Promises "This sucks." Selphie whined bitterly as she stood on a fitting stool, clad in a fine evening gown. "Shut up and quit squirming before I stick you." Celest growled, behind a mouthful of staying pins. "My ass is not that big, it’s not!" The small woman cried out in dismay. "Please..." Nicole chuckled. "Even with the baby, you’re skinny as a rail." "We should all be so lucky." Celest droned. "I’m a freak." Selphie wined again then yelped in pain. "Ouch you stuck me!" She growled, swatting at Celest. "Freak yes, fat no, now stop squirming if you want me to size this for you!" Celest snapped angrily. "Fine, fine...at least I get to wear it for once." Selphie sighed. "You didn’t wear it at your graduation?" Rinoa asked curiously. "No, she left it in Trabia. She had to go in her SEED uniform. " Quistis chuckled while trimming Rinoa’s hair. "Oh wow... how very butch." Nicole giggled. "Shut up, all of you." Selphie said in righteous indignation. "The dress is lovely." Rinoa grinned as she checked Quistis’ handiwork in the mirror. "Thanks Quisty." "A pleasure hon, Nicole your up." Quistis grinned, motioning for her. "Are you sure you know what you’re doing." Nicole said timidly. "Oh hush and sit down." Quistis laughed, pushing her gently into the chair. "Now, this here is a fine thing." Irvine said warily as he entered the apartment. "My home turned into a salon... What are you hens up to?" The girls turned and squawked at him in unison before erupting into laughter. "Great." He chuckled, making his way to the refrigerator. "Hey babe, how’s the clean up going in the core?" Selphie asked. "Slow and boring. Fujin and Zell are meeting me down there later this afternoon. I thought you were going to Deling with Xu?" He asked, then took several hearty gulps from the orange juice carton. "We are, as soon as I’m done here..." Selphie started then saw him drinking out of the carton. "Hey you ogre! Ever hear of a glass!" She shouted, blushing in embarrassment. "What about Squall?" Rinoa asked, diffusing the situation. Irvine sheepishly put the cartoon away and looked at her. "Squall? He’s still mulling around down there I think." "Alone!?" Rinoa frowned. "Heck no, there’s a whole squad of folks with him." "We have anything to eat?" He called out to Selphie while fishing through the bottom of the refrigerator. "Not quiet domesticated yet is he." Celest whispered to Selphie. "Not yet, but I’ll break him eventually!" Selphie proclaimed loudly, hoping he would hear her. "Behave." Quistis chuckled. "Fix something yourself, or wait until supper." Selphie said sourly. "I’ll wait." Irvine smiled, walking back to see what the girls were up to. He paused and eyed Selphie curiously. "Have I seen that dress before." "No, I just got it back during our last trip to Trabia." Selphie grinned. "You like?" "Very much." He smiled approvingly. "Squirming!" Celest snapped. "Sorry." Selphie winced. "Well, I’m heading back out, see you gals later." He grinned, tipping his hat to them. "Bye Irvy!" The girls sang in unison. "Heh...cute..." He mumbled in annoyance then left. ****************** "Yo! Fujin wait up!" Zell shouted, jogging towards her as they walked up the hall. Pausing, Fujin turned to regard him curiously. "PROBLEM?" "No, just wanted to walk with ya, calm down." "ALWAYS CALM." "Err...sure. You headed to the core too?" "AFFIRMATIVE." "You should have been out there with us last night, it was a freaky mess!" He said excitedly. "Really weird stuff going on. Squall said you heard something too, I wonder if we’ll run into anything. I’m itching for some exercise. I’m still pissed about getting my ass kicked by Griever. Hey you know what!" He said cheerfully. "We should spar later, I wonder how good you’ve gotten over the last couple of years?" "FOUGHT BEFORE." Fujin said mildly. "Yeah but that doesn’t count. You were trying to kill me then." He laughed. "NOT KILL, SUBDUE." "You nearly took my head off with that chakram." Zell snorted. "If Quistis hadn’t shot you with that spell you would’ve." "YOU DUCKED." Fujin sighed, not wishing to argue about such things. "Anyway, that’s not the point. You won the last War God tournament, I want to see how I’d do." "OPPONENT SURRENDERED." Fujin noted. "Yeah well, x’s and o’s. You still won, I want to try my luck." "WHY?" "I dunno for the challenge?" "AS GOOD AS I." "Even more reason." "MACHO EGOTISM." "No it’s not." "NOT FIGHT FOR FUN." Fujin sighed. "Then why did you enter the tournament?" Zell frowned. "TO LIVE OR DIE." Fujin said cryptically, causing him to pause. Fujin however, kept walking. "Hey wait." Zell yelped, running to catch back up. "ENOUGH." Fujin snapped. "Okay, okay, just making small talk, sorry." "HUMPF." "I won’t bring it up again." He said with a smile. "WE ARRIVED." Fujin grumbled, stepping into the elevator. Zell said nothing and followed her. The decent was a fairly long one and he grew antsy. "So..." He sighed. Fujin didn’t bite and just ignored him. "You have a date for the dance?" He asked curiously, then regretted it as what he asked sank in. It was somewhat common knowledge that Fujin wasn’t dating material. "Errr..." He groaned, trying to think of something to save him. "NOT GOING." Fujin groused. "Oh that’s a shame." He shrugged, happy that she didn’t blow up on him. "I’ll um...shut up now..." "IT’S OKAY." Fujin sighed; stepping off the elevator as it stopped. "Great job you idiot...Zell berated himself, following quietly behind her. ************************** The Ragnarok arced high into the sky, with Selphie at the controls. The ship was looking better, but its crimson hull was still showed large patches of unpainted metal from its refitting. The craft was also missing half its teeth making it look like a geriatric dragon from a distance. Xu, along with Kevin, Watts and Zone sat in the passenger seats, deciding to join the trip to Deling. "You guys sure you don’t want me to drop you off in Timber?" Selphie called back to the guys. "Not thank you Sir, we promised Rinoa we would stay for the party." Watts called up to her. "And pretty boy here has a date." Xu smirked dryly at Kevin. "So what are you going to do Sir?" Watts asked. "About what?" Kevin answered, somewhat lost in thought. "You know what. The dance." Zone grunted. "What can I do, I go buy a suit and then go... I guess..." "He’s doomed." Zone laughed. "It would seem so." Watts sighed. "How much farther?" Kevin asked Selphie hoping to change the subject. "Almost there. After that, it should take me and Xu an hour or so to finish the arrangements with the caterers." Selphie answered. "That should be enough time to find a suit, thanks." Kevin smiled. "To be honest Kevin I can’t believe she agreed." Xu said idly, watching him with a stern expression. "Err well she did." He laughed awkwardly. "Believe me though, it’s bigger surprise for me." "I doubt that." Xu mumbled before going to sit by Selphie. "How do you do it? The girls flock to you." Zone frowned, looking enviously at Kevin. "Yes, You are going to the dance with Miss Trepe and on top of that, Miss Celest seemed quite taken with you as well." Watts noted. "Yeah I know, but she’s not really my type..." Kevin sighed. "Must be nice to be able to pick and choose." Zone mumbled bitterly. "Speaking of Quistis, Zone, why’d she give you a box of porno magazines...?" Kevin asked curiously causing Zone to cringe, as Selphie and Xu looked at him foully. "Errr...well...I helped her escape from Timber." He laughed nervously. I guess the felt she owed me..." "But why that!?" Kevin asked, baffled. "Zone collects them Sir." Watts answered helpfully. "Yeah...thanks Watts." Zone groaned, sinking down into his seat. "For the love of..." Kevin sighed, holding his head. *************************** "I can’t believe Seifer just up and left like that, without a word." Rinoa said quietly while standing in line for supper. "Seifer is Seifer, it’s probably better this way." Quistis shrugged. "You’re right I suppose." Rinoa sighed. "I’m mad at you guys by the way." Celest announced clear out of the blue. "Oh Hyne, what now?" Quistis asked, almost afraid to ask. "I heard Kevin asked you to the dance this morning." "Um who told you that?" Quistis cringed. "Fujin of all people..." "Fujin!? What was Fujin doing talking to you?" Quistis balked in surprise. "Never mind that, what am I going to do now. I was going to ask him to go with me." Celest sighed sadly. "And you said you didn’t like him..." "I don’t, I mean he’s a friend and all but I don’t like him... like...that." "Then don’t go to the dance with him." Celest beamed, hopefully. "I already told him I would." Quistis squeaked. "Great..." Celest huffed and looked at the other girls in disgust. "And you guys. I know you were pushing her to answer. Ugh I can just hear you now. Oh Quisty please say yes, he’s sooo dreamy." She mocked. Rinoa and Nicole exchanged troubled glances then smiled apologetically at her. "Un huh...Don’t bother." Celest sighed in disappointment. "Looks like I’m going it alone then." "Oh hon I’m sorry, there’s other guys. How about Zone or even Watts." Rinoa offered. Celest rolled her eyes then looked at her sourly. "Whoopee a pervert and a priss. I’m not that desperate." Celest scoffed. "Hey now, they’re good guys and they’re my friends." Rinoa frowned, insulted. "Easy guys." Quistis warned. "She didn’t mean anything by it Rinoa, she’s just mad." Nicole said cheerfully. "Are you folks moving or what?" An angry looking youth asked in snotty tone. "What?" Quistis frowned, then looked around to notice the line had long since left them behind. "Oh!" She yelped, promptly pulling the others forward. ***************************** "Think that’s the last one?" Zell asked, sitting down to rest, tired from the recent battle. Fujin meanwhile nudged the corpse of the man-sized lizard they’d just defeated. "NOT SURE." "I thought Irvine was going to join us, I wonder what’s keeping him?" "DON’T KNOW." "Hey come sit down, this humidity and heat has to be killing you." Fujin looked around a moment to make sure the area was clear then walked over to sit down beside him. Fishing through the oversized and baggy pockets on his shorts, Zell pulled out a brown paper bag. Fujin leaned back and closed her eye a moment. He was right, the humidity made it hard to breathe and the heat as always was her enemy. "You not eating?" Zell asked, pulling a couple of peanut butter sandwiches from the bag. "NEGATIVE." She answered dryly. "What, you leave your dinner?" He chuckled. Fujin’s lack of an answer confirmed that he was right. "Ew that sucks. Want one of my peanut butter and jelly’s?" He offered, handing one to her. "NEGATIVE." Fujin sighed, opening her eye lazily. "Come on, it’s cool, Nicole makes the best PJ’s" He offered again, waving it under her nose teasingly. "NO THANK YOU." Fujin replied again. "Aw well its waiting for you if you change your mind." He shrugged setting it aside. He then proceeded to make a show of eating his. "Mmmm so good. Wow!!!" He groaned rolling his eyes in feigned ecstasy. "Delicious, scrumptious." He continued in a nearly obscene tone. Fujin couldn’t help but grin, shaking her head and chuckling she quickly snatched the other sandwich if only to shut him up. "Aha! There ya go, that’s a girl." Zell laughed. Fujin cut him a sour look that softened slightly. "THANKS." She nodded graciously. "No prob." He winked before returning to his meal. "DINCHT." She said quietly. "Yah?" "OWE YOU THANKS." "You already did, don’t sweat." "NOT THAT." "What then?" "TOOK BLAME." "Huh, what are you talking about?" "SNOW RIDGE." "Oh Hyne, that mess, don’t worry about it. Besides, you did it to get me out of trouble to begin with. I figure we’re even." "VERY WELL." She smiled faintly. "GOOD MAN." "Thanks, that means a lot." He smiled broadly, flattered, knowing she wasn’t one to give out compliments lightly. "There you guys are." Irvine called out, walking towards them from the shadows. "SAY THE SAME." Fujin frowned, looking up at him. "Sorry about that, got held up with Squall, there was something nasty mucking around one of the secondary generators." He apologized. "Sounds exciting, we’ve been bashing lizards." Zell smirked. "How much more area do you have left to cover?" Irvine asked. "AREA 4A ON." Fujin announced. "Err...4A?" Irvine grumbled, fishing for his map. "Oh, Oh okay...4A huh...That leaves, that area down there." He pointed his rifle down a large drainage tube. "And that over there." He mumbled pointing towards the rusty door Fujin and Zell were leaning against. "KINNEAS." Fujin sighed. "Huh?" Irvine mumbled looking up at her. "GUN..." She frowned, keeping a wary eye on the barrel aimed at her. "Aw shit....I mean shoot! Not shoot...hell...sorry gal." He babbled, as he put away the weapon. "Something on your mind?" Zell asked with a grin. "Yeah, Selphie..." Irvine sighed, plopping down in between Zell and Fujin. "What’s up man, I’m here for ya?" Zell assured him. "It’s stupid really, but she took off in the Ragnarok earlier and I’m worried about her?" "Oh is that all, I trained her to fly myself. She’s certified." "It’s not that." Irvine sighed. "If it’s the Ragnarok then, let me assure you. Yeah she’s looking rough but Fujin and me have been busting our humps to get her running. Trust me, she’s capable of making the jaunt in one peace." "It’s not that either. I don’t know man, it’s just that we’ve not been separated like that in a long time. With the baby on the way, it makes me kinda nervous." "NATURAL." Fujin mumbled as she finished off her sandwich. "How do you know that?" Irvine said skeptically. "KNOW PEOPLE." She answered as she rose to her feet, dusting herself off. "EXPECTING FATHER, PROTECTIVE." "I guess that makes sense." Irvine blinked. "OF COURSE." "So you think, I’m paranoid." "AFFIRMATIVE." "That’s good to know I guess." "Gotta watch out for her, she’s smarter than you look." Zell chuckled, elbowing Irvine in the ribs. "Bah, get off me." Irvine snorted. "MOVE ON, BORED." Fujin grumbled before jumping down the aforementioned drainage tube. ************************ It was fairly late by the time everyone started making the trek out of the core. Xu, having returned from her errands waited patiently by the elevator. From what she had learned from Kevin and the others, there was something fishy going on with Fujin and Quistis. Being a friend to both, she was determined to find out what. It wasn’t long until her wait was over as she spotted Irvine, Zell and Fujin hiking towards her. "Hey Xu." Zell smiled from under a covering of soot so thick he appeared made of the stuff. "Don’t touch me." She warned dangerously. "You’re no fun." He laughed then waved at the others. "Catch you guys later, I’m hitting the showers." He waved before jogging off. "Me too, it’s been fun." Irvine excused himself, leaving the two women alone. "I need to talk to you." Xu announced. Fujin waited expectantly. "I heard you told Quistis to take Kevin to the dance!?" Xu whispered in bewilderment. Fujin tensed and started walking. "Oh no you don’t!" Xu blurted, chasing after her. "You two have a fight or something?" "NEGATIVE." Fujin sighed. "Then what!? Momentary lapse of judgment?" Fujin nodded gruffly. "Aha..." Xu nodded knowingly. "What are you going to do?" She asked eagerly, sensing something brewing. "UNSURE." "Don’t give me that, I can tell you’ve got a plan. Let me help!" Fujin bristled. "Come on, clue me in. I won’t say a word, I promise." Xu pleaded. "GOODBYE." Fujin said firmly as she stepped into the elevator, offering no room for an argument. Not wanting to upset her, Xu backed off in defeat, slightly hurt by the brush off. She let it slide though, she knew how Fujin was and tried not to let it bother her. After a brief stop at her quarters for a shower, Fujin quickly made her way to Celest’s apartment. This time Celest was waiting and the door opened after the first knock. Fujin stepped inside and sighed. "Was wondering when you’d show up." Celest said in a moody tone. "We’ve a long night ahead, you know that right?" She smiled. Fujin nodded solemnly but remained quiet. "Alright then, lets get this over with." Celest said dutifully. ******************************* "You excited?" Rinoa asked merrily, from where she lay, next to Squall. "What?" Squall mumbled, well on his way to a deep sleep. "Squall!" "What!?" He growled, opening a bloodshot eye. "Oh good you’re awake." "Yes..." "I said, are you excited?" "About..." "The dance tomorrow." "No..." "Why not?" "Why should I be?" He sighed as a yawn overtook him. "Um...well..." She frowned. "Darn you!" She sputtered in frustration. "Night..." He managed with a grin before slipping of to sleep. ******************** The next morning was an excitable one, as Balamb Garden hovered just outside the city limits of Deling City. Already a large group of catering vans waited to be cleared to enter the loading ramps in preparation for the dance. Selphie, feeling rested and in high spirits scurried about dizzily making sure everything was perfect as a small army of helpers catered to her every whim. Irvine knew well enough to stay out of her way and was content to be serving as muscle. "Where’s the others?" Irvine asked from behind the load of chairs he was carrying. "Nicole and Zell are coming to help soon. Quistis should be here later with Rinoa. I don’t know were Xu and Celest are." "Well, we need to get a move on, I still need buy some new boots." "You didn’t buy them already! Darn it Irvine you should have told me I would have picked em up for you." "Oh no! Last time you bought me boots they ended up looking like something a rodeo clown would wear." "Hey...! Those were in style at the time..." She frowned in disappointment. "I’ll do it myself thank you." He smiled apologetically. "Fine, see if I care. Just a pair of stupid boots anyhow." She huffed with indignation. ****************** "You should be happy..." Rinoa mumbled sourly to Quistis. "Happy, me, perish the thought." Quistis laughed lightly, pulling a red satin dress out of the closet and laying it on the bed. "Squall is such downer sometimes... You’re lucky you didn’t end up with him." "That’s a awful thing say." Quistis winced, tossing her a foul look. "Oh, I don’t mean anything by it." Rinoa sighed regretfully. "He just makes me so mad." "You’re in a relationship, that’s how it works. Sometimes you love each other; sometimes you hate each other. That’s how you test boundaries and get to know the real person you’re with. Only after you weather all the storms can you be sure that she’s the one." "That’s awfully insightful. I’m sorry about the, you should be happy, crack... That was uncalled for and insensitive." "Water under the bridge hon." Quistis smiled, holding the dress up so Rinoa could see. "What do you think? I ordered it from the Lockhart catalogue last month." Rinoa’s jaw dropped. "I think you have to shave before you wear a dress like that...and I don’t mean your legs..." She chuckled at the potential scandal the red, strapless number could cause. "Oh please. It’s not that bad, besides a little thigh at the right time can work wonders." Quistis winked. "Going all out for Kevin eh?" Rinoa smiled brightly. In all honesty, Quistis hadn’t even considered him. The dress was not for him and she frowned in disappointment. "What’s wrong?" Rinoa asked upon seeing Quistis’ expression drop. "Nothing..." She responded absently. "You sure, did I say something?" Rinoa asked worriedly. "N-no." Quistis stammered slightly then offered a fake smile. "Come on lets go meet the others." "Okay." Rinoa said quietly, still sensing how troubled her friend was. ***************** "Worried..." Fujin thought angrily, she didn’t like to worry. "Foolish..." She definitely hated looking foolish. "Frightened?" Surely not, it’s such a trivial thing. She sighed heavily, letting the refreshing wash of water roll down her back. She’d lost track of time, no telling how long she’d been soaking under the shower. It didn’t matter, it relaxed her, and that was something she sorely needed. "No reason..." She thought trying to shake the feelings. "RIDICULOUS." She grunted and opened her eye with slight scowl. "But, something that must be done..." She admitted with much loathing. Taking a moment longer under the cascade of water she finally switched it off and stepped out onto the cold floor. "Time to get started..." She thought with a sigh and stepped forward. ****************************** It took the better part of the morning and afternoon for final preparations to be settled. Finally though, everything was tying together and Selphie relinquished control to the caterers. "That’s it babe. I’m going to go, I’ve got to start getting ready." She smiled to Irvine. "Okay, I’m making my run into town then." He smiled, kissing her warmly before looking around searchingly. "Zell lets go!" He shouted waving his arms to get his attention through the crowd of workers. "I’ve gotta go." Zell smirked to Nicole who looked at him curiously. "Go...go where? We’ve only a few hours left to get ready." She said in a worried and concerned voice. "Don’t worry, I’m just going into town with Irvine, we’ll be back soon." "Oh, alright but you better hurry." She frowned. "I’ll be back before ya know it." He winked, then rushed off. "Where’s he going?" Quistis asked, walking over to her. "Into town." Nicole sighed. "Well ladies, time to get made up." Rinoa giggled excitedly. "Anyone seen Xu or Fujin?" Quistis asked curiously, I’ve not seen hide or hair of them all day. "I don’t know about Fujin but I saw Xu talking with Cid earlier this morning." Selphie noted while skipping in merry circles around the group. "You’re making me dizzy." Nicole giggled, grabbing her as she bounded past. "I wonder were she is?" Quistis frowned. "Who knows, let’s go!" Rinoa groaned, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along." ******************************* Celest had just returned from grabbing lunch when she ran into Xu, literally. The senior SEED was nearly at a run when the collision took place. Both women ended up sprawled on the floor. "In a hurry hon?" Celest groaned, sitting up. "Aw shit...shoot!" Xu apologized quickly. "I’m so sorry Celest, are you okay?" "Yeah, I’m fine sugar, where’s the fire though?" Celest chuckled as she got to her feet. "I’ve been helping Squall in the training center all day and lost track of time. I still have to get ready for the dance, I have to set my dress out, do my hair, and makeup. I’m going to be so late, Nida is going to kill me. Xu babbled, nearly in a frenzy. "Calm down, I’m not doing anything important. I’ll give you a hand." Celest sighed. "You still need to get ready yourself there’s no time to..." "I’m not going, so we’ve plenty of time to get you straight." Celest grinned, cutting her off. "You’re not going? Why the hell not." Xu frowned. "It’s your graduation." "I just don’t feel like it." Celest mumbled evasively. "Oh Hyne... What happened." Xu sighed, stopping their trek. "Nothing, come on we have to get you ready." "Not until you tell me the truth." Xu scowled, folding her arms. "Aw Xu, don’t worry about it. Lets just get this over with." Celest pleaded. "You know I could order you to tell me." Xu said stubbornly. "Xu we don’t have time, its not important." Celest whined, stamping her foot in aggravation. "I’m a specialist in interrogation you know." Xu said mildly. "What you’re going to torture me now?" Celest chuckled dryly. "No unless you force me to." Xu grinned. "Come on, let me help." "Oh Xu its nothing major, honest." "Then what’s the harm?" "Damn it." "Don’t get mad, just tell me." "Fine! I don’t want to go. I don’t have date and I’d look ridiculous going it alone. Everyone would be looking and pointing. Oh look, poor thing doesn’t have a date. Or, oh she must be a horrible person." "Nobody thinks that!" Xu frowned, slightly horrified. "Yes they would.... Besides it would suck to be there alone. It’s a dance for crying out loud, who would I dance with, myself?" "You’d steal the show if you did." Xu grinned, in an attempt at levity. "Thanks...." Celest groaned and started back up the hall. "Oh, oh, oh!" Xu babbled chasing after her and grabbing her hand. "I’m sorry I was just trying to cheer you up, sorry!" "It’s okay." Celest mumbled sadly. "Lets just get you ready." "Are you sure hon, you can always come along with Nida and me. I’m sure he’d probably love it." "A threesome? I...sure, you’re cute." Celest shrugged, sniffing lightly. "Huh!? Wait!! I didn’t mean!" Xu backpedaled awkwardly. "Got ya." Celest giggled. "Oh you! You’re a wicked, wicked, woman!" Xu sputtered. "You’re cute when you’re mad." Celest laughed. "Stop that!" Xu snapped, blushing awkwardly. "Ohhh!" Celest moaned, arching a brow at her. "Damn it, Celest!" "Say my name again." Celest giggled as they started back up the hall. "No... that’s not funny!" Xu laughed. "Give us a kiss." "I swear! I’m going to hit you." Xu blurted, shoving her playfully. ************************ "What do you think?" Irvine said proudly, setting his foot atop a nearby stool. The boots were simple, black, and somewhat unassuming. Zell made a clueless face and frowned. "They’re hideous." He shrugged, unwilling to lie about the boots. "Nah, you just lack good taste." Irvine smiled, proud of his selection. "Cowboy boots just don’t seem to fit with high fashion dude." "Have faith, I know what I’m doing, lets get back before the gals have a fit." "Yeah, really." The two quickly made their way to the register to check out. Afterwards it was only quick walk back to their car and soon, the two men were well on their way home. "Man!" Zell said excitedly, and for no apparent reason. "What?" Irvine asked, somewhat taken aback by the outburst. "You’re getting married and you’ve a kid on the way! You’re moving on dude!" Zell said brightly and slightly in awe. "Not this again." Irvine sighed. "This is so exciting man, you’re moving on! This is so cool, you’re like a dad now." "Zell..." Irvine mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair in aggravation. "I’m glad you’re happy Zell. But I about needed therapy the last time you told me how, Lucky, I was." "Oh, yikes...sorry dude." Zell winced as they pulled into the Garden’s garage. They jogged back inside and quickly split to go ready for the dance. Already, students were mingling about in their eveningwear and the band could be heard practicing in the great hall. Quistis poked her head out of her apartment, something she’d been doing about every fifteen minutes since returning home. She hadn’t seen Fujin all day and that troubled her deeply. Glancing in the mirror at herself she frowned slightly. Yes, she looked wonderful but she felt horrible. Biting her lip slightly she straightened and made herself appear more cheerful. It was unfair to Kevin for her to be moody all night. She sighed deeply and shook her hair out, she wasn’t used to wearing it down when out and about but it fit her attire nicely. That and Fujin liked it that way. The thought of her made Quistis smile fondly a moment. The smiled faded and a determined look crossed her face as she made a decision. *************************************** "I’m nervous." Kevin mumbled. "You’ll do fine Sir." Watts grinned, as he helped Zone with his tie. "Why are we going stag, we’ll be the biggest dorks there." Zone grumbled, swatting in annoyance at Watts’ hands. "Because it’ll be fun." Watts grinned. "This’ll be far more impressive than our ratty old high school prom." "Went stag then too." Zone groused. "Zone, you don’t have to go if you don’t want too." Kevin sighed. "Nah, I’m going." Zone laughed. "If only to see how much deeper you can step in it." "Gee thanks." Kevin grinned sarcastically. "Good luck sir." Watts smiled as they prepared to leave. "Thanks guys, oh and Watts." "Yes sir?" "Stop with the sir, I’m not even in the military." "Sorry sir." "See you guys at the dance..." Kevin grinned, shaking his head in defeat. ************************** The music was loud and throaty, while not to Cid’s tastes he had to defer to the younger crowd. After all, it was their party. He stood by the entrance, cheerfully greeting the graduates, students, as well as their dates. A look of surprise slapped him in the face as Quistis and Kevin approached. "Oh dear." He mumbled then grinned hugely. "Welcome, welcome! My, my, Quistis my dear you look absolutely lovely." "Thank you sir." Quistis bowed politely. "Kevin, how are you son, it’s been awhile, sorry I’ve not had a chance to say hello until now." "It’s okay sir, I know how things have been lately." "Ah yes, well... Let’s try to brighten things shall we. Enjoy the dance." Cid smiled, shaking the young man’s hand firmly. "This has to stop." Quistis mumbled as they enter the hall. "What does?" Kevin smiled, looking around and bobbing to the beat of the music. Quistis ignored him, as her mind drifted far elsewhere. "Quistis!" Rinoa called waving obnoxiously. "There’s the others." Kevin said, cheerfully waving back. "Come on." Quistis said, managing a smile. Taking him by the hand, she strode over to where the teaching staff was sitting. Squall nodded cordially as they sat down. "Hi guys!" Rinoa bubbled excitedly. "Hey." Quistis mumbled absently. "This is some get together." Kevin smiled hugely at Squall prompting a somewhat bland look from the moody leader. "Yo! Yo Boss man!" Zell laughed loudly clapping Squall roughly on the back. Squall nearly fumbled his drink, one of many he knew he’d need to get through the night in one piece. Nicole and Rinoa screamed in giddy awe at the site of each other, dressed in their flowing gowns. Then turned their merry gaze on Quistis and pulled her out of her seat. "Whoa!!" Zell blurted, prompting Nicole to slap him in the back of the head. "Wow Quistis that’s a killer dress." Nicole beamed, giving her the once over. Even Squall stole a glance or two until he caught Rinoa watching him. "Squall Leonhart!" Rinoa shouted, in an attempt to embarrass him. Not falling into the trap he simply shrugged and took another sip of his drink Quistis smiled and endured, dutifully talking about dresses and other inanities. Selphie and Irvine were next to arrive. Irvine, unlike Squall who chose to simply wear his dress uniform, opted to go all out. He cut quite a dashing figure in his expensive looking dark suit, his long hair flowing behind him, like some figure off the cover of a romance novel. Selphie too made an impression, her petite frame smoothly into a silvery, satin gown. Celest had done a wonderful job. "Irvine, you are the man!" Zell laughed wolfishly as he slapped his hand. "Selphie you look glorious!" Rinoa beamed. "I didn’t get to dress up last time." Selphie giggled and spun around elegantly. "Well you made up for it." Nicole smiled. "You two look wonderful." "Oh my, oh my, oh my." Irvine grinned hungrily as he caught site Quistis. "Miss Trepe." He said sassily. "If I weren’t a married man." He whistled then paused. "Oh wait, I’m not yet." He chuckled. "Close enough you louse." Selphie blurted, jumping up and grabbing him by the ear. "You look great Quisty." She giggled, leading Irvine to his seat. Quistis shook her head and laughed brightly. "Where’s Celest?" Nicole asked, looking around for the fiery redhead. "She must not be here yet, we would’ve heard the commotion." Zell chuckled. "She’s not coming." Xu answered as she and Nida neared. "See I told you we’d be on time." She told him as they found their seats. Another round of giddy examinations erupted from the girls as they showed off once more. Squall rolled his eyes and began debating if suicide was a viable escape option. "What do you mean she’s not coming!" Irvine frowned. "She’s upset because she didn’t have a date." Xu sighed. "Poor thing, I told her Watts and Zone were free." Rinoa commented. "Where are those guys anyway, they said they were gonna meet us here?" Kevin asked, slightly worried. "They’re over there, talking to some graduates." Zell pointed discreetly. "Oh hey, perhaps they’ll get lucky." Irvine grinned. "Pig." Selphie sighed hopelessly, before focusing her attention on Quistis. "So how are you two getting along." She beamed curiously. "Um fine." Kevin laughed awkwardly. "We’re okay." Quistis said quietly as the lights dimmed. Hauntingly beautiful music began to play and several couples hopped up to steal a quick slow dance before the banquet started. "Shall we?" Irvine asked Selphie with a smile. Quistis was thankful for it; she could tell Selphie was about to pour on the questions. Leaning over to whisper, Kevin got Qusitis’ attention. "I’m really sorry about all of this. I hope this won’t cause problems later." "Don’t worry about it. I plan to make it right soon, I just hope she speaks to me again, I’ve not seen her since yesterday." "Odd, surely she’s not mad." Kevin frowned curiously. "I mean she was the one who insisted we go together." "I know, I don’t think she was thinking clearly." "Hey guys!" Celest chimed cheerfully catching everyone of guard. She was obviously on the prowl and dressed to kill. "Yowza." Zell grinned, earning a scathing look from Nicole. "Glad you could make it." Quistis chuckled. "I thought you weren’t coming." Xu smiled, slightly confused. "Oh well hell, how could I miss the fireworks." Celest’s giggled, taking Irvine’s seat." "Fireworks?" Rinoa mouthed, glancing at Squall who was blissfully ignoring all of them. "You’ll see." Celest grinned hugely. "Hey Kevin." She added cattily. He looked at her awkwardly a moment and was about to comment when Nicole let out a squeak. "What the hell was that." Zell laughed. "Omigod look!" Nicole stammered, nodding towards the entrance. Fujin stood in the entrance, looking about self-consciously. Her face was made up lightly bringing out the out exotic glow of her gaze. Her hair was trimmed neatly and flowed in a silvery smooth cascade down the left side of her face, conveniently covering her eye patch. Now, while the fact of her wearing makeup was surprising enough, what she wore as even more so. Black satin and lace, hugged her form, moving with her graceful movements as if part of her, the dark fabric contrasting sharply with her pale skin. The dress left her shoulders bare and flowed down to about mid thigh with a slightly risqué slit up the left side. Her arms were clad in dark, sheer gloves of delicate design, while a simple black choker and moderate heels finished the ensemble. Squall, snapping out of his stupor glanced up and promptly spit his drink in shock. Rinoa shrieked and swatted at him while grabbing a double handful of napkins. "Kickass Fujin!" Zell yelped, louder than he meant too then looked around embarrassed. "Oh wow, look at her..." Nicole smiled proudly. "Quisty..." Xu hissed under her breath, trying to get Quistis’ attention. "What?" Quistis blinked, as she and Kevin turned around. Kevin took a breath and grinned. "Well look at that." Quistis blinked once and looked back at everyone as they quickly broke into a fit of gossip. Ignoring them, she turned back look at Fujin, who’d been waylaid by Cid as she tried to enter. He was beaming and shaking her hand furiously. Biting her lip slightly Quistis looked about worriedly, unsure what to do. "Hey guys what’s the commotion about." Selphie asked as she and Irvine returned to the table. "Over there." Nida nodded, to Fujin who was making her way quietly and unassumingly to an empty and secluded table in the shadows. "Who’s that." Irvine whistled approvingly. "Is that!?" Selphie gawked. "That’s Fujin!?" Irvine blinked with recognition and looked back at the group bewildered. "Yup." Celest beamed. "Ha! I rule!" She laughed brightly, getting Quistis’ attention. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously. "She came by the other night, asked me to help her out for the dance. I love a challenge; you should have seen me teaching her to walk in those heels. I originally suggested stilettos but she broke my coffee table stumbling around in them." Celest explained, aglow with pride. "You got her in a dress!?" Quistis stammered in disbelief as Squall ordered another drink. "The dress was her idea actually." Celest grinned. "Why is she sitting way over there." Rinoa wondered. "Want me to go drag her over." Zell chuckled, preparing to rise. "No, let her be." Xu said sternly. "She’ll come over when she’s ready." "Poor thing looks terrified." Kevin mumbled to Quistis quietly. "It must have took a lot for her to do this." Quistis sighed heavily, then stood. "Where are you off to?" Rinoa asked as she left the table. "To keep a promise." Quistis said cryptically before making her way towards Fujin. "What?" Rinoa blinked. Xu’s eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets and she settled back in her seat with a worried look. "Hi beauty." Quistis said quietly as she approached the table. Fujin looked up and rubbed her eye with her palm awkwardly. "You look amazing." "Thanks." Fujin murmured, barely audible. "You okay?" Quistis asked worriedly. Fujin nodded, looking around nervously. "I’m glad you came." "Really." Fujin whispered, her voice sounding, unsure, small, timid, so unlike how she normally carried herself. "Yes." Quistis breathed, smiling richly. Fujin glanced behind her, at the table full of curious faces. "Don’t worry about them." Quistis giggled, looking back at the group. "What’s she doing?" Nicole asked curiously, trying not to let Quistis see her watching. "Beats me." Zell shrugged as Squall took yet another healthy drink.
Back to Frozen Index - Back to Final Fantasy 8 Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction