A/N: Sorry it took so long. I've been busy with school and a few roleplays I run at the Seiftis Forever message board. I would like to express a personal thanks to the reviewer who flamed. I appreciate it. Next time, why don't you bother logging in, so we can all see what great fics you have?
To Keep A Secret
Chapter 15
"Too much. I'll tell you later, just get me back home." she said, swinging her legs over the side of the hospital bed.
"Oh, right," Zell said, standing up. "I was supposed to get you out of here a-s-a-p."
Quistis gave him a look that sarcastically said 'well done'. He flushed and started for the door.
Once into the lobby, Zell grabbed her arm and led her for an emergency exit. "We can't leave through the front, Galbadian soldiers don't know I'm here, and technically you aren't allowed to leave Dollet. I'm smuggling you out." Zell flashed a characteristic grin. Quistis, however, didn't find any of this in the least bit amusing. He opened the door and she stepped out into a dirty alley. Well, it could hardly be called an alley. There was only about four feet between the side of the hospital and the side of another building.
Zell stepped out behind her and gestured for her to follow him. They came to the road behind the hospital. "This way." Zell said, turning right and heading down the sidewalk at a fast stride. Quistis hurried to catch up.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"I've got a chopper waiting for us at the empty lot on the corner of Fourth and Winger." Zell said, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the street. "It'll take us straight to B-Garden...that is, if we're not spotted before getting to the chopper."
Quistis glanced around them--half-skipping, half-walking--to keep up with Zell. They crossed the street and Zell lead her down another gap between two brick buildings.
"You look so different." Zell commented over his shoulder.
"Is that a compliment or what?" she asked. They emerged from the gap, at yet another sidewalk.
"No, just a comment." he said with a sniff, then started across the road. Upon reaching the sidewalk on the other side of the road he made a sharp turn and started up the side, almost at a run.
"Are we almost where this chopper is supposed to be?" she asked impatiently. Dollet wasn't a large city, they had to be somewhere near the edge of town.
"Almost." he said, taking a sharp turn into yet another gap between buildings. They emerged at a dirt road. The opposite side of the street was mostly bare, except for a dilapidated old hotel and some kind of factory that hogged half the street. Smoke erupted from the spouts of four pillars on top of the factory, clouding the air above it. "The chopper's on the other side of the factory. Look there, you can make out two of its propellors." he said, pointing. "Come on." He set off at a stride toward the area where he pointed.
Quistis, again, had to kind of skip-stride to catch up to him. She panted almost silently, looking over her shoulder, then back toward Zell. The closer they came to the factory, more and more of the chopper was visible. Soon enough they rounded the corner of the building, and a standard Balamb Garden chopper sat silently in the dirt, the form of a man wearing a SeeD uniform in the pilot's seat.
The pilot opened the right side door and Zell gestured for Quistis to climb inside. She grabbed the sides of the doorframe and hoisted herself up into the small cockpit, sliding over one seat to leave a space for Zell, who climbed in after her and shut the door.
"Buckle up." the pilot said, as he punched a few buttons on the control console. Quistis reached up and pulled the slick strap that made the seatbelt down across her chest and pushed it into the small slot at her hip, then tugged on it once to make sure it was properly secured. The propellors above them began spinning slowly at first, then faster.
Quistis turned to Zell as the chopper began it's rise into the cloudy grey sky. Now that they were safe inside the chopper, she could speak with him about something that had muddled her thoughts since Headmaster Martine announced it. "What the hell was Laguna thinking, declaring war on Galbadia, with me over in Galbadia Garden?!"
An anxious looked briefly flashed over Zell's face. "Quistis, Laguna didn't declare war on Galbadia. Vice President Haphner did." Quistis' eyebrows came together, a display of her confusion. Zell sighed, before continuing. "Quistis, Laguna was assasinated."
Quistis' eyes widened in shock as a hand flew over her open mouth. Her gaze traveled the interior of the chopper briefly, before resting again on Zell's eyes. "But who...when?!"
"It was the day before Headmaster Martine announced the war to G-Garden, I think. I guess Haphner's been itching to go to war with Galbadia. He say's Laguna is too hesitant with things, but the Vice Pres. couldn't really do anything until now because of his position. Laguna was killed that morning, and Haphner declared war that night." Zell said.
Quistis frowned angrily. "How could he be so disrespectful to the former President?! But how was Laguna killed?! Do they know who it was?!"
"He was shot at the Esthar Plaza. He was making a speech at the podium, and then he just...fell. Nobody knows exactly who it was, but they've got a forensics expert on the case who can tell which direction the bullet came from by the way it entered Laguna's body. They think it was a sniper from the top of the Madelin Tower." Zell said with a sigh.
Quistis shook her head. "But they don't have any suspects yet?!"
"Well everyone who was inside the Madelin at the time of his speech is technically a suspect, but the only one with motives is Haphner himself. Of course it wasn't him, he was sitting right there on stage, next to governers and the like. Maybe he hired someone to do it." Zell said. The tone of his voice told Quistis how he felt about the whole ordeal.
"Well...how are the others?" she asked with a look of concern.
Zell sighed. "They're...handling it. Selphie and Rinoa were crying, but everyone's past tears now. Squall's shrunk even deeper into himself, he's practically silent." Zell paused before continuing. "The funeral is tomorrow."
Quistis sat back against her seat and swallowed. Her and Laguna were anything but close, they'd only met a less than half a year ago, but she still felt a knot in her throat. She gazed out the chopper window, watching the mist of the clouds brush past the window.
"Quistis, why was Seifer in the hospital room with you?" Zell asked suddenly.
She sighed and turned back to Zell. "He's the one that called the ambulance for me. I fainted on the dock."
"You fainted?!" he asked, alarmed.
"It's not such a big deal. I was stressed, tired, and probably hungry. I just blacked out." she decided to leave out the part about Seifer's kiss.
"I guess your mission was too big for one person to handle. Even if the one person was Child Prodigy Trepe herself." Zell said with a grin.
Quistis gave a hallow laugh. She could tell Zell was trying to cheer her up, but no matter what kind of joke he cracked, after hearing about the death of Laguna, nothing was going to make her cheery. What kind of future was in store for Esthar? Was Balamb Garden's alliance with the city going to be severed due to Haphner assuming power? "Zell, what about Garden's alliance with Esthar?"
"Well Garden is pretty chaotic at the moment. Headmaster Cid is still in the process of deciding what is best for the SeeDs of Balamb Garden. He's taking too long on the decision, if you ask me." he said, a hint of irritance in his tone.
Quistis sighed. Everything was a mess, externally and internally. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Zell, what about your vacation? I thought you were with your mom?"
"I flew back to Garden the night I found out about Laguna's murder, and as soon as Haphner declared war, they sent me out here to get you." Zell responded. "Cristti's back at Garden with the rest of them." he added, refering to his girlfriend.
Quistis fell back against her seat, once again. "Thanks."
Zell let out a laugh. "You think we'd leave you there to fight for the other side?"
Quistis smiled. "Well I wasn't sure..."
Zell laughed again. "How could you not be sure?! Come now, Quistis, we wouldn't forget all about you."
"Well I didn't think you'd forgotten, Zell. I knew something was wrong, but you can't blame me for being scared." she said, looking over at him.
"I guess so." he said, gazing at the ground at his feet. "It was a real bitch tracking you down though. Had no idea you'd landed yourself in the hospital."
"It's not like fainting was intentional." Quistis replied coolly.
"Yeah, and then I get there," Zell continued, ignoring her comment."and you've got Almasy sitting next to you, holding your hand." Zell replied in the same cool tone.
Quistis couldn't will away the redness she knew was spreading her cheeks. She didn't think Zell had seen that much. "What do you mean?"
Zell turned his head to her. "So you didn't know he was holding your hand?"
"No." she replied, trying to sound convincing.
"Yeah well, he was. Why, I don't know, but I can't say I like it. He's a criminal, Quistis. And now he's on -their- side." he said, refering to the Galbadians. "One more reason to put a hurt on his ass to add to the list."
"At least he's righting himself." Quistis said. "Now he's actually a SeeD, and from what I've seen, he isn't half bad at following the rules anymore."
"I guess he has matured, then." Zell said. "Still doesn't explain why he was holding your hand."
"I suppose it doesn't." Quistis replied quietly. She sighed and leaned back against her seat, and for the remainder of the flight, the only noise in the air was the buzz of the propellors.
To Keep A Secret
Chapter 15
"Too much. I'll tell you later, just get me back home." she said, swinging her legs over the side of the hospital bed.
"Oh, right," Zell said, standing up. "I was supposed to get you out of here a-s-a-p."
Quistis gave him a look that sarcastically said 'well done'. He flushed and started for the door.
Once into the lobby, Zell grabbed her arm and led her for an emergency exit. "We can't leave through the front, Galbadian soldiers don't know I'm here, and technically you aren't allowed to leave Dollet. I'm smuggling you out." Zell flashed a characteristic grin. Quistis, however, didn't find any of this in the least bit amusing. He opened the door and she stepped out into a dirty alley. Well, it could hardly be called an alley. There was only about four feet between the side of the hospital and the side of another building.
Zell stepped out behind her and gestured for her to follow him. They came to the road behind the hospital. "This way." Zell said, turning right and heading down the sidewalk at a fast stride. Quistis hurried to catch up.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"I've got a chopper waiting for us at the empty lot on the corner of Fourth and Winger." Zell said, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the street. "It'll take us straight to B-Garden...that is, if we're not spotted before getting to the chopper."
Quistis glanced around them--half-skipping, half-walking--to keep up with Zell. They crossed the street and Zell lead her down another gap between two brick buildings.
"You look so different." Zell commented over his shoulder.
"Is that a compliment or what?" she asked. They emerged from the gap, at yet another sidewalk.
"No, just a comment." he said with a sniff, then started across the road. Upon reaching the sidewalk on the other side of the road he made a sharp turn and started up the side, almost at a run.
"Are we almost where this chopper is supposed to be?" she asked impatiently. Dollet wasn't a large city, they had to be somewhere near the edge of town.
"Almost." he said, taking a sharp turn into yet another gap between buildings. They emerged at a dirt road. The opposite side of the street was mostly bare, except for a dilapidated old hotel and some kind of factory that hogged half the street. Smoke erupted from the spouts of four pillars on top of the factory, clouding the air above it. "The chopper's on the other side of the factory. Look there, you can make out two of its propellors." he said, pointing. "Come on." He set off at a stride toward the area where he pointed.
Quistis, again, had to kind of skip-stride to catch up to him. She panted almost silently, looking over her shoulder, then back toward Zell. The closer they came to the factory, more and more of the chopper was visible. Soon enough they rounded the corner of the building, and a standard Balamb Garden chopper sat silently in the dirt, the form of a man wearing a SeeD uniform in the pilot's seat.
The pilot opened the right side door and Zell gestured for Quistis to climb inside. She grabbed the sides of the doorframe and hoisted herself up into the small cockpit, sliding over one seat to leave a space for Zell, who climbed in after her and shut the door.
"Buckle up." the pilot said, as he punched a few buttons on the control console. Quistis reached up and pulled the slick strap that made the seatbelt down across her chest and pushed it into the small slot at her hip, then tugged on it once to make sure it was properly secured. The propellors above them began spinning slowly at first, then faster.
Quistis turned to Zell as the chopper began it's rise into the cloudy grey sky. Now that they were safe inside the chopper, she could speak with him about something that had muddled her thoughts since Headmaster Martine announced it. "What the hell was Laguna thinking, declaring war on Galbadia, with me over in Galbadia Garden?!"
An anxious looked briefly flashed over Zell's face. "Quistis, Laguna didn't declare war on Galbadia. Vice President Haphner did." Quistis' eyebrows came together, a display of her confusion. Zell sighed, before continuing. "Quistis, Laguna was assasinated."
Quistis' eyes widened in shock as a hand flew over her open mouth. Her gaze traveled the interior of the chopper briefly, before resting again on Zell's eyes. "But who...when?!"
"It was the day before Headmaster Martine announced the war to G-Garden, I think. I guess Haphner's been itching to go to war with Galbadia. He say's Laguna is too hesitant with things, but the Vice Pres. couldn't really do anything until now because of his position. Laguna was killed that morning, and Haphner declared war that night." Zell said.
Quistis frowned angrily. "How could he be so disrespectful to the former President?! But how was Laguna killed?! Do they know who it was?!"
"He was shot at the Esthar Plaza. He was making a speech at the podium, and then he just...fell. Nobody knows exactly who it was, but they've got a forensics expert on the case who can tell which direction the bullet came from by the way it entered Laguna's body. They think it was a sniper from the top of the Madelin Tower." Zell said with a sigh.
Quistis shook her head. "But they don't have any suspects yet?!"
"Well everyone who was inside the Madelin at the time of his speech is technically a suspect, but the only one with motives is Haphner himself. Of course it wasn't him, he was sitting right there on stage, next to governers and the like. Maybe he hired someone to do it." Zell said. The tone of his voice told Quistis how he felt about the whole ordeal.
"Well...how are the others?" she asked with a look of concern.
Zell sighed. "They're...handling it. Selphie and Rinoa were crying, but everyone's past tears now. Squall's shrunk even deeper into himself, he's practically silent." Zell paused before continuing. "The funeral is tomorrow."
Quistis sat back against her seat and swallowed. Her and Laguna were anything but close, they'd only met a less than half a year ago, but she still felt a knot in her throat. She gazed out the chopper window, watching the mist of the clouds brush past the window.
"Quistis, why was Seifer in the hospital room with you?" Zell asked suddenly.
She sighed and turned back to Zell. "He's the one that called the ambulance for me. I fainted on the dock."
"You fainted?!" he asked, alarmed.
"It's not such a big deal. I was stressed, tired, and probably hungry. I just blacked out." she decided to leave out the part about Seifer's kiss.
"I guess your mission was too big for one person to handle. Even if the one person was Child Prodigy Trepe herself." Zell said with a grin.
Quistis gave a hallow laugh. She could tell Zell was trying to cheer her up, but no matter what kind of joke he cracked, after hearing about the death of Laguna, nothing was going to make her cheery. What kind of future was in store for Esthar? Was Balamb Garden's alliance with the city going to be severed due to Haphner assuming power? "Zell, what about Garden's alliance with Esthar?"
"Well Garden is pretty chaotic at the moment. Headmaster Cid is still in the process of deciding what is best for the SeeDs of Balamb Garden. He's taking too long on the decision, if you ask me." he said, a hint of irritance in his tone.
Quistis sighed. Everything was a mess, externally and internally. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Zell, what about your vacation? I thought you were with your mom?"
"I flew back to Garden the night I found out about Laguna's murder, and as soon as Haphner declared war, they sent me out here to get you." Zell responded. "Cristti's back at Garden with the rest of them." he added, refering to his girlfriend.
Quistis fell back against her seat, once again. "Thanks."
Zell let out a laugh. "You think we'd leave you there to fight for the other side?"
Quistis smiled. "Well I wasn't sure..."
Zell laughed again. "How could you not be sure?! Come now, Quistis, we wouldn't forget all about you."
"Well I didn't think you'd forgotten, Zell. I knew something was wrong, but you can't blame me for being scared." she said, looking over at him.
"I guess so." he said, gazing at the ground at his feet. "It was a real bitch tracking you down though. Had no idea you'd landed yourself in the hospital."
"It's not like fainting was intentional." Quistis replied coolly.
"Yeah, and then I get there," Zell continued, ignoring her comment."and you've got Almasy sitting next to you, holding your hand." Zell replied in the same cool tone.
Quistis couldn't will away the redness she knew was spreading her cheeks. She didn't think Zell had seen that much. "What do you mean?"
Zell turned his head to her. "So you didn't know he was holding your hand?"
"No." she replied, trying to sound convincing.
"Yeah well, he was. Why, I don't know, but I can't say I like it. He's a criminal, Quistis. And now he's on -their- side." he said, refering to the Galbadians. "One more reason to put a hurt on his ass to add to the list."
"At least he's righting himself." Quistis said. "Now he's actually a SeeD, and from what I've seen, he isn't half bad at following the rules anymore."
"I guess he has matured, then." Zell said. "Still doesn't explain why he was holding your hand."
"I suppose it doesn't." Quistis replied quietly. She sighed and leaned back against her seat, and for the remainder of the flight, the only noise in the air was the buzz of the propellors.