his desk and shuffling through some papers. His wife, Edea, was perched on the corner of the desk, watching her husband go over the papers. She looked up as she heard Quistis' footsteps. 

"Quisty!" Matron greeted warmly and jumped gracefully off the desk. She walked over to Quistis and hugged her, as was her customary greeting for all of her "children." 

"I'm glad you're here Quistis," Cid acknowledged after stacking the papers and placing them aside. Quistis saluted briskly. "At ease. Have a seat." He motioned to a chair in front of his desk. "As soon as Squall gets here, we'll start." 

Quistis nodded and took the seat that was offered to her. Matron sat in the seat next to her and the two began to chat idly about happenings around the Garden. A minute later, the elevator returned and the doors opened to reveal a bored looking Squall Leonhart. Quistis immediately stood and saluted the commander, who waved her off with a mumbled "at ease." Quistis sat back down and Squall saluted the Headmaster. After a brief welcome from Matron, Squall took the seat next to Quistis where Matron had been a moment ago and the meeting began. 

"As you know," Cid began, "many soldiers who supported the sorceresses during the War have come to us in hopes that their military training would be put to good use." 

Quistis tensed and she noticed that Squall didn't look as relaxed as he had when he first entered. Quistis had a bad feeling about where this little meeting was going to end up. 

Cid continued. "And as you know, we have accepted most of the them and forgiven them for their transgressions. Another has to us, asking to be readmitted into the Garden." 

"Readmitted?" Squall interrupted, "Who is it, Headmaster?" 

A feeling of impending doom hit Quistis like a ton of bricks and she had the sinking feeling she knew the answer to Squall's question and to the question of why she was here in the first place. 

"Just a moment Squall and your questions will be answered," Matron told him. 

"Right." Cid cleared his throat nervously, obviously aware of the tension in the room. "First of all, Squall, you know why you are here. You must approve all new applicants to Garden, as well as those who wish to reapply. As for Quistis," he smiled at her, "I was hoping she would accept the duty of teaching this cadet and help him pass the SeeD exam this time around." 

Squall's eyes went wide as he realized who it was that Cid was talking about. "No…" 

"Quistis, Matron would also like you to break it to the others. Edea loves all her children…" A small cough and dark look from Edea had Cid rethinking his words. "We love our children," he glanced at his wife and after seeing a smile, continued, "and we would like you to let them know that he's back and try to make them understand that he is one of you." 

"Yes, sir," Quistis agreed. 

"You've got to be joking," Squall stated, oblivious to the conversation. 

"And you agree to teach him until he becomes a SeeD?" Cid questioned. 

"Yes," Quistis nodded, "Or until one of us dies." _With the way he's going, the latter will probably happen first,_ she thought. 

"Headmaster, Matron, this is a joke, right?" Squall looked back and forth between husband and wife, his eyes pleading. They both ignored him. 

"Excellent," Cid said to Quistis. He turned to Edea. "You may bring him in." 

Edea smiled and hurried to a door that led off the Headmaster's office. She opened it and admitted the tall, cocky blonde whom they all regarded as an enemy, even though it had been six months since the end of the Sorceress War. His Hyperion was strapped to his side and was partially hidden by his gray trench coat. _Oh Hyne,_ Quistis thought with a sigh and rolled her eyes skyward,_ why me?_

"I present to you," Cid announced cheerfully, "the newest member of Balamb Garden, Seifer Almasy." 

"Nooooooooooooo!" 

**END FLASHBACK**   
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That had all happened two years ago. At first, Quistis and Seifer had fought like cats and dogs, but after he had passed the SeeD exam, they had begun to respect one another. From there, their relationship grew until they were one of the most talked about couples in Garden. They had come so far in such a short time and Quistis could hardly believe that he had just proposed to her. As they spun around the dance floor, blue eyes met green ones. 

"What are you thinking about?" Seifer asked. 

"I was just thinking about when you first came back," Quistis divulged. 

"And how Squall fainted when he saw me," Seifer chuckled. 

"You promised him you'd never mention that again!" Quistis scolded. 

"Oh! I forgot." He looked around the room to make sure Squall wasn't in earshot. Seifer relaxed when he spotted him talking to Cid and Edea across the room. 

A second later, they were stopped by Zell on the dance floor. He smiled. "Hey, mind if I cut in?" 

"Where's Cammi?" Seifer asked, obviously annoyed by his intrusion. 

"She and Rinny went to the bathroom," Zell informed, "What is it with chicks and going to the bathroom together?" Both blondes looked at the tattooed man with annoyance. "Right, well anyways, what do you say Quisty? Wanna dance with the cutest guy in Balamb?" 

Quistis looked at the shorter man and smiled apologetically. "Sorry Zell, I only have eyes for Seifer tonight." 

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Hovering no more than a mile from where Balamb Garden floated carelessly in the open ocean was a large airship. On the bridge, a redheaded man in his late teens lowered a set of binoculars and turned to the man piloting the ship. 

"That's it," Kaiser Deling told the captain, "are we absolutely sure that the sorceress is on board?" 

"Yes sir," another man answered, "it was reported that she was seen in the Garden just before departure. She is definitely there, sir." 

"Excellent," Kaiser grinner, "the sorceress will pay for what she did to my father. Prepare to attack." 

***********************   
Oooh, cliffhanger. What will happen in the next chapter? You'll just have to wait and see!   
A/N: Cammi is the library girl with the pigtail. 


	2. Attack

Chapter 2: Attack

  


The slow song ended and many of the couples left the dance floor in search of drinks or idle chatter. Seifer and Quistis vacated the dance floor and took a seat at a nearby table. Quistis stared lovingly at her engagement ring as Seifer got them two glasses of champagne. He returned a moment later and sat back down. He smiled at Quistis and held his glass up slightly. 

"To the most beautiful woman in Balamb Garden," Seifer toasted. 

"And to the most gorgeous man," Quistis added and raised her own glass. 

"And to their future together," Seifer finished. The couple clinked their glasses together and took sips out of the crystal flutes. 

From across the room, three sets of eyes watched the blondes' actions. 

"What's up with Quistis and Seifer?" Cammi asked as she tugged on a strand of her usually braided chestnut hair. 

"I don't know," Rinoa relied, "but they've been acting all lovey-dovey since they came in off the balcony." 

As Seifer and Quistis clinked their glasses together, Selphie gasped. "Did you see that?" 

"What?" Rinoa and Cammi asked in unison. 

"I saw something catch the light when Quistis moved her hand," Selphie told them, "I think she had a ring on her finger." 

"Are you serious?" Cammi questioned. 

"Let's go over there and see!" Rinoa suggested. The other two agreed and they walked quickly across the dance floor to where the two blondes were holding hands and speaking quietly to each other. 

"Hi!" Selphie greeted as the three women crowded around the couple. 

"Hi," Quistis smiled, "what are you three doing?" 

"Oh, nothing," Rinoa replied nonchalantly, "we just came over to see if you guys are having a good time." 

"Of course we are," Quistis assured and smiled at Seifer, who returned it eagerly. 

As the couple made googly eyes at each other, the three women scanned Quistis' left hand but sighed inwardly as they saw that Seifer's hand covered the base of her ring finger. They looked at each other, hoping someone would have a plan as to how to move Seifer's hand without being obvious. Rinoa was the first to try. 

"Hey Seifer," Rinoa started. The blonde man slowly tore his eyes away from the woman he loved and fixed them on Rinoa. She smiled charmingly and continued. "Wanna dance with me?" She held out her hand expectantly. 

"Not right now Rinoa," Seifer declined and turned his eyes back to Quistis, "maybe later." 

Rinoa pulled her hand back and looked from Cammi to Selphie. Cammi shrugged her shoulders while Selphie took a small step forward. 

"Seifer, could you get us some drinks?" she asked sweetly. 

"Sure," Seifer agreed. All the girls smiled in anticipation as he shifted in his seat as if preparing to get up. "Hey waiter!" He snapped his fingers. "Over here!" 

A man carrying a tray of champagne nearby turned and walked over to the table. The three women took a glass, mumbling insincere thank yous to the waiter, who smiled and left. Once the waiter was gone and Seifer's eyes were back on Quistis, Rinoa and Selphie turned to Cammi expectantly. The brunette shrugged but a harsh glare from Selphie and a gentle push by Rinoa had Cammi standing in front of the couple at the table. They both looked up as she stumbled to a stop. 

"What is it Cammi?" Quistis asked politely, "Did you need something?" 

"I…uh…" Cammi stammered, searching for an excuse to get Seifer to move his hand. "I've been reading up on this, uh, new theory that states people with different hair colors, um, have different lines on their, uh, hands and I was wondering if I could test the theory on you." She was unaware but behind her, Selphie and Rinoa were rolling their eyes and sighing in defeat. 

"Why didn't you test your theory on Zell?" Seifer inquired. 

"Oh, well, I did," Cammi answered, "but I don't have anyone to compare his markings to." 

"Okay, here you go." Seifer held up his left hand, which had been resting on the table. 

"Um, actually, it has to be your right hand." The librarian pointed to the hand that rested over Quistis' and kept them from their objective. 

"Why?" Seifer questioned, "aren't the lines the same on both hands?" 

"Yes, but…uh…" Cammi turned back to Rinoa and Selphie, a pleading look on her face. 

"Oh, for the love of Hyne!" Selphie shouted and nudged Cammi aside. "Just move your damn hand!" Selphie gripped the blonde man's wrist and yanked it up to reveal a diamond ring glittering on Quistis' finger. 

"See!" Selphie squealed with delight, "I told you I saw a ring!" She let go of Seifer's wrist and began jumping around. "Booyaka!" 

The other women crowded around and stared down at the ring on the blonde woman's finger. They began rapidly firing questions. 

"When did he propose?" 

"How did he ask?" 

"Have you decided on any wedding plans?" 

"Did you cry?" 

Quistis chuckled and held up her hands to slow the onslaught of inquiries. "One at a time." 

Rinoa took the first question. "When did he propose?" 

No on paid any attention to Selphie as she danced around the table singing, "I knew it, I knew it! I told you she had a ri-ing!" 

"Just a few minutes ago," Quistis answered, "when we were out on the balcony." 

"Did you cry?" Cammi asked. 

"Of course," Quistis replied, "Wouldn't you?" 

"The rest of my life with Seifer? I'd bawl my frickin' eyes out." 

Everyone looked up to see Xu approaching, a grin on her face. 

"Don't be jealous Xu," Seifer smirked, "I'm way too much man for you to handle." 

"Maybe in you're dreams Almasy," Xu scoffed and turned to Quistis. "I heard Selphie scream something about a ring so I came over here to see what was going on. Are you two really engaged?" 

"Yes." Quistis smiled happily at Seifer. 

"I don't know whether to congratulate you or feel sorry for you," Xu joked, "either way, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters." 

"I am happy," Quistis assured, "we're happy." 

"All right then," Xu nodded, "Congratulations. But Almasy," Seifer looked up casually at Xu. "If you ever hurt her, I swear they'll be scraping you off the training center floor, you got that?" 

"I got it," Seifer smiled aggravatingly. 

"I'll talk to you later," Xu told Quistis, "And I better be invited to the wedding." 

"You will be," Quistis assured, "bye." Xu waved and disappeared back into the crowd of SeeDs. By this time, Selphie had finished her happy dance and had joined the other two girls standing around the happy couple. 

"So," Selphie grinned, "have you two love birds set a date?" 

"Not yet," Quistis informed. 

"We haven't had a chance to talk things out," Seifer added. 

"Oh my Hyne!" Rinoa exclaimed, "We have to tell everyone else!" She spun around and began searching the ballroom, "I'm gonna go find Squall and bring him over so you can tell him the news!" Rinoa dashed onto the dance floor, desperately seeking her beloved commander. 

"I should get Irvy!" Selphie chirped. 

"And Zelly!" Cammi added. The two girls started to follow Rinoa but were stopped when Quistis called to them. 

"Could you ask the Headmaster and Matron to join us also?" Quistis inquired, "and Fujin and Raijin?" The brunettes nodded and hurried into the crowd. 

"Wanna make bets on how long it takes to get around the Garden?" Seifer asked. 

"Want to make bets on how long it takes the Trepies to string you up once they find out?" Quistis grinned. 

"Oh shit, I forgot about the Trepies," Seifer moaned, "they are going to kill me! You know what? Forget it, wedding's off. Give me the ring back." Seifer reached for Quistis' hand but she pulled it back quickly. 

"No way," Quistis shook her head, "You already gave it to me. You should've thought this through before you proposed. Now you're just going to have to deal with the Trepies." 

"Will you protect me from them?" Seifer mockingly pleaded. 

"Yes." Quistis reached out and stroked the side of his face. "I'll make sure the Big Bad Trepies leave you alone." 

"Thank you," Seifer grinned. 

Just then, a mob consisting of Rinoa, Squall, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Cammi, Cid, Edea, Fujin and Raijin walked up to the table. Squall was the first to speak. 

"Rin said you had something important to tell us," he informed, "Is everything all right?" 

"Everything is fine," Quistis assured as she and Seifer stood up, "everything is better than fine." Quistis smiled up at Seifer and they clasped hands. 

"Come on," Zell, ever the impatient one, urged, "spit it out already." 

"We're getting married," Seifer told the group with a smile. 

It was then that the attack came. The Garden lurched as some unseen force slammed into it, sending everyone sprawling. The tables in the ballroom slid and some toppled over as everyone tried to keep their balance. The Garden stopped swaying after a moment and everything was silent as they waited to see what would happen next. 

"What the Hell was that?" Zell demanded. His outburst jolted everyone back into motion and the occupants of the ballroom began to murmur questions of well-being and suggestions of what had happened. 

"I think we'd better check this out," Squall commented after they made sure everyone was okay. Not a second later, the ballroom door burst open and two cadets in their pajamas rushed in, each clutching their weapons. 

"We're under attack!" they screeched. 

Without a second's delay, everyone began filing out of the ballroom in search of their weapons and the enemy. Out of habit, the seven who were involved in the Sorceress War always kept their weapons nearby. This night, their weapons rested undisturbed in a cabinet on the wall. They rushed over and Squall threw open the storage place. 

"Here!" he called and began tossing weapons to their respectful owners. Rinoa's was first and she strapped the Shooting Star on without delay. Irvine's Exeter was next and he checked the ammo before cocking it and stepping aside. Next came Selphie's Strange Vision, which she almost dropped when it was tossed to her. Squall threw Zell his Erghiez, which he pulled on immediately and began shadowboxing. Next was Save the Queen, which Quistis cracked in the air. Second to the last was Hyperion, which Seifer caught and swung around a few times. Last was the blue Lionheart, which Squall strapped around his waist. Once the weapons were passed out, Squall turned to the group. 

"Here's what we're going to do," Squall ordered, "Irvine and Selphie, take the Headmaster and Matron to the third floor office. Once they are there, wait until I send a few SeeDs to guard them, then come back down. I'll want your expertise to help dispose of this problem. Zell, take Cammi to her room and get her weapon, then make sure the underclassmen are okay. Seifer and Quistis, try to find out what's going on. Me and Rinoa will secure the Quad. The command post will be set up there. Bring any injured students or faculty there for treatment. We'll pick up Dr. Kadowaki on the way. Once your appointed tasks have been completed, meet back at the Quad for further briefing. Dismissed." 

The SeeDs saluted their commander and ran out of the ballroom to their appointed tasks. Quistis and Seifer rushed out into the hallway and were heading towards the elevator. They saw Irvine and Selphie taking the Headmaster and Matron up and realized they'd have to wait for the elevator. Suddenly, a loud siren began sounding and red lights flashed all around them. 

"Somebody hit the alarm," Seifer mumbled, "which means the elevator's down." 

"How are we supposed to get to the first floor?" Quistis questioned and looked over the bridge to the floor below. She could see that some SeeDs and cadets were already engaging the enemy. 

"Like this." Seifer walked up next to her and jumped over the side of the walkway. 

"Seifer!" Quistis screamed as he plummeted to the unyielding floor below. She heard him yell something and a pair of white wings erupted from the back of his SeeD uniform, stopping him about two feet above the ground. He looked up at her and waved for her to follow. 

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered and swung her legs over the side. She stared down and took a deep breath, then jumped. Her peach dress billowed out around her, blocking her view of the ground. Panicking, she shouted, "FLOAT!" and her free fall stopped immediately. Her dress was pulled down by gravity and she could see she was floating about five feet above Seifer. He grinned devilishly and cast Dispel on her. She screamed as she began to fall again but didn't have time to cast another Float spell before she was caught by Seifer. Once she was safely in his arms, he cast Dispel on himself and fell the two feet to the floor. He landed on his feet behind the fountain and out of view of the battle and set her on her feet. She immediately pushed him away. 

"That was mean!" she hissed. 

His smile widened. "I'm sorry but I couldn't resist." 

Quistis shot him another glare, then turned back to the scene around her. "What GFs have you got?" 

"Ifrit and Doomtrain," Seifer answered, "You?" 

"Shiva and Bahamut," Quistis informed. She turned to the blonde man. "Are you ready?" 

He pulled Hyperion out of it's sheath and grinned wickedly. "I'm always ready." 

"Then let's go." 

The two blondes jumped out from their hiding place and joined the fray. They fought their way through a few enemies. They could see that the attackers had blasted a hole in the side of the Garden near the parking lot and were coming in that way from an airship hovering outside. 

"We've got to get the Garden moving," Quistis told Seifer as they dispatched another group of enemies, "who knows how many they have on that ship." Quistis pointed to the ship hovering next to the blasted hole. 

"You're right," Seifer agreed, "but with the emergency alarm in use, all electrical devices are shut down." 

Quistis thought for a moment, then called out when she saw a certain spiky-haired blonde running towards the Quad with Cammi in tow. "Zell!" 

Zell turned and spotted Quistis waving to him. He changed directions and fought his way over to them. He arrived out of breath but nevertheless enthusiastic. "What's up?" 

"We need you to disable the alarm so we can get the Garden moving," Quistis explained and pointed towards the airship, "we need to get away from their ship." 

"No problem," Zell stated and turned to Cammi. "Can you make it to the Quad and tell Squall the plan?" 

Cammi's eyes were wide and she was gripping her staff so hard that her knuckles were white. She nodded stiffly, then blinked her eyes rapidly. The fear disappeared and her face held a look of determination. "Yes Zell, I'll tell Squall." 

"Okay." Zell kissed her quickly. "Be careful." 

"I will," Cammi promised and the two of them ran off in separate directions. 

A shout by the parking lot drew Quistis' attention. A man emerged from the airship and jumped down into the Garden. He was shouting something, but Quistis couldn't hear him over the noise of the siren. Without hesitation, she began to hurry towards him. Suddenly, the siren stopped it's incessant wailing and Quistis caught what he was saying. 

"Find the sorceress!" the redheaded man ordered his troops, "Find the sorceress!" 

The man looked familiar to Quistis but she couldn't remember where she had seen him. A hand on her shoulder hand her spinning around preparing to attack. She relaxed when she saw Seifer standing there. 

"They're here for Rinoa," Quistis breathed. 

"Come on," he urged, "we gotta get to the Quad and report to Squall." 

Quistis nodded and caught another glimpse of the man as they ran towards the Quad, and suddenly she realized who he was, Kaiser Deling, Vinzer Deling's son. She had met him few years before the Sorceress War while in Deling City on a mission. But why was he after Rinoa? Suddenly it dawned on her. 

"Matron!" Quistis exclaimed and stopped in mid-run. 

Seifer skidded to a halt and turned back to Quistis. "What are you doing? We've gotta go and warn Rinoa!" 

Before Quistis could explain they were attacked by two of Deling's soldiers. They disposed of them quickly and continued towards the Quad. Breathlessly, Quistis explained. 

"They're not after Rinoa!" she informed as they rounded the corner and the entered the Quad hallway, "they're after Matron!" 

Before she had time to explain, they had joined up with Squall and Rinoa in the Quad. Selphie, Irvine, Zell and Cammi had joined them. Xu and Dr. Kadowaki were off to the side, tending to wounded cadets. Seifer and Quistis skidded to a halt in front of the commander and all eyes were on them. 

"They're after Matron!" Quistis exclaimed. 

"Matron?" Squall questioned, "what makes you think that?" 

"The man leading the troops is Kaiser Deling!" Quistis relayed, still trying to catch her breath, "He's Vinzer Deling's son. When he came off their airship, he was shouting at his men to 'find the sorceress'". 

"Why would he be after Matron?" Zell inquired, "I don't get it." 

"She killed his father," Seifer reminded. 

"Revenge," Irvine added. 

"Xu!" Squall called. The brunette SeeD hurried over to him. "Take a few more SeeDs and go to the Headmaster's office. They won't get to Matron." 

"Yes commander." Xu drew her 9mm pistols and rounded up a few of the SeeDs that had brought in injured comrades. The group hurried out of the Quad. Not long after they had left, the Garden rumbled to life and began gliding across the water and away from the enemy airship. 

"Okay," Squall started, "we've cut them off from their ship. What we need to do now is clear out the Garden of enemies. If they want to surrender, fine, if not, you know what to do." 

The others nodded and started towards the exit of the Quad but were stopped by Kaiser Deling and a group of his soldiers. He smiled as the SeeDs readied their weapons. 

"Look at this!" Kaiser exclaimed with a smile, "the legendary SeeDs who defeated the sorceress. And the sorceress' lap dog. A strange company." 

"Can it Deling," Seifer snarled, "we know why you're here. You might as well surrender because there is no way you're getting Matron." 

"That's big talk lapdog," Kaiser taunted, "I expected you to protect her, but the SeeDs? I thought you were trained to kill sorceresses." 

"We've learned to coexist with the sorceresses," Squall told him. 

"Oh yes," Kaiser acknowledged, "I know all about how you 'coexist' with sorceresses." His honey colored eyes rested on Rinoa. "Personally, I think you should've killed the witch." 

Without a word, Squall rushed forward, Lionheart held threateningly in front of him. 

"Ultima!" Kaiser yelled and the spell head straight towards the brown-haired commander. Stunned that Kaiser had such a powerful spell, Squall froze. 

"Squall!" Rinoa screamed and jumped into the path of the spell. It hit her and threw her across the Quad. She landed a few feet away from the open balcony and lay still. 

"Rinoa!" 

Quistis and Selphie ran back to the fallen angel while the others engaged in battle with Kaiser and his men. Quistis leaned down next to Rinoa and Selphie did the same. Quistis checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the weak heartbeat in Rinoa's neck. She looked around for Dr. Kadowaki but saw that she and the injured cadets had disappeared since Kaiser had entered. She turned back to Selphie. 

"She's alive," Quistis informed, "but her heartbeat is weak. Can you use Full Cure?" 

"I…I think so," Selphie stammered and stood up. She brought her nunchuku up and started to cast Full Cure but was stopped as a Holy spell slammed into her, shoving her into the wall behind her and knocking her unconscious. 

"Selphie!" Quistis screamed and turned to see Kaiser approaching, a smile on his face. Quistis concentrated hard and stood up. She began to cast her most devastating Limit Break. 

"Shockwave…" The words were cut off by a Flare connecting with her chest. The air whooshed out of her and she stumbled back into the balcony railing. She tried to regain her balance, but to no avail. She flew over the side of the railing and plummeted towards the icy water below. 

"Quistis!" she heard someone shout as she fell. It sounded like Seifer. 

"Mighty…Guard," she managed and felt the Protect, Shell, and Regen spells envelope her. For unknown reasons, Float didn't. She was about to cast it when she crashed into the dark water and everything went black. 


	3. 10 Days

Chapter 3: Ten Days

  


Seifer watched in horror as Kaiser Deling approached Quistis and the two fallen SeeDs. He brought Hyperion down hard and pulled the trigger. The bullet embedded itself in it's target, the man he had been fighting, and Seifer ran towards the redheaded man. By this time, Quistis was on her feet and attempting to cast Shockwave Pulsar. 

From Seifer's point of view, everything was in slow motion as Kaiser cast Flare on Quistis. The spell hit her, sending her flying backwards. She collided with the balcony railing and then toppled over. 

"Quistis!" Seifer screamed and without thinking, summoned Ifrit. While the fire demon attacked Kaiser, Seifer ran over to the balcony and looked down. Quistis was nowhere to be seen. 

"Quistis!" 

"Quistis!" 

Seifer sat straight up in bed, his breath coming in short gasps. He looked around quickly and saw that he was in bed in him dorm room. It had been a dream, or more accurately, a memory. It had been ten days since the Garden had been attacked by Kaiser Deling, ten days since he had lost the woman he loved. He had had the dream every night since. 

After Quistis had fallen, Seifer had gone into a rage, attacking anything that stood in his way. He had practically torn apart Kaiser Deling and had slaughtered most of his soldiers. It had taken a Stop spell to end Seifer's murderous rampage and even then, the others had been afraid to release him from it. 

Once he had calmed down a bit, Seifer had made Nida turn the Garden around and search for Quistis. They had looked well past dawn but had found no sign of the beloved Instructor. 

Since then, the Garden had been in a solemn mood. In the cafeteria, laughter was seldom heard and if it was, the person who had dared make the sound was glared at by the Trepies. Beside her friends and Matron, the Trepies were taking Quistis' death the worst. 

Seifer looked at the digital clock on his bedside table. The glowing blue numbers read 0719. He kicked the blankets off and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Normally, he would've stayed in bed until at least 0900 hours but without Quistis in it, the bed was too lonely. He loved waking up next to her and holding her as she slept. Those were only two of the millions of things he would miss about her. 

He glanced over at the picture of the two of them that rested in a silver frame on his nightstand. It had been taken at the SeeD ball after he had become a SeeD. It was taken before they had officially been a couple, but in the picture you could tell that there were unspoken feelings between the two. Unable to look at it any longer, he turned away. 

The blonde man stood up and walked over to his closet. He reached in and pulled out a pair of black jeans, a black tank top and a black trench coat he had bought a while ago but never worn. He threw the coat on the bed and took the shirt and pants into the bathroom, where he showered and shaved. Today was Quistis' funeral and he figured he should look nice, even though he felt like crap. Once he was done in the bathroom, he went back into the bedroom/living room and sat down on the bed. He put on a pair of socks and his boots then looked back at the clock. 0753. 

Seifer hung his head and took a deep breath. He knew he should go. The word of his and Quistis' engagement had made it around Garden and he figured people would probably want to give their condolences and he'd rather they do it before the funeral. He was sure he wouldn't want to put up with people afterwards. 

"Might as well get this over with," he muttered to the picture and stood up. He slipped on the black coat and left the dorm room. As he walked down the halls towards the cafeteria, he passed a few students. Not many were out at this time, but all who he passed were wearing black and either expressed their sorrow to him or avoided his gaze. _ Everyone grieves in different ways, _he thought. 

When he reached the cafeteria, he wasn't surprised to find it was a sea of black and gray. He had only taken a few steps in when he was met by Fujin and Raijin. Fujin was wearing black slacks and a black blazer over a dark gray tank top, making her pale skin seem virtually colorless. Raijin was dressed in a black suit. They both looked somber. 

"OKAY?" Fujin asked gently. 

"I'm fine, Fu," Seifer assured with a week smile. 

"Are you sure, ya know?" Raijin prodded, "We know this is tough for you, ya know." Seifer nodded and patted the huge man's shoulder. 

"HUNGRY?" Fujin questioned. 

"No," Seifer replied, "I don't think I could eat even if I wanted to." 

The pale woman and the dark man looked at their friend sympathetically. Seifer tried to smile but failed, making him look more miserable than before. 

Raijin placed a hand on Seifer's shoulder. "Come on, the other's are waiting for you, ya know." Seifer nodded and the posse made their way across the cafeteria to the table where "the gang" always dined. Everyone was seated around the table and they all tried to smile as Seifer, Fujin and Raijin took their seats at the table. There was only one seat left at the table. It was the chair next to Seifer, the one Quistis always occupied. It was almost too much for him to look at it and he turned away quickly. 

"How're you holding up Seifer?" Irvine inquired. He was wearing an outfit similar to Seifer's but his was topped off with his ever present cowboy hat. 

"I don't know," Seifer shrugged, "It hurts to know that she's gone, but I don't think I've fully accepted it yet. Everything is messed up." 

"We know how you feel," Zell told him, "It's just so hard to believe she's really gone." Zell was wearing a tuxedo-like suit that he looked extremely uncomfortable in. Seifer assumed that Cammi had made him wear it. She was sitting next to him, clutching his hand tightly and wearing a plain black dress. Her braid was tied off with a black ribbon. 

"We all loved Quisty." It was Selphie who spoke this time. She wore a short black dress and her eyes were red. "She was…" Without warning, the petite brunette burst into tears and buried her face in Irvine's coat. The cowboy stroked her hair and whispered soothing words to her. 

Seifer saw Rinoa glance over at Selphie and then her eyes locked with his. She was wearing a low cut black dress with a black shawl around her shoulders and it was obvious that she had been crying. She started to say something, but then closed her mouth and looked away quickly as a tear slipped down her cheek. Squall leaned over and whispered something to her and she shook her head. Squall wore his normal battle gear but had a black shirt under the coat. 

Seifer, becoming more depressed by the actions of the others, looked up at the clock on the cafeteria wall. It read 0837. Seifer looked back to the people around the table. "We should head to the Quad. It starts in about twenty minutes." 

The others nodded and the somber crowd headed out of the cafeteria and towards the Quad. Seifer had balked at the idea of having her funeral in the place where she had died but it was the only place that could hold the entire Garden population at once. He hadn't been there since that night ten days ago and when he entered, he saw that the blood from Kaiser Deling and the others he had slaughtered in his rage had been cleaned or covered up. The group of friends made their way to the front of the chairs that had been set up. 

Only four people were currently in the Quad. Headmaster Cid, Xu and Nida stood in front of the empty casket resting on a platform. Seifer cringed when he saw it but none of the others noticed. The fourth person in the Quad was Matron. She sat in one of the chairs in the front row. She wore a simple black dress and a black veil over her face. In her pale hand she clutched a black handkerchief with which she periodically dabbed at her eyes. She stood up as she saw her "children" approach. 

"Hello my children," Edea greeted with a trembling smile, "how are you all doing?" 

"We're doing the best we can, Matron," Squall answered. 

"You know," Selphie started, "when bad things would happen, we used to rely on Quisty to help us get through it. What are we supposed to do now?" Selphie sobbed hard and Irvine led her to one of the chairs to sit down. 

Matron nodded solemnly and her eyes fell on Seifer. "Seifer." Matron walked past the others and stopped in front of the tall blonde. "I can only imagine how hard this must be for you. Just remember, we are all here for you." 

"I know Matron," Seifer told her. Matron wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a fierce hug. Seifer was caught off guard but soon hugged the short woman back. After she released him, they all took their seats in the front row. Before long, other students and SeeDs of the Garden entered and took seats in the chairs or stood against the walls. By 0856, the Quad was filled with the occupants of the Garden. Four minutes later, Xu walked up to a podium set up in front of the coffin. She was wearing a black skirt and top, which was surprising considering she was almost never see out of her SeeD uniform. She cleared her throat daintily and the Quad fell silent. 

"As you know," Xu began, "we are here because we lost someone very dear to all of us. She was, to most, a teacher or colleague. To those of us who were lucky enough to know her personally, she was a wonderful friend and confidante and to one, she was a loving fiancée." Xu paused to look at Seifer, who nodded slightly. "But most of all, she was one of us and we're here today to honor the memory of someone who was taken from us too soon, Quistis Trepe, Instructor #14 of Balamb Garden. At this time, I'd like Headmaster Cid to come up and say a few words." 

Cid stood up form his chair, patted his wife's hand and walked up to the podium. Xu stepped aside and the Headmaster took her place. "Quistis Angelica Trepe grew up in the orphanage run by myself and my wife Edea. At the age of ten she joined Garden. She excelled at combat and, by the age of fifteen, had passed the SeeD written and field exams. For most, that would have been enough but not for Quistis. She strove to be something better and at the age of seventeen she received her Instructor's License…" Cid droned on. 

Seifer sat in the front row, staring at the casket surrounded by flowers and other plants. Even though it was empty, he still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling it gave him. Maybe if it wasn't empty, maybe if they had found her body and it lay in the coffin now, he would have had an easier time accepting her death. As things were, his mind wouldn't comprehend that she was really gone. There was even a tiny part of him that believed she was still alive, that any second she would walk into the Quad soaking wet and pissed that they had left her behind but otherwise all right. His thoughts were interrupted as Cid finished his speech and left he podium. Xu had now resumed her place at the microphone 

"Now I believe Commander Leonhart would like to say a few words." 

Seifer glanced over at the younger man as he stood and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Squall didn't reply and stepped up onto the podium. 

"Public speaking isn't really my thing," Squall stated, "but I wanted…no, needed to say a few words about Quistis. I owe her that, if not a lot more." He paused as he collected his thoughts. "As some of you know, Instructor Trepe and I grew up together, along with Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt and Seifer Almasy. Out of all of us, Quistis was always the mature one. Sometimes she could be a little bossy but she was always there for us. She would break up our fights, kiss our scrapes and always loved us no matter what. Even after the GFs erased our memories, Quisty still stuck by me and Seifer to make sure we weren't trying to kill each other and believe me, we didn't make it easy for her. She is the reason that I am a SeeD and commander, and is probably the reason many of you are SeeDs as well. Even Seifer, who failed the test numerous times and cost her her Instructor's License found a special place in her heart." Seifer shot Squall a glare but he ignored it. "She never discriminated against anyone. She loved all. When the Trepies used to follow her around and bug her nonstop, the rest of us would ask 'Don't you get tired of them?' Quisty would just shrug and say 'No. I enjoy their company.' That was just how she was. She was never rude to anyone, no matter how they treated her. When we lost her, we lost a part of ourselves and possibly the best friend any of us have ever had or ever will." Squall paused again and Seifer was surprised to see tears running down the commander's cheeks. When he continued again, his voice was thick with emotion. "She was truly an angel and she was taken from us too soon. We miss you Quisty and we always will." Squall hung his head and left the podium. 

Seifer looked from left to right and saw that almost everybody was openly crying. Matron was holding her handkerchief to her eyes as Cid rubbed her back. Raijin and Fujin, who had known Quistis the least of all her friends, had tears in their eyes. Selphie was sobbing into Irvine's shoulder. Irvine was holding her as the sobs racked her tiny body and a single tear rolled down his cheek. Rinoa had the back of her hand pressed against her mouth to stifle her cries and wrapped her arms around Squall as he sat back down next to her. He pulled her closer and they cried silently together. Next to them, Cammi was patting Zell's hand as he shamelessly bawled into the tissue she had given him. 

Seifer felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find Fujin holding a tissue out to him. He looked at her questioningly and she motioned to his face. 

"TEARS," she murmured and sniffed. 

Seifer reached up and was surprised to find his own cheeks wet with tears. He took the tissue and wiped his face quickly. He was crying. He hadn't cried since…Hyne, he couldn't even remember that last time he cried. 

"Thank you Squall." Xu was now back at the microphone and was wiping tears off her own face. "That was very touching. Now, Irvine Kinneas will play a song he wrote for Quistis." 

Irvine untangled himself from Selphie and walked up to Xu, who had retrieved his guitar from it's place on the platform. She handed it to him and he nodded his thanks. While Xu made her way off the platform, Irvine strummed a few notes on the guitar to make sure it was in tune. When he was satisfied that it was all right, he turned to the microphone. 

"Hi, y'all. Quisty was one of my very best friends and one Hell of a woman on top of that. She may be gone but she'll never be forgotten. This one's for you Quisty." Irvine began playing a slow, melancholy tune. After a few notes, he began to sing. 

"To see you when I wake up   
Is a gift I didn't think could be real   
To know that you feel the same as I do   
Is a three-fold utopian dream   
You do something to me that I can't explain   
So would I be out of line if I said   
I miss you? 

I see your picture   
I smell your skin on the empty pillow next to mine   
You have only been gone ten days   
But already I'm wasting away   
I know I'll see you again   
Whether far or soon   
But I need you to know that I care   
And I miss you." 

As Irvine strummed the last few chords, Seifer looked at him and wondered if Irvine could read his mind because that song perfectly described how he was feeling. Tears began to gather in his emerald eyes and he blinked them away quickly. 

After Irvine had left the podium, Xu once again took her place in front of the microphone. "Now it is time to pay your respects. If everyone could form a line over there," she pointed towards the right end of the casket, "you will each get a few minutes to say goodbye to Quistis." 

Before Xu had even finished talking, a line began to form by the casket. The Trepies, of course, were the first ones in line. Others joined them after Xu finished talking. Squall and the others stood up and began making their way to the line. Seifer stayed where he was. Fujin noticed he wasn't following and stopped. 

"COMING?" she asked. 

"I'm gonna go last," Seifer told her. Fujin nodded and joined the others in the line. From his seat in the front row, Seifer watched as the endless line of people paid their respects to the empty coffin. The more he saw, the more irritated he became. The casket's empty! He wanted to shout; She's not in there! You're wasting your time! Of course, they all knew that and he knew they did. 

After a while, the line of people ebbed and finally disappeared. Seifer stood up and glanced towards the back of the Quad where his friends, Xu, Headmaster Cid and Matron were waiting expectantly. He sighed and slowly walked up to the casket. 

"This is so stupid," he started, "I know you're not in the casket so what good does it do me to talk to you? Even if you were in there, you wouldn't hear me so this whole concept is stupid. Everyone else came up here crying and saying 'I'll miss you' or 'I love you' but none of them know. None of them know what it feels like to truly miss you, to truly love you. I do. I miss you every second of every day and I always will. I think the worst part is knowing that I could've saved you. If I had seen that bastard Kaiser coming towards you sooner or if I had hit him with a spell before he attacked, you'd still be here. I should've saved you and I didn't. I failed you. Big surprise huh? I've screwed up at everything I've ever tried to do in my life but I thought that this time I got it right. Guess I was wrong again. I don't know how the others can even stand to look at me. I should've protected you but instead, I let you go. You were everything to me Quistis, everything, and I really don't know how I'm gonna go on without you. I feel dead inside." Seifer took a deep breath and tears stung his eyes. "It's not fair damn it. Everything was perfect and I had to fuck it all up again. Typical. It should be me lying at the bottom of the ocean, not you. Hyne, I just don't know what to do." The tears that had been threatening to fall finally did and he wiped them away furiously. "I'm sorry Quisty. I'm so sorry. I love you so much and I always will." He wiped his eyes again and joined his friends at the back of the Quad. 

"Seifer," Edea spoke, "I think you should take a few more days off to rest." 

"Matron, I'm fine," Seifer insisted. 

"Please Seifer," Matron begged, "at least for the rest of the day. This is much harder on you than it is on anyone else. You loved her like none of us ever could. Please Seifer, take the time you need to recuperate." 

"All right," Seifer agreed. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He said goodbye to the others and left the Quad. On the way to his dorm, he was stopped by various students and SeeDs who gave their condolences. Seifer tried to listen, but he was in a daze of guilt and sorrow. When he finally made it back to his room, he collapsed on the bed as the strength left him. He didn't even bother to take off his shoes as he began to drift to sleep and soak his pillow with tears. 

---------------------------------------------------------------- 

In Winhill, an elderly couple walked their dog down the beach. The sun was setting behind the mountains and the weather was perfect for a leisurely stroll. As the couple meandered down the shore, they noticed something on the sand about a hundred yards away. 

"What is that?" the woman asked and pointed to the object. 

"I don't know," the man answered, "looks like seaweed." 

Suddenly, their dog began barking hysterically and took off down the beach towards the object, yanking his leash out of the man's hand in the process. 

"Tank!" the man called as the golden retriever sped away, "come back here!" 

The couple watched as Tank stopped by the object, sniffed it, then turned towards them and barked furiously. The couple looked at each other and hurried down the beach. Because of the setting sun, the object wasn't identifiable until they were right next to it. 

"Oh my Hyne," the woman whispered as the color drained from her face, "it…it's a body." 

The man leaned down and pressed two fingers to the woman's cold neck. "She's alive, the man announced. 

"Oh James, are you sure?" the woman asked. 

"Yes," the man assured, "but she needs medical attention." He scooped the peach clad woman into his arms and they hurried back to the town to fetch the doctor. 

********************** 

Yeah, another chapter! I know this one is kind of depressing but what did you expect? They are at a funeral. I know I'm gonna probably get reviews about Seifer crying. I know, he doesn't seem like the type that would cry but he did just lose the love of his life. Everyone has a breaking poing and I think that would be Seifer's. Oh yeah, and "Irvine's Song" is actually a song by Incubus called "I Miss You." Till next time... 


	4. Angelica

Chapter 4: Angelica

  


She heard voices around her but she didn't recognize any of them. She tried hard to figure out what was going on but nothing came to her. She slowly forced her eyes opened and blinked to clear her vision. Once she was able to focus she looked around her. She was laying on a bed in a small room. The bed, along with a dresser, a nightstand and a chair, were the only furniture in the room. She started to sit up but realized she was incredibly weak. She settled back down onto the pillow. _Where am I?_ she thought, _What happened?_

Before she had time to ponder these questions, the door opened and a woman in her late sixties entered. She looked up and her gray eyes went wide when she saw the woman on the bed was awake. She smiled and brought her hand to her chest. 

"You're awake," the older woman smiled, "You startled me when I walked in. I didn't expect to see your eyes open." 

"I'm sorry," the younger woman murmured. 

"Oh don't be," the older woman insisted, "it's all right. How are you feeling?" 

"Tired," she answered, "weak. I can't even sit up." 

"The doctor said you'd feel that way when you woke up," the elderly woman informed and turned back to the open bedroom door. "James! Come in here, she's awake!" A moment later a man about the same age as the woman entered. 

"Well hello," the man greeted warmly, "it's good to see you're awake." 

"What happened to me?" the woman on the bed asked. 

"We were hoping you could tell us," James replied, "we found you on the beach three days ago while we were walking our dog. You were wearing that." He pointed to the wall next to the dresser where a tattered peach dress hung on a hanger. "Do you remember what happened?" 

The young woman thought for a moment. "No." 

"Well, that's all right," the older woman comforted, "the doctor said there might be gaps in your memory. Oh! How rude of us! We haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Marta Ericson and this is my husband James." 

"I'm…" The woman on the bed paused and her brow furrowed in concentration. "I'm…I…I don't remember." 

"You don't remember?" Marta inquired. 

"No, I mean, yes, I mean…" she looked at the elderly couple, "there are a bunch of names floating around in my head but I can't grasp any of them. Wait…" She closed her eyes tightly, "Seifer." 

"Your name is Seifer?" James asked doubtfully. 

"No," the woman shook her head, "that's not right." She concentrated hard and grabbed a hold of the only other name that sounded remotely familiar. "Um…Angelica?" 

"Angelica?" Marta repeated. 

"Yes," the blonde nodded, "that sounds right." 

"Do you know where you came from Angelica?" James asked. 

"No," Angelica answered, "I can't remember anything. My mind is completely blank." 

"Well, you get some rest dear," Marta told her, "and we'll have the doctor come and check on you in the morning. Maybe by then you'll remember something." 

"Okay," Angelica agreed and the couple started to leave. "Wait! Can I ask you something?" 

"Of course," Marta said. 

"Where am I?" Angelica questioned. 

"In Winhill," James replied. 

"Thank you," Angelica called as they left. Winhill. It sounded familiar but she didn't know why. She figured that there was no sense in contemplating it at the moment, so she took Marta's advice and went to sleep. 

Outside the room, the couple went into their tiny kitchen and sat down at the table to have some coffee. Once the brew was poured and they were both seated around the table, James spoke. 

"Do you think she's hurt worse than the doctor suspected?" he asked his wife. 

"Who?" the gray haired woman inquired as she sipped her coffee. 

"Angelica," James clarified. 

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine," Marta assured, "the doctor said she might have gaps in her memory. He had a scientific name for it…" She trailed off as she tried to remember the doctor's words. 

"Post Traumatic Amnesia," James offered. 

"That was it!" Marta agreed, "Post Traumatic Amnesia. He said she might have that. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, he said she was fine." 

"Remember when he said he sensed magic around her?" James questioned. He continued without waiting for an answer, "He said that it probably saved her life. Who do you think she is?" 

"I don't have any idea," Marta responded, "She sure is a beautiful girl though. I'm sure someone must be looking for her. She's obviously not homeless or she wouldn't have been wearing such a nice dress." 

"You're right," James nodded, "When I go into work tomorrow, I'll get the doctor to come out here and I'll spread the word about her. Maybe someone will know something." 

"That's a good idea sweetheart," Marta praised. The couple fell silent, sipping their coffee and pondering the mystery of the woman in the other room. 

Angelica was awakened the next morning by Marta and a dark-haired man in his early thirties. He wore casual clothes and had a black bag in his hand. He smiled when he saw her eyes on him. 

"Good morning Angelica," the man greeted, "I'm Dr. Lockheart." 

"Good morning," Angelica said politely. 

"Sorry I'm here so early," he apologized, "but I wanted to see you before my other appointments." 

"No need to apologize," Angelica assured. 

The doctor smiled again and began pulling things out of his bag, which he sat on the chair next to her bed. Angelica decided that she liked the doctor. He had a friendly aura about him and he was handsome on top of that. 

"If you need anything Doctor, I'll be in making the coffee," Marta told him and exited the room, leaving the door opened. Dr. Lockheart pulled a pair of stethoscopes out of his bag and put them around his neck. He put his bag on the floor and sat down in the chair it had occupied. 

"So Angelica," he began, "how are you feeling?" 

"Weak," Angelica answered, "Yesterday I couldn't even sit up." 

"What about today?" he asked. 

"I don't know," Angelica admitted, "I haven't tried." 

"Why don't you try now?" the doctor suggested. 

Angelica pushed the blankets down a little and, bracing herself, pushed up into a sitting position. 

"Good!" the doctor praised, "You're strength is already returning." Angelica smiled shyly at the doctor's enthusiasm. "You've still got a ways to go until you're back to normal. Now, Marta tells me there are some gaps in your memory." 

"That's an understatement," Angelica scoffed, "I can't remember anything." 

"You remembered your name," the doctor offered helpfully. 

"That's true," Angelica started, "but now I'm starting to think that it's not the right name. There were so many names floating through my mind and I just latched onto one of them." 

"Don't be discouraged," Dr. Lockheart instructed, "I'm almost 100% sure that the amnesia is temporary." 

"Almost?" Angelica questioned tentatively. 

"There's always a chance that your memory won't return," Dr. Lockheart informed, "but trust me, you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning." Angelica nodded, "Well, let's get on with the exam." 

The doctor examined the young woman quickly. Five minutes later, he was packing up his supplies. "I'll be back to see you tomorrow. Until then, eat something and get plenty of rest." 

"Okay," Angelica said, "thank you Doctor." 

"No problem," he smiled again and picked up his bag. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

Angelica nodded and the doctor left. She heard him say goodbye to Marta and exit the house. A few minutes later, Marta came into the small bedroom carrying a tray with a bowl, spoon and crackers on it. She placed it on Angelica's lap. 

"The doctor said you needed to eat something and suggested soup," Marta informed, "I hope tomato is okay." 

"Tomato is fine," Angelica assured, though she didn't know if she liked tomato soup or not. She picked up the spoon and scooped up some soup. She brought it to her lips and sipped it carefully. The red liquid covered her tongue and she realized that she really did like tomato soup. She put the spoon all the way into her mouth and pulled it back out, minus the soup. 

"This is delicious," Angelica commented as she took another spoonful. 

"Thank you," Marta smiled, "so how are you feeling?" 

"Better," Angelica answered, "I don't feel so weak." 

"Do you remember anything more?" Marta prodded. 

"No," Angelica answered and dipped a cracker into the soup, "but Dr. Lockheart seemed optimistic about my recovery." 

"That Dr. Lockheart is an incredible physician," Marta commented, "I baby-sit his children sometimes." 

"Children?" Angelica asked as her face fell. 

Marta chuckled. "You aren't the first woman to have that reaction when they learned of Dr. Lockheart's marital status. He is a very handsome man." 

"Indeed he is," Angelica agreed. Suddenly, her face turned very thoughtful. "I wonder if I'm married. Maybe I have a husband and kids out there somewhere waiting for me to come home." 

"I don't know for sure," Marta told her, "but I don't think you've had any children. When I changed your clothing I didn't see any stretch marks. As for a husband, I'd have to say no on that one too but I think you might be engaged." 

"Why?" Angelica questioned. Marta pointed to her left ring finger. "Oh my Hyne!" she gasped as she saw the sparkling diamond. 

"You were wearing it when we found you," Marta informed, "it's an engagement ring." 

Angelica brought her left hand up and watched as the diamond caught he light and broke it into a dazzling rainbow. She brought her hand down and laid it next to the tray. "Do you think he's looking for me?" she asked. 

"I'm sure he's doing everything in his power to find you," Marta comforted. 

Angelica nodded and continued to eat the soup. After she was done, Marta took the tray and left the room. She came back a minute later with a large, golden dog following her. 

"This is Tank," Marta introduced, "he is the one who found you on the beach." 

"Hello Tank," Angelica greeted. The dog wagged his tail enthusiastically and laid his chin on the bed. Angelica stroked his ears gently. She looked up at Marta. "Where is your husband?" 

"He's at work," Marta informed and sat down in the chair next to the bed. 

"Where does he work?" Angelica questioned. Since her memory banks had been wiped clean, she was hungry for any knowledge she could come by. 

"He works in the item's shop at the far end of the town," Marta replied. 

"Do you have any children?" Angelica asked. 

"No," Marta answered, "James and I aren't able to have children." 

"I'm so sorry," Angelica said sympathetically. 

"It's all right," Marta smiled, "I've babysat most of the children who were born in this town since I've been here." 

"How long have you lived in…" Angelica trailed off, trying to remember the name of the town. 

"Winhill?" Marta offered, "Since I was seventeen. It's been forty-six years. James and I moved here after we got married." 

"How did you meet?" Angelica inquired. 

"That's actually a very funny story…" Marta began telling Angelica about how she and James had met. 

The women talked for most of the day. They only stopped after Marta insisted that Angelica get some rest. "We've been chatting all day," Marta said, "You must be exhausted." 

While Angelica was enjoying Marta's stories, she had become quite tired. "Thank you for making me feel so welcome." Angelica smiled as Marta got up to leave. 

"You're welcome dear," Marta smiled back, "and you will be welcome as long as you want to stay with us." 

"Thank you," Angelica repeated. 

Marta smiled again. "Come on Tank, Angelica needs her rest." The golden retriever jumped up from where he was lying on the floor and followed the gray haired woman out of the room. Marta closed the door and left Angelica along to rest, which she did. 

------------------------------------------------ 

The next week progressed in much the same way. The doctor would visit every morning and Marta and Angelica would talk about various things during the day. Over the days, Angelica grew stronger and got more acquainted with the Ericsons. Once she was cleared to get out of bed by Dr. Lockheart, Angelica began helping Marta with the chores around the house. Marta had declined her help at first but Angelica had insisted that she earn her keep. Marta had finally relented and Angelica had been doing the dishes and other various household tasks. 

On the seventh day since Angelica had been found, Marta informed her that she was going to the store to do some grocery shopping. 

"I'll probably be gone for a few hours," Marta informed. 

"Can I come with you?" Angelica asked eagerly as she finished the morning dishes and dried her hands on a dish towel. 

"You do too much already," Marta declined, "I'm beginning to feel rather useless around here." She chuckled, "Besides, Dr. Lockheart said you shouldn't strain yourself. You're still not 100% better." 

"All right," Angelica agreed reluctantly. 

"Good girl," Marta praised, "I'll be back in a few hours and the entire house better not be clean when I get back. You just relax." 

"I will," Angelica promised as she took her honey colored hair out of the ponytail she had put it in while she washed the dishes. "Bye." 

"Bye," Marta waved and grabbed her purse. She looked down at the dog lying by the front door. "Take care of Angelica while I'm gone Tank." 

The dog lifted his head and wagged his tail, his lips pulled back in a doggy smile. 

_Angelo used to do that all the time,_ Angelica thought. She shook her head quickly. _What was that? Who's Angelo?_ Angelica snapped back to reality as the front door shut, leaving her standing alone in the entry way between the kitchen and the living room with the dog staring at her curiously. Angelica shook her head again and walked into the living room. She pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket and sat down at the table. 

She had received the cards as a gift from Dr. Lockheart the second time he had come to see her after she had awakened. They were called Triple Triad Cards and were quite popular in Winhill and all over the world. They were sold in one of the stores at the far end of Winhill and the doctor had brought them to her to give her something to do. 

"My kid's love them," he had told her when he had given her the cards, "I thought that maybe they'd keep you busy for awhile." 

Angelica had been practicing with them ever since and was getting quite good with them. She now separated the cards into two piles and after picking five cards out of each half-deck, she began to play against herself. She was well into her fourth game when there was a knock on the door. She put down the remaining cards and walked over to the door. She saw the Tank was still lying in front of the door and was waiting for her to open the door so he could see who their visitor was. 

Angelica opened the door and was surprised to see Dr. Lockheart's wife Analise an their two children. Analise's face lit up when the door opened. 

"Angie!" Analise exclaimed, "is Marta here?" 

"Oh I'm sorry," Angelica told the brunette woman, "she went shopping." 

"Oh no!" Analise wailed, "there's an emergency in Timber and I need someone to watch the kids!" 

"We're not babies you know," the Lockheart's ten-year-old daughter Tifa told her mother, "we can stay home alone." 

"Yeah right," Analise rolled her eyes, "And by the time I got back there wouldn't be a home to leave you alone in." 

"I could watch them for you, Mrs. Lockheart," Angelica offered. 

"Could you?" Analise's face lit up, "I'd appreciate it so much!" 

"No problem," Angelica assured and stepped aside so the kids could enter. "I hope everything is okay in Timber." 

"It'll be fine," Analise told her, "Just another overly dramatic client." Analise Lockheart worked for an interior decorator in Timber. She looked through the doorway at her two children. "The two of you better behave for Angelica or you'll be in big trouble when I get back." 

"We will!" the brother and sister said simultaneously. Their mother stepped forward and kissed them both on the forehead. "I'll be back in a few hours. Be good!" Analise waved goodbye and hurried out of the house, closing the door behind her. Once she was gone, Angelica turned to the brunette siblings. 

"So," the blonde woman started, "what do you guys want to do?" 

"I brought my cards," Tifa informed as she pulled them out of her pocket, "Wanna play?" 

"Sure," Angelica agreed. She had played Tifa a few times when the Lockheart's had come over for dinner and knew the girl was good. 

"I play winner!" Jessen, her seven-year-old brother, announced. The three of them left the entryway and went into the living room. The three sat down and Angelica gathered up her cards. 

"Let's start with easy rules," Tifa suggested, "you can pick your cards and get to choose one if you win." 

Angelica agreed and the two females began their game. The end result was 7 to 3 in favor of Tifa and Angelica loosing a T-Rexaur card. After their game was over Jessen sat down to play his sister. The three continued to play for a few more hours until Marta got home. 

"It looks like I've got a houseful," she joked when she saw the kids. 

"Mom had to go to Timber on business," Tifa told her as she helped with the groceries, "something about a client having a heart attack because they got the wrong drapes or something." 

"Well, I'm glad you two are here," Marta said as she began putting the groceries away, "because," she reached into a bag and pulled out a cake in a plastic container, "I just bought this chocolate cake and there is no way James, Angelica and I can eat the whole thing by ourselves." The two children crowded around Marta eagerly. "But first, you need to eat some lunch. I'll make some sandwiches." 

"I'll do it Marta," Angelica offered, "You've been on your feet all day." 

"Thank you dear," Marta said and sat down at the table, "sometimes I forget how old I really am." 

"You're not old Marta," Angelica smiled. She turned to the kids. "What do you guys want on your sandwiches?" The kids came over and began helping Angelica with the sandwiches. Once they were done, they took them to the table and ate their lunch. 

They had just finished their cake when there was a knock at the door. Marta went to answer it while Angelica put the dishes into the sink. The children, anticipating that the knock was their mother, went into the living room to get their cards. 

"Analise, so good to see you," Marta greeted after opening the door, "Is everything all right in Timber?" 

"Everything's fine," Analise assured, "Were the kids good for Angie?" 

"I only just got home twenty minutes ago," Marta informed, "but I'm sure they were." 

At that moment, the siblings and Angelica came walking up behind Marta. 

"Hi mom," Tifa called. 

"Hi," Analise greeted, "we're you two good for Angie?" 

"Yes," they replied simultaneously with an air of annoyance. 

Analise looked past her children to the blonde woman. "Were they?" 

"Of course," Angelica answered. 

"All right," Analise said, "we'd better get home." 

"We'd love it if you'd come by for dinner," Marta invited, "I'm making lasagna." 

"Can we Mom?" Tifa asked eagerly. 

"Yeah, can we?" Jessen begged. 

Analise chuckled at her children's enthusiasm. "We'll be here," she told Marta. 

"Excellent," Marta said, "we'll see you then." 

"Great." Analise turned to go, then turned back around quickly. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She dug into her pocket and pulled out a neatly folded stack of gil. She handed it to Angelica. "Devlin asked me to give this to you. It's not much, just a thank you for watching the kids." 

Angelica looked at the gil and pushed it back towards Analise. "I can't accept this." 

"Of course you can," Analise insisted, "Devlin said that I was to make you take it, no matter what." 

"But…" Angelica started. 

"No buts." Analise shook her head and stepped back, "Buy yourself something with it." 

"Thank you," Angelica smiled. 

In between the women, the children looked at each other. 

"Why are adults so weird about money?" Jessen questioned. 

"I don't know," Tifa admitted, "but if Mom was offering me twenty-five gil, I'd take it in a second." 

"All right you two," Analise called, "time to go." Marta waved goodbye and went into the kitchen. The three Lockhearts began to leave the Ericson residence but were stopped by Angelica calling to Tifa. Tifa stopped and turned around as Angelica stopped in front of her. 

"I forgot to give this back to you." Angelica pulled a card out of her pocket and held it out to the girl. It was a high lever GF card that Angelica had won in a game earlier. 

Tifa looked down at the card and her brown eyes scanned it quickly. "I don't want it back. You won it fair and square." 

"But it's a valuable card," Angelica insisted, "I don't want to take it from you." 

"Don't worry about it," Tifa grinned mischievously, "I'll just win it back from you later." 

Angelica chuckled. "You're on kid. Bring your cards to dinner. Maybe we'll get a chance to play." 

"Okay," Tifa agreed, "bye!" She hurried out to where her mother and brother were waiting. Angelica shut the door and looked down at the card in her hand. It depicts a blue humanesque GF with blue hair and one yellow streak running though it. The GF was female and her name was Shiva. 

Shiva. That sounded so familiar to Angelica but she couldn't figure out why. She shrugged her shoulders and went into the kitchen to help Marta with the dinner preparations. 

********************************** 

I'm so sorry it took so long to update! My mom's truck broke down and I couldn't get to a computer until today! I know that this chapter is kinda long and boring but I just wanted to show how "Angelica" is adjusting to her life without a memory. And I added a little cameo by Tifa from FFVII as a child. There is a reason the doctor's last name is Lockheart but I couldn't resist making his daughter's name Tifa.   
Thank you all for your reviews! I appreciate them so much! I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow. Hopefully. Til then... 


	5. Coping

Thank you everyone for the reviews! 

**To Ami-M:** I thought that Angelica would be a good middle name for Quistis. The reason she said her name was Angelica was because it was the first female name that sounded familiar to her. 

**To Iron Ethel Rackham:** I considered making her fall in love with someone else but I just couldn't do it. Besides, she knows she's engaged to someone because she has the engagement ring so I don't think she would let herself fall in love with anyone. And the others do think she's dead, which is why they aren't looking for her. 

******************************************* 

Chapter 5: Coping

  


The inane chatter of the cafeteria surrounded Seifer as he stepped in, followed by Fujin and Raijin. It was lunchtime and nearly every SeeD and cadet was here, hoping to get one of Balamb Garden's World Famous hotdogs. In the front of the hotdog line was none other than Zell Dincht. He took his tray of hotdogs from the cafeteria lady and turned back towards their table. He spotted the trio and waved happily. 

"Yo!" he hailed and, balancing his tray in one hand, shoved a hotdog into his mouth with the other. "If you were thinking about getting hotdogs, forget about it. I got the last ten!" 

The posse watched as Zell talked, bits of hotdog and bun particles flying out of his mouth. Seifer cringed. "No problem, we weren't planning on hot dogs anyway." 

"Good." Zell walked by them, a hot in one hand and his tray in the other, and sat down next to Cammi at the table. The posse headed over to the shortest line and got their food, then joined everyone at the table. 

As they sat down, Seifer glanced up at the couples around him. It had been almost three weeks since he had lost Quistis and the pain was still as sharp as ever. Everyone around him seemed to have come to terms with her death but still he couldn't let her go. Of course, it was easier for them; they had each other to look to for support. They all looked so happy together. Rinoa and Squall: she with her head on his shoulder and he stroking her hair tenderly. Irvine and Selphie: her sitting on his lap while he playfully tickled her. Zell and Cammi: holding hands and staring at each other thoughtfully in between hotdog inhalations. Fujin and Raijin: yes, even the two of them seemed more "chummy." The sight of them was beginning to make Seifer bitter. He wanted to distance himself from them and retreat into a black hole where he could feel nothing. 

"So," Selphie chirped after Irvine stopped tickling her, "the Garden Festival is coming up in two weeks. Can I count on all of you to help?" Grunts and noncommittal replies were all she received from the group. "Ahem, I said…" she glared at all of them, "Can I count on all of you to help?" This time everyone nodded or offered a quick yes. "Good, the first Festival Meeting is tomorrow in the Quad at 1100 hours. I know you'll all be there." She sent her glare around the table again, then returned to her normal perky self. "All right! I'll assign everyone their duties then." 

"Have you decided on where the Festival will be held this year?" Rinoa asked. 

"It's a toss up between Timber and Winhill," Selphie informed. 

"Oh!" Rinoa exclaimed, "we should have it in Timber! I could visit all my old friends. It would be like a homecoming!" 

"I was leaning towards Timber myself," Selphie admitted, "but we'll just have to see how things go." 

After they finished their lunches, each couple began to drift off to attend to their own personal schedules until only posse was left sitting at the table and picking at cold food. 

"Me and Fu and are going into Balamb to see a movie ya know," Raijin started, "you wanna come?" 

"To the movies?" Seifer smirked, "You mean like a date?" Raijin and Fujin both turned bright red. 

"NEGATIVE!" 

"It's not like that, ya know!" 

Seifer's smile widened when he witnessed his friend's distressed reactions. "Thanks for offering but I think I'm gonna head over to the training center and do some damage." He stood up and picked up Hyperion, which was leaning against the table. "Besides," he smirked again, "I wouldn't want to intrude on your date. I'll see ya later." He exited the cafeteria, leaving two red-faced posse members behind. 

Once he stepped out of the cafeteria, his happy façade crumbled and left a depressed and broken man in it's place. He had learned quickly that it was easier to pretend to be happy than to have everyone stare at him sympathetically and try to make him feel better. Unless they could turn back time or raise the dad, there was nothing they could do for him. 

He walked down the hall and stopped just outside the training center, the same place he had found himself for the past week at this time. He knew that the center would be empty save for monsters and that's how he liked it. For the past week he had been coming to the training center to let off some steam. Besides Quistis, fighting was the only thing that made him feel whole and he found it therapeutic to decapitate some Grats or eviscerate a few T-Rexaur or two. When he was here, he almost forgot about how shitty his life was. Almost. Without another moment's hesitation, Seifer pushed the doors open and disappeared inside. 

--------------------------------------------- 

"I've decided to get a job." 

James and Marta Ericson stared at the blonde woman standing before them, their morning greetings stopped in their throats. Both elderly brows crinkled in confusion. 

"Why?" James asked after a moment. 

"Well," Angelica started, "I've been here for two and a half weeks and I just feel like I should contribute a little more around here." 

"Sweetie, you contribute plenty," Marta assured, "you help me around the house, run to the store, you've even given me more time for myself by babysitting for me." 

"Still, I feel like I'm being lazy by just sitting around," Angelica told them, "and besides, a job will give me a chance to get out and do stuff." 

"It that's what you really want, then we're all for it," James supported. 

"Good," Angelica smiled, "because I talked to Pete at Raine's Pub yesterday about waitressing and he wants me to start today." 

"What's great," Marta enthused, "what time do you start?" 

"9:00," Angelica answered. 

"Then you have time for breakfast." Marta retrieved a plate from the oven where it was staying warm and put it down at Angelica's place at the table. Angelica sat down and the three chatted while enjoying their breakfast. Angelica finished her food and sat the plate in the sink. 

"I'd better get going," Angelica told them and grabbed her sweater from the back of the chair. "I don't want to be late for my first day of work." 

The Ericsons called goodbyes to Angelica as she exited the house. Once outside, she put on the sweater to fend of the early morning chill and headed across the cobblestone plaza to Raine's Pub. To her right was the mansion that the Denton's owned. It had been converted into a hotel and anyone visiting usually stayed there. Not that Winhill got many visitors. 

Mr. Denton was out front of the mansion and called out a greeting to Angelica as she passed. She waved and continued on to the Pub. Raine's Pub was named after it's previous proprietor, a woman named Raine. She had died almost twenty years ago trying to save her adopted daughter from a caterchipiller. The child had escaped, but Raine hadn't. Whenever anyone talked about her, there was an air of sadness around them. She had been loved by everyone in Winhill. After she died, the Pub had been purchased by it's current owner, Pete and his then girlfriend Sonia. Pete told Angelica that a few years ago, Sonia had left, leaving Pete to run the Pub. 

Angelica reached the door of the bar and pulled it open. The bar didn't officially open until 9:00 and she was a little early, but Pete always left the door unlocked from 8:00 on in case someone wanted something to eat earlier. Two bells dangling from the ceiling jingled as the door struck them, signaling her arrival. Hearing the noise, Pete, who was behind the bar polishing a glass, looked up. He smiled and put the glass down. 

"'Morning Angie," Pete greeted. 

"Good morning Pete," Angelica smiled and walked up to the bar. 

"You're early," Pete commented, "I like that. Show's you're eager to work." He reached under the bar and pulled out an apron. He handed it to Angelica. "Things will be slow at first, but around lunchtime it'll pick up. All you have to do is wait the tables. Think you can handle it?" 

"I'm your girl!" Angelica told him enthusiastically. 

"Good," Pete smiled and handed her a pad of paper and a pen. Angelica pulled off her sweater and put it behind the bar, then tied her hair back and put the apron on. She sat down on one of the barstools to wait. A half hour later her first customers took a seat at one of the tables. Angelica picked up her pen and paper, put a smile on her face and walked over to the table. 

"Hello, I'll be your waitress today. Can I take your order?" 

***

"You did a great job Angie," Pete complimented and opened the cash register. He pulled out a few bills and handed them to the tired blonde who was slumped down on a barstool against the bar. She took the gil and smiled in thanks. She then looked down at it and her sapphire eyes went wide. 

"This is too much," she insisted, "I can't take all this!" 

"You earned it," Pete told her, "now go home and get some rest so you can do it all again tomorrow." 

"Thanks Pete," Angelica said and grabbed her sweater. "See you tomorrow." 

"Bye Angie," Pete called, "Take care." 

Angelica walked quickly towards the Ericson's house. The sun was beginning to set over the mountains, casting the town in a warm orange glow. A few people were walking through the streets but most were already in their homes. She reached the house and walked in to the smell of pot roast and cooking vegetables. Marta, hearing the door open, greeted her in the entryway. 

"Hello Angelica," Marta said, "How was your first day at work?" 

"Exhausting," Angelica smiled, "but I really like it." 

"That's good," Marta nodded, "Why don't you go into the living room and relax until dinner? James is in there, maybe you can convince him to play a game of cards with you." 

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Angelica questioned. 

"Yes, I've got it under control," Marta assured, "you go relax." 

"All right," Angelica agreed and walked into the living room. James was sitting on the couch with his glasses on reading the Winhill Weekly newspaper. He lowered the paper and looked up as she entered. 

"Hi Angie," he greeted, "how was work?" 

"Good," Angelica replied and sat down on a chair across from the couch on the other side of the coffee table. "I'm kind of tired though." 

A smile crossed James' face. "Too tired to play a game of cards?" 

Angelica's face lit up. "I'm never too tired for cards." She pulled her deck of cards out of her pocket while James folded the newspaper and got his cards out of a drawer on the coffee table. They each picked their playing cards and commenced the game. They continued playing until Marta called them for dinner. 

"Just in time," James announced as they got up, "Angelica was about to beat me again." 

"You could've finished your game," Marta told them. 

"No, that's all right," James assured, "If I keep playing her I won't have any cards left." 

The three of them sat down and enjoyed a dinner of pot roast. After the meal, they went into the living room. Marta read the paper while Angelica and James played a few more games of cards. After awhile, Angelica decided to get some sleep. She said goodnight to Marta and James and went into her room. She changed into a nightgown that she had bought with her babysitting money and crawled into bed. She was exhausted by her day's work and fell asleep quickly. 

_She was standing in a cavernous room in front of a large, circular object. With her were seven others, four men and three women. One woman with black hair and blue clothing was lying down in front of the circular object. Close to the woman in blue was a man with brown hair wearing a fur trimmed black jacket. She stood next to him. Behind her was a tall man with an auburn ponytail and a cowboy hat. Next to him stood a petite brunette in a yellow sundress. Next to them was a blonde haired man with a huge, dark tattoo running down the side of his face. Off to the side stood an older man with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and a woman with short brown hair. _

"OK Ellone," he said to the brunette woman, "Just get Rinoa back." 

A blue light floated from the ceiling and surrounded the downed woman. The older man and the brunette turned to each other and the man ruffled the woman's hair affectionately. All eyes turned to the raven-haired woman on the ground as she groaned and got to her feet. 

"I…was inside Adel," the blue-clad woman told the others shakily, "…The young Adel…" 

"Ultimecia's inside Adel," the older man informed, "Exactly as she wanted. OK, this is the showdown folks! Time compression is about to begin. Love, friendship and courage! Show 'em what you got!" 

The older man and the brunette woman ran out of the room and almost immediately the room began to ripple and sway. She pitched forward, as did the others, and tried to keep her balance. The room didn't stabilize and the floor began to sink, taking them with it. Suddenly, the floor turned to liquid and they fell through. She found herself, as did the others, falling through the sky amid dark globs of a water like substance that seemed to contain different scenes and faces of various things. 

"Where are we supposed to go?" she shouted as the wind whipped passed her. 

Before anyone could answer, they left the sky and plunged into water. The shock of the water quickly wore off and the man in the fur trimmed jacket answered as they continued to fall. 

"To Edea's house!" he announced. 

They continued to descend, past schools of fish and outcroppings of rocks. 

"I'll…probably disappear…" the blue-clad woman despaired. 

"Just stay by my side," the man with the fur trimmed jacket ordered, "I wont let you disappear!" 

They fell still and suddenly burst out of the water and were in the sky again. They were surrounded by flocks of birds that screeched and wheeled away when they saw them. They continued to fall and the velocity of their descent increased until nothing could be made out but a tunnel of light surrounded by dark clouds. A bright light at the end of the tunnel began to grow as they fell and soon became unbearable. She turned her face away from the light and just before she was engulfed by the light, she saw another person following behind, this one a man with blonde hair and piercing green eyes. A tattered gray coat streamed behind him and a scar crossed between his eyes. She recognized him immediately and called to him. 

"Seifer!" 

Angelica sprang up in bed, her body drenched in cold sweat. She blinked rapidly in the dark and swallowed the scream that had welled up in her throat. A dream, that's all it was. But what had the dream been about? Already it was slipping away until all she could remember was a tunnel of light and emerald eyes. 

Angelica checked her clock and saw that it was just after three in the morning. She took a deep breath and calmed her racing heart. Once the dream had faded to nothing more than a distant memory, she fell back to sleep. 


	6. Memories

I've reuploaded this chapter because I screwed up in the scene where Dr. Lockheart was talking to 'Angelica' about her memories. In the messed up version, he is asking her questions and she is answering them. He asks her if she is getting to like Winhill and she replies "of course" then out of nowhere it says "October 4th". He was supposed to ask her her birthday in between the "Of course" response and "October 4th". I was typing so fast that I guess I left it out. Here's the fixed version and sorry if that confused anyone.   
******************************************** 

Chapter 6: Memories

  


Seifer left his dorm and headed towards the Quad. Selphie had called an emergency Garden Festival meeting to discuss the location of the Festival. Seifer couldn't care less where it was held but he knew Selphie would be pissed if he didn't at least show up. He entered the Quad and joined the group of people who were already gathered. Selphie stood in front of the crowd on the stage that he and a few others had busted their asses to build perfectly. Seifer spotted Fujin and Raijin in the mess of people and joined them. A few more people entered and after they had settled in the crowd, Selphie spoke. 

"Hi everybody and thanks for coming!" she grinned, "As you know, there is some debate on whether the Garden Festival should be held in Timber or Winhill. We received a call from the mayor of Timber last night and he regretted to inform us that he can't host the Garden Festival this year." Ripples of disappointment and an all-out groan from Rinoa were heard from the crowd. "So that means the location of this year's Garden Festival is Winhill! That's all for now, I'll see you all tomorrow!" 

Everyone began to disperse after the meeting ended. Seifer decided to head for the training center. He said goodbye to his friends and headed towards the hallway. He was almost there when he was stopped by a short teenage girl with red hair. She smiled at him seductively. 

"Hi Seifer," she purred, "I was wondering if you had a date for the Garden Festival yet." 

"What?" Seifer stared at the woman in disbelief. Had he heard her right? 

"Because I don't have a date yet," the redhead continued, "And I was thinking that maybe you and I could go together." 

Seifer felt the anger rise up in him and he struggled hard to force it down. He mustered a sinister smile. "Janai, isn't it?" The girl nodded vigorously, the smile never leaving her face. "Well, Janai, I don't know if you remember, but a little less than a month ago, my fiancée was lost in an attack on the Garden. Now, I'm guessing by the fact that you even dared ask me out on a date that either you've never been in love or you're just very ignorant. Let me break it down for you Janai: I love Quistis. Nothing, not even death, can change that. Maybe you'll understand one day but until you do, don't bother me, okay?" 

Seifer pushed past the stunned girl and continued on towards the training center. 

---------------------------------------------------- 

"The Garden Festival is coming to Winhill!" Marta exclaimed as she red the paper at the breakfast table. 

"The Garden Festival?" Angelica repeated in confusion. 

"It's an annual Festival held by Balamb Garden," Marta gushed, "they have music and plays and dancing! James and I went to the Garden Festival a few years ago in Deling City. It was a magical evening. That Miss Tilmitt is absolutely brilliant when it comes to organizing the Festival." 

"Selphie?" Angelica blurted out. James and Marta both turned to look at her. 

"What did you say dear?" Marta questioned. 

"Um…nothing," Angelica replied. 

"Yes you did," James insisted, "You said 'Selphie', why?" 

"I don't know," Angelica answered. She stood up from the table quickly. "I've got to go! I don't want to be later for work!" She was out of the door before they could call her back. 

"I think we should tell Dr. Lockheart about this," Marta suggested. 

"Why?" 

"Selphie is Miss Tilmitt's first name," Marta informed, "I think that Angelica may have remembered hearing about her before her accident." 

James agreed and they returned to eating their breakfast. 

Outside, Angelica hurried across the cobblestone towards Raine's Pub, a million thoughts swirling through her head. _Why did I say that? Who is Selphie? Do I know her?_ She was still contemplating this when she entered the Pub. 

"Hey Angie!" Pete greeted as she entered. 

"Hi, Pete," Angelica answered less than enthusiastically. 

"I've just got a lot on my mind," Angelica told him as she put on her apron. 

"You wanna talk about it?" Pete inquired. Angelica shrugged her shoulders. "Come on! You can tell ol' Petey!" 

Angelica smiled at his playful words. "This morning, Marta was talking about the Garden Festival and she mentioned a woman named Miss Tilmitt and out of the blue I blurted out 'Selphie' and I have no idea why. Then Marta and James both looked at me strangely and started asking me questions. I got nervous and told them I had to go to work and I left." 

After she had finished, Pete thought for a moment. "Do you think that maybe your memory is coming back?" 

"I don't know," Angelica admitted, "I kind of think it might be. About a week ago I woke up from a dream. My heart was racing and I was covered in sweat. The dream was so real but when I woke up, I couldn't remember it at all. I think it might've been a memory too." 

"Did you talk to Dr. Lockheart about it?" Pete asked. 

"No," Angelica replied, "I didn't tell him because I don't want him to get my hopes up." 

"I think you should tell him," Pete said. A jingling of bells had them both turning to the front door as two men walked in. 

"Hi Pete! Hi Angie!" the men called and sat down at the table. 

Pete waved and then turned to Angelica. "You're on kid." 

Angelica smiled and walked over to the table. "Hello, Mr. Curtis, hello Mr. Linney. What can I get you today?" 

"The usual," Mr. Curtis replied. 

"And start us off with coffee," Mr. Linney added. 

"Coming right up." Angelica went to the back to the kitchen and hung the order on the spinning device specifically for that purpose. 

"Another day," Lili the dark haired cook said to Angelica as she began to cook the food. 

"Another gil," Angelica added and headed back out to the front with the coffee. 

------------------------------------------------------ 

"Angelica, Dr. Lockheart is coming by to see you tonight," Marta informed as Angelica got home from work. 

"Oh," Angelica was caught off guard, "well, good, I needed to talk to him about something." 

"I told him about his morning," Marta told her, "I hope you don't mind." 

"No, in fact that's one of the things I wanted to talk to him about," Angelica said, "I think it might have something to do with my amnesia." 

"That is exactly what I thought," Marta exclaimed, "which is why James and I invited the doctor over. Well, he should be here any minute. He said he would come over as soon as you got home from work." As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "That must be him!" 

Marta hurried to the door while Angelica waited for her by the kitchen. She heard Marta greet Dr. Lockheart and invite him in. A second later, he appeared in the entryway with Marta. 

"Hi Angie," he greeted, "let's go into the living room." Angelica agreed and the three of them went into the living room. Dr. Lockheart sat down on the couch while Angelica opted for the chair across from him. Marta remained standing. 

"I'll go put a pot of coffee on," She offered. 

"That would be great, thanks," Dr. Lockheart acknowledged. Marta nodded and left the room. Once the older woman was gone, Dr. Lockheart turned to Angelica. "So Angie, how are you?" 

"Fine," Angelica answered. 

"Do you like working at Raine's Pub?" he inquired. 

"Yes." 

"Are the hours too much?" 

"No, they're fine." 

"Are you getting to like Winhill?" 

"Of course." 

"When is your birthday?" 

"October 4th." 

Both of them stopped as Angelica answered. Previously, she had been unable to remember. She looked over in surprise at the doctor and saw a smile tracing his lips. 

"It's a technique I've been reading up on," he explained, "when someone with amnesia starts answering a long string of questions without much thought, the brain tends to open up more, which is why you remembered your birthday." 

"That was amazing!" Angelica breathed, "I wasn't even thinking. I just answered. Can you do it again?" 

"Sorry," Dr. Lockheart apologized, "it only works when the subject isn't expecting it. If I tried it again now you would be thinking too much." 

"I understand," Angelica whispered sadly. 

"Don't be upset!" Dr. Lockheart instructed, "The fact that it worked proves that your mind is beginning to relinquish your forgotten memories." 

"So I'm getting better?" Angelica asked hopefully. 

"Well, that's what I came here to talk to you about," Dr. Lockheart told her, "Marta and James told me about this morning. Do you remember why you said 'Selphie' when Marta mentioned Miss Tilmitt?" 

"No," Angelica shook her head, "I just blurted it out, like when you asked me my birthday. I still have no idea who 'Selphie' is or why talking about the Garden Festival made me think of her." 

"Selphie is Miss Tilmitt," Dr. Lockheart informed, "she is a SeeD at Balamb Garden. Does any of that sound familiar to you?" 

"No," Angelica replied, "not really. Why? Do you think I know Selphie?" 

"It's possible," Dr. Lockheart said, "but it's also possible that you just heard of her, either before or after your accident." 

"So then there's no lead to who I might be or where I came from," Angelica concluded sadly. She hadn't admitted it to herself, but she had hoped that Selphie, whoever she was, was the key to unlocking the mysteries of her life. 

"I didn't say that for sure," the doctor corrected, "first, I need to know if you have had any other flashes of memory." 

"Well," Angelica started, "about a month ago, Tank was lying by the front door and Marta was leaving. She said something to him and he 'smiled', you know what I mean?" The dark haired doctor nodded. "When he smiled, I thought, 'Angelo used to do that all the time.' I don't know where the thought came from of who Angelo is, although I assume it's a dog." 

"Good," the doctor nodded thoughtfully, "anything else?" 

"About a week ago I had a dream," Angelica recalled, "I don't remember what the dream was about but I woke up scared. I don't know why but something makes me think that it was a memory from my past." 

"You don't remember anything from the dream?" Dr. Lockheart prodded. 

Angelica thought for a moment. "Nothing major," she answered, "just two little things." 

"What were they?" 

"A tunnel of light and green eyes," Angelica told him. 

At that moment, Marta entered carrying a tray with three mugs and a plate of cookies on it. She sat the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat next to Dr. Lockheart on the couch. 

"I brought some cookies too," Marta announced. 

"Thank you Marta," Dr. Lockheart said and picked up his coffee and a cookie. Angelica took her mug too, as did Marta. 

"So doctor," Marta began as they sipped their coffee, "is Angelica all right?" 

"She's fine," Dr. Lockheart assured, "in fact, I believe her memory is starting to return." 

"Oh that's wonderful!" Marta gushed but Angelica could see a flicker of regret in her gray eyes. Over the past few weeks, Angelica and Marta had become close. She knew that Marta wanted her to be happy and to get her memory back but was also dreading that she would inevitably leave after she did. 

"I'm hoping that she'll begin to remember things clearly soon," Dr. Lockheart informed, "but there's no way to tell how soon. All we can do is wait." He looked down at his watch. "I'd better go, Ani and I are taking the kids into Timber for dinner." They all stood up and walked to the door. 

"Thank you for coming by Doctor," Marta said, "we really appreciate it." 

"No problem," Dr. Lockheart assured, "I'm glad to help." 

"I really appreciate you help Dr. Leonhart," Angelica started, then paused as the wrong surname left her lips. "I…I mean Dr. Lockheart." Angelica's face turned red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from." 

"It's all right," Dr. Lockheart told her "I think it's more of your memory coming back. Don't hesitate to call me if you remember anything else." 

"All right," Angelica agreed. The woman waved goodbye as the doctor left the house. 

Once he had left, Marta shut the door and the two of them went into the kitchen to make dinner. James got home right before it was done and they sat down to a nice meal. After dinner, Angelica and James played a few games of cards while Marta talked about the Garden Festival. It would take place in four days and Marta was very excited. Angelica was also anticipating the Garden Festival but for different reasons. She hoped that Selphie Tilmitt would recognize her or at the very least, jog her memory. 

After she retired to her room, Angelica lay for a long time under her blankets staring at the diamond engagement ring on her finger. She hadn't told anyone, but not remembering the man she was to be married to bothered her more than anything else. At first she had wondered why he hadn't come looking for her but then she realized that he probably thought she was dead. If that was the case, had he moved on, found someone new? Despite her memory loss, the thought of him, whoever he was, with another woman squeezed her heart painfully. It was so strange to have such strong feelings for someone she couldn't remember. As she drifted off to sleep, she hoped that in four days when the Garden Festival was to be held, that some of her questions would be answered and that Selphie Tilmitt would be willing to see her. 

_The little blonde girl sat on the beach, her sapphire eyes watching as the waves rolled in and out on the tide. Behind her, the sounds of the other children playing reached her ears but she ignored them. She hated playing War with them. Every time they played War, someone always got hurt, mostly Zell. He would get hurt by either Seifer or Selphie and go crying to Matron. She hated it when Zell cried to Matron because then they would all get lectured about being nice to each other. _

As if on cue, a loud wail filled the air. She cringed and silently thanked Hyne that she had decided not to play with them today. She listened as the wailing faded and she assumed that Zell had gone into the house to find Matron. A few moments later she heard someone running across the sand and was only mildly surprised to see Seifer plop down next to her. 

"What did yoo do to Zell this time?" she asked casually. 

"Nothin'," Seifer answered irritated, "we were playin' War and I killed him fair and square but he said he wasn't dead, only wounded, so I hit him." 

"That doesn't sound like nothin' to me," she commented. 

Seifer narrowed his green eyes at her. "Yoo callin' me a liar?" 

"Maybe," she replied defiantly, "what're yoo gonna do? Hit me?" 

"Nah," Seifer told her and relaxed, "yoo know I won't hit you." 

"Only 'cause I can make yoo cry," she teased. 

"Can not!" he defended. 

"Can too!" she argued. 

"Can not!" 

"Can too!" 

"Can not!" 

"Can too!" 

"Can n…" 

"Seifer! Quistis!" Matrons' melodic voice broke into their argument. "Can the two of you come here please?" 

She looked over at Seifer, whose eyes were wide and pleading. "If I get into twouble again, Matwyn's gonna make me do all the dishes for a week! Please Quisty, will you tell Matwyn that I was out here wif you?" 

She stared into his pleading emerald eyes and heard herself answer. "Okay." 

"Okay." The two blondes stood up and walked over to where the dark haired Matron was waiting for them. Zell was clinging to her leg, his face red and tearstained. He smiled smugly at Seifer as they stopped in front of them. 

"Zell said that you hit him," Matron started, "is that true Seifer?" 

"No." Seifer shook his head solemnly. "I was out on the beach wif Quisty the whole time." 

Matron looked at the other children, the three brunettes. "Is that true?" They all looked at Seifer, who glared at them. Rather than face his ire later, the others nodded. Matron turned her gaze to the blonde girl. "Is that true Quistis?" 

She swallowed hard. She didn't want to lie to Matron but she didn't want to betray Seifer. She looked straight at the older woman. "Yes Matwyn, it's twoo. Seifer has been wif me all morning." 

Matron stared at her for a few more seconds, then nodded. "All right. You children need to be more careful when you are playing." With that, Matron turned and reentered the house. Zell, afraid of what Seifer might do to him for tattling again, hurried in after her. The other three children drifted off to their own games, leaving the two blondes standing alone. 

"Thank yoo Quisty," Seifer mumbled and avoided her eyes. 

"Yoo're welcome," she smiled. He looked up and smiled also. 

"Yoo wanna build a sand castle?" Seifer asked sheepishly. 

"Okay!" she agreed and the two hurried off towards the beach. 

In the dark room in Winhill, Angelica shifted in her sleep and her brow furrowed in confusion and frustration. 

_ She laughed and kissed him. "Come on, let's go back inside." She started towards the ballroom. _

"Wait!" 

She turned back, her pale orange gown fanning out around her as she did so. Seifer hadn't moved and he looked nervous. Her brow furrowed with confusion. 

"Seifer?" She walked back over to him, "What's wrong?" 

"I…I need to…ask you something," Seifer told her and refused to meet her eyes. 

"What is it?" She was becoming worried by his actions. 

"Quistis, I…" he paused as he tried to find the words, "You know that I love you, right?" 

"Of course," she smiled. 

"Well, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and…" 

As he trailed off, she noticed he was playing with something in his pocket. She looked up at him and their eyes locked. 

"Hyne, Quistis," he breathed, "I love you so much and I know I don't deserve you but I want you to be by my side forever and…well, I'm just gonna say it." He took a deep breath, "Quistis Angelica Trepe, will you marry me?" 

Her mouth dropped open as she started at the man in front of her. She watched as his eyes changed from nervous, to scared, to sad and then to relieved in the space of a few seconds. She smiled and tears began to fall down her cheeks. 

"Yes," she whispered. 

A smile illuminated his own features and he hugged her tightly. He swung her around a few times before putting her back on her feet and kissing her deeply. He pulled a velvet box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a sparkling diamond set into a golden ring. Seifer carefully took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her slender finger. It was a perfect fit. 

"I love you, Quisty," he whispered against her lips. 

She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes. "I love you too, Seifer." 

Angelica's eyes flew open and she sat up as the dream ended. She looked around wildly, trying to remember what the dream had contained. She knew the dream was important, that it held the key to her past, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember. 

Frustrated at her own limitations and angry at her mind, Angelica began to weep into her hands, her thin body shivering violently. She was still crying thirty minutes later when Marta came in to wake her up for work. 

"Angelica!" Marta exclaimed and ran to her side, "what's wrong sweetheart?" 

Angelica took a shuddering breath and forced the tears to stop. "N…nothing Marta. I'm fine. It was just a nightmare." 

"Are you sure?" Worry marred her elderly features. 

"Positive," Angelica assured with a weak smile. "I was just a little upset but I'll be all right." 

"Okay," Marta agreed reluctantly and left the room. 

Once she was gone, Angelica go up and got ready for work, while the dream stayed in the back of her mind, unwilling to step forward and let itself be seen. 


	7. The Garden Festival

Thanks again for reviewing. I put an original fic on fictionpress.com and the reviewers are scary over there! It made me appreciate you all the more. Thanks again and I hope you continue to review this fic. It may seem like it's almost over but it's just begun... 

Just a warning, this chapter is long and jumps around a lot to show what different characters are doing. Oh, and please forgive me if there are any mistakes. I had to type this with frozen fingers. I'm not joking, the heater is broken and it's about 40 degrees in here.   
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Chapter 7: The Garden Festival

  


"Come on people let's get a move on! The Garden Festival is tonight and we're leaving for Winhill at 0700 sharp! This stuff has to be secured by then!" 

Selphie Tilmitt's perky yet commanding voice rang out through the Quad. Several students groaned while others tried desperately to stay awake. It was 0537 and they had been awakened at 0500 hours by Selphie. She insisted that in order to make the Garden Festival run as smoothly as possible, they had to secure the stage and other pieces of equipment so that they wouldn't be damaged on the way to Winhill. 

"Selphie, couldn't this have been done last night?" Seifer asked as he, Fujin and Raijin approached the cheerful brunette. 

"Sure but his way we know that no one tampered with it while we were sleeping!" Selphie chirped. 

"Why would someone tamper with this stuff?" Seifer inquired. 

"To ruin the Garden Festival!" Selphie answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "To make it seem as if I failed as Garden Festival chairwoman so they could claim the title for themselves." Selphie's eyes darted around the room, searching for any usurpers to her illustrious title. 

Seifer raised an eyebrow as he watched her. "Riiiiight." 

As Selphie continued to search for an unseen foe, Seifer, Raijin and Fujin slowly walked away from her. 

"She sure is a strange girl, ya know," Raijin commented once they were away from Selphie. 

"AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin agreed. 

Seifer smiled and nodded as they made their way to another task. 

An hour and a half later, Balamb Garden was gliding south over the plains to the ocean. They were supposed to arrive in Winhill at 0830 hours. Seifer lay in his dorm room, the gentle motion and the dull hum of the Garden rumbling his mind into a relaxed state. Without thinking, his gaze drifted over to the nightstand where the picture of he and Quistis usually rested in it's silver frame. The picture was gone and at first Seifer didn't know why. He then remembered that he had put it in the drawer of the nightstand so it didn't fall off and get broken while Garden was on it's way to Winhill. 

At first, Seifer hadn't even wanted to go to the Garden Festival. He had thought that being around so many happy couples (as it was customary to take a date to the Festival) would be too hard on him. He was starting to adjust more, thanks to the training center, but it still hurt so much that he figured it would be a lot better for him not to go. His original plan had been to stay in Balamb or maybe go into Deling City. He had casually mentioned his plan once at lunch and Selphie had practically tore his head off for even thinking of missing her Garden Festival. And so, here he was, on his way to Winhill with the rest of the Garden. 

Since Selphie had wakened him up at such an unHynely hour, Seifer decided to try and get some rest before they reached Winhill. He knew that once he got there he wouldn't have much down time so it was best to catch a few Zs while he could. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. 

----------------------------------------------- 

_She sighed deeply as she held her head in her hands. "Seifer, if you would just concentrate, you could do this." _

"I've done this stuff a thousand times Instructor," Seifer groaned, "Why do I have to learn it again? And besides, we've been at this for hours. Can't we take a break?" 

"Not until you tell me how to summon Doomtrain from the Solomon Ring," she insisted and lifted her head up. 

"Fine!" Seifer relented, "Summoning Doomtrain is a complicated process that I don't give a shit about!" 

"Damn it Seifer!" she cursed, "You are never going to be a SeeD if you don't get this stuff down!" 

"Excuse me Instructor," Seifer spat, "But how to extract a GF from an antique ring is not number one on my list of things to know." 

"Well it should be!" she hissed. 

Both blondes fell silent as Selphie and Rinoa approached form the front of the library, each carrying a tray. They sat the trays down on the table in front of the teacher and student. 

"We thought you two could use a snack," Selphie announced cheerfully. 

"Thank you Rinny, thank you Selphie," she thanked. 

"How'd you get this food into the library?" Seifer questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

"Cammi's working today," Rinoa answered, "we explained what we were doing and she let us in. Well, we'll let you two get back to work. Bye!" The two girls left the blondes alone once again. 

"Now, where were we?" she asked and began shuffling through the papers on the table in front of her. 

"You were about to let me have a break," Seifer offered. 

"Oh," she said, "well then, that means you were about to tell me how to summon Doomtrain from the Solomon Ring." 

"Hyne woman!" Seifer exclaimed, "You're not gonna give up are you?" 

She smiled sweetly. "Not until you pass that SeeD exam." 

"Thank you." 

She blinked a few times. "What?" 

"I said thank you," Seifer repeated, although this time a little less sincere. 

"For what?" She was quite confused by his sudden civility. 

"For not giving up," Seifer told her, "for pushing me, for sticking by me. I may not show it, but I really appreciate it." 

She looked deep into his green eyes to see if he was messing with her and was very surprised to see no signs of taunting in the emerald depths, only gratitude. "Y…you're welcome Seifer." 

Angelica awoke slowly. She knew immediately that she had had another dream. She wasn't surprised, she had had one every night for the past four nights. She also knew that trying to remember what the dream had been about would only succeed in giving her a headache. The only thing she could remember for certain from each dream were those beautiful green eyes that she had come to love despite the fact that she didn't know who or what they belonged to. She was starting to think they were his eyes, the eyes of the man she was engaged to. It puzzled her though because she had seen so many different emotions reflected in those eyes: love, annoyance, hatred, evil, gratitude, arrogance, fear and hope. She had no idea why the man she was supposed to marry would have hatred in his eyes when he looked at her. 

Angelica pushed the blankets off her and got out of bed. She got dressed quickly, taking care to pick out the perfect outfit. Balamb Garden was landing today and she wanted to look her best when she went to see Miss Tilmitt. She chose a peach ensemble that she had bought a few days ago when she had gone to Timber with Analise Lockheart and her children. The outfit consisted of a vest-like tank top that zipped up the front and matching colored skirt. The top was just long enough to reach the top of the skirt and the skirt went about to knee length. The outfit was topped off with a pair of knee high black boots. As Angelica looked at herself in the mirror, she decided that she liked the outfit a lot but something was missing. Without thinking, she pulled her hair back, leaving two pieces hanging down in front, and twisted it at the nape of her neck. She picked up a reddish brown hairclip and fastened the hair at the top of her head, allowing the bottom of her hair to fold over the clip. She admired the updo in the mirror and decided it was perfect. 

Out it the kitchen, Marta chatted nonstop about the Garden Festival. As soon as she had known about the Festival being held in Winhill, the elderly woman had run out and bought them all tickets. Now those tickets rested in front of her as she spoke giddily about the Festival. 

"They're having a concert this year," Marta explained, "and a talent show. When we went last time…" 

Angelica's thoughts drifted from Marta's words to her own worries. Would Miss Tilmitt see her? She would be very busy today and probably wouldn't have time to see her. What if she did agree to see her? Would she be able to help her? Angelica's thoughts slipped away as Marta suddenly stopped her chattering and her attention was focused on the older woman again. 

"Listen," Marta instructed. James and Angelica strained their ears to catch what Marta had. Suddenly, Angelica heard it. It was a low hum that seemed to be getting louder as they listened. A huge smile broke out on Marta's face. 

"It's the Garden!" she exclaimed and jumped from her seat, urging the others to do the same. They did and soon the three were outside, with a large group of townsfolk waiting for the Garden to come into view. They had all been told that the Garden would come up the beach and land towards the far end of Winhill where the shops were located. 

Everyone was looking towards the beach as the humming grew louder and louder. Suddenly, a huge blue ship-type vessel came into view, gliding quickly across the water. It headed straight for the beach and Angelica watched in surprise as the blue Garden lifted out of the water, revealing a golden, circular object spinning underneath. The Garden came up on the beach and headed towards the far end of town. As it passed, people could be seen waving from one of the balconies. The people of Winhill waved back as Balamb Garden landed at the far end of town. Once it was down, the crowd began to move towards it. Angelica started to follow but a glance at her watch told her it was time to go to work. She groaned in frustration. She had wanted to catch a glimpse of Miss Tilmitt this morning in hopes that seeing her would jog Angelica's memory. _Guess I'll have to wait,_ she thought. 

"Marta, I have to go to work," Angelica informed. 

"Are you sure dear?" Marta asked, "it'll only take a few minutes to see the Garden up close." 

"Don't worry," Angelica assured, "I'll see it tonight." 

"All right," Marta agreed, "have a good day at work." 

"I will," Angelica promised and headed towards Raine's Pub while the crowd hurried to see Balamb Garden close up. When she reached the Pub, she was surprised to find the door locked. Angelica looked down at her watch. It read 8:58. She cupped her hands around her face and looked through the window. Inside, the Pub was dark but Angelica could see the cook, Lili, sitting on a barstool and flipping through a magazine. Angelica knocked on the window to get Lili's attention. The dark haired woman looked up and seeing Angelica was waiting, opened the door for her. 

"Where's Pete?" the blonde asked once she was inside. 

"He went with the rest of those nitwits to see the Garden," Lili informed and went back to flipping through her magazine. 

"You sound like you're not too happy about the Garden being here," Angelica commented and sat on the barstool next to Lili. 

"I'm not," Lili stated simply. "I don't like the Garden, never have, never will." 

"Why not?" Angelica questioned. 

"Well, my younger sister Xu is a SeeD," Lili explained, "she joined the Garden when she was twelve. My parents tried to stop her but once you sign the papers, the Garden owns you. My father was so angry that he disowned her and my mother was so upset that she had a massive heart attack and died." 

"I'm so sorry," Angelica whispered. 

"Yeah well, it was a long time ago," Lili shrugged. 

"Do you and your sister still talk?" Angelica asked. 

"Occasionally," Lili replied, "At first, I blamed her for our mother's death. Over the years, we've reconciled but we aren't close like we used to be. She'll probably be in here later. I'll introduce you to her, you'd like her." 

"Okay," Angelica agreed. 

A few minutes later, the door opened and Pete entered. 

"It's about time you got back," Lili said and sat her magazine aside. 

"Hey, just because you don't like the Garden doesn't mean I don't," Pete informed. He looked at the blonde sitting next to the cook. "Angelica, what are you doing here? Why aren't you out at the Garden with the others?" 

"I didn't want to be late for work," Angelica explained. 

"Good girl," Pete praised, "but we probably won't be that busy this morning. Everyone is out at the Garden." 

Lili picked her magazine back up and the three began to wait. 

------------------------------------------------ 

"Booyaka!" Selphie exclaimed and pumped her fists in the air, "we're here! Now here's the plan. Squall and Rinny are going to talk to the mayor and do all the schmoozing. The rest of us are going to decorate and set up for the Festival!" 

Everyone nodded, knowing that arguing with the petite brunette could be hazardous to their health. Squall and Rinoa turned to leave the Garden and inconspicuously, Seifer began to follow them. 

"Seifer!" Selphie called, "where do you think you're going?" 

The blonde man stopped and turned around. _Dammit! She saw me!_ "Um, I was just going to duck out for a minute and explore the town, maybe get a drink…" 

"Without Fujin and Raijin?" Zell questioned from behind Selphie. Seifer narrowed his eyes at the younger SeeD. 

"Oh," Selphie smiled, "I thought maybe you were trying to get out of decorating." Her smiled faded and she glared daggers at Seifer. "But of course, you wouldn't do that, WOULD YOU?" Seifer shook his head quickly. "I didn't think so. Listen up everybody! No one leaves the Garden until the Quad is decorated for the Festival!" 

"But Selphie…" Irvine, who was standing next to her, started. He was cut off as fiery green eyes rested on him. "Uh, never mind." 

Selphie turned her jade gaze back to Seifer. "I've got a special job for you," she told the tall blonde, "You get to hang the crepe paper on the stage…with Zell." 

"Noooooooooooooo!" 

------------------------------------------------- 

"Did you see the Garden this morning?" the man at the bar asked the bartender. 

"Yep," Pete nodded, "I watched it land and then went down and watched the commander and his girlfriend greet the mayor." 

"The commander is Squall Leonhart, right?" the man asked. 

By one of the nearby tables, Angelica could hear their conversation by the bar. When the man mentioned Squall Leonhart, the image of a man with shaggy brown hair, cold blue eyes and a scar between his eyes flashed into her head. She froze suddenly, trying to figure out where the image of the scarred man had come from and why the name Squall Leonhart had triggered it. Had the image been of Squall Leonhart? 

"Angie?" 

Her name snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yes?" 

"Are you all right?" the man whose order she was taking, Mr. Linney, asked. 

"I'm fine," Angelica smiled and finished writing down the orders while still listening to the conversation at the bar. 

"He's Raine's son," Pete said. 

"Raine that used to own this pub?" the man asked in disbelief. 

"The very same," Pete nodded. 

Angelica walked past the bar and hung up the order for Lili. She turned back to the dining room area. Leonhart. That was the name she had called Dr. Lockheart by accident. It seemed that everything was leading her back to the Garden. She suddenly couldn't wait to get off work. 

--------------------------------------------------- 

"You're doing it all wrong man!" Zell exclaimed. 

Seifer stopped trying to staple a piece of pink crepe paper to the stage and glared at the tattooed man. "And what is the right way?" 

"You have to staple one end, then twist the crepe paper before stapling the other end," Zell informed. 

"Thank you Martha Stewart," Seifer grumbled and twisted the fragile paper as tight as he could without tearing it. He then started to staple the other end up. 

"No no no no no!" Zell cried. 

"What now?!" Seifer shouted. 

"I didn't say wrap it up like that!" Zell told him, "I said twist it, just a little. Tsk, here, give it to me." Zell held out his hand expectantly. At that moment, Selphie walked by. 

"I can't work like this!" Seifer shouted to her. 

"I'm not listening!" Selphie put her hands over her ears and kept walking. 

"I need a drink!" Seifer called. 

"Hey Almasy." 

Seifer looked down and his eyes fell on Xu. "Can I help you?" 

"I'm going to the Pub in Winhill later," Xu informed, "My sister works there. If you want, I can bring you back something." 

"Thank Xu," Seifer said, surprised by her generosity, "I'll take a Screwdriver." 

Xu nodded but didn't leave. She continued to stare up at Seifer until he raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

"Is there something else you wanted?" Seifer inquired. Suddenly, a smirk emerged on his lips. "Oh I get it. I'm flattered Xu but I'm not ready to date yet." 

"Oh please," Xu scoffed and rolled her eyes, "dream on Almasy. I just wanted to get some money out of you. I'll go get you a drink but I'm not paying for it." 

Seifer dug in his pocket and pulled out twenty gil. He handed it to Xu. "Keep the change." 

"I planned on it." Xu grinned and left the Quad. 

-------------------------------------------------- 

Angelica walked into the dining area and sat down the plates she had been carrying on their table. She looked down at her watch. 4:47. The day seemed to be dragging on forever and she had looked at her watch about every five minutes. It seemed that Pete had seen her and sensed her anticipation because he called her over when she was on her way back to the kitchen. She walked over to him. 

"I've noticed that you seem to be in a hurry to leave," Pete told her. 

"Yes actually," Angelica admitted, "I've got something kind of important I want to do." 

"Well in that case, take the rest of the day off," Pete told her. 

"Are you sure?" Angelica asked. 

"It's only ten minutes," Pete said. He got into the cash register and gave her her pay for the day. "Take care Angie. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Thanks Pete." Angelica pulled off her apron and stuck it under the counter at the bar. "I really appreciate this." 

"No problem," Pete assured. 

Angelica thanked him again and hurried back to the Ericson's house. 

------------------------------------------------------ 

Only a few minutes after Angelica had left the Pub, a dark haired woman entered and walked up to the bar. 

"What can I do for you?" Pete asked. 

"I was wondering if Lili was working today," the woman stated. 

"Yeah, she's here, just a sec." Pete turned towards the kitchen. "Lili! Xu's here to see you!" When he looked back, the brunette was smiling at him. 

"I didn't think you recognized me," Xu said. 

"I wasn't sure at first," Pete admitted, "although the outfit should've tipped me off." 

Xu looked down at her SeeD uniform. "Yeah well, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of them once Selphie let's them leave the Garden." 

Lili came out of the kitchen and smiled at her little sister. "Hey Xu, good to see you." 

"Good to see you too, Li," Xu smiled back. 

"Hey I want to introduce you to someone." Lili looked around the Pub. "Where's Angie?" 

"I let her go home early," Pete informed, "She said she had something important to do." 

"Ten minutes early? Wow Pete, you're so nice," Lili quipped. She turned back to Xu. "Oh well, you can meet her some other time. Come on; let's go back to the kitchen. You can help me cook." 

"Ha!" Xu laughed and the sisters disappeared into the kitchen. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

"Marta I'm home!" Angelica called as she stepped into the house. Marta hurried out of the kitchen. 

"Oh, I'm glad!" Marta exclaimed, "I wanted to ask you if you could run down to the item shop and pick me up a potion of two, My knee's acting up again and I don't want it to cause me trouble while I'm enjoying the Festival." 

"Sure, I'll go," Angelica agreed, "I have something I want to do too and the item shop is on the way." 

Marta smiled knowingly. "You want to see the Garden up close, don't you? Well, you go right ahead. Just be back before six-thirty. We're walking with the Lockheart's to the Festival. Oh, and here." She picked up about twenty gil that had been sitting on the table. "For the potions." 

Angelica's forehead crinkled in confusion as she took the money. "But aren't the potions 100 gil each?" 

"Only for outsiders," Marta explained, "For people in Winhill they're only 10 gil." 

"Oh, okay," Angelica acknowledged, "I'm going then. I don't know when I'll be back but I promise it will be before 6:30." 

All right, be careful," Marta said. 

"I will," Angelica promised and left house and headed towards the far end of town. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"How did we get stuck pulling guard duty?" the blonde cadet, Rory, complained. 

"Quit whining," the brunette, Kiana sighed, "You are driving me crazy! You know why we got this assignment, because we are the newest students, the bottom of the totem pole, as they say." 

"Well it sucks," Rory stated, "I'm so bored!" 

They fell silent as a beautiful blonde woman approached their position outside the Garden. She stopped in front of them and smiled. 

"Hello," Angelica greeted. 

"Hi," Rory smiled, his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him. 

Kiana rolled her eyes. "How can we help you?" 

"I was wondering if it's possible to see Miss Selphie Tilmitt," Angelica told them. 

"Can I ask your name?" Rory inquired. 

"Angelica," she answered. 

"Angelica what?" Rory prodded, obviously more interested in getting to know her than finding out her business at the Garden. 

Angelica thought for a moment. She didn't want to explain her whole situation to these people so she said the first name she thought of. "Ericson, Angelica Ericson." 

"I'm sorry Miss Ericson," Kiana apologized, "but Miss Tilmitt is busy with the final preparations for the Garden Festival." 

"A…are you sure there's no way I can see her now?" Angelica asked, her hope crumbling, "It's important." 

"I'm sorry," Kiana repeated, "she's very busy. I can tell her you came by." 

"Thank you," Angelica nodded and walked away. She hurried back to the item shop and entered. 

"Hello Angie," James greeted, "what a surprise! What're you doing here?" 

"Marta asked me to pick up two potions for her," Angelica informed, "her knee is acting up again." 

"Are you okay Angie?" James questioned, "you seem upset." 

"I'm fine," Angelica smiled. 

"Good. Well, I'm done with work so I'll get those potions and walk home with you," James said. 

"Okay," Angelica agreed. James got the potions, closed up the shop and the two of them headed home. 

***

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!" Marta urged as they walked down the dirt road with the Lockhearts towards the Garden. 

"Calm down Marta," James chuckled, "we're early as it is and we're almost there." 

"Marta's right, let's hurry," Tifa agreed, "We wanna get good seats." 

The group quickened their pace and they reached the Garden with plenty of time to spare. Their tickets were taken and they found their seats about ten rows back from the stage. They sat down to wait. 

As they waited, Angelica let her eyes wander over the crowd. The first two rows were filled with SeeDs and students of the Garden. A few chairs were empty but they filled up quickly. As she watched the people file in, her eyes fell on a tall blonde man flanked by a taller dark skinned man and a pale silver haired woman. The blonde man wore a gray trench coat with red crosses on the sleeves. She watched as the man and his companions made their way to the front row and sat down between a raven-haired woman in a black dress and a man in a tan coat and black cowboy hat. 

As more people poured in and the time grew closer to seven, Angelica kept her eyes on the man in the gray trench coat. She had no idea why she was so enamored with him but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him. She hadn't seen his face as he walked past her but she could tell he was handsome by the way every girl who walked by him would smile and wave flirtatiously. She had no idea why, but she wanted to slap every single one of them into the next town. She continued to be enamored by the blonde until a petite brunette in a yellow sundress came out on the crepe papered stage. 

"Hi everyone and thanks for coming to the ninth annual Balamb Garden Festival!" the brunette chirped into the microphone, "You're in for a real treat tonight! We have a great show in store for you. We'll start off with the Balamb Garden Talent Show. I, Selphie Tilmitt, will be your host. Now let's meet the judges." 

_So that's Selphie Tilmitt,_ Angelica thought, _She sure is hyper._

"Our first judge is the Headmistress of Balamb Garden, Mrs. Edea Kramer!" Selphie announced. The spotlight fell on the dark haired woman next to the blonde man in the gray trench coat. The crowd clapped and quieted down as Selphie continued. "Our next judge is Balamb Garden's resident library goddess, Cammi Jinzyle!" The spotlight fell on a brunette woman with a pigtail in the front row. More clapping was heard and a lot of cheering a whistling from the spiky haired blonde man next to her. "And last but certainly not least, the President of Esthar and my favorite soldier, Laguna Loire!" The spotlight came to rest on a brown haired man with a ponytail. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and waved with his other hand. Around the Garden, most people clapped but a lot of the residents of Winhill, especially the older ones, remained silent or leaned over and whispered things to their companions. Angelica saw Marta lean over and heard her whisper "He's got a lot of nerve coming back here," to James. She didn't know the reason for the animosity but hoped that someone would explain it later. 

"Now, let's get on with the show!" Selphie announced, "Our first act is a comedian who is sure to have your sides splitting with laughter. Let's give a warm welcome to Blair Jenson!" 

Angelica watched and laughed as the comedian went through his routine. After him came a baton twirler, a mime, a piano player, a juggler and a singer. Finally it was time for the last act of the talent show. 

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, while the judges tally up their votes, it is my pleasure to introduce to you Miss Rinoa Heartilly and her super dog Angelo!" 

Angelica's head snapped up and she watched as a raven-haired woman in a blue duster entered from the side of the stage followed by a brown, black and white dog. _Angelo,_ Angelica thought. _The dog's name is Angelo. Everything keeps leading me back to Balamb Garden._

After the woman and her dog finished their tricks, Selphie announced the winner of the Talent Show as the singer, Julie Eriol. After that, the band was introduced and they began to play. Their set lasted twenty minutes and then Selphie came back onto the stage. 

"That's it folks! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to see you all next year!" 

People began to leave the Garden Quad and Angelica turned her gaze back to the man in the gray trench coat. He still sat in his seat, talking to the people around him. Angelica had hoped he would walk out before they left so she could see his face and maybe make eye contact with him but these hopes were dashed when Marta and James stood up to leave. Angelica tore her gaze away from the blonde man and followed the Ericsons out fo the Garden. 


	8. Reunion

I'm so sorry it took so long for this update! With all the crazyness of Thanksgiving (or as I like to call it, the Turkey Day of Doom) I didn't get a chance to write until Saturday. This chapter's a long one so I hope it makes up for the wait. Enjoy!   
****************************************** 

  


Chapter 8: Reunion

  


"Wasn't the Garden Festival wonderful?" Marta gushed as the trio sipped coffee at the breakfast table. 

"Yep," James agreed as he read the morning newspaper. On the front page was a picture of Balamb Garden and above it in huge black letters were the words "GARDEN FESTIVAL IS HUGE SUCCESS." 

"Did you enjoy yourself Angelica?" Marta asked. 

"Yes," Angelica answered, "I had a lot of fun." In fact, she had been thinking about the man in the gray trench coat since last night. She hadn't been able to get him off her min and had even had a dream about him. Strangely, she remembered the entire dream except what he looked like. 

After breakfast, Angelica said goodbye to her surrogate parents and left the house to go to work. As she made her way to Raine's Pub, her eyes wandered over to the blue towering shape that was Balamb Garden. The Garden would be leaving today at 5:30pm and Angelica hoped she would have time to see Selphie Tilmitt before their departure. She was also hoping to see the man in the gray trench coat again before he and the rest of the Garden returned to Balamb. 

Angelica reached the Pub and walked in. Pete was standing behind the bar and smiled as she entered. 

"Angie, how ya doing?" he greeted, "did you catch the Garden Festival last right?" 

"Yes," Angelica replied, "did you?" 

"Are you kidding?" Pete chuckled, "I was waiting outside the Garden at 5:45. Hey, how'd you like the band?" 

"They were boring," Lili interjected as she came out of the kitchen. 

"You went?" Pete inquired. 

"Xu made me," Lili told him, "Speaking of Xu," she turned to Angelica, "she came by yesterday but you were already gone. She said she'd come by again today before she leaves." 

A sudden idea struck Angelica. "Lili, does your sister know Selphie Tilmitt, the director of the Garden Festival?" 

"I think so," Lili replied, "why?" 

"Do you think she could set up a meeting between me and Miss Tilmitt?" Angelica asked eagerly. 

"I could ask her when she comes in," Lili offered. 

"Thank you!" Angelica exclaimed, "I would appreciate it so much!" 

"No problem," Lili smiled at the energetic blonde. 

"Heads up guys," Pete said as he stared out the window, "here comes the morning rush." 

Angelica grabbed her apron, put it on quickly and got to work. 

----------------------------------------------------- 

"Let's go into Winhill for breakfast this morning," Seifer suggested as the posse walked down the dorm hallway, "I've had enough cafeteria food to last me a lifetime." 

"I agree ya know," Raijin nodded. 

"What about you Fu?" Seifer asked, "Are you coming too?" 

"YES." 

The trio left the dorm hallway and began the walk around the Garden towards the front gate. As they passed the infirmary, Seifer spotted Xu heading towards the elevator. 

"Xu!" he called. The brunette stopped and turned in the direction that they were approaching from. A frown encased her lips as she saw who had called to her. 

"What do you want Almasy?" Xu questioned suspiciously. 

"Me, Raijin and Fujin were on our way into Winhill to get breakfast," Seifer started. 

"You're not inviting me along are you?" Xu interrupted. 

"As much as you'd like that, no," Seifer told her. Xu glared as Seifer continued. "I wanted to ask you where you're sister works and if she's a good cook." 

"She works at Raine's Pub," Xu answered, "and yes, she's a good cook." 

"All right. Thanks Xu." Seifer waved as the older woman got into the elevator and disappeared behind the doors. Seifer and his friends continued out of the Garden and into the town of Winhill. 

"Now, which building is the Pub?" Seifer questioned as he stood in the middle of the cobblestone plaza and looked around at the unmarked buildings. 

"Maybe you should've asked Xu for directions, ya know," Raijin suggested. He yelped in pain as Fujin's foot slammed into his shin. 

"IDIOT." 

"Ow, Fu," Raijin whined, "You don't have to be so rough ya know." 

"SHUT UP." 

"Guys, focus," Seifer ordered, "we're trying to find the Pub remember?" 

The two friends nodded and began looking around. After a few moments, Seifer felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Fujin pointing a pale finger towards a building on the left side of the town where two men and a woman had just emerged. 

"PUB." 

"Good work, Fu," Seifer praised, "come on, let's go." 

The posse made their way to the Pub and entered to the jingling of bells. 

---------------------------------------------------- 

Angelica picked up the plates off the table that Mr. and Mrs. Curtis and Mr. Linney had just vacated. Her back was to the door but when she heard the bells on the door jingle, she spun around with a smile on her face and the plates still in her hands. 

"I'll be right with…" The words died on her lips as she saw who had just entered the Pub. It was the man in the gray trench coat and his two friends. They were talking when they entered but turned their attention to her when they heard her voice. The blonde man's eyes fell on her and he stopped dead in his tracks, as did the other two. As they stared at each other across the Pub, Angelica realized that his eyes were green and were the same emerald pools she had seen in so many of her dreams. Before she could stop it, a name slipped out of her lips. 

"Seifer." 

"Quistis?" the blonde man questioned, his eyes wide. Without warning, he rushed towards her. She instinctively took a step back and hit the table. The blonde man stopped in front of her and stared at her intently, his eyes full of surprise and relief. 

"Quistis, is it really you?" he whispered, "What are you doing here?" 

"I…" Angelica started. 

"Hey!" Pete called loudly but the blonde man ignored him. He grabbed the dishes away from Angelica and sat them aside. Angelica stared up at him, not sure what to do. The blonde man grabbed her hands and she tried to pull away but he didn't seem to notice. 

"Hyne, I thought you were dead," he told her and his eyes filled with tears. He blinked them away quickly. "Why didn't you come back to the Garden?" Suddenly the relief in his eyes was replaced with suspicion and he narrowed the green orbs at her. "Quisty, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?" 

"Leave her alone!" Angelica looked over and saw that Pete was standing next to them. His face was red and he looked angry. "Get away from her!" 

The blonde man turned towards the burly bartender and glared. "Back off old man." 

"Get out of here right now!" Pete ordered, "or I'll call the police!" 

The blonde man turned to Angelica. "What's wrong Quistis? Why are you acting like you're afraid of me?" 

"Come on Seifer," the dark man urged while prying the blonde man's hands off of Angelica's, "Let's go, ya know." 

"GO," the silver haired woman agreed, "NOW." She began helping the other man drag the frustrated blonde out of the Pub. 

"Let go of me dammit!" he shouted, "What the Hell are you doing?!" 

His friends drug him to the front and disappeared out the door. Once they were gone, Angelica took a trembling breath and looked over at Pete. Her entire body was shaking violently. 

"Are you okay Angie?" Lili came rushing out of the kitchen. 

"I…I think so," Angelica stammered. 

"Who was that guy?" Pete asked, "do you know him?" 

"No," Angelica replied, "I mean, I think so." She sighed in frustration. "I don't know." 

"I've never seen him around here before," Pete commented, "Do you think he's from the Garden?" 

"Probably," Lili agreed, "They all had weapons. I'll give my sister a call and tell her about what happened. I'm sure she can get someone to take care of it." Lili picked up the phone behind the bar and dialed. After a brief conversation in which she described the blonde man, his friends and what had happened, she hung up and turned back to the bartender and the frightened waitress. 

"Xu said that judging by the description I gave her, the man was Seifer Almasy," Lili informed, "she says he's a pain in the ass and will make sure he's taken care of." 

"Seifer?" Pete repeated, "isn't that what you called him when he walked in?" 

Angelica nodded slowly. "Maybe I do know him." 

"I think you should take the rest of the day off," Pete suggested, "I know that guy scared you." 

"Yeah," Angelica agreed, "I think you're right." She slipped off her apron and grabbed her sweater. 

"I'll check and make sure that guy is gone," Lili offered. She ran to the front of the Pub and looked out the window. The blonde man and his friends were nowhere to be seen. "Coast is clear." 

Angelica and Pete walked to the front door where Lili held it open. "We'll stay here and watch until you get inside the house," Pete assured. 

"Thank you," Angelica said and left the Pub. She walked quickly across the plaza, more for Pete and Lili than for herself. She had the distinct feeling that the blonde man, Seifer, wouldn't have hurt her. Once she reached the Ericson's front door, she turned and waved towards the Pub to let them know she was safe, then entered the house. 

---------------------------------------------------- 

Raijin and Fujin drug Seifer out of the Pub and back towards the far end of Winhill. They were almost back to the Garden when Seifer stopped struggling. They instinctively loosened their grips. 

"What is wrong with you?" Seifer raged, "Why did you drag me out of there? That was Quistis!" 

"Something's wrong ya know," Raijin told him, "I don't think she remembers us, ya know." 

"What do you mean?" Seifer asked. 

"AMNESIA," Fujin offered. 

"Amnesia?" Seifer repeated in confusion, "You think Quistis has amnesia?" 

"It makes sense, ya know," Raijin said, "why else would she act like she didn't know you, ya know? It's a proven fact that severe trauma can cause amnesia, ya know." His two companions stared at him questioningly, wondering where the sudden intelligent thought had come from. "What?" 

"NOTHING." 

"I think you're right," Seifer agreed after a few moments of deliberation, "we need to get back to the Garden and tell the others. They'll figure out what to do." 

Seifer took off at a run towards the Garden. Raijin and Fujin looked at each other questioningly and hurried to catch up. 

----------------------------------------------------- 

"Angelica, what are you doing home so early?" Marta questioned as she stepped into the entryway. 

"Pete told me he didn't need me today," she lied and petted Tank's head. 

"Are you all right dear?" Marta asked after seeing Angelica's pale complexion. 

"I'm fine," Angelica assured, "Um, if it's all right with you, I'd like to take a walk on the beach for a while." 

"Of course that's fine," Marta smiled, "why don't you take Tank with you, just in case?" 

"Okay," Angelica agreed, "I'll be back in a little while. Come on Tank." She and the dog left the house and made their way down to the beach. 

Once she reached the sandy shore, Angelica let her mind wander to her encounter with Seifer Almasy this morning. _Does he know who I am?_ she thought, _He acted like he did but he kept calling me Quistis. Did he mistake me for someone else? If that's the case, why did I call him by name? No, he must know me. Maybe my name isn't really Angelica._

"This is all so confusing!" Angelica shouted. Tank looked up at her questioningly. Angelica smiled and scratched his ears. "Don't mind me, I'm just having a bad day." As if understanding her, Tank's lips curved back into a doggy smile and they continued down the beach. 

------------------------------------------------------ 

The posse burst into the Garden with determined looks on their faces and headed straight towards the elevator. Many of the students who saw the posse made a point to get out of their way and the ones who were unfortunate enough to get in their way weren't there for long. They reached the elevator and pressed the button to call it from the other floors. They waited impatiently for the elevator and when it finally arrived, the doors slid open to reveal Xu. She smiled sinisterly at Seifer when she saw him. 

"Seifer Almasy," she grinned, "just the man I was looking for." 

"I don't have time for your shit right now Xu," Seifer told her as they crowded into the elevator. He pushed the button for the third floor. 

"What business do you have on the third floor?" the brunette asked, knowing no one could have relayed her message yet. 

"I need to talk to Squall," Seifer replied, "it's important." 

"What a coincidence," Xu said, "Squall needs to talk to you as well." 

Seifer shot a glance over at Xu but turned back forward as the elevator doors opened to reveal the third floor lobby. He hurried out of the elevator car and towards Squall's office. He barged in quickly, leaving the stunned secretary shouting after him. The blue-eyed commander looked up from the paperwork on his desk when he heard the older man enter. 

"Seifer," Squall greeted, "I didn't expect to see you so soon." 

"I need to talk to you," Seifer began. 

Squall held up his hand to cut him off. "First, I want to talk to you about a report I got today from a local pub." Before Seifer could respond, Squall continued. "Xu's sister called and told her a man was harassing a waitress in their pub and the description fit you perfectly. What were you doing?" 

"If you'll just shut up for a second, I'll tell you!" Seifer shouted, "the waitress that I was 'harassing' is Quistis!" 

Squall stared at him blankly. "What?" 

"Quistis is alive!" Seifer exclaimed, "She's working at that Pub!" 

"Seifer," Squall started and a sympathetic look filled his slate colored eyes, "I know how hard it was for you to accept Quisty's death, but you have to let her go." 

"You think I'm making this up?" Seifer demanded in disbelief, "that I imagined it?" Squall didn't answer. "If you don't believe me, fine. Ask Fujin and Raijin. They saw her too." 

Squall sighed and pushed the intercom on his desk. "Adia?" 

"Yes Mr. Leonhart?" The secretary's voice floated through the speaker. 

"Are Raijin Denko and Fujin Kaze out there?" Squall inquired. 

"Yes sir." 

"Send them in please." 

"Yes sir." 

The office door opened and the remaining members of the posse entered. They each stood next to Seifer, one on each side. They saluted Squall briskly, something Seifer never did. 

"At ease," Squall told them and they relaxed. "Seifer tells me that he saw someone in a pub today. Do you know who it was?" 

"It was Quistis, ya know," Raijin answered. 

"AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin agreed, "QUISTIS." 

Squall sighed again. "Okay. If this was actually Quistis you saw, why is she here? Why did Xu's sister say you were harassing her?" 

"I wasn't harassing her," Seifer insisted, "I was surprised to see her and I might've come on a little strong." 

"Why didn't she come back with you?" Squall questioned. 

"These two dragged me out before I could talk to her." Seifer jerked a thumb towards his two comrades. 

"Wait." Squall held up his hands. "Let me get this straight. You saw Quistis in a pub in Winhill. You talked to her, then upset her. Fujin and Raijin drug you back here. Meanwhile, Xu gets a call from her sister saying that you were harassing a waitress in the pub she works at. Why, during all of these events, didn't Quistis straighten it all out and tell Xu's sister that she knows you?" 

"Fujin and Raijin were under the impression that she didn't remember me," Seifer told him, "I was so happy to see her that my mind wasn't registering her reaction." 

"She didn't remember you?" Squall repeated skeptically, "Why wouldn't she remember you?" 

"AMNESIA," Fujin stated, obviously annoyed by the commander's thick headedness. 

Squall was silent for a moment, trying to let all of the information sink in. Finally, his ice blue eyes fell on Seifer. "Are you absolutely sure that the woman you saw was Quistis? Because I don't want the Garden to get the reputation of some sentimental institute where the commander goes from town to town questioning every blonde woman he comes across in hopes of finding a dead instructor." 

"I swear to you, that was Quistis I saw in the Pub," Seifer said, "no one else could ever be that beautiful." 

"All right," Squall nodded. He pushed the intercom button on his desk. "Adia?" 

"Yes Mr. Leonhart?" 

"Do an all call for Rinoa Heartilly, Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt, Zell Dincht and Cammi Jinzyle. Have them report to my office immediately. If Xu is out there, have her come in too. Also, call Headmaster and Headmistress Kramer and tell them I need to speak with them as soon as possible. Tell the it's important." 

"Yes sir." 

Squall looked back up at the green-eyed SeeD. "You'd better be right." 

-------------------------------------------------- 

The bells on the door jingled and Pete looked up. He smiled as he saw Xu enter with two other people. The man he recognized as Commander Squall Leonhart and the woman was his girlfriend, Rinoa Heartilly. 

"Hey Xu," he greeted, "what can I do for you?" 

"Hello Pete," Xu smiled. She turned to her companions. "Guys, this is Pete Collier. He owns this Pub." She pointed at Squall. "This is Commander Squall Leonhart…" 

Pete wiped his hands on a bar towel and came around the bar. He extended his hand. "It's an honor to meet you Mr. Leonhart. I knew your mother, she was a wonderful woman." The commander nodded as the two men shook hands. 

"And this is Rinoa Heartilly," Xu continued and pointed at Rinoa. 

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Heartilly." Pete shook her hand. 

The raven-haired woman smiled warmly. "Pleased to meet you." 

"We're here to discuss the problem you encountered with one of our SeeDs this morning," Xu finished, "Is Lili still here? I'd like to get her input on this also." 

"Sure." Pete turned back to the kitchen. "Lili! Xu's here and she wants to talk to you!" 

A second later, the dark-haired cook emerged from the back. "Hey Xu, what's up?" 

"This is Commander Squall Leonhart and this is Rinoa Heartilly," Xu introduced, "Guys, this is my sister Lili." They all shook hands. "We're here to talk to you about Seifer Almasy." 

"That jerk who was harassing Angie this morning?" Lili questioned, "I hope you punish him good, he scared the Hell out of poor Angelica." 

"Let's have a seat," Pete suggested. Since the bar was empty, the five of them sat around a nearby table. 

"So," Lili started after they had all taken a seat, "What did you want to know about this morning?" 

"First, why don't you tell everyone exactly what you told me on the phone," Xu answered. Lili nodded and relayed the events from earlier in the day. 

"Where is Angelica now?" Squall questioned. He was eager to see if the woman was Quistis and didn't want to waste any more time in the Pub. 

"Pete sent her home," Lili replied, "Why?" 

"We'd like to question her also," Rinoa told them, "to get her side of the story and see if she wants to press charges against Seifer. Can you tell us where she lives?" 

"Sure." It was Pete who answered this time. "She lives right across the plaza with the Ericsons." 

"With the Ericsons?" Squall repeated, "Doesn't she live with her family?" 

"She doesn't have any family in Winhill," Pete informed, "the Ericsons found her washed up on the beach about a month ago and they took her in." 

"Why did she wash up on the beach?" Rinoa interrogated, "What happened to her? Why didn't she got back to her family?" A gentle hand on her arm stopped the sorceress' questions. She looked up at Squall and smiled sheepishly. In front of her, Pete and Lili were staring at her in confusion and surprise. 

"She doesn't know what happened to her," Lili informed, "she can't remember. She has amnesia. Her entire memory is gone." 

"Thank you," Squall said and quickly stood up, "We appreciate your cooperation." 

"N…no problem," Pete stuttered as the three SeeDs got ready to leave. 

"She lives at the Ericsons house," Xu repeated, "right across the plaza?" 

"Yes," Lili confirmed as she stood also, "it's the house right there with the flower garden out front." She pointed out the window to the house. "It says 'the Ericsons' by the door." 

"Thank you," Squall said again and the three SeeDs left the bar. They joined the group of Seifer, Fujin, Raijin, Zell, Cammi, Selphie, Irvine and Matron Edea outside. They all looked at Squall, Rinoa and Xu anxiously. 

"Well?" Seifer urged, "What did you find out?" 

"The waitress' name is Angelica," Rinoa informed and she saw their faces fall, "she washed up on the beach about a month ago and was taken in by a family called the Ericsons. She has complete amnesia." 

Around her, eight pairs of eyes lit up. "What're we waiting for? Let's go get out Quisty back!" Irvine shouted. The others agreed and the group started across the plaza towards the Ericsons. Squall led the group and was the one who knocked on the door. It was opened by an elderly woman with gray eyes and white hair. She smiled at Squall. 

"Can I help you?" she asked. 

"Yes," Squall told her, "my name is Commander Squall Leonhart…" 

"Raine's boy?" the woman cut him off, "Oh my Hyne look at you! You're all grown up! Won't you come in?" 

"Thank you," Squall said, a little uncomfortable that everyone in this town seemed to know who he was, "I came by to talk to you about Angelica." 

"Angelica?" the woman's face took on an expression of worry, "Oh no. Did something happen to her?" 

"No," Squall assured and the woman's worry turned to relief, "I need to talk to you about…well, it's complicated. May my friends come in as well?" 

The woman looked past the brunette man and saw a sea of faces crowded around her door. "Of course! How rude of me! I didn't even see them! Come in, come in!" She ushered the crowd into her house and led them into the living room. "My name is Marta Ericson," she told them, "let me get us some coffee and then I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know." 

------------------------------------------------ 

Angelica walked up to the house with Tank beside her. She felt better after her barefoot walk on the beach and had pushed the puzzling questions of the man in the gray trench coat out of her mind. When they got to the door, Tank suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. He then lowered his head and began to whine. 

"What's wrong with you?" Angelica questioned and opened the door. The golden retriever shot into the house the second the door was opened and disappeared into the living room. Angelica closed the door behind her. _We must have company,_ she thought. She quickly put on her shoes that she had been carrying and headed towards the living room. She got to the doorway and saw the room was full of people. All of their eyes were on her as she stood there. 

She smiled warmly as her eyes made their way over the guests. "Hello, I'm Angelica." The group in the living room remained silent and her smile faltered. It disappeared completely when she saw who was sitting in the chair across from the couch, flanked by his ever-present companions. 

"You!" Angelica cried and pointed an accusing finger, "What are you doing here? How did you find out where I live? Did you follow me?" 

"Angelica." 

The blonde woman turned her head and looked down at Marta, who was sitting on a chair brought in from the kitchen. 

"Angelica, sit down." Marta motioned to an empty chair next to her that also belonged to the kitchen set. Angelica took the seat that was offered to her and gazed around the room. In the chair across from the couch sat the man in the gray trench coat, Seifer. His two friends, the pale woman and the dark man, stood on either side of the chair. On the loveseat next to the couch sat a small, dark haired woman who Angelica recognized as Edea Kramer, Balamb Garden's Headmistress. Next to her sat another dark haired woman clad in blue. She was Rinoa Heartilly, the woman who had performed in the talent show with her dog Angelo. Next to Miss Heartilly sat the brunette man she had pictured when Pete and the customer at the bar had mentioned Squall Leonhart. On the couch sat a petite brunette in a yellow sundress that Angelica recognized as Selphie Tilmitt, director and host of the Garden Festival. Next to Miss Tilmitt was the auburn haired cowboy who had sat next to Seifer at the Festival. Next to the cowboy was the brunette judge with the braid, Cammi Jinzyle and next to her sat the blonde man with the spiky hair and huge tattoo on the left side of his face. Next to the couch on another kitchen chair sat a woman with shoulder length brown hair in a SeeD uniform that Angelica didn't recognize. Next to that woman sat Marta and next to Marta she sat, staring around the room in confusion. 

"W…what's going on?" Angelica stammered. 

"These people are from the Garden," Marta explained, "They want to ask you a few questions about your past." 

"My past?" Angelica questioned, "but I don't remember anything." 

"They know," Marta assured, "I told them." 

Angelica detected a hint of despair in the older woman's voice and she didn't like it. She grabbed Marta's hand and squeezed it gently. She was beginning to get angry at these guest whom she knew yet didn't. Her eyes were cerulean fire as she looked around the room. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?" 

"Quistis, there's no reason to get upset," Cammi started. 

"My name is not Quistis!" Angelica shouted, "My name is Angelica!" 

"No, it's not," Marta whispered. 

The fire left her eyes and she stared down at Marta, dumbstruck. "What?" 

"You're name isn't Angelica," she told her, "You're…" The older woman trailed off and looked across the room at Edea pleadingly. Edea nodded. 

"You're name is Quistis," Edea began, "Quistis Angelica Trepe. You are an Instructor at Balamb Garden." 

Angelica stared at the raven-haired woman across from her. She opened her mouth several times to speak but closed it again as the words refused to spill from her lips. Finally, she asked the question that had been haunting her since she had awakened in the bedroom here at the Ericsons. "What happened to me?" 

"You fell." 

Angelica's gaze shifted to the chair where Seifer sat. He had his eyes on the floor but brought them up slowly. Green eyes locked with blue, making Angelica feel as if they were the only two people in the room. 

"The Garden was attacked," Seifer continued, "we were all in the Quad awaiting further orders when that bastard Kaiser Deling and his troops entered." Emerald fire flared in his eyes and he said the name like it was poison on his tongue. "He hit Rinoa with an Ultima spell. You and Selphie went to make sure she was okay and Selphie tried to cast Full Cure but Deling hit her with Holy. The rest of us were fighting the soldiers and I saw him walking towards you. I tried to get to him but it was too late. You tried to cast Shockwave Pulsar but he cast a Flare spell on you before you could. You were so close to the balcony that the impact of the spell sent you over the railing. I tried to get to you but by the time I made it to the balcony, you were already gone." 

Angelica felt tears running down her cheeks as Seifer finished his story. He looked heartbroken by just having to relive the memory and she had a sudden realization. "It's you," she breathed, "you gave me this." She held up her left hand and showed him the diamond engagement ring. 

A smile illuminated Seifer's face. "Yeah, I did." 

She smiled back. It all made sense now, why she had dreamt about him, why she had been so fixated on him at the Garden Festival, why she said his name when she first woke up and why she had called him by name when he had entered the Pub this morning. He was the one. The man she was to be married to. Suddenly, the smile left her face. 

"I'm sorry," Angelica apologized, "I…I don't remember." 

************************************* 

To everyone out there who was mad at me, I hope this makes up for my earlier transgressions. ^_^ 


	9. Goodbyes

Chapter 9: Goodbyes

  


Seifer stared at Quistis and his brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean you don't remember?" 

"I don't remember you," Quistis told him, "I don't remember any of you. I don't remember anything. "I'm so sorry!" The blonde woman began to cry and hid her face in her hands. Marta rubbed her back and Seifer jumped up, preparing to go to her but was stopped by Edea. The black haired woman walked across the living room and knelt down in front of Quistis. She took the sobbing woman's hands into her own and gently pulled them away from her face. 

"Quistis?" Edea called. The blue-eyed woman looked up into the honey gaze of the woman in front of her. "Do not cry my child. It is all right that you do not remember us. We are your friends and family. We will help you to remember." 

Quistis took a shuddering breath. "I…f…feel s…so bad!" 

"You shouldn't," Edea assured, "It isn't your fault." Edea let go of Quistis' hands and pulled a handkerchief out of her dress. She gently dried the blonde's cheeks as her tears subsided. 

Quistis smiled at Edea. "Thank you." Her smile faded and a questioningly look came over her face. "You called me your child. Are you my mother?" 

"In a way, yes," Edea smiled. The questioningly look turned to confusion as Quistis looked at Edea. "Perhaps you would like to hear of you childhood. I think it will help you understand why we are all here." Quistis nodded and Edea continued. "You grew up in an orphanage in Centra run by myself and my husband Cid." 

"We were there too!" Selphie interjected. 

"Yes, there were other children in the orphanage as well," Edea agreed. "Selphie," she pointed to the petite brunette, "Irvine," she pointed to the cowboy, "Zell," her finger moved to the man with the tattoo, "Squall," she pointed at the brunette man with the scar, "and Seifer." She pointed to the blonde man who still stood in front of the chair where Edea had stopped them. "Selphie, Zell and Irvine were adopted out of the orphanage but you, Seifer and Squall remained until Cid and I created the Garden. After that, you were admitted as students there and have been there ever since." 

"And I was an Instructor there?" Quistis questioned. 

"Still are if you want to be," Squall told her. 

Quistis nodded, trying to absorb the information. Finally, she spoke. "So, what do I do now?" 

"We'd like you to come back to the Garden," Edea informed. 

"We think it would be the best place for you to regain your memories," the brunette woman next to the couch spoke for the first time. 

Quistis turned to her. "I'm so sorry. I don't know your name." 

"I'm Xu," the brunette informed. 

"Oh!" Quistis smiled, "you're Lili's sister." 

"Yes," Xu nodded. 

"And you two are…" she pointed to Seifer's comrades. 

"FUJIN," the woman announced. 

"I'm Raijin ya know," the man smiled, "we're Seifer's posse and part of the Disciplinary Committee ya know." Quistis nodded with a smile. 

"What about us?" Rinoa asked and pointed to Cammi, a hurt expression on her face, "You didn't ask us who we are." 

"I already know," Quistis told them, "You're Rinoa Heartilly. You and your dog Angelo performed at the talent show last night. And you are Cammi Jinzyle. You were one of the judges of the talent show." Both women smiled and nodded. 

"So," Squall started after Quistis had finished, "Are you willing to come back to the Garden with us?" 

Quistis frowned. "I don't know. I know I belong there, but I've got a life here in Winhill…" 

"Go," Marta instructed, "this place isn't your home, Garden is. You need to be with your friends and family." 

"But what about you and James?" Quistis questioned, on the verge of tears again. 

"Angeli…Quistis," Marta corrected, "James and I love you very much but we want you to be happy. I know that the only way you can truly be happy is if you regain your memories." 

Quistis nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Edea, who was now standing in front of her. "Is it all right if I say goodbye to my friends here?" 

"Of course," Edea smiled. 

Quistis turned back to Marta. "Can you send word to James that I'm coming by? And also Dr. Lockheart?" 

"I'll have James come home," Marta told her, "We'll be waiting here. I'll also speak with Dr. Lockheart. He may want to come by as well." 

"Thank you," Quistis whispered and stood up. "I'll go say goodbye and then come back." She turned to Seifer. "Will you come with me? I don't want to go alone." 

"Yeah," Seifer agreed without hesitation. He turned to Fujin and Raijin. "You two stay here. I'll be back." 

He walked over to Quistis and the two left the house. As they headed across the plaza, Quistis looked up at the tall blonde. 

"Thank you," she said. 

Seifer looked down at her. "For what?" 

"For coming with me," she clarified with a smile. 

"No problem," he smiled back. 

The couple walked across the plaza and entered Raine's Pub. When she entered, Quistis saw Pete and Lili were both sitting at the bar. They appeared to be deep in discussion and only glanced up quickly when they heard the bells. They did a double take when they realized it was her. 

"Angie!" Lili called, "Xu and some other SeeDs were in here about an hour ago asking questions. Did they find…YOU!" Lili shouted the last word and pointed to the trench coat wearing blonde behind Quistis. "What the Hell are you doing here?! Get away from Angie!" The enraged brunette picked up a chair and began to advance on the blonde man. 

"Lili!" Pete exclaimed and grabbed for the chair that was held above her head threateningly. 

"Lili stop!" Quistis shouted and stepped in front of Seifer to block him from the angry cook. She stopped walking and began to lower the chair before Pete grabbed it from her and sat it down out of her reach. 

"You must be Xu's sister," Seifer chuckled. 

Lili's eyes narrowed. "Why the Hell are you here?" She turned to her friend. "Why are you with this jerk Angie?" 

"Lili he…" She glanced up at Seifer and then looked back at the cook, "He's my fiancé." 

"WHAT?!" Pete and Lili exclaimed in unison. 

"He's my fiancé," Quistis repeated, "he's the one who gave me the ring." 

"I don't understand Angie," Pete stated. 

"My name's not Angie," Quistis told them, "or Angelica. My name is Quistis Trepe." 

"Quistis Trepe?" Lili repeated. "_The_ Quistis Trepe who became a SeeD at fifteen and an Instructor at seventeen?" Quistis looked up at Seifer and he nodded. She looked back at Lili and nodded also. "You and Xu are friends. She used to talk about you all the time!" 

"Does this mean you got you're memory back?" Pete inquired. 

"No," Quistis replied sadly, "I still don't remember anything. Seifer and the others filled me in on a few things." 

"So you're a SeeD?" Pete questioned. Quistis nodded. "Wow." 

"I'm going back with them," Quistis blurted out, "I'm going back to the Garden. I came to say goodbye." 

Lili and Pete both stared at Quistis. "You're gonna leave?" 

"Yes," Quistis nodded, "everyone thinks it's best for my memory recovery that I go back to the Garden." 

"We'll miss you," Pete told her and hugged the blonde, "You were the best waitress I ever had." 

"Thank you both for being so nice to me," Quistis hugged Lili as well. 

"Don't be a stranger," Lili ordered. 

"I won't," Quistis promised, "Goodbye." 

"Goodbye," Lili sniffed. 

"Bye Angie," Pete said, "make sure you come and visit." 

"I will." 

Quistis and Seifer walked towards the front of the Pub. At the door, Quistis turned and waved again. The cook and the bartender waved back as the two blondes exited. Outside, they almost ran right into Xu. 

"Hey!" Xu smiled. 

"What're you doing?" Seifer asked. 

"I'm just saying bye to my sister," Xu answered. 

"Ah yes, your sister," Seifer smirked, "You two have a lot in common." 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Xu demanded. 

"Why don't you ask her?" Seifer suggested, "she was just thrilled to see me." 

Xu narrowed her eyes at him and then turned to Quistis. "Mr. Ericson just got to the house, along with Dr. Lockheart and his family." She looked down at her watch. "I'd better hurry. All Garden personnel are supposed to be back by 1630 hours. I'll see you guys later." Xu waved and disappeared into the Pub. 

"1630 hours?" Quistis looked questioningly up at Seifer. 

"It's military time," Seifer explained, "She means 4:30." 

"Oh." Quistis looked down at her watch. "You only have twenty minutes. Shouldn't you go back to the Garden?" 

"Nah," Seifer grinned, "They'll understand that I had something more important to do." 

Quistis nodded and the two of them headed back to the Ericson's house. They reached the house and entered. They heard voices in the living room and followed them in. Sitting in the living room were Marta, James, Dr. Lockheart, Analise, Tifa, Jessen, Squall and Rinoa. They all looked up as the two blondes entered. 

"We're back," Quistis announced, "Where'd everybody go?" 

"The others went back to the Garden to tell everyone about your homecoming," Squall answered. 

"Dr. Lockheart brought his family to say goodbye," Marta informed. Dr. Lockheart stood and approached her. 

"Marta told us about everything," the doctor told Quistis and took her hands into his, earning him a momentary glare from Seifer. "I'm so glad to hear that you're going home." 

"Thank you Dr. Lockheart," Quistis said, "for everything." 

"No need to thank me," Dr. Lockheart smiled, "I'm just glad I could help you, even if it was just a little bit." 

"You helped me more than a little bit," Quistis assured, "You gave me hope when I didn't have any." 

The doctor smiled wider and stepped aside as Analise and the children approached. 

"You take care of yourself Angie," Analise ordered. "I mean Quistis. I'm gonna miss shopping in Timber with you." 

"I'm going to miss you too." Quistis hugged the older brunette. Analise stepped away and her two children came forward. Quistis bent down so she was at eye level with them. 

"I'll miss you guys," she told the dark haired children. 

"You were the best babysitter we ever had!" Jessen told her, "are you sure you have to go Angie?" 

"Her name's not Angie," Tifa reminded, "her name is Quistis." 

"Sor-ry!" Jessen muttered. 

"You can call me Angie if you want," Quistis smiled. 

"Hey Quistis," Tifa whispered. 

"What?" 

"Is that your boyfriend?" Tifa pointed up to Seifer. 

Quistis hesitated, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." 

"You're lucky," Tifa stated with a sly smile, "He's cute." 

Quistis laughed softly. "Maybe after I get my memory back you can come and visit me at the Garden." 

"I'd like that," Tifa nodded. 

"Me too!" Jessen insisted. 

"No way," Tifa scoffed, "they don't let bratty kids into the Garden." 

"I'm not a brat!" Jessen cried. 

"Okay, that's enough you two." Analise stepped in between her two children to separate them. Quistis stood up. 

"I promise to come and visit here too," Quistis told the children. 

"We'd better get going," Dr. Lockheart stated, "and you'd better too. The Garden is leaving at 5:30, isn't it?" 

"If we're a little late the Garden will wait for us," Rinoa assured. 

The Lockheart's said goodbye again and then left the Ericson's house. Once they were gone, Marta turned to Quistis. "You'd better get your stuff packed, it's almost 5:00." 

"You're right," Quistis nodded. 

"Do you need any help?" Rinoa inquired. 

"Sure," Quistis agreed and the two women went into the bedroom. Quistis pulled a knapsack out of her dresser and began to fill it with clothes. 

"What can I do?" Rinoa asked. 

"Actually, I was hoping you could answer some questions for me," Quistis replied as she put her clothes into the sack. 

"I haven't known you as long as everyone but I'll do my best," Rinoa told her, "What did you want to know?" 

"How long have Seifer and I been engaged?" Quistis asked. 

"He asked you the night of the attack," Rinoa informed, "so it's been about a month." 

"Did I…" Quistis started, "did I love him?" 

"Anyone who didn't wouldn't be able to stand him," Rinoa chuckled, "let alone agree to marry him." 

"Why do you say that?" Quistis questioned. 

"Well, before the two of you got together, Seifer was somewhat of an…" Rinoa trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Asshole." 

"Asshole?" Quistis repeated with a slight smile. 

"Yeah," Rinoa nodded, "but he's getting better. He's still as arrogant as ever, but he's easier to tolerate." 

"Did he love me?" Quistis asked. 

"He still does," Rinoa replied simply. 

"You all thought I was dead right?" Quistis began. Rinoa nodded. "Did he ever…you know, date anyone after I was gone?" 

"Are you kidding?" Rinoa laughed, "I saw one girl ask him out on a date and he nearly tore her head off! No, you are the only one for him Quisty." 

"Quisty?" 

"It's your nickname," Rinoa said, "from way back at the orphanage." 

"Oh." Quistis finished packing her clothes and closed the knapsack. 

"All ready to go?" Rinoa asked with a smile. 

"Yes," Quistis replied. The two women left the bedroom and joined the others in the living room. 

"We're all set!" Rinoa informed. The four people in the living room stood up. 

"I guess this is goodbye," Marta commented and her eyes filled with tears. 

"Please don't cry Marta," Quistis begged, "I'll come back and visit, I promise." 

"You'd better." This from James. 

Quistis smiled at the elderly couple. "Thank you for everything you've done for me." 

"You don't have to thank us," Marta told her. She hugged the slender blonde woman. 

"It's gonna be different without you around," James told Quistis and hugged her also. "I won't have anyone to play Triple Triad with. You've got your cards, right?" 

Quistis nodded and patted her pants pocket where the deck of cards was. "Goodbye." 

"Goodbye, sweetie," Marta said. 

"Goodbye," James echoed. 

The group of people left the living room and stopped at the front door. Quistis bent down and said goodbye to Tank and then with tears in her eyes, hugged the Ericsons once more. 

"Thank you," she whispered. 

"You're welcome," James smiled. The SeeDs stepped out of the house and walked across the plaza. At the bridge that led out of town, Quistis stopped and waved again. She saw the Ericsons wave back and she continued on with the others towards the far end of town where the Garden sat, awaiting their arrival. 

"Are you okay?" Seifer asked as they approached. 

Quistis smiled. "I'm fine." 

Seifer smiled back and the quartet continued on to the Garden. They reached the mobile school and checked in with two SeeDs who were in charge of making sure everyone was present and accounted for. Once inside, Seifer, Quistis and Rinoa took the elevator to the third floor offices to wait while Squall made sure the Garden was ready for departure. About fifteen minutes after they had boarded, the Garden rumbled to life and began it's trip back to Balamb. 

Near where Quistis sat on the third floor was a large, glass window that provided a view of the landscape. As the Garden splashed into the sea, she watched as the last rays of the sun fell onto the only town she knew and illuminated it with an unearthly orange glow. As Quistis stared out the window, she saw the quiet little town of Winhill disappear behind the mountains and out of her life. 


	10. Back in the Garden

Here's the next chapter. My updates will probably be longer in between for a while because I got Final Fantasy X-2 yesterday and will probably devote most of my free time to playing it. Fear not though, I have to share my PS2 with my boyfriend so while he's playing Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, I'll try to work on the next chapter. I hope you don't all hate me for this. Those of you who already have FFX-2 will understand, won't you?   
********************************** 

  


Chapter 10: Back in the Garden

  


KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK 

Quistis slowly opened her eyes as the loud knocking tore her from her sleep. She glanced around the room and was momentarily confused by her surroundings. Then she remembered she was in her dorm room at Balamb Garden. She sat up and yawned. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK 

"Just a minute!" Quistis called as she threw back the blankets and swung her feet off the bed. She slipped them into a pair of bunny slippers that she had found in her room and walked quickly to the door. For some reason that the others hadn't told her, her room had been kept the same as it was before her accident. Still half asleep, she reached for the knob and was surprised when her hand closed around nothing but air. She looked down and saw no doorknob. 

"Duh," she muttered to herself and punched in the four-digit code number that unlocked the door. The night before, Rinoa had been nice enough to write the code down on a piece of tape and stick it above the keypad. Once unlocked, the sensors detected her and the door slid open to reveal a certain smirking blonde. 

"Sleeping in Quistis?" Seifer asked, "That's not like you." 

"Well, I wish someone would've told me that so I knew," Quistis quipped. 

"Touché," Seifer smiled and walked past Quistis into the dorm room. "I thought you might want someone to escort you to the cafeteria for breakfast." 

Quistis walked away from the door and it slid closed behind her. "Thanks." Yesterday after her brief meeting with Headmaster Cid on the way back to Balamb, Selphie had done a quick tour of the Garden but with all the other things going on in her mind, she didn't pay much attention and knew she couldn't find the cafeteria to save her life. 

"Besides," Seifer continued and sprawled out on her bed, "we don't want you wandering around unarmed while the Trepies are loose." 

"Trepies?" Quistis questioned as she walked over to her closet, "What's a Trepie?" 

"The Trepies, my dear Quisty," Seifer began, "are your own personal fan club. They worship everything you do and look up to you like a goddess." 

"Yeah right," Quistis scoffed as she pulled some clothes out of the closet and threw them onto the bed next to Seifer. She turned to look at him. "Really, what's a Trepie?" 

"I just told you," Seifer said. 

"Come on." Quistis rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe that there is a group of people running around this Garden who worship me?" 

"Believe what you want," Seifer told her, "But news got out that you're back so they'll probably all be waiting for you in the cafeteria this morning. To tell the truth, I'm surprised they aren't camped outside your door hoping to be the first one to catch a glimpse of their legendary Instructor Trepe risen from the dead." 

"Whatever." Quistis grabbed the outfit she had chosen and went into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she emerged from the bathroom to find Seifer still lounging on her bed. He smiled and stood as she approached. 

"Are we ready?" he asked and held out his arm. 

Quistis smiled and sheepishly looped her arm with his. He led her out of the dorm room and down the dorm hallway to the main hall. Once they were in the main hallway, they followed it until they reached the cafeteria. Fujin and Raijin were standing outside waiting for them. 

"How's it look?" Seifer asked. 

"Not too bad ya know," Raijin answered, "most of the Trepies are sitting on the far side of the room, away from our table ya know." 

"What about the path to the table?" Seifer questioned. 

"CLEAR." 

"All right," Seifer nodded, "The Trepies wouldn't dare come up and talk to her at the table, it's against their Trepie Code of Conduct, but the walk to the table isn't secure. Usually my presence would deter them from coming up to her but under the circumstances we'd need a rocket launcher to keep them back. We've gotta be quick and inconspicuous." Seifer glanced down at Quistis and saw that she was eyeing him suspiciously. "What?" 

"What are you talking about?" Quistis inquired. 

"PLAN," Fujin informed. 

"What plan?" 

"The plan Seifer thought up to make sure the Trepies don't ambush you, ya know," Raijin explained. 

"Are the Trepies really that bad?" Quistis questioned, suddenly beginning to fear for her safety. 

"They could be," Seifer told her, "You see, the Trepies are like junkies. They haven't seen you for a month and they need a fix real bad. Don't worry though, I won't let them get to you." 

Quistis nodded, her eyes wide. She was beginning to wish she had stayed in Winhill. 

"Okay, it's go time," Seifer stated, "Raijin, you lead, me and Quistis will go in the middle. Fu, you'll follow behind and make sure no Trepies try to sneak up behind. Everybody ready?" Fujin and Raijin nodded, while Quistis remained wide-eyed. "All right. Let's go!" 

Seifer grabbed Quistis' hand and followed Raijin into the cafeteria. Inside, nearly every table was occupied by students or SeeDs having their morning meal. Seifer hurried through the tables towards one close to the back where their friends sat. The entire way, Seifer kept glancing from side to side, searching for any incoming Trepies. Just before they reached their destination, Quistis saw a few cadets stand up from a relatively crowded table. As she watched, they stared in awe and began to come towards them. 

"Incoming!" Seifer shouted and broke into a full run, dragging Quistis with him. They rushed past Raijin and reached the table. Once there, they sat down quickly, both of them out of breath. Quistis watched as the group who had approached them stopped, then turned back to their own table, their faces sullen. When she turned back around, she saw that everyone at the table was staring at them. 

"What are you doing?" Rinoa asked with a slight smile. 

"Making sure the Trepies don't bother Quistis," Seifer replied. 

Everyone was silent as they stared questioningly at him. Suddenly, the entire table burst into laughter. Seifer smirked and Quistis looked around in confusion as the SeeDs held their sides and buried their faces in their hands. 

"Y…you should've seen yourself!" Irvine gasped as he doubled over with laughter, "Y…you came in here like you were escorting Hyne herself!" 

"Laugh it up cowboy," Seifer grinned, "You're just angry because you're not a natural born soldier like me." 

Quistis watched the exchange between the two friends and suddenly felt very left out. Even though she knew that this place was her home and these were her friends, she felt like she didn't belong. She hoped that her memory would return soon. She was scheduled for a check-up with the Garden's resident physician, Dr. Kadowaki, today and she hoped that maybe the doctor would have some good news for her. 

The laughter around the table died down just as Raijin and Fujin sat down with two trays full of food. Raijin picked up a breakfast burrito and a bottle of apple juice off of his tray and sat it in front of Seifer while Fujin placed a plate of hash browns, bacon and toast in front of Quistis, along with a cup of coffee. Next to the coffee the silver-haired woman placed tow packets of creamer and three packets of sugar. 

"Thank you," Quistis said, surprised that Fujin knew what food she liked and exactly how she took her coffee. _Remember Quistis,_ she told herself, _these people are your friends. They know you better than anyone._

"WELCOME." 

"So, I noticed that you two disappeared when things began to take a turn for the worst," Seifer commented and took a bite from his burrito. 

"You looked like you had it under control, ya know," Raijin stated and scooped up some scrambled eggs from his own plate onto a fork, "so me and Fu decided to get breakfast before they ran out ya know." 

"That's no excuse to desert your post," Seifer told them. 

Zell rolled his eyes. "Come off it, Seifer." 

"You wouldn't understand chicken-wuss," Seifer smirked, "you're not a soldier like me." 

"I'm as much a soldier as you are!" Zell cried and his face began to turn red, "and DON'T call me chicken-wuss!" 

A sudden image of two blonde boys on a beach assaulted Quistis' mind. The taller boy pushed the shorter one, who fell onto the sand. The boy on the ground began to cry, an ear-splitting wailing sound, while the taller boy threw his head back and laughed. From behind the fallen boy, a blonde girl walked up and helped the crying boy to his feet. She told him that it was okay and the boy stopped crying. A huge smile illuminated his chubby face and he ran off down the beach. The little girl turned to the remaining boy and began to scold him for hurting the other boy. The little girl then pushed the boy down and asked him how he liked it. The boy's lip began to tremble and tears pushed up into his emerald eyes. The little girl helped him to his feet also and kissed his hand where it hand been scraped in the fall. The boy smiled and the girl smiled back, then they too headed off down the beach. 

"Quistis?" 

Quistis blinked rapidly and looked over to see Seifer staring at her curiously. "Yes?" 

"You okay?" he inquired. 

"Yes," Quistis smiled, "I'm fine." 

"Squall decided on what each of us are going to do to help Quisty until she gets her memory back," Rinoa informed after Zell had settled down. 

"Really?" Selphie exclaimed, "What am I doing, huh Squall?" 

Squall swallowed the food he had been chewing and wiped him mouth with a napkin. He looked over at Quistis. "Since you don't remember anything from your life here, I've decided that to help you, we will all have a certain task to perform that will aid you in getting reaccustomed to the Garden. Is that all right with you?" 

"Of course," Quistis agreed. 

"All right." Squall cleared his throat. "First of all, Quistis will need to be shown around the Garden." 

"I already did that," Selphie reminded. 

"No offense," Squall started, "but your tour was a bit…rushed. Quistis doesn't remember anything so she needs an in depth tour of the Garden and it's facilities." Selphie crossed her arms over her chest and began to pout. "Don't worry, I've got something better for you to do. Rinoa will give Quistis a tour of the Garden, right after breakfast it that's all right." 

"I'm okay with it," Quistis nodded. 

"Good," Squall said, "and Rin, don't forget that Quistis has an appointment with Dr. Kadowaki at 1230 hours. If you're still giving your tour at that time, take a break and make sure you get Quistis to the infirmary on time. Don't forget." 

"I won't forget," Rinoa promised, obviously insulted that Squall thought he had to remind her, "My mind is like a steel trap." 

"Ha!" Seifer scoffed loudly. 

"Be quiet you big meany!" Rinoa stuck her tongue out at the blonde SeeD. 

"Moving on…" Squall continued, "Selphie and Irvine, you're in charge of public relations." 

"Booyaka!" Selphie jumped out of her chair and pumped her fists in the air. "All right! Public relations! Whoo hoo!" She dropped back down into her seat and looked over at Squall, a serious expression on her face. "What are public relations?" 

Squall groaned and buried his face in his hands. He recovered a moment later and looked up at the anxiously waiting brunette. "Public relations means that you and Irvine are going to tell Quistis who people are and if they have any significance to her." 

"Oh!" Selphie smiled and nodded. The smile quickly faded. "Huh?" 

"Irvine?" Squall's face landed in his palms. 

"I've got it," Irvine assured. 

"Thank you." Squall looked down the table at Cammi. "Cammi, I know you're busy in the library so I didn't assign you any certain task. I figured you could help Quistis find books if she wants them and explain how to check them out, when they're due…you know what I mean." 

"Can do!" Cammi grinned. 

"Fujin and Raijin, I want you two to try and keep the Trepies away from Quistis," Squall relayed, "at least until she gets used to things around here." A smile crept onto the commander's lips, "but you don't have to go all commando like Seifer did this morning." 

"Don't be jealous of the skills," Seifer smirked. 

Squall ignored his comment. "Xu will be in charge of filling Quistis in on her past. Seifer, since you requested it, you will help Quistis train." 

"Train for what?" Quistis inquired. 

Seifer smiled and a fire ignited in his emerald eyes. "Battle." 

"Battle?" Quistis repeated in shock, "but I don't know how to fight!" 

"Sure you do," Seifer told her, "and I'm gonna help you remember." 

"I didn't assign myself a job," Squall continued, "that way I can help if a certain area needs it." 

"What about me?" Zell called from the end of the table. He had a huge smile on his face and looked excited. "What do I get to do?" 

"Uh…" Squall looked over at Rinoa, panic written all over his face. He hadn't assigned Zell a task because he wasn't needed. He had hoped that Zell wouldn't mention it but he should've known better. 

Rinoa looked up at Squall and shrugged her shoulders helplessly. 

"Uh…" _Come on Squall, think!_. "You get to…help Seifer train Quistis." 

"Nooooooooooooo!" 

------------------------------------------------ 

"This is the training center," Rinoa informed as they entered into the forest-like surroundings. "Seifer and Zell will probably bring you here to train." 

Quistis nodded as she looked around. "Why is it decorated to look like a forest? Is that so you can get training in a real life setting as opposed to a plain room?" 

"That's part of it," Rinoa agreed, "but it's mostly to make the monsters feel more at home." 

"Monsters?" Quistis repeated, "What monsters?" 

"The monsters in the training center," Rinoa replied, "the training center is home to two species of monsters, Grats and T-Rexaurs. Grats are low-level monsters and are weak against their own sleep magic. T-Rexaurs are…" She trailed off when she saw the expression on the taller woman's face. 

"There are monsters in here?" Quistis questioned, "Real monsters?" 

"Yes." 

As if on cue, a rustling of bushes and a shrill wail announced the arrival of a lumbering Grat. Quistis screamed as loud as she could and dove behind a tree while Rinoa casually lifted her hand. A huge flame surrounded the Grat, burning it to ashes. After the monster had been dealt with, Quistis shakily got to her feet and walked out from behind the tree. 

"Nothing to worry about," Rinoa assured, "just a Grat." 

"That thing was huge!" Quistis exclaimed. 

"Trust me Quisty," Rinoa started and bent down to pick up the items that the Grat had left behind, "Once you get you're memory back, you'll be ashamed of the way you just acted." 

Quistis scoffed and looked down at her watch. "Uh, Rinoa?" 

"Yes?" The black haired sorceress stood up. 

"Does 1230 hours mean 12:30?" Quistis inquired. 

"Yes, why?" 

"It's time for my appointment," Quistis informed. 

"Oh Hyne I forgot!" Rinoa grabbed Quistis' wrist and began dragging her out of the training center. "I can't believe this! If Squall finds out that I forgot, he'll never trust me again!" 

The women burst out of the training center hallway, nearly colliding with the card playing jogger, and raced around the Garden towards the infirmary. 

"Figures!" Rinoa cried as they ran, "We had to be all the way across the Hyne forsaken Garden!" Rinoa continued to drag her blonde friend until they reached the infirmary. The two women spilled through the door and stood just inside, panting and trying to catch their breath. 

The blue clad woman looked up at the clock on the wall. "We…made it," Rinoa managed before sinking into a plastic waiting chair. 

"B…barely," Quistis gasped and collapsed next to her. They had been sitting for no more than a few seconds when a plump woman with short brown hair wearing a white lab coat entered from the back. She smiled at the two women. 

"Hello Quistis," Dr. Kadowaki greeted, "it's good to see you." 

"You must be Dr. Kadowaki," Quistis deduced. 

"Indeed I am," Dr. Kadowaki grinned. "If you'll follow me to the back, I'll begin the exam." The doctor turned to Rinoa. "It's going to be about half an hour. If you want to wait here, I've got the new Timber Maniacs magazine if you want to look at it. It's on my desk." 

"I think I'm gonna go check on Squall," Rinoa informed, "I'll be back though. We'll continue our tour afterwards, all right Quistis?" 

"Okay," Quistis agreed and followed Dr. Kadowaki back into the examination room. 

"First off, let's weigh you," Dr. Kadowaki said, "go ahead and step up on the scale." Quistis stepped onto the platform of the large scale. A digital display at about eye level read 123lbs. Dr. Kadowaki wrote the number down on a chart hooked to a clipboard. 

"That's a little low," the doctor commented as Quistis stepped from the scale, "you should be between 130 and 135, give or take. Don't worry about it though, you'll level out after you start training again and build up those muscles. When do you start?" 

"Tomorrow," Quistis informed, "Seifer told me we're going to start at 0600 hours." 

"Sounds like he wants a little revenge," Dr. Kadowaki chuckled, "have a seat on the table." 

Quistis sat down on the paper covered examination table. "What do you mean, revenge?" 

"When you were training Seifer to become a SeeD the last time, you had him up at 0700 sharp to begin lessons," Dr. Kadowaki informed as she gathered some medical supplies, "looks like he wants to get one up on you." 

"I trained Seifer to be a SeeD?" Quistis questioned. 

"More than once," Dr. Kadowaki told her, "I won't bore you with the details of Seifer's failed attempts but he's taken and failed the SeeD field exam more times than anyone in the history of the Garden." She put a stethoscope on and pressed it to Quistis' back. "Take a deep breath." Quistis did and Dr. Kadowaki frowned. "Do you have a GF junctioned?" 

"A what?" Quistis asked. 

"Never mind." Dr. Kadowaki picked up a white phone hung on the wall and dialed a few numbers. "Squall? It's Dr. Kadowaki. Do you know if Quistis has any GFs junctioned?" Dr. Kadowaki fell silent for a moment as she listened to Squall's answer. "What about before the accident?" Another pause. "All right, well, do you know someone who would know? Can you send him down here and make sure he has some Scans stocked. Thanks Squall." Dr. Kadowaki hung up the phone and turned back to Quistis. 

"What's a GF?" Quistis inquired. 

Before Dr. Kadowaki could answer, the intercom on the wall came to life. "Would Seifer Almasy please report to the infirmary? I repeat, Seifer Almasy report to the infirmary. That is all." 

"To answer you're question," Dr. Kadowaki began, "a GF is a summon monster that SeeDs use to aid them in battle. When one is junctioned, two separate heartbeats can be heard through the stethoscope. That's why I think you have one junctioned, maybe more. It would also explain why your memory is hesitant to come back. GFs take up space in your mind, specifically the part that controls memories, and they may be preventing your memory from returning." 

"So if I get rid of the GFs, then my memory will come back?" Quistis asked hopefully. 

"No," Dr. Kadowaki answered, "but without the GFs taking up space in your brain, your memories might return sooner." 

Suddenly, the infirmary door slid open and Seifer burst in. He skidded to a halt in the doorway of the examination room. 

"Where is she?" Seifer demanded, "Is she all right? What happened?" 

"Is who all right?" Dr. Kadowaki questioned. 

"Quistis!" Seifer exclaimed, "Where is she?" Dr. Kadowaki stepped aside so Seifer could see Quistis sitting on the exam table. He rushed over to her. "Are you all right?" he questioned. 

"I…I'm fine," Quistis stammered. 

"Thank Hyne!" Seifer praised and seemed to relax. 

"Seifer, what is going on?" Dr. Kadowaki inquired. 

"You tell me," Seifer snapped, "They call me over the PA and tell me to report to the infirmary so I ran all the way here and I find out nothing's wrong." 

"Who said anything was wrong?" Dr. Kadowaki inquired. 

"No one," Seifer replied, "I just assumed something was wrong with Quistis when the announcement said to come here." 

Dr. Kadowaki smacked Seifer in the back of the head. "Think boy! Why would I have them call you over the intercom if something had happened?" 

"Ow!" Seifer rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry. I was concerned." He looked away from the doctor. "Crazy old lady," he muttered. 

"What was that?" 

"Nothing," Seifer replied quickly, "so, why did you call me here?" 

"Do you know if Quistis had any GFs junctioned before her accident?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. 

"Yeah," Seifer answered, "she had Shiva and Bahamut." 

"Scan her for me and see if she still has them." 

Seifer closed his eyes. "Scan." 

Quistis felt a tingling sensation envelope her and she shivered. 

"Yep," Seifer informed and opened his eyes, "she's still got 'em." 

"Can you draw them out?" Dr. Kadowaki questioned. 

Seifer frowned. "Why can't she just unjunction them?" 

"No," Kadowaki shook her head, "they need to come out of there. I think they may be blocking her memories from returning." 

"But…" Seifer looked over at Quistis, then back to the doctor. "If I draw them out, it'll hurt her." 

"I know Seifer." Dr. Kadowaki turned to Quistis. "It will hurt but it's for your own good. If those GFs stay in there, you may never get your memory back. It's your decision." 

"How bad will it hurt?" Quistis asked. 

Seifer hesitated. "It doesn't hurt for very long but the pain is pretty intense." 

Quistis nodded. "I'll deal with it. I just want my memory back." 

"Are you sure?" Seifer prodded. 

"Yes." 

"Okay." Seifer grabbed Quistis' hand. "Are you ready?" She nodded. Seifer closed his eyes. "Draw Shiva." 

A bright light exploded in Quistis' head and she felt like it was going to split her skull open. She screamed in pain and tears ran down her cheeks. The pain started to recede and she vaguely heard Seifer say "Draw Bahamut." Once again, the pain flared in her head and just as she thought she couldn't take any more, the pain subsided. She wobbled on the table and started to fall forward but was stopped by Seifer's arms around her. 

"I'm so sorry," he whispered and wiped the tears off her face, "I'm so sorry." He hugged her tightly and began to stroke her hair. 

"I…it's okay," Quistis assured and gently pulled away. "I'm all right." 

He cupped her face in his hands. "Are you sure?" She nodded. "Okay." He bent down as if he were going to kiss her but stopped himself. He released her face and took a step back. 

"I'm sorry Seifer," Dr. Kadowaki apologized, "I shouldn't have made you do that. I should've had someone else do it." 

"It's all right," Seifer told her, "If you had gotten someone else to do it, I probably would've killed them for hurting her like that." He paused. "Do you need me for anything else Doc?" 

"No Seifer," Dr. Kadowaki shook her head, "you can go." 

"Are you going to be all right Quistis?" Seifer inquired. 

"I'll be fine," Quistis promised and offered him a weak smile. 

Seifer nodded and left the infirmary. Once he was out of sight, Dr. Kadowaki commented. "I'm surprised he's following Squall's orders." 

"What orders?" 

"Xu told me that Squall told Seifer to take it easy on you," Dr. Kadowaki answered, "since you don't remember anything, Squall told Seifer to keep your relationship strictly platonic until you get your memory back." 

Quistis nodded. She was glad that Squall had spoken to Seifer about their relationship. She knew, deep down, that she loved Seifer but for now, he was nothing but a stranger to her. She made a mental note to talk to him about it later. 

"All right then," Dr. Kadowaki announced, "let's get on with the examination." 

--------------------------------------------- 

Quistis was in her dorm room, lying on the bed and reading a book. There wasn't much to do around the Garden, especially since Seifer had warned her not to wander around the Garden unescorted for fear that the Trepies would attack her. During her tour of the Garden with Rinoa, more than one Trepie had come up to her and gushed about how amazing it was to see her and how they thanked Hyne every day that she was alive. Quistis had smiled and thanked them with crimson cheeks. 

After Rinoa had concluded the tour, they had gone back to the cafeteria for lunch where Selphie and Irvine had told her the names of everyone present. Of course, she had forgotten most of them. Then after lunch, Seifer, Raijin and Fujin had escorted her to the library so she could check out some books about the Garden, one of which she was currently reading. Or trying to. She was having trouble seeing the words up close and her eyes were beginning to sting. She hoped that her blurry vision wasn't an unseen side effect of her accident and made a mental note to tell someone about it later. 

A knock on her door pulled her out of a lengthy paragraph about the construction of Balamb Garden. She put the book down on her bed and rubbed her aching eyes, then went to the door. It slid open and she saw Seifer standing on the other side. 

"Hi," he greeted and entered without waiting for an invitation. "What are you up to?" He walked over to her bed and sat down. 

"Do you just barge into everyone's room like that?" Quistis inquired. 

"Nope," Seifer answered, "just yours." He picked up the open book on her bed. "What'cha reading?" 

"Trying to read," Quistis corrected and sat next to him on the dark blue comforter. "I was having trouble seeing the words in the book. My eyes are killing me." 

Seifer reached over and opened the top drawer on the nightstand next to the bed. "That's what these are for." He pulled out a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. 

"Oh." Quistis took the glasses from him and put them on. She picked the book up from the bed and looked at the pages. 

"Better?" Seifer questioned. 

"Much better," Quistis nodded, "thank you." 

"So," Seifer started and leaned back on the bed, "I was wondering if you needed an escort to the cafeteria." 

"I don't need one," Quistis told him, "but I'd love it if you would." 

Seifer smiled. "Your wish is my command." He started to get up. 

"Uh, Seifer?" Quistis called as she sat her glasses on the nightstand. 

"Yeah?" 

"Can I talk to you about something?" Quistis asked. 

Seifer sat back down on the bed. "Sure." 

Quistis folded her hands together in her lap and looked down at them. "Well, Dr. Kadowaki told me about what Squall said to you about our relationship." She glanced up at Seifer and found him looking at her intently. 

"Go on." 

"And well, I think it's a good idea if we do keep our relationship platonic," Quistis continued, "I know deep down that I do love you but I don't remember. It probably seems like I'm being selfish or unfair and I'm sorry but I can't be intimate with someone I don't really know. Now, I know that you probably have, um, needs, so if you want to date someone else, I'll completely understand." Even as she said it, she knew if he agreed it would break her heart. 

"Quistis." 

Quistis brought her eyes up from her hands and they locked with his green ones. 

"You may not remember me, but I remember you," Seifer told her, "I remember the love we shared and the love we'll share again once you get your memory back. I'll wait forever if I have to, if that's what it takes for you to feel comfortable with me." 

"Thank you," Quistis murmured, tears shining in her eyes. She hugged him tightly. "You're welcome Quisty," Seifer said. He pulled away from her. "Come on. Let's go get some food before Zell eats it all." 

Quistis laughed and wiped her eyes. "Okay." 

The two of them stood and left the dorm room, heading towards the cafeteria. 


	11. Training

Sorry it took so long to update! I wasn't sure where this chapter was going until I actually wrote it down so there was a lot of me just sitting around and thinking with a pen in my hand (I write the fic out on paper, then type it. Old fashion, I know.) So here is the next chapter. There isn't much plot but there is Quiefer goodness and some humor (or at least what I think it humor. It might not be funny to you.) I hope to have the next update sometime before the end of the week, but I'm not sure. The next chapter should go quicker because I know what it's working up to. Enjoy! And thank you all so much for all the reviews! I'm past the 60 mark! I know it doesn't sound like much to some of you, but I really am thankful for all of you who review. You guys are the best!   
Oh, and one more thing: Did any of you Seifitis/Quiefer writers get an email from someone called Tomy something or other? It was not a nice email and I was just wondering if I was singled out. I would appreciate it if you let me know that I wasn't the only one. Thanks!   
********************************************* 

  


Chapter 11: Training

  


_"Seifer, this is crazy," Quistis insisted. _

"No it's not," Seifer replied. 

"What exactly do you plan to do once we get to Timber?" Quistis demanded. 

"Just wait and see," Seifer smirked. 

"You're impossible," Quistis sighed. 

"If it took you this long to figure that out then you really are a mediocre instructor," Seifer chuckled. 

"Actually, I'm not," Quistis stated primly, "I'm not an instructor at all anymore. You saw to that." 

"Hey, I just did what I thought was best," Seifer defended, "I couldn't let another poor, disadvantaged student fail the SeeD exam because you were too busy fawning over Puberty Boy." 

A loud WHACK sounded through the train cabin as Quistis' gloved hand connected with Seifer's cheek. "We both know that you're neither poor nor disadvantaged so save your pathetic excuses for someone who cares, you bastard." Cerulean fire danced in her eyes and she spat the last word. 

Seifer stared at her, fire in his own eyes. He brought his hand up and touched his cheek. A look of subdued rage encased his features. "You'll get away with that once but try it again and you'll find out just how much of a bastard I can be." 

"Show me," Quistis taunted, "if you think you're man enough." She gripped her whip threateningly. 

The screech of the train's brakes cut into their conversation. The all too familiar smirk crept up on Seifer's lips. "Trust me Instructor, I am man enough. Probably too much man for you to handle. Unfortunately, we'll have to find out later because this is our stop." Seifer grabbed Hyperion from the seat next to him and hurried out of the cabin. 

"Seifer wait!" Quistis called but he was already out of sight. She jumped up and followed him out of the cabin. She looked up and down the corridor and just barely caught a glimpse of his gray trench coat flying off the train. Quistis ran towards the exit and jumped off of their transport. She spotted Seifer running up a long flight of stairs and followed after him. He reached the top half a flight ahead of her and entered a door. She hurried after him and burst through the same door he had entered moments before. She found herself in a television station. Speaking into the monitors was the President of Galbadia, Vinzer Deling. 

"Seifer!" Quistis shouted but it was too late. Seifer had already rushed towards the President. A Galbadian soldier charged him only to meet an untimely end on Hyperion. From behind, two more soldiers grabbed Seifer's arms and a third came from the front but was stopped by Seifer's foot. The soldier flew forward and knocked over one of the TV cameras. Seifer quickly got free of the soldiers who were holding him and grabbed President Deling, holding Hyperion dangerously close to his neck. 

Quistis ran forward and turned to a soldier approaching from behind her. "Stay back!" she shouted. Another soldier began to creep up on Seifer from the side and she stopped him as well. "For the last time, stay back! You're only going to provoke him." She turned towards the fallen camera. "Timber Team, are you watching? Get over here right now! You HAVE permission. I need your help." She turned back towards Seifer and saw that he was dragging the President towards a side room. "Seifer, stop this right now!" 

"Too late to turn back now!" Seifer informed. 

A door slammed behind her and she spun around. She was relieved to see Squall, Selphie and Zell. "We need to restrain him!" 

"What do you think you're doing?" Squall demanded. 

"It's obvious ain't it?!" Seifer yelled, "What are you planning to do with this guy?" 

Squall's brow furrowed in confusion. "…Planning to do?" 

"I get it!" Zell announced, "You're Rinoa's…" 

"Shut your damn mouth! Chicken-wuss!" Seifer interrupted. 

"He broke out of the disciplinary room, injuring many in the process," Quistis informed. 

"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Zell screamed. 

"Be quiet," Squall ordered. 

"Instructor, I know!" Zell exclaimed, "You're gonna take this stupid idiot back to Garden, right?!" 

"Shut up!" Squall shouted, but he was too late. "NO!" 

"I see…" President Deling commented, "So you're all from Garden. Should anything happen to me the entire Galbadian Army will undoubtedly crush Garden. You can let go of me now." 

"Nice going Chicken-wuss," Seifer yelled, "You and your stupid big mouth! Take care of this mess! Instructor and Mr. Leader!" Seifer slowly backed into an adjoining room with the President and Quistis followed. Once inside the room, Seifer stopped suddenly. 

"…Poor poor boy…" A disembodied voice floated out of a nearby wall and a second later, Sorceress Edea emerged. Quistis stopped at the doorway and looked on in terror as the sorceress spoke to Seifer. 

"Stay away from me!" Seifer ordered. 

"Such a confused little boy," the sorceress taunted, "Are you going to step forward? Retreat? You have to decide." 

Afraid of what she might do to Seifer, Quistis rushed forward only to be stopped by the sorceress' magic a few feet from Seifer. Her entire body froze and she couldn't move. The sorceress walked over to Seifer and continued to talk to him, but the words were garbled and she couldn't understand them. Finally, Seifer released President Deling and walked towards the sorceress. 

No! _Quistis wanted to scream but her mouth wouldn't cooperate. _No Seifer! Don't go! Please don't do this! Stay here! Don't follow her Seifer!_ Quistis watched in utter despair and helplessness as Seifer exited the room through the wall that the sorceress had entered from._ Seifer!_ She felt tears stinging her eyes as he disappeared but they didn't fall. It was if all her body functions had been frozen. All but her mind. The sorceress followed Seifer into the portal and as soon as she disappeared, the spell was broken and Quistis could move again. She fell to her knees and the tears finally fell down her cheeks. _

"Instructor, are you okay?" 

Quistis wiped her face quickly and turned around just as Zell approached her. "Yes, Zell, I'm fine." 

"I can't believe he went with the sorceress," Selphie commented as Quistis got to her feet, "What do you think will happen to him?" 

"I don't know," Quistis lied. She had a pretty good idea. "Come on, let's go." 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK 

The dream was ripped to shreds as the loud knocking entered her consciousness. Quistis groaned and forced her eyes to open. She rolled over and looked at her bedside clock. The blurry blue numbers said 0612, which meant it was 6:12 in the morning. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK 

"Go away!" Quistis called and stuck her head under her pillow. The knocking stopped and she thought that whoever it was had left but a second later she heard the door slide open and footsteps approaching. 

"Why Miss Trepe, are you still in bed?" 

Quistis didn't bother to pull her head out from under the pillow. "Go away Seifer." 

"Is that any way to treat your fiancé?" Seifer asked. Quistis cringed as he pulled the pillow off of her face. "And besides, if I remember correctly, you begin training today at 0600 hours, which means…" He looked at her clock, "you're already fifteen minutes late." 

"How did you get in here?" Quistis asked him as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. 

"With this." He held up a keycard. "You gave it to me." 

"When?" 

"A few months after we started dating," Seifer informed, "I believe your exact words were: 'Here's a keycard to my room in case you want to visit me at night. Wink wink.'" 

"Well, I changed my mind," Quistis told him, "I want it back." 

"Too bad," Seifer smirked, "You can't have it back. Now get up. It's time for training." Seifer grabbed the blankets and pulled them off of her. 

"Why are you doing this to me?" Quistis whined. 

"Because you did it to me now get up," Seifer ordered. Quistis didn't move. "Don't make me get the water." 

"You wouldn't dare," Quistis challenged. 

"Try me." 

Quistis saw a determined look in his eyes and decided not to push her luck. Suddenly her dream came rushing back to her. The strange thing was that she remembered it, the entire thing. She suddenly wondered if her dream was actually a memory. She decided she would ask Seifer about it sometime. 

"That's more like it," Seifer commented as she sat up," Hurry up or chicken-wuss might piss his pants." 

"I heard that asshole!" Zell raged from the doorway. 

"Good!" Seifer called back. 

Quistis chuckled and stood up. "Just let me get dressed." She looked up at Seifer. "I can get dressed, can't I?" 

"Personally, I like your rumpled princess look," Seifer grinned. 

Quistis looked down at her wrinkled, pink, satin pajama top and pants. "Whatever." She walked over to her closet and pulled out some clothes, then took them into the bathroom to change. Once she was finished she came back out. 

"Ready?" Seifer asked. 

"I guess," Quistis shrugged. 

"Good," Seifer said, "Just get your Save the Queen and we'll go." 

"My what?" Quistis questioned. 

"Your Save the Queen," Seifer repeated, "Your whip." Quistis stared at him blankly. "I don't believe this! I mean, I can see how you forgot the others, they're not important and I can even understand how you forgot me but Save the Queen? This amnesia thing is worse than I thought." 

"Right." Quistis rolled her eyes. "So where is this Save the Queen?" 

Seifer walked over to her dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. Inside was a large, brown case that completely filled the drawer. The case was outlined with gold and had a gold crown emblazoned in the middle. Under the crown were the letters QAT, also in gold. Seifer reached in and gently, almost lovingly, lifted the case out. He turned around and put the case on the bed. Quistis now saw that there was a handle on one side, along with two golden clasps. Seifer unfastened the clasps and opened the case. Inside the case was plush burgundy cloth. Nestled in the middle of the case was a yellow leather whip. Quistis' eyes lit up when she saw it. 

"This…" Seifer lifted the whip out of the case, "is Save the Queen." He stared forlornly down at it. "When you fell, you dropped it. I found it in the Quad the next day. I almost threw it off the Garden because I was so out of it, but I just couldn't let it go. I brought it back here and put it back in it's case. It's been here ever since." 

Quistis smiled gratefully but her eyes never left the whip. "Can I touch it?" 

"It's yours." Seifer handed her the yellow whip. The second her hand closed around it she knew it had been made to fit her hand. A sinister smirk crossed her lips and she cracked the whip in the air. "Feeling lucky, Almasy?" 

The same evil grin appeared on his lips. "Always." 

"Then let's head down to the training center and see how rusty I really am," Quistis suggested. 

"You're on babe," Seifer told her. 

She coiled her whip and the two of them met Zell at the door. 

"It's about time," Zell scoffed, "I've been wai…ting." The couple walked right past him as if he didn't exist and headed towards the training center. "Hey guys! Wait for me!" Zell called and hurried after them. He didn't catch up to them again until they were just entering the training center. They still ignored his calls and only stopped when they reached a clearing in the foliage. They stood across from each other about twenty feet apart and stared each other down. 

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Seifer asked, the cocky smirk still on his face, "I don't want to hurt you but once we start, I'm not gonna take it easy on you." 

Quistis was beginning to doubt her own abilities but her pride wouldn't let her be intimidated by the arrogant blonde. She cracked her whip in the air. "You better just worry about yourself." 

Seifer unsheathed Hyperion and held out his hand, motioning her forward. "Come on." 

Quistis took a step forward and cracked her whip again. _What are you doing?!_ her mind screamed, _He's going to slaughter you!_ She ignored the nagging voice and took another step forward. 

"Come on Quistis," Seifer called and tapped his foot impatiently, "I don't have all day." 

Quistis glared at him and without a word, rushed forward. She stopped a few feet away from him and swung her whip. He dodged it and it snapped harmlessly about a foot away from his head. Quistis flipped it back and tried again, closing the gap between them. This time, Save the Queen was right on target and Seifer brought Hyperion up to deflect it. Then it was Seifer who struck. He swung the heavy gunblade at her and she spun away just in time. In mid-spin, she lashed out with Save the Queen. The tip of it struck Seifer on the left side of his face, drawing a thin line of crimson liquid. Both of them stopped and Seifer brought a gloved hand up to his face. Quistis' eyes went wide when she saw what she had done and she started to apologize but Seifer spoke before she had the chance. 

"First blood," Seifer commented, "Not bad." 

"I'm s…" She was cut off as Seifer raised Hyperion and ran straight at her. She froze, unsure of what to do. _He's going to kill you!_ the voice inside her head warned. She watched a Seifer raised the gunblade over his head, preparing to bring it down on her. It was then that her instincts kicked in. Just as he brought the blade down she ducked and rolled under it. Hyperion struck nothing but training center dirt while Quistis jumped to her feet. She cracked Save the Queen above him, a warning, and waited as he turned around. She then swung the whip at his right hand, which clutched Hyperion. The whip hit his glove, slicing through the thick leather. He yelped in pain and just as she had planned, dropped Hyperion into the dirt. It skidded away and stopped in the middle of the two of them. Both of them froze again. Seifer knew that if he went for the gunblade, Quistis would strike before he made it and she knew she could stop him. They looked up at each other and their eyes locked. 

"Looks like I win," she boasted. 

An evil grin crept onto Seifer's face and Quistis had the distinct feeling that she was about to find out that she hadn't won. 

"Fire!" Seifer called and held him palm out to her. A fireball shot towards her and hit her in the stomach. She fell onto her back and gasped as the air was forced out of her lungs. A second later, Seifer was standing above her with Hyperion resting on his shoulder. 

"Looks like _I_ win," Seifer smirked. 

"You…cheated!" Quistis managed after she was finally able to pull in a breath of air. 

"All's fair in love and war," Seifer shrugged with a smile. 

"Okay." Quistis swung her legs to the left quickly, catching Seifer off guard and knocking him to the ground as well. He had barely hit before she was kneeling on his chest, Save the Queen in hand. She smiled sweetly at him. 

"Like I said," Quistis chuckled, "looks like I win." 

From her left, she heard laughing. She looked in that direction and saw Zell doubled over with laughter. "That was great!" he exclaimed. 

"Shut up chicken-wuss!" Seifer shouted. He looked back at Quistis, "besides, if this is my punishment, I should lose more often." Quistis' face turned red and she could tell he was enjoying her embarrassment. "Anyway, this was fun but we should get started wit the real training. Although judging by your performance, I don't think you need it but orders are orders. What do you say babe? Truce?" 

"I guess so," Quistis reluctantly agreed. She stood up and took a step back from him. Seifer got to his feet and picked up Hyperion. 

"Well," he began, "where should we start?" 

--------------------------------------------- 

About five hours later, Quistis was dragging herself to the cafeteria behind Zell and Seifer. They had trained continuously and now she felt like every muscle in her body had turned to jelly. Seifer noticed her fatigue and waited for her to catch up while Zell skipped ahead to the cafeteria singing a song about hotdogs. 

"You okay?" Seifer asked as she shuffled up to him. 

"Do I look okay?" she snapped. 

Seifer shrugged. "Well, if it's any consolation to you, you did great kid." He slapped her on the back. 

Quistis glared at him. "Thanks a lot." 

"No problem," Seifer grinned. The two of them continued in to the cafeteria and sat down at the table with the others. 

"Hi Quistis!" Selphie chirped, "how was training?" 

"Exhausting," Quistis sighed. 

"You wore her out, huh Seifer?" Irvine smiled and winked. 

"Irvy!" Selphie exclaimed and slapped his arm. 

"What?" the cowboy chuckled. He looked back up at Seifer. "Hey man, what happened to your face?" 

Seifer's had shot up to his injured cheek. He was about to answer when Zell walked up with a tray full of hotdogs. 

"Quistis nailed him with Save the Queen," Zell told them. 

Everyone's mouth dropped open and they looked over at Quistis. They all knew that even with remembering all her training that Quistis would've had a hard time scoring a hit on Seifer. Without any knowledge of her previous training, it was almost unthinkable. 

The blonde woman began to feel very uncomfortable under the surprised stares and shifted in her seat. "What?" 

"Nothing," Rinoa replied, "we just can't believe that you hit Seifer in your…state." 

"What do you mean?" Quistis inquired. 

"I'm gonna go get some food," Seifer announced, "You want anything Quis?" She saw him shoot a glare over at Rinoa. 

"Yeah," Quistis nodded, "get me a cheeseburger, fries and a diet coke." Seifer nodded and gave Rinoa another look, then headed towards the food line. She looked back at Rinoa. "As you were saying…" 

"Never mind," Rinoa waved it off, "it wasn't important." 

Quistis stared at her questioningly for a second, then realized what was going on. She's have to confront Seifer about it later. 

Around the table, the talk turned from Quistis' training to how the Galbadian government was beginning to build power again. Quistis wasn't sure what they were talking about but she listened intently anyways. Seifer brought their food to the table and she ate while listening. 

"It's going to be a problem if we don't do something about it soon," Squall commented. 

"Then why not just go in there and take out the new president?" Zell suggested in between inhaling hot dogs. 

"We can't," Squall told him, "we have no proof that the army is being gathered for hostile purposes." 

"Why else would they begin amassing so many troops?" Cammi inquired. 

"There isn't any other reason but until they make their move, there's nothing we can do," Squall said. 

"POLITICS," Fujin scoffed. 

"Who's the president of Galbadia now?" Seifer questioned. 

"Vinzer Deling's fifteen year old son Skylar," Squall answered. 

"Damn!" Seifer exclaimed, "How many kids did that Vinzer guy have?" 

"Just the two boys that we know of," Squall informed. 

"Galbadia's being run by a fifteen year old kid and you guys are worried?" Irvine snickered. "Come on! What's he gonna do? He probably hasn't even hit puberty yet!" 

"Never underestimate your enemy, ya know," Raijin offered. 

The SeeDs continued their talk of the Galbadian army and finished their lunches. Quistis had just finished her last bite of cheeseburger when she looked down at her watch. 

"Oh!" she exclaimed and stood up, "I've got to go or I'm going to be late from my memory recovery session with Xu! I'll see you guys later!" The SeeDs at the table called goodbyes as the blonde hurried out of the cafeteria and to Xu's office on the third floor. As exhausted as she was, she knew that Xu wouldn't be too happy if she skipped her appointment to rest. 

After the session had started, Quistis wished she had ditched her appointment and gone to sleep. Xu went on for three hours telling Quistis about what her life had consisted of. After she had finally finished, she was able to go back to her room. The first thing she did was put the whip back in it's case. Once that task had been completed, she collapsed onto her bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. 

She was awakened again by the sound of someone moving around in her room. At first, she thought it was just Marta checking up on her but then she remembered that she wasn't in Winhill anymore and her eyes flew open. She was surprised to find the room lit only by two candles sitting on a card table set up at the foot of her bed. Also on the table were a tablecloth, two plates, two sets of silverware, two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice. Kneeling next to the table and digging in a plastic bag was Seifer. His gray trench coat had been removed and thrown over the back of one of the two chairs around the table, and Quistis could see the muscles in his arms flexing as he moved things around in the bag. The dim light of the candles made his skin shine a deep gold. She suddenly realized how gorgeous he really was and began to wonder how out of all the women in the world, she had been the one to capture her heart. As she was thinking this, he looked up and their eyes locked. 

"Hey," he greeted, "I'm glad you're awake." 

Quistis stretched and sat up. "What is all this?" 

"Dinner, my dear Miss Trepe," Seifer told her, "I figured that since you were so tired, I'd bring you dinner. I went into Balamb and got the food from the restaurant there." 

Quistis stood up and walked over to where Seifer was still knelt down in front of the bag. She bent down also. "You did all of this for me?" 

Seifer shrugged. "It's no big deal." 

"It is to me," Quistis told him, "thank you." She helped Seifer dish up the food and he poured the champagne. After everything was set up, they sat down and began to eat. 

"So how'd your session with Xu go?" Seifer asked as they ate. 

"Not as tiring as the training with you," Quistis answered, "but definitely more boring." She took a sip of her champagne. "Speaking of the training, I wanted to talk to you about going easy on me." 

"I warned you that I wouldn't," Seifer reminded, "you still agreed to fight." 

"But you did go easy on me," Quistis stated. 

"What makes you think that?" Seifer inquired nonchalantly. 

Quistis reached forward and traced a finger across the cut on his cheek. "I saw you glare at Rinoa at lunch today. You were afraid that she was going to tell me that you let me hit you." 

"Why would I do that?" Seifer asked. 

"I don't know," Quistis admitted, "why don't you tell me?" 

Seifer sighed. "I know how you get and I didn't want you to get depressed because you can't fight anymore." 

"What do you mean how I get?" Quistis inquired. "Oh never mind. I wanted to ask you something else." 

"Okay." 

"I had a dream last night…" Quistis started. 

"Was I in it?" Seifer interrupted. 

"Yes." 

"Then by all means, tell me about it," Seifer urged, "don't leave out any of the details, especially the juicy ones." 

"What?" Quistis questioned in surprise, "Hyne Seifer! What do you think the dream was about?" 

"Nothing!" Seifer insisted, "I just thought…" 

"Thought what?" Quistis demanded. 

"Nothing." Seifer shook his head, "just forget about it. What did you want to ask me?" 

"Well, I wanted to tell you about my dream," Quistis answered, "it was so real that I thought maybe it was a memory. I used to have dreams like it in Winhill but I couldn't remember what had happened in them after I woke up." 

"And you think they were memories?" Seifer inquired. Quistis nodded. "All right, go ahead." 

"Well, it started out that we were on a train going to Timber," Quistis began, "when we got there, you rushed up to a TV station and held the president of Galbadia hostage. I was trying to stop you but you wouldn't listen. Then Selphie, Squall and Zell came in and Zell mentioned the Garden. The president told us that the Galbadian army would crush Garden if anything happened to him. You drug him into another room and Edea walked out of the wall. She was a sorceress. I remember being terrified of her in the dream but I was also afraid for your safety. I started to approach and she froze me with a spell. She talked to you and then you left with her." She chuckled. "Now that I say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. That didn't really happen, did it?" 

"Yeah, it did," Seifer deadpanned. 

"Are you serious?" Quistis questioned. 

Seifer nodded. "Yep, that all happened. That was the day I was possessed by Ultimecia?" 

"Ultimecia?" Quistis repeated, "who's she?" 

"An evil bitch of a sorceress who wanted to make the world into a place where only she could live." Seifer's eyes flared in anger but Quistis also saw fear in the emerald depths. 

"So Edea really is a sorceress?" Quistis inquired. 

"Yes," Seifer answered, "so's Rinoa." 

"Rinoa is a sorceress?!" Quistis exclaimed, "You're kidding!" 

"Nope." Seifer shook his head. 

"You were Rinoa's boyfriend, weren't you?" Quistis avoided his eyes as she spoke. 

"If you wanna call it that," Seifer scoffed, "it was only for a few months during the summer. We were just kids. It wasn't serious. We only kissed once." 

"What happened between the two of you?" Quistis asked. 

"There never really was anything between us," Seifer shrugged, "she needed someone to make her feel safe and I was the only one around." 

"You don't regret that you're not together anymore?" 

Seifer laughed. "Oh yeah, all the time! Sometimes I just want to go and steal her away from Squall." He snickered, then go serious. "Why would I want to be with her when I can be with you?" Quistis' blush was visible even in the dim candlelight. Seifer smiled. "Well, since that dream was actually a memory, I guess that means that things are getting better huh?" 

"I guess so," Quistis said forlornly and looked down at her plate of half-eaten steak. 

"Hey," Seifer called and she looked up at him. "Don't get discouraged. Your memory will come back eventually and I'll be here for you every time you feel upset to remind you of that." 

Quistis stared at him. "I don't see it." 

His brow wrinkled in confusion. "See what?" 

"The asshole in you," Quistis told him. 

He smirked. "Who said I was an asshole?" 

"Rinoa." 

"Figures," Seifer stated, "spoiled little princess. Well, you know, I can be an asshole if you want me to be." 

"No," Quistis commented, "I like you just the way you are right now." 

"Good," Seifer smiled, "because I like myself better when I'm being nice." 

"I think I'm starting to see why I fell in love with you in the first place," Quistis told him. Now it was Seifer's turn to blush. 

"Yeah, well, um," he stammered, "I decided to cancel training tomorrow so you can have a chance to rest." 

"Thank you Seifer." 

"You're welcome." 

They smiled at each other and continued to enjoy their candlelit dinner. 


	12. Mission

Chapter 12: Mission

  


"Hey Quistis." 

Quistis looked up from her breakfast at the deserted table and found herself staring into the emerald eyes of Seifer Almasy. 

"Hi," Quistis greeted, "I'm glad somebody finally got here. I was starting to get lonely." 

"I can't stay," Seifer informed, "I just came down here to tell you that we're going to have to cancel a few practice sessions." It had been two weeks since Quistis' first lesson and already she had improved tremendously. She still wasn't back to the level she had been at when she left the Garden but she was getting closer every day. 

"I heard them call everyone over the intercom this morning," Quistis told him, "what's going on?" Everyone, of course, was Seifer, Fujin, Raijin, Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and Cammi. 

"We're being sent on a mission," Seifer replied, "General Caraway, Rinoa's father, has agreed to fund an assassination on Skylar Deling." 

"Assassination?" Quistis repeated in surprise, "You're going to kill him? But he's just a child!" 

"A child who's organized an army large enough to take over the entire world," Seifer reminded, "It has to be done, for our safety." 

Quistis nodded, still not liking the idea. "I understand." 

"I gotta get back up to Cid's office," Seifer said, "I'll see you in a few days." Seifer turned from the table and started to walk away. 

"Wait!" Quistis shouted and jumped up. She met him on the other side of the table. "You're going to be all right, aren't you?" She paused, then added, "you know, all of you?" 

"We're SeeDs," Seifer assured, "this is what we're trained to do. We'll be fine." 

"All right," Quistis agreed, "be careful." 

"We always are," Seifer grinned, "I'll see you in a few days." He offered her a smile and then left the cafeteria. Once he was gone, she returned to the table and continued to eat her breakfast in solitude. 

***

Later that afternoon after the others had left on their mission, Quistis was relaxing on her bed, reading a book about the Sorceress Wars. She had just made it to Chapter 7: The Fall of Adel, when the phone rang. She sat the book aside and picked up the receiver on the second ring. "Hello?" 

"Instructor Trepe?" It was Kiana Bolger, a fairly new cadet who Quistis had first met outside the Garden the day of the Festival. Her new hellish assignment was to answer the telephones. 

"Yes?" 

"I have someone on the line asking for Angelica," Kiana explained, "he says he's from Winhill but won't tell me what he wants, only that he needs to speak with 'Angelica' and that it's important. Do you want to take the call?" 

"Of course," Quistis told the girl. 

"All right, I'll transfer it to your phone Instructor." There was a series of beeps and then Quistis heard a gruff, muffled voice whisper, "They're transferring me." 

"Hello?" 

"Angie?" 

"Pete?" Quistis smiled into the phone, "Hi! How are you?" 

"Not so good Angie." 

Quistis frowned when she heard the strained tone in the bartender's voice. "What's wrong?" 

"Galbadia is here," Pete informed, "they've completely isolated the city and set up headquarters here. They won't let anyone go out or come in." 

"Why are they in Winhill?" 

"I dunno," Pete answered, "but judging by the set up they got in the Denton's mansion, they aren't planning on leaving any time soon." 

"Are they hostile?" Quistis inquired. 

"They've roughed up a few people," Pete told her, "but nothing serious." 

"How're Marta and James?" Quistis asked. 

"They roughed up James a little for refusing to sell items to them," Pete informed, "but he's gonna be all right. Marta's okay too." 

Quistis felt the anger rise up in her. "How many are there?" 

She heard a rustling on the phone and Lili's voice in the background. "Okay okay!" Pete exclaimed, "Angie, Lili wants to talk to you." There was a slight pause and then Lili's voice. "Angie?" 

"Yeah, it's me." 

"I know why they're here," Lili told her, "I heard some soldiers talking on my way home from work. They chose Winhill as their base because it's the easiest town to close off from everything. They also said that eventually they have to get rid of the residents so there won't be any opposition." 

"What do you mean 'get rid of'?" Quistis asked. 

"I'm not exactly sure but I doubt that they're going to let us all go and blow their cover," Lili commented, "we'd be in big trouble if they found out we called you." 

"All right, I'll tell Headmaster Cid," Quistis promised, "I'll take care of it." 

"Thank…" The line went dead. 

"Hello?" Quistis clicked the disconnect button a few times. "Hello?! Lili? Are you there? Lili?" The phone remained dead and Quistis began to fear the worst. She wasted little time getting up to the third floor office. 

"Hello Instructor Trepe," a blonde girl greeted as she stepped up to her desk, "How can I help you?" 

"I need to speak with Headmaster Cid," Quistis told the secretary, "It's urgent." 

"Just a moment." The blonde girl picked up the phone on her desk and dialed a few numbers. After a short conversation, the secretary hung up the phone and smiled up at Quistis. "Go on in." 

Quistis thanked the girl and hurried into the Headmaster's office. He was sitting behind his desk when she entered and Edea was standing next to him. 

"Quistis," Edea smiled, "Come in and have a seat." 

"Thank you." Quistis took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk. 

"My secretary tells me you have something urgent to speak with me about," Cid said. 

"Yes sir." 

"What is on your mind my child?" Edea urged. 

"I just received a call from a friend of mine in Winhill," Quistis began, "he called to tell me that the Galbadian Army has set up headquarters in Winhill and have cut the town off from everything. The residents aren't allowed to leave and no one is allowed in. I was also told that the soldiers are planning to get rid of the people in Winhill so there won't be any opposition to their operation." 

"What do you propose we do about it?" Cid questioned. 

Quistis stared at the Headmaster, slightly taken aback by his question. "We have to liberate Winhill." 

"And who will pay for such a mission?" the Headmaster inquired. 

Quistis was speechless. "Well, I, uh…no one, I guess." 

"Quistis, I know these people are your friends but you must understand," Headmaster Cid started, "we work for a profit. We can't afford to send SeeDs out for free." 

"But sir, they're going to kill the residents of Winhill!" Quistis protested, "are you really going to let them be slaughtered?" 

"Until someone agrees to pay to have a mission sent out, there's nothing I can do," Cid informed. 

"Cid," Edea scolded, "don't you think you're being a little cold-hearted?" 

"Please Edea," Cid pleaded, "you know as well as I do that we can't afford to work for free." He turned his attention back to the blonde woman. "I'm sorry Quistis. It's out of my hands. You must understand…" 

"Oh, I understand," Quistis interrupted, "perfectly clear." She turned and stormed out of the office and back to the elevator. She rode down to the first floor and strode back to her dorm room. 

She entered her room and began to throw a couple of things into an overnight bag as a plan formed in her mind. The trip into Balamb would take ten minutes on foot. The train ride to Timber from Balamb would be about three hours long. From Timber to Winhill by train was another three hours but since the Galbadians had closed the town off, the trains wouldn't be going to Winhill. She would have to rent a car in Timber and drive as close to Winhill as she could get without being detected. She concluded that the trip would take about eight hours at the most, seven and a half if she was lucky. 

Once the plans had been made, she zipped up her overnight bag, which was mostly stuffed with potions and other curative elixirs that she had come across in her training sessions, and got Save the Queen out of the dresser. She put the whip on the bed next to her bag and picked up the phone on her nightstand. She dialed the number of the Balamb Train station, which she found printed on a card taped to the phone, and asked them when the next train to Timber was leaving. The receptionist told her that the next train to Timber wasn't leaving until 9:45pm. Quistis thanked the man and asked him to save her a seat on the train. She gave him the name Angelica Ericson just in case anyone from the Garden happened to have friends at the train station. She didn't want the Headmaster to know she was gone until she was on her way to Timber and she assumed her name on the train registry would draw some unwanted attention. 

After Quistis hung up the phone, she walked over to her closet and slid the door opened. She was preparing from the first real battle since…well, since before she could remember ands he didn't think her normal outfit of a tank top and shorts would be proper battle attire. She began pushing aside outfits until she came upon a peach colored shirt and skirt combo. It was a lot like the outfit she had bought in Timber, but the shirt was longer, had a high color in the back, mahogany sleeves hooked on by a thing strip of cloth, chains hanging down on either side and was trimmed in gray. The skirt was plain. Also with the shirt and skirt were two belts and a pair of black pants. One belt was made of brown leather and had a place to hold her whip. The other belt was made of gray cloth and had gray diamond shaped trinkets hanging from it. She pulled the outfit out and put it on the bed. She then found a pair of brown boots that matched the leather belt. She quickly changed into her outfit and looked at herself in the mirror above the dresser. There was something missing. 

Quistis looked down at the dresser and saw a silver clip with a dark reddish-brown strip of stone in the middle. She swept her hair up into the updo that was customary to her, although she didn't know it. All she knew was that she like the way it looked with the outfit. She left two pieces of hair hanging down on either side of her face and secured the rest with the clip. Now her outfit was complete. All she had to do now was sit down and wait for her time to go. 

Three and a half hours later, Quistis sat on a bench in the Balamb train station, waiting to board the train to Timber. The station was deserted except for a man in a business suit and a frail looking woman clutching the hand of a small child. Quistis had her overnight bag slung over her shoulder and her ticket in her hand. When the announcement was made that her train was boarding, she was the first one on. The conductor gave her a funny look when he took her ticket but she ignored it and took her seat at the very back of the train. 

She watched as the woman and child went all the way to the front and sat down and the man in the business suit went through the curtain into the first class section. About five minutes after she had boarded, the train rumbled out of Balamb and on towards Timber. 

During the trip, Quistis dozed off in her seat. Only when the brakes screeched and the train came to a halt did she wake up. She opened her eyes and remembered the dream she had that actually turned out to be a memory. It had started here too. She suddenly wondered if Seifer and the others were all right. It hit her then that she might now ever see them again if things went wrong in Winhill. 

Quistis grabbed her bag from the seat next to her and exited the train. The Timber Train Station was lit up with bright, fluorescent lights and was just as deserted as the Balamb station. Quistis scanned the room and spotted the car rental booth. She adjusted the strap on her shoulder and walked over to it. 

"Hi," Quistis greeted, "I'd like to rent a car." 

The woman behind the counter was reading a book and looked very bored. "Name?" 

"Angelica Ericson," she answered. 

The woman typed it into the computer without looking up. "What size car?" 

"Just a small one is fine." 

"Method of payment?" 

"Gil." 

"It'll be 300 gil for the deposit," the woman told her, "we'll deduct the mileage and other fees from that and give you the rest back after you return the car." She grabbed a set of keys off a pegboard behind her and handed them to Quistis. "It's the blue one out front." 

"Thank you." Quistis gave the woman the 300 gil and left the train station. She found the right car and climbed in. The tank was full of fuel so Quistis started it and drove out of Timber, heading in the direction of Winhill. 

The drive was a long and boring one with nothing to see but endless miles of road and mountains. She drove for three and a half hours before she saw the lights of Winhill twinkling in front of her. She turned off the headlights and proceeded forward in total darkness. She finally stopped the car about two miles from the town and decided to continue on foot. By this time, it was about 4:30 in the morning. She wanted to make it into the town before the sun came up so she wasted no time. She grabbed her bag of medicines and magic potions and started off towards the sieged city of Winhill. 

It took her about thirty minutes to reach the town on foot. She scouted her surroundings and saw that there were three guards stationed on the outskirts of the town on the side she was on. She knew she couldn't take them all on at once, so she would have to either find a way to sneak in or lure them away from their post one at a time. She finally decided it would be easier just to sneak in. 

Quistis figured that the easiest way in would be from the beach. She assumed that they wouldn't be watching the shore as closely as the road from Timber. She quietly crept around the town and down to the beach. Just as she thought, there was only one Galbadian soldier and he seemed oblivious to his surroundings. In fact, he didn't see Quistis until she had already come up to him. He started to yell but she threw a vial of Silence Powder on him before he could. The man clawed at his throat, trying desperately to make the sounds that the Silence Powder denied him. He didn't try for long because a second later her was on the ground, forced into slumber by some Sleeping Powder. Quistis quickly tied the soldier up with some rope she found near the dock and drug him into a nearby boathouse. 

Once the guard was dealt with, Quistis snuck up the path from the beach and into the town. The town was silent except for the shuffling of boots as two armed guards patrolled the plaza. If she remained in the shadows, she could make it all the way to the Ericson's house without being seen. She would have to hurry because the sky was already tinted orange over the eastern mountains. 

She crept quietly through the shadows until she stood on the front doorstep of the Ericson's home. She tried the door and was surprised to find it locked. She knew that in Winhill it was a rare occurrence to find a locked door except on a business. She had a sudden moment of panic where she thought she wasn't going to get in but then remembered that there was an extra key hidden on the ledge above the door. She ran her hands along the tiny space until she touched the key. She grabbed it and unlocked the door quietly. She turned the knob and slipped quietly into the dark house, pulling the door closed and locking it behind her. 

The second she closed the door, she heard a low growling. She froze and looked around quickly, hoping her eyes would adjust to the dark before she was attacked by whatever was making the angry noise. Then she realized what it was that was threatening her. 

"Tank?" she whispered. She winced, as her voice seemed extremely loud in the silent house. Immediately the growling stopped and a low whimper was heard. A second later, the golden dog emerged from the shadows and walked up to her. "Hi Tank." Quistis bent down and petted the dog, who wagged his tail happily and licked her hand. 

Suddenly, a noise by the back rooms drew both of their attention. Tank began to wag his tail again and Quistis remained motionless. After a few seconds, a frail and frightened voice called out "Who's there?" 

"Marta?" Quistis inquired. 

The lights flicked on, revealing Marta standing by her bedroom door with a fireplace poker in her hand. She let it drop to the carpet when she saw who was kneeling by Tank. "Angelica?" 

Quistis stood up and nodded. She was surprised to see how old Marta looked. It seemed she had aged twenty years since Quistis had last seen her. A look of relief flooded Marta's face and she rushed to Quistis, grabbing her in a hug. 

"What are you doing here?" Marta questioned, "How did you get in?" 

"Pete and Lili called me yesterday afternoon," Quistis explained, "they told me what was going on." 

Marta's face lit up. "Does this mean SeeD is coming?" 

"No," Quistis replied bitterly, "Headmaster Cid won't come unless someone pays him to." 

Marta's face fell. "Then what are we going to do?" 

"Don't worry," Quistis comforted, "I'm going to get you out of here." 

"Marta?" James' voice floated out of their bedroom. "Who are you talking to?" 

"Come on," Marta urged. Quistis followed the elderly woman into the bedroom. She quickly turned on the light and Quistis saw James laying on the bed. His head was wrapped up in a white bandage and his left eye was black. 

"James," Quistis said and went to his side. 

"Angie?" James smiled. "What are you doing here?" 

"I came to help," Quistis told him, "are you all right?" 

"Yeah," James assured, "it's nothing that won't heal." 

"I'm going to sneak you out," Quistis informed. 

"But we can't go," Marta insisted, "James can't walk. They broke his ankle." 

"Hush woman," James chided, "That doesn't mean you can't go." 

"I'm not leaving without you," Marta declared. 

"Just wait a second," Quistis interrupted, "No one is going anywhere right now. First, I have to come up with a plan to get everyone out of here, but I need your help. Marta, can you make me a list of everyone who is here in the town and what houses they are in?" 

"Of course," Marta agreed. 

"Okay, I'm going to go talk to Pete and see if I can get his help," Quistis told them. 

"Angie," James called, "Pete…" 

Quistis didn't like the tone in James' voice. "What?" 

"They caught him calling out of town," Marta informed, "they…" 

"They hurt him pretty badly," James finished, "Lili's with him but Dr. Lockheart doesn't know if he's going to make it or not." 

Quistis felt the hatred rise up in her and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She took a deep breath. "I'm going over there. I'll be back in a few minutes." She quickly left the house and snuck over to the bar just as the sun was peeking over the mountains. The door was locked so she went around back and climbed a tree to the second floor. Through the window, Quistis could see Pete lying in bed and Lili sitting in a chair next to him. Quistis scooted over and knocked lightly on the window to get Lili's attention. The brunette stared at her for a moment, then hurried over and opened the window. 

"Angie?" Lili questioned, "What are you doing?" 

Quistis swung into the open window and Lili shut it behind her. "I'm here to help everyone get out of Winhill." 

"Is SeeD coming?" Lili asked hopefully. 

Quistis shook her head. "I tried but the Headmaster wouldn't send anyone without getting paid." 

"Then what are you doing here?" Lili inquired. 

"I came on my own." 

Lili nodded and solemnly drifted back over to Pete's bedside. "Then it was all for nothing." 

"What?" 

"Pete took the blame for the call because he thought that SeeDs were on their way," Lili replied, "He kept saying, "they'll come soon' but he was wrong. Now he's laying there dying for nothing." 

"He's not dying!" Quistis shouted, near tears. She couldn't admit it, even though Pete looked terrible. His entire face was bruised and he had several cuts criss-crossing his forehead. Other than his shallow breathing, he didn't move. "And it wasn't for nothing because I'm going to get you all out of here!" 

"There's no point in trying," Lili despaired, "this afternoon there is a mandatory meeting in the plaza for all the residents of Winhill. I think they're going to kill us." 

"What time?" Quistis asked. 

"Huh?" Lili stared at her blankly. 

"What time is the meeting?" 

"5:00," Lili answered, "why?" 

"Listen to me." Quistis grabbed Lili's shoulders, "I am going to get you out of here, all of you, but I'm going to need your help. Can you help me?" 

The glazed look left Lili's eyes and she focused on Quistis. "Yes." 

"Good. Will you see Dr. Lockheart today?" 

"Yes," Lili nodded, "He comes to check on Pete every morning." 

"All right, tell him that I'm here and what I'm planning on doing," Quistis instructed, "tell him to tell as many people as he can so that the word spreads around Winhill. This town will be empty by 5:00." 

"Okay." Lili nodded vigorously. 

"I'll be back later to fill you in," Quistis told her, "until then, get Pete ready to be moved." 

Lili looked at her questioningly, then nodded. 

"I'll see you later." Quistis climbed out the window, down the tree, and snuck back to the Ericson's house. 


	13. The Liberation of Winhill

Yay! Quick update! I wrote a lot yesterday. I even sacrificed my FFX-2 time to write so you should all be very thankful. Just kidding. You know I do this all for you guys anyway. Thank you for all the reviews!   
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Chapter 13: The Liberation of Winhill

  


Seifer Almasy stood among the crowd in Deling City. The entire street was filled with people waiting for the new President of Galbadia to make his first formal speech. 

"Lionheart, in position." Squall's voice floated out of the earpiece Seifer wore. 

"Fire Cross, in position," Seifer informed. 

"Angel Wing, in position." This from Rinoa. 

"Book worm, in position." Seifer smirked slightly and spotted Cammi a few feet away in the crowd. 

"WIND, IN POSITION." 

"Lightning, in position ya know." 

"Hot dog, in position." Seifer rolled his eyes at Zell's chosen code name. 

"Strange Vision, in position," Selphie chirped. 

"Sniper, in position," Irvine drawled. 

"General, in position." This last check in came from General Caraway who had planned and funded the entire mission. It was simple really. When Skylar Deling came out for his speech, Irvine was to assassinate him. The others were there strictly for crowd control and making sure that everyone escaped safely. They didn't need another repeat of the botched sorceress assassination. Of course, back then Seifer had been on the other side of the operation. He looked around and realized he liked it better on this side. 

Seifer scanned the crowd, noting the positions of Zell, Cammi, Fujin and Raijin. They were all scattered through the crowd. Rinoa, Squall and Selphie were back by the clock tower to make sure Irvine could get out once his job was done and also to make sure not one went up into the clock tower and discovered him. General Caraway was off to the side, hiding somewhere. 

"Sniper, lock and load," General Caraway instructed. 

"Roger." 

The crowd suddenly erupted into loud applause as a teenage boy stepped up to the podium set up on the balcony of the Presidential House. He was flanked by two men in dark suits. Bright red hair was slicked back on his head and he smiled. 

"People of Galbadia…" he began. 

"I've got a shot," Irvine informed, "waiting for a go." 

"No!" General Caraway shouted, "Abort! Abort! Do you hear me?" 

"Why?" Rinoa demanded, obviously irritated with her father. 

"That's not Skylar Deling," General Caraway told them, "They must've suspected something might happed so they used a decoy." 

"Shit," Seifer breathed. 

"Everyone, fall back to the mansion," Caraway ordered. 

Seifer swore again and followed the others back to the mansion. 

An hour later, Seifer and the others walked despondently into the Garden. They were met by a worried looking Edea near the front gate. 

"I'm so glad you are back," Edea announced. 

"What's going on Matron?" Squall asked. 

"Quistis is gone," Edea told them. 

Seifer quickly pushed up to the front of the group. "What do you mean she's gone? Where did she go?" 

"To Winhill," Edea answered. 

"Why did she go to Winhill?" Seifer inquired. 

"She received a call yesterday afternoon from one of her friends there," Edea informed, "She came to Cid and I, asking for our help. Apparently her friend told her that Winhill had been taken over by the Galbadian Army and no one was allowed to enter or leave. Cid told her that he couldn't help unless someone paid for it, so she left. We didn't realize she was gone until this morning." 

"How do you know she went to Winhill?" Rinoa questioned, "Maybe she just went into Balamb to blow off some steam." 

"I checked with the train station," Edea said, "a woman registered as 'Angelica Ericson' took the 9:45 train out of Balamb into Timber. She then rented a car at about 1:00 in the morning. They found the car about an hour ago, two miles away from Winhill. It was abandoned." 

"So what you're telling me is Quistis is in Winhill, which is occupied by Galbadian soldiers, by herself without any knowledge of her previous training?" Edea nodded, "How many SeeDs have you sent after her?" 

"None," Edea replied, "Cid won't let anyone go after her." 

"I'd like to see him try and stop me." Before anyone could react, Seifer bolted from the group and ran to the parking lot. He jumped into one of the cars and sped away before anyone could stop him. 

_I'm coming Quistis,_ Seifer thought, _I just hope I'm not too late._

------------------------------------------------------ 

Marta looked up as the door shut and Quistis entered. 

"The Donaldson's are safe," Quistis informed. Marta nodded and crossed them off the list. "How many more do we have to go?" 

"Not many," Marta replied, "The Lockheart's, James and I, and Lili." 

"And Pete," Quistis added. 

"And Pete," Marta agreed, "That's it." 

"Good." 

It was getting close to time for the meeting and she wanted to make sure that the entire town was evacuated by then. She didn't need the soldiers getting suspicious when there were still people in the town. She looked down at her watch. 4:31. She was going to have to hurry. 

Without a word, Quistis left the house and began sneaking towards the Lockheart's house. She was crouched in a bush, waiting for a soldier to pass when she heard a noise in the bush next to her. She caught some movement and a glimpse of gray before she panicked and tossed a Silence Powder in the direction of the disturbance. She crawled around the bush with a Sleep Powder ready but her eyes widened when she saw who she had attacked. 

"Seifer?!" she whispered, "What are you doing here?" 

He opened his mouth but no sound came out. She remembered the Silence Powder and quickly pulled out an Echo Screen and gave it to him. He drank it and then glared at her. 

"Hyne woman!" he hissed, "What is your problem?" 

"Excuse me!" Quistis said quietly, "I didn't expect it to be you in the bush! What are you doing here?" 

"I came to rescue you," he told her. 

"Rescue me?" Quistis repeated, "Why?" 

"Because I thought you were in trouble," Seifer informed, "I was really worried about you." 

"Cid let you come?" She practically spat out the name. 

"No," Seifer replied, "I just left. It doesn't matter though. Come on, let's get out of here." 

"No!" she whispered fiercely, "not until everyone is safe!" 

"Quistis, we don't have time for this!" Seifer insisted, "we've gotta get out of here now!" 

"I'm not leaving," Quistis stated firmly, "If you want to go, fine, but I'm not." 

"Quistis…" 

"I'm not leaving," she repeated. 

Seifer sighed in exasperation. "How many more people are left?" 

"Eight," Quistis informed, "two are hurt, one badly. We need to get them all out of here before 5:00?" 

"Because there is a mandatory meeting for the residents at 5:00 and when they don't show up, the soldiers are going to know something is going on," Quistis explained. 

"Okay, let's get a move on," Seifer ordered. They waited for the guard to pass by again and sprinted all the way to the Lockheart's house. They entered and found Analise and the children waiting anxiously by the door. Dr. Lockheart was with Pete and Lili. 

"Are you ready?" Quistis asked. 

"Yes," Analise nodded. 

"Who's he?" Jessen pointed to Seifer. 

"Duh," Tifa scoffed, "that's her boyfriend." 

"Did SeeD finally decide to come?" Analise questioned. 

"No," Seifer answered, "I snuck in by myself too." 

"Don't worry," Quistis reassured when she saw the look on Analise's face. "We're going to get you out of here. Listen carefully; the guard outside does his rounds quickly so there is only a limited amount of time before he spots us. We're going to have to run. Seifer, you carry Tifa. Analise, can you get Jessen or do you want me to get him?" 

"I've got him." Analise picked up her son and held on to him tightly. 

Quistis peered out the window. "Okay, he's going by the house. As soon as he passes the other way, we'll go. Everybody ready?" 

They nodded and Seifer picked up Tifa. The little girl wrapped her arms around the blonde man's neck and held on tightly. Quistis caught her eye and smiled knowingly. Tifa smiled back but the smile faded as they rushed out the door and ran across the road to the cover of the bushes. 

"We're almost there," Quistis told the Lockheart's, "now all we have to do is get down to the beach. Once we're there, you guys are on your own okay?" Analise nodded. "All right. Let's go." 

Still crouching, the five of them hurried down to the beach. Once they reached the sandy shore, they stopped running. 

"Okay," Quistis began, "from here, head along the edge of the shore. Go as quickly and quietly as possible. Don't stop until you meet up with the others. They were supposed to take shelter in a cave a few miles out. Once you get far enough that you can't see the town, cross over and follow the mountains. Someone will be out there to let you know where to go. Can you do that?" 

"Yes," Analise assured, "we'll be okay." 

"What about Dad?" Tifa asked worriedly. 

"He's going to be coming with Mr. Pete," Analise answered. 

"Go," Quistis urged, "it's getting close to 5:00. Once everyone's out, I'll stall the soldiers as long as I can but I don't' know how long that'll be." 

"Will you be okay here?" Analise inquired. 

"We'll be fine," Seifer told her. Analise nodded and the three Lockheart's hurried off down the beach. Quistis turned to Seifer. 

"This is where things get dangerous," Quistis told him, "We've got five people left to get out in…" she looked down at her watch, "…fifteen minutes." 

"No problem," Seifer said. 

"There is a problem," Quistis informed, "like I told you, two of those five people are injured. One has a broken ankle and the other is in a coma." 

"That is a problem," Seifer admitted, "well, we better get moving then, we don't have much time." The two blondes hurried up the path from the beach and slipped into the Ericson's house. 

"I'm back," Quistis announced, "Analise and the kids are on their way out." 

"Who's he?" James was now sitting in the living room and was pointing at Seifer. 

"James, don't be rude!" Marta scolded, "He's An…Quistis' fiancé. Mr. Almasy, isn't it?" 

Seifer nodded. "Call me Seifer." 

"What are you doing here?" James asked him suspiciously. 

"I came to help liberate your little town," Seifer answered, mildly annoyed by the older man's tone. 

Quistis sensed the tension between the two and spoke up. "It's your turn to leave. Are you going to try it on foot or are you going to take a boat?" 

"I think we'll take a boat," James answered, "I don't think I'd make it on foot." 

"All right," Quistis nodded, "there are no guards from here to the beach so you should be safe. Go quickly and quietly." 

James and Marta stood. James was supported by a pair of crutches and Marta was clutching Tank's leash. 

"Thank you," Marta said, "be careful." 

"We will," Quistis promised. She hugged each one of them. 

The two couples left the house and went their separate ways. Quistis and Seifer crept across the plaza to the bar and entered from the second story window. Lili and Dr. Lockheart were waiting for them downstairs with Pete like Quistis had asked them to. 

"We've got to be quick," Quistis said, "it's almost 5:00. Lili, is the coast clear?" 

Lili walked over to the bar window and looked out. "No. There's a bunch of soldiers in the plaza." 

"What?" Quistis hurried over to the window and peered out. Sure enough, about five soldiers had joined the two already in the plaza. Quistis cursed quietly. "They must be gathering for the meeting already." 

"What're we gonna do?" Lili asked, her eyes wide with fear. 

"Continue with the plan," Seifer instructed, "I'll deal with the soldiers." 

"What?" Quistis questioned but Seifer was already out the door. "Seifer no! Wait!" She watched out the window as Seifer walked right up to the soldiers and began firing spells at them. She turned back to Lili and Dr. Lockheart. "Let's go! NOW!" 

The two women grabbed one end of Pete's stretcher and Dr. Lockheart grabbed the other. They opened the door and ran as fast as they could towards the beach. As they went, Quistis kept glancing over to where Seifer was fighting with the soldiers. They seemed to be pouring out of every hiding spot in Winhill and Quistis knew he couldn't hold them off for long. 

"Hurry!" she shouted, "We've got to go faster!" The three of them hurried down the path towards the beach as fast as humanly possible. Quistis kept thinking they were going to drop the stretcher or one of them would stumble and fall but miraculously they made it to the beach without any mishaps. 

Quistis practically dropped the stretcher into the boat as they were lowering it and she was heading up the path again before they could stop her. She figured they could launch the boat by themselves. She reached the plaza in mere seconds and wasted no time throwing herself into the fray to aid Seifer. 

By the time she reached him, he had already taken out about a dozen soldiers but more were still standing. Quistis tossed a Sleep Powder into a group of them, knocking out three of them. The fourth started to charge her but was taken out by a Flare spell before he got the chance. Quistis smiled in thanks at Seifer and started after another soldier. 

After what seemed like ages, all of the soldiers had either fallen to magic, Hyperion or her Save the Queen. Quistis stared at the bodies strewn around her and instead of feeling remorse, she felt a sense of accomplishment. _I guess I really am a soldier,_ she thought. 

"I think that's all of them," Seifer commented. He rested Hyperion on his shoulder and smirked. "Regular soldiers are no match for Seifer Almasy." 

The sudden sound of clapping interrupted the silence of the small town. Seifer and Quistis turned and saw a teenage boy with brown hair walk out of the Denton's mansion, followed by about twenty more soldiers. 

"Well done," the boy applauded, "You managed to evacuate the town and defeat my soldiers. You must be SeeDs." 

"Who the Hell are you?" Seifer demanded. 

"Haven't you figured it out?" the boy chuckled, "I'm Skylar Deling, Galbadia's new President." 

"So this is where you were hiding," Seifer commented, "you had an appointment with a bullet this morning in Deling City. Too bad you missed it. Fortunately for you, my Hyperion would like to meet with you right now." 

Skylar laughed. "What makes you think you're man enough to kill me?" 

"Listen kid," Seifer snarled, "I killed your brother. I can sure as Hell kill you." 

"YOU?!" Skylar exclaimed, the calm and cocky façade crumbling, "You killed my brother? You will pay!" Skylar drew a long sword from the scabbard at his side. He turned to the soldiers. "Take care of the woman. He is mine!" 

The soldiers rushed towards Quistis. Half of them were stopped by a Meteor spell and the rest were drastically weekend. Quistis had no trouble finishing them even though she was outnumbered ten to one. Once the last soldier had fallen, she turned back to where Seifer and Skylar were fighting near the mansion. Both of them had determined looks on their faces and their brows were covered in sweat. 

As she watched, Quistis noticed that Skylar was exceptionally well trained with the sword. He blocked and struck at Seifer, who did the same with his gunblade. She watched as both men began to get tired from the exertion and wondered who it would be that made the mistake that would probably cost them their life. _Please don't let it be Seifer_, Quistis prayed, _Please!_

A few moments later, her prayers were answered. Skylar lunged at Seifer and missed completely, sending him off balance. Seifer took advantage of his opponent's momentary lack of attention and slammed the hilt of Hyperion into the teenager's head. The boy crumpled to the ground and didn't move. Once Seifer was satisfied that Skylar was unconscious, he turned back to Quistis, a weary smile on his face. 

"You think those Deling's would learn not to mess with me," Seifer grinned. 

Quistis laughed lightly and started towards Seifer. She suddenly stopped and her eyes went wide. "Seifer look out!" 

Seifer stared at her for a moment, his eyebrows raised in confusion. A second later his eyes went wide as Skylar Deling's sword was rammed straight through him. 

"Seifer!" Quistis screamed. 

Skylar pulled his sword out of the tall blonde and watched with a smile as he fell to the ground. He then turned his brown eyes to Quistis. 

"Looks like I win," he grinned evilly. 

Quistis was frozen to the spot. All she could do was watch as a crimson pool of blood began to form under Seifer. Suddenly, Skylar's words pierced through her shock and she glared at the boy. Without a word, she rushed forward and before he knew what was happening, she snapped Save the Queen across his neck. The young man's smile faded as blood began to seep from the wound. His hands went up to his throat as he fell not far from where Seifer lay. 

Quistis stood for a second longer and then rushed to Seifer's side. "Seifer!" she called and cradled his head in her lap. "Seifer, please answer me!" He didn't move and she lost focus of the things around her. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Seifer's still form and rocked him back and forth. She heard a loud roaring that sounded like an engine of some sort but she didn't look up to see what it was. All she could do was stare down at Seifer's pale face and call to him, hoping he would wake up. 

The next thing she knew, there were people all around her. Her first thought was that they were more soldiers and she waited patiently for the blow that would end her life. It never came. Instead, the people began to call her name. She finally looked up and found herself staring up at Selphie and Rinoa, or at least she thought it was them. She couldn't really tell because her vision was blurry. She didn't know it at the time but it was tears that were keeping her from seeing. 

She heard the two blurry figures call to her and then yell something about Seifer to an unseen person behind her. A second later, a stretcher was laid next to him and Squall and Irvine began to pull Seifer away form her. Not wanting to let go, she held on to him tighter. She heard Irvine tell her she had to let go but the words didn't register. No, she couldn't let go; he'd die if she did. She felt strong arms go around her and she was pulled away from Seifer. An awful wailing filled the air and it took her a few seconds to realize that the terrible sound was coming from her. 

Quistis began to fight as she was dragged away from Seifer. She managed to twist around enough to see it was Raijin who held her. She heard herself scream for him to let her go and she kicked him hard. He still held on tight and drug her away. She saw Squall and Irvine pick up the stretcher, which now held Seifer, and start to follow them. Fujin hurried along side them, calling to Seifer. _That should be me by his side,_ Quistis thought absently as she fought with Raijin, _I should be the one calling to him._

Raijin dragged her, still kicking and screaming, into the cargo hold of a large, red airship. The others followed and put Seifer down on the ground. Rinoa and Cammi bent down next to him while Selphie and Zell hurried to the cockpit. Fujin, Squall and Irvine stood close by and watched as the girls tried to stop the bleeding. Quistis continued to scream and fight with Raijin until Squall said something to Rinoa that Quistis didn't hear. The sorceress stood up and walked over to Quistis. She whispered something and before she knew what had happened, Quistis had fallen into a deep, unnatural sleep. 


	14. Tears

Hi everyone! It really disappoints me that you all think I'm capable of killing Seifer. I mean, I love Seifer! I'd never kill him! Hurt him critically, yes, kill him, never!   
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Chapter 14: Tears

  


Quistis sat next to the hospital bed, clutching it's occupant's pale hand in her own. It had been six days since she had liberated the people of Winhill. Squall and the others had finally come after Squall's father, President Laguna Loire of Esthar, had agreed to pay for the mission to Winhill. If they had been a few minutes longer in arriving, it would've been too late. 

After the rescue, Quistis had woken up in her dorm at the Garden. At first she hadn't been able to remember anything of the day before. She had felt extremely worn out and had at first thought that another training session with Seifer had drained her mentally and physically. It had only been after she had seen blood under her nails and on her skin that she had remembered what had happened. She had ran to the cafeteria and, in tears, had demanded to know what had happened after she had been put to sleep. Rinoa and Selphie had led her to the infirmary where Raijin and Fujin already were. 

And here she sat, next to Seifer's bed. Dr. Kadowaki came to check on him from time to time but Quistis was the only one who was with him constantly. The doctor told Quistis that Seifer's chances of survival were slim. It was a miracle he was still alive now, the doctor had said. All they could do was wait and pray. 

More than once in a day she was overcome with grief and guilt. If it hadn't been for her, Seifer wouldn't be lying in the bed at all. If she had just stayed in the Garden, Seifer wouldn't have come after her. On the other hand, if she hadn't gone, the residents of Winhill would've been killed. Which would've been easier, ignoring Pete's call and hearing of the slaughter of Winhill or sitting by Seifer's side as he fought a losing battle for his life? Right now she would have to pick the latter. 

At night, she would have dreams that she had been the one who had shoved the sword through Seifer's body, that she had laughed with Skylar Deling as the blood pooled around the man she was supposed to love. The guilt was eating her alive. She barely ate anything, had trouble sleeping and only left Seifer's side to use the restroom. The worst part was she hadn't even been able to avenge him properly. Skylar Deling was still alive, probably in some high tech hospital getting the best treatment available while Seifer lay here in the Balamb Garden Infirmary, getting minimal care because Headmaster Cid insisted that no word get out about SeeD's involvement in the liberation of Winhill. 

Quistis supposed she should be grateful that Headmaster Cid had intervened after they returned. If he hadn't, she would probably be rotting away in a Galbadian prison awaiting her execution. She did, after all, almost kill the President of Galbadia. In exchange for her freedom, Cid had promised the Galbadian government that Quistis would never speak of being in Winhill that day nor testify against Skylar Deling if the opportunity ever arose. She had signed the papers, not really understanding or caring. All she knew was that the papers allowed her to stay by Seifer's side. 

There were times during the day when her brain would overload with all her thoughts and shut down. When she was like this, she was a zombie. She would barely respond if someone talked to her and she would just stare at Seifer without really seeing or feeling. During her trance-like episodes was the only time she forgot about everything that was happening around her. She had begun to look forward to the blissful nothingness; despite the worried looks the others gave her. 

Now was not one of those times as she stared down at the near lifeless body of Seifer Almasy. His chest rose and fell with each breath, but other than that, it was impossible to tell that he was alive. He never moved, or twitched, or squeezed Quistis' hand or gave any reassuring sign that he was getting better, probably because he wasn't. Dr. Kadowaki had assured Quistis that he was in no pain and would one day "just give up" and stop breathing. Quistis begged Hyne every night to spare his life, to take her instead or any other deal she could think up. Nothing worked and slowly Seifer was slipping away from them, from her. 

"Seifer," Quistis whispered like she did a hundred times a day, "please don't give up. We need you Seifer, I need you. My memory will come back someday and then we can get married and…" Like always, she trailed off as the tears choked her. And of course, there was no response from him. 

Behind her, Quistis heard the door slide open. She turned and was not surprised to see Rinoa enter. The sorceress offered Quistis a weak smile and pulled up a chair next to her. 

"How's he doing?" Rinoa inquired. 

"No change," Quistis reported. They went through this routine every day and Quistis had come to hate the words "no change." To her, it meant a continuing state of limbo where one could neither mourn nor be joyful. If there had been a change in Seifer's condition, even if it was for the worse, it would be better than no change at all. At least if he was getting worse, they could steel themselves against the inevitable. With no change, they were stuck between sorrow and joy. It was a terrible place to be. 

"Are you hungry?" Rinoa asked, "I'll bring you some food." 

"I'm fine," Quistis answered, knowing that Rinoa would bring her the food anyway and she would do no more than pick at it. 

"Quistis, I can't even imagine how you must be feeling," Rinoa started. Quistis looked over at her. This was new. "And I know it looks hopeless but don't give up on him. Seifer's a fighter, there's no way he's gonna let some punk kid like Skylar Deling kill him. He will get better. He will come back to you." 

Quistis stared at the raven-haired woman, surprisingly comforted by her words. "Th…thank you Rinoa." 

"You're welcome," Rinoa smiled again, much brighter this time. She stood up. "Stay with him. I have a feeling it won't be long now until he opens those beautiful emerald eyes to the world again." Rinoa exited the infirmary, leaving Quistis sitting in shock by Seifer's bedside. 

It had only been ten minutes when Rinoa returned with a tray full of food. 

"I brought you something anyway," Rinoa announced, "Just in case you change your mind." 

"Thanks Rinoa," Quistis said. The dark-haired woman put the tray down on a nearby table like she did every day. Rinoa turned to leave, then stopped and turned back to the blonde. 

"Quisty." Rinoa once again sat in the chair next to her. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. None of it was your fault. You didn't know that Seifer would follow you…" She trailed off as Quistis' eyes went wide and tears began to stream down her face. "Quisty, what's wrong?" 

"He…" Quistis turned her gaze to Seifer, "he squeezed my hand!" 

"Are you sure?" Rinoa stood up so she could see better. Sure enough, Seifer's fingers tightened around Quistis' for a split second. "Dr. Kadowaki!" Rinoa shouted, "Dr. Kadowaki! Come quick!" 

The door slid open and the plump doctor hurried in, her face flushed from exertion. "What is it? What's wrong?" 

Quistis looked up at the doctor. "He squeezed my hand." 

"He did?" Dr. Kadowaki moved to the other side of the bed and listened to Seifer's heart. "His heart does seem to be stronger." 

Quistis looked back down at Seifer. "Does that mean he's going to be okay?" 

"Well, it is a good sign but he still has…" The doctor was interrupted by a gasp from Quistis. 

"Seifer…" Quistis breathed as his emerald eyes opened slowly. 

"Quis…ty?" he managed before his eyes closed again and he fell back into unconsciousness. 

Quistis turned her watery sapphire gaze to Dr. Kadowaki, hope evident on her face. 

The doctor nodded. "That is a very good sign. I'm pretty sure he's going to be okay." 

Quistis burst into tears of joy and hugged Rinoa. The two women cried with each other as Dr. Kadowaki continued to examine Seifer. 

***

"How many more days to I have to be in here?" Seifer whined as Dr. Kadowaki listened to him breathe. 

"You've been in here for nearly a month, I don't think another few days is going to kill you," Quistis teased. 

"Look at me!" Seifer exclaimed, "I'm getting all flabby!" Seifer lifted up his black T-shirt and poked at his still near-perfect abs. 

"Oh yes," Quistis rolled her eyes, "You're practically a tub of jell-o." 

"That's what I'm saying!" Seifer agreed, "I need to get out of here and kill something before I forget how." 

"Trust me, Seifer," Dr. Kadowaki chuckled, "I don't think you'll ever forget how to kill." 

"That hurt my feelings doc," Seifer told her, "Do you think I'm just a heartless machine with nothing inside except the urge to kill? I have love too." He looked over at Quistis and wiggled his eyebrows. "Lot's of love." 

Quistis rolled her eyes again. "I'm going to get some food. What do you want?" 

"The usual," Seifer replied. 

"Do you want anything Dr. Kadowaki?" 

"No thank you," the doctor smiled, "I'm fine." 

"All right, I'll be back in a few minutes." Quistis waved and walked out the door. 

On her way to the cafeteria, Quistis' mind wandered to the events of the past month. It had been a long recovery for Seifer but he was finally feeling like himself again. At first, he had only been able to stay awake for short periods of time but as he grew stronger, the coma-like states faded and eventually disappeared. He had somehow found out that Quistis blamed herself (she had a hunch that Rinoa told him) and he had made her promise that she wouldn't. Of course, sometimes the guilt still crept up on her, but Seifer was always there to drive it away. Their relationship was growing as well. Even though she still didn't remember her past, it seemed as if they had started over and she had even let him kiss her on a few occasions, although nothing more. 

Quistis smiled and waved at a few Trepies who were in the cafeteria as she got into line. Yes, life was good. 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

Outside the infirmary, the redhead watched as Quistis left and went to the cafeteria. She only left Seifer's side a few times a day and never for more than a half hour. If her plan was to be put into action, she'd have to hurry. 

The red-headed woman waited until Quistis was out of sight and then hurried into the infirmary. Dr. Kadowaki was sitting at her desk and looked up as she entered. 

"Can I help you?" the doctor asked. 

"There's been an accident in the Training Center!" the girl informed, "one of my friends was hurt pretty badly." 

"What happened?" Dr. Kadowaki demanded, already grabbing her medical supplies. 

"We were fighting a T-Rexaur," the redhead relayed, "and it hit my friend with it's tail! Her leg was bleeding really bad!" 

Dr. Kadowaki nodded and hurried out of the infirmary. As soon as she was gone, the worried look on her face melted into a sinister smile. She knew the doctor would be busy with Maili for a while. She had cut her pretty good. The best thing was, she knew that Maili would never tell the doctor what had really happened. She wanted to be accepted too badly. Now it was time to put the rest of her plan into action. 

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Seifer heard the door slide open and looked up, a smile on his face. He had expected it to be Quistis but the smile faded when he saw it wasn't. "What do you want?" 

"I just came to visit you," the red haired girl pouted at his tone. 

"I told you Janai," Seifer reminded, "I'm not interested." 

"I know," Janai insisted, "I was just worried about you, that's all." She sauntered over to his bed. 

"I've been here for almost a month," Seifer stated, "why are you worried now that I'm healed?" 

"I…" 

"Just go Janai," Seifer ordered, "I've had enough of you stalking me." 

This was not going as planned. She thought that he'd at least talk to her for a few minutes until Quistis got back. She didn't expect him to be such an asshole. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the blonde instructor coming towards the infirmary with a tray of food in her hands. Now was her chance. Without out thinking, Janai jumped onto Seifer's bed and straddled him. 

"What the…" Before he could finish, she bent down and kissed him. 

------------------------------------------------------------ 

Quistis turned the corner and was approaching Seifer's room when she stopped dead in her tracks. Through the windows on either side of the door she could see inside the room. What she saw was a redheaded girl straddling Seifer on the bed and kissing him. Quistis' first instinct was to run into the room and rip the girl's head off. Unfortunately she ignored this thought and instead let the sadness wash over her. She turned around and sat the tray on Dr. Kadowaki's desk, and then bolted from the room. 

------------------------------------------------------------ 

Seifer brought his hands up and shoved Janai off of him, hard enough to send her to the floor. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?" 

Janai jumped to her feet, an ecstatic smile on her face. "Don't you see Seifer? Didn't you feel it? We're meant for each other!" 

"You have three seconds to get out of here before you get hurt," Seifer growled, "1…" 

"But Seifer…" 

"2…" 

"Quistis isn't right for you!" Janai cried, "She's a tramp! She'll dump you as soon as something better comes along!" 

"3!" Seifer jumped out of the bed and started towards Janai. The girl screamed and dashed out of the room as quickly as she could. Seifer stopped following her and collapsed back onto the bed. Dr. Kadowaki was right, he wasn't ready to get up and move around a whole lot yet. He looked towards the door of the infirmary as he crawled back into bed. Where was Quistis? 

------------------------------------------------------------ 

Quistis lay on her bed, her tears soaking the pillow. She had been such a fool. She had thought things were getting better between her and Seifer. It was her own fault. A few kisses weren't enough to satisfy a man like Seifer. She should have seen this coming. Of course he would turn to someone else for what he couldn't get from her. It didn't matter now though. What was done was done and there was nothing she could do to change it. How ironic that the things she wanted to remember were lost to her but the one thing she would love nothing more than to tuck away in a forgotten part of her brain would be forever burned into her memory. 

Quistis sat up and rubbed her eyes. There was only one thing left to do. She went into the bathroom and washed her face to rid it of the tear streaks. She dried it and examined herself in the mirror. _I look terrible,_ she thought. She waited for the redness in her eyes to fade and then headed to the infirmary. She was greeted by Dr. Kadowaki as she walked through the sliding door. 

"Quistis!" she exclaimed when she saw Quistis enter, "there you are! Seifer's been bugging me every five minutes to find you." 

"Is he alone in his room?" Quistis questioned. 

"Yes." 

"Thank you." Quistis walked past the doctor and into Seifer's room. 

"There you are!" Seifer smiled as she entered, "Where have you been?" His smile faded as she walked over to his bed. "Quisty? What's wrong?" 

"We have to talk," Quistis stated. 

"About what?" 

"About us." Quistis took a deep breath. "I don't remember how things were before but I know how things are going now." 

"Quistis, what are you…" 

She cut him off. "Things aren't working out Seifer. I'm not ready to be in a relationship with you and I know that it must be frustrating for you, so I'm cutting you loose." 

"Excuse me?" Seifer stared at her, wide-eyed, "What do you mean?" 

"I'm not saying it won't work eventually," Quistis continued, "maybe when my memory returns, things will be different but for now I think you should see other people. I know you have needs that I just can't fulfill right now." 

"We already had this talk," Seifer reminded her desperately, "I told you I'd wait forever for you if that's what it takes." 

"But that's not fair to you," Quistis insisted, "it's selfish of me to expect you to wait for me because of my problems." She quickly pulled the diamond engagement ring off of her finger and stuffed it into his hand. "I'm doing this for you Seifer. You need to be free. I know you do." 

"Woman, what the Hell are you talking about?" Seifer demanded, "I don't need anything but you!" 

"Please Seifer," Quistis begged, near tears, "Don't make this any harder than it already is." She bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll see you around." Quistis turned and head towards the door. 

"Quistis wait!" Seifer called. 

Quistis ignored him and with tears streaming down her face, hurried out of the infirmary. 

****************************** 

And the plot thickens... I know this chapter is short but I wanted a quick update because everyone was angry with me for the last chapter. Although, I seriously doubt that the events of this chapter are going to make anyone hate me less. I promise that everything will be resolved in the last chapter, which just happens to be the next one. That's right my loyal readers, only one more chapter and an epilogue to go! Stay tuned as I will have it posted (both of them hopefully) by the end of the week. 

Author's Question: I was wondering if anyone could help me. Does anyone know where I can find the japanese symbol for "believe" anywhere on the net? I really need to know what the kanji looks like and I would greatly appreciate any help on this subject. Thanks! 


	15. Resolutions

Yeah! The last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it!   
************************************* 

**To Sickness in Salvation:**I'm glad you're not mad at me. I'm pretty sure that this chapter will make up for my previous meanness. 

**To Wolf of Light:** After you blew up the doll, I hope you burnt the pieces and then tossed them into the ocean! 

**To FantasyWolf:** I can live with despise but I think you'll be happy with me after this chapter...at least I hope so. 

**To Quistis88:** Slap away! Although you'll probably have to take a number. You know what, since you asked so nicely, I'll let you be first in line. Let the slapfest begin! 

**To Boggart:** I know! I'm terrible! This chapter will make up for it, I promise! 

*************************************   


Chapter 15: Resolutions

  


"Quistis are you in there?" 

Rinoa's voice floated through the dorm door and Quistis sighed. She thought maybe if she didn't answer, they would all just leave her alone. No such luck as a second later, Selphie tried. 

"Come on Quisty open up!" the petite brunette ordered, "we know you're in there!" 

Quistis groaned, took off her glasses, put down the book she was reading and walked to the door. It slid open as she approached, revealing the two female SeeDs. 

"Hi!" Selphie greeted cheerfully. 

"Hi," Quistis said back with very little enthusiasm 

"Me and Selphie were going into Balamb to do some last minute shopping for the SeeD ball tonight," Rinoa informed, "Wanna come?" 

"No thanks," Quistis declined without thinking, "I'm right in the middle of a book and…" 

"Let me guess," Rinoa interrupted, "'How to Junction a GF' or 'Magic and You: Best Friends 'til the End'." 

"Actually," Quistis corrected, "It's 'Elementary Magic and It's Effects'." 

"Whatever," Rinoa groaned, "the point is, you are spending entirely too much time cooped up in your room." 

"Yeah," Selphie agreed, "You can't avoid Seifer forever. Besides, you dumped him, remember?" 

Quistis cringed. "I didn't _dump_ him, we just needed some time apart." It had been two and a half weeks since Quistis had given Seifer back the engagement ring. Since then, he had been released from the infirmary and she had become a recluse. It wasn't the most productive way to live but it was the best thing for her right now. 

"You know, something doesn't add up," Rinoa stated, "you broke up with Seifer and yet you're avoiding him like the plague. Do you still have feelings for him or what?" 

"Sure," Quistis admitted, "I mean, I always will." 

"Then why'd you break up with him?" Selphie asked, totally confused. 

"I think it's time we had a talk." Rinoa walked past Quistis and Selphie followed. 

"There's nothing to talk about," Quistis insisted as the two women made themselves comfortable in chairs by her bed, "he just needed some space so I gave it to him." 

"He needed some space?" Rinoa questioned, "Sit down, Quisty." Quistis sat down on her bed. "If he needed space, then why does he mope around the Garden like he's a zombie?" 

"What?" Quistis stared in confusion at Rinoa. 

"It's true," Selphie nodded, "I asked him if he'd help me set up the ballroom for the SeeD ball and he just ignored me!" 

Rinoa raised an eyebrow at Selphie's words. "While that may not be the best example, he has been in a daze since you broke up with him," Rinoa told Quistis, "He looks terrible, he hasn't shaved in days, or bathed for that matter. The man is a wreck without you Quistis." 

"That can't be true," Quistis shook her head, "he needed space. I saw him and…" She trailed off. 

"Saw him what?" Selphie inquired. 

"Nothing." Quistis looked away. "Never mind." 

"Quisty, what's going on?" Rinoa prodded, "What did you see?" 

"Nothing I said!" Quistis told them, "Just forget I said anything." 

"Tell us Quisty," Selphie pleaded, "We're your best friends. We're practically sisters, it's not right to keep things from us." 

Quistis looked up at the two women sitting in front of her. "Promise you won't tell Seifer?" 

"Promise!" they chorused. 

"Okay." Quistis took a deep breath. "The reason I broke up with Seifer was because I felt like I was holding him back." 

"Holding him back from what?" Selphie asked. 

"Well, before I lost my memory, Seifer and I were…intimate with each other," Quistis blushed as she talked, "at least, that's what he told me. Anyway, I just couldn't be in that same level of a relationship now that I can't remember how things used to be. I told him once that if he wanted to see other people he could but he said he'd wait for me forever if he had to…" 

"Awwww," Selphie and Rinoa cooed. 

"…but apparently forever wasn't as long as I thought because he went to someone else to fulfill his…needs," Quistis finished, "so instead of him feeling bound to me, I cut him loose to explore other options." Rinoa and Selphie were wide-eyed. 

"He cheated on you?!" Selphie gasped. 

"I wouldn't call it cheating," Quistis defended, "since technically we weren't together and I told him he could…" 

"How do you know he cheated on you?" Rinoa questioned. 

"I saw him," Quistis answered. 

"You SAW him cheating on you?!" Selphie exclaimed. She narrowed her jade eyes threateningly. "I don't blame you for dumping him! He deserved it! Cheater!" 

"I don't believe it," Rinoa breathed, "Seifer loves you, I know he does! Why would he do this to you?" 

Quistis sighed. "It's my fault. If I had just made an effort…" 

"Like Hell it is!" Selphie shouted, "You didn't do anything wrong, Quisty. He's just a dirty pig who thinks with his dick!" 

"Selphie!" Quistis exclaimed. 

"It's true!" Selphie insisted, "Next time I see him, I'm going to strangle him!" 

"No!" Quistis protested, "You promised you wouldn't tell him!" 

"Fine," Selphie relented, "but I'm never being nice to him again! Never!" 

"It just doesn't make sense," Rinoa stated, "Seifer isn't someone who would let his hormones get the better of him. What exactly did you see?" 

"Let me think…" Quistis said. Like she would have to think. The image had been etched into her mind for the past seventeen days. "Well, I had gone to get us lunch. When I came back, a girl was straddling Seifer on his bed and kissing him." 

"What did you do?" Selphie asked. 

"Nothing," Quistis replied, "I turned and left." 

"Who was the girl?" Rinoa inquired, "Do you know her?" 

"I've seen her around the Garden before but I don't know her name," Quistis informed. 

"What does she look like?" Selphie questioned with an evil glint in her eye. 

Quistis eyed her suspiciously. "If I tell you, you aren't going to go find her and hurt her are you?" 

"Of course not!" Selphie exclaimed, "Why would I do something like that?" 

"Selphie." Quistis looked at her sternly. 

"Fine!" Selphie sighed, "I won't hurt her…physically." 

Quistis ignored her last remark and began to describe the girl she had seen with Seifer. "I only saw her from the back but I'm pretty sure she's the girl I've seen around the Garden. She's not real tall, maybe a few inches shorter than me. She's younger than me too, by at least five years. I'd say she's about fifteen or sixteen. She has freckles on her face and red curly hair…" 

"Janai!" Rinoa and Selphie gasped at the same time. 

"Janai?" 

"It's Janai Talbert!" Rinoa informed, "She's been following Seifer around since he got out of the infirmary. No matter how many times he tells her, she just won't' leave him alone." 

"She asked him out before we found you in Winhill too," Selphie added, "He didn't want anything to do with her then either." 

"But that doesn't make any sense," Quistis insisted, "I saw them. They were kissing and she was on top of him!" 

"Maybe what you think you saw wasn't exactly what happened," Rinoa suggested. 

"Yeah!" Selphie agreed, "Maybe Janai kissed him because she knew you were watching and she wanted the two of you to break up!" 

"Don't you think that's a little far-fetched?" Quistis inquired. 

"Not at all!" Selphie defended, "It's entirely plausible!" 

"Plausible?" Quistis raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

Selphie giggled. "Irvy bought me a word-a-day calendar to build my vocabulary." 

Quistis nodded. "Right." 

"Look, there's no point in sitting here arguing about it," Rinoa stated, "We need to do something about this! We need to find out the truth!" 

"And how are we going to do that?" Quistis wondered. 

"We could beat it out of her!" Selphie chirped. 

"Or…" Rinoa began, "we could spy on her and her little friends and see what they have to say!" 

"That's perfect Rinny!" Selphie praised, "You're a genius!" Selphie jumped to her feet, as did Rinoa. "Come on Quisty! We'll get to the bottom of this!" 

Quistis stood up reluctantly. "But I thought you two were going shopping." 

"That was just an excuse to get you out of your room," Rinoa informed, "Now come on! We're on a mission!" 

The two women dragged the helpless blonde out of her room and towards the cafeteria. 

**2 Hours Later…**

"Who would've thought anyone could be so boring!" Rinoa exclaimed as the three women walked back into Quistis' dorm room. On their little spy mission, they had been subjected to two hours of torturous teenage girl banter. From boys to Bite Bugs and back to boys, Janai and her friends had spoken about everything under the sun except the one thing they had wanted to know. They had finally given up as the teenagers made their way to the library. 

"There's two hours of my life that I'll never get back," Quistis complained and collapsed onto her bed. 

"There's gotta be another way to find out what really happened," Selphie whined. 

"Whatever it is, count me out," Quistis told them, "I've had enough of that girl to last me a lifetime." 

"Definitely," Selphie agreed, "I want to pretend that those last two hours never happened. What I write in my diary tonight, I'm leaving that part out." 

"That's it!" Rinoa exclaimed, causing Quistis and Selphie to jump. 

"That's what?" Selphie inquired. 

"That's how we can find out what really happened!" Rinoa clarified, "her diary! She's gotta have one! Almost everyone in Garden does!" 

"You're right!" Selphie agreed. 

"Uh guys," Quistis interrupted, "how exactly are you going to get her diary?" 

"We'll just have to let ourselves into her room, that's all," Rinoa explained. 

"How are we going to do that?" Quistis inquired, "don't we need her keycard and her password?" 

"Not if we have a master keycard." Rinoa opened the top drawer of Quistis' nightstand and pushed aside some stuff until she came across what she was looking for. She pulled out an old book and began flipping through the pages. "Aha!" Rinoa pulled a white keycard out of the pages and returned the book to the drawer. "All instructors are given master keycards in case of emergencies." Rinoa and Selphie headed towards the door. 

"Wait a minute!" Quistis called, "we can't just go barging in there! What if she's there? And do you even know what dorm room is hers?" 

"Good point," Rinoa acknowledged, "we'll have to break into Squall's office first to find out what dorm she's in, then we'll have to make sure she's not there." They started for the door again. 

"This is insane!" Quistis protested and chased after them, "What if we get caught?" 

"Relax Quisty," Selphie comforted, "Rinny's great and breaking and entering. She sneaks into Squall's office all the time." 

Rinoa nodded and she and Selphie left the room. Quistis hesitated for a minute, and then followed after them quickly. The three women made their way to the elevator and Rinoa stopped them outside of it. 

"It'll be easier if I go alone," Rinoa told them. She looked down at her watch. "I should be back in a few minutes." The other two nodded and Rinoa climbed into the elevator. 

Four minutes later, the elevator doors opened and Rinoa stepped out. She had a piece of paper in her hand and a smile on her face. "Janai Talbert, room 107, shares a room with Maili Krandle, both of which are in the library and will remain there until I give Cammi the okay to let them go. Come on." 

The three women hurried back to the dorm hallway and wandered around until they came to room 107. Selphie and Quistis made sure no one was around as Rinoa slipped the keycard into the door. It beeped and then slid open. They all ran inside and Rinoa locked the door behind her using the password taped above the keypad. Once this was done, they turned to survey the dorm. 

"Which room is hers?" Selphie asked as she stared at the two identical rooms. 

"Her weapon is a spear so look for spear accessories," Rinoa offered. 

"It's this one," Selphie announced, pointing to the room on the left. A long spear was visible leaning against the back wall. 

"Let's go to work then." They entered the tiny room and began searching through her dresser and nightstand. They found nothing. They looked under her bed, nothing. They looked under her mattress, nothing. They looked under her pillow, nothing. Rinoa sat down heavily on the bed. 

"Where could the damn thing be?!" she shouted. 

"Oh!" Selphie chirped and dropped to her hands and knees in front of the nightstand. She reached under it and began feeling around on the bottom of it. "Got it!" There was a momentary ripping sound and Selphie retracted her arm, a pink and white diary in her hand. Rinoa and Quistis stared it shock. 

"How did you ever come up with that idea?" Quistis asked. 

Selphie smiled sheepishly. "It's the same place I hide mine. It's the only place Irvy hasn't looked." 

"Give it to me." Rinoa snatched the book, which had a piece of Velcro stuck to the front, and opened it. 

"Hey!" Selphie pouted but Rinoa ignored her. 

Rinoa flipped through the entries as Selphie and Quistis waited anxiously. "Ah! Here we go!" Rinoa put her finger on the page. " 'November 21,'" Rinoa read, " 'Dear Diary, my carefully laid out plans were finally executed today. After cutting Maili's leg with my spear, I ran to the infirmary and told the doctor that there had been an accident in the Training Center. After she left, I was all alone with Seifer. I knew that bimbo fiancée of his would be back soon, so I acted fast. When I saw her coming, I jumped on him and kissed him. It was amazing! I know she saw too because she turned and left. Unfortunately, Seifer wasn't too thrilled and he chased me out of his room but that doesn't matter. He'll warm up to me eventually. I can't wait until I feel his lips on mine again. Signed, Janai." Rinoa closed the diary and looked up at Quistis. 

"What have I done?" Quistis whispered. 

"Don't worry about it Quisty," Selphie assured, "we'll fix everything!" 

"No!" Quistis declined, "I messed everything up by myself, I need to fix it by myself. Come on, let's get out of here before we get caught." 

Selphie replaced the diary to it's hiding spot and they left the dorm. They walked in silence until they reached Quistis' dorm. Rinoa handed her the master keycard. 

"Are you sure you don't want our help?" Rinoa inquired. 

"Yeah," Selphie agreed, "we want to help." 

"You already have helped," Quistis smiled, "you found out the truth. The rest of it is up to me. First, I need some time to sort out exactly what I'm going to say." 

"When are you gonna talk to him?" Selphie prodded. 

"Tonight," Quistis replied, "at the SeeD ball. I'll see you guys then." Quistis entered her dorm and the door slid shut behind her. 

Outside, Selphie and Rinoa looked at each other. 

"You think everything will turn out okay?" Selphie asked. 

"Sure it will," Rinoa assured, "this is Quisty and Seifer we're talking about. No one has ever fought as hard for their love as those two did. There's no way their gonna let this tear them apart." 

"You're right," Selphie agreed with a smile. 

"I always am." 

The two women headed off towards the main hallway. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

Quistis stood in front of the mirror attached to her dresser as she put on her earrings, diamond studs with a silver strip leading down to another diamond stud, and her necklace, which was a black choker with a diamond dangling from it. Her hair was swept up into a French twist and two curly tendrils framed her face. She wore minimal make up, as she didn't need it, and a navy blue dress with a tight, spaghetti strapped bodice and long, flowing skirt. After hours of preparation, she was ready for the SeeD ball. 

She wasn't, however, ready for her talk with Seifer. 

Ever since she had returned to her dorm room, she had been trying to think of a way to explain to him what she had seen and how she had misinterpreted it. It wasn't easy. Every time she ran through the words in her head, she found something wrong with them. By 6:47, she had decided that the words would never be perfect and if she didn't get moving, she would be late for the ball. She strapped on her open-toed heels and made her way to the door. 

It was then that it hit her. Her memory came rushing back to her with all the force of a tsunami. She cried out and clutched her head as memory after memory ran through it. They were all so vivid: the first time she had seen Edea's orphanage and the others, the first time she had come to the Garden after it's completion, the first time she had handled a whip, passing her SeeD exam, passing her instructor's exam, having her instructor's license taken away, obtaining Save the Queen, fighting Ultimecia, teaching Seifer once he returned to the Garden, the first time they kissed, the first time they made love, the night he proposed to her and finally, falling off the Garden after the attack by Kaiser Deling. 

"Stop!" Quistis cried weakly but the memories ignored her. Her head felt as if it would burst from all the images and she could take no more. Blackness enveloped her and finally the images stopped. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

"She should've been here by now," Rinoa commented. 

"You don't think she chickened out, do you?" Selphie asked. 

"She wouldn't dare," Rinoa insisted. She thought for a moment, "but just in case, I think we should go get her and escort her to the ball." 

"Good idea," Selphie agreed. The two girls left the ballroom and took the elevator down to the first floor. They stepped off and caught sight of Seifer heading towards the Quad. 

"Hey Seifer!" Rinoa called. The blonde stopped and turned to her. _At least he shaved,_ she thought. "You're going the wrong way! The SeeD ball is up there!" She pointed to the second floor. 

"I'm not in the mood for a stupid party," Seifer told her, "I'm going to sit in the Quad where no one will bother me." 

"Suit yourself," Rinoa shrugged, secretly pleased that he and Quistis would have somewhere private to talk. The women made their way around the Garden to the dormitories and stopped outside Quistis' room. 

"Quistis, are you in there?" Rinoa called through the door. "It's time to go to the ball." There was no reply. 

"Come on Quisty!" Selphie demanded, "You already tried this once today. It didn't work then and it's not gonna work now! Open up!" There was still no response. 

"That woman sure can be stubborn," Selphie commented. 

"I thought something like this might happen so…" Rinoa reached down her green dress and pulled out a keycard. "I snatched this from Squall's room." 

"You're a genius!" Selphie exclaimed, "you always think of everything!" 

"I know." Rinoa slipped the master keycard into the slot and waited for the door to beep. It did and then slid open. "Come on Quisty, where are…" Rinoa trailed off as her eyes fell on the crumpled form of the blonde. "Quistis!" 

The two women dashed into the room and knelt down beside the fallen instructor. 

"Quistis!" Rinoa shouted, "Wake up!" 

"What's wrong with her?" Selphie questioned, fear evident on her face. 

"I don't know," Rinoa admitted, "try casting Curaga on her." 

Selphie nodded. "Curaga!" 

Immediately, Quistis' eyes fluttered and then opened. She blinked a few times to focus and then looked up at the two figures leaning over her. 

"Selphie? Rin?" Quistis sat up. 

"Quisty, are you all right?" Selphie asked. 

"Yes," Quistis assured, "the memories, they were just too much for me and I fainted." 

"Memories?" Rinoa inquired. Suddenly, her face lit up, "Does that mean…?" 

"Yes," Quistis nodded, "I'm finally back." 

"Yay!" The younger women hugged Quistis tightly. 

Rinoa was the first to let go. "You have to go tell Seifer!" 

"Oh my Hyne, Seifer!" Quistis exclaimed, "Where is he?" 

"In the Quad." 

Quistis leapt to her feet and was out the door before Rinoa or Selphie could react. She ran down the dorm hallway and turned onto the main hallway, never slowing down. The entire way to the Quad, she kept thinking _Hyne, please let Seifer forgive me!_ She reached the Quad and hurried towards the balcony in the back. She knew that was where he'd be. 

Sure enough, she spotted him sitting on the ground against the balcony with his legs dangling over the side of the Garden through the railing. Her heels clicked loudly, announcing her approach. He obviously heard because he spoke to her without turning around. 

"Go away," he snarled, "I don't want to be bothered." 

"Seifer?" 

He turned around when he heard her voice. "Quistis, what are you doing out here?" He faced away from her again. "You're gonna miss the SeeD ball, or did you forget about that too?" 

Quistis narrowed her eyes at his back. "Seifer Almasy! What in the Hell makes you think you can talk to me like that? I didn't let you talk to me like that when we hated each other and there's no way I'm going to let you talk to me like that now!" Seifer turned to her again, a shocked expression on his face. "That's right, my memory's back and you know what I remember? You are a stubborn ass! I don't know who I let myself fall in love with you in the first place!" 

By this time, Seifer was on his feet. He slowly walked up to her and took her hands into his own. "You remember everything?" Before she could answer, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. 

She pushed him away, her eyes still narrowed. "Don't think that you can make up for what you just said to me with one little kiss." 

"Hyne woman," Seifer smiled, "can't you just get lost in the moment?" 

"No." 

"Oh, well, excuse me Miss here's-your-ring-back-because-I-don't-want-to-be-your-fiancée-anymore!" Seifer quipped, "but I happen to be excited about this." 

"The only reason I gave you the ring back is because I saw that little tramp Janai kiss you!" Quistis defended. 

Seifer's smile faded. "Quisty, you gotta believe me, I didn't…" 

She hushed him by putting her hand over his mouth. "I know. I came out here to tell you that I'm sorry for distrusting you." 

"How did you find out that I had nothing to do with the kiss?" Seifer inquired. 

Quistis grinned. "Rinoa, Selphie and I broke into her room and read her diary." 

The smile returned to Seifer's face as he pulled her engagement ring out of his pocket. "I think this belongs to you." She held up her hand and he slipped it on her finger. He looked down at her and their eyes locked. "Quistis Angelica Trepe, will you marry me?" 

"Yes." Quistis leaned up and kissed him passionately. They pulled apart when they heard footsteps coming towards them. 

"Seifer!" a voice called from inside the Quad. A second later, none other than Janai Talbert appeared on the balcony. "My friend Maili said she saw you come in…" She trailed off when she saw the two blondes entangled in each other's arms. A look of anger crossed her face. "What are you doing with my Seifer?" 

"You stupid…" Seifer started forward but Quistis stopped him. 

"No Seifer," Quistis smiled evilly, "let me." 

Seifer grinned. "She's all yours babe." 

Quistis turned from Seifer and started towards Janai. The redhead's face went from angry to scared as the blonde instructor started towards her. She turned to bolt but Quistis stopped her with a shouted command. 

"Don't even think about running!" Quistis ordered. Janai turned back to the taller woman and stared at her fearfully. "Listen up little girl, I know what you did and if you ever come near my fiancé again, you'll be on the bad side of my Save the Queen, do you understand?" 

"Y…yes…." 

"Yes Instructor Trepe!" Quistis corrected. 

"Yes Instructor Trepe," Janai repeated. 

"Good, now get out of my sight before I change my mind and decide to take out my anger on you!" Quistis ordered. 

Janai turned and scrambled out of the Quad as fast as she could. Seifer walked up next to Quistis once the girl was gone. 

"Nicely done," Seifer praised. 

"Thank you," Quistis smiled. 

Seifer held his arm out. "What do you say we head to the SeeD ball?" 

Quistis looped her arm with his. "No. Tonight is all about us. I don't want to be with the crowd. I just want to be along with you." 

"In that case…" Seifer unlooped his arm from hers and scooped her up into his arms. 

"Seifer!" Quistis exclaimed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "What are you doing?" 

He didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and headed towards the dorms. 

********************************************** 

I hope this happy ending was sufficent to cover my butt from excessive flaming. The epilogue will be posted tomorrow so keep your eyes opened! 


	16. Epilogue: I do

Here it is, the last part of "Remember Me", the epilogue. Enjoy!   
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Epilogue: I do

  


The large room was filled with chairs and every chair was occupied. Up at the front, an arch was set up, decorated with numerous flowers and ribbons, as was the rest of the room. At the altar stood a minister to perform the ceremony, and the groom, who looked nervous and uncomfortable in his black tuxedo. Next to him stood his four groomsmen and the ring bearer, also in black. Suddenly, the piano set up by the left wall began to play the wedding march. 

The bridesmaids came down the aisle first, all four of them dressed in light peach and holding a bouquet of white and peach roses. Next came the flower girl, dressed in an off-white dress and tossing petals around her. Finally, the bride, wearing a snow-white gown that trailed behind her, and her two escorts stepped onto the aisle and everyone stood to show respect. The men led her down the aisle and gave her hand to the groom, then took their seats in the front row. The minister told everyone to be seated and then began. 

"We are gathered her today…" 

As the minister performed the ceremony, Quistis' eyes never left Seifer. She couldn't believe it was actually happening. They were really getting married, and in front of so many people! The entire Garden had been invited as well as her friends from Winhill. James and Cid had been the ones who led her down the aisle as they were the only fathers she had ever known, Tifa Lockheart was the flower girl, Jessen Lockheart was the ring bearer, Rinoa, Selphie, Cammi and Fujin were her bridesmaids, Raijin, Squall, Zell and Irvine were Seifer's groomsmen, even Pete the bartender had made it, though he was confined to a wheelchair. Everyone who had ever meant anything to them was in this room right now. 

"Do you, Quistis Angelica Trepe, take this man to be your husband?" the minister asked. 

"I do." She slipped the ring on his finger and smiled as tears glistened in her eyes. 

"And do you, Seifer Aryn Almasy, take this woman to be your wife?" 

"I do," He put the wedding band on her finger. 

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife!" the minister announced. "You may now kiss the bride!" 

Seifer pushed the veil away from her face and pulled her against him. He smiled and dipped his head, capturing her mouth in a heated kiss. When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless. 

"May I present to you," the minister began, "Mr. and Mrs. Seifer and Quistis Almasy!" 

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I'll put up Author's Thanks tomorrow so look for it. Chances are you're name will be there! 


	17. Author's Thanks

**Author's Thanks**

  


Wow, I can't believe all the reaction I got for this fic. When I first started writing it, I thought to myself, "If I get twenty reviews for this thing, I'll be happy because it'll be the most I ever got for a fic." Now look at it. 110 reviews! I can't thank you guys enough for your support. 

A big thank you for reviewing to: **The Anti Fluffy, bembem, butthead, boko, Mintaka 1, twenty-four cent, psychotic teen, emina, shiro, remote mine, c.g., Ariennye, stormsaiyan and deerhunter.**

A HUGE Gigantic thank you to those of you who reviewed for almost every chapter (only one person reviewed every chapter and that was FantasyWolf): 

**To Ami-M:** You were my first reviewer. There's nothing I can say except thank you and your fics rock! 

**To Pretty Green Eyes:** You always had nice things to say about the chapters and you never once told me you hated me because of the content of the chapter. (To Sickness in Salvation and FantasyWolf: just kidding!) 

**To Wolf of Light:** You were the first one to forgive me for not having them meet right away and I appreciate that. You also nuked a Janai voodoo doll and for that, I am grateful.(Also, sorry about Lili, she gets over emotional sometimes. I try to keep dangerous objects away from her but…) 

**To FantasyWolf:** You reviewed every single chapter, even though you were mad at me. You are a loyal reader and anyone would be lucky to have you as a reviewer. 

**To Sickness in Salvation:** You're fics are some of the best out there and it's an honor to have you review my fic and like it. I hope you aren't hating me anymore and I can't wait for your sequels to LCA. 

**To Ispreno:** You may not have reviewed every chapter but you read the story and you liked it, that's what counts. You also commented on my little comedy inserts in chapter 10 and I'm thankful for that because you let me know that it was actually funny and not just a failed attempt. 

**To thugstra:** You never had a bad thing to say about any of the chapters. I'm glad you enjoyed it! 

**To Boggart:** When you first reviewed, you told me I was mean. Then you told me how much you loved that fic. Then you got angry with me for breaking them up. Then you were happy with me again. I'm glad I could share this emotional rollercoaster with you and I'm glad you like the fic. 

**To edenblack 18:** You only reviewed a few times but what matters is that you did review. Thank you and I'm glad you liked the ending! 

**To Quistis88:** Your name says it all. You must be a super cool person to have a pen name like that. I really appreciate your reviews. I agree with you, the Delings are idiots. And thank you for volunteering to put Janai in her place. I could've had her fall off a cliff or something but it's a lot more fun to have reader interaction. "As Janai ran out of the Quad, she was caught full in the face by Quistis88's stinging slap. The force of the blow was so hard, it sent the redheaded teenager to the floor. Having already had her share of Quistis' for one day, Janai crawled away as quickly as she could. Quistis88 smirked at her handy work and then disappeared." What do you think? I should've added it into the story. ^_^ 

Thank you all so much for reviewing. And to those of you out there, who might not have reviewed, thanks for reading it. I hope you all had as much fun reading "Remember Me" as I had writing it. 

Love much, Candyce 


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Final Fantasy VIII, Drama, Romance