Balamb Garden's Yuletide Vacation

Chapter 28

Friday, December the Twenty-second

A Merry Solstice to All

Seifer sat back in his chair on the two back legs with his long legs sprawled across a desk. He was very pleased with the 'work' he and his posse had accomplished as he gazed upon the huge pile of food, presents, unopened beverages, CD's, etc.

Man, there's a lot of Gil there, the blond man thought. And best of all we ruined a lot of people's Solstice. Mwaha – Oh, I was gonna stop doing that.

Wondering what shenanigans Fujin and Raijin were up to, Seifer stood up with plans to go investigate. The former knight realized he would rather go and pay that louse Trepe's room a visit. He figured she certainly deserved whatever extra he could do just to her.

Seifer left the MD level and traveled to the first floor. He walked along the first floor passageway inside the walls and was struck once again with the feeling that he could faintly hear something or someone. Seifer stopped and when he couldn't hear anything further, he shook his head once as if to clear it in order to hear better but he still heard nothing out of the ordinary. Wondering if he was beginning to go slightly tetched as he had heard Squall did for awhile with hearing voices of people who weren't there, he traveled on down the passageway until he reached the hallway of the women's dorm where Quistis' room was located.

Standing by the inside of the wall and listening intently, Seifer realized probably everyone was at the Ball and he stepped out into the corridor. Not observing anyone, he hurried down to Trepe's room and let himself in. The former knight quickly glanced around the room wondering what havoc he could wreak or what he could steal that would hurt her the most when he was momentarily struck dumb; because what he saw he couldn't quite believe.

The entire room was decorated to celebrate his birthday. There were crepe streamers hanging from the ceiling and on the walls, and a long banner heralding in bright red letters, Happy Birthday Seifer. A huge birthday cake on Quistis' desk and a large pile of presents with labels bearing his name on her bed.

Seifer stood completely dumbfounded as the minutes slowly ticked by. No one has ever remembered my birthday. I hardly remember it anymore. How did she know? Glancing around furtively as if to check if anyone was watching him, Seifer reached up and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

The young man was completely at sea. He had absolutely no idea how to handle this because it was a totally new situation for him. Seifer asked himself, Should I stay or should I go?

The question was fated to be soon academic as he heard Quistis using her key to open the door when suddenly Seifer recognized Matt's angry voice in the hallway.

"Quistis! Where have you been?"

"Walking," came her annoyed voice, "I am allowed to do that aren't I?

"Everyone's been looking for you, we are supposed to be crowned, you know."

Seifer crept forward to peer out the peephole in the door, but all he could see was the back of Quistis' head.

"We?" Quistis retorted.

"Yes, we," said Matt. "I am the Winterfest King after all."

Quistis snorted. "Excuse me, but I never asked you to be my king!"

"It was the obvious choice, I mean, I am your fiancé!" he whined.

"You know," griped Quistis, "you never proposed! You just put the damn ring on my finger."

"Okay, fine! Quistis will you marry me?"

"No!"

This was followed by a very pregnant silence.

"Why not?" Seifer could barely hear Matt's voice through the door. "You've been wearing the ring."

"That's only because you couldn't be bothered to find out my size. It's too small and now the piece of junk is stuck!"

"Junk? How can you say that Quissy?" Matt whined.

"Stop calling me Quissy!"

"I never thought you were a gold-digger!"

The door shuddered as Quistis slammed her fist into it. "Just because you are a cheap-ass bastard doesn't make me a gold-digger!"

You go, Quistis, thought Seifer, smirking.

Matt snorted. "Oh please! Like I didn't notice that fake thank you when you opened my gift tonight!"

"You should have noticed it! That was the lamest gift I've ever received, hell, even the slugs Seifer put in my solstice stocking at the orphanage when we were kids made a better gift!"

She remembers that? Seifer thought, his heart lurching.

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Matt demanded in a choked voice.

"What? Slugs?" Quistis sounded confused.

"Seifer!"

"Where?"

Matt continued, his voice growing more frenzied. "Yes, Seifer! That's what this is all about!" Quistis had moved from in front of the door and Seifer was able to see her soon to be ex boyfriend pacing the corridor. "You started acting weird at about the same time you started having those ghost sightings. And I heard the rumors about you and Seifer!"

"What rumors?"

Matt ignored her. "I didn't want to believe you'd lost your instructors license because you were having an affair with your student-!"

"What?"

"-But I took a chance on you, even though it was embarrassing to me that you'd ever been fired in the first place! And now it turns out the rumors were true!" He turned and pointed an accusing finger at the blonde woman. "You are in love with Seifer!"

"Well, that's true," Quistis admitted in a quiet voice. Both Seifer and Matt stared at her with dropped jaws. Seeing Matt's expression, Quistis stated, "I am in love with Seifer."

"You slut!" He sneered at her, and it was all Seifer could do not to break down the door and splatter Matt all over the Garden. "You freaking loony! You're in love with a damn ghost!"

Quistis threw her hands in the air. "That's it! I'm out of here!" She stomped away.

"Hey!" Matt followed after her. "I want my ring back!"

"I'll give your ring back, I'll give you a broken back!" was the last thing Seifer heard Quistis say as the arguing couple disappeared down the corridor.

Exiting her room, Seifer snuck back to the secret entrance in the hall. There's still time to save Solstice, there's just gotta be!

~*~

Seifer hurriedly returned to the MD level in time to observe Raijin and Fujin bringing down some more of their purloined 'treasure." Looking at the same pile of pile of food, presents, unopened beverages, and CD's that had filled him with happiness not so very long before now stabbed him with guilt. Seifer realized he had totally misunderstood Quistis' emotions and behavior.

"Hey, Seifer," Raijin called out. "Look – we got some more, ya know."

"Take it back!"

"Wha?!" Raijin couldn't believe his own ears.

"Take it all back, I didn't stutter!"

Fujin smiled.

"Here," Seifer directed hauling out some plastic garbage bags they usually used for collecting trash. "Help me bag this stuff up."

A few minutes later, most of the stolen paraphernalia had been bagged in preparation of returning it. Seifer and his cohorts chose to cross on a little traveled bridge that spanned a large filthy lake of old oil because it would have been too difficult to use the ladder while carrying the huge plastic bags of the stolen goods.

Unfortunately unbeknownst to any of them, the bridge was old and rickety. It began to loudly complain under the combined weight of the two large men and the female form of Fujin.

"Get back!" Seifer ordered while giving Raijin a slight shove to help encourage him to move back from where they had just left. The former knight was then startled to observe Quistis stepping onto the bridge, she looked like an angel in her ivory velvet ball gown.

What the hell is she doing here now? "Quistis, get back!" Seifer shouted.

Quistis knew nothing of Seifer's visit to her room or his most recent change of heart. If she hadn't still been so preoccupied with her continuing frustration with Matt and the emotional turmoil she was experiencing she might have noticed the note of panic in her former student's voice and obeyed him. As it was, the young woman assumed Seifer was still furious with her and was ordering her to return topside.

I will not! she thought indignantly. He can't tell me what to do.

Quistis continued toward the trio and the added weight proved to be the old bridge's undoing as it began to break completely apart.

"Oh no!" Raijin shouted. "Everything will be ruined, ya know."

"Don't worry about that now. Just save yourselves!" Seifer shouted.

Too late Quistis realized why Seifer had shouted at her to go back. Raijin and Fujin fled the falling bridge while the blond man was moving quickly in the opposite direction. The bridge was rapidly deteriorating beneath the instructor. Quistis, not knowing anything else to do to save herself, summoned a Guardian Force. Unfortunately the only GF she was junctioned with was Siren, having wanted to use the 'Move-Find' ability in case Seifer had proven difficult to locate.

As Siren rapidly appeared, Seifer lunged and, grabbing Quistis, yanked her off the bridge just before it totally collapsed. Siren, observing her mistress was safe, did the next best thing and saved the bags from landing in the filthy oil lake. Seifer, Quistis, the plastic bags, and Siren all landed in a heap on the near side of what formerly had been a bridge and now was nothing more than open air over the lake of oil.

"Whoa! She's hot, ya know," exclaimed Raijin. "OW! What'd you kick me for?"

"PERVERT!"

Even with all that going wrong, Quistis was amazed when Seifer was able to throw his head back and roar in laughter. "You two never change!"

She was struck with how incredibly different he appeared when all was at peace within himself and his world; so soft and vulnerable.

"Do you have any further need of me?" Siren asked.

"No, thank you," said Quistis.

"Then I shall take my leave." Siren smiled, and was gone.

Turning to Seifer, Quistis murmured, "You saved my life, Seifer. Thank you."

The former knight blushed furiously. "Er, no problem."

When she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, Raijin began snickering wildly. Seifer turned and shook his fist. "Be quiet, you!" Then turned back to Quistis who had just noticed a few of the things that had fallen from one of the bags.

"What are you doing with all of this?" she asked, picking up a Pollyanna gift that could only have been wrapped by Zell.

Seifer scratched his head nervously. "Um, well… we were um… stealing Solstice."

Quistis sighed and shook her head. "Oh Seifer…" was all she could say.

A look of sad desperation crossed his face. "But I changed my mind! We were just returning it when you came down and the bridge broke and" -he took a deep breath- "if we get this stuff back now we can still save Solstice!"

"That's true, Seifer, but you know you'll probably be arrested if you come up. I'll take the stuff… you stay here, and you'll be safe."

Seifer shook his head. "No… I'm tired of hiding. I'd rather face the consequences. I'm going with you."

"But-," Quistis stopped when Seifer put a finger to her lips.

"Please, Quistis…"

She nodded in response.

After Seifer yelled his game plan to his posse, Raijin responded, "No way, man! Where you go, we go, ya know!" Fujin nodded.

With a growl, Seifer said, "FINE! We'll meet you upstairs at the entrance by the classroom!" Picking up the bags, Quistis and Seifer made their way back to the ball.

~*~

Seifer, Quistis, Raijin, and Fujin stood among all the food, presents, unopened beverages, and CDs they had just liberated from the confines of the plastic bags they had transported them in. They in turn were surrounded by a large group of surprised SeeDs and upperclassmen but most of all by a befuddled appearing although deeply gratified Selphie.

She gushed, "Oh thank you all so much," and stepped forward. Rising up on her tiptoes, Selphie kissed Seifer lightly on his cheek much to his surprise. The crowd broke into spontaneous applause.

Quistis noticed that the Solstice tree had been partially repaired by wrapping yards of Estharian duct tape (the tape that nine out of ten ducks prefer) around the middle of the two separate pieces of the tree in an effort to once again have just one tree. The attempt had only been partially successful at best and was hideously appearing at worse. Selphie and some of the other people present had attempted to redecorate it in a minimalist fashion considering that the amount of unbroken decorations had diminished considerably.

Forty-five minutes later, everything appeared halfway presentable again. The presents had been situated beneath the tree. The food was now steaming on some extra tables that had been brought in from the banquet room and music from the CD's once again was blaring from the speakers.

Laguna had finally appeared and was surrounded by a group of excited SeeDs and upperclassmen. Xu stood by his side constantly smiling at him and drinking in his every word. Squall stood with Rinoa on the sidelines, his arm wrapped around her waist pulling her close to him. Seifer and Quistis were wrapped around each other in the middle of the dance floor slow dancing to a fast number. He bent down and whispered something in her ear. She smiled gloriously at him and offered a kiss. Zell stood beside Nicole (who had finally recovered from the knowledge that Seifer was not a ghost), his plate once more stacked high with hotdogs. Irvine stood patiently by Selphie's side as she explained the best way to go about planning a Festival to a group of upperclassmen. All was right within Balamb Garden for the first time in almost three weeks.

Suddenly the newfound peace and tranquility was shattered when the ballroom doors burst open and a squadron of Galbadian troops entered the room.

"Here's a message from General Mitchell," the leader exclaimed pointing his weapon directly at Laguna.

Seifer moved first diving at Laguna and knocking him to the floor while the bullets whistled harmlessly above them. Irvine pushed Selphie away from him into the group of upperclassman, knelt on one knee and began rapidly firing into the squad of soldiers who were dropping like flies. Zell carefully handed his plate of hotdogs to Nicole and then waded into the fray, making certain that Irvine saw him so he wouldn't be picked off by friendly fire; left and right soldiers were falling to his flailing fists. Squall drew Lionheart and BANG! BANG! SWISH! The enemy threw down their weapons down and turned to flee, and Quistis would grab them by the arm, and flip them on to their backs. When they arose to their feet Rinoa would karate chop them across their throats and then when their hands naturally moved upwards, she would kick them in their nether regions leaving them writhing in a ball on the floor.

In a mere matter of seconds, it was all over; although the room was now a complete shambles again. The gifts were destroyed, the food had been trampled, and the tree lay in several pieces.

Selphie took one look at the massive destruction of all her plans and she shook her fist upwards. "Okay, whoever you are, you win. I give up." And she threw herself into a corner beginning to cry, "Wah!"

As Irvine ran to comfort her, Squall stepped forward and took charge ordering, "Take the wounded to the clinic. Stack the dead in the Ragnarok. We'll send them back to Deling together as a message to Mitchell that he'll have to try harder."

Seifer stood up and then assisted Laguna up off the floor. "You saved my life, son. I owe you my deepest gratitude."

"No problem, don't worry about it," the former knight deadpanned.

"Oh, but I am," Laguna insisted. "I'm well aware of your situation and I'm gonna speak with Cid concerning you and what can be done to help you."

"I appreciate it, don't get me wrong; although I don't think there's much Cid can do about it," Seifer answered.

"I think you're wrong," the older man replied, "but if you're not, you come to me in Esthar. You can live there and I'll help you do anything you want in any way that I can."

Surprise crossed Seifer's handsome expression for a second. "Well, thank you," he murmured. "I appreciate that."

While the room was cleared of the dead and wounded, Seifer and Quistis, at Quistis' suggestion and with Fujin's permission, returned to the MD level and brought up the pretty tree that Fujin had decorated. At Fujin's request, the blonde woman also picked up the gift that Fujin had gotten for Seifer.

After the tree had been appropriately situated in a new bucket of water, Squall suddenly burst into song much to everyone's amazement.

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

In the lane, snow is glistening

A beautiful sight,

We're happy tonight,

Walking in a winter wonderland."

Here Squall reached out for Rinoa and taking her by the arm began to stroll around the center of the room as the others had fallen away to the sidelines. A group of junior classman, members of the Solstice choir, who were at their own party nearby, heard the loud off key caterwauling of Squall and raced in to provide backup singing.

Some low unpleasant murmurings swept the crowd, while a few people laughed hysterically. Nicole turned to Zell and expressed, "Oh poor Squall! He's really lost it this time, hasn't he?"

Zell, for once, couldn't think of a thing to say and remained silent as Squall continued to lead Rinoa around the room as though they were on a walk in the countryside.

"Gone away is the bluebird,

Here to stay is a new bird

He sings a love song,

As we go along,

walking in a winter wonderland."

Rinoa was highly embarrassed and she flushed uncomfortably, but remained by her fiancé's side knowing they would be married soon and realized she might as well as begin accepting 'for better or worse'. Seifer guffawed his big laugh and whispered to Quistis, "He really is puberty boy now," as Squall continued to sing and act out the lyrics by pretending to build a snowman and then stand in front of it with Rinoa.

"In the meadow we can build a snowman,

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say: Are you married?

We'll say: No man

But you can do the job

When you're in town."

Irvine leaned over Selphie where she still lay in the corner. He patted her gently on the hand and then said, while helping her to regain her feet, "Come on, Selphie. You have to see this. You're not gonna believe it!"

Squall resumed walking his fiancée around the room and, then standing in front of the tree, sang:

"Later on, we'll conspire,

as we dream by the fire

To face unafraid,

the plans that we made,

Walking in a winter wonderland."

Much to everyone's continued amazement, the normally taciturn commander once again pantomimed building a snowman.

"In the meadow we can build a snowman,

and pretend that he's a circus clown

We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,

until all the kids knock him down."

Squall once again began walking Rinoa around the room as if they were strolling in the countryside. He sang,

"When it snows, ain't it thrilling,

Though your nose gets a chilling

We'll frolic and play, the Trabian way,

walking in a winter wonderland."

Right then snow began to fall gently into the Garden from the skylight. Apparently all of the unusual activity had somehow structurally damaged the glass.

"Oh look. Booyaka!" Selphie cried out. "It's a gift from the fairies."

 When the last note died on Squall's lips, the lovely Rinoa stepped back and offered a curtsey to his performance. Squall smiled at her and the crowd broke into applause and whistling. Cid and Edea had recently joined the festivities and he obviously grimaced at the destruction that had been wreaked to the Garden. Edea, noticing this, playfully punched him in the ribs as if to say to lighten up, 'Solstice only comes once a year.' He turned to her and mouthed the words, I love you.

Quistis quietly conferred with Seifer and then he assisted her in hanging his Solstice present to her, the beautiful crystal snowflake, to the very top of the tree. When they stepped back to their amazement the snowflake began to glow and pulsate.

Everyone stood in silence wondering what new atrocity was about to occur when suddenly a Guardian Force in the figure of a young woman seemed to appear from the crystal snowflake. She was a platinum blonde, beautiful in every form and aspect, and dressed wholly in white in a full gown.

"It's the Winter Witch!!" Selphie joyously cried out. "She's real!"

"Indeed I am, little one," she said while reaching out and gently touched the green-eyed SeeD on top of her head. Selphie felt serenity wash through her entire body for the first time in her life.

"Contrary to popular belief, Griever is not the most powerful guardian force, I am; although I can only create and bring joy."

So saying, the Winter Witch waved her right hand and everything was restored as it originally was, except the beautiful crystal snowflake still glistened and gleamed high atop Selphie's tall tree.

Suddenly all the Galbadian soldiers who had been needlessly killed popped back into existence. Looking around, they threw their weapons down on the floor and then followed by falling on their knees in front of the Winter Witch.

"Please forgive us," one pleaded. "We knew not what we did." As the Winter Witch nodded, he turned his head and looked at Cid. "We wish to remain and fight with Garden."

"All this is so sudden, it's hard to sort out," Cid answered, "but you're more than welcomed to stay the night with us until a decision can be reached."

"Good enough," the soldier replied, while he and the rest of the Galbadians regained their feet at the Winter Witch's urging.

"But what brought you here now?" Selphie asked.

The Winter Witch looked at the adorable young woman and smiled. "I sealed myself in that crystal snowflake many centuries ago because of all the hate and malice in the world. I could no longer tolerate it. Later I discovered that I was trapped, and couldn't leave. It was the caroling of Squall and the opening of Quistis and Seifer's hearts that set me free from my self-imposed prison."

Turning to Quistis and smiling, the Guardian Force explained, "Since it was your snowflake I will become yours to junction.

Quistis gently shook her head no. "I grant you your freedom in the name of all that is Holy in the world."

The crowd once again broke into spontaneous applause and cheering while the Winter Witch bowed her thanks. As the GF disappeared as suddenly as she had arrived, two Solstice lights blew out on the tree. Zell explained to Nicole, "Every time a Solstice light blows out, it means an angel gets its wings."

Nicole smiled at him, but thought to herself that Zell's trolley had slipped off the tracks by just a hair. Ellone stepped up and touched Zell on the arm. "That's right, Zell," she smiled at him.

Squall noted with a sinking in his stomach that Rinoa had left his side to go speak with Selphie who was standing by the stack of CD's to be played. He had an awful certainty that his fiancée was going to ask the green-eyed young woman to play that Hyne awful 'Dance of the Balamb Fish,' the very first song they had danced to. He realized with resignation that he owed her because of the manner that she had participated with him in the singing of 'Winter Wonderland.'

Consequently Squall was delighted to learn after Rinoa had led him out into the center of the ballroom dance floor that she had instead chosen the traditional, but now seldom heard, 'Aeris' Song,' a personal favorite of it. The handsome young man smiled his thanks at his sweetheart.

Squall and Rinoa whisked gracefully around the room as they did on that fateful first night and the other dancers retired to the sidelines to watch. Irvine squeezed Selphie's hand and expressed, "I love you, Sefie,"

The diminutive young woman smiled up at her lover and echoed, "I love you too, Irvy," and stepped on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Zell was stuffing half of a hotdog on a bun into his mouth when Nicole suddenly pulled it and his hand down. "Hey!" he complained.

"Kiss me, you fool," she ordered.

Smiling broadly, he leaned down and bestowed a passionate kiss on his girlfriend.

Across the large ballroom Fujin approached the standing Seifer and Quistis. She pressed her small wrapped Solstice present into Seifer's hand.

"Fujie, thank you, but I don't want to open this right now," he protested.

"NOW!" Fujin exclaimed loudly calling attention to them.

Rather than risk any more of a scene, Seifer did as directed. Quistis looked on quizzically as the blond young man unwrapped a box that held a beautiful golden woman's ring. The former knight held it up to his eyes and observed the manner in which it glistened in the light.

Seifer looked in askance at Fujin as he entreated, "Fujin, what in the world is this?"

"IDIOT!" she exclaimed and then pointed at Quistis.

"Oh," Seifer replied, as recognition finally crossed his face.

Turning to Quistis, he took her by the hand and pushed the ring onto her ring finger (it had taken a whole can of vegetable shortening to dislodge the ring that Matt had given her). It was a perfect fit. Fujin had obviously gone to a great deal of trouble to get this right.

"Oh no! What is this?" Quistis questioned, blushing.

"Call it what you will," the handsome young man responded. "An engagement ring, a friendship ring, I don't care. It means we're gonna try and see what happens. What d'you say?"

Quistis offered a kiss as her answer and then led him out to the dance floor. The rest of those present then crowded the floor now as they had been waiting for a signal that it was okay to resume dancing. As Quistis and Seifer whirled by Matt standing by the sideline, she couldn't help but notice how lost and forlorn he appeared and despite it all, her heart went out to the young man.

Fujin approached Matt and appeared to pull him out on the dance floor against his wishes, but once they were out there he began to dance seriously, pulling her close to him. The beautiful blonde woman espied this and it caused her to feel happy that he was no longer feeling so left out. Quistis nudged Seifer and pointed it out to him.

"She'll eat him alive," Seifer whispered. Quistis giggled in agreement.

The former knight took his newfound love by her hand and led her out to the balcony.

"I love you, Quistis," he told her, entranced by the reflections of the twinkling Solstice lights in her blue eyes.

"I love you, too, Seifer!" She drew him in for a kiss just as a shout from Laguna rang out from within:

"Merry Solstice, one and all!"

~The End~

Somewhere deep in the bowels of the Garden, Nida shuffled endlessly mindlessly through myriad hallways and corridors still seeking his way out. As he hobbled along, Nida clutched his bag of money close to his breast while murmuring repeatedly, "Oh my precious, come to daddy."

~The *Official* End~

 

Dick Smith, Felix Bernard wrote Winter Wonderland in 1934.

We wish to thank Ashbear for her generously allowing us to use the character of General Mitchell. If you have not read her wonderful fanfic – Crimson Lies – go there immediately. http://www.fanfiction.ws/read.php?storyid=387402