King's Heart (part 6 of 31)

Rain, Rain Go Away

Quistis and Xu finally made it to the house but when they could just see it in the horizon, it began raining heavily.

“Hyne!” Quistis shrieked as it poured down on them like no tomorrow. Xu laughed and they ran towards the house. “Of all the times to be raining…and it was so beautiful this morning!”

“Calm before the storm.” Xu giggled. Quistis shot her a mean glare.

“Since when did you like the rain?” She snapped.

“Since I saw you so angry at it!” She ran ahead, leaving Quistis fuming in playful anger. She caught up but didn’t intend to outrun her best friend. She tackled her into the mud. Xu let out a cry out surprise and rolled Quistis over.

“I hate you!” She yelled, getting up and observing the damage she had done to their clothes. Quistis giggled like mad, her mud smeared face trembling with laughter. She sprinted towards the house, determined to lock her out. Xu quickly saw what she was doing and ran towards her. The two of them made it at the same time and flung the door open, landing on the steps in a heap of dirt, water and laughter. They lay there for some time before getting up and studying each other. Xu couldn’t help but stare. Most of the mud had washed off as they ran through the rain but their clothers were a mess. Quistis’s hair stuck to her face and Xu couldn’t pry her eyes away. She looked…beautiful. Xu couldn’t stop herself as she reached out with one hand to push the hair gently away. Quistis stared at her in a mixture of confusion and joy.

“Er…we should take a shower.” Xu said, feeling very awkward. Quistis smiled at her, cocking her head to one side but decided to let the subject drop. Xu led her upstairs and into the bedroom. Next to it was the bathroom. She walked over the drawer and picked out some clothes.

“It might fit.” She said, handing a white t-shirt with the words, “Good Girl” on the front in giant pink letters and also a pair of blue sweat pants.. She picked out a plain black shirt and denim shorts. By the time she turned around, the door closed and locked.

“Hey!” She yelled. “I was going to go first!” The only answer was a light-hearted giggle from the other side of the door. Xu frowned and put her hands on her hips.

Quistis leaned against the door, not really sure what to think. Xu had always been her best friend. But she could feel it within herself that there was something different.

Surely not…she thought to herself. I’m just looking for comfort. She sighed and walked into the shower, only to jump back out.

“XU!” She screamed. The water was boiling hot. Downstairs, Xu broke into a fit of giggles as she let the cold water run into the sink. She turned off the water and let Quistis go on with her shower. Xu smiled fondly, they hadn’t played such fun pranks in a long time. When they were kids, they were always out to get one another or the teachers. But now, they were grown up, a little more mature, and a little more creative when it came to new pranks.

As soon as Quistis was done, she stepped out of the room and stormed over to Xu, who was reading a dated magazine.

“Ha ha,” she droned. “Very funny, making me burn myself.”

“Was that me?” Xu asked innocently. Quistis tapped her fingers on the table and glared at Xu until she burst out laughing.

“You should’ve heard yourself!” Xu laughed. “I’ve never heard you scream so loudly!” Quistis shrugged and then promptly assaulted her with a tickle attack. Knowing that Xu was immensely ticklish, Quistis used this to her advantage.

“Ack! No stop!” Xu pleaded, tears streaming down her eyes from laughing so hard. Quistis wouldn’t relent and the chair fell over backwards, dragging both of them to the ground. Xu hit her head on the floor and came dangerously close to Quistis’s face. She froze, turning pale and then bright red. They stopped for a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, and then stood up.

“You ok?” Quistis asked.

“Um…yeah…” Xu stammered, looking away. She’s acting weird again…Quistis thought with a smile. Something was definitely up with Xu and she was determined to find out what. Xu rushed off to take a shower. Quistis sat in the kitchen and wondered what her best friend could be hiding.

Kill…

Quistis jumped in shock. She immediately recognized that voice. It was the same voice that had assaulted her mind the day before. She looked around.

“Who’s there?” She demanded.

Kill…Quistis…Die…

It knew her name. She felt goose bumps forming on her arms.

Die…Quistis…Kill…

Quistis took a deep breath. She would find out what this disembodied voice wanted from her. She accepted the fear and waited.

If you live…you will cause everyone…pain…so…die.

“Die! Just leave me alone!” She yelled. She was going insane. It was probably her subconscious…the part she wanted to bury away forever. It was the part of her that nearly killed herself years ago. But what if it wasn’t her? What if it…

Quistis must die.

“No!” Quistis shrieked as the voice seemed to tear right into her heart and soul. She stood up and clutched her head, wanting the voice to go away. She stumbled around, unable to concentrate.

DIE!

She crashed into the dish rack and plates fell, cutting her arms and legs as they shattered. She welcomed the pain because it gave her something else to concentrate on. Xu ran downstairs, clad in a towel.

“Quistis!” She shouted, worried. As soon as she entered the kitchen, her heart sank. Quisits was staring at the ground with a blank expression. Blood seeped from cuts on her arms and legs. “QUISTIS!” Quistis turned and looked at Xu with eyes that showed no recognition. Suddenly, she ran and buried her face into Xu’s shoulder, sobbing loudly. Xu held on as well, squeezing hard as if hoping to have the pain Quisits was suffering seep into her.

“I…I’m sorry Xu…”

“Shh…I’m here.” Xu could feel her own tears trail down her cheek. “It’s ok…”

Xu soothed Quistis to sleep eventually, the young woman looking scared and alone as a child. She stroked her hair, calming the sobs that wracked her body until she fell into a deep slumber.

“I’ll always be here for you.” She whispered. Now that most of the crisis was over, she wondered what had happened. She was still clad in just a towel and she didn’t make any move to change since Quistis had fallen asleep in with her head in her lap. She sighed and leaned against the couch, not feeling cold. She looked down at Quistis and smiled a little. The poor girl was still suffering in her sleep. Xu began humming a little. It was the first song she knew. The orphanage that she attended had a very kind older girl who always stayed by her side. She was a timid little girl in the orphanage, always being picked on for being sickly and frail. But that older girl, Rebecca, stuck up for her. She would always hum a song until Xu fell asleep. Sadly, all that changed when Becca died and she wound up at the Garden.

Now she knew what Rebecca must’ve felt like all those nights when Xu cried in her sleep. She stroked Quistis’s cheek.

I love her. The thought invaded her mind like an unexpected visitor. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was sudden and shocked her so much that she almost stood up. Instead, she bit her bottom lip. She could neither confirm nor deny the thought. There was definitely something more than friendship that lingered in her heart but was it strong enough to be called love? Surely not…after all…they had just picked up the pieces of their previous relationship. There hadn’t been enough time for her to fall in love.

Time is of no consequence to the heart. She remembered hearing that one time. Xu struggled with the emotions that tore through her. She tried to sort them out but only ended up mixing them together even more. Friendship, love, lust, all of them were frighteningly similar to her at that point. She had never fallen in love before, how could she tell? But her heart ached and yearned.

What is love? She wondered. She shook her head furiously. What do I do? Up until now, she had just pushed away that feeling but the silence left her to think. She leaned her head back against the couch again and closed her eyes. Do I really love her, or is this just…She couldn’t think of what else it could be. She loved Quistis dearly but this was a new area of it, an area she thought she never could’ve crossed. I can’t bother her now with something as trivial as this. Not when she’s already suffering from something I don’t even know about. She looked down at Quistis, smelling the shampoo that Quistis used. It was a rosemary shampoo that Xu had bought way back when she first arrived and had left it there. She could think of no other person who suited it as well as Quistis did.

Xu never really understood what the fuss was about at the Garden. Some of the students were extreme homophobes, always bashing on gays and lesbians. Xu couldn’t think of why they would do such a thing, after all, they were only human and wanted to fall in love. But she didn’t think she’d be in such a position. It could pose problems later on. There were so many reasons why she did not want to explore further into this thing called love, especially with Quistis but it all felt so right at the same time. Quistis murmured in her sleep and turn around so that her face was turn up at Xu. She sighed and the rhythmic breathing lulled her to sleep.

Zell’s snoring kept Ayane up for the better half of the night. Normally, she was used to such noise but today seemed different. There was so much to do at the Shumi Village and cranky old Squall only gave them a day. She had barely finished admiring the new statue of Laguna when Zell pulled her away. The Shumi people were friendly and the Moombas were nothing short of astonishing. She rolled over and placed her arm over Zell, deciding that she would have to convince him to take her another time.

Selphie wandered the hallways, knowing full well that it was past curfew. She couldn’t get any sleep. She walked outside, admiring the stars before seeing Rinoa not too far away.

“Hey.” She whispered, waving at her. Rinoa paid her no mind. Selphie tilted her head in confusion and walked closer. “Hey!” She hissed, placing a hand on Rinoa’s shoulder. The effect was instantaneous. Rinoa grabbed her by both of her shoulders.

“WHY!” She all but yelled. “RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! I WILL RISE!” Selphie twisted out of her grasp and stumbled back. “KURSE ALL OF YOU…”Rinoa slumped onto her knees. Selphie was frightened, no sure whether or not to call someone for help. Rinoa’s head turned up, the anger not there.

“Hey Selphie, what’s up? What are you doing out here? What am I doing out here?” She asked, looking around in confusion. Selphie decided that it was safe to approach her friend again.

“What was that?” She demanded. Rinoa only looked more confused. “You just yelled at me in some freaky voice!”

“I did? I don’t remember…” Rinoa bit her lip. “Maybe it’s stress. Squall told me that happened once too…maybe I should go see Dr. Kadowaki.” Selphie nodded furiously and grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go right now.” She said, dragging her along.

“It’s normal for a sorceress to experience such out of body things.” Dr. Kadowaki said all too calmly. Selphie wasn’t too fond of the calmness. “She’s bound to be affected by the powers. After all, Edea was too.”

“So you’re saying Ultimecia is trying to control me again?” Rinoa replied, her lip quivering.

“No, I’m just saying that sometimes your powers take control temporarily. It’s natural so long as you’re a sorceress. Don’t worry about it.”

“How can I not worry about it? I might end up hurting someone!” Rinoa yelled.

“I don’t think they would go so far as that. My theory is that since Ultimecia is around, your sorceress powers react. Simple as that. But you should be fine so long as you don’t space out for long periods of time.”

“Rinoa isn’t too good at that.” Selphie giggled. Rinoa shot her a dark glare. She couldn’t help but feel that this wasn’t normal…

Quistis stirred and found her “pillow” to be a bit uneven. She opened her eyes and sat up. She gasped a little after realizing that she had fallen asleep in Xu’s lap. Poor Xu, she still wasn’t wearing anything but a towel. She cares so much…I wish I could repay her…She yawned a little and then sat still, smiling. Xu looked a little troubled since she didn’t get much sleep. Quistis stood up and stretched, deciding to make breakfast for them both. She went to the bathroom to freshen up and comb her hair and then went directly to the kitchen.

Xu awoke after she slipped along the back of the couch and hit her head on the lamp on the stand. She blinked woozily and sighed. The absence of the weight on her legs told her that Quistis had woken up and the smell of eggs and toast meant she was making breakfast. She walked upstairs and dressed, feeling a little silly wearing just a towel.

“Hey,” she said, walking in. Quistis looked away from the pan and waved. “So…” Xu didn’t know how to begin a conversation after last night.

“About that incident…” Quistis cut in. “Thank you for being so considerate…” She flashed a gentle smile that made Xu blush slightly.

“Ah…what are best friends for?” She laughed, trying to shrug it off. “Anyway, I really wasn’t expecting yesterday to be how we spent your birthday. The presents are still in the trunk…and the cake too.” Quistis smiled.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get it today if you want.” She suggested.

“No problem…but let’s call up and get someone to ship us a car or something. Or maybe we should contact Zell and have him fly over here to help us out.” Xu replied.

“I think we should call Zell. Anyway, breakfast is ready so…” She flipped the eggs onto the plate and placed it in front of Xu. She ate quietly, not knowing what to say after coming to terms with herself that she loved Quistis. And Quistis was too observant to let her go.

“What’s wrong with you?” She asked. Xu shook her head.

“Nothing.” She replied with a sigh.

“It’s about me isn’t it?” Quistis whispered. Xu almost jumped and her head jerked upwards. Quistis bit her lip. “I’ve seen how you look at me.”

“Y-you have?” Xu stammered.

“I know what you’re thinking. I feel the same way.” She offered a small smile. Xu nearly choked from shock.

“Quistis…?” Quistis took a step forward.

“Xu, you have to believe me when I say that I’m not crazy. I know you think I am…and I sometimes believe it too but I need you to support me right now. You look at me as if I’m in need of help but I’m not. I just need the support of my best friend until I figure this out.” Xu’s heart plummeted. So Quistis wasn’t implying what she had hoped she was implying but nonetheless she smiled back.

“I understand. I don’t think you’re crazy. I just think you’re stressed out but I’m here for you, crazy or not.” She replied, standing up and embracing her. Quistis smiled.

“Thanks, Heart.”

“Heart…do you know how much I hate that name? I wish I was King but nooo, Dr. Kadowaki had to give it to you, perfect Quisty.” Xu joked. Quistis pulled away.

“What? You’re just jealous because I can beat you.”

“Nu uh…” Xu replied, giggling. “Cuz I’ve got your card.” Quistis’s eyes widened a little.

“How did you get that?”

“Well, it’s a funny thing…Squall felt like Rinoa was getting jealous because had your card and Selphie’s card and he used them a lot. So he gave the Selphie card to Irvine and since the Trepies were all dying for the Quistis card, he gave it to me to spare him any trouble.”

“I want that card!” Quistis said, sitting down and whipping out her deck. Xu smiled and sat down as well.

“Fine. Let’s play and see who really is the best, Miss ‘King.’”

Squall lumbered into the cafeteria, nearly tripping over the stairs as he walked towards the others. Selphie waved but Rinoa stopped her.

“Now remember, not a word to Squall about last night. He’ll have a fit.” She hissed and Selphie nodded, not really wanting to bring up the subject anyway. She acted as normal as possible and in Squall’s half-asleep state, he couldn’t really tell the difference.

“Things sure are different without Quisty around.” She sighed. Everyone murmured in agreement. “But she’s going to be back soon and then we can bug her again.” Zell swallowed the remains of his hotdog.

“Xu’s been hogging her.” He whined.

“Well you can’t blame her. The two of them have been friends since forever. It wouldn’t be right that we just swooped in and took her away.” Rinoa replied. Zell kept whining while Ayane played with his hair. Squall downed a glass of coffee and promptly regretted it. He spat it out all over the table.

“What the heck are those lunch ladies trying to do!” he yelled. “The coffee’s scalding hot!” Everyone threw napkins onto the table in an effort to clean it up.

“You’re fault for not being careful. Besides, you’re awake now aren’t you?” Rinoa countered. “Serves you right for snoring too loudly last night.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He snapped irritably and settled down. Rinoa giggled and cast Selphie an amused glance. It was a shame that both of them knew the smile they had were facades.

“Ha! I win!” Quistis proclaimed proudly.

“I demand a rematch!” Xu protested.

“No way. I’m keeping my card.” She giggled and plucked the Quistis card from Xu’s hand. Xu reacted too late to stop her. “Now you understand why they call me ‘King.’” Xu crossed her arms and pouted.

“Damn…and I was going to sell it to the Trepies for a whole load of gil. Besides, you must’ve cheated.” She snapped.

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.” Quisits suddenly leaned forwards and cut her off with a kiss. Their lips barely even touched before she stood up and ran out the door, leaving it swinging as Xu sat there, stunned.