5 months later...

     "Hey, how you doing?" Rinoa sat down across from the bed, her voice soft. The bed-ridden woman smiled weakly, and swung her legs over the side.
     "I can't stay in bed forever, can I?" The woman pushed herself up to standing and slowly walked to the bathroom. "Any news?"
     "He's back."
     The woman paused and looked over her shoulder at her brunette friend. "Does he know?"
     Rinoa shook her head and rose, walking to the door and pulling the two eavesdropping brunettes inside, one with sparkling green eyes and the other with bright hazel ones. "I've brought back up."
The only blonde in the room looked from one exuberant and determined face to the next, before laughing and holding her arms up. "Do your worst."
                                *                              *                              *
     Five months. Seifer sighed, letting his head drop back as the breeze washed over his face. Five months since he'd been in Balamb. He'd spent those five months traveling, searching, but never finding. There had been women in Deling City, in Dollet, in Esthar, hell, even in Trabia, but still he felt empty. And since there was nothing, he'd come back. He was twenty now. He could rely on Balamb Garden to reassign him to one of the world armies, since he was not on the top team. No where close. After all, he couldn't even do his first mission successfully.
     Seifer let Hyperion drop to the sand, jade green eyes focused on the setting sun. He saw her everywhere, smelled her everywhere. Everywhere smelled like fucking strawberries, even here. A bitter laugh escaped. I guess it's true, Seifer. You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Fucking gone. The sun shimmered in his suddenly watery eyes, but he blinked them away, cursing himself for his weakness. Resignedly, he picked up Hyperion and turned to go. He'd been gone long enough.
     Blonde hair blowing in the light breeze caught his attention and his green eyes widened as they focused on the familiar profile, clothed in a sun dress of light purple that rippled with the movement of the wind. Deep blue eyes stared back, lips slightly parted. Seifer stared a moment longer, before cursing and turning back to the ocean.
     "Just leave me alone!" he shouted at the sky, slashing Hyperion through the air. "It isn't enough that I've already lost her, Hyne, but you have to torture me, too?! Well, fuck you!" That said, he threw Hyperion to the ground and sat down, one knee up, elbow resting on it, as he brooded. The smell refused to go away.
     A glimpse of light purple to his left caught his attention and, angrily he turned his head over his arm, ready to tell the intruder to get lost. The words died on his lips as the taunting image gazed at him, intensely, now settled on the sand beside him. She leaned closer to him and, her eyes never leaving his, pressed her lips softly against his own. Just as gently, she removed her lips, but not once did her gaze waver.
     "Q-Quistis?" Seifer gaped, unable to believe what his eyes and lips were telling him. His fingers clenched into fists.
     "The great Seifer Almasy, at a loss for words?" she teased, voice tender. "I'm going to have to find a new favorite student."
     "Quistis, how did...?"
     "The details weren't exactly revealed to me, either, but..." Quistis smiled at Seifer. For Seifer.
     Seifer touched a pale white line running from under the neckline of her dress up to her neck. His fingertips brushed lightly, barely touching, over her skin and she tried to control the shiver at the sensation, but Seifer caught it. He smirked. "Don't tell me that even the untouchable Quistis Trepe wants this. The thrill of the chase might be over." Her blue eyes laughed.
     "And what if she does?"
     "Then I'll just have to do this." Seifer suddenly changed his position and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close to him. His arms slid up to her shoulders and he watched as her eyes fluttered closed, then took her lips with his own.
     There was an explosion of color and sounds that only the two of them could hear. The sounds of Balamb Garden and exploring monsters being hunted by SeeD trainees disappeared to be replaced with music and the sounds of each other. The breeze washed over them, plastering Quistis' skirt to the back of her legs and sending Seifer's trenchcoat out behind him. The sunlight spiraled them both into their own world, glinting off their golden skin and hair., enclosing them both in a case of gold light.
     They broke apart, and Seifer smirked down at her. "I suppose my interest hasn't disappeared, even though I know you want me now."
     "Now?" Quistis slanted a glance up at him. "You mean you didn't know before?" Smiling, she rested her head on his shoulder, watching the sun sink deeper into the ocean and the sky turn a brilliant array of pinks and purples. "Can I tell you something, Seifer?"
     "Anything."
     "When Rueday drugged me the second time-like the dream," she swallowed painfully, and Seifer held her tighter. "You know how the drug makes you see what you want to see?" Nodding, Seifer pulled away, gazing at her coldly, remembering the mirror room and Squall's name. "Well, after I-fell-I, uh, I saw what I wanted to see."
     "Oh." Seifer let go of her completely and folded his arms, the blue water calling his name, begging him to commit suicide if he heard what he thought he was going to hear.
     "I told Rinoa...I didn't see Squall, Seifer." A pale hand on his shoulder. "I saw you. I saw you fighting for me, I saw you nearly die, I saw you kill Rueday. Just you. No one else. And then I died, but I died happy." She laughed hesitantly. "Well, as happy as I could be, anyway. I just wanted to tell you." The hand slipped off his shoulder, and she came to stand beside him. "Seifer, is there anything I can give you? Anything at all? To thank you, I mean."
     Seifer swung his head around and looked her up and down. "There is one thing."
     "Oh," she blushed. "I, uh..." He took her hand.
     "You can give me your heart."
     A long silence as they stared one another. Embarrassed, Seifer pulled his hand away, only to have Quistis take it back and press it against her cheek.
     "You already have it," she told him, kissing his fingers.
     Abruptly, Seifer pulled her to him, resting his head on top of hers. And he smiled. Not smirked, not scowled, but an honest-to-Hyne smile. "I love you."
     "I love you too."
     The sun was gone in Balamb.
     And Quistis and Seifer stood there, together, for a long time.

THE END