Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Populace of Two ❯ Seasons ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Populace of Two

 

Summary: Love. That everchanging connection between two people. Who decides who experiences this feeling and with whome? Why must love sometimes make no sense, experienced in-between two unlikely people?

 

Rating: PG-13+

 

Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII

 

Genre: Romance, Drama

 

Warning: Contains Shoujo-Ai

 

 

Chapter Two

 

Seasons

 

Relationships in Balamb Garden were... practically non-existant.

 

Except for the case of Rinoa and Squall, most relationships either never began or lasted only a short while. They were all pretty identical. Boy meets girl, girl falls for boy, boy falls for girl, boy and girl have falling out, relationship over.

 

Quistis had seen it happen many times. She'd been at Balamb for a good while and had seen plenty of relationships fizzle out. Now, she'd never been in one of these but she'd seen so many she'd become something of a master of them.

 

And in all the time that Quistis had been at Balamb, she'd not once seen a relationship between two students of the same sex.

 

If relationships between a male and female couldn't work, how could one work between two females?

 

It was statistically impossible.

 

Quistis sighed as she took her seat in the lunchroom and looked down at the meal set out before her. It was a normal, everyday meal consiting of a hot dog, some vegetables, a apple, and a small carton of milk.

 

She usually ate her lunch alone, seated in the back of the room. She didn't mind it, it gave her time to catch up on grading and maybe give her some free time to read or something. However, today was different.

 

Quistis looked across the table at the girl that had suddenly joined her. Raven black hair rained down across her usual blue attire. Young, chestnut eyes sparkled they looked into Quistis'.

 

"Good morning, Rinoa." Quistis said pecularly.

 

"It's not morning anymore." Rinoa said with a chuckle, "It's past noon."

 

Quistis rolled her eyes, "Well, good afternoon then."

 

Rinoa laughed and leaned back in her seat, "I heard that you agreed to come tonight. Good choice." Rinoa gave her a thumbs up and a wink.

 

"Yes, about that." She thought a moment, "You do realize it's supposed to snow tomorrow, right?"

 

"What's your point?"

 

"It's getting cold." Quistis said blankly, "Not exactly picnic weather."

 

"Well, bring a coat then." Rinoa said with a roll of her own eyes, "Or maybe someone who can keep you warm. You know Irvine's single now and Zell... forget I said that..."

 

Rinoa laughed and Quistis chuckled herself, "Well, what time are we setting out?"

 

"Six o'clock, meet at the parking lot." Rinoa smiled brightly, "It's gonna be great, huh? It's been so long since we've all been together."

 

"Should be a lot of fun." Quistis said with a grin, "You know for sure everyone's coming?"

 

"I dunno. Squall just got back from Deling yesterday. Irvine has no classes and Zell is free but we don't know about Selphie." Quistis heart suddenly dropped. Her face gloomed but for a only a moment before she caught herself and regained her composure. "I know, it's a bummer but she might be going up to Trabia to meet with some of few old friends."

 

"That's too bad."

 

"Yeah but she might make it anyways." Rinoa shrugged, "Just keep your fingers crossed."

 

Quistis nodded, "I'll be sure to do that." Suddenly, the blonde stood and smiled down at the younger girl, "I really must get going. I've got a lot of work to do. See you tonight."

 

With that, Quistis made her way out of the lunchroom, passing by Irvine Kinneas as she did so and ignoring the beginnings of yet another of his quirky pick-up lines. The cowboy shrugged and made his way over to Rinoa's table. He sat down and stared at the tray full of food at Quistis had just abandoned.

 

"What's going on?" Irvine asked, picking up the hot dog as he did so.

 

"Not much." Rinoa said off-handedly. She bit her lip, "Do you think Quistis had been acting... strange lately."

 

"No more than usual." Irvine said after taking a bite, "Why?"

 

"I dunno, she just seems like she's holding something in."

 

"Probably a newfound love for one of her close friends that she is too shy to unveil." He smirked as she finished, "I wonder who that friend could be."

 

Irvine finished the rest of Quistis' meal and stood. He stretched and tipped his hat to Rinoa. "Well, I must be off but I'll see you tonight around six, right?" Rinoa nodded with a grin, "I'm off like a prom dress." Irvine said with a snicker beat leaving the lunch room.

 

Rinoa leaned back, still wondering about Quistis' strange attitude then her mind wandered back to Irvine's earlier statement. She leaned forward and spoke quietly to herself.

 

"Yes, I wonder who it could be..." She thought a moment, remembering about how when Quistis had left, her had her fingers crossed.

 

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

 

Quistis sat at her desk in her empty classroom. She didn't have another class for about half an hour and she would usually be using this time to grade papers but not today.

 

Today, she sat looking at a few photographs she usually kept in her desk.

 

She smiled gently as she looked at the pictures. They gleamed in the artificial light of the classroom, making it look like the people in the photos were shining brightly.

 

The pictures were of her five closest friends, only a few days after returning from their mission to save the world.

 

They had taken a bit of a vacation to the beach. Quistis chuckled lightly as she remembered how much fun it had been. She remembered Zell splashing everyone with water and immediatly being dunked into the water by Squall and Irvine. She remembered how happy Rinoa and Squall had been, sitting and watching the sunset over the horizon.

 

But most of all, she remembered Selphie.

 

She remembered her sitting on a rock in the middle of the water, watching the orange sky as if it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever layed eyes on. This was while her and Irvine were beginning to go through their rough spell.

 

This was also the first time Quistis had ever felt that strange feeling for the girl. She remembered drastically wanting to go and confort the younger girl. To tell her the everything was going to be fine and just sit and enjoy the sunset just like Squall and Rinoa were.

 

Instead, she had gone back to her hotel room and went to sleep. She laid in her bed that night, trying to figure out the unfamiliar emotions running through her mind and heart.

 

Quistis sighed deeply as she turned to the last picture. It showed all six of them, standing on the beach and looking at the camera. They were all happy, smiling and laughing with their arms around eachother. Her and Selphie were on opposite sides. Quistis had wanted to stand next to her and drape her arm around the girl's waist. To feel the soft touch of her skin and smell the gentle aroma of her hair.

 

She didn't do that either.

 

Maybe tonight would be different. Maybe she would announce her strange feelings for the girl. Maybe she would get a chance to feel her touch and smell her scent. Perhaps her dreams of the two of them ending up as happy as Squall and Rinoa would come to reality.

 

Or perhaps she would decide not to do anything again. Or, perhaps Selphie wouldn't even come.

 

All Quistis could do now was keep her fingers crossed.

 

To Be Continued...