Wedding plans were in full throttle when
Quistis entered the cafeteria the next day. Rinoa and Selphie were
discussing flower arrangements in very high-pitched voices, so anyone who
hadn’t already known about the news definitely knew now. Quistis offered
Squall a sympathetic smile, as he sat there, red-faced, but as soon as she sat
down, Rinoa and Selphie pounced on her.
“Quisty, what do
YOU think?!” they asked simultaneously.
She stared at
them in confusion. I just got here, she thought, before cocking her head
to survey the both of them. Then she smiled and suggested,” Purple
rhododendrons.”
Rinoa and Selphie
gaped at her in disbelief. “Purple rhododendrons?”
Rinoa repeated in a low voice. Her eyes met the brunette’s next to her,
and she repeated it again. Then she snatched the writing pad from
Selphie’s hands, exclaiming,” Why didn’t WE think of that? For the aisle
decorations at the back and the front! With white roses
and baby’s breath for the bouquets!”
Selphie shook her
head. “No, Rinoa, nothing can be in white except for you! You’re
the bride; you have to be the center of attention! Maybe
pink carnations or pink roses in the bridesmaids’ bouquets?” A
thoughtful expression appeared on Rinoa’s pretty face.
The blond woman
shook her head, good-naturedly, before turning her attention to Squall who
looked more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment. “You okay?”
she asked, leaning on one elbow.
Squall raised his
blue-gray gaze to her face, and Quistis forced herself not to laugh at his
pained expression. “It isn’t funny,” he ground out, able to see right
through her.
“Why don’t you go
to the training center? Or up to your office, because I know how much you
enjoy being buried under mountains of paperwork?” Quistis asked. Squall
darted a glance at Rinoa’s happy face, before returning to look at Quistis.
“I would, but I’m being held here against
my will,” he replied in a voice that Rinoa couldn’t hear.
“Ah.”
Quistis sat back, and then leaned over the table to join Rinoa’s and Selphie’s
conversation. “Hey, Rinoa, why don’t you let Squall go? He isn’t
being any help here, and you don’t want him to be unhappy at the wedding from
all the work he has left unfinished, right? You know how that gets to
him. Besides,” Quistis dropped her voice to a whisper,” What do men know
about these kinds of things?” She raised her voice again, silencing
Rinoa’s protest. “I’m sure Squall will be happy with whatever you come up
with, Rinoa.”
Squall nodded
vigorously, meeting Quistis’ eyes gratefully. Rinoa stared at him, hurt beginning to fill her expression. The
commander stood, and quickly bent over to whisper something in her ear.
Then he kissed her and was on his way. Rinoa looked after him, the hurt
given way to a beautiful smile.
“Rinny, what’d he
say?!” Selphie asked emerald eyes wide with curiosity.
The ebony-haired
woman turned and, dark eyes filled with pleasure, told them. “He said
that it didn’t matter what the wedding looked like since it was my
wedding. And the wedding decorations didn’t matter to him because he only
has eyes for me.”
The three girls
let out a collective wistful sigh.
*
*
*
Sometime later,
exhausted from discussing wedding plans with two hyperactive women, Quistis
trudged toward the quad. With Garden resting partway on the water, the
quad overlooked the ocean and one could even wade in if one was careful.
The breeze always made her feel better. Besides, nothing happened that
made her particularly want to sing, and if anything was required for her to do
so, it was to want to do so. She was sure another tape would be there if
she went back. The feelings she had when she listened to the songs he
left were too strong for it just to be a one time thing. Of course,
that’s what she thought when she dated Eric. And look how wrong she
turned out to be.
Fortunately,
seeing it was class time, no one was in the quad, and Quistis trotted down to
the tiled edge. Carefully, she sat down, removed her boots, and put her
legs in the water, catching her lower lip between her teeth at the icy coldness
of it. She rested her hands in her lap, back straight, even as she relaxed.
The wide blue
ocean stretched out before her and she gazed at it, trying to lose herself in
its beauty. Normally it wasn’t that hard for her to do, but today it
was. Her mind kept drifting back to the voice on the tapes, how much she
wanted to hear it again, how much she…loved it?
No, no, no!
She was through with love. First Squall and then…Eric. Of course,
Squall was never hers. But Eric was. Or she was Eric’s. He
never gave her anything of him. Except his body, but every Trepie wanted
that too. But like a fool, she let him woo her with his smooth
talking. Had he ever complimented her? No. Perhaps that was
the reason she found him so attractive. But she didn’t feel that way
about Seifer Almasy. And Seifer Almasy made it a point in life not to
compliment her. She didn’t WANT to feel anything anymore, it hurt too
much! This voice was just there to torment her, to take her away from her
mission, to…tease her with what it promised. In the voice, she heard everything
she ever wanted. Yes, there was something sexual about her desire to hear
it, but the baritone just promised so much more, so much fulfillment.
With a growl of
frustration, Quistis hoisted herself into a standing position, grabbed her
boots, and turned around. She found herself face to face with an arrogant
smile that she recognized and hated. Shaking her hair back, she met the
mocking blue gaze in front of her. “Eric.” Good job, Trepe, she
congratulated herself. No voice cracking, no anger, no nothing.
The black haired
man raised his eyebrows, but didn’t remark on her lack of expression.
“Quistis Trepe, just the person I wanted to see.”
“Oh?” she folded
her arms, boots dangling from one hand. A good weapon if it came right
down to it.
This time he did
remark. “What’s with the hostility, blue eyes?” His
nickname for her when they were dating. Why did it sound so trite
now? “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“Immensely,” she
returned coldly. “So happy, in fact, that I just might go jump off a
bridge.”
“Ouch.”
Eric pouted, holding his hands to his heart. “Now that stings.”
“What do you
want, Eric? And make it quick, I have more important things to tend to.”
That’s why you’re
out here doing nothing, his eyes mocked. “I just want to talk,” he
responded. “We ended on such a bad note, and I was hoping you could
forgive me.” He took her hand and she stared at it as if it were a
snake. “I was so wrong to leave you. Please let me have another
chance.”
“What’s wrong,
Eric? Was your new toy not good enough in bed for you?”
“On the contrary,
blue eyes. She was a furnace, you were frigid.” Eric smiled
maliciously as Quistis stiffened. “No, she simply bores me when we aren’t
in bed, that’s all. Outside of the bedroom, you were much more
interesting.”
Quistis snorted
in disdain. “I suppose that’s supposed to make me fall for you or
something? Forget it, Eric, it won’t work this time. You’re a
slimeball and to be quite honest, you weren’t exactly phenomenal in bed
either. Maybe the reason I was so frigid was because you weren’t exactly
a turn on.” Nice, Trepe, lower yourself to his
level. Oh but revenge was so sweet. “Now don’t you have a class to
run along to?”
His eyes narrowed
and his grip on her hand tightened to painful. She forced herself not to
cry out. “I had you once, Quistis, I can have you again.”
“Don’t bet on
it,” she spat.
Eric jerked her
to him, wrapping his arms around her, and mashed his lips against hers.
Disgust welled up inside of Quistis and she opened her mouth. When he
slid his tongue in, she bit down. Hard.
Letting out a yelp of pain, Eric pushed her away and grabbed his mouth.
The force of his
push had her stumbling backward. She slipped on the wet tile and went
down. CRACK! Her head hit the floor sickeningly and she lost
consciousness, even as she fell off the edge into the water.
*
*
*
How interesting,
Seifer thought as he watched the two argue from his semi-hidden position on a
bench near the stage. He’d been there since Trepe entered, but he wasn’t
in the mood for confrontation, and that’s what happened when they got near each
other. The situation with Clasyl had him less ready to quarrel with some
and more ready to quarrel with others. Trepe happened to belong to the
former, because she knew his every weakness.
He stood up
though when that slimy excuse for a human, Eric, tried to force himself on her. Nearly applauded when she bit down and
Eric pushed her away, blood dripping from his mouth. But he didn’t have
time. Not in the split second it took for her to crack her head and fall
into the water. Even as he headed for the edge, shedding his trench coat
and shirt, kicking off his shoes, Eric was gone, holding his mouth.
Seifer dove into
the blue water, the iciness of it making him inwardly wince. He looked
around, straining his eyes against the dark trying to find Quistis. A dark
stream, not water, caught his eye, and he swam quickly toward it, following it
down…down…down. There she was! He could feel the cold settling into
his bones, but it only made swim harder. If he was mobile and feeling it,
he couldn’t imagine what it was doing to her. Straining, he reached out
and looped an arm around her trim unconscious body. She was light
normally, but since she was unconscious and the water was pulling them down, he
found it harder to swim to the surface. Just aim for the light, Seifer
told himself, using his legs and one free arm to stroke upwards. His
lungs felt like he was about to burst. Make it, make it, he prayed, but
he wasn’t sure if he was talking about him or Quistis.
But he made
it. Bursting out of the water, he breathed in the air-sweet, sweet
air-and hoisted Quistis over the edge. When he pulled himself onto the
tile, he found a crowd gathered, one that included Eric, Doctor Kadowaki, and
the rest of the gang. The girls’ eyes were wide, as where the guys’, Doctor
Kadowaki looked worried, and Eric…Seifer growled, and headed for the lowlife
who dashed off as soon as he saw Seifer’s predatory gaze on him. The
blond man shook out his hair, even as he watched Doctor Kadowaki perform
CPR. Rinoa handed him his trench coat which he took, nodding his
thanks. His green eyes didn’t move from Quistis’ lifeless form.
*
*
*
Quistis felt as
if she were floating on a cold breeze. It was so cold. Her eyes
weren’t open, but she saw blue. So much blue.
Blue everywhere. She smiled. The ocean.
How she loved the ocean. But it was so cold. She was
freezing.
Warmth. She was warm now. And
floating up. Still floating.
Light. On the ground now.
Pressure.
Quistis lurched
up, spitting water. She let out a groan and put a hand on the back of her
head. When she pulled it away, she saw blood and her eyes were scared
when she looked at Doctor Kadowaki.
Doctor Kadowaki
smiled reassuringly. “Let me bandage that for you, dear. Then we’ll
take you to the infirmary to see if you have a concussion.”
The infirmary. NO. She needed to go to the music
room. To get the tape. To
listen to the voice. The music room, not the infirmary! But
she didn’t say anything, just nodded. Allowed herself
to be carried for once. Her head felt funny and she wasn’t sure she could
make it on her own. Even Quistis Trepe knew when to give in. That
and she didn’t feel like arguing with everyone around her.
When she was
situated on an infirmary cot, and Doctor Kadowaki bound her head, Quistis
stared at the ceiling and asked,” Doctor…what happened?”
Doctor Kadowaki
looked up, frown on her face. “You don’t remember?”
“I remember
slipping and I remember waking up. I don’t remember what happened between
that.”
“Oh,” Doctor
Kadowaki removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Well, dear, when you
hit your head, you also slipped into the ocean. Eric doesn’t know how to
swim, so he came for help. Of course, if Seifer hadn’t rescued you, I
doubt we would have been there in time.”
“What did you
say?” Quistis sat up.
“I said you also
slipped-“
“No, after that. About Seifer.”
“If Seifer hadn’t
been there, we wouldn’t have reached you in time.”
Seifer. Quistis frowned and lowered herself back down
to the cot. How had Seifer gotten there so fast? And why did he
save her?
A few hours
later, when Doctor Kadowaki affirmed that Quistis was only suffering a bump on
the head, Quistis left the infirmary. Defying direct orders to report to
her room to rest, she headed for the music room. As she lay there,
getting tested, her mind kept drifting to the tape that was waiting for
her. If it was still there. She increased
her pace.
The tape was
still in there. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding
and pressed play, before lowering herself carefully to the bench. His
voice washed over her bruised body, full of sorrow and regret. She heard
his disappointment with himself, the war waged within between keeping silent or
venting, and the lyrics seemed…so appropriate. Who listened to anyone
else anymore?
“I’m listening,”
she murmured at the end of the song, slipping in a spare tape from the closet,
since she hadn’t returned to her dorm. Quistis rested her head on top of
the piano, her fingers poised over the keys, but not touching. Why is
this happening to me? I don’t understand. Eric and I broke up just
2 days ago, and I swore I’d never feel like this. But he…She lifted her
head, shut her eyes, and began to play.
Look,
now it’s over but the thoughts of you go on
Nothing
here, nothing left at all
Oh,
oh, and oh
How
I swore I’d never feel like this again
But
then you, you broke a trait
Oh
no, is there any reason I should walk away
Is
it wrong, is it wrong to want to stay
And
I know if I had the choice I’d never let you go
Do
you know, do you really want to know
Ahhhhh
ah ahhhhh
Now,
now the thoughts of you just circle in my mind
Hard
to find, you were really hard to find
Oh
and I thought, thought I swore I’d never feel like this again
Oh
no, I can’t take it anymore
Because
I know if I had the choice, I’d never let you go
Do
you know, do you really want to know
And
I didn’t think, I didn’t think I’d think about you in this way
Well
really, you really made my day
Ahhhhh
ah ahhhhh
Now,
now it’s over, but the thoughts of you go on
Nothing
here, nothing left at all
Oh,
oh and oh
How
I swore I’d never feel like this again
But
then you, you broke a trait
Ah,
ah ah ah, ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah
Quistis wished
she could do the harmony as well, and merge it in, but the music technology at
Her head was
beginning to pound, and she felt dizzy. But she forced herself to
continue towards her room. Quistis Trepe could not ruin her reputation by
such a weak display. She’d reached the stairs to the dorms when she
couldn’t take the spinning anymore.
She collapsed in
a heap.
***************************
A/N: “Nothing Left At All” by The Cranberries. Now for my shout-outs!
Sabacat-I’ll try and keep the chapters
coming ^_^ Thanks so much for reading!
Megs-You get to feel special again!
You’re feeling might be correct, but then it might now! NYAHAHAH! You’ll have
to wait and find out ^_-
Bella Regazza-aaaahhhh, me
love your stories! *jumps around* thank you!
Quistis88-I actually have his voice as a
baritone, but I can see why you’d think he was a tenor from my
description. The song “Wicked Little Town” is usually sung by a tenor,
but I think it would sound so much better in a baritone(that
orgasmic voice between bass and tenor :P). As for Eric, like Megs, you’ll
have to wait and see! And of course me love you! You
review all my stories! *hugs*
Fenrir Motou-I plan to! ^_^
Setobsessed-thank you!
Sunny-SEIFTIS BOARD! *hugs* Hurray for the
Goo Goo Dolls! And you’re not crazy, I do the same thing. In fact, when I
read over my story, I usually turn on the music and make sure it goes with the
chapter. Thank you for reading!
Auria-of course I know you, silly! ^_^ we
RP together! And I’m so glad you think so! *hug*
QuistisTrepe1402-eventually they’ll find
out…maybe *evil laughter* seeing as how I’m sadistic and throw in twists
everywhere I possibly can!
K-chan-thank you thank you!
Lovexfool-yeah, he’s such a bad boy
*shakes head*
Dragon Princess
Tinkerbelle-great movie with some great
songs!
Thank you everyone for reviewing! I
honestly love you all for it! So do me a favor and keep on doing it! The
button is right
THERE
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