Final Fantasy 8TM; and its characters are property of SquareSoft© :)
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Lies
Written by Quistis Kinneas.



- VI -



"Swore I'd love you til the day I die...
and beyond...are we going to the same place?
If so can I come?(...)Sometimes realise...
I can only be as good as you let me...
are you woman enough to be my man?
Bandaged hand in hand...
Pearl Jam-Hail,Hail


Quistis put the cup of coffee on the table and smiled:
"Thank you for letting me stay in your house Laguna...I'd feel uncomfortable if I'd stay on a hotel or something...I hate being alone on these kind of place..."
"Nah,it's a pleasure.I also feel alone on that house...even taking care of the city and all...you know,Kiros and Ward are always there with me...and Elone too..."
She touched his hand:
"But you miss Raine.I know it still hurts you..."
He sighed:
"Yeah...I always distract my mind from her memories by working...and that helps me a lot..."
"I don't think anyone will stop you..."
Laguna smiled:
"Yes...oh,and that's what you're here for...I guess we'll have a lot of job for some time.I'm not the head of the project,actually it's Kiros idea."
"I see...Kiros is always planning something,isn't he?"
Laguna drank some of his coffee:
"Oh,yeah,I don't know what would I do without him and Ward.Ward is also helping a lot!He is doing all these work to reform the city...",Laguna said pointing to the streets of Esthar.They were sitting on a table of a Pub in the centre of the city,next to the window.Quistis just looked on his finger direction and saw some men working outside.
"I heard Seifer is here too..."
"oh,yes,he is...he and...his short-talk girlfriend Fujin.He is helping Kiros with the project of our school.You know,the children of Esthar need some education...although we have all those tecnologies advances,there are still the basics to learn.And that's why we decided building a school for them."
"I see.And...you said,Seifer helped Kiros with the idea?"
"Oh,yes...he said he wants to make something like Balamb,you know...he is putting a lot of effort on it,I really think that we'll have a good school very soon.And besides,we'll also have to find teachers and prepare people to take care of our school.And I think that Seifer and Fujin will be perfect..."
"You know,it's really hard to see Seifer taking care of such a project!I'm really surprised...you know how rebel he was when he studied in Balamb...he never obeyed me,never.Even SeeD was afraid to have someone like him working for them,so they never accept him.And now...wow,how he changed..."
"Oh,yes,you're right.People change with time...and you know...love too",said Laguna with a 'full-of-meaning' smile.
"Oh,for sure!",smiled Quistis looking outside the pub,"well,it looks like the city will be really nice...I'll come here with Irvine on our next vacation to see how things are..."
"Oh,Irvine!Yes,I forgot he is under your control!He,he...how's the man going?"
Quistis laughed:
"He's fine...I never imagined that we'd be that close one day..."
"Do you really love him,don't you?"
"Yes...with all my heart and soul...I took so long to finally admit my feelings and accept him the way he was...now I feel like I'm living a dream come true...Irvine is like a dream for me...gentle,passionate...perfect..."
"Uh...she's so in love!"
Quistis blushed:
"Oh,yeah...I know...but I'm happy...so happy!"
"Well,it's good to know that you trust him...I mean,I'm happy to see him by just one woman's side..."
"Yes...sometimes I ask myself if it's really true.I was always afraid of this,that Irvine would betray me someday...but you know,it doesn't bother me anymore.I really trust him."
Laguna smiled:
"That's so good...I hope to welcome both soon."
"We'll come for sure.I promise."
"Well...I think we can start our tour through the school.Seifer is waiting for you,Kiros and him want to talk about many things...ah,please you must help me out...they will drive me crazy someday..."
Quistis laughed and both got up:
"Alright,I will...hey,it's my impression or you're already limping?"
Laguna almost jumped:
"Oh,not yet.But I'm sure I'll be really soon..."

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Irvine sighed and looked the clock on the wall trying hard to not sleep over the table.Since Quistis was not there to teach her classes,he had to stay on her place.But just by that first day he knew that it wasn't the kind of thing he would love to do everyday.During the time he was far away from Balamb he had to teach also,but teaching shooting techniques was far from different than that.Quistis left all the instructions to him,every activity and detail,but it was still hard to deal with a class of teenagers.He knew he wasn't as good as Quistis and he couldn't explain things as well as she did.But he tried hard and now he left the class doing some exercices while he stood on his table,distracting himself by bringing some memories back to his mind.He had to wake up very soon and now was feeling tired.All he wanted was to go back to his house and wait for Quistis' call...he missed her so much that he couldn't sleep that night,feeling her side of the bed empty...
He heard the bell announcing that the classes were over and stood imediately,feeling full of hapiness.
"Well,I think we won't have time to correct the exercises today,so you please save your work on the computer and tomorrow we'll do it all.Okay?You can go now..."
The students got up and went away while Irvine arranged his things.He was so crazy to go away and hear Quistis' voice that he didn't even notice someone standing in front of him.
"Teacher...?"
He didn't look immediately.He wasn't used to this kind of thing and being called teacher was not usual for him.
"Teacher...",the girl repeated.
"Oh...oh,sorry...I'm not used to...this title yet..."
Irvine looked the girl in front of him.She was very beautiful,had brown eyes,black hair and an angelic face.He thought that,some time ago,he would take advantage of his charm and probably say something that would let her blush or fall into his arms.But now he was a married man and besides...he was there as a teacher.The girl smiled to him and soon the angelic face disappeared.
"Hi...my name is Susan...can I call you Irvine?"
"Oh...of course sweet heart...",Irvine just remembered the relationship between the girl and him and said,"I mean...yes,you can,Susan.Do you have any question?"
"Actually...I wanted to know if Quistis will be back before our test..."
"Ahn...will the test be in two weeks,won't it?"
"Yes.That's what she said to us."
"Well,then she'll probably be here before it."
"Ahn...I see...and you'll be with us until she be back?"
"Yes,I will."
"Hum...that's really great...well,Irvine,don't you want to drink some coffee with me?I mean...you seem really lost here,I just wanted to help you with...things..."
Irvine looked the girl and smiled:
"Yes,it would be great...why not?"

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Quistis put the phone over the table and turned to Laguna,who asked:
"So...nothing?"
"No...that's weird,I told Irvine that I'd call him by the evening...he insisted so much that I had to call him every day...he's not at home and the girl on Balamb said that his class was over and he was nowhere around Balamb..."
"Well,maybe he had something important to do...it was his first day as a teacher...if I know him very well,I'd tell you he got desperated by his pupils and ran away somewhere safe to train or to relax...maybe he is just taking a ride somewhere..."
Quistis smiled.She imagined Irvine getting almost crazy in front of all those teenagers,frightened by them and then running away to the calmest place he could find.
"Yes,you must be right...Irvine is no good in this kind of thing at all...ha,ha,I wanted to see how he did in front of those teenagers..."
"Oh,yes,it must've been funny.But don't worry,you can call him later and save him..."
"Oh,for sure I will!"

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"I shouldn't have come here...",Irvine thought looking around the only Dance Club of Balamb City,"Quistis must've called me and I was not at home...she must be worried..."
"C'mon,Irvine,let's dance!",said Susan pulling him by his hand.
"Hey,Susan...I-I don't think I'll stay...I shouldn't even be here...for thousands of reasons...I have class tomorrow,you are my pupil and I'm a marria..."
"So what,Irvine?",interrupted Susan,"I don't mind it if don't mind it too.Your wife is not here,she is miles away!And besides...I'm not a girl anymore...and you...by the things I heard about you..."
"Okay,I know I was not a saint throught my life,but things are different now...I promised myself I'd never betr..."
Susan interrupted him again by kissing him on the lips.Irvine was surprised by her reaction and on the first moment,tried to push her away.But soon something grew warm inside of him,the softness of her skin under his hand,that taste of forbidden fruit on his veins...and Irvine's nature could not resist her.He just hug her and kissed her back.
"I told you Irvine...just relax...having fun is not dangerous...we can have so much fun together...",she whispered more like an invitation.Irvine understood that language very well.But he also knew that it could be really dangerous if...
"Quistis will never know",Susan said guessing his thoughts,"you are too handsome and too young to be of only one woman..."
"Why me?",Irvine asked.
She looked deeply inside his eyes smiling:
"Why not?Are you dead?I guess not...talking about it,I'm sure you're very alive...c'mon,let's dance..."
Irvine sighed and got up,joining her in the dance floor.The music was deeply involving and soon Irvine forgot about his worries.He just put his arms around Susan's waist and smiled.
"See?I told you,Irvine...just relax...no one...",Susan stopped and her eyes were fixed in one point of the Club,"Irvine...?"
"What?"
"Isn't that girl...Selphie?"
Irvine turned to the Club's entrance and almost fainted.Selphie was there with Zell and both were walking to enter the area.He separated from Susan:
"I must go away now!If they see me here I'll be fuc..."
"Don't worry",Susan interrupted,"come with me,I'll use the back entrance to get us out of here..."
Susan took him by his hand and both went away from the club using the back door.Irvine sighed and Susan smiled:
"Oh,I guess that was close...so,now we'll have to go somewhere else...what about your house?"
"M-my house?No,Susan...my house not...if Quistis call me..."
She put her finger on his lips and said:
"Oh,teacher...the marriage took away your adventurous spirit or what?One night of fun...besides,you'll be by your wife's side for the rest of your life!Did you think about it?Will you be able to be always faithful to her?She'll never know!And besides...once in a lifetime..."
Irvine smiled.It was funny how women could be so convincent when they wanted.And besides,Susan was right...when he married Quistis he was so deeply in love that he didn't even think about betray her.Actually,he thought that he would never look around or notice other women.He was pretty sure that Quistis would be by his side all the time and she would be enough for him...but he forgot that things don't change from the day to the night...he always lived from bed to bed,flirting,having no responsabilities...he loved Quistis,he knew that.Life without her would be like death,but if she'd never knew about Susan...what problem could it bring?
"All right,Susan...I'll show you my house then..."

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The phone rang once,twice,three times...Irvine jumped off the bed,scared by the noise.He turned on the light of the room and suddenly things came back to his mind...
Susan was there,by his side on the bed.He felt something aching inside his head,maybe blame for doing that...but the noise came back to his mind and he just picked up the phone:
"Hello?"
"Irvine?",Quistis voice came from the other side.Irvine felt his insides cold,Quistis was miles away from him but just the sound of her voice brought her so close that he felt like she was there,watching him.
"Q-Quisty?Darling...hi..."
"I called all day,where have you been?"
"J-just around...I-I..."
"What's the matter,are you okay?"
"Yes,I am...I'm just...tired..."
"Oh,sure,how stupid I am...it must be late there,I forgot!I'm sorry dear,I woke you up,didn't I?"
"Yes,but it's no problem...I'm glad to hear your voice...how are things going there?"
"Quite well.The project is amazing,I think it will be a great Garden...especially because Seifer is taking care of things...I'm helping them to contract some teachers,giving them some advices..."
"Oh,you're good,really good..."
"And you?How was your first day alone there?Did the kids bother you?"
"Not that much I...could deal with things very well,I guess..."
Irvine could not talk as well as he would normally do.He was feeling so guilty that he was afraid that a word or his tone of voice could inform Quistis about his behaviour.
"And...are you alone?"
Irvine coughed:
"O-of course I am!Why do you ask?"
"Just kidding...I know you are very well..."
"When will you be back?
"In some days...less than one week.Don't worry,I'll be fine."
"I know...I...just come back as soon as you can okay?I'm missing you..."
"I'm missing you too...I'll call you after,I have to go now...Laguna is waving and I guess...ops..."
"What happened?"
"Well,Kiros pushed the wrong button,ha,ha...well,be fine.And behave.I'll talk to you soon..."
"Okay...I love you,Quisty..."
"I love you too.Bye..."
"Bye..."
Irvine put the phone over the table and sighed.He looked to his side and saw Susan sleeping as an angel.He felt a bad taste on his throat:
"Man,I'm fucked up."

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Another class over and Irvine felt relief.Besides the pressure from his pupils,there was Susan also,sitting next to him,acting as nothing happened.He couldn't believe her way of dealing with that and was ashamed by his own reaction.He did that kind ofthing for his entire life but now,because the ring on his finger,he felt as ashamed as a boy that just broke mom's favourite vase.
When all the girls and boys were out of the class,Susan came close to him.She closed the door and sat over his table,smiling:
"So teacher?How was the night?Did you sleep well?"
"Susan,I guess it's not good that we talk here..."
"Why not?I'm just asking some things about...the class..."
"Okay...what is?"
"Did you like the night?"
"Yes...it was really fine...you really surprised me..."
"That's good...so what you think about...doing the same thing again?Tonight?"
Irvine felt his blood freezing,the thoughts running through his mind,"No,I can't do this again...if Quistis knows about it...I'm a married man,I promissed Quistis that I'd never betray her...she doesn't deserve such a thing,I..."
"Okay",he answered,"I'll go then."

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Ps.:Marriage...what a nice prision,isn't it?